Organization of the Regiment

• Company A – Susquehanna County and Wyoming Counties – Captain Peter Sides
• Company B – Bradford County and Mercer Counties – Captain Samuel C. Simonton
• Company C – Allegheny County and Mercer Counties – Captain Jerome B. Hoagland
• Company D – Tioga County – Captain H.W. Caulking
• Company E – Allegheny and Mercer Counties – Captain James B. Moore
• Company F – Mercer County – Captain Ralph Maxwell
• Company G – Bradford County – Captain George S. Peck
• Company H – Bradford County – Captain John Griffin
• Company I – Mercer and Venango Counties – Captain Thomas S. Strohecker
• Company K – Titusville, Crawford County – Captain Cornelius S. Chase

Company K had been originally recruited as a company of independent sharpshooters but was not accepted as such and joined the 57th Pennsylvania.

Peninsula Campaign

Moved to Fortress Monroe in the Virginia Peninsula. Attached to 1st Brigade, 3rd Division, 3rd Corps, Army Potomac

Siege of Yorktown

The regiment camped in a muddy swamp that while engaged in hard labor in the trenches. Many men fell sick of malaria, dozens died, and hundreds became unfit for service, many permanently. One man was killed by a shell and five wounded.

Skirmish at Yorktown

The regiment went to the support of the 63rd Pennsylvania when it was attacked, advancing at the double quick. afterwards half the regiment fell sick. Colonel Perkins commented that

Battle of Williamsburg

The regiment dropped packs and greatcoats and advanced at the double quick to join the fighting, but arrived after it had ceased. They then spent the night in a pouring rain with no food, fires or blankets.

“It seemed as though the regiment had been struck with a pestilence. Nearly, or quite one-half of the men were taken sick, and the number of discharges, from that night’s exposure, was greater, I think, than our casualties in any battle during the war.”

– Lieutenant Colonel George Perkins.

Battle of Fair Oaks (Seven Pines)

The 57th force marched to the battlefield and joined the desperate fighting, halting the rout of Casey’s Brigade.

Eleven men were killed and and 49 were wounded. Major Jeremiah Culp and First Lieutenant Edson J. Rice of Company A were killed. Captain Cornelius Chase of Company K was mortally wounded. Colonel Charles T. Campbell was badly wounded in the wrist and groin.

Lieutenant Colonel Elhannan Woods took command of the regiment. Captain Samuel C. Simonton of Company B was promoted to Major.

Seven Days before Richmond

Oak Grove

several men were injured by Confederate artillery.

Peach Orchard (Savage Station)

Sent to the picket line, then was recalled. The regiment was not engaged in the fighting at Savage Station. It marched through White Oak Swamp.

Charles City Cross Roads (Glendale)

Went into line of battle near Charles City Cross Roads at the extreme left of the division. The regiment was heavily attacked and fell back a thousand yards. The fighting continued into the night, throwing back every attack, to the praise of General Kearney. Seven men were killed and 56 were wounded, including Major Samuel C. Simonton.

Late that night the regiment withdrew to Malvern Hill.

Malvern Hill

The 57th Pennsylvania took position in the front of the line, and would be under artillery fire all day.. It was violently attacked in mid-afternoon, but the Confederates withdrew after a short but severe fight. First Lieutenant Charles O.  Etz of Company D was killed. It would remain on the picket line until the next morning, then withdraw in a heavy downpour to Harrison’s Landing.

Movement to Centreville.

Kearney’s Division marched down the Peninsula, then were transported by ship to Alexandria. They then moved by train to Warrenton Junction, and marched to join Pope’s army at Bealton Station. The regiment was attached to the 2nd Brigade, 1st Division, 3rd Corps, Army of the Potomac

Skirmish at Bull Run

Battle of Gainesville

Battle of Groveton (Brawner Farm)

The regiment was under fire but lost no casualties.

Second Battle of Bull Run (Manassas)

Three men were wounded, two of them mortally. The division left the field if good order and marched to Centreville.

Battle of Chantilly

Late in the afternoon the regiment marched to the battlefield in a heavy thunderstorm. A picket line consisting of Company K was thrown out.

Battle of Fredericksburg

Marched to Franklin’s Crossing on the 12th, bringing 316 men to the field. Crossed the pontoon bridge over the Rappahannock the next day and moved to the front, where it endured an hour and a half of shelling. The regiment was then ordered forward to relieve the 40th New York Infantry, where they held off a Confederate attack.

Colonel Charles T. Campbell was wounded in several places. Captain Ralph Maxwell of Company F took temporary command of the regiment.  With no support on either flank, the regiment fell back a short distance.

On the 14th the regiment acted as provost guard until it was sent to the front in the afternoon. A truce was called, and the 57th was able to recover its dead and wounded.

The regiment lost 21 men killed, 76 men wounded, and 78 men missing, a total of 175 casualties, or 55%. Captain Thomas S. Strohecker of Company I, Sergeant Zebulon Berlin of Company B, and Assistant Surgeon David Kennedy were wounded. Lieutenant Colonel Peter Sides took command of the regiment.

Burnside’s 2nd Campaign, “Mud March”

Chancellorsville Campaign

Battle of Chancellorsville

The regiment marched and countermarched on the Plank Road before it bivouacked near the Chancellor House.

Battle of Chancellorsville (cont.)

Early in the morning moved about three quarters of a mile to the front, taking position in entrenchments an the extreme right flank of the Corps.

At dusk “Stonewall” Jacksson’s flank attack fell of the Union line to the right and rear of the regiment’s position. After a short time the Division was marched to the rear and formed in an open field in front of entrenchments which were now occupied by the Confederates.

Battle of Chancellorsville (cont.)

The Confederates attacked at dawn, and the regiment was moved at the double quick and deployed near the Chancellor House. They then counter charged the enemy, but was driven back with heavy casualties. The brigade fell back about a mile before forming a line,  which they would hold for the next two days.

Battle of Chancellorsville (cont.)

The army recrossed the Rappahannock, and the regiment returned to its old camp at Falmouth.

The regiment lost 2 officers and 11 men killed, 3 officers and 45 men wounded and 23 men missing. Captain Edson  J. Rice of Company E, First Lieutenant Joseph Brady of Company H and First Sergeant Milton L. Campbell of Company C were killed.

First Lieutenant George Clark was promoted to Captain of Company F.

Gettysburg Campaign

Battle of Gettysburg – Day 1

The 57th Pennsylvania Infantry Regiment reached Emmitsburg, Maryland on July 1. The march resumed in early afternoon. The Third Corps was ordered to Gettysburg, where a great battle had already begun and was going poorly. They arrived after dark and bivouacked South of town in a field beside the Emmitsburg Pike.

The regiment was commanded by Colonel Peter Sides and brought 207 men to the field.

Battle of Gettysburg – Day 2

The brigade was posted along the east side of the Emmitsburg Pike on open ground near the the Sherfy House. The Confederate attack began around 4 p.m. with an artillery barrage followed by an infantry attack. The Union brigades on the left were driven back, and Graham’s Brigade was forced to fall back as well or be outflanked.

The regiment lost 11 men killed, 46 wounded and 58 missing and believed captured. Many of the captured had taken cover in a cellar from which they maintained a heavy fire. They had not received the order to fall back and had not noticed the rest of the regiment withdrawing until it was too late.

From the monument to the 57th Pennsylvania at Gettysburg:

The Regiment occupied this position, exposed to a heavy artillery fire on the afternoon of July 2, for two hours, when it advanced 170 feet and engaged the enemy.

Colonel Peter Sides was wounded in the left hand, and Captain Alanson H. Nelson took command. First Lieutenant Henry Mitchell of Company E and Second Lieutenant John F. Cox of Company I were killed. Major William Neeper and Lieutenants Burns, Crossley and Hines were captured. Brigadier General Graham was also taken prisoner.

Elements of the Sixth Corps came to the support of the Third and halted the Confederate attack. The regiment fell back behind the new line, was gathered together and reformed by Captain Alanson Nelson and marched three quarters of a mile to the rear for the night.

Battle of Gettysburg – Day 3

The regiment was posted in line a half mile to the north. It was heavily shelled during the preparation for Pickett’s Charge, but was not engaged. That night it picketed the front of the Second Corps, which had borne the brunt of the Confederate attacks that day.

Whapping Heights, Va.

Bristoe Campaign

Auburn Creek and Bristoe

Kelly’s Ford

Mine Run Campaign

Locust Grove

Payne’s Farm

Mine Run

Sergeant John Hay of Company A was mortally wounded.

Rapidan Campaign

Battle of the Wilderness

Marched to Plank Road, formed line of battle in late afternoon and moved into the thick woods. The Confederates were met after about a half mile, and a vicious short range battle erupted that lasted until dark. The regiment lost 22 men killed, 128 wounded and three missing. Colonel Peter Sides was wounded in the arm, permanently disabling him from command. Sergeants John A. Silliman and Rex Brown of Company E were wounded.

The regiment was relieved and rested for the night. Captain Alanson Nelson of Company K took command.

Battle of the Wilderness (cont.)

In the morning the regiment again moved out, formed line and advanced into the woods about a mile beyond its position on the 4th. Captain Strouse, who was badly wounded that day, commented, “The density of the woods rendered it impossible to maintain a regular line of battle, so we commenced bushwhacking with the enemy on a grand scale, driving him, and in turn being driven back.”

The Confederates had been reinforced by Longstreet’s fresh corps, and at around 5 p.m. they launched a heavy attack, pushing the Second Corps back to their earthworks at Brock Road. But Longstreet was badly wounded by friendly fire, the Confederate momentum evaporated, and  the Union line held.

Todd’s Tavern

The regiment went into line and threw up breastworks, but was not engaged in any serious fighting.

Battle of Spottsylvania Court House

Assault on the Salient

The 57th Pennsylvania took part in the great attack that overran the Confederate salient and destroyed a division. The regiment lost 7 men killed, 20 wounded, and 3 missing. Lieutenant J.C. Green was killed and First Lieutenant John Bowers of Company I was mortally wounded.

Private Francis A. Bishop of Company C was awarded the Medal of Honor for capturing a Confederate flag.

Battle of Harris’ Farm

North Anna River

The regiment assaulted Confederate lines and drove them across the river. Captain Edgar Williams of Company E died of his wounds.

Totopotomoy

Battle of Cold Harbor

The regiment was in the front line, which almost reached the Confederate breastworks.

Grant’s First Assault on Petersburg

The brigade attacked the Confederate lines, driving them back some distance until stopped by another line of fortifications. The men then entrenched. Second Lieutenant Henry McAdams of Company I was killed.

Siege of Petersburg begins.

Weldon Railroad

Strawberry Plains, Deep Bottom

Sergeant Jason Comstock of Company B was captured.

Ream’s Station

Poplar Springs Church

Boydton Plank Road, or Hatcher’s Run

Attacked by Mahone’s Confederate Division, which was thrown back with some men wounded.

Expedition to Weldon Railroad

• Captain Daniel W. Gore of Company H was transferred to Company A.
• Captain James D. Moore of Company I was transferred to Company D.
• Captain Ellis C. Strouss of Company E was transferred to Caompany K.

The 84th Pennsylvania Infantry Regiment consolidated with the 57th Pennsylvania.

Lieutenant Colonel George Zinn of the 84th Pennsylvania took command of the regiment.

• Lieutenant Colonel Lorenzo D. Bumpus mustered out at the expiration of his enlistment.
• Captain Samuel Bryan of the 84th’s Company B became Captain of the 57th’s Company G
• Captain Clarence G. Jackson of the 84th’s Company H became Captain of the 57th’s Company H.
• Captain John R. Ross of the 84th’s Company I became Captain of the 57th’s Company I.

Battle of Dabney’s Mills, or Hatcher’s Run

The regiment was engaged but suffered no losses.

Appomattox Campaign

Boydton Road

Fall of Petersburg

The regiment captured over 100 prisoners.

Sailor’s Creek

The regiment was heavily engaged, with Colonel George Perkins and 12 enlisted men wounded. Union forces captured 250 enemy wagons from their supply train, and the better part of the survivors of two divisions.

Private Lewis F. Brest of Company D was awarded the Medal of Honor for capturing a Confederate flag.

High Bridge, Farmville

Appomattox Court House

The regiment was advancing within a mile of Appomattox Court House when word of the surrender of Lee and his army was heard.