Of the 113 Harford Historical Bulletins in print, Jim Chrismer’s personal favorite is still #86, Above and Beyond: The Civil War Careers of Alfred B. Hilton and Charles E. Phelps. It recalls the only two Civil War soldiers from Harford County who received the Medal of Honor.
“These two soldiers couldn’t have come from more different backgrounds,” he says. Jim is a Bel Air native, long-time Society member, frequent editor of the Bulletin, and a retired John Carroll School history teacher. Jim (l) is pictured here chatting with Eddie Hopkins, Bel Air Town Commissioner at a recent Historical Society event.
Alfred Hilton, born free on his family’s Gravel Hill Road farm, lived there until he enlisted in Company H, 4th United States Colored Troops in August 1863. Both of his parents had been slaves.
Sergeant Hilton was mortally wounded in September 1864 at the Battle of New Market Heights, near Richmond. When enemy fire shattered his leg, he was carrying the American flag as part of the unit’s color guard. He called out “Boys, save the colors!” and handed them to fellow soldiers before the flag touched the ground. Sergeant Hilton died of his wounds a month later in a segregated hospital.
Charles E. Phelps, joined the Maryland 7th Infantry Regiment, since several of his Bel Airfriends, including Colonel Edwin H. Webster and Major William H. Dallam, were members of that heavily Harford County unit.
While leading a charge during the Battle of Spotsylvania, Phelps was wounded and taken prisoner. He escaped and returned to battle. Col. Phelps later represented Bel Air when elected as congressman from the 3rd district of Maryland to the Thirty-Ninth Congress and Fortieth Congress.
Authors of the Historical Society of Harford County’s Bulletin series delve into a specific tale of Harford’s past and bring it to 21st century life with carefully researched narratives, photos and maps.
Bulletin authors have explored a wide range of topics, including the local canning industry, an array of military events and how they impacted Harford County, the MA & PA Railroad, the Susquehanna & Tidewater Canal, the Susquehanna Baseball League (1946-53) and the Colored Schools of Harford as well as accounts of subsequent desegregation.
Maryanna Skowronski, Executive Director of the Historical Society of Harford County
· Ask Tom Fink about which Lincoln assassination conspirator helped the Booths construct Tudor Hall
· Ask Debbie Bowers at which locations the Bel Air public library has existed
· Ask Jeff Smart about the two governors of Union states during the Civil War who were born in Harford County
· Ask Jim Chrismer how many votes for president Abraham Lincoln received in Harford County in 1860
Harford History on Parade will also feature some of the Society’s thousands of photos; a presentation by Joe Swisher, who produces “Historic Harford”; a collection of playbills from Booth family performances that took place right here in the county. FREE admission.
