|
|
Isaac Burgauer, Confederate Soldier
 |
 |
(l.,) On the line above
bottom line, you can read, "received at the battle of." The bottom
line is "Gettysburg."
(r.,) The headstone was
found in 1987 leaning against the fence (background, left).
Isaac Burgauer, Confederate soldier and native of Hagerloch,
Wurtemberg, Germany, resided in Arkansas before the Civil War. He fought
and was fatally wounded at the Battle of Gettysburg, sometime between July
2 and July 5, 1863. He was born in 1836, which means that he was
27 years old at the time of the battle. Rumor has it that he carried
a note in his pocket, to the effect that, should he fall in battle, he
wished to be buried in the nearest Jewish cemetery, according to Jewish
burial rites. We find the following accounts in the books and records
of the Israelite Benevolent Society, that, at the time, was meeting in
Hagerstown:
On the 19th of July 1863 money was collected in Hagerstown for the purpose of burying a rebel soldier by the name of Berger from Arkansas, born in Hagerloch, Wurtemberg, in keeping with his request to be buried according to Jewish rites in Chambersburg. After all expenses had been paid, the president handed me $1.60 which had been left over from the collection. July 25, 1863,It is quite conceivable that Isaac Burgauer was the only Confederate Jewish soldier who died of battle wounds to be buried in a Northern Jewish cemetery, or at least, in a Pennsylvania Jewish cemetery.S. L. Levi.Mr. Levi Stone of Hagerstown, with horse and carriage, took the above dead to Chambersburg, and for that charitable service at a time when we could hardly get a horse for any amount of money, by agreement of all members and the president, Mr. Levi was admitted as a member of the Society.S.L. Levi
Records in the National Archives Confederate soldiers military records section confirms that Burgaurer passed muster at in Arkansas in 1862 and rose to the rank of second lieutenant before his death. The burial society's official record lists Julius Arnold of 421 Olive St. in Helena, Ark. as a member. We can only speculate on the relationship at this time.
During the restoration of 2000, the team was presented
with four metal markers, marked "GAR" for Grand Army of the Republic, that
had been presumably found in the cemetery on an unspecified earlier date.
Thus, there is the possibility that four veterans of the Northern Army
are interred therein. Identification efforts are proceeding.