Pennsylvania Reserves

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30th Pennsylvania Infantry

The Pennsylvania Reserves were an

Eastern Theater, and fought in many important battles, including Antietam and Gettysburg
.

Organization

45th Pennsylvania Infantry
.

When

Pittsburgh, West Chester, and Harrisburg. The training camp near Harrisburg was named Camp Curtin
for the governor.

Fifteen regiments were formed, known as the 1st through 15th Pennsylvania Reserves (they were later designated the 30th through 44th Pennsylvania Volunteers, but generally retained the label of the Pennsylvania Reserves). At the time of the redesignation, Pennsylvania had other troops both in the field or in various stages of development using the same numbers. While many of these units used their designations into middle and late 1862, much confusion arose over the naming convention. Additional naming confusion occurred within the ranks of the reserves. The 13th Pennsylvania Reserve Regiment (42nd Pennsylvania Volunteers) was additionally named the 1st Pennsylvania Rifles. Although better known as the "Bucktails," this regiment became officially known as the First Rifles. The same can be said regarding the 14th and 15th Pennsylvania Reserves (43rd and 44th Pennsylvania Volunteers), which officially were designated as the 1st Pennsylvania Light Artillery and the 1st Pennsylvania Cavalry, respectively.

The regiments were grouped into a division of three brigades, and the entire unit normally fought together until the initial enlistments expired in 1864. The exceptions to this include the 2nd Brigade, most of which did not take part at Gettysburg, as it was assigned to the Washington, D.C., defenses,[3] and the detachment of several artillery batteries and cavalry troops to other divisions.

Command history

The first commander was

I Corps. The initial brigade commanders were Reynolds, Meade, and Colonel John S. McCalmont (until Edward Otho Cresap Ord
took official command of the 3rd Brigade).

Commander Date Official Designation Major Battles
George A. McCall 3 Oct 1861–13 Mar 1862 McCall's Div, Army of the Potomac
George A. McCall 13 Mar-12 June 1862 2nd Division, I Corps
George A. McCall 18–30 June 1862 3rd Division, V Corps
Gaines Mill, Glendale
Truman Seymour 30 June-26 Aug 1862 3rd Division, V Corps Malvern Hill
John F. Reynolds 26 Aug-12 Sept 1862 3rd Division, III Corps (Army of VA) Second Bull Run
George G. Meade 12-17 Sept 1862 3rd Division, I Corps South Mountain, Antietam
Truman Seymour 17-29 Sept 1862 3rd Division, I Corps Antietam
George G. Meade 29 Sept-25 Dec 1862 3rd Division, I Corps Fredericksburg
Horatio G. Sickel 25 Dec 1862-1 June 1863 Pennsylvania Reserves, XXII Corps
Samuel W. Crawford 1–28 June 1863 Pennsylvania Reserves, XXII Corps
Samuel W. Crawford 28 June-28 Aug 1863 3rd Division, V Corps Gettysburg
William McCandless 28 Aug-1 Nov 1863 3rd Division, V Corps
Samuel W. Crawford 1 Nov 1863-20 Feb 1864 3rd Division, V Corps
William McCandless 20 Feb-1 May 1864 3rd Division, V Corps
Samuel W. Crawford 1 May-2 June 1864 3rd Division, V Corps
Spotsylvania, Totopotomoy Creek

History

Initially assigned to

XXII Corps assigned to Washington, D.C. It was part of the V Corps again for the Battle of Gettysburg, where it distinguished itself on July 2, 1863, fighting around Little Round Top. One brigade drove Confederate forces from the western slopes of Little Round Top back to the Wheatfield. Under Crawford, the Pennsylvania Reserves continued to fight with the Army of the Potomac until just before the Battle of the Bethesda Church or Battle of Totopotomoy Creek
, when the men's three-year enlistments expired.

A large number of the men re-enlisted and became the

191st
Volunteer Infantry regiments and fought until the end of the war.

Regimental articles

References

  1. ISBN 978-0-7864-4872-2
    . Retrieved 9 June 2018.
  2. ^ Sypher, Josiah Rhinehart (1865). History of the Pennsylvania Reserves: A Complete Record of the Organization. Lancaster, PA: Elias Barr & Co. p. 47. Retrieved 9 June 2018. pennsylvania reserves.
  3. ISBN 978-0-7864-4872-2
    . Retrieved 9 June 2018.

Further reading

External links
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