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150th
Pennsylvania Infantry
Online Books
150th
Pennsylvania Infantry Soldier Roster - History of Pennsylvania
Volunteers, 1861-5, Volume 4 by Samuel P Bates, 1869
View Entire Book
| Regimental History |
| One Hundred and Fiftieth Infantry. — Cols., Langhorn
Wister, Henry S. Huidekoper, George W. Jones ; Lieut. -Cols., Henry S.
Huidekoper, Thomas Chamberlin, Cornelius C. Widdis, George W. Jones,
John W. Sigler; Majs., Thomas Chamberlin, Cornelius C. Widdis, George W.
Jones, Benjamin F. Topham. This regiment (Bucktail), like the 149th, was
intended to form part of a Bucktail brigade, which Maj. Stone of the
original Bucktails was authorised to raise in July, 1862. (See 149th.)
Four companies, A, B, E and F were raised in Philadelphia, C, H, I and
K, in Crawford county, D in Union, and G in McKean. It rendezvoused at
Camp Curtin, Harrisburg, where it was mustered into the U. S. service
for three years, in the latter part of Aug., 1862. Col. Wister had
commanded a company of the old Bucktails, and Maj. Chamberlin, one in
the 5th reserves, while Lieut.-Col. Huidekoper had prepared himself for
service by diligent study during the previous year at Harvard
university. The organization was completed on Sept. 4, 1862, and was
composed of an excellent body of recruits. Soon afterward it proceeded
to Washington and was engaged in guard duty in and around the capital
until ordered to the front about the middle of Feb., 1863. Co. K had
been detailed for guard duty at the soldiers' home, the summer residence
of the president, and remained on duty alternately, winter and summer,
at the home and the White House, serving as President Lincoln's body
guard, until the close of its term of service. In Feb., 1863, the
Bucktail troops — the 150th and 149th — joined the Army of the Potomac
at Belle Plain, Va., and were assigned to Stone's (2nd) brigade,
Doubleday's (3d) division, Reynolds' (1st) corps. The 150th was in
position, but was not active at the battle of Chancellorsville and
suffered no loss. It was hotly engaged on the first day of the battle of
Gettysburg, in which it fought with the utmost bravery, changing front
forward and also front to rear while under fire. While retiring with the
rest of the line through the town in the evening, the last of the
color-guard was killed, clasping the colors, and the regimental flag was
lost. In the spring of 1865, it was found among the effects of Jefferson
Davis, when he was captured in Georgia, and was held by the secretary of
war, until Oct. 25, 1869, but is now among the other tattered emblems at
Harrisburg. The regiment was held in reserve the second day of the
battle and was exposed to the severe artillery fire of the third day.
Its total losses in killed, wounded and missing were 264, out of 17
officers and about 400 men engaged. Of the officers, 2 were killed, 10
wounded and 4 captured or missing. One of the heroic incidents of the
first day's fight occurred when old John Burns asked and received
permission from Col. Wister to fight with the regiment, at the time it
was rallied in the orchard during the retreat. Another hero who joined
the command and remained with it throughout the first day was Dennis
Buckley, Co. H, 6th Mich, cavalry, whose horse had been shot under him
earlier that morning. The 150th joined in the pursuit after the battle;
subsequently shared in the various marches and countermarches of the
army; was stationed at Warrenton junction upon railroad guard duty from
Nov. 1, until the return of the army from the Mine Run campaign, when
winter quarters were established at Paoli mills and afterwards at
Culpeper. Meanwhile the command was reduced to less than 200 men and
Capt. Jones and Lieut. Kilgore were sent to Philadelphia on recruiting
service, returning with a large number of new men. On May 4, 1864, it
entered on the Wilderness campaign, assigned to the 3d brigade (Col.
Stone, afterwards Col. Bragg), 4th division (Gen. Wadsworth, afterwards
Gen. Cutler), 5th corps (Gen. Warren). At the Wilderness it lost 92,
killed, wounded and missing; at Spottsylvania Court-House, including the
engagement at Laurel hill, its losses were 51 ; in the engagements at
the North Anna and Totopotomy 7 in killed and wounded, the Bucktail
brigade being highly praised for its gallantry at the North Anna. It did
not suffer heavily in the fighting at Cold Harbor and Bethesda Church,
having only 2 men wounded. On June 6, while at Cold Harbor, it was
transferred to the 1st brigade, Col. Chamberlain, 1st division, Gen.
Griffin. It was engaged in the assault on the works of Petersburg on
June 18, being highly praised for its valor by Gen. Griffin, and a few
days later skirmished on the Jerusalem plank road. It shared in the raid
on the Weldon railroad in August, and then assisted in building Fort
Dushane. It was active at Hatcher's Run in October; in the raid on the
Weldon railroad in December; and participated in its last fight at
Dabney's mill in Feb., 1865, after which it was relieved at the front
and sent north to guard the camp of Confederate prisoners at Elmira, N.
Y., where it was mustered out on June 23, 1865. Co. K was mustered out
on June 15, at Harrisburg, Pa. The total enrollment of the regiment
during service was 1,039, of whom 112 were killed or died of wounds, and
95 died of disease or in prison. |
Footnotes:
Regimental history taken from "The Union Army" by Federal Publishing
Company, 1908 - Volume 1
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