53rd Regiment, Pennsylvania Infantry

United States  U.S. Military   Pennsylvania    Pennsylvania Military   Pennsylvania in the Civil War 53rd Regiment, Pennsylvania Infantry

Brief History
This regiment was organized at Harrisburg October, 1861. It mustered out June 30, 1865.

For more information on the history of this unit, see:


 * The Civil War Archive section, 53rd Regiment Infantry, (accessed 19 September 2012).
 * The Wikipedia article, 53rd Pennsylvania Infantry, (accessed 19 September 2012).

Companies in this Regiment with the Counties of Origin
Men often enlisted in a company recruited in the counties where they lived though not always. After many battles, companies might be combined because so many men were killed or wounded. However if you are unsure which company your ancestor was in, try the company recruited in his county first.

The Fifty-Third Regiment was recruited in:

Company A: Pottstown, Montgomery County

Company B: Chester and Montgomery Counties

Company C: Huntingdon and Blair Counties

Company D: Centre and Clearfield Counties

Company E: Union and Carbon Counties

Company F: Luzerne County

Company G: Potter County

Company H: Northumberland County

Company I: Perryville, Juniata County

Company K: Westmoreland County

This data is from Bates' History of Pennsylvania Volunteers, Volume 2.

The Civil War Soldiers and Sailors database lists 3,719 men on its roster for this unit. Roster.

Other Sources

 * Myers, Irvin G. We Might As Well Die Here: The 53d Pennsylvania Veteran Volunteer Infantry. Shippensburg, Pa.: White Mane, 2004..


 * Beginning United States Civil War Research gives steps for finding information about a Civil War soldier. It covers the major records that should be used. Additional records are described in ‘Pennsylvania in the Civil War’ and ‘United States Civil War, 1861 to 1865’ (see below).


 * National Park Service, The Civil War Soldiers and Sailors System, is searchable by soldier's name and state. It contains basic facts about soldiers on both sides of the Civil War, a list of regiments, descriptions of significant battles, sources of the information, and suggestions for where to find additional information.


 * Pennsylvania in the Civil War describes many sources, specifically for Pennsylvania, and how to find them. These include compiled service records, pension records, rosters, cemetery records, Internet databases, published books, etc.


 * United States Civil War, 1861 to 1865 describes and explains United States and Confederate States records, rather than state records, and how to find them. These include veterans’ censuses, compiled service records, pension records, rosters, cemetery records, Internet databases, published books, etc.