Overview
The 127th Pennsylvania Infantry (Nine Months’ Service) was an infantry regiment organized at Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and mustered into United States service on August 16, 1862, for a term of nine months. The regiment was primarily composed of men from Dauphin County, with additional recruits from Adams, Lebanon, and Schuylkill counties. Serving in the Union Army, the 127th Pennsylvania operated in the Eastern Theater and participated in several significant campaigns during its brief service.
This unit is distinct from any other Pennsylvania regiments with similar designations serving under different terms.
Organization & Service
The 127th Pennsylvania Infantry (Nine Months’ Service) was mustered in at Harrisburg on August 16, 1862. Company A was detailed as provost guard at Harrisburg and did not serve with the main regiment in the field. On August 17, the remaining nine companies, totaling 869 men, departed for Washington, D.C., where they were assigned to guard duty at Chain Bridge on the Potomac River.
In December 1862, the regiment was ordered to Fredericksburg, Virginia, arriving on December 9. It was assigned to the 3rd Brigade, 2nd Division, 2nd Corps of the Army of the Potomac. The brigade was the first to cross the Rappahannock River after the pontoon bridges were laid, advancing under fire from Confederate sharpshooters. The 127th participated in the assault on Marye’s Heights during the Battle of Fredericksburg, suffering heavy casualties. After the battle, the regiment encamped at Falmouth, Virginia.
During the Chancellorsville Campaign in the spring of 1863, the regiment served with General Gibbon’s division and took part in another assault on Marye’s Heights, which was successful. The regiment was mustered out of service at Harrisburg on May 8 and May 29, 1863.
Research This Regiment Further
If you’d like to explore this unit’s history in more depth, regimental histories and Civil War reference works offer valuable detail.
Engagements & Campaigns
- Duty at Chain Bridge, Washington, D.C. (August–December 1862)
- Battle of Fredericksburg (December 11–15, 1862)
- Camp at Falmouth, Virginia (Winter 1862–1863)
- Chancellorsville Campaign (April–May 1863)
- Second Assault on Marye’s Heights (May 1863)
Casualties
The 127th Pennsylvania Infantry (Nine Months’ Service) lost a total of 52 men by death from wounds and disease during its term of service. At the Battle of Fredericksburg, the regiment suffered 257 killed or wounded. Detailed breakdowns may vary in different primary sources.
Field Officers & Commanders
- Colonel William W. Jennings
- Lieutenant Colonel Henry C. Alleman
- Major Jeremiah Rohrer
Regimental Roster
The full roster of the 127th Pennsylvania Infantry (Nine Months’ Service), including officers and enlisted men, is available for genealogical and historical research. The roster provides names, ranks, and service details for members of the regiment.
To view the complete roster, visit the 127th Pennsylvania Infantry (Nine Months’ Service) Roster page.
Sources & References
- Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, Series I, Vol. XXI, XXV
- Pennsylvania Adjutant General’s Report
- Dyer, Frederick H. Compendium of the War of the Rebellion
- Fox, William F. Regimental Losses in the American Civil War
- The Union Army, Federal Publishing Company, 1908, Vol. 1