USA > Pennsylvania > A history of the Juniata Valley and its people, Volume I > Part 26
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The Forty-second, also known as the "Bucktails," and the "Kane Rifle Regiment," was recruited in the spring of 1861 and was mustered in about the middle of June, under command of Colonel Charles J. Biddle. It was the original intention to include only skilled marksmen in the membership and the regiment was recruited chiefly in the lumber- ing districts of the state. Company B came from Perry county, with Langhorn Wistar as captain; John A. Culp, first lieutenant; Joel R. Sparr, second lieutenant. There were also a number of men from Mif- flin and Juniata counties in the Bucktails. The regiment took part in the battles of Dranesville, Mechanicsville, Gaines' Mill, the Seven Days', South Mountain, Antietam, Gettysburg, the various engagements of the Mine Run campaign, the Wilderness, Spottsylvania, North Anna river, Bethesda Church, where it fought its last battle on May 30, 1864, orders being received on June Ist to move to Harrisburg for muster out. The men were mustered out and discharged ten days later.
Mifflin county furnished Company C and Juniata county Company A for the Forty-fourth regiment, otherwise known as the First cavalry. At the time the regiment was mustered in on September 1, 1861, Com- pany A was officered as follows: John K. Robinson, captain ; James R. Kelley, first lieutenant; David H. Wilson, second lieutenant. John P. Taylor, afterward promoted to lieutenant-colonel, was captain of Com- pany C; William Mann, first lieutenant; John W. Nelson, second lieu- tenant. Under command of Colonel George D. Bayard the Forty-fourth joined McCall's division at Tenallytown, Maryland, soon after it was mustered in. Its first engagement was at Dranesville and on the open- ing of the campaign in the spring of 1862 it joined General McClellan for the march up the Virginia peninsula. Upon reaching the Pamunkey river it was recalled and sent to the Shenandoah Valley against Stone- wall Jackson. There the men were almost constantly in the saddle, taking part in the engagements at Front Royal, Cross Keys, Port Re-
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public, and performing scout and picket duty. It was then with General Pope at Cedar Mountain, where it rendered valuable service. As the Army of the Potomac retreated toward Washington, the First Pennsyl- vania cavalry formed part of the rear guard and was frequently en- gaged with the enemy. It fought at the Second Bull Run, Fredericks- burg, Sheperdstown, in the Mine Run campaign, at New Hope Church, and in a number of lesser actions during the year 1863, and in the spring of 1864 it took an active part in the campaign from the Rapidan to the James until ordered to Philadelphia, where it was mustered out on Sep- tember 9, 1864.
In the Forty-fifth regiment, commanded by Colonel Thomas Welch, Company C was recruited in Mifflin county. The officers of this com- pany were: William G. Bigelow, captain ; Jesse WV. Horton, first lieu- tenant ; Isaac Steely, second lieutenant. The regiment was mustered in on October 21, 1861, and two days later started for Washington, where it was assigned to Howard's brigade, Casey's division. From December, 1861, to July, 1862, it was on duty around Charleston, South Carolina. It was then in the vicinity of Fortress Monroe for about a month, when it was attached to the First brigade, First division, Ninth Corps, with which it took part in the actions at South Mountain, Antietam, Freder- icksburg, and some others, and in May, 1863, was ordered to Mississippi. There it assisted in the capture of Vicksburg, after which it was sent to Tennessee and was in the fight with General Longstreet's forces at Knoxville in November. Early in 1864 it was ordered to Virginia and served with the Army of the Potomac until mustered out on July 17, 1865. Before joining this regiment the company from Mifflin county was known as the Belleville Fencibles.
On September 1, 1861, the Forty-sixth regiment was mustered in at Camp Curtin, under command of Colonel Joseph F. Knipe. In this regiment Company A was made up in Mifflin county and a part of Com- pany D in Perry. The officers of Company A at the time of muster in were: Joseph A. Matthews, captain ; Henry A. Eisenbise, first lieu- tenant ; William B. Weber, second lieutenant. A large number of the members of this company had previously been with the Logan Guards in the three months' service. Soon after being mustered in the regiment joined the army under General Banks on the upper Potomac and was assigned to Crawford's brigade, Williams' division. The following
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spring it was transferred to General Pope's army, with which it was engaged at Cedar Mountain and other places. It was under General Hooker at the battle of Antietam, took part in the battle of Fredericks- burg in December, 1862, and after that battle it was made part of the Second brigade, First division, Twelfth corps, commanded by General Slocum. In 1863 it was at Chancellorsville and Gettysburg and later in the year was sent to Tennessee. In 1864 it was with General Sherman in the Atlanta campaign and afterward in the famous march to the sea. It was mustered out at Alexandria, Virginia, July 16, 1865.
The Forty-seventh regiment was organized in August and Septem- ber, 1861, the companies being mustered in at different dates, and about September 20th left the state for Washington, under command of Col- onel Tilghman H. Good. Companies D and H were recruited in Perry county and a considerable portion of Company C came from Juniata county. The officers of Company D were: Henry D. Woodruff, cap- tain; Samuel S. Auchmutz, first lieutenant ; George Stroop, second lieu- tenant. Company H was officered by James Kacey, captain ; William W. Geety, first lieutenant ; C. K. Brenneman, second lieutenant. William Reese, of Juniata county, was second lieutenant of Company C at the time of muster in and later was promoted to first lieutenant. This regi- ment remained near Washington until January 23, 1862, when it was ordered to the south and took part in General Brannan's expedition to Key West. It was then in South Carolina and Florida until February, 1864, when it was ordered to join General Banks in Louisiana. After the Red River campaign it returned to Virginia and served under Sheri- dan in the Shenandoah valley. It remained in Virginia until after Lee's surrender, took part in the grand review at Washington in May, 1865, and then went to Charleston, South Carolina, where it remained until January 3, 1866, when it embarked for New York. It was mustered out at Philadelphia six days later.
The Forty-ninth might be called a Juniata valley regiment. Part of Company A was recruited in Perry county ; Companies C and D, in Huntingdon; Companies E and H and part of K, in Mifflin ; and Com- pany I, in Juniata. Company A was officered by men outside of Perry county. Company C, John B. Miles, captain; F. M. Wombacher, first lieutenant; A. G. Dickey, second lieutenant. Company D, James D. Campbell, captain; John H. Westbrook, first lieutenant; Benjamin H.
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Downing, second lieutenant. Company E, H. A. Zollinger, captain ; L. H. Pinkerton, first lieutenant ; Edwin E. Zigler, second lieutenant. Company H, Ralph L. Maclay, captain; William G. Mitchell, first lieu- tenant; Abraham T. Hillands, second lieutenant. Company I, Calvin De Witt, captain ; R. M. McClelland, first lieutenant; David B. Spano- gle, second lieutenant. Company K. Mathias Niece, captain; John R. Keim, first lieutenant; Thomas F. Niece, second lieutenant. The regi- mental organization was completed early in September, 1861, and on the 22nd left Camp Curtin for Washington under command of Colonel William H. Irwin. It took part in the Peninsular campaign of 1862, under General George B. McClellan and later was with General Pope in Virginia. In 1863, as part of the Third brigade, First division, Sixth corps, it was with General Hooker on the Chancellorsville campaign, took part in the battle of Gettysburg and the pursuit of Lee's army and was in the Mine Run campaign. Among the battles in which it was engaged in 1864 were Spottsylvania, Cold Harbor, and Winchester, and its last fight was at Sailor's Creek, April 3, 1865.
In the Fifty-first regiment there were a few men from Mifflin and Juniata counties and in the Fifty-second a large part of Company C was recruited in Mifflin county. Both these regiments served with the Army of the Potomac and their history does not differ materially from that of the Forty-ninth. In the Fifty-third, Company C was raised in Huntingdon county and Company I in Juniata. Of Company C, John H. Wintrode was captain; Robert McNamara, first lieutenant; John Mclaughlin, second lieutenant. Company I was officered by Henry S. Dimm as captain ; Isaac T. Cross, first lieutenant ; Henry Speice, second lieutenant. Under command of Colonel John R. Brooke the regiment left Camp Curtin on November 7, 1861, for Washington and soon after its arrival there crossed over to Alexandria, Virginia, where it was as- signed to General French's brigade. It was with McClellan on the Penin- sular campaign; was with the same commander at Antietam, where it made a brilliant charge and gained an important position. In 1863 it was at Chancellorsville and Gettysburg and the various other movements of the Army of the Potomac, and participated in the final campaign that ended in Lee's surrender at Appomattox on April 9, 1865. Then, after participating in the grand review at Washington, it was mustered out on June 30, 1865.
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Several regiments were then organized in other parts of the state and the Juniata valley was not represented in another until the Seventy- seventh, in which Huntingdon county furnished Company C, there were a few men from Juniata county, and Perry county furnished the regimental band. Company C was officered by Michael McNally, cap- tain; Joseph J. Lawson, first lieutenant; Samuel I. Davis, second lieu- tenant. The regiment was rendezvoused at Camp Wilkins, Pittsburgh, where it was mustered in about the middle of October, 1861, with Fred- erick S. Stumbaugh as colonel. On the 18th it left Pittsburgh on steam- ers and went down the Ohio river to Louisville, Kentucky, as part of Negley's brigade. At Nashville, Tennessee, it was attached to Wood's brigade, McCook's division, Army of the Ohio. It took part in the second day's fighting at Shiloh and the subsequent march to Corinth, after which it moved back to Kentucky with General Buell. It was then in Tennessee, taking part in the battles of Stone's river, the Tullahoma, and Chickamauga. In 1864 it was with Sherman on the Atlanta cam- paign, taking part in many of the engagements, and after the fall of At- lanta returned to Nashville with General George H. Thomas. It was in the decisive battle of Nashville, December 15, 1864, and joined in the pursuit of Hood's shattered army into Alabama. In June, 1865, it was ordered south and served in Louisiana and Texas until the close of the year, when it was ordered home. It was mustered out at Phila- delphia, January 16, 1866.
The Seventy-eighth regiment was organized at Camp Orr, near Kittanning, in the fall of 1861, under command of Colonel William Sirwell. Company C was recruited in Mifflin county, with A. B. Sel- heimer as captain ; John S. McEwen, first lieutenant; Samuel Eisenbise, second lieutenant. In Company D were a few men from Perry county. The Mifflin county company did not go out with the regiment in 1861, but was recruited in January and February, 1865.
In the Seventy-ninth regiment there were a few men from Mifflin and Perry counties and one musician in the regimental band was a Perry county man.
Company K, Eighty-third regiment, contained a number of men from Perry county; John Deitrick being first lieutenant, and four of the sergeants were Perry county boys.
The Ninety-second, also designated the Ninth cavalry, was organ-
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ized at Camp Cameron, Harrisburg, in the fall of 1861, with Edward C. Williams as colonel. Company A was recruited in Perry county, with Griffith Jones, captain; Charles Webster, first lieutenant; Thomas D. Griffiths, second lieutenant. A few Perry county men were in Com- pany M, but the greater part of that company came from Huntingdon county. George W. Patterson was captain; O. B. McNight, first lieu- tenant; Isaac C. Temple, second lieutenant. There were also Perry county men in Companies B, G, H, and L. On November 20, 1861, the regiment left for Louisville, Kentucky, and during the winter and spring was frequently engaged with the guerrillas under General Mor- gan. It was in the battles of Richmond and Perryville, Kentucky, after which it was engaged in scout duty in eastern Tennessee along the line of the Virginia & Tennessee railroad, burning the railroad bridges, etc. It was next under General Rosecrans in Tennessee, took part in the pursuit of Morgan in his famous raid in 1863, and during the following winter was constantly on duty in East Tennessee. The greater part of the summer of 1864 was spent in Tennessee fighting Wheeler's cavalry at various points, and, after the fall of Atlanta, it was ordered to join General Sherman's army for the march to the sea. It was frequently engaged in the campaign through the Carolinas early in 1865 and was mustered out on the 18th of July in that year.
The One Hundred and First regiment was raised in the western part of the state in the fall of 1861 and was commanded at first by Colonel Joseph H. Wilson. It was with Mcclellan in 1862 and was then ordered to North Carolina. Sickness and loss in battle reduced its membership until it was necessary to add eight new companies for the . organization. Two of these-Company A and Company E-were re- cruited in Juniata county. The former was officered by Levi Musser, captain ; Henry P. Owens, first lieutenant : John T. Metlin, second lieu- tenant. Company E was officered by Cornelius Mcclellan, captain ; Benjamin Geipe, first lieutenant ; Joseph Van Ormer, second lieutenant. As the new companies were not mustered in until March, 1865, they saw but little actual service. They were mustered out with the regiment at Newbern, North Carolina, June 25. 1865.
Company F and part of Company B, One Hundred and Fourth regi- ment, were recruited in Perry county. Joel F. Fredericks was captain of Company F; David C. Orris, first lieutenant; William Flickinger,
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second lieutenant. Early in November, 1861, the regiment reported for duty with 1,135 officers and men, and was ordered to Washington. It was with McClellan in 1862; sailed for Beaufort, South Carolina, in December of that year; in April, 1863, started for Charleston to assist in the attack on that Confederate stronghold, but the attack was over before it arrived. It was then engaged in duty in South Carolina and Florida until the following August, when it was ordered to Virginia and attached to the Army of the Potomac. Its history from that time is about the same as that of other regiments engaged about Petersburg and Richmond, and on August 25, 1865, it was mustered out of service.
There were a few men from each of the four counties included in this work in the One Hundred and Sixth regiment, and part of Company B of the One Hundred and Seventh was recruited in Perry county. Company F of the One Hundred and Seventh was raised in Mifflin county and was mustered in with E. W. H. Eisenbise as captain; John F. Williams, first lieutenant ; William H. Scott, second lieutenant. There were also a number of Juniata county men in this regiment, which was organized in March, 1862, with Thomas A. Zeigle, a veteran of the Mexican war, as colonel. He died on July 15, 1862, and was succeeded in command by Colonel Thomas F. McCoy, also a veteran of the Mexi- can war. The regiment was first under fire at the battle of Cedar Moun- tain, after which it fought in the Second Bull Run, at South Mountain, Antietam, Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, and numerous slight engagements, remaining with the Army of the Potomac until Lee's surrender. It was mustered out on July 13, 1865.
Company B, One Hundred and Tenth regiment, Colonel William D. Lewis commanding, was raised in Huntingdon county. Seth Benner was captain of the company at the time of muster in; Daniel Henkle, first lieutenant; Benjamin F. Bare, second lieutenant. The regiment was mustered into the United States service in December, 1861, and on January 2, 1862, reached Hagerstown, Maryland, where it was assigned to Tyler's brigade. It was in a skirmish at Port Republic and at the battle of Cedar Mountain, but during the Antietam campaign was at Washington. At Gettysburg it was commanded by Colonel Jones, and from that time to the close of the war its history is identical with the other regiments of the Army of the Potomac. It was mustered out on
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June 28, 1865. In Company D, Captain Samuel L. Huyett, there were several men from Huntingdon county.
In the One Hundred and Thirteenth regiment Company F was raised in Juniata county and Company I in Mifflin and Juniata, with a few men from Union. The officers of Company F were: William Bell, captain ; David B. Jenkins, first lieutenant ; David A. Irwin, second lieu- tenant. Edson Gerry was captain of Company I; Abraham Lang, first lieutenant; Albert G. Bonsall, second lieutenant. This regiment was organized in the late fall of 1861, with William Frishmuth as colonel. It was in the campaigns in Virginia and Maryland in 1862; was at Gettysburg the following July, and performed valiant duty in the final campaign that ended with Lee's surrender. It was mustered out on July 20, 1865.
Huntingdon county was well represented in the One Hundred and Twenty-fifth regiment, which was raised in July and August, 1862, and mustered in for nine months. It was mustered in at Camp Curtin on August 16, 1862, with Jacob Higgins as colonel. Of the four Hunting- don county companies, Company C was officered by William W. Wallace as captain : William B. Ziegler, first lieutenant; William F. McPherran, second lieutenant. Company F, John J. Lawrence, captain; William C. Wagoner, first lieutenant ; J. F. N. Householder, second lieutenant. Cap- tain Lawrence was afterward promoted to major. Company H, Henry H. Gregg, captain; John Flenner, first lieutenant; Samuel F. Stewart, second lieutenant. Company I, William F. Thomas, captain; George Thomas, first lieutenant; John D. Fee, second lieutenant. After the battle of Antietam, where it received its baptism of fire, the regiment was stationed about Harper's Ferry until November, 1862, when it moved with the Twelfth corps to Fredericksburg, but did not arrive in time to take part in the battle. It took part in the famous "Mud March," being engaged in several skirmishes with the enemy, and on May 18, 1863, was mustered out at Harrisburg.
The One Hundred and Twenty-sixth, also a nine months' regiment, was raised about the same time as the preceding regiment, being mustered in at Camp Curtin on August 10, 1862. Companies F and I were re- cruited in Juniata county. John P. Wharton was captain of Company F; R. P. McWilliams, first lieutenant ; James C. Bonsall, second lieu- tenant. Company I was officered by Amos H. Martin, captain; William
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W. Davis, first lieutenant; Lewis Degen, second lieutenant. Five days after it was mustered in the regiment moved to the front and was assigned to Tyler's brigade, Humphrey's division, Fifth corps, com- manded by General Fitz John Porter. It arrived too late to take part in the battle of Antietam, but distinguished itself in the battle of Fred- ericksburg, December 13, 1862, by a furious charge upon the enemy behind the historic stone wall, where seventy-seven of its members were killed and wounded, Captain Wharton being one of the latter. The following spring it was with Hooker at Chancellorsville and the minor engagements of that movement, and was mustered out at Harrisburg on May 20, 1863.
In a third nine months' regiment-the One Hundred and Thirty- first-Mifflin county furnished Companies D, H, and K. Of Company D, David A. McManigal was captain; David B. Wilson, first lieutenant; D. D. Muthersbaugh, second lieutenant. Company H, Benjamin F. Keefer, captain; Robert S. Maxwell, first lieutenant; W. H. Shoemaker, second lieutenant. Company K, Joseph S. Waream, captain; Grant T. Waters, first lieutenant; David B. Weber, second lieutenant. Under command of Colonel Peter Allabach, the regiment left the state on August 15, 1862, and for some time was engaged in picket duty about Fairfax Court House. As part of Humphrey's division, it moved to Antietam, but did not arrive on the field in time to take part in the battle. Its service from that time was the same as that of the One Hundred and Twenty-sixth. It was mustered out at Harrisburg, May 23, 1863.
The One Hundred and Thirty-third regiment (nine months') con- tained three companies from Perry county, viz .: G, H, and I. The officers of these companies were as follows: Company G, F. B. Speak- man, captain (promoted to colonel on August 21, 1862) ; William H. Sheibley, first lieutenant; Joel F. Fredericks, second lieutenant. Com- pany H, David L. Tressler, captain; Henry Keck, first lieutenant; Hiram A. Sleighter, second lieutenant. Company I, Albert B. Demaree, cap- tain ; Hiram Fertig, first lieutenant ; Samuel R. Deach, second lieutenant. Except in a few minor movements, the service of this regiment was the same as the other nine months' organizations. It was mustered out at Harrisburg by companies, May 21 to 26, 1863.
In the One Hundred and Forty-ninth regiment, Company I came
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from Huntingdon county and in the regiment were a few Perry county men. Company I was officered at the time of the muster in as fol- lows: Captain, George W. Speer; first lieutenant, Henry C. Weaver ; second lieutenant, D. C. M. Appleby. This was the first regiment or- ganized for a "Bucktail Brigade"-which was to be organized on the name and fame of the original Bucktail regiment-but before the bri- gade organization could be completed the regiment was ordered to the front, under command of Colonel Roy Stone. After the engagements at South Mountain and Antietam it was at Washington until February, 1863, when it joined General Burnside's army on the Rappahannock. It fought at Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, and in many of the severe fights of the campaign of 1864 against Richmond. In December, 1864, it was sent to Elmira, New York, to guard Confederate prisoners and remained there until mustered out on June 24, 1865.
There were a few men from Perry and Juniata counties in the One Hundred and Fiftieth, and Company D of the One Hundred and Fifty- first was recruited in Juniata county. Of this company George F. Mc- Farland was captain: George S. Mills, first lieutenant; Benjamin F. Oliver, second lieutenant. The regiment was mustered in for nine months and left Harrisburg on November 26, 1862, for Washington. During the winter it was on picket duty and engaged in watching guer- rilla movements in Virginia until February, when it was attached to the First brigade. Doubleday's division, Reynold's corps, with which it took part in the battle of Chancellorsville. Captain McFarland had been promoted to lieutenant-colonel in November, 1862, and commanded the regiment at Gettysburg, where General Doubleday says "they won an imperishable fame." Its losses in that battle were 68 killed, 199 wounded and 100 missing-three-fourths of the number who went into the fight. It was mustered out at Harrisburg on July 27, 1863.
The One Hundred and Fifty-second (Third heavy artillery) con- tained a number of men from Mifflin and Juniata counties, but they were credited elsewhere. Perry county furnished some members of the One Hundred and Fifty-eighth under the same conditions.
Company F. One Hundred and Sixty-first (Sixteenth cavalry), was raised in Juniata county and Company MI in Mifflin. Of the former John K. Robison was captain : Henry H. Wilson, first lieutenant; Wil- liam H. Billmeyer, second lieutenant. Company M was officered by
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John Stroup, captain; Ira R. Alexander, first lieutenant; Charles W. Jones, second lieutenant. Commanded by Colonel Jolin I. Gregg, the regiment left the state on the last day of November, 1862, for Wash- ington and soon afterward went into camp at Bladensburg, Maryland. In January, 1863, it was assigned to Averill's brigade and the remain- der of the winter was passed in picket duty. It was active in the spring campaign that culminated in the battle of Chancellorsville and after that disaster was attached to General Pleasonton's cavalry division. It har- assed Lee's army in its northward march in 1863 and took a small part in the battle of Gettysburg. The remainder of the year 1863 was spent in Virginia, where the Sixteenth cavalry was frequently engaged, and in the spring of 1864 joined the Army of the Potomac for the advance on Richmond. It is difficult to follow all the movements of a cavalry regiment, but the Sixteenth Pennsylvania was generally where it was needed at the right time during the entire siege of Petersburg. It fought at Trevillian Station, Hawes' Shop, Deep Run, Poplar Spring Church, Hatcher's Run, Dinwiddie Court House, Five Forks, and Sail- or's Creek. After Lee's surrender it was sent to North Carolina to assist General Sherman and later was ordered to Lynchburg to guard stores there. It was mustered out on August 7, 1865.
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