Overview
The 133rd Pennsylvania Infantry (Nine Months’ Service) was an infantry regiment organized at Camp Curtin, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and mustered into United States service by companies between August 5 and August 15, 1862. Composed primarily of volunteers from Cambria, Perry, Bedford, and Somerset counties, the regiment served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. Its service was concentrated in the Eastern Theater, and it participated in several significant campaigns and battles during its nine months of active duty.
Organization & Service
The 133rd Pennsylvania Infantry was organized at Camp Curtin, Harrisburg, and mustered into federal service for nine months in August 1862. Shortly after organization, the regiment departed for Washington, D.C., on August 19, 1862. During the Second Battle of Bull Run, the regiment was stationed at Fort Ward, performing picket duty and constructing entrenchments for approximately two weeks.
The regiment was brigaded with the 123rd, 131st, 134th, and 155th Pennsylvania regiments under Colonel Allabach of the 131st Pennsylvania, and attached to Humphreys’ Division, 5th Corps, Army of the Potomac. The 133rd Pennsylvania arrived at the field of Antietam the day after the battle and encamped near Sharpsburg, Maryland, until the end of October 1862. The regiment then moved to Falmouth, Virginia, and participated in the Battle of Fredericksburg in December 1862, suffering significant casualties during the assault on Marye’s Heights.
Following Fredericksburg, the regiment remained at Camp Humphreys, except for participation in the “Mud March” in January 1863. In the spring, the 133rd Pennsylvania took part in the Chancellorsville Campaign, where it was engaged on the third day of the battle. After the expiration of its nine-month term, the regiment returned to Harrisburg and was mustered out of service between May 21 and May 26, 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
- Defenses of Washington (August–September 1862)
- Arrived at Antietam after the battle (September 1862)
- Battle of Fredericksburg (December 1862)
- Mud March (January 1863)
- Battle of Chancellorsville (May 1863)
Casualties
At Fredericksburg, the regiment suffered 184 casualties (killed, wounded, and missing), including 3 officers killed and 8 wounded. During the Chancellorsville Campaign, the regiment lost 1 killed and 9 wounded. Complete aggregate loss figures for the entire term are not specified in available primary sources.
Field Officers & Commanders
- Colonel Franklin B. Speakman
- Lieutenant Colonel Abraham Kopelin
- Lieutenant Colonel W. A. McCartney
- Major Edward M. Schrock
Regimental Roster
The full roster of the 133rd Pennsylvania Infantry (Nine Months’ Service), including officers and enlisted men, is available for genealogical and historical research. The roster provides names, ranks, and additional service details where available.
To view the complete roster, visit the 133rd Pennsylvania Infantry (Nine Months’ Service) Roster page.
Sources & References
- Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, Series I, Vol. 19, 21, 25
- Pennsylvania Adjutant General’s Report, 1862–1863
- 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