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145th
Pennsylvania Infantry
Online Books
145th
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 Forty-fifth Infantry, — Cols., Hiram L.
Brown, David B. McCreary; Lieut.-Cols., David B. McCreary, Charles M.
Lynch; Majs., John W. Patton, John W. Reynolds, Charles M. Lynch, James
H. Hamlin. The 145th, composed of men from the counties of Erie, Warren,
Crawford and Mercer, rendezvoused at the old camp of the 83d and 111th,
near Erie, and was mustered into the U. S. service for three years,
during the latter part of August and the first part of Sept., 1862. Col.
Brown had previously served in the militia and as a captain, both in the
three months' Erie regiment and the 83d. Lieut.-Col. McCreary had also
served in the militia and in the Erie regiment. Such was the demand for
troops at the front at this time, the 145th was hurried to Chambersburg
on Sept. 11, where it could hear Lee's guns at South mountain, and where
it was supplied with arms of an obsolete pattern. After two days at Camp
McClure, it hurried forward towards Hagerstown, only partially equipped,
and on the morning of the 17th was only 10 miles from the field of
Antietam. About noon it reached the battlefield and at once went into
position between the Union left and the Potomac, where it did picket
duty until the morning of the 19th, when it assisted in burying the dead
and caring for the wounded. The sudden transformation from civil life to
active military duty worked havoc with the men and over 200 were
incapacitated for duty, while many died or were permanently disabled. It
next moved to Harper's Ferry, where it was temporarily assigned to the
Irish brigade and later to the 1st brigade, 1st division, 2nd corps. In
October it moved to Warrenton and thence to Falmouth. It shared in the
bloody charge on Marye's heights at the battle of Fredericksburg and
behaved with the steadiness of a veteran organization. Less than 500 men
were engaged and of these 226 were killed or wounded. Nine commissioned
officers were killed, Col. Brown was severely wounded, and only 2 field
officers in the entire brigade escaped injury. At the battle of
Chancellorsville it suffered another severe loss, more than 100 detailed
on the skirmish line being captured, as they did not receive the order
to retire when the army fell back toward the river. Its total loss was
122 killed, wounded and captured. It reached the field of Gettysburg
with the 2nd corps on the morning of July 2 and suffered severely in the
two days' fighting, its heaviest loss being incurred at the Peach
Orchard. Altogether 90 men were killed, wounded or missing, out of 200
engaged, Col. Brown and Maj. Reynolds being among the wounded. It then
shared in the pursuit of Lee, the campaign of maneuvres in the Valley of
Virginia, and the Mine Run campaign, being active at Auburn, Bristoe
Station and Raccoon ford. It went into permanent winter quarters on the
close of the Mine Run campaign near Germanna ford, its camp being
pronounced by medical directors the best in the army. During the winter
it received a large number of recruits and on May 5, 1864, it moved on
the Wilderness campaign. Its loss was light at the Wilderness, but it
suffered severely at the Po river and again on the following day, when
under Gen. Hancock, it led the assault on the enemy's intrenched works.
It was active at the North Anna river, Totopotomy and Cold Harbor,
losing heavily in the last named action. In an assault on the works of
Petersburg on June 16, the regiment suffered a serious disaster, for of
200 men engaged, about 50 were killed and wounded, and 9 officers and
about 80 enlisted men were taken prisoners, Lieut.-Col. McCreary being
among the captured. It suffered more loss on July 22, when Maj. Lynch,
commanding the regiment, was among the prisoners. A mere fragment of the
regiment was now left, which did duty in the trenches and was active at
Deep Bottom, Reams' station and Five Forks. After the surrender of Lee
it returned to Alexandria, and after participating in the grand review
at Washington, was mustered out near Alexandria on May 31, 1865. It
returned to Erie, Pa., under the command of Col. McCreary, and was there
finally paid and discharged on June 5. |
Footnotes:
Regimental history taken from "The Union Army" by Federal Publishing
Company, 1908 - Volume 1
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