Corporal Bernhard Pichel
Pennsylvania’s 74th infantry / Company G Volunteers
Born May
16th, 1837
Petchau,
Austria
Died:
August 3rd (or 31st) 1888 in Cincinnati Ohio
Married:
Adelaide Steinecker January 29th, 1860
Born: 1829 in Bamburg Germany
Died: February 23rd, 1912 in Cincinnati Ohio.
Below data from… Army Of The
United States certificate of disability for discharge
Enlisted
by Lieut. Col. Hamm of the 74th regiment of Penn Vol. at Pittsburgh
Penn. On the 23rd day of September 1861 to serve 3 years.
Pichel
served in Captain John Meyer’s Company G
He was 5
feet 6 inches high, with a light complexion and dark hair
Occupation
when enlisted a cigar-maker
Incapable
of performing the duties of a soldier because of Chronic Rheumatism existing
prior to enlistment.
Examined
on March 30th, 1863 at Lincoln Hospital, Washington D.C. Examiner was (cannot make out the name) Surg.
U. G. Vols in charge
Discharged
April 4th, 1863 at Washington D.C.
Soldier
desires to be addressed at Pittsburgh County 1 Ferry Street No. 74 Pennsylvania
Below data from Company
Muster Roll…
Up until
the May and June 1862 muster roll where he is shown as present Pichel was a “1
Corporal “. Harrison was the copyist.
As of the
March and April 1862 Company Muster Roll where Pichel is shown as present he
became a “2 Corporal”. Harrison was the copyist.
Below data from Birth Certificate of Laura
Pichel (Pichel’s daughter)
Dated:
March 21st 1873
Name of
Father: Bernard Pichel
Occupation:
Cigar Maker
Laura was
born at 27 Ferry Street, Ward 1 Pittsburgh (it is assumed this is Pichel’s
home)
Physician:
T.A. Rex M.D. / his residence is 197 5th Avenue Pittsburgh
Bernhard, Laura and Adelaide
Below information excepts
from a letter written by Laura Pichel
Bernard
immigrated to America at the age of 18 from outside of Vienna Austria. Bernard & Adelaide settled and were
married in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania. They
came to Pittsburgh, separately, because they both had family there. Bernhard was the youngest of three brothers.
One (Isaac) lived in Pittsburgh. Isaac was also a tobacconist. He died in 1868.
http://www.geocities.com/pichmich2001/19AllgnyPenn.html
Bernard
& Adelaide had six children…
2 eldest
boys died at birth
Isaac
survived
Joseph
(19 months older than Isaac)
Abraham
died at 2 ½ years from Scarlet Fever
Laura
survived (the youngest child)
When
Laura was four years old Bernard & Adelaide moved from Pittsburgh to
Cincinnati. They moved at Bernard’s older brother’s (Simon) request. Simon
lived in Cinci.
Bernard was
honorably discharged due to ill health at the age of 51 ½ years, he passed
away. He was never a well man after the war.
“He was
such a lovable person with a disposition of an angel. I remember how we would
all sit before a good fire and he would tell us the stories of his youth in
Austria. Sometimes in the evenings we would all sit around and have a well
known book and each would read a chapter. My father had a cigar factory (a
small one with one helper) in his home. When able, he would go soliciting business,
on other times my mother or the boys. Every Sunday, he and I would spend the
day with my cousins on the hilltop from morning till night. The children adored
him.”
A Note of interest from
Daniel Levin
Bernard’s
brother Isaac’s son James Faulkner Pichel graduated from West Point on June 12th
1918. Pichel, although one of the youngest of the graduates stood high in his
class and was ranked among the best marksman at the academy. During a recent
test on the high(?) mile range he tied the highest score, hitting the bulls-eye
with 48 out of 50 shots.
http://www.geocities.com/pichmich2001/JamesPichelObituary.html
http://www.geocities.com/pichmich2001/PichelBrosService1918.html
http://www.geocities.com/pichmich2001/JamesPichelSacramentoBeeTribute.html
Colonel
Pichel served on the staff of General Douglas Macarthur. He assisted in the
reconstruction of the water supply system in Manila and was in charge of
housing for the army in Tokyo at the end of the WW2.