Monday, July 23, 2012

Sgt. William T. Ambler: A last full measure of devotion

      At the Soldiers' National Cemetery in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, the layout of the grounds itself are meant to portray a sense of equality. These men, who may have not been equal in life – either in terms of wealth, character or honor – here, all are equal in death. The circular formation demonstrates this equality where no one soldier’s grave overshadows the rest. The Union Army, though it appears to us today as it had been a united fighting force, still had various fractures that separated these men along lines – ideologically, religiously, economically, and in principle. Together, the men of the Union Army unknowingly came together to create a microcosm of the society from which they came. For instance, while some men looked upon themselves as “gentlemen,” they looked at lower-class men as “scoundrels” or “roughs.” These men, who had lived quite differently as civilians, may not have held the same principles or the same notions of honor. However, one thing is for certain, here at the Soldiers’ National Cemetery in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, all share a common place of honor.

       Lincoln’s words not only worked to calm a shattered community in south-central Pennsylvania, but also immortalized the struggles of the men who nobly advanced, and gave the last full measure of devotion. In recognition of their efforts, or in the least, the loss of life while in the uniform of their nation, work to immortalize an equality in death and a place of importance in the history of the United States of America. Lincoln’s words, these graves, and this cemetery work hand in hand to memorialize the lives snuffed out by the brutal warfare of this conflict. Among these young lives ended at the Battle of Gettysburg was Sergeant William T. Ambler of the 57th New York Infantry.


       William T. Ambler

       Sergeant William T. Ambler (Co. D, 57th New York Infantry) [Soldiers' National Cemetery, Gettysburg, Pennsylvania plot E – 91].  Ambler’s war story reads like so many young men involved in the American Civil War.   Having come from a close-knit and loving family, Ambler went off to war with fellow New Yorkers in order to restore the Union.  Before even the outbreak of war, the Ambler family and children suffered loss in 1851 when their father passed away at the age of 28.  During this time, William, the eldest of four children, was merely 6 years old, but was expected to then take on a position in the house as a young and responsible adult to help care for his siblings, aged 5, 3, as well as a newborn sister.  Since this time, William developed a loving bond with his siblings in helping to raise them with his widowed mother.  This love is evident in a letter he wrote to his sister, Harriet in the late winter months of 1862.  Telling her of a 5-inch-snow snowstorm, Ambler teased her that “I would like to be home and have a snow-ball fight with you first-scale.  I guess if you would let me make 5 or 6 snowballs ahead, I could stand you and Albert – yes and Lewis to for that matter, and make you all run!”  Approximately 8 months later, Sgt. Ambler would be killed on July 2, 1863 at the Battle of Gettysburg by “a solid shot entering his right shoulder and passing through his left side.”  Ambler’s lieutenant wrote a sympathy letter to the family notifying him of their loved one’s death, assuring him that William was “in fair way of promotion,” and that the regiment “will always remember Willie as a true & fine soldier in the support of our glorious country.”


       The fact that Ambler's officers looked upon him as a good soldier designates the fact that he acted as he should in the ranks.  This understood sense of honor and manhood was something that Ambler, though quite a young man, seemed to have possessed.  From this letter, we do not know how this man acted in battle, or how he fared in the face of the enemy, but we can assume he had performed well habitually due to his being a sergeant, and the fact that he may have been promoted had he survived the battle.  In the words of Abraham Lincoln, Ambler gave the "last full measure of devotion."

1 comment:

  1. I'm related to William Ambler on his mothers Timson side of the family. I just visited his grave at Gettysburg. Thank you for this beautiful article about him.

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