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William McCaskey, younger brother of future Lancaster City mayor, and school principal J. P. McCaskey, joined the 79th Pennsylvania after service in one of the 90 day regiments first called by President Lincoln at the outbreak of the Rebellion. McCaskey was not the only veteran to join the regiment in the fall of 1861, and nearly all of them were soon running the regiment as officers and non-commissioned officers. McCaskey, who's prior serice was as a Private, now found himself a Sergeant in Company B. One of his closest friends was the diarist, Private (later Sergeant) William T. Clark.
Throughout the war McCaskey's performance was so excellent that he kept getting promoted. Eventually he was made (Brevet) Captain, Company Commander of Company B. On July 20, 1864, McCaskey led the 79th Pennsylvania in a counter assault against Confederate rifle pits along Peach Tree Creek in northwest Georgia. For his leadership, and success in the assault he was mentioned in dispatches. He was popular with his men, and recognized as an outstanding soldier and leader.
When the war ended McCaskey secured a regular commission as a Second Lieutenant, thanks to the good offices of Lancaster's Representative in the U.S. House of Representatives, the Honorable Thaddeus Stevens. McCaskey embarked on a career in the Army, starting in the 20th U.S. Infantry which served out west. By 1876, McCaskey was a full fledged Captain (no longer a Brevet promotion), and was left in command of the post at Fort Lincoln, Dakota Territory, when Lieutenant Colonel George Armstrong Custer led the 7th U.S. Cavalry out to a rendezvous with an infantry column along the Little Big Horn River.
When the steamboat Far West came down the Platte River some days later with the news of the Massacre at Little Big Horn, it fell upon Captain McCaskey to gather the ladies of the fort together to inform them they were now widows.
A few months later, McCaskey received the note reproduced below:
[USAMHI, Carlisle Barracks, Carlisle PA]
The letter reads:
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"My Dear Captain McCaskey,
It is not in my
power to express my deep
appreciation of the kindness
shown me at Ft. Lincoln
during those dark days.
But I will never forget
it, and shall ever thank
you with a grateful heart
for your sympathy and
consideration for me in
my sorrow. I may
never see you again,
my dear Captain McCaskey,
but I shall pray that
you and yours may
be spared the anguish
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that makes life so
burdensome.
Will you remember me
most kindly to Mrs.
McCaskey and tell her
I am glad that she has
been blessed with Gods
best gift, a devoted and
faithful husband.
Sincerely yours,
Libbie B. Custer
Monroe
September 3rd
1876"
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McCaskey went on to a superb Army career, serving in the west for many years, and at the end of the 19th Century, in the Philippines during the Spanish-American War. He retired in 1906 as a Major General. He is thought to have advanced farther than any other person who served in the Civil War (from Volunteer Private to Major General in the Regular Army), and was thought to be the last serving member of the Armed Forces of the U.S. to have carried a musket in combat.
Major General McCaskey retired to the Presidio in the San Francisco area, living there until his death in August of 1914. The news of his death arrived in Lancaster only hours after the outbreak of the hostilities that commenced World War I, and was swept from the front of the local newspapers. As a result this remarkable soldier became a forgotten part of Lancaster County history.
Note: The copy of the Libby Custer letter, and information about McCaskey was provided by the U.S. Army Military History Institute. Further information about McCaskey was gathered from the Lancaster Historical Society, and the Diaries of Sgt. William T. Clark.
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