62d Pennsylvania Volunteers

an American Civil War Infantry Regiment

Regimental History and
Company Rosters, Corrected and Enhanced

62d  Pennsylvania Monument at Gettysburg

The soldiers of the 62d Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry Regiment were brave, gallant, loyal, and well disciplined. While still in training, they won honors as one of the three best drilled regiments in Porter's Division of the Army of the Potomac. Military historian William F. Fox, writing in the late 1880s, included the 62d Pennsylvania among the top 300 Union fighting regiments. During their three years of fighting in the Civil War, however, they achieved no special glory, nor lasting fame, nor particular distinction. They experienced both victories and defeats, but never did an action of the 62d Pennsylvania create a decisive moment or a turning point in battle. They gained ground, held ground, lost ground, even fled in retreat. They felt the ill effects of weather, disease, idleness and uncertainty. They suffered severe casualties, particularly at Gaines Mills, Malvern Hill, Fredericksburg, Gettysburg, The Wilderness, and Laurel Hill (their name for the fight within the battle of Spottsylvania Courthouse). They marched; they waited; they carried out orders. Twice, at the Second Battle of Bull Run and at Gettysburg, orders they followed in battle were so controversial that the Corps or Brigade commanders giving them were either courtmartialed or pressured to resign. The 62d's three-year term ended months before the satisfaction of a final Union victory, but several volunteers who joined later in the war or re-enlisted became members of a regiment that fought at Appomattox Courthouse and took part in the formal surrender of the Army of Northern Virginia. The officers and privates of the 62d Pennsylvania were typical, imperfect soldiers. Among them were the dashingly dauntless and earnest patriots, as well as the stragglers, skedadlers, and shirkers. In that ordinary way, the volunteers of the 62d Pennsylvania became heroes.

Regimental History

Recruitment

Geography & Demographics

Organization

Best Drilled Regiment

Regimental Band

Uniforms

Defending Washington

Regimental Colors

Campaigns and Battles

Casualties and Disease

Desertion & Other Crimes and the Peter Gilner Incident

Mustering Out

Company Rosters

Pittsburgh (including Allegheny City and Birmingham) and Allegheny County:
A, B, F, G, H, & L

Allegheny & Washington Counties: K

Other counties: D (Armstrong); C and E (Clarion); I (Jefferson); M (Blair)

Field and Staff Officers, Company Musicians & Unassigned Soldiers

Alphabetical Listing of All Volunteers, with links to their Companies

Sources

Primary Resources

Letters and Memorabilia

portrait of Col. Sam Blackportrait of Col. J. B. Sweitzerportrait of Lt. Col. T. F. Lehmann.portrait of Lt. Col. James C. Hullportrait of Adt. John E. Myersportrait of W. G. Lowryportrait of Captain William C. Beckportrait of Capt. Thomas Espyportrait of Capt. William J. Pattersonportrait of Lt. John D. Elderportrait of Lt. Jefferson Truitt
portrait of 1st Lt. Ben Hueyportrait of 1st Lt. Sam Templeportrait of 1st Lt. Samuel A. McKeeportrait of Sgt. William Hagersonportrait of Sergt. Sam Crawfordportrait of Sgt. Isaac Osbornportrait of Sgt. Milton Goheenportrait of Sgt. Jonathan Deerportrait of Sgt. Daniel Swigartportrait of Corp. Thomas H. Budlongportrait of Corp. Francis Marion Craig
portrait of Corp. William Haysportrait of Corp. George Mangoldportrait of Corp. Arthur Cassedyportrait of Volney Ballportrait of Willis T Benedictportrait of John Lewis Cribbsportrait of W.W. Cainportrait of Clark Colemanportrait of Abashe Cowenportrait of John Hendersonportrait of J. I. Dougal
portrait of Hugh Fackenderportrait of G. W. Fitchportrait of Holland Fletcherportrait of John Reed Duncanportrait of J. M. Georgeportrait of Josiah Georgeportrait of Christian Granerportrait of Pvt. Milford Harrisportrait of Pvt. John Hillardportrait of Pvt. Jonathan Hillardportrait of Jack Hultz
portrait of Pvt. O M Kennedyportrait of E. B. Johnstonportrait of Pvt. Jacob Martinportrait of Pvt. Asa Hagersonportrait of Dad Pollockportrait of Robert Milbyportrait of Wm. J. Pattersonportrait of August Pflegharportrait of BB Sibertportrait of Joseph Ritner Simmersportrait of William Reed
portrait of Isaac Smithportrait of Jake Shenkelportrait of Christopher Stuchellportrait of Henry Weaverportrait of Walter Williamsportrait of Wm. Deppportrait of John A. Lewisportrait of Chas. Seagerportrait of Private James Tudhopeportrait of John Watsonportrait of Lewis Workman

REGIMENTAL HISTORY AVAILABLE: Ernest D. Spisak has published a 516 page regimental history of the 62d Pennsylvania Volunteers, Pittsburgh's Forgotteen Civil War Regiment: A History Of The 62nd Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry and the Men Who Served With Distinction. With many years of research effort put into it, the book is the first comprehensive history of the 62d ever published. I can highly recommend it. Sadly Ernie died a few years after completing his life's work.

ALERT: STOLEN ITEMS: Items related to the 62d Pennsylvania Volunteers were stolen from Marshall County Courthouse Museum, in Marysville, KS, including diaries and the John Watson photo album, the source for many of the portraits used on this site. If you have any information that might help the investigation, please contact: Marysville Police Department, Marysville, KS 66508. Phone: (785) 562-2343. Email: marysvillepd@charter.net

Company Rosters

Each of the companies had names before they were assigned letter designations. Listed here are the original names of the companies of the 62d and the counties or communities in which they were recruited. For each company there is a separate page with its roster of officers, musicians, and privates. The principal source of information for company rosters is Samuel Penniman Bates' History of the Pennsylvania Volunteers, but the rosters have been corrected, collaborated, or supplemented from other sources, especially to the contributions of many descendants of volunteers and the Civil War Veterans' Card File, 1861-1866, available from the Digital Archives of the State of Pennsylvania.
A: Federal Guards Allegheny County, principally Allegheny City and Beaver County
B: McKee Rifle Cadets Allegheny County, principally Birmingham [modern Pittsburgh's South Side]
C: Lyon Guards Clarion County
D: Finlay Cadets Armstrong County, plus Indiana County
E: Rimersburg Raiders Clarion County
F: Eighth Ward Guards A Pittsburgh
G: Kramer Guards Allegheny County
H: St. Clair Guards Allegheny County, principally around the area of Bethel Park and Lower and Upper St. Clair
I: Jefferson Guards Jefferson County
K: Eighth Ward Guards B & Tower Zouaves Pittsburgh and Washington County
L: Chambers Zouaves Pittsburgh and Birmingham [modern Pittsburgh's South Side]
M: Blair Guards Blair County

Unassigned Soldiers

Within a few years after Bates' history was published, the regimental rosters were already recognized as incomplete and inaccurate. At least one attempt was made (in Jefferson County) to correct the rosters on a company level less than ten years after Bates was published. For all its flaws however, it is as good a record as we have for most companies. The challenge Bates faced was huge. Records were not always kept in good order; names were often confused; spellings were not consistent; some soldiers mustered in under assumed name; and mistakes and omissions were made. If you have an ancestor that is not included in Bates, that does not mean definitively that he was not in the regiment.

If you have an information about a volunteer who served in the 62d, even and especially one who is not included here, that you would like to share, please let me know. I will gladly update the rosters to include missing soldiers or correct or add to the information I have listed. Portraits of volunteers, sent in digital form, are especially welcome.

Recruitment

The regiment that would become known as the 62d Pennsylvania Voluntary Regiment, Infantry, was created on the 4th of July 1861, when Sam Black, ex-governor of the Nebraska territory, had returned to his native Pittsburgh and started to recruit a regiment with a fiery patriotic speech. For details, see Recruitment on a separate page.

Organization

Ten companies were mustered into service between 24 and 29 July 1861, for three years. On 31 August 1861, Companies L and M were added to the regiment, and it was officially organized and designated as the Pennsylvania 33d Independent Regiment.

To conform to Army regulations for volunteer infantry regiments, each of the companies, now identified by letter instead of name, would have consisted of a Captain, a First Lieutenant and a Second Lieutenant, a First Sergeant and four Sergeants, eight Corporals, a minimum of 64 and a maximum of 82 privates, a wagoner, and 2 musicians. The whole regiment was commanded by a Colonel, aided by a Lieutenant-Colonel, a Major, and a small regimental staff including an Adjutant, a Quartermaster, a Surgeon (who was given the rank of Major), a Chaplain, a Sergeant-Major, a Quartermaster's Sergeant, a Commissary-Sergeant, and a Hospital Steward. In addition regulations required a regimental band. Reports indicate that the regiment started out full, so that would have numbered 1000 to 1200 soldiers. Substantial numbers were lost to disease over the first winter, before the first battle was fought. For most of the war there was no regular nor permanent system for recruiting soldiers, so the regiment never achieved full strength again. Before the Battle at Gettysburg, the 62d Pennsylvania regiment was close to 400 soldiers, and in the immediate aftermath of the battle it could barely muster a hundred. On only two occasions were significant numbers of soldiers added, after Gettysburg and before Grant's Overland Campaign. It is possible that regimental officers took leaves of absence to go on recruiting missions, but I have seen no record of it. In the two months following the Battle of Gettysburg over a hundred soldiers were added, and in the period of February through March 1864, preceding Grant's final Overland Campaign, perhaps fifty soldiers refilled the ranks of the regiment. In no other month were there as many as twenty new soldiers. When Companies L and M were transferred to the 91st Pennsylvania Volunteers when the rest of the 62d were mustered out, there was an aggregate of 46 between the two companies, only a quarter of their original size. Approximately 1600 soldiers served with the 62d Pennsylvania Volunteers at some time during the three years.

The Pennsylvania 62d Infantry Regiment served in the Army of the Potomac throughout its three years of existence. It was originally assigned to the Second ([Brigadier-General George W.] Morell's) Brigade of [Major-General Fitz John] Porter's Division of the Third Army Corps, commanded by General Samuel P. Heintzelman. In the reorganization of the Army after the Siege of Yorktown (the 62d's first encounter with the Confederate army), when two additional army corps were created, the 62d was assigned to the Second Brigade of the First Division of the Fifth Provisional Army Corps. After the War Department confirmed the re-organization on 22 July 1862, the "Fifth Provisional Army Corps" became the Fifth Army Corps of the Army of the Potomac. As regiments were mustered in and out and the army reorganized several more times, the make-up of the Second Brigade changed, but the 62d Pennsylvania remained in Second Brigade of the First Division of the Fifth Corps until it was mustered out. The 62d Pennsylvania's companion regiments in the brigade included the 14th New York (1st Oneida County Regiment), 9th Massachusetts (Boston's Irish Ninth), 32d Massachusetts, and 4th Michigan. Other regiments and batteries served along side the 62d Pennsylvania more briefly.

image of red Maltese CrossIn the spring of 1863, after General Daniel Butterfield became chief-of-staff of the Army of the Potomac under General Joseph Hooker, he instituted a system of Corps Badges to distinguish units. The badges were distinctive shapes of flannel cloth about an inch and one-half wide that were sewn or fastened onto soldiers' caps. The Fifth Corps (Butterfield's old corps) was assigned the Maltese Cross. The divisions of the corps were assigned different colors. The First Division of every corps was red, so the insignia of each regiment in the First Division of the Fifth Corps (including the 62d Pennsylvania) was a red Maltese Cross.

According to Sergeant William Smith of Company D, the regiment was camped initially in a cow pasture in the city of Allegheny, now Pittsburgh's North Side. He indicated, in "Transactions of the Kansas State Historical Society," 1902, that the location is "now a magnificent park, adorned by the Carnegie Free Institute." I believe he is referring to West Park, Western Pennsylvania's first urban park which was originally common grazing land. Next to the park is the Allegheny Branch of the Carnegie Library, which was the original Carnegie Free Library. It is also very near where the Pittsburgh Pirates and Steelers play. Smith also noted in an address before the national encampment of the Grand Army of the Republic, held at Pittsburgh in 1892, that after the battle of Bull Run, the secretary of war inquired when Black's regiment would be ready for the field, and the colonel responded as soon as transportation could be furnished. In three hours a young telegraph messenger brought into camp an order for the regiment to move to Washington immediately. The young messenger, according to Smith, was Andrew Carnegie.

On 24 July 1861, the regiment moved from Pittsburgh to Camp Cameron, near Harrisburg. According to a soldier correspondent, J.T.C. [possibly James T. Couch of Company H] in a report published on 14 August in the Pittsburgh Gazette, Colonel Black scoured the countryside for possible locations and found "the most beautiful camp ground in the country." It may also have helped that Black had political connections, since the camp was on farmland just east of Harrisburg belonging to Secretary of War Simon Cameron, hence its name. The secretary even visited the camp once. J.T.C. was no griper, reporting that they had adequate shelter from good quality tents and a nearby stream for bathing and washing clothes, and rubbish was cleared away every morning. He praised Samuel Black for his strict discipline, writing, among other things that "No obscene language or swearing whatever is tolerated."

After Companies L and M were added on the last day of August, the regiment proceeded to Baltimore, camping at Patterson's Port, across the harbor from Fort McHenry. From Patterson's Port, the regiment proceeded to Washington, encamping at Camp Rapp, on Kendall Green, in the northern suburbs of the city, where Gallaudet University is located presently. Only after it arrived at Fort Rapp was the regiment fully outfitted with clothing, equipment, and arms. Six of the companies received Springfield rifles; the other six received Enfields, the older smooth bore muskets. On 11 September 1861, the regiment crossed the Potomac and went into camp near Fort Corcoran, close to the southern bank near the Aqueduct Bridge. There it was assigned to the Second Brigade of General Fitz John Porter's Division. Technically the regiment was at Fort Corcoran to defend Washington, but it was here that volunteer soldiers were drilled into a fighting unit and put on fatigue duty at work constructing roads and throwing up entrenchments.

On the 26 September the regiment was moved with the new line at Fall's Church after the enemy had fallen back from Munson's Hill. It remained there only a few weeks before it moved to Minor's Hill to set up winter quarters. The new camp was called Bettie Black after the captain's youngest daughter. A reporter of the New York World described Camp Bettie Black as "the model camp of the Army of the Potomac," with streets lined with rows of cedars, and at the end of every street an arch, with the letter of each company in a wreath suspended in its center.

While still in their early days of drilling, several members of Company D had an encounter with a stranger. Could a regimental history be complete without a good Abraham Lincoln anecdote?

Sobriety

In February, 1862, while still drilling at Camp Bettie Black and before they had seen any combat, several officers, non-commissioned officers, and soldiers from Company I signed an "Oath of Sobriety." [Thanks to George Wilkinson, collector and researcher of the Fourth Michigan Regiment, for sending me the image of the oath.] They pledged to abstain from intoxicating liquors for the duration of the war. There is no record what prompted the soldiers to take the oath, but Jeffrey Lundy, who as been researching Edwin Little, the caption of Company I, has pointed out the oath was signed within a day or two after the tragic death of Robert Lowrey of Clarion "who horrifically accidentally shot himself swinging a loaded pistol." I would agree that the dates are not likely to be coincidental.

In the diary of Jacob Shenkel of Company L, he describes an order issued against smuggling whiskey into camp and punishments for getting drunk. Privates would be tied up and officers would be reduced in rank without trial. Shenkel, however, also notes in one entry that his friend Bash Cowen "was a little in the Wind from the effects of some milk mixed with a little something stronger than water." The same friend faced court-martial in March 1863 for breaking into the medical supplies and stealing a couple bottles of whiskey. Whiskey and brandy were the medicines most widely used by regimental surgeons, and the 62d was used in a test of the prophylactic use of quinine and whisky.

At the start of the Peninsular Campaign, D.R.S., a correspondent of the Pittsburgh Daily Gazette who attached himself to the 62d Pennsylvania, reported in a letter dated 27 May 1862 (published in the paper on 4 June 1862) that "the social and moral deportment of the men is worthy of special notice. I have seen but one man under the influence of liquor, and with probably two or three exceptions have heared [sic] no profane language. Many of the them are sincere christians, and their fervent prayers ascend every evening to the God that controls our destinies. Col. Black may justly feel proud of his command."

Defending Washington, DC

In addition to military training and drilling, the regiment spent as much or more time in construction. They built roads, threw up earthworks, dug entrenchments, and cut away pine forests beyond Arlington Heights. During their three years of service, much more of their time would be spent in throwing up breastworks and digging trenches than in fighting. An axe and spade would be as coveted as a gun. Here is how General Wm. T. Sherman described the work: "These field entrenchment's are peculiar to America, though I am convinced they were employed by the Romans in Gaul in the days of Caesar. Troops, halting for the night or for battle, faced the emery; moved forward to ground with a good outlook to the front; stacked arms; gathered logs, stumps, fence-rails, anything which would stop a bullet; piled these to their front, and digging a ditch behind, threw the dirt forward, and made a parapet which covered their persons as perfectly as a granite wall."
 
While at Camp Betty Black, wives of some officers were at least occasional visitors. then Lieutenant Gust Lowry of Company C reports in a letter home that "Mrs. Col Black and her two daughters have been in camp for a good while & left yesterday. Mrs Capt Means is here now. It looks very nicely to see womin in camp." This might suggest that no women served as soldiers in the Sixty-Second, but there definitely were women serving with a companion regiment at this time. Albert Westgate, a soldier from Company G of the 4th Michigan wrote: “Several of the soldiers with me on picket are women. They are all from the town were Uncle Silas used to live. They are very patriotic to destroy this infernal rebellion by what ever it takes. They say M’Clellan has been a sh*t-ass for sitting around all the time when he should be driving rebs back to Richmond.” Later in the letter he noted: “The gals say that is the only way the Union can win this thing and I tend to agree with them. Also they don’t believe in taking any prisoners— just shoot ’em dead and let the buzzards have a feast. They are good soldiers and take their share of the duty and they are also fair shots, too.” He speculated that even though his sergeant knew of their presence, "as long as he says nothing to the Lieutenant everything will be all right for them. The danger that we face daily makes us all work well together.” (Bertera, Martin N. and Crawford, Kim. 4th Michigan Infantry in the Civil War. East Lansing: Michigan State University Press, 2010, p 45.) No further mention of the women was made in any of Westgate's or other soldiers' letters, so what became of the female soldiers is unknown.
 
The drilling on hard ground must only have occurred part of the time while at Camp Betty Black. One of the Lowry letters sent in January describes "mud in our camp... about two feet deep and still rising."
 
Finally on 28 September Porter's division received orders to clear the area of Northern Virginia near Washington from Rebel forces. The Confederates put up little resistance beyond skirmishing, and the 62d was not in an advanced position. The result of the movement for them was simply that regiment's camp was moved to the outskirts of Fall's Church. The 62d's brigade occupied a station on the Alexandria, Loudon and Hampshire Railroad. They stayed there only a few weeks before they moved once again. In mid-October they went to winter's quarters in Camp Bettie Black (named after the colonel's youngest daughter) on Minor's Hill, an eminence (elevation 454 feet) just outside the western corner of the District of Columbia, just outside Falls Church, Virginia. Only after they went to winter quarters did the military drilling proceed in earnest with discipline rigidly enforced. The camp routine was squad drill from 6 to 9 in the morning; then from 10 to noon, each company had its own drill. After an hour off for lunch, for the next four hours until 5 p.m., there was battalion drill. In the evenings officers received their own further training.
 
Drilling, review, and inspection continued until spring. General George McClellan, the chief of the army following Bull Run (until his command was reduced specifically to the Army of the Potomac), spent many months improving the fortifications around Washington, bringing order and professionalism to the army, planning campaigns, waiting for spring weather, and battling the President's advisers. Importantly to the troops, he spent many hours reviewing them, and it is said that because of the personal interest he showed the soldiers as they were drilling and forming themselves into combat units that he gained their deep loyalty. Winter camp at Minor's Hill brought the 62d a taste of conditions they would have to face for the next three years. The climate was milder than Pennsylvanians were used to, but living in tents, the volunteers learned of cold nights. There was some snow and much rain, and the rain brought much mud by mid-January. In a nearby camp, this complaint was sounded, "Owing to the mud Blockade, we are still in our old camp. The 'Sacred Soil' is in the most profane condition. Did you ever notice a fly endeavoring to walk through a dish of molasses? If you did, you can form some idea of our abortive atempts to wade!"
 
The army took no action againt the threatening Confederate Army until it had already evacuated Manassas on 8 March. The 62d Pennsylvania was part of a reconnaissance mission by Porter's Division to explore Manassas to confirm the reports that the Confederates had abandoned it. The Second Brigade proceeded to Fairfax Court House trudging through mud that was knee deep in several places for two days before they reached Fairfax Court House. When Porter's division found that Confederate stronghold had been abandoned, it was sent the next day to Centreville only to discovered that the Rebel works there, too, had been abandoned. What they discovered instead were painted logs propped up to look like cannons. Reporters accompanying the Federal force wrote in their dispatches about the "Quaker guns" that had fooled General McClellan. The reconnaissance showed there was no need to try to defend Washington, D.C. against imminent threat, forcing new plans for an offensive against the Confederates.

Regimental Colors

While at Camp Bettie Black the regiment was presented with its colors. (Note: Army terminology desigined that flags carried by foot soldiers were called colors. If carried by a mounted soldier, they were standards.) By army regulation, each regiment was to have two flags, the national flag and a regimental flag. Also by regulation, infantry regiment flags were blue, embroidered with the arms of the United States and below it the name of the regiment in a scroll. Later in the war, names of the battles in which the regiment meritoriously served were inscribed on the flag as well. The colors were presented to the regiment on 21 December 1861 by Senator Edgar Cowan. At least one of the flags, probably the American flag, had been manufactured by a Philadelphia firm, Evans and Hassall. An image of the state colors flag located on the Pennsylvania Capitol Preservation Committee reveals that slightly less than half of the flag still survives. As part of the ceremony, Colonel Black accepted the colors and dedicated himself and his regiment "to the service of the country, the defense and vindication of its flag, the restoration of the Constitution in all its power, and preservation and perpetuity of the American Union in in every part of its wide and great dominion" [From Saurs, Advance the Colors].
 
map2Probably at this time, the first color guard was selected. The guard was selected by the regimental commander based on rank and valor. The positions were the most dangerous in the regiment. The guard was composed of the color bearer, also known as the color sergeant and eight color guards, all corporals (at least at the start of the regiment's service). The color bearer, who was unarmed, and the remaining guard led the regiment into battle. The color guards were under orders not to engage in combat other than to prevent the capture of the flag. Flags were not simply ornamental. They held the regiment together as a focal point, which in the smoke of battle was difficult. To capture the colors was a great honor and to lose them an ignoble disgrace. All those factors made the color guard key targets.
 
The following soldiers have been listed as color bearers of the 62d, although some of them may have only been members of the color guard: Sgt. Jefferson Truitt of Company D, Sgt. William Smith of Company D, Sgt. Isaac S. Osborn of Company I, Cpl. Thomas H. Budlong of Company I, Cpl. Jacob B. Funk of Company A, and Cpl. Johnson C. Gardner of Company E. (Pictured in the portrait are Budlong, unknown soldier, and Osborn.)
 
Company I was designated the color company. In battle formation, that would place Company I in the right center of the regiment, with the color guard placed immediately to its left.
 
The colors were in jeopardy many times. At Malvern Hill, it is reported that the colors "were cut down five times, but borne from the field flying." Both Truitt and Smith have been credited with rescuing the flag by secreting it upon his person and hiding in a stable before rejoining the regiment. At Gettysburg, Budlong was killed and Funk wounded defending the colors, before Gardner was able to save the flag from capture.
 
At least one of the flags was replaced during the fighting. Drummer Jacob Shenkel of Company L recorded in a diary entry for 22 April 1863: "Dress Parade. Escorted our New Flag out and Back. Cold and Cloudy to Day." The Upper St. Clair Guards (Company H) purchased a flag and brought it with them to Harrisburg when the regiment was forming, but the company was not allowed to keep it with them. It was returned to Captain Espy's home and has been preserved. It is kept by the Captain Thomas Espy Grand Army of the Republic Post #153. A letter from William Hagerson indicates that the regimental flag received 47 bullet holes through it within a little more than a year. The sergeant, returning to the regiment in the February of 1863, wrote that when he looked at it "a thrill of Patriotism runs through me."

Campaigns and Battles

The Sixty-Second fought in over twenty battles, assaults, or sieges from the Siege of Yorktown that started on 5 April 1862 to the Siege of Petersburg, which ended for them on 3 July 1864. Major battles for them were Gaines Mill, Malvern Hill, Fredricksburg, Gettysburg, the Wilderness, Spottsylvania, and Cold Harbor. Other battles in which they were present but were held in reserve or saw limited action included the Siege of Yorktown, Hanover Courthouse, Second Bull Run, Antietam, Chancellorsville, and the Siege of Petersburg. For details, see Campaigns and Battles on a separate page.

Casualties and Disease

More than half of the volunteers of the Sixty-Second were killed, severely wounded, captured, or went missing in action. About a third of the volunteers died of disease. At the end of the fighting at Gettysburg, the command could only muster 90 men. For details, see Casualties and Disease on a separate page.

Mustering Out

After its last engagement on the Jerusalem Plank Road near Petersburg on 21 June 1864, the regiment was employed in picket and fatigue duty, until July 3, the date of the original companies term of service expiration. Not every soldier mustered out at this time. Many who had volunteered -- those who served as substitutes, or were drafted, and had not completed three years of service, or which to extend their service beyond three years remained in the army -- transferred to other Pennsylvania regiments in the Second Brigade. Companies L and M were transferred to the 91st Pennsylvania and would not be mustered out until August 15, 1864. Others served in the 155th and remained until their individual expiration date of service. The rest of the regiment, however, were ordered to the rear. The regiment headed to Pittsburgh and, arriving there on 13 July 1864, was mustered out.

The 91st Pennsylvania regiment remained south of the James River for its duration, so the veterans from the 62d were engaged around Petersburg for their remaining month of service. I have seen no record whether the West Pennsylvanians then marched home to Pittsburgh as a unit, but that is likely.

Soldiers who had not completed their three years of service who were members from companies other than L and M (and those soldiers who wished to re-enlist as Veteran Volunteers) were transferred to the 155th Pennsylvania Volunteers. Most members of the same company of the 62d joined the same company of the 155th, but several company's ranks were filled. The 155th also spent the duration of its service south of the James River. It fought together with the 91st in the same brigade nearly all of the engagements around Petersburg, including Weldon Railroad, Five Forks, and Hatcher's Run. At Appomattox Court House the 155th claimed the distinction of having the last enlisted man killed in the fighting in Virginia, on the morning of 9 April 1865, the same day General Robert E. Lee surrendered his Army. Although the Army of the Potomac would fight no more battles, the 155th Pennsylvania regiment would not be mustered out until June 2, 1865.

Even though the war was over in all military senses, some soldiers had still not completed their service when the 155th Pennsylvania mustered out. They were then transferred to the 191st Pennsylvania. This regiment was the last Pennsylvania regiment to be formed and was organized in the field primarily from veterans. It was mustered out 28 June 1865. At last even soldiers who had not put in their full service were allowed to muster out and return home.

After the War

Returning home, many of the volunteers tried to pick up their lives where they left off. Some returned to their wives and families or married sweethearts from whom they had long been absent. Former farmers returned to farming. Lumberjacks cleared much of what remained of Pennsylvania's virgin forests. Glass workers returned to the glass founderies or switched jobs as steel replaced glass as Pittsburgh's leading industry. Within the next few years, many joined the migration west, moving to Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas, and California. The Grand Army of the Republic was created to help veterans maintain connections, and among the posts that were created was the Captain Thomas Espy Grand Army of the Republic Post No. 153, named to honor the captain of Company H. Nine volunteers from the 62d joined the post. Reunions brought back veterans from all over the country, especially for special anniversaries, such as the 25th and 50th anniversary of Battle of Gettysburg.

Pensions

The federal government implemented a pension system for veterans and their widows soon after the war broke out. An 1862 statute spelled out the details of the benefits, linking them to injury or disability directly related to military service. In 1890, due to the lobbying power of veterans' organizations, significant changes were made to reward any disabled veteran who had served honorably. In 1906 old age was added as justification for a pension. The government was still providing pensions for veterans or at least their widows even by the time of the Second World War. As can be seen on this widow's pension (courtesy of Karen and Tessa Raybuck), issued to Annie Temple, wife of Lt. Samuel Temple of Company I, the "generous" monthly allowance might amount to twelve dollars a month.

What's in a name?

A name was given to the regiment by Special Order No. 1, on 1 January 1862. "This Regiment shall be named and known as the Moorhead Rifles, in honor of J. K. Moorhead, Representative from Pennsylvania." The name was given with the unanimous consent of the twelve company captains and the field and staff officers. There is a reference to the new name in a letter by Gan Lowry of Company C, indicating that the regiment was named after "Senator Morehead [sic]" from Pittsburgh. James Kennedy Moorhead, however, was not a Senator, but a member of the House of Representatives, representing a congressional district around Pittsburgh. Before he entered political life, Moorhead had made his fortune through the development of the Pennsylvania Canal and a line of packet boats, the building of locks, dams, and bridges, and speculation in railroads and telegraph. J.K. Moorhead and Samuel Black were both of political importance in Pennsylvania, but Moorhead was a Republican and Black a Democrat. They had a non-political connection, however. Black's daughter Emily married Moorhead's son, William J. Moorhead, in January of 1864. I do not know what their connection was two years earlier, however. As these are the only two references to the "Moorhead Rifles" that I have seen, I think the name did not catch on.

In print, I have seen the regiment designated, officially and unofficially, in many different ways and variations of abbreviations: Sixty-Second Pennsylvania Volunteers, 62d Pennsylvania Volunteers, 62nd Pennsylvania Volunteers; 62 Pennsylvania; Sixty-second Regiment, Infantry, Pennsylvania Volunteers; 62d Regiment; 62nd Regiment; Sixty-second Pennsylvania Infantry; 62d Pennsylvania Infantry; 62nd Pennsylvania Infantry; Sixty-second Regiment Infantry (Pa.); 62d Regiment Infantry (Pa.); 62d Pa.; 62d Penna; 62d Penn; 62nd Pa.; 62nd Penna; 62nd Penn; 62d P. V.; 62nd P. V.; 62 P. V.

Pennsylvania was often shortened in soldiers' lingo to Pennsylvane, thus the regiment may have been referred to as the 62nd Pennsylvane.

A news account appearing in the Boston Journal, reprinted in Stories of the War Told by Soldiers edited by Edward Everett Hale (1892) provides this insight on how the soldiers might have referred to their regiment: "How will we take Richmond?" says one of the Sixty-second the other day. "Why, don't you know? The Sixty-two-th will fire, and the Ninth will charge!"

Resources

Many sources have been used in compiling this page. Please consult them for more information related to the Sixty Second Pennsylvania Infantry.


This page authored and maintained by John R. Henderson (jhenderson @ ithaca.edu), Lodi, NY.

Last modified: 18 August 2019.
John R. Henderson's grandfather John G. Henderson's uncle John Henderson was a private in Company D.
The Sixty Second Pennsylvania Monument, pictured at the top of the page, was dedicated at Gettysburg on 11 September 1889. The image was printed in the book, Pennsylvania at Gettysburg, Ceremonies at the Dedication of the Monuments, published in 1904.
URL: http://www.icyousee.org/pa62d/pa62d.html