John Frederick Hartranft was the United States military officer who read the death warrant to the individuals who were executed on July 7, 1865 for conspiring to assassinate American President Abraham Lincoln. Previously having achieved the rank of major general of the Union Army during the American Civil War, he had also been awarded the U.S. Medal of Honor for his actions in the First Battle of Bull Run.
The Main Line of Public Works was a package of legislation passed by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in 1826 to establish a means of transporting freight between Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. It funded the construction of various long-proposed canal and road projects, mostly in southern Pennsylvania, that became a canal system and later added railroads. Built between 1826 and 1834, it established the Pennsylvania Canal System and the Allegheny Portage Railroad.
The Pennsylvania Reserves were an infantry division in the Union Army during the American Civil War. Noted for its famous commanders and high casualties, it served in the Eastern Theater, and fought in many important battles, including Antietam and Gettysburg.
The 213th Regional Support Group is a unit of the Pennsylvania Army National Guard. The 213th RSG mission is to provide command and control of the twenty-two separate Pennsylvania Army National Guard units assigned to the headquarters for operational and administrative control. This force consist of more than 1,000 soldiers from the eastern and central parts of the state. The 213th RSG is one of the two major commands in the Pennsylvania Army National Guard, the other being the 28th Infantry Division (Keystone).
During the American Civil War, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania played a critical role in the Union, providing a substantial supply of military personnel, equipment, and leadership to the Federal government. The state raised over 360,000 soldiers for the Federal armies. It served as a significant source of artillery guns, small arms, ammunition, armor for the new revolutionary style of ironclad types of gunboats for the rapidly expanding United States Navy, and food supplies. The Phoenixville Iron Company by itself produced well over 1,000 cannons, and the Frankford Arsenal was a major supply depot.
The 54th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry was an infantry regiment which served in the Union Army during the American Civil War.
The Main Line of the Pennsylvania Railroad was a rail line in Pennsylvania connecting Philadelphia with Pittsburgh via Harrisburg. The rail line was split into two rail lines, and now all of its right-of-way is a cross-state corridor, composed of Amtrak's Philadelphia to Harrisburg Main Line and the Norfolk Southern Railway's Pittsburgh Line.
Jacob Gellert Frick Sr. was a United States infantry officer who fought with several Union Army regiments during the American Civil War, including as lieutenant colonel of the 96th Pennsylvania Infantry and as colonel of the 129th Pennsylvania Infantry. He received his nation's highest award for valor, the U.S. Medal of Honor, for his gallantry during the battles of Fredericksburg and Chancellorsville, Virginia. Grabbing the American flag from his regiment's color-bearer at Fredericksburg on December 13, 1862, he inspired his men to move forward "through a terrible fire of cannon and musketry"; at Chancellorsville, he personally engaged in hand-to-hand combat on May 3, 1863, to retrieve his regiment's flag which had been captured by the enemy. He was 67 years old when his Medal of Honor was conferred on June 7, 1892.
Jacob C. Higgins (1826–1893) was a native commander of Pennsylvania troops who participated in both major military conflicts of his time, the Mexican–American War and the American Civil War. Among his Civil War commands, he guided the 125th Pennsylvania Infantry regiment under heavy fire during the 'Bloodiest Day in American History' at the Battle of Antietam and likewise during the 'Second Bloodiest Day of the Civil War,' May 3, 1863, at the Battle of Chancellorsville. Following the muster out and return home of the 125th PA, the Gettysburg Campaign sent cavalry under Confederate General John D. Imboden to threaten vital railroad resources at Altoona and iron production facilities in the Juniata River watershed; in response, Emergency Militia was organized by Colonel Higgins and minimized this northwestern incursion.
John P. Glass was a member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives during the American Civil War, and was elected as that legislative body's Speaker in 1867.
The Pennsylvania First Defenders were five volunteer troops from Pennsylvania that responded to U.S. President Abraham Lincoln’s call to defend the national capital of Washington, D.C., at the start of the American Civil War. The First Defenders consisted of the National Light Infantry of Pottsville, Pennsylvania, the Washington Artillerists of Pottsville, Pennsylvania, the Ringgold Light Artillery of Reading, Pennsylvania, the Logan Guards of Lewistown, Pennsylvania and the Allen Infantry of Allentown, Pennsylvania.
The 1st Pennsylvania Infantry was an infantry regiment in the Union Army during the American Civil War that served for three months at the beginning of the war.
The 4th Pennsylvania Infantry Regiment, officially known as the 4th Regiment, Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, was an infantry regiment of the Union Army in the American Civil War. Formed mostly from a militia unit in Norristown in southeastern Pennsylvania, the regiment enlisted at the beginning of the American Civil War in April 1861 for a three-month period of service under the command of Colonel John F. Hartranft. Logistical difficulties bedeviled the regiment, which served as part of the garrison of Washington, D.C. until late June, when it was sent into northern Virginia to join the army of Brigadier General Irvin McDowell. The regiment suffered its only combat casualties in a picket action on June 30 and was sent back to be mustered out on the eve of the First Battle of Bull Run owing to disagreement among the men over remaining with the army after the expiration of their term of service. Its men were denounced as cowards for being members of the only regiment to refuse to fight at the July 21 battle. Hartranft and a company commander stayed with the army and later received the Medal of Honor for their actions at Bull Run. Many men of the regiment went on to serve in new Pennsylvania regiments, forming the bulk of the 51st Pennsylvania Infantry, which fought for the rest of the war.
George Warren Alexander was a New Hampshire native who made significant contributions to the communities of Reading and West Reading in Berks County, Pennsylvania, from the mid-1800s to the early 1900s.
The Reading Artillerists was a militia organization founded in Reading, Berks County, Pennsylvania during the late 18th century. Mustering in for the first time during the presidential era of George Washington, members of this artillery unit went on to serve tours of duty in the War of 1812, Mexican–American War and, as members of the Union army of the United States, during the American Civil War, before disbanding. Having determined that Reading needed to improve its military readiness, civic leaders of the 1880s authorized the formation of a new artillery unit, and also chose to name it as "Reading Artillerists" in deference to the original unit's storied history. That militia unit then mustered in for the Spanish–American War, and continued its service during the early part of the 20th century.
The 12th Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry was an infantry regiment of the Union Army in the American Civil War. Raised in Pittsburgh and its surrounding counties in April 1861 for three months of service, the regiment spent its first month in training, then guarded the Northern Central Railway in Maryland until it was mustered out. Many of its men went on to serve in subsequent Pennsylvania regiments during the war.
The 201st Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry was an infantry regiment of the Union Army in the American Civil War. Raised in the Harrisburg, Pennsylvania area during August 1864, the regiment initially guarded the Manassas Gap Railroad and detachment elements on provost duty in Virginia. The regiment then moved to Alexandria in November, where it performed guard and escort duty. After the end of the war the main body of the regiment garrisoned Fort Delaware before mustering out in mid-1865.
The 202nd Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry was an infantry regiment of the Union Army in the American Civil War. Raised in the Harrisburg area and the Coal Region in August and September 1864, the regiment was sent to the Manassas Gap Railroad to guard it against the attacks of Confederate partisan rangers led by John Mosby. Following the Union victory at Battle of Cedar Creek, the regiment helped break up the now unneeded railroad and moved to Alexandria to guard the railroad there. After the end of the war, the regiment served in the Coal Region to suppress labor unrest, and was mustered out in mid-1865.
Patrick Henry Monaghan was a native of Ireland who fought for the federal government of the United States during the American Civil War as a member of Company F of the 48th Pennsylvania Infantry. He received America's highest award for valor, the U.S. Medal of Honor, for recapturing the regimental flag of the 7th New York Heavy Artillery on June 17, 1864 while fighting in the Siege of Petersburg, Virginia.
The 25th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry was a Three Months' Service infantry regiment which served with the Union Army during the American Civil War. Composed of "First Defenders" and five additional companies of early responders who enlisted later in April 1861, this regiment's formation was unusual in that its members mustered in at multiple locations and were subsequently divided among various duty stations, including the Washington Arsenal, U.S. Capitol Building, and Washington Navy Yard in Washington, D.C., and Fort Washington in Maryland before roughly half of the regiment was moved to Rockville, Maryland and assigned to the Union force commanded by Major-General Robert Patterson.
