The 150th Pennsylvania Infantry was a

Union Army During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union (American Civil War), Union of the collective U.S. st ...

volunteer Volunteering is a voluntary act of an individual or group freely giving time and labor for community service. Many volunteers are specifically trained in the areas they work, such as medicine, education, or emergency rescue. Others serve ...

regiment A regiment is a military unit. Its role and size varies markedly, depending on the country, service and/or a specialisation. In Medieval Europe, the term "regiment" denoted any large body of front-line soldiers, recruited or conscripted ...

during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

. The first major battle that the 150th was in was Gettysburg, where it held back overwhelming numbers of Confederates for several hours.

Service history

Colonel

Langhorne Wister Langhorne Wesley Wister (September 20, 1834 – March 19, 1891) was a Union Army officer during the American Civil War. Biography Wister was born in Germantown, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on September 20, 1834. His father, William Wister, wa ...

raised the 150th Pennsylvania Infantry in Philadelphia and Harrisburg in September 1862. The regiment quickly joined the defences at

Washington D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, Na ...

Its Company K, commanded by Captain David Derrickson, was detached and served as bodyguard for President

Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln ( ; February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln led the nation thro ...

for the duration of the war, including at his stay at the

Soldiers' Home The Soldiers' Home is an historic Italianate style building in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Located at 739 E. 35th Street, the Home was built in a series of phases from 1864 to 1923, designed by William W. Boyington and other architects. ...

. The rest of the regiment joined the Army of the Potomac in February 1863. There it served in the 2nd Brigade, 3rd Division, First Corps. Going into Gettysburg with 397 men present it saw action on all three days. Colonel Wister assumed brigade command and every field officer was wounded. The regiment lost 53 men killed & mortally wounded, 134 wounded, and 77 missing. Lieutenant-colonel Henry S. Huidekoper and Corporal J. Monroe Reisinger received the

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest military decoration and is awarded to recognize American soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, guardians and coast guardsmen who have distinguished themselves by acts of valor. ...

while members of the regiment. In 1864 the 150th was transferred to the Fifth Corps where it was in various brigades, including that of Brig. Gen. Joshua L. Chamberlain. It continued to serve until it was mustered out in June 1865.

External links

PA Roots
*{{Internet Archive, 02682905.3276.emory.edu, History of the One hundred and fiftieth regiment, Pennsylvania volunteers, Second regiment, Bucktail brigade (1905) 1862 establishments in Pennsylvania Military units and formations established in 1862 Military units and formations disestablished in 1865 Units and formations of the Union Army from Pennsylvania

Service history

See also

External links