United States Regiments & Batteries > Pennsylvania > 11th Pennsylvania Reserves


(40th Pennsylvania Infantry Regiment)

The 11th Pennsylvania Reserves lost 11 officers and 185 enlisted men killed or mortally wounded and 1 officer and 113 enlisted men to disease in the Civil War. It lost 19 officers and 260 enlisted men wounded and 31 officers and 727 enlisted men captured or missing. It is honored by a monument at Gettysburg.

The Pennsylvania Reserves were 15 regiments that were recruited in early 1861. Refused by the War Department as they were in excess of Pennsylvania’s quota, Governor Curtin decided they would be armed and trained at state expense. The War Department soon realized they were needed and assigned them standard designations when they were accepted into Federal service. But the men preferred to be known by their original name: the Pennsylvania Reserves. See more about the Pennsylvania Reserves.

1861
May – June Organized at Camp Wright, near Pittsburg.

Organization of the 11th Pennsylvania Reserves
  • Company A – “The Cambria Guards” – Cambria County – Captain Robert Litzinger
  • Company B – “The Indiana National Guards” – Indiana County – Captain Daniel S. Porter
  • Company C – “The Dixon Guards” – Butler County – Captain Samuel Loudon
  • Company D – “The Canongessing Rangers” – Butler County – Captain William Stewart
  • Company E – “The Washington Blues” – Indiana County – Captain Nathaniel Nesbit
  • Company F – “The Union Volunteers” – Fayette County – Captain Edward Bierer
  • Company G – “The Independent Blues” – Armstrong County – Captain James P. Speer
  • Company H – “The Westmoreland Blues” – Westmoreland County – Captain Daniel Kistler
  • Company I – “The Washington Blues” – Westmoreland County – Captain Thomas H. Spires
  • Company K – “The Brady Guards” – Jefferson County – Captain Evans R. Brady
June 24 Arrived to Harrisburg, Pa. and was issued arms and equipment.
June 25 Continued to Baltimore, Maryland. Bivouacked on Federal Hill.
June 26 To Washington, D.C.
June 29 – July 5 Nine hundred men mustered into three years United States service under the command of Colonel Thomas Gallagher, Lieutenant Colonel James Porter and Major Samuel M. Jackson.  Attached to 2nd Brigade, McCall’s Pennsylvania Reserves Division, Army of the Potomac
August 2 Moved to the Pennsylvania Reserves Division camp at Tennallytown, Maryland. The regiment was issued Model 1842 smoothbore muskets and used them throughout the war.
September Picket at Great Falls, Maryland. A friendly truce was established with the Confederate pickets until a South Carolina regiment had its turn on the picket line and shot one of the Pennsylvania men who had gone to the river to bathe. A brisk skirmish erupted and the Confederates even brought in artillery, but there were no other casualties.
October 10 At Camp Pierpont, near Langley, Va.
October 24 Lt. Colonel James Porter resigned due to physical disability. Major Samuel Jackson was promoted to lieutenant colonel.
November 1 Captain Robert Litzinger of Company A was promoted to major
December 6
Expedition to Grinnell’s Farm (Dranesville)

Two spies and 57 wagons loaded with grain were captured.

1862
March Attached to 2nd Brigade, 2nd Division, 1st Corps, Army of the Potomac
March 10-15 Advance on Manassas, Va. Continual rain and muddy roads and fields made the march miserable and brought on a great deal of sickness.
April 1 Major Robert Litzinger resiged due to illness.
April 9-19 McDowell’s advance on Falmouth. Attached to 2nd Brigade, McCall’s Division, Dept. of the Rappahannock
April-May Duty at Manassas Junction, Catlett’s Station, and Falmouth
May 17 Adjutant Peter Johns was promoted to major and Lieutenant Robert A. McCoy, of Company A was appointed Adjutant.
June 9-12

Peninsula Campaign

Detached from McDowell’s Corps and moved to White House, Virginia. Attached to 2nd Brigade, 3rd Division, 5th Corps.

June 25-July 1

Seven days before Richmond

June 26

Battle of Mechanicsville 

One company of the regiment eeployed as skirmishers but the rest of the men were not actively engaged.

June 27

Battle of Gaines’ Mill

Porter’s Corps was attacked by an overwhelming force of Confederates. The regiment fought fiercely in dense woods much of the day and was unaware the rest of the Union line had retreated. Company B under the command of Captain Daniel S. Porter was detached for fatigue duty.  The remainder of the regiment was ordered into a threatened part of the line and ordered to hold “at all hazards.”

The 11th Pennsylvania Reserves held the line, but as the fight wore on began taking fire from the flanks. Major Peter Johns was sent to see if friendly forces were firing into the regiment but was captured. Adjutant Robert A. McCoy was sent to the rear to report to General Meade, but returned twith the news that the regiment was surrounded.

Surrounded, hopelessly outnumbered and out of ammunition,  the regiment was forced to surrender. Captain Daniel Porter’s detached Company B escaped capture.

Captain Andrew Lewis, Lieutenant Newton Redic, Sergeants James Christie and Cyrus Rankin and Corporals John Dunbar, Silas Amberson, David Stuart and 39 other enlisted men were killed. Sergeant Richard Fair was mortally wounded and Captain James Speer and 107 other men were wounded.

The captured prisoners were marched to Richmond, where the enlisted men were separated and sent to Belle Island. They would be exchanged in August.

June 30

Battle of Charles City Cross Roads, Glendale

The regiment was reduced to Captain Daniel Porter’s Company B, reinforced to just over one hundred men by the return of detachments. Another 130 had been detailed to guard the hospital at Craney Island, near Fortress Monroe, but requested for their return were refused.

The badly reduced regiment lost 9 men killed and 15 wounded.

Medal of Honor from the Civil War eraCorporal Charles Shambaugh of Company B was awarded the Medal of Honor for capturing the flag of the 11th Alabama Infantry.

Corporal Howard Henderson of Company B was awarded the Medal of Honor for “While pursuing one of the enemy’s sharpshooters, encountered two others, whom he bayoneted in hand-to-hand encounters; was three times wounded in action.”

July 1

Battle of Malvern Hill

The regiment was in reserve and not engaged.

July At Harrison’s Landing
August 5 The enlisted men captured at Gaines’ Mill were exchanged at Aiken’s Landing.
August 12 The officers captured at Gaines’ Mill were exchanged.
August 16-26 Movement to join Pope. The regiment was under the command of Lt. Colonel Jackson as Colonel Gallagher was sick in the hospital at Fortress Monroe. It marched seventy miles via Kelly’s Ford and Warrenton to Gainsville, and was attached to 3rd Brigade, 3rd Division, 3rd Corps, Army of Virginia.
August 29

Battle of Groveton (Brawner’s Farm)

August 30

Second Battle of Bull Run (Second Manassas)

The regiment fought the Fifth Texas Infantry Regiment until outflanked and forced to withdraw. Fourteen men were killed and 44 wounded. Sergeants Patrick Hanlin and Samuel Chrisley were killed and Captain William Stewart, Adjutant McCoy and Lieutenants Coder, Jones, Johnson and Kennedy were wounded.

September 6-24

Maryland Campaign

Attached to 3rd Brigade, 3rd Division, 1st Corps, Army of the Potomac. Colonel Gallagher took over command of the brigade, leaving Lt. Colonel Jackson in command of the regiment.

September 14

Battle of South Mountain

The regiment fought at Turner’s Gap., charging up a steep and wooded mountain slope. Colonel Thomas Gallagher was badly wounded, and Lieutenant Colonel Samuel Jackson took command of the regiment.

Fifteen men were killed and 28 were wounded. Captain Evans Brady, Lieuteant Walter Jackson, Sergeant James Johnson were killed, Captain Nathaniel Nesbitt was mortally wounded and Captain Rdward Bierer and Lieutenant J. S. Kennedy were wounded

September 16-17

Battle of Antietam

The regiment was commanded yby :ieutenant Colonel Samuel Jackson. Less than 200 men were engaged.

Seven men were killed and 17 were wounded. Sergeant George Gourley was killed, Captain Daniel Kistler and Lieutenant John Kuhn died of wounds and Sergeant William Kuhns was wounded.

September-October Duty in Maryland. The detached detail of over 150 enlisted men that had been left at Fort Monroe finally rejoined the regiment, bringing its effective strength to near 400.
October 30-November 19 Movement to Falmouth, Va.
December 10 Marched at Midnight to the banks of the Rappahannock and formed a skirmish line line along the river along with the Bucktails and the pontoon train.
December 11 The enemy was driven from the opposing bank and the pontoon bridge laid.
December 12 The division moved crossed the river and moved to near the Bernard House. Colonel Thomas F. Gallagher was discharged for disability due to his wound from South Mountain.
December 12-15

Battle of Fredericksburg

The Pennsylvania Reserves Division advanced to the railroad embankment in front of the Confederate earthworks. The 10th Reserves was positioned behind the batteries, which became involved in a lengthy artilley duel which cost the regiment a number of casualties.

When the artillery ceased the division advanced across the open, level ground. When Captain William Stewart of Company D was mortally wounded the company was led into the attack by Corporal John O’Harra Woods, a “beardless youth.” Unable to move forward due to the enemy’s position on high ground behind a rock wall, the brigade moved to the right through a small woods and flanked the Confederate trenches. But after advancing several hundred yards it was obvious that no support would be coming – and a second line of Confederates was advancing. The brigade fell back.

“Never,” says Captain Coder, in his account of the battle, “did I look back for support with more anxiety than on that fatal day; for on seeing but a single line advance I had anticipated the result. We lost color bearer after color bearer, I know not how many. I picked up the colors at three different times myself. The flag staff was shot off and the flag perforated in nineteen different places by rebel bullets. I took thirty-one men into the engagement, only one of whom came out safe. Four were killed, three mortally wounded, twenty-two wounded and one captured. Such was the fatality of Company E in the battle of Fredericksburg.”

The Pennsylvania Reserves Division fell withdrew, recrossed the river and marched to Belle Plaine Landing, where it encamped.

The regiment lost 112 casualties out of the 394 men engaged. Sergeant Major John Hill and Sergeant William Kuhns were killed, Captain William Stewart and Sergeant William Evans were mortally wounded, and Captain James Speer was wounded.

1863
January 20-24
“Mud March”
February 6 Moved to Washington, D. C. for rest and recruitment there and at Alexandria. Attached to 3rd Brigade, Pennsylvania Reserves Division, 22nd Corps; Dept. of Washington
March 30 Major Peter Johns resigned.
April 10 Lt. Colonel Samuel Jackson was promoted to colonel
May 14 Captain Daniel Porter of Company B was promoted to lieutenant colonel
May 28 Captain James Speer of Company G was promoted to major
June 25 Ordered to rejoin Army of the Potomac in the field attached to 3rd Brigade, 3rd Division, 5th Corps
July 1-3

Battle of Gettysburg

The regiment was commanded by Colonel Samuel M. Jackson. The division of two brigades of the Pennsylvania Reserves under General Crawford reached Gettysburg on July 2nd and massed in column of regiment behind Little Round Top.

The division met the attacking Confederates with a volley at short range of “buck and ball”, then charged. Some men charged beyond a stone wall in pursuit of the enemy, but General Crawford called them back and set up a heavy skirmish line. On July 3 the division took a number of prisoners and captured a battery as the Confederates withdrew in some confusion.

From the monument to the 11th Pennsylvania Reserves at Gettysbrg:

July 2nd in the evening charged from the hill in rear to this position and held it until the afternoon of July 3rd when the Brigade advanced through the woods to the front and left driving the enemy and capturing many prisoners.

Present at Gettysburg 25 officers and 367 men. Killed 1 officer and 4 men. Wounded 2 officers and 33 men.

Lieutenant J. O’Harra Woods was killed and Lt. Colonel Porter and Lieutenants Fulton and Jones wounded.

July 5-24 Pursuit of Lee
August Duty on the Rapidan
August 27 Major James Speer was discharged for disability for wounds
October 9-22

Bristoe Campaign

October 28 Adjutant Robert McCoy was promoted to major
November 7-8 Advance to line of the Rappahannock, attached to 1st Brigade, 3rd Division, 5th Corps
November 7

Rappahannock Station

November 26-December 2

Mine Run Campaign

December Duty at on the line of the Orange and Alexandria Railroad posted at at Warrenton Junction and Bristoe Station.
1864
March 10 Lt. Colonel Daniel Porter resigned
March 21 Major Robert McCoy was promoted to lieutenant colonel
March 25 Captain James Burke of Company A was promoted to major
April 29 Left Bristoe Station and marched to Culpeper Court House
May 4-30

Rapidan Campaign

May 4 Marched to and crossed Germania Ford, camping near Lacy House.
May 5-7

Battle of the Wilderness

The division was held in reserve until midafternoon, when they were sent to support Wadswoth’s Division. They attacked through Wadsworth’s retreating men and were soon in danger of being surrounded. But the 11th Reserves cut its way out, but with heavy casualties.

Captain Daniel Jones was killed and Lieutenant Archibald Stewart mortally wounded

May 8-21

Battle of Spotsylvania Court House

May 8

Laurel Hill

May 12

Assault on the Salient

May 19
Battle of Harris Farm
May 23-26

North Anna River

May 25 Jericho Ford
May 26-28 On line of the Pamunkey
May 28-30

Totopotomoy (Bethesda Church)

May 30 The regiment left the front. Veterans were transferred to the 119th Pennsylvania Infantry, then moved to Harrisburg.
June 13 Mustered out at Pittsburg under the command of Colonel Samuel Jackson, Lt. Colonel Robert McCoy and Major James Burke