A collection of documents relating to Lawrence P. Hemmerle (1837-1907). After a 90-day service in the 13th Pennsylvania Infantry, Hemmerle enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps during the Civil War. He served on several different ships, including the U.S.S. Housatonic. He mustered out of the marines on 1 September 1865.

He lived in Cincinnati following the war and eventually was admitted to the Soldiers' Home in Dayton in 1885, where he stayed for nearly 10 years before being discharged and relocating to California. In California, Hemmerle was admitted to the Soldiers' Home in Sawtelle. 

It was in Sawtelle where, on the night of 22 December 1907, Hemmerle's neighbors heard cries coming from his house, according to the Los Angeles Herald (see page 10 from the 24 December 1907 issue). The next morning, "while working men were passing the field in which the house sat, they noticed the building had been destroyed during the night..." Hemmerle's charred body was discovered where his house had been burned down. Investigators discovered a wound on the side of his head that they believed was from being struck by a blunt-force instrument. They also suspected that whoever killed Hemmerle was looking for his pension money, of which he saved a portion each month, then burned the house down to cover their tracks. 

A killer was never located. Hemmerle is buried in Los Angeles National Cemetery, miles away from his Pittsburgh family. 

This grouping includes: 

1. Autograph letter signed by Hemmerle, U.S. Marine Corps. U.S.S. Housatonic, Charleston, South Carolina, 22 October 1862. 4 pages, folio, 8 x 12 1/2 in. 

Hemmerle writes to his brother John how " this is the fourth letter that I have written to you without receiving an answer," so he spends a great amount of space catching his brother up to speed. From the first of four letters he sent, Hemmerle started at the Washington Marine Barracks in Washington, D.C., traveled to Philadelphia on 12 June, then "went to the Kensington Rail-Road Depot and... passed through... Rah-Way, Trenton, and New Jersey City," where his guard took a ferry into New York. On the ferry, Hemmerle writes that "we had juice, cakes, oranges, cheese, cigars, Apples, bologna, Sausages, in fact we had every any person could have desired..." 

From New York, Hemmerle traveled to Boston and stayed there a few weeks before boarding the U.S.S. Housatonic and sailing to Charleston and then Port Royal. He details how sick the men in the Port Royal shipyards were, writing that "nearly all the ships there had the yellow fever aboard, but on Hilton Head the soldiers were dying of [sic] like old sheep with the Yellow Fever and Black-Vomit..." 

At this time, the Housatonic's captain was William Rogers Taylor (1811-1889), a famed commander who eventually reached the rank of rear admiral in 1871. He only commanded the Housatonic for a few months before being reassigned as fleet captain of the South Atlantic Blockading Squadron. 

2. Autograph letter signed by Hemmerle, U.S. Marine Corps. U.S.S. Housatonic, Charleston, South Carolina, 25 January 1864. 4 pages, 4to. 

Again writing to his brother, Hemmerle spends the bulk of this letter describing the "expedition" he recently went on. On 27 December 1863, Hemmerle was on the gunboat U.S.S. Nipsic that was sent to Murrells Inlet "to destroy a schooner and then to proceed on to Georgetown and destroy a salt-works which is but a few miles from Maurice [sic] Inlet..." This schooner was called the Cecilia. 

Hemmerle details the event: "as soon as we landed the Marines were thrown out as skirmishes. I could see the rebel Cavalry they appeared to be about one-hundred-strong and were about three quarters of a mile of [sic] from us, in the Wood... the Blue-Jackets took the Howitzers ashore and fired into the schooner, and she was at once in a blaze. she made a terrible amount os smoke. she was heavily laden with Rosin, and Turpentine and was only waiting for a chance to run the blockade." 

This occurred just a few weeks before the U.S.S. Housatonic would sink on 17 February 1864 after the Confederate submarine, C.S.S. Hunley, set off a spar torpedo late at night. Although only five Union soldiers died compared to the Confederate's eight, this moment was declared a Confederate victory. It is unclear whether or not Hemmerle was on the Housatonic at the time, but after its sinking, he was transferred to the U.S.S. Vermont. 

3. Autograph letter signed by Hemmerle, U.S. Marine Corps. Marine Barracks, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 31 August 1865. 3 pages, 4to. 

Hemmerle writes to his brother this time about how he is waiting to be discharged from the Marines. He tells his brother that following his discharge, he plans on working in this Navy yard's Ordnance Department for $12 a week and will live in "a good private boarding house" for $4 a week. 

4. Partly printed document completed in type for the Union Dale Cemetery Endowment Fund. Signed by Matilda P. Hemmerle as executrix for John B. Hemmerle. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 14 May 1910. Undersigned by the cemetery's president and secretary. With embossed corporate seal of the cemetery. 

This endowment fund certifies that Matilda P. Hemmerle, the wife and executrix of John, Lawrence's brother, paid Union Dale Cemetery $250 for "the repair and preservation of any tomb or monument, or for planting or cultivating trees or shrubs upon or in Lot No. 1, Range 10, Section G, Division 2..." This is where John is buried after he passed away in March 1910. 

5. Vignetted studio bust portrait albumen CDV. Pittsburgh: Graham, n.d. Photographer's imprint to mount verso. 

While there is no way of identifying who this man is, it is assumed that it is either Lawrence or John Hemmerle. 

[Civil War, Union, Confederate] [Manuscripts, Documents, Letters, Ephemera, Signatures, Autographs] [Photography, Early Photography, Historic Photography, Daguerreotypes, Ambrotypes, Tintypes, Cased Images, Union Cases, Albumen Photographs, CDVs, Carte de Visites, Cartes de Visite, Carte-de-visite, Cartes-de-visite, CDV, Cabinet Cards, Stereoviews, Stereocards] [Navy, Naval History, Brown Water Navy, David Glasgow Farragut, David Dixon Porter, Battle of Mobile Bay, Battle of New Orleans, Blockade, Confederate Blockade] 

1862 letter has some tears at the creases. 1864 letter is separated at the bottom half of the fold. 1865 letter is completely separated at fold.