62d Pennsylvania Volunteers

Company Roster

Commissioned and Non-Commissioned Officers

Captain, Major

Mustered in 4 July 1861. Promoted to Major of regiment 15 December 1861. Resigned 10 August 1862 because of ill health.

Civil War Veterans' Card File, 1861-1866: Age at Enrollment: 42; Occupation: Surveyer; Residence: Allegheny, Pa.; Hair: Dark; Eyes: Hazel; Complexion: Fair; Height: 5'7"

Patterson suffered from “general debility and partial hemiplegia [paralysis on one side of the body]” and was "physically incapable of enduring the fatigue incident to the service.” It is not indicated if the illness was caused by stress, stroke, or something else.

William J. Salisbury

2nd Lieutenant, 1st Lieutenant, Captain

Resigned 20 November 1862.

Civil War Veterans' Card File, 1861-1866: Age at Enrollment: 26; Occupation: Glass Blower; Residence: Birmingham, Pa.; Hair: Black; Eyes: Gray; Complexion: Dark; Height: 5'10 1/2" Remarks: (Pro. 1st. Lt. 11-18-61 Bates) Pro. to Capt. 1-3-62. Disc. by resignation 11-20-62

Matthew M. Felker

1st Sergeant, 2nd Lieutenant, 1st Lieutenant, Captain

Promoted to Captain 20 November 1862. Without promotion from Captain, Felker commanded the regimentat the siege of Petersburg toward the end of the regiment's three year service. Mustered out with company, 13 July 1864.

Civil War Veterans' Card File, 1861-1866: Age at Enrollment: 22; Occupation: Caulker; Residence: Birmingham, Pa.; Hair: Auburn; Eyes: Brown; Complexion: Light; Height: 5'10 1/2"

Listed as M.M. Felker in Bates.

After the war M. M. Felker established a lumber company in Pittsburgh in partnership with a Mr. Wilson. "Felker and Wilson" remained a prosperous company, employing as many as 60 people, at least through the turn of the century. It occupied four acres between the Pittsburgh, McKeesport, and Youghiogheny Railroad and the river. After his partner's death, Felker remained the sole proprietor.

Samuel A. McKee

1st Lieutenant

Promoted to Captain of Company I, 155th P. V., 23 August 1862. Killed at Petersburg, Va., 16 June 1864, leading a charge upon the outer fortifications. Buried in Allegheny Cemetery, Pittsburgh.

Civil War Veterans' Card File, 1861-1866: Age at Enrollment: 20; Occupation: Clerk; Residence: Birmingham, Pa.; Hair: Black; Eyes: Black; Complexion: Light; Height: 5'8"

Son of a Mexican War veteran who was captain of a company in the First Regiment, who, I believe was also named Samuel. The son served as an officer in three Civil War regiments, and was honored with a Brevet-Major posthumously. Before he joined the 62d, he was Captain of Company A of the 12th P. V. (a 3 month regiment), which was formed from the Jackson Independent Blues, a military company with roots in both the Mexican War and the War of 1812. According to an article in the Pittsburgh Press 7 February 1915, Samuel A McKee was attending the Kentucky Military Institution in Frankfort, Ky, when the war broke out. Several Captain Samuel McKees fought in the Civil War, including one from Kentucky, so it is possible the newspaper confused the names and was in error.

While the 12th P.V. (3-month) regiment was still in Maryland, McKee must have started serving as 1st Lieutenant of Company B of the 62d. His father not only fitted the McKee Rifles, but he appears to have helped organize the Park Zouaves, the military company that became Company I of the 155th. The McKee family seemed to have connections. The Park Zouaves was named after a steel magnet, James Park, Jr., presumably the company's financier.

Portrait from Under the Maltese cross.

John A. M. Seitz

Sergeant, 1st Sergeant, 2nd Lieutenant, 1st Lieutenant

Commended for his action during the Battle of Gettysburg. Serving as aide-de-camp to Colonel Sweitzer, then commanding the Second Brigade, he was sent to communicate with General Barnes, the Division commander, and rode into the enemy's lines on the Peach Orchard road while trying to reach the last place the general had been seen. His horse was shot from under him, and Seitz barely escaped capture. He was able to return on foot to report to Sweitzer both that the General was not to be found and that the brigade was being surrounded. Mustered out with company, 13 July 1864.

Civil War Veterans' Card File, 1861-1866: Age at Enrollment: 24; Occupation: Nailer; Residence: Birmingham, Pa.; Hair: Black; Eyes: Black; Complexion: Fair; Height: 5'8 3/4"

Applied for invalid pension, 6 February 1878.

Thomas D McLean

Sergeant, 1st Sergeant

Mustered out with company, 13 July 1864.

Civil War Veterans' Card File, 1861-1866: Age at Enrollment: 19; Occupation: Mould Maker; Residence: Birmingham, Pa.; Hair: Black; Eyes: Brown; Complexion: Dark; Height: 5'10 1/2" Remarks: Pro. to 1st. Sgt. 2-8-62 to 2nd. Lt. 10-20-62 Exp. of Term.

John Adam Erbe

Sergeant, 1st Sergeant

Mustered out with company, 13 July 1864.

Civil War Veterans' Card File, 1861-1866: Age at Enrollment: 21; Occupation: Glass Blower; Residence: Birmingham, Pa.; Hair: Brown; Eyes: Brown; Complexion: Light; Height: 5'6"

Died in 1913. Buried in Bethel Cemetery, Pittsburgh.

Henry B. McCurry

Sergeant

Mustered out with company, 13 July 1864.

Civil War Veterans' Card File, 1861-1866: Age at Enrollment: 33; Occupation: Glass Blower; Residence: Birmingham, Pa.; Hair: Dark; Eyes: Hazel; Complexion: Light; Height: 5'7 1/2" Remarks: A.R. spells last name as McCury.

The 1870 Census for Birmingham lists Henry as a policeman, husband of Margaret and father of nine children, three of whom were born before the war. In the 1890 Veterans Schedule, Margaret A. is listed as widow of Henry B. McCurry.

John M. Conner

Corporal, Sergeant

Mustered out with company, 13 July 1864.

Civil War Veterans' Card File, 1861-1866: Age at Enrollment: 38; Occupation: Boatman; Residence: Birmingham, Pa.; Hair: Brown; Eyes: Blue; Complexion: Light; Height: 5'8" Remarks: Rolls spell last name as Connor. [card does not include middle initial, indicates that he mustered in as a Pvt., and has no record of promotions]

Died 4 November 1885. Buried in Bethel Cemetery, Pittsburgh.

Peter Beckler

Corporal, Sergeant

Mustered out with company, 13 July 1864.

Civil War Veterans' Card File, 1861-1866: Age at Enrollment: 28; Occupation: Moulder; Residence: Birmingham, Pa.; Hair: Brown; Eyes: Blue; Complexion: Fair; Height: 5'7" Remarks: (Pro. Sgt. 11-21-62 Bates) Rolls show last name as Brekler.

Robert E Steen

Corporal, Sergeant

Mustered out with company, 13 July 1864.

Civil War Veterans' Card File, 1861-1866: Age at Enrollment: 20; Occupation: Glass Blower; Residence: Birmingham, Pa.; Hair: Brown; Eyes: Brown; Complexion: Light; Height: 5'8 1/2" Remarks: (Pro. Sgt. 11-15-63 Bates)

William E McKee

Corporal, Sergeant

Captured at Gaines Mills, 27 June 1862, as evidenced by his being listed on register of Prisoners Received at C. S. Prison [Richmond?] on June 27th and 29th, 1862. Mustered out with company, 13 July 1864.

Civil War Veterans' Card File, 1861-1866: Age at Enrollment: 26; Occupation: Glass Blower; Residence: Birmingham, Pa.; Hair: Brown; Eyes: Blue; Complexion: Light; Height: 5'6 1/4" Remarks: Pro. to Sgt. 2-8-62.

James McCormick

Corporal

Mustered out with company, 13 July 1864.

Civil War Veterans' Card File, 1861-1866: Age at Enrollment: 20; Occupation: Hostler; Residence: Birmingham, Pa.; Hair: Brown; Eyes: Brown; Complexion: Light; Height: 5'6"

Edward E Miller

Private, Corporal

Wounded at Gaines Mill. Mustered out with company, 13 July 1864.

Civil War Veterans' Card File, 1861-1866: Age at Enrollment: 21; Occupation: Nailor; Residence: Birmingham, Pa.; Hair: Brown; Eyes: Brown; Complexion: Fair; Height: 5'6" Remarks: (Pro. Corp. 11-22-62 Bates)

Listed among the sick and wounded in a report of Major David McCormick published in the Pennsylvania Daily Telegraph (Harrisburg), 24 July 1862: E. E. Miller, company B, 62d regiment, was wounded in the thigh at Gaines Hill [sic], improving slowly. Residence; Pittsburgh

Thomas McCully

Private, Corporal

Mustered out with company, 13 July 1864.

Civil War Veterans' Card File, 1861-1866: Age at Enrollment: 18; Occupation: Boatman; Residence: Birmingham, Pa.; Hair: Brown; Eyes: Blue; Complexion: Light; Height: 5'10" Remarks: (Pro. Corp. 11-22-62 Bates)

Actual age at enrollment may have been between 13 and 16, based on 1860 and 1870 Census records.

Michael Baldersberger

Private, Corporal

Mustered out with company, 13 July 1864.

Civil War Veterans' Card File, 1861-1866: Age at Enrollment: 21; Occupation: Glass Packer; Residence: Birmingham, Pa.; Hair: Light; Eyes: Blue; Complexion: Light; Height: 5'8" Remarks: (Pro. Corp. 11-22-62 Bates)

John W. Bennett

Private, Corporal

Mustered out with company, 13 July 1864.

Civil War Veterans' Card File, 1861-1866: Age at Enrollment: 25; Occupation: Glass Cutter; Residence: Birmingham, Pa.; Hair: Brown; Eyes: Gray; Complexion: Light; Height: 5'7" Remarks: (Pro. 11-22-62 Bates)

William R. Elliott

Private, Corporal

Mustered out with company, 13 July 1864.

Civil War Veterans' Card File, 1861-1866: Age at Enrollment: 25; Occupation: Gardner; Residence: Birmingham, Pa.; Hair: Dark; Eyes: Gray; Complexion: Dark; Height: 5'8" Remarks: (Pro. Corp. 3-8-63 Bates)

Thomas Lewis

Private, Corporal

Mustered out with company, 13 July 1864.

Civil War Veterans' Card File, 1861-1866: Age at Enrollment: 32; Occupation: Glass Blower; Residence: Birmingham, Pa.; Hair: Brown; Eyes: Blue; Complexion: Light; Height: 5'9" Remarks: (Pro. Corp. 4-18-63 Bates)

Lewis married Mary Jane Stinger. They had four children born before the war, one born during the war, and three more after the war. Lewis enlisted while he was living in Birmingham where he was a glass worker. Birmingham was the name, then, of a community on the southside of the Monogahela known for its glass blowing industry. Lewis worked in a glass factory both before and after the war. Lewis died in 1874 of a lung ailment brought on by the war. According to his family, Lewis tried to receive compensation for the illnesses he suffered from the government, but his suit was never successful. He is buried in Allegheny Cemetery, Pittsburgh.

August Pfleghar

Private, Corporal

Mustered out with company, 13 July 1864.

Civil War Veterans' Card File, 1861-1866: Age at Enrollment: 19; Occupation: Glass Blower; Residence: Birmingham, Pa.; Hair: Brown; Eyes: Brown; Complexion: Fair; Height: 5'8" Remarks: (Pro. Corp. 6-1-64 Bates) Roll spells last name as Pfleger.

August Pfegher and Private Adam Kunkle, also of Company B, were step brothers. Both were born in Germany. August's father Bernard Pfleghar emigrated from Württemberg with his children and Adam's mother Margaret Kunkel emigrated from Bavaria with her children and possibly her first husband. They met and married after they had settled in the Pittsburgh area.

According to family records, Pflegher enlisted while he was living in Birmingham where he was a glass worker. He moved to Philadelphia after the war and worked in the glass works there. He then married Salome Hause. She was the daughter of Caspar Hause of Company A of the 95th Pennsylvania Volunteers, Infantry. The Pfleghars had five children, all of whom were born in Philadelphia. They then moved to Millville, New Jersey, to a new glass factory. He died in Millville and is buried in Mt. Pleasant Cemetery with his wife.

Portrait of August Pfleghar is from many years after the war. In the larger version of the portrait, he can be seen wearing his GAR medal, which he received circa 1899. Thanks to Michael Carpenter for the portrait and additional information about his "3rd great grandfather."

Jacob Pastorius

Corporal

Discharged on Surgeon's certificate, date unknown.

Civil War Veterans' Card File, 1861-1866: Age at Enrollment: 30; Occupation: Glass Blower; Residence: Birmingham, Pa.; Hair: Light; Eyes: Brown; Complexion: Light; Height: 5'8" Remarks: (Disc. on S.C. of D. (date unknown) Bates)

Sarah J Pastorius filed a widow's pension in 1905. He was buried in Falls Creek Cemetery. Jefferson County

John Snyder

Corporal

Discharged on Surgeon's certificate, date unknown.

Civil War Veterans' Card File, 1861-1866: Age at Enrollment: 28; Occupation: Roller; Residence: Birmingham, Pa.; Hair: Light; Eyes: Gray; Complexion: Light; Height: 5'6" Remarks: (Disc. on S.C. of D. (date unknown) Bates)

Died 23 April 1878. Buried in Allegheny Cemetery, Pittsburgh

John Hoffman

Corporal

Died before first battle, 15 December 1861

Civil War Veterans' Card File, 1861-1866: Age at Enrollment: 20; Occupation: Moulder; Residence: Birmingham, Pa.; Hair: Sandy; Eyes: Blue; Complexion: Light; Height: 5'5 1/2" Remarks: Died in Hosp. 12-15-61

Thomas D. Jones

Corporal

Killed at Gaines Mill

Civil War Veterans' Card File, 1861-1866: Age at Enrollment: 30; Occupation: Boiler; Residence: Birmingham, Pa.; Hair: Brown; Eyes: Brown; Complexion: Light; Height: 5'10" Remarks: (Killed at Gaines Mill, Va. 6-27-62 Bates)

Discharged on Surgeon's certificate, 5 June 1862.

Civil War Veterans' Card File, 1861-1866: Age at Enrollment: 27; Residence: Birmingham, Pa. Occupation: Glass Blower; Hair: Brown; Eyes: Black; Complexion: Dark; Height: 6'1 1/2": Remarks: Dis. for disability.

Filed for invalid pension from state of Indiana in 1881. A record in the U.S. National Homes for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers, 1866-1938 states that James E. Unks was discharged 7 June 1862 because of a mitral insufficiency, quincy, arterial sclerosis, [something else], and inguinal hernia. He died 15 April 1907 in Marion, Indiana.

Bates lists his rank as Private, but the record in the U.S. National Homes for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers, 1866-1938, lists his rank as Corporal.

Nephew of George Unks from Company L, according to indirect descendent Walt Unks. Thanks, Walt, for all the additional information you have provided about the Unks volunteers.