Samuel Mumma, Sr

Samuel Mumma, Sr. was a local farmer in the apparently close-knit Sharpsburg, Maryland area. He married Barbara Hertzler in 1822, but she died bearing their 4th (5th?) child in 1833. This daughter also died, about three weeks later. Later in 1833 he married Elizabeth Miller, with whom he had another 11 children, the last born in 1859.

In 1852 he donated a plot of his land on which the Church of the Brethren, now known as the Dunkard Church, was built.

Samuel Mumma, his wife, and the 8 of their childeren living with them left their farm (took refuge in a church?) before the battle, probably on September 15, at the recommendation of Confederates then situated on the farm.

His farm is now part of the battlefield park, and his farm buildings were burned during the battle by Confederate troops - members of the 3rd NC Infantry, at direction of General Ripley - to prevent their use by Federal sharpshooters. The fire was considerable and visible from many parts of the field, so it is mentioned in many after-battle reports. The Mumma farm was in the path of much of the combat both during the morning and midday parts of the battle.

Returning to his ruined farm after the battle, Farmer Mumma requested compensation from the US Government for the burning of his farm and damage to his stock and crops, but failed to get any relief - mostly because the damage was not caused by Federal troops. He began to rebuild the farm virtually from scratch in the Spring of 1863 after wintering with the Sherrick's (near Burnside's Bridge).

After the War, Samuel's son Henry was contracted to arrange the reinternment of Confederate dead to the new Confederate Cemetery. Henry's wife, the former Mary Jane Rohrbach, then 25, had died very shortly after the battle in November 1862, possibly a victim of one of diseases which struck the Sharpsburg area after the battle.

See the Alexander Gardner photograph of the ruins of the Mumma farmstead (from a Library of Congress collection), taken immediately after the battle. Also, see Mumma Family tree data, and an article about the reinternment of Confederates from the Washington Times.

11/8/1801; Keedysville, MD

12/6/1871; Sharpsburg, MD; burial in Mumma Graveyard, Sharpsburg, MD