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- David Zentmyer was born at Springfield Furnace, Huntingdon county. He was the son of Major John Zentmyer and Margaret (Gates) Zentmyer. His parents moved to a farm near Spruce Creek, in Huntingdon county, where he worked with his father, who was a jobber in lumbering. In May, 1861, he enlisted in Company I, Fifth Pennsylvania Reserves. This company, known as the Scott Infantry, was one of the old militia companies, organized before the war. They were mustered into service at Harrisburg and sent to the front in July, 1861. He enlisted as orderly sergeant, became second, then first lieutenant, and on the promotion of Captain Dare to colonel of the regiment, commanded the company for some time. At the time of his death he was adjutant of the regiment, with the rank of first lieutenant. He was in active service for eighteen months and took part in many battles. He was killed in the battle of Fredericksburg, December 13, 1862, and buried in the field.
According to the National Park Service, these field burials were mass graves, long trenches with hundreds of soldiers in each trench. After the war, Congress established the Fredericksburg National Cemetery, and approximately 15,000 Union soldiers we re-interred there, most anonymously. The official I spoke with could not find a record of David's re-internment, but virtually guaranteed that this is his final resting place.
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