Montgomery Cemetery, Section A
Montgomery Cemetery was founded in 1847, and the first burial occurred on 16 March 1849.1 It is one of the earliest formal, garden-type cemeteries in the nation. Herein are laid to rest many interesting individuals who helped shape Norristown, Montgomery County and the nation.
Of particular interest are the grave sites of America’s Civil War veterans, which make it a very unique place. Most notable of all the heroes, lay the remains of Major-General Winfield Scott Hancock. Leader of the crack Union’s II Corps of the Army of the Potomac, he is credited with the saving of the Nation at the battle of Gettysburg, where he was seriously wounded. He was also key during the Lincoln Conspiracy trial and actually the fifth and last Norristown-area general to be buried at Montgomery with Generals William T. Sherman and Phil Sheridan as honorary pallbearers. After the war, Hancock ran for President of the United States and was narrowly defeated by James A. Garfield in 1880. He died on 9 February 1886, just five days before his 62nd birthday, while serving the Nation as Commandant of the Military Division of the Atlantic at Governor’s Island, New York. Laid to rest in a tomb he had built, it is has been owned by the Historical Society of Montgomery County since the early 1900’s.
Perhaps one of the most forgotten area generals is Brevet 2 Brigadier-General Adam Jacoby Slemmer. Both Slemmer and Hancock were graduates of West Point, and as a young first-lieutenant, Slemmer fired the first Union shots of the American Civil War at Fort Pickens, Florida. A sickly but studious individual, Slemmer did not take part in much fighting during the war. However, seriously wounded at the Battle of Murfreesboro, or Stone River, Tennessee, after the war he was sent to Fort Laramie, where he soon assumed command and helped bring stability and agreement to the American Indians. Unfortunately, on 7 October 1868, Slemmer surprisingly died at the tender age of 39. His remains were returned to Norristown for interment, and since his father was reportedly a founder of Montgomery Cemetery, he was laid to rest in section B. Today, like his legacy, little remains of his headstone.
Major-General Samuel K. Zook was the highest ranking soldier from Montgomery County to pay the ultimate price during the Civil War. Raised on the hallowed grounds of Valley Forge, his boy-hood home still stands and is today the Headquarters building for the National Park Service, Park Rangers at this historic site. Mortally wounded in the Wheatfield on 2 July 1863, while part of Hancock’s II Corps, General Zook died the next day at the age of 41. His remains were sent back to his parents, and then onto New York City where he had moved earlier as a technician for the budding telegraph industry. In early February 1864, his remains were returned to Norristown and interment was made in section G. In 1867, General Zook was elevated to brevet major-general post-humorously.
The third area general to be buried in Montgomery Cemetery is Brevet-Brigadier-General Matthew R. McClennan. Born in Norristown on 24 September 1834, he started his military career with Hartranft’s 4th Pennsylvania. Later, McClennan joined the 138th Pennsylvania who were recruited form Adams, Bedford, Bucks and Montgomery Counties. Originally Captain of Company A, he later became the colonel of the regiment, and was wounded during the Mind Run Campaign.3 He won promotion to brevet brigadier-general for “gallant and meritorious services” at Petersburg, Virginia. After the war, he returned to Norristown and took up his trade as a painter. On 29 May 1872 he died at the young age of 38, and was buried in section A.
The fourth area general to be buried at Montgomery Cemetery is John Frederick Hartranft. A graduate of Union College and a lawyer, Hartranft raised the 4th Pennsylvania, who walked off the field just before the First Battle of Bull Run. After the fight, for which he later won the Medal of Honor, he raised the famous 51st Pennsylvania, which would fight in both theaters. 4 Hartranft led the charges that took the bridge at the Battle of Antietam, and in early 1865, he defeated General Lee’s last offensive at Fort Stedman, near Petersburg, Virginia. That latter event won him promotion to major-general and when President Lincoln was shot, President Johnson made him jailer for those charged with conspiracy. It ultimately fell to him to execute Paine, Atzerodt, Herold and Mrs. Surratt, by hanging. After the war, he became Auditor General of Pennsylvania, and went on to serve two terms as governor of the state. During his tenure as governor, he hosted the world when America celebrated its first centennial in Philadelphia. On 17 October 1889, he died at the age of 58 and was interred in Montgomery Cemetery. Sometime after his death, the Pennsylvania National Guard, which Hartranft had reconstructed and commanded, raised an obelisk on his grave site, making it the tallest marking in the entire cemetery. He, and members of his family, lies in section S, near the corner of the Hartranft lawn.
In addition to these five Civil War generals, one can also find the ranks of colonel plus the GAR burial spots that house approximately thirty-two soldiers of varying ranks. The cemetery also holds the noted Dr. Louis W. Read, who removed the bullet from General Hancock’s wound.
Mr. Gambone is a Norristown native and had authored several books, including: Major-General John Frederick Hartranft, Citizen Soldier and Pennsylvania Statesman; Enigmatic Valor, Major-General Darius Nash Couch; “…if tomorrow night finds me dead…”,The Life of General Samuel K. Zook, Another Forgotten Union Hero;, and Hancock at Gettysburg….and beyond. His most recent book is entitled, The Life of Adam Jacoby Slemmer…one strong voice of defiance.
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