134th Pennsylvania Infantry in the American Civil War

Overview

The 134th Pennsylvania Infantry (Nine Months’ Service) was an infantry regiment organized in Pennsylvania for Union service during the American Civil War. The regiment was mustered in at Camp Curtin, Harrisburg, in August 1862, in response to the Federal call for nine-month volunteers. Its companies were recruited from Lawrence, Butler, and Beaver counties. The regiment served in the Army of the Potomac, primarily in the Eastern Theater, and participated in major actions at Fredericksburg and Chancellorsville.

This unit is distinct from other Pennsylvania regiments with similar designations or different service terms.

Organization & Service

The 134th Pennsylvania Infantry (Nine Months’ Service) was recruited under the July 1862 call for nine-month volunteers. Companies A, B, D, and H were raised in Lawrence County; C, F, G, and K in Butler County; and E and I in Beaver County. The regiment assembled at Camp Curtin, Harrisburg, and was mustered into Federal service during the first half of August 1862. Due to the Confederate advance toward Washington, D.C., the regiment was ordered to the capital before its organization was fully completed, departing Pennsylvania on August 20, 1862. Final organization was completed in Washington.

The regiment, composed largely of men and officers with no prior military experience, arrived too late to participate in the Second Battle of Bull Run or the Battle of Antietam. It encamped near Antietam until late October 1862. During this period, Colonel Matthew S. Quay contracted typhoid fever and resigned on December 7, succeeded by Lieutenant Colonel Edward O’Brien. The 134th Pennsylvania was assigned to Tyler’s Brigade, Humphreys’ Division, 5th Corps, Army of the Potomac. It saw its first major combat at the Battle of Fredericksburg in December 1862, where it was positioned on the right of the first line during the final charge on the stone wall. The regiment suffered significant casualties in this engagement. Major John M. Thompson was wounded, and Colonel Quay served as a volunteer aide-de-camp to General Tyler during the battle.

Following Fredericksburg, the regiment remained in camp except for participation in Burnside’s unsuccessful January 1863 movement. On April 27, 1863, the 134th Pennsylvania moved with the Army of the Potomac for the Chancellorsville Campaign. The regiment was actively engaged on the third day of the Battle of Chancellorsville and received commendation in General Tyler’s official report. Shortly after this campaign, the regiment’s nine-month term expired, and it returned to Harrisburg, where it was mustered out on May 26, 1863.

Engagements & Campaigns

• Encampment near Antietam (September–October 1862)
• Battle of Fredericksburg (December 12–15, 1862)
• Burnside’s “Mud March” (January 1863)
• Chancellorsville Campaign (April–May 1863)
• Battle of Chancellorsville (May 1–3, 1863)

Casualties

• Battle of Fredericksburg: 14 killed, 106 wounded, 19 missing
• Battle of Chancellorsville: 48 killed, wounded, and missing

Comprehensive totals for the regiment’s entire service term are not fully detailed in available primary sources.

Field Officers & Commanders

• Colonel Matthew S. Quay
• Colonel Edward O’Brien
• Lieutenant Colonel Edward O’Brien
• Lieutenant Colonel John M. Thompson
• Lieutenant Colonel William H. Shaw
• Major John M. Thompson
• Major William H. Shaw
• Major Cyrus E. Anderson

Regimental Roster

The full roster of the 134th Pennsylvania Infantry (Nine Months’ Service), including officers and enlisted men, is available for genealogical and historical research. This roster provides names, ranks, and company assignments as recorded in official state and Federal records.

To view the complete roster, visit the 134th Pennsylvania Infantry (Nine Months’ Service) Roster page.

Sources & References

• Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, Series I, Vol. 21, 25
• Pennsylvania Adjutant General’s Report, 1862–1863
• Dyer, Frederick H., A 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