History & local legend
Sergeant Amos Humiston of the 154th New York Infantry died at Gettysburg on July 1, 1863. His body was found near Stratton and York Streets, with a photograph of three children in his hand. The picture survived, but the soldier’s identity was initially unknown.
Philadelphia physician John Bourns encountered the photograph in a tavern and arranged for copies to be made. In October 1863, newspaper descriptions of the children reached Philinda Humiston in Portville, New York. She recognized the description of her family and requested a copy. The faces were those of her children, Franklin, Frederick, and Alice; the dead soldier was her husband.
Bourns eventually returned the original photograph to the family.
