Description
Nice little grouping attributed to Rudolph Donmoyer of the hard fought 17th Pennsylvania Volunteer Cavalry. The 17th Pennsylvania Cavalry would fight in a total of 57 engagements! Rudolph would muster with Company E in September, 1862 at the mere age of 16 years old! His service would not start out on the best of terms. Not long after his initial enlistment he would be hospitalized with variola which is a form of small pox. He would remain in a Washington Hospital until April, 1863. Following his release, Rudolph continued his stay in Washington on detached service working as a guard at the general hospital. He would not rejoin his regiment until November, 1863. The young soldier would remain with the regiment until May of 1864 when he received a severe wound in the leg after he was accidently shot at Spotsylvania. It would take him until June of that year to fully recover before rejoining the regiment in July. A promotion to corporal would come in November. Beginning in January of 1865 he would once again be on detached duty working to dismantle the camp at Pleasant Valley, Maryland. He would remain there until April. His return to the regiment would come just in time for the Battle of Appomattox before being mustered out of service in June, 1865. That fall he would muster with the 19th US Regular Infantry at Harrisburg. Rudolph’s military service would finally come to an end in April, 1869 after receiving an honorable discharge. Around 1880 Rudolph would move with his wife to South Bend, Indiana and join the Auten GAR Post No. 8. These items are from his membership with that post. Included in the group is a cabinet card view of Rudolph which features a photo of the young cavalryman in uniform at the age of 16 taken in September, 1862 and opposite of that view a photo of him at 57 years of age taken in 1903. A second cabinet card view features a view of Donmoyer and three fellow post members. Also included in a GAR committee ribbon and GAR medal for the Department of Indiana Encampment held on May 13th and 14th of 1896. Full service records also accompany this group.
