This item is being republished to correct information provided by the author. It was originally submitted to The Reporter by Richard A. McGeary, formerly of Towamencin, in 2010.  Sergeant Abbott was his great-grand-uncle.  

John Abbott was working the family farm at Gravelly Run, just outside Mays Landing, N.J., when the Civil War broke out.
A devout Methodist, John decided to serve both his nation and his God by fighting to preserve the Union and help destroy the evil institution of slavery.
In July 1961, two months after shots were fired at Fort Sumter, S.C., 22 year-old John Abbott enlisted in the 48th New York State Volunteers.
A well-known Methodist minister in New York, the Rev. James H. Perry, led the 48th. Although the regiment was officially known as the Continental Guards, it soon took on the name of its founder and was called Perry’s Saints or The Fighting Parson’s Regiment.
Recruits from New Jersey, including John Abbott, formed Company D. John’s older brother, the Rev. William T. Abbott, joined the 23rd New Jersey Volunteer Infantry as chaplain.

Camping on Capitol Hill, the regiment initially protected Washington, D.C., as a part of Gen. Sherman’s 1st Brigade. In late October 1861, the 48th embarked for Beaufort, S.C. The regiment engaged the enemy at Port Royal Ferry and participated in the capture of the fortifications in January 1862. The 48th then took a prominent role in the siege of Fort Pulaski, Georgia, performed garrison duty, conducted several expeditions in the region, and fought a number of skirmishes.
John Abbott rose through the ranks and was promoted to sergeant. However, in the summer of 1863, Sgt. Abbott and the 48th were about to meet their greatest challenge, one that would earn Company D its nickname in blood, “The Die No Mores.”

Union leaders decided to strike a major blow against the Confederacy by taking the city of Charleston, where the war had begun two years earlier. However, the Confederate Fort Wagner on Morris Island, across from Fort Sumter and Charleston, blocked that objective. In early July an amphibious federal force landed at the north end of Morris Island but was repulsed. The fort was well-protected by a narrow approach up the beach, a moat and then a ditch with pointed spikes.

On July 18, 1863, Gen. Strong led a brigade of six regiments, including the 48th, in an assault on Fort Wagner from the south. Made famous in the motion picture “Glory,” the 54th Massachusetts, a regiment of African-American soldiers led by Col. Robert Shaw, led the attack with fixed bayonets.
In fierce fighting with terrible casualties, the 54th briefly occupied a small portion of the fort but was forced to withdraw. The 48th with 500 men and 16 officers charged directly toward Fort Wagner’s seaward wall only to be mowed down by concentrated Confederate fire, including a fearsome coastal howitzer.
Still, the 48th courageously stormed the rampart and held it for three hours before being forced to retreat. Casualties numbered over 1,700; Confederates counted 800 Union dead within the walls of the fort. The 48th alone suffered 242 casualties, including 14 of its 16 officers. Sgt. Abbott was severely wounded leading his men in the attack. The Army evacuated him on the steamer Cosmopolitan to the Army Hospital at Fort Schuyler, N.Y. (at Throggs Neck, Bronx, which is the current site of the State University of New York Maritime College).
Unwilling to repeat the carnage of July 18, Union generals placed Fort Wagner under siege for 58 days until the Confederates evacuated. Charleston fell soon after.

Abbott arrived at Fort Schuyler on July 30 but despite treatment of his wounds, he died the morning of Aug. 7, 1863. He was 24 years old and single. His service record describes him as having brown hair and hazel eyes.
Ironically, he died just a few miles across Long Island Sound from where his Abbott ancestors first set foot on American soil from England in 1693. Abbott’s body was returned to Mays Landing, and he was buried in the family plot at Union Cemetery just down the road from the fields he peacefully farmed before he answered the call to serve his nation.

On the day he died, Sgt. Abbott dictated a final letter to his father and in closing stated:

“Say to the people of Mays Landing that I died at my post. When I joined the Army I was willing to die for my country, and to prove my devotion to the flag. It demanded my life which I willingly give.”

   Army National Guard Pvt. Mark T. Scherer has graduated from One Station Unit Training (OSUT) at Fort Leonard Wood, Waynesville, Mo., which included basic military training and advanced individual training (AIT).
     During basic military training, the trainee received instruction in drill and ceremony, weapons qualification, map reading, tactics, military courtesy, military justice, physical fitness, first aid, and Army doctrine, history, principles and traditions.
     During AIT, the soldier completed the military police specialist course to acquire skills to provide combat area support, conduct battlefield circulation control, area security, prisoner of war operations, civilian internee operations, and law and order operations.  The trainee performed as a team member in support of battlefield operations, installation law and order operations and security of Army resources and installations.  Additional training included providing peacetime support to the military community through security of resources, crime prevention programs, and preservation of law and order.
     Scherer is the son of Anita and Mark Scherer of Harleysville.
     He is a 2010 graduate of North Penn High School, Towamencin.

     Air Force Airman James R. Sorensen graduated from basic military training at Lackland Air Force Base, San Antonio, Texas.

     The airman completed an intensive, eight-week program that included training in military discipline and studies, Air Force core values, physical fitness, and basic warfare principles and skills.

     Airmen who complete basic training earn four credits toward an associate in applied science degree through the Community College of the Air Force.

     Sorensen is the son of Molly Sander of   Lansdale, and Greg Sorensen of  Middletown.

     He is a 2009 graduate of North Penn Senior High School, Towamencin.

Navy Seaman Recruit Melvin D. Gary, Jr, son of Denise M. and Melvin D. Gary of Lansdale,  recently completed U.S. Navy basic training at Recruit Training Command, Great Lakes, Ill. 
         During the eight-week program, Gary completed a variety of training which included classroom study and practical instruction on naval customs, first aid, firefighting, water safety and survival, and shipboard and aircraft safety. An emphasis was also placed on physical fitness. 
         The capstone event of boot camp is "Battle Stations". This exercise gives recruits the skills and confidence they need to succeed in the fleet. "Battle Stations" is designed to galvanize the basic warrior attributes of sacrifice, dedication, teamwork and endurance in each recruit through the practical application of basic Navy skills and the core values of Honor, Courage and Commitment. Its distinctly ''Navy'' flavor was designed to take into account what it means to be a Sailor.      
Gary is a 2008 graduate of Pottstown Senior High School of Pottstown. 

-Navy Seaman Sade M. Gary Lowe, a 2004 graduate of North Penn High School, Towamencin, recently completed U.S. Navy basic training at Recruit Training Command, Great Lakes, Ill.
         During the eight-week program, Gary Lowe completed a variety of training which included classroom study and practical instruction on naval customs, first aid, firefighting, water safety and survival, and shipboard and aircraft safety. An emphasis was also placed on physical fitness.
       

Crossroads Hospice Celebrates Sellersville Veterans

in Honor of Armed Forces Day

 Crossroads Hospice Volunteer Coordinator Kimberly Mumper presents Savory Fulginiti of Hidden Meadows on the Ridge with a certificate of recognition for his service in the armed forces.

Crossroads Hospice recently joined Hidden Meadows on the Ridge to honor its veterans on Armed Forces Day. During the ceremony at the senior living community in Sellersville, veterans were individually presented with a certificate, hat and words of recognition by Crossroads Hospice.

           “We recognize the sacrifices our veterans have made and believe we owe a debt of gratitude for the security they have provided by defending our nation,” said Gloria Allon, Executive Director of Crossroads Hospice. “Whether we’re honoring a veteran patient at his bedside with his family, or recognizing 50 veterans at an assisted living facility in a group ceremony, we take the time to say ‘thank you’ and show our support for their tremendous service.”

Throughout history thousands of men and women have proudly served our

country, leaving family and friends behind to defend our great nation and its ideals.

Recognizing their bravery, Crossroads Hospice has developed the “Honor Our Veterans” Recognition Campaign to acknowledge our veteran patients, staff members and veterans in the community. 

 SUBMITTED BY CROSSROADS HOSPICE/HIDDEN MEADOWS ON THE RIDGE

Navy Seaman David A. Divito, son of Berit M. and David W. Divito of Souderton,  recently completed U.S. Navy basic training at Recruit Training Command, Great Lakes, Ill.
         During the eight-week program, Divito completed a variety of training which included classroom study and practical instruction on naval customs, first aid, firefighting, water safety and survival, and shipboard and aircraft safety. An emphasis was also placed on physical fitness.
         The capstone event of boot camp is "Battle Stations". This exercise gives recruits the skills and confidence they need to succeed in the fleet. "Battle Stations" is designed to galvanize the basic warrior attributes of sacrifice, dedication, teamwork and endurance in each recruit through the practical application of basic Navy skills and the core values of Honor, Courage and Commitment. Its distinctly ''Navy'' flavor was designed to take into account what it means to be a Sailor.     
Divito is a 2011 graduate of Souderton Area High School of Souderton.