Captain John Peter Shindel Gobin, Co. C, 47th Pennsylvania Volunteers, c. 1862 (public domain).

Thomas MacEntee, founder of High-Definition Genealogy, recently announced that 47th Pennsylvania Volunteers: One Civil War Regiment’s Story will receive a grant to begin digitizing and making publicly available photographs of the officers and enlisted men who served with the 47th Regiment, Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry during America’s Civil War.

“Five percent of all revenue at Genealogy Bargains is set aside each month to fund The Genealogy Fairy™ program,” explained MacEntee. “The goal is to give back to the genealogy community through a series of grants to organizations and individuals undertaking worthwhile genealogy-related projects.”

“This early support of our work is incredibly important,” said Laurie Snyder, managing editor for 47th Pennsylvania Volunteers: One Civil War Regiment’s Story. “There are currently hundreds of photographs scattered across America in public libraries, historical societies, universities, and private family history collections – carte de visite images of individual soldiers and the physicians who treated their battle wounds, as well as group photos of the companies in which they served. Most have yet to be digitized, and could be lost for all time if a fire or flood damaged one of the buildings where they’re held.”

William DeWitt Clinton Rodrock, Chaplain, 47th Pennsylvania Volunteers (Fort Jefferson, 1 December 1863, public domain)

Preserving the photographs of those who served with this particular Civil War unit is especially vital, explained Snyder, because the 47th Pennsylvania was the only regiment from the Keystone State to fight in the Union’s Red River Campaign across Louisiana during the spring of 1864 and was also the only Pennsylvania regiment to have men held as prisoners of war at Camp Ford, the largest Confederate Army prison west of the Mississippi. In addition, the 47th Pennsylvania was also stationed at Beaufort, South Carolina and fought in the Battle of Pocotaligo in 1862, garrisoned Forts Taylor and Jefferson in Florida, fought in the Union’s tide-turning Shenandoah Valley Campaign during the fall of 1864, helped to defend the nation’s capital following the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln, and assisted with Reconstruction efforts in Charleston, South Carolina during the summer and fall of 1865.

“Each one of these photos not only holds the potential to help family members feel closer to their ancestors, but has the power to enable teachers to help students truly connect with and appreciate their Civil War studies. By ‘putting faces to the names’ on military muster rolls, we will be bringing history to life for those wanting to learn more about this regiment while also honoring those who fought to preserve our nation’s union.”

To learn more about the 47th Pennsylvania Volunteers and lend your support to this historic initiative, visit the website of 47th Pennsylvania Volunteers: One Civil War Regiment’s Story, and follow the project on Facebook and Twitter.