Stop 3: David Stevens
Grave #3205A
Corporal in the 41PA, David Stevens served in the war with his two younger brothers. He was killed on May 8, 1864 at Laurel Hill when he stopped to help a squad of men who were having trouble with a prisoner. When he ordered the man to behave himself, the prisoner picked up a rifle and shot him. In response, the rest of the guard wrenched the rifle away and beat the man to death with it. They then carried Stevens to the rear on a blanket and laid him under a pine tree. His brothers found his body there the next day and attended to his burial. Fortunately they had the opportunity to bury him properly, for when they next visited the grave a shell had ploughed into it and exploded, but did not harm the body.
David left behind a widow and five children. His brothers both survived the war. William, the chaplain of the 148PA, became a member of the state legislature. Frank did not pass through unscathed, he was wounded twice at Fredericksburg and captured twice, but survived and was one of the soldiers who stood guard over President Lincoln’s casket.