GEORGE S. BUCHER was twenty-four, and apparently unmarried, when he enrolled at New Martinsville, Wetzel County, West Virginia to serve as a Private in Company "E" Second Regiment West Virginia Infantry Volunteers. He mustered in at Wheeling on June 16, 1861.

The troops of Company E were largely recruited from the counties of Belmont and Monroe in Ohio, but some were from Wetzel, Tyler and Ritchie Counties in West Virginia.

The Second Infantry, a part of General’s Milroy’s Brigade, participated in General John Pope's Campaign in Northern Virginia August 16 to September 2, 1862. Milroy’s Brigade led the column and took part in the battles of Kelly’s Ford, White Sulphur Springs, Waterloo Bridge, Groveton and Bull Run.

It was on the first day of the Battle of the Second Bull Run (a.k.a. Second Manassas) that George S. Bucher was Killed in Battle.

The history book of this regiment, written by Frank Reader, describes the battle, in which many lives were lost:

“This historic battle was opened on the morning of August 29th, by Milroy's brigade, and some fierce fighting was done. The confederate forces were in position from Groveton to Sudley Ford, Jackson's left, under Hill, stretched northward toward Sudley Ford on the Bull Run; then came Ewell's division under Lawton, in the centre; then Jackson's own division, now commanded by Starke, on the right, resting near the little hamlet of Groveton. His force lay mainly behind an abandoned railroad, whose deep cuttings formed a strong intrenchment, and the ground was thickly wooded. The confederate artillery was mainly massed in on low ridges in the rear of the right. Jackson's front fell back about half a mile until they reached the abandoned railroad, where a fierce combat ensued. Gen. Milroy's brigade formed the centre of the corps, and took possession of an elevation in front of the "Stone House" at the junction of the Gainesville and Sudley Springs roads. Gen. Schurz formed the right and Gen. Schenck's division the left. Our brigade was thus again placed face to face with the old Stonewall forces, whose bravery and prowess we had to meet in a most sanguinary conflict. It seemed to be our fate to fight this gallant command. Our first experience was at McDowell, then at Cross Keys, and now at Groveton, on the historic fields of Bull Run. The confederates had the advantage of being sheltered by the railroad cut, equal to breastworks, where they could meet our assaults, and be in less danger than we were. In the order of battle named, we advanced from point to point, taking advantage of the ground before us, until our whole line was involved in a terrific artillery and infantry contest. For four hours, 6:30 to 10:30 a. m., our whole force was hotly engaged, our brigade and Schurz' advancing one mile, while Schenck advanced two miles. The confederates being driven behind the embankment, the order was given to drive them out if possible, when Milroy and Schurz charged fiercely upon the entrenched forces of the enemy, but were driven back with great loss; the charge was repeated and again repulsed. The enemy then threw forward large masses of infantry against our right, but was driven back three times by the troops of Milroy and Schurz, who stood like veterans, but were now so hard pressed by the overpowering numbers hurled against them, and so weakened by losses and exhausted by fatigue, that reinforcements were sent to them; and the attacks of the enemy were quieted for a time. At 2 o'clock in the afternoon, some regiments were sent forward to relieve Milroy's brigade, which had maintained their ground for 8 hours against greatly superior numbers, and suffered great loss in dead and wounded. The second day's battle was as fierce as the first, in which our brigade took a prominent part…….”

“In this destructive battle, the loss of the enemy in killed and wounded was 8,400, while our total loss in killed and wounded was over 10,000.......”

On January 26, 1864, the Second West Virginia Infantry was designated the Fifth West Virginia Cavalry.

JOHN BUCHER was a Private in Company "K", 7th Regiment West Virginia Infantry Volunteers. On November 1, 1861, at age twenty, he enrolled at Sistersville, West Virginia to serve for 3 years. However, a little more than a month later, he contracted measles and was admitted on December 9, 1861 to General Hospital, Grafton, Taylor County, West Virginia. He died of meningitis on February 26, 1862 and was buried near his home at Bowser Cemetery, Tyler County, West Virginia.

George and John Bucher were the sons of Thomas and Rebecca (Schmoll) Bucher, originally from Pennsylvania. Thomas was a descendant of Johann Dietrich Bucher, who emigrated from Neunkirch, Schaffhausen, Switzerland in 1732 and settled in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania.

Thomas and Rebecca moved to Ohio County, West Virginia soon after their marriage in 1835. They bought large tracts of land in Tyler County in 1836 but remained in Ohio County, at least until the birth of their third child, John, in 1841. By 1850, the Bucher family was residing in Tyler County.

1850 Census, Tyler County, West Virginia #868/844
BUTCHER, Thomas, 41, Millright, $100, b Pa.
BUTCHER, Rebecca, 34, b Pa.
BUTCHER, Andrew (Amanda), 13, b Va.
BUTCHER, George, 11, b Va.
BUTCHER, John, 9, b Va.
BUTCHER, Christ Ann, 8, b Va.
BUTCHER, Frederick, 5, b Va.
BUTCHER, Mortimore, 4, b Va.
BUTCHER, Jefferson, 1, b Va.
(Another son, Lewis Pierce, was born 9 Apr 1855)

Just before the Civil War began, Thomas Bucher sold his real estate and became involved in lawsuits related to the sale. He had obtained a substantial sum of money but squandered it all on legal proceedings. He died in 1878 and in 1886, his widow, Rebecca, applied for and received a government pension, based on the Civil War service of John, but not George. It is believed that George may have been estranged from the family as a result of his father’s preoccupation with the lawsuits.

Like the medal John F. Basnett, the medals of John and George Bucher were never claimed by the family. The medals remained in the West Virginia State Archives for nearly 135 years, until they were claimed in 2000 & 2002 respectively by Gene Fluharty. He is the great-grandnephew of these two young men, a descendant of their brother, Mortimer Charles Bucher. (Mortimer -> Grover Bucher -> Hilda Bucher Fluharty -> Gene Fluharty)

For several years, a Bucher cousin, Jonathan Bucher, asked to buy the medals. They were sold to him, and a several years later he sold them to another cousin, Dean Bucher.

George and John Bucher were the first cousins of MEDAL OF HONOR recipient, MAJOR-GENERAL JOHN FREDERICK HARTRANFT. The general's mother, Mary Lydia Bucher, was the sister of George and John’s father, Thomas Bucher.

Early in the Civil War, General Hartranft raised the 4th Pennsylvania Infantry, which defected to the rear on the eve of the First Bull Run. However, he served with distinction in the ensuing battle and was awarded the Medal of Honor in 1886. Following the war, President Johnson appointed him Special Provost Marshal for the Lincoln Conspiracy Trial, which included the hanging of the conspirators. He later served two terms as the Governor of Pennsylvania.