SAMUEL SELAH
Company "B" (3 month)
Submitted by Richard Selah.
In Stephen's Company B, First Sergeant Samuel N. Selah was enrolled for three months service, beginning May 11 in Wheeling (W.) Va. His real name is Samuel W. Selah, and he was born in Norristown, Montgomery County, PA, in 1841, the son of Charles and Ann. Samuel Selah mustered out after 3 months, returned to the Philadelphia, PA, area and enlisted in the 91st Regiment, PA Infantry, in November, 1861. He was killed on Little Round Top, Gettysburg, PA, on July 3, 1863.
A cousin, William H. Selah, also born in Norristown, Montgomery County, PA, enlisted in the 3rd Regiment Virginia Infantry (Union), later the 3rd Regiment, 3rd Virginia Mounted Infantry, later the 6th Regiment West Virginia Cavalry.
William H. Selah enlisted under his middle initial H., for Henery (because he couldn't spell real well), was later captured at Winchester, VA, and can be found on the web site: , because, as the site suggests, he wrote graffiti on the court house walls while he was imprisoned there. The web site that the National Park Service recently put on line: is very helpful; it established the link for Henery's identity because he put down as his alternative name William H. Selah. Bates History of PA in the Civil War was also very helpful. All 16 Selahs listed by the NPS as being in the Civil War, are paternal relatives of mine. All of Samuel's brothers fought in the CW also: Theodore (95th Regiment, PA Infantry), Aaron R. (138 Regiment, PA Infantry), Josiah (183rd Regiment, PA Infantry), and the youngest Isaac snuck out to Ill and enlisted in the 11th Regiment, Illinois Cavalry. He was born in 1849, Chester County, PA, making the ultimate sacrifice October 15, 1864,at the age of 15. He is buried in Vicksburg National Cemetery, Miss.
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I went to college at Alderson-Broaddus College in Phillippi where the first land battle was fought of the Civil War and to Graduate School at WVU in Morgantown. Both places where Samuel Selah fought in the CW, and I didn't even know it!! I've also been to Gettysburg and Little Round Top, PA, where Samuel made the ultimate sacrifice. The war memorial there lists him as Samuel U. Selah, again a transcription error.
Alexander, Charles, Elisha, Robert, and William are all brothers. It was their sons that all made the Civil War truly, as has been written, a war of brothers and fathers, sometimes fighting each other.
