The 196th Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, alternately the 5th Union League Regiment was an infantry regiment of the Union Army in the American Civil War. Raised in Philadelphia in mid-1864, the regiment was made up of

Hundred Days Men The Hundred Days Men was the nickname applied to a series of regiments of United States Volunteers raised in 1864 for 100-day service in the Union Army during the height of the American Civil War. These short-term, lightly trained troops freed veter ...

in an effort to augment existing manpower for an all-out push to end the war within 100 days, and spent most of its service guarding Confederate prisoners of war at Camp Douglas.

History

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The regiment was organized at

Camp Cadwalader Camp may refer to: Outdoor accommodation and recreation * Campsite or campground, a recreational outdoor sleeping and eating site * a temporary settlement for nomads * Camp, a term used in New England, Northern Ontario and New Brunswick to descri ...

near Philadelphia on 20 July 1864, under the command of printer and Volunteer officer Colonel Harmanus Neff; it had a total enrollment of 958. It was alternately known as the 5th Union League Regiment due to its being organized with the assistance of the Union League of Philadelphia. A week after its organization, on 27 July, the 196th Pennsylvania was sent to

Camp Bradford Camp may refer to: Outdoor accommodation and recreation * Campsite or campground, a recreational outdoor sleeping and eating site * a temporary settlement for nomads * Camp, a term used in New England, Northern Ontario and New Brunswick to descri ...

at Mankin's Woods near

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, attached to the 3rd Separate Brigade of

VIII Corps 8th Corps, Eighth Corps, or VIII Corps may refer to: * VIII Corps (Grande Armée), a unit of the Imperial French army during the Napoleonic Wars *VIII Army Corps (German Confederation) * VIII Corps (German Empire), a unit of the Imperial German Army ...

. From there, it entrained for Chicago in mid-August, where it guarded Confederate prisoners of war at Camp Douglas. Company H was detached to perform provost duty at

Springfield, Illinois Springfield is the capital of the U.S. state of Illinois and the county seat and largest city of Sangamon County. The city's population was 114,394 at the 2020 census, which makes it the state's seventh most-populous city, the second largest o ...

on 26 August, and remained there until the end of its term. The regiment helped foil an escape on the night of 27 September by firing at outside sympathizers who had mobilized to facilitate the attempt. In early November, the regiment was sent back to Philadelphia, and left for brief service at Fort Delaware on 5 November. It was mustered out at Philadelphia on 17 November, having lost ten men to disease during its service.

Notable personnel

Future baseball player Ned Cuthbert served with the regiment as a private in Company F.

References

Citations

Bibliography

* * * * * * {{Cite book, url=https://archive.org/stream/cu31924028861842, title=Philadelphia in the Civil War, last=Taylor, first=Frank H., publisher=City of Philadelphia, year=1913, isbn=, location=Philadelphia, pages=

External links