105th Pennsylvania Infantry Regiment

Last updated
105th Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry
105th PA Infantry p536.jpg
105th Pennsylvania Infantry Monument, Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, 1893
ActiveOctober 1861 to July 11, 1865
Country United States
Allegiance Union
Branch Infantry
Size1,992
Engagements Battle of Williamsburg
Battle of Seven Pines
Battle of Glendale
Battle of Malvern Hill
Battle of Chancellorsville
Battle of Gettysburg
Battle of the Wilderness
Battle of Spotsylvania Court House
First Battle of Deep Bottom

The 105th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry (also known as the "Wildcat Regiment") was an infantry regiment which served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. [1] [2] Among the regiment's early recruits was future United States Congressman Albert C. Thompson.

Contents

History

Organization and early battles

The 105th Pennsylvania Infantry was founded by Amor McKnight, a lawyer and resident of Brookville, Pennsylvania, who became one of the state's earliest responders to President Abraham Lincoln's call for volunteers to defend Washington, D.C. following the fall of Fort Sumter to Confederate States Army troops in mid-April 1861. After honorably completing his three months' service as captain of Company I with the 8th Pennsylvania Infantry and honorably mustering out on July 29, 1861, [3] McKnight was then authorized by the state in early August to raise a new regiment. Recruiting for the 105th Pennsylvania then began and was completed that same month. Nicknamed the "Wildcat Regiment" in recognition of the unit's large membership from the Wildcat Congressional District in Jefferson, the 105th Pennsylvania was also staffed by a large contingent of men from Clarion County. [4] Commissioned as a colonel, McKnight was placed in charge of the regiment after its men mustered in at Pittsburgh on September 9, 1861. [5] Serving under him as field and staff officers were: W. W. Corbett, lieutenant colonel, and M. M. Dick, major. [6]

The regimental band was a 24-piece brass ensemble whose members ranged in age from 19 to 43. It was conducted and commanded by Calvin B. Clark. [7] [8]

Ordered to support the defenses of Washington, the regiment was transported south that fall and initially pitched its tents at Camp Kalorama on the Kalorama Heights in Georgetown, District of Columbia before it was reassigned to the 1st Brigade, 1st Division, III Corps and moved to Camp Jameson, which was located roughly a mile south of Alexandria, Virginia on the farm of Revolutionary War patriot George Mason. [9] [10]

Leaving camp on March 17, 1862, the regiment took part in the siege of Yorktown and the battles of Williamsburg and Fair Oaks. In the latter engagement, the troops fought like veterans, holding their position unsupported until nearly surrounded. Three companies were on special duty at the opening of the action and, being unable to reach the regiment in its exposed position, fought with the 57th Pennsylvania Infantry. After a month spent on picket duty, the 105th was again in action at Glendale and Malvern Hill, and, by the time it reached Harrison's Landing, the ranks were so reduced by wounds and sickness that less than 100 men were fit for active duty. [11] [12]

While posted along the railroad between Manassas and Warrenton Junction, companies B, G, and H were captured by the Confederates. The 1st and Hooker's divisions were engaged at Bristoe Station on August 29. The following day, the entire army was in action at Second Bull Run, where once more, the gallant work of the 105th resulted in significant losses. The regiment was specially complimented by Maj. Gen. Philip Kearny for its gallantry. September and October were spent in Washington. The command left the nation's capital on October 28 and, after some scouting near Leesburg, arrived at Falmouth on November 24. The 105th's next battle was at Fredericksburg, after which it spent the winter in camp near Brandy Station. [13] [14]

1863 and 1864 battles and campaigns

At the Battle of Chancellorsville in May 1863, the troops were warmly engaged, and many won the Kearny Medal of Honor (the Kearny Cross). The first two weeks of June were spent at Banks Ford, and then the troops started northward. At the Battle of Gettysburg, the regiment lost many men, and, after the return to Virginia, engagements followed at Auburn, Kelly's Ford, and Locust Grove in the Mine Run campaign late in November. At the end of that campaign, the regiment returned to the camp at Brandy Station for the winter, and, on December 28, 1863, nearly the entire regiment re-enlisted. [15] [16]

The regiment fought at the battles of the Wilderness and Spotsylvania in May 1864, during which Capt. Alexander H. Mitchell, who had previously been awarded the Kearny Badge for his distinguished service at Chancellorsville, was wounded in action while capturing the enemy’s flag during a hand-to-hand encounter with the color-bearer of the 18th North Carolina Infantry, a second act of valor for which Mitchell would later be awarded the U.S. Medal of Honor. [17] [18]

The regiment then moved to Petersburg with the army, where it took part in the operations of the X Corps in August and the movements upon the Wilmington and Weldon Railroad in October and December. On September 5, the remainder of the 63rd was added to the regiment. [19] [20]

The end of the war

On February 20, 1865, the 105th absorbed Company C of the 2nd United States Volunteer Sharpshooter Regiment, which was disbanded on that date, and in March 1865, about 300 recruits were received. At Sailor's Creek, the 105th was actively engaged, after which it returned to Alexandria. It participated in the Grand Review of the Armies at Washington and was mustered out in that city on July 11, 1865. [21] [22]

Out of a total enrollment of 2,040, the regiment lost 309 men by death from wounds or disease, and 199 soldiers were reported as missing.

Senior officers

Other notable members

See also

Related Research Articles

11th Pennsylvania Infantry Regiment Union Army infantry regiment

The 11th Pennsylvania Infantry Regiment was a Union army regiment that participated in the American Civil War. It had the distinction of being the oldest unit in continuous service from Pennsylvania.

The 54th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry was an infantry regiment which served in the Union Army during the American Civil War.

2nd United States Sharpshooters Union unit during the US Civil War consisting of marksmen.

The 2nd United States Sharpshooters was a sharpshooter regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. From 1861 to January 1863 they were members of the "First Iron Brigade" also known as the "Iron Brigade of the East".

Jacob Gellert Frick American Civil War Medal of Honor recipient (1825–1902)

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.

91st Pennsylvania Infantry Regiment Union Army infantry regiment

The 91st Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry was a Union infantry regiment which fought in multiple key engagements of the American Civil War, including the Battle of Fredericksburg, Battle of Chancellorsville and Battle of Gettysburg. It was established through the combined efforts of Edgar M. Gregory, who had received approval from the U.S. War Department to begin recruiting soldiers for an entirely new regiment during the fall of 1861, and Edward E. Wallace, who had initiated his own recruitment efforts that October. Their recruits were volunteers, the majority of whom initially enlisted for three-year terms of service from their hometown of Philadelphia; they were divided into 10 lettered companies upon muster in during early December 1861: A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, and K.

The following list is a bibliography of American Civil War Confederate military unit histories and are generally available through inter-library loan. More details on each book are available at Worldcat. For an overall national view, see Bibliography of the American Civil War. For histories of the Union, see Bibliography of American Civil War Union military unit histories. For a guide to web sources see: Carter, Alice E.; Jensen, Richard. The Civil War on the Web: A Guide to the Very Best Sites—Completely Revised and Updated (2003).

The following list is a Bibliography of American Civil War Union military unit histories. More details on each book are available at WorldCat.

The 75th Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry was a unit of the Union Army during the American Civil War. It was composed almost entirely of German-speaking residents of Philadelphia and newly arrived German immigrants. Total enrollment, over the course of the war, was 1,293 officers and men. The 75th Pennsylvania participated in several major battles including Second Bull Run, Chancellorsville, and Gettysburg. The regiment was transferred to the Western Theater in September, 1863. There, it participated in operations in Tennessee, before it was mustered out of service on September 1, 1865, following the close of the war.

Andrew Jackson Young was a United States soldier who fought with the Union Army during the American Civil War as a member of Company F of the 1st Pennsylvania Cavalry. He received his nation's highest award for valor, the U.S. Medal of Honor, for capturing a Confederate flag at Paines Crossroads, Virginia, on April 5, 1865. That award was conferred on May 3, 1865.

The 99th Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry was an infantry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War.

97th Pennsylvania Infantry Regiment Union Army infantry regiment

The 97th Pennsylvania Infantry was a Union infantry regiment which fought in multiple key engagements of the American Civil War, including the Siege of Fort Pulaski, Bermuda Hundred Campaign, Battle of Cold Harbor, Siege of Petersburg, and the Carolinas Campaign.

1st Pennsylvania Infantry Regiment Union Army infantry regiment

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.

157th Pennsylvania Infantry Regiment Union Army infantry regiment

The 157th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry was a Union infantry regiment which fought in multiple key engagements during the final years of the American Civil War, including the Battle of Cold Harbor, Siege of Petersburg, and Appomattox Campaign. One of two military units raised at roughly the same time in the Philadelphia area during the fall of 1862, the 157th Pennsylvania was stationed initially at Fort Delaware, beginning in December 1862, and remained there on garrison duty until it was reassigned to the defense of Washington, D.C. during the early winter of 1863. It was then assigned to the Army of the Potomac during the spring of 1864, and sent to the front lines of the war's Eastern Theater, where it remained for the duration of the war. During a reorganization of Union Army units in the spring of 1865, its men were merged with those of the 191st Pennsylvania Infantry.

Alexander H. Mitchell US Army officer and Medal of Honor recipient (1840–1913)

Alexander H. Mitchell was a United States military officer who fought with the Union Army during the American Civil War as captain of Company A of the 105th Pennsylvania Infantry. Wounded multiple times in combat during the war, he was awarded the Kearny Cross for his distinguished service in the Battle of Chancellorsville, Virginia in May 1863, and was then also awarded his nation’s highest award for valor, the U.S. Medal of Honor for his capture of a Confederate flag in hand-to-hand combat with the color-bearer of the 18th North Carolina Infantry during the Battle of Spotsylvania Court House on May 12, 1864.

James George Mitchell

James George Mitchell was a Pennsylvania state senator and United States soldier who fought with the Union Army during the American Civil War as a drummer boy and private with Company A of the 105th Pennsylvania Infantry. He served under his older brother, Alexander H. Mitchell (1840–1913), who was later awarded the U.S. Medal of Honor for valor.

William H. Paul Union soldier

William H. Paul was a United States soldier who fought with the Union Army during the American Civil War as a member of Company E of the 90th Pennsylvania Infantry and, later, the 11th Pennsylvania Infantry's E Company. He was awarded his nation's highest honor for valor in combat, the U.S. Medal of Honor, for saving and protecting the regimental flag of the 90th Pennsylvania Volunteers during the intense fighting of the Battle of Antietam in Maryland on September 17, 1862. That award was conferred on November 3, 1896.

Patrick H. Monaghan

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.

William Sands (soldier)

William Sands was a United States soldier who fought with the Union Army during the American Civil War as a principal musician with the 88th Pennsylvania Infantry and, later, as a first sergeant with that same regiment. He received his nation's highest award for valor, the U.S. Medal of Honor, for capturing an enemy flag and carrying it from behind Confederate States Army lines to those of the Union Army during the Battle of Dabney's Mill/Hatcher's Run, Virginia. That award was conferred on November 9, 1893.

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.

Henry Ruhl Guss Union Army officer

Henry Ruhl Guss was a Union Army officer during the American Civil War. He organized and commanded the 97th Pennsylvania Infantry Regiment out of Chester and Delaware Counties in Pennsylvania. He served as a colonel and was brevetted brigadier general and major general after the war in recognition of his service.

References

  1. ↑ Bates, Samuel P. History of Pennsylvania Volunteers, 1861-5; Prepared in Compliance with Acts of the Legislature , Vol. III, pp. 779-827. Harrisburg, Pennsylvania: B. Singerly, State Printer, 1870.
  2. ↑ Scott, Kate, ed. History of Jefferson County with Illustrations and Biographical Sketches of Some of Its Prominent Men and Pioneers . Syracuse, New York; D. Mason & Co., 1888.
  3. ↑ "McKnight, Amor A. (I-8 I 3 Mo.)", in "Civil War Veterans' Card File, 1861-1866". Harrisburg, Pennsylvania: Pennsylvania State Archives.
  4. ↑ Bates, History of Pennsylvania Volunteers, 1861-5, Vol. III, p. 779.
  5. ↑ Scott, History of Jefferson County with Illustrations and Biographical Sketches of Some of Its Prominent Men and Pioneers.
  6. ↑ "Registers of Pennsylvania Volunteers (105th Regiment)", in "Records of the Department of Military and Veterans' Affairs" (Record Group 19). Harrisburg, Pennsylvania: Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission.
  7. ↑ "Roll of N.C. Staff & Band 105th Regiment", in "Registers of Pennsylvania Volunteers, 1861-1855", in "Records of the Department of Military and Veterans' Affairs" (Record Group 19). Harrisburg, Pennsylvania: Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission.
  8. ↑ Scott, History of Jefferson County with Illustrations and Biographical Sketches of Some of Its Prominent Men and Pioneers.
  9. ↑ Bates, History of Pennsylvania Volunteers, 1861-5, Vol. III, p. 779.
  10. ↑ Scott, History of Jefferson County with Illustrations and Biographical Sketches of Some of Its Prominent Men and Pioneers.
  11. ↑ Bates, History of Pennsylvania Volunteers, 1861-5, Vol. III, pp. 779-781.
  12. ↑ Scott, History of Jefferson County with Illustrations and Biographical Sketches of Some of Its Prominent Men and Pioneers.
  13. ↑ Bates, History of Pennsylvania Volunteers, 1861-5, Vol. III, pp. 781-783.
  14. ↑ Scott, History of Jefferson County with Illustrations and Biographical Sketches of Some of Its Prominent Men and Pioneers.
  15. ↑ Bates, History of Pennsylvania Volunteers, 1861-5, Vol. III, pp. 783-786.
  16. ↑ Scott, History of Jefferson County with Illustrations and Biographical Sketches of Some of Its Prominent Men and Pioneers.
  17. ↑ ”Mitchell, Alexander H.”, in “Recipients”. Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina: Congressional Medal of Honor Society, retrieved online September 22, 2018.
  18. ↑ Bates, Samuel P. History of Pennsylvania Volunteers, 1861-5; Prepared in Compliance with Acts of the Legislature , Vol. III, pp. 783-784. Harrisburg, Pennsylvania: B. Singerly, State Printer, 1870.
  19. ↑ Bates, History of Pennsylvania Volunteers, 1861-5, Vol. III, pp. 786-788.
  20. ↑ Scott, History of Jefferson County with Illustrations and Biographical Sketches of Some of Its Prominent Men and Pioneers.
  21. ↑ Bates, History of Pennsylvania Volunteers, 1861-5, Vol. III, p. 788-789.
  22. ↑ Scott, History of Jefferson County with Illustrations and Biographical Sketches of Some of Its Prominent Men and Pioneers.

Further reading

Monuments and other memorials

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.