United States Regiments & Batteries > Pennsylvania


“Battery F, 14th Regiment Pennsylvania Reserves”

Battery F lost 1 officer and 17 enlisted men killed and 13 enlisted men to disease during the Civil War. 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
August 5 Organized at Philadelphia under Captain Ezra Matthews and ordered to Washington, D.C. for duty in the Defenses of Washington
October On the Upper Potomac between Edward’s Ferry and Hancock, Md. Attached to Banks’ Division, Army of the Potomac
1862
March Attached to 1st Division, Banks’ 5th Army Corps
March 1-12 Advance on Winchester
March 7 Reconnaissance toward Strasburg and action near Winchester
March 21 Ordered to join Abercrombie’s Brigade and moved to Warrenton Junction.
March 24-April 27 Pursuit of Jackson up the Valley attached to 1st Division, Dept. of the Shenandoah
April 18 Rappahannock Crossing
May Attached to Artillery, 2nd Division, Dept. of the Rappahannock
June Attached to Artillery, 2nd Division, 3rd Corps, Army of Virginia
August 1-September 2 Pope’s Campaign in Northern Virginia
August 9
Battle of Cedar Mountain
August 21-23
Fords of the Rappahannock

Private James Robinson was killed

August 28 Thoroughfare Gap
August 29 Battle of Groveton
August 30
Second Battle of Bull Run
September 1
Battle of Chantilly
September 6-24 Maryland Campaign. Attached to Artillery, 2nd Division, 1st Army Corps, Army of the Potomac
September 16-17
Battle of Antietam

Privates Seymour Donney and Edward Thompson were killed and Privates Peter Killion and George Laube were mortally wounded

September-October Duty at Sharpsburg, Md.
October 30-November 19 Movement to Falmouth, Va.
December 12-15
Battle of Fredericksburg
1863
January Attached to Artillery, 3rd Division, 1st Army Corps
January 20-24 “Mud March”
February-April At Falmouth and Belle Plain
April 3 Consolidated with Battery G
April 27-May 6 Chancellorsville Campaign
April 29-May 2 Operations at Pollock’s Mill Creek
April 29-30 Fitzhugh’s Crossing
May 2-5
Chancellorsville

Attached to 3rd Volunteer Brigade, Artillery Reserve, Army of the Potomac

May 8 Lt. Robert B. Ricketts promoted to captain
May 12 Battery G was temporarily attached.
June 11-July 24 Gettysburg Campaign
July Attached to Artillery Brigade, 2nd Army Corps, Army of the Potomac
July 2-4
Battle of Gettysburg

The battery was commanded at Gettysburg by Captain Robert B. Ricketts. It brought 144 men to the field serving six Ordnance Rifles, and suffered 6 killed, 14 wounded and 3 missingFrom the monument:

July 2nd. Reached the field and took this position in the afternoon and engaged the Rebel batteries on Benner’s Hill. 8 p.m. A Rebel column charged the Battery and a desperate hand-to-hand conflict ensued which was repulsed after every round of canister had been fired.

July 3rd. Engaged with the Rebel batteries on the left and centre of the line.

Sergeant Myron French and Privates Elijah Anderson, James Powryne and James Riggin were killed, Corporal John Christian was wounded and Corporal Oscar Larrabee was captured

September 13-17 Advance to line of the Rapidan
October 9-22 Bristoe Campaign
October 14
Auburn and Bristoe

Corporal William Patterson was wounded

November 7-8 Advance to line of the Rappahannock
November 26-December 2
Mine Run Campaign

Sergeant Francis Sider wounded

1864
February 6-7 Demonstration on the Rapidan, Morton’s Ford
April 3 Separated from Battery G
March-May Camp near Stevensburg, Va.
May 4-June 12 Rapidan Campaign
May 5-7
Battle of the Wilderness
May 8-21
Battle of Spotsylvania Court House
May 12 Assault on the Salient
May 23-26 North Anna River
May 26-28 Line of the Pamunkey
May 28-31
Totopotomoy

Private Cyrus Appleman wounded

June 1-12
Cold Harbor

Private William Coulter was killed

June 16-18
First Assault on Petersburg

Siege of Petersburg begins

June 21-22 Jerusalem Plank Road
July 27-29 Demonstration north of the James River at Deep Bottom
July 27-29 Deep Bottom
August 13-20 Demonstration north of the James at Deep Bottom
August 14-18 Strawberry Plains
September Attached to Artillery Reserve, Army of the Potomac
December 1 Captain Ricketts promoted to major
1865
April 2 Fall of Petersburg
April 17 Lieutenant John Campbell promoted to captain
May Moved to Washington, D.C.
May 23 Grand Review
July 9 Mustered out under Captain Campbell