United States Regiments & Batteries > Pennsylvania
(30th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry Regiment)
The 1st Regiment Pennsylvania Reserves was an infantry regiment that took part in the American Civil War from June of 1861 until June of 1864. It lost 6 officers and 102 enlisted men killed or mortally wounded and 2 officers and 64 enlisted men to disease.
The regiment was organized as the 30th Pennsylvania Volunteers. Pennsylvania had been requested to raise 14 regiments but it had so many volunteers it raised 25. Secretary of War Simon Cameron was a political enemy of Pennsylvania Andrew Curtin and refused to accept the excess regiments into Federal service. Curtin decided to organize them at state expense. A division of 15 regiments was designated the “Pennsylvania Reserves” and retained that name even after they were eventually accepted into Federal service.
From the regiment’s monument at Gettysburg:
“Total enrollment 1100; Killed & died of wounds, 6 officers 102 men, Died of disease etc., 2 officers 65 men, Wounded, 16 officers 311 men, Captured or missing 3 officers 83 men, (total) 27 officers 561 men, Total casualties 588”
A company of the 1st Regiment Pennsylvania Reserves
Timeline of the 1st Pennsylvania Reserves
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1861
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| June 9 | Organized at West Chester under the command of Colonel Richard Biddle Roberts, Lieutenant Colonel Henry M. McIntire and Major Lemuel Todd.Company A – Chester County – Captain John W. Nields (The Brandywine Guards) Company B – Lancaster County – Captain Thomas B. Barton (The Union Guards) Company C – Delaware County – Captain Samuel A. Dyer (The Keystone Guards and The Silfer Phalanx) Company D – Lancaster County – Captain George H. Hess (The Safe Harbor Artillery) Company E – Lancaster County – Captain Aldus J. Neff (The Lancaster Guards) Company F – Rockdale and Delaware Counties – Captain W. Cooper Talley (The Rockdale Rifle Guards) Company G – Chester County – Captain John B. Dobson (The Phoenix Artillery) Company H – Cumberland County – Captain Robert McCartney (The Carlisle Light Infantry) Company I – Cumberland County – Captain George W. Cross (The Carlisle Guards) Company K – Adams County – Captain Edward McPherson (The Adams County Infantry) |
| July 20 | Moved to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. |
| July 22 | Reported to General Dix at Baltimore, Md. |
| July 26 | Mustered into United States service at Camp Carroll, near Baltimore under Colonel R. Biddle Roberts, Lieutenant Colonel Henry M. McIntire and Major Lemuel Todd. |
| July 27 -August 30 | Duty at Annapolis, Md. and attached to Dix’s Command |
| August 21 | Captain Robert McCartney of Company H resigned. |
| August 24 | Captain Edward McPherson of Company K resigned. |
| August 30-31 | Moved to Washington, D.C., then to Tennallytown, Md. Attached to 1st Brigade, McCall’s Pennsylvania Reserves Division, Army of the Potomac |
| October 10 | March to Langley. Captain John W. Nields of Company A was promoted to lieutenant colonel of the 104th Pennsylvania Infantry Regiment. First Sergeant Mott Hooton was promoted to captain to take his place. |
| October 16 | Captain George W. Cross was discharged. |
| October 17 | Second Lieutenant Thomas P. Dwin was promoted to captain of Company H. |
| October-March | Duty at Camp Pierpont |
| November 14 | Second Lieutenant Tobias B. Kauffman was promoted to captain of Company I. |
| December 6 | Reconnaissance to Dranesville |
| December 20 |
Action at Dranesville (Co. A) |
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1862
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| March | Attached to 1st Brigade, 2nd Division, 1st Army Corps, Army of the Potomac |
| March 10-15 |
Advance on Manassas, Va. |
| April 9-19 |
McDowell’s advance on Fredericksburg, Virginia |
| April-May | Duty at Fredericksburg attached to 1st Brigade, McCall’s Division, Dept. of the Rappahannock |
| June | Ordered to the Virginia Peninsula. Attached to 1st Brigade, 3rd Division, 5th Army Corps, Army of the Potomac |
| June 25-July 1 |
Seven days before Richmond |
| June 26 |
Battle of Mechanicsville |
| June 27 |
Gaines MillFirst Lieutenant Joseph Stewart of Company H was killed. |
| June 30 |
Charles City Cross Roads and GlendaleLieutenant Colonel McIntire was mortally wounded and would die in January of 1863. Captain John F. Bailey of Company K was killed. Captain George H. Hess of Company D was mortally wounded and would die in Richmond on July 4. |
| July 1 |
Battle of Malvern Hill |
| July | At Harrison’s Landing |
| August 1 | First Lieutenant W. Warren Stewart was promoted to captain of Company K. |
| August 5 | Captain Aldus J. Neff of Company E died. |
| August 16-26 | Movement to Join Pope. attached to 1st Brigade, 3rd Division, 3rd Corps, Army of Virginia. |
| August 29 |
Battle of Groveton,or Brawner’s Farm |
| August 30 |
Second Battle of Bull Run, or Manassas |
| September 6 |
Maryland CampaignAttached to 1st Brigade, 3rd Division, 1st Army Corps, Army of the Potomac |
| September 14 |
Battle of South MountainThe regiment fought at Turner’s Gap. Captain Thomas P. Dwin of Company H and First Lieutenant John D. Sadler of Company K were killed. |
| September 15 | Major Todd resigned. |
| September 16-17 |
Battle of AntietamColonel Roberts commanded the regiment at the start of the battle. He took over brigade command when Major General Hooker was wounded, Meade took over corps command from Hooker, and Brigadier General Seymour took division command from Meade. Captain William C. Talley took over command of the regiment when Colonel Roberts took over the brigade. There are two War Department markers for Seymour’s Brigade on the Antietam battlefield. The first marker is on Mansfield Avenue at Smoketown Road. From the Mansfield Avenue marker:Seymour’s Briade of Meade’s Division, after its engagement with the enemy of September 16, 1862, bivouacked on either side of the road at this point, with pickets thrown forward in the east woods. The second marker is on Smoketown Road. From the Smoketown Road marker:Seymour’s Brigade became engaged at daybreak, and advanced on either side of this road into the East Woods, where it became heavily engaged with the enemy. At the western edge of the East Woods its advance was checked by the enemy, and its ammunition having been exhausted, it was relieved about 7 A. M. by Ricketts’ Division, and withdrawn to the ridge in the rear of Joseph Poffenberger’s. |
| September-October |
Duty in Maryland |
| October 30-November 19 | Movement to Falmouth |
| November 1 | Colonel Roberts resigned to join Governor Curtin’s staff in Harrisburg, possibly because he had been denied promotion to brgadier general for political reasons. |
| November 13 | Captain Samuel A. Dyer of Company C was promoted to colonel of the 175th Pennsylvania Infantry Regiment. |
| December 12-15 |
Battle of FredericksburgCaptain William Talley was wounded. |
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1863
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| January 7 | Lieutenant Colonel McIntire resigned due to his wound from Charles CIty Crossroads. He would die on Jamuary 16. |
| January 20-24 |
“Mud March” |
| January 24 | Captain Thomas B. Barton of Company B resigned. |
| February | Ordered to Washington, D.C., and duty in the Defenses there. Attached to 1st Brigade, Pennsylvania Reserves Division, 22nd Army Corps |
| March 1 |
A number of badly needed promotions took place:
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| March 7 | First Lieutenant Isaiah H. Graham was promoted to captain of Company I. |
| June 25 | The regiment rejoined the Army of the Potomac attached to 1st Brigade, 3rd Division, 5th Army Corps |
| July 1-3 |
Battle of GettysburgThe 1st Regiment Pennsylvania Reserves was commanded by Colonel William C. Talley, who was wounded. From the monument at Gettysburg: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 26 officers & 418 men. Killed & died of wounds 13 men. Wounded 3 officers 30 men |
| July 5-24 | Pursuit of Lee |
| July 13 |
Williamsport |
| October 2 | First Lieutenant Henry N. Minnigh was promoted to captain of Company K. |
| October 9-22 |
Bristoe Campaign |
| October 28 | First Lieutenant Joseph P. DePew was promoted to captain of Company F. |
| November 7-8 | Advance to line of the Rappahannock |
| November 7 |
Rappahannock Station |
| November 26-December 2 |
Mine Run Campaign |
| November 26-30 |
Mine Run |
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1864
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| May – June |
Rapidan (Overland) Campaign |
| May 5-7 |
Battle of the Wilderness |
| May 8-21 |
Battle of Spottsylvania Court HouseColonel Talley was captured, but escaped from prison in Richmond by Sheridan’s raid of May 8 – 11. First Lieutenant William B. Wolf of Company I was wounded. |
| 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 | Line of the Pamunkey |
| May 28-31 |
Totopotomoy |
| June 1 | Left the front to muster out |
| June 10 | The 1st Regiment Pennsylvania Reserves mustered out under the command of Colonel William Cooper Talley, Lieutenant Colonel W. Warren Stewart and Major T. B. Kauffman |