Pennsylvania in the Civil War

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Introduction
Pennsylvania provided more men to the Union Army, over 360,000, than any state except New York. "Pennsylvania mustered 215 infantry regiments, as well as dozens of emergency militia regiments that were raised to repel threatened invasions in 1862 and 1863 by the Confederate States Army. Twenty-two cavalry regiments were also mustered, as well as dozens of light artillery batteries."

The battle of Gettysburg was fought in southeastern Pennyslyvania. Gettysburg is known as the "High Water Mark of the Confederacy." Several smaller battles were "also fought in Pennsylvania during the 1863 Gettysburg Campaign and during an 1864 cavalry raid that culminated in the burning of much of Chambersburg, Pennsylvania. The industrial town of York, Pennsylvania, was the largest city in the North to be occupied by the Confederate States Army during the war."

Pennsylvania Military Units
Most units were numbered, however, some were named. See the table below for lists of the regiments, battalions, batteries, and unassigned companies.

The information in the lists of Pennsylvania Military Units comes from the Civil War Soldiers and Sailors web site. This web site can also be searched by the name of a soldier.

Pennsylvania Units by Number or by Name Union Units 1st-11th 12th-47th 48th- 107th 108th- 169th 170th- 215th A to Z

Pennsylvania Units by Type of Unit Union Units Infantry Cavalry Artillery Unassign- ed Colored Troops Other

Veterans' Card File
Pennsylvania State Archives. Civil War Veterans' Card File, 1861-1866. Arranged alphabetically by surname of soldier, these 3" x 5" cards were initially prepared to serve as an index to Samuel Penniman Bates' "History of Pennsylvania Volunteers, 1861-1865," (Harrisburg, 1869-1871). The Office of the Adjutant General later expanded the scope of the cards by transcribing onto them data found on the original Civil War Muster Rolls and Related Records, 1861-1866 {series #19.11}. The information generally includes the soldiers' names, military units, Bates' citations (volume and page), ages at enrollment, descriptions (complexion, height, color of hair and eyes), residences and birthplaces; the dates and places where enrolled; the dates and places where mustered in; and the dates of discharge. The listing is not inclusive.

Some libraries have indexes to service and pension records, but the service and pension records are available only at the National Archives. See United States Military Records for more information about these records.

Rosters
A published roster of soldiers and regiments is Samuel Penniman Bates, History of Pennsylvania Volunteers, 1861-65, 5 vols. (Harrisburg, PA: B. Singerly, 1869-71; Family History Library ; on 5 Family History Library films beginning with ). For an index see Civil War Veterans Card File, 1861-1866, at the Pennsylvania State Archives (on 80 Family History Library films beginning with ). The card file originally indexed the History of the Pennsylvania Volunteers, 1861-65. Later the Adjutant General's office included data found in the original documents. Information on the cards depended on the extractor, but soldier's name, unit, age, physical description, residence, birthplace, date of discharge, etc., may have been extracted.

Pension Records
Civil War Pension Index Cards - A free Internet index to pension applications of veterans who served in the US Army between 1861-1917 is available on FamilySearch Record Search. Each card gives the soldier’s name, application and certificate numbers, state of enlistment, and might include rank and death information. Other wars, of that time period, may be included.

A more recent edition is Samuel P. Bates, History of Pennsylvania Volunteers, 1861-5, 10 vols. (Wilmington, North Carolina: Broadfoot Pub. Co., 1993-1994; Family History Library book 1993). An index is Janet Hewett, History of Pennsylvania Volunteers 1861-5, 4 vols. (Wilmington, North Carolina: Broadfoot Pub. Co., 1994; Family History Library index).

The same rosters, which contain more information, are found in Pennsylvania, Adjutant General's Office, Register of Pennsylvania Volunteers, 1861-1865. (Family History Library films 295744-58.) They list the age, when and where joined, when and where mustered, sometimes the residence, and remarks that may include more details than in the published versions above.

Each source should be checked for names that are not in the other sources. For additional names, refer to Pennsylvania, Auditor General's Office, Board of Military Claims, Military Claims Settled, 1862-1905 (on 63 Family History Library films beginning with, the index is on ); and Pennsylvania, Auditor General's Office, Military Claims not Settled, 1862-1905, (on 5 Family History Library films beginning with ).

See also United States, Adjutant General's Office, Index to Compiled Service Records of Volunteer Union Soldiers Who Served in Organizations from the State of Pennsylvania (Family History Library films 882336-471). The index lists names that are not in some of the above sources.

From the state archives, the library has obtained copies of other manuscript sources, such as lists of wounded soldiers, substitutes, deserters, and veterans in soldiers' homes.

The state archives has many other sources not at the Family History Library, such as Descriptive Books of the G.A.R. [Grand Army of the Republic], 1866-1933. Here entries are arranged by post and may contain the soldier's name, age, birthplace, residence, and details of his Civil War military service.

Conscientious Objectors
Some inhabitants of Pennsylvania opted to stay out of the war for religious and other reasons. The Genealogical Society of Pennsylvania has a free online database of men who were conscientious objectors in Pennsylvania for religious reasons.

Civil War Orphan Records
Pennsylvania's soldiers' orphan schools : giving a brief account of the origin of the late Civil War, the rise and progress of the orphan system, and legislative enactments relating thereto ; with brief sketches and engravings of the several institutions with names of pupils subjoined. by James Laughery Paul ; illustrated by Frederick Faas (FHL film 1697867 Item 1) This book also gives birth dates of pupils along with their Post Office when at home.

Other Sources
An important bibliography for this war is Dan A. Nettling, ''Pennsylvania Military History: A Bibliography. Part II, The Civil War ''(Carlisle Barracks, PA: U. S. Army Military History Institute, 1992; Family History Library ). It is organized by regiment and lists personal papers of some men in the regiment that are in the U.S. Army Military History Institute at Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania.

Video, Gettysburg - Civil War Veterans, (accessed 22 March 2011), reunions between 1913 and 1938.