Monday, September 16, 2013

Antietam’s Lost Battalion: The Tale of Hector Tyndale, Part 2

When
Hector Tyndale returned to Philadelphia in May 1861, he appealed to Governor
Andrew Curtin for a commission. As it turned out, a brand new three-year
regiment needed a major. Curtin signed a commission, assigning Tyndale to the
28th Pennsylvania, a massive fifteen-company regiment commanded by
Colonel John White Geary. Tyndale stayed in Philadelphia through September,
even contributing his personal fortune to the purchase of uniforms for his men.
(Altogether, he and Geary spent about $22,000.)

Here is an image of Hector Tyndale as major of the 28th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry.

Tyndale served with the 28th Pennsylvania for the
next year, never missing a day of service. Almost to a man, his men hated him.
Tyndale played the part of a martinet quite well, demanding strict attentionsteady advancements, Tyndale felt that he had much to
prove. After more than year in service, he had not fought in a major battle. In
October 1861, he missed the 28th Pennsylvania’s first engagement at
Bolivar Heights. (Colonel Geary had held him with the reserve battalion.) Then, in
August 1862, when in command of the 28th, Tyndale missed the Battle
of Cedar Mountain. This happened because his brigade commander (Geary) had
detached the regiment to hold a signal station. Accusations of cowardice
surrounded Tyndale, for he had held firm to his orders during the battle, planting his men atop the signal
knob all day, even though he could hear the sound of gunfire not far distant. Some
officers claimed that they would have marched to the sound of battle, and
wondered if Tyndale had purposefully stayed put because