By Christopher Wills
We’re entering the season of college graduations, yearbooks, and farewells from friends, so we thought we would share a fascinating item the ALPLM acquired recently. It’s a yearbook that belonged to Heber S. Thompson, the first Yale University student known to have signed up for the Army after Confederate forces attacked Fort Sumter in 1861.
Heber actually left Yale before graduating and joined a Pennsylvania unit that immediately set out for Washington, DC, to protect the city. The soldiers, who became known as “The First Defenders,” mustered in Harrisburg, Penn., on the morning of April 18. That evening they were at the U.S. Capitol building, where they received new weapons in front of some impressive guests.
“The President of the United States, Abraham Lincoln; the Secretary of State, William H. Seward, and the Secretary of War, Simon Cameron, were present during this distribution of arms, and Abraham Lincoln, passing down the lines as they were drawn up to receive the new rifles, shook hands with all the members of the companies,” said the 1910 book “The First Defenders.”
The cover of Thompson’s yearbook and his picture inside.
Many of Thompson’s classmates signed the yearbook, but the messages said much more than “Have a great summer!” or “Let’s keep in touch.” One filled most of a page and included this touching line: “You’ve got an honest heart, a clear head, & a stout arm – what more could one ask of Providence?” Another wrote in Hebrew, saying, “Fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom." And another said, “Yours, for the old flag.”
Two messages written Thompson’s Yale yearbook.
Despite leaving school to serve his country, Thompson did graduate with his class. He managed that by getting a 10-day furlough so he could return to Yale and take his final exams. When the ALPLM acquired the yearbook, it was accompanied by a note from future Yale president Noah Porter supporting Thompson’s furlough request and a petition by his classmates – including future Confederates – advocating for his degree. Thompson returned to active duty after the furlough and was serving at Fort Washington, Maryland, on graduation day.
Thompson rose to the rank of captain. He was taken prisoner in 1864 and spent time in a South Carolina hospital where Lincoln’s brother-in-law George R. C. Todd worked as a doctor. Thompson survived the war, helped form the First Defenders’ Association and later served as the group’s president.
He certainly wasn’t the only man from the Yale class of 1861 to serve in the war. A college newspaper later reported that 39 men from the class served during the war. Two died in battle, two died from disease, five were captured, and seven were wounded.
From the College Courant of Feb. 12, 1868
We thank the donor of the yearbook and correspondence, Dr. Ravi D. Goel, for sharing this material, which provides a wonderful, humanizing glimpse into the lives of young men caught between the horrors of war and the desire to serve their country.
Thompson as he appeared around 1910
Dr. Goel wrote about the yearbook here.
Thompson’s diary as a POW can be found here, and his book on the First Defenders can be read here.
You can see his grave here.
Wills is the ALPLM's director of communications.