The 48th Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, the "Schuylkill Regiment", was an

infantry Infantry is a military specialization which engages in ground combat on foot. Infantry generally consists of light infantry, mountain infantry, motorized infantry & mechanized infantry, airborne infantry, air assault infantry, and marine i ...

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 ...

of the

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 ...

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 ...

Service

The 48th Pennsylvania Infantry was recruited in

Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania Schuylkill County (, ; Pennsylvania Dutch: Schulkill Kaundi) is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It is located in the heart of Pennsylvania's Coal Region and is part of Northeastern Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the popula ...

and organized at Camp Curtin in

Harrisburg, Pennsylvania Harrisburg is the capital city of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Dauphin County. With a population of 50,135 as of the 2021 census, Harrisburg is the 9th largest city and 15th largest municipality in Pe ...

, during August and September 1861. It was mustered into federal service there, by detachments, in mid-September. Many members of the regiment had seen prior service in at least three Pennsylvania units which had seen service as 'three-month term of enlistment' organizations - the 6th,

14th 14 (fourteen) is a natural number following 13 (number), 13 and preceding 15 (number), 15. In relation to the word "four" (4), 14 is spelled "fourteen". In mathematics * 14 is a composite number. * 14 is a square pyramidal number. * 14 is a s ...

, and 25th Pennsylvania Infantry regiments. A large number of men in the regiment had been miners prior to the war.Antietam on the Web 48th Pennsylvania Infantry
/ref> Initially equipped with smoothbore muskets which had been converted from flintlock to percussion, the regiment was then re-equipped with Enfield rifles in May 1862. The regiment first saw action on March 14, 1862, when six of its companies took part in the Battle of New Bern,

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...

. The remainder of the regiment arrived in the area on May 23. The unit then moved to Fort Monroe, Virginia, July 6–8, and on to Fredericksburg August 2–4. At

Culpeper, Virginia Culpeper (formerly Culpeper Courthouse, earlier Fairfax) is an incorporated town in Culpeper County, Virginia, United States. The population was 20,062 at the 2020 census, up from 16,379 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Culpeper Coun ...

, on August 13, the 48th Pennsylvania joined the Army of Virginia under General John Pope. It spent the next few weeks participating in the Northern Virginia Campaign, seeing action at the

Second Battle of Bull Run The Second Battle of Bull Run or Battle of Second Manassas was fought August 28–30, 1862, in Prince William County, Virginia, as part of the American Civil War. It was the culmination of the Northern Virginia Campaign waged by Confederate ...

(August 29–30) and the Battle of Chantilly (September 1). The Maryland Campaign followed through September and the unit took park in the Battles of

South Mountain South Mountain or South Mountains may refer to: Canada * South Mountain, a village in North Dundas, Ontario * South Mountain (Nova Scotia), a mountain range * South Mountain (band), a Canadian country music group United States Landforms * Sou ...

(September 14) and Antietam (September 16–17). On September 17, 1862, at Antietam, the 48th Pennsylvania's brigade assisted in carrying Burnside's Bridge, and crossed it soon after 1:00 PM. After the repulse of three divisions later in the day, two brigades advanced to the crest of the ridge to check Confederate pursuit. The 48th Pennsylvania supported and relieved the 51st Pennsylvania, engaging the Confederates posted on the line and behind the stone walls right and left of that point. The engagement continued into the night, and the regiment and brigade bivouacked on the ground on which they had fought. Following Antietam, the 48th Pennsylvania camped at Pleasant Valley, Maryland, until October 27. The unit moved to Falmouth, Virginia, October 27 – November 17, and on to Corbin's Cross Roads near Amissville on November 10. The

Battle of Fredericksburg The Battle of Fredericksburg was fought December 11–15, 1862, in and around Fredericksburg, Virginia, in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War. The combat, between the Union Army of the Potomac commanded by Maj. Gen. Ambrose Burnsi ...

followed from December 12 to 15, and then an aborted campaign on January 20–24, 1863, known as the Mud March. The 48th Pennsylvania served at Falmouth, Virginia, until February 19, 1863, then moved to Newport News, and on to Covington, Kentucky, March 26–April 1. Provost and guard duty at

Lexington, Kentucky Lexington is a city in Kentucky, United States that is the county seat of Fayette County, Kentucky, Fayette County. By population, it is the List of cities in Kentucky, second-largest city in Kentucky and List of United States cities by popul ...

, followed until September 10. After transferring to Knoxville, where the unit stayed until October 4, it took part in the Knoxville Campaign and saw action at the

Battle of Blue Springs The Battle of Blue Springs was a battle of the American Civil War, occurring on October 10, 1863, in Greene County, Tennessee. Major General Ambrose E. Burnside, commander of the Department of the Ohio, undertook an expedition into East Tennes ...

(October 10),

Battle of Campbell's Station The Battle of Campbell's Station (November 16, 1863) saw Confederate forces under Lieutenant General James Longstreet attack Union troops led by Major General Ambrose Burnside at Campbell's Station (now Farragut), Knox County, Tennessee, during ...

(November 16), siege of Knoxville (November 17–December 5), and the pursuit of Confederate General

James Longstreet James Longstreet (January 8, 1821January 2, 1904) was one of the foremost Confederate generals of the American Civil War and the principal subordinate to General Robert E. Lee, who called him his "Old War Horse". He served under Lee as a corps ...

(December 5–29). The regiment re-enlisted at Blain's Cross Road on December 7 and the men were given a veterans'

furlough A furlough (; from nl, verlof, "leave of absence") is a temporary leave of employees due to special needs of a company or employer, which may be due to economic conditions of a specific employer or in society as a whole. These furloughs may be s ...

through March 1864. Reuniting at

Pottsville, Pennsylvania Pottsville is the county seat of Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 13,346 at the 2020 census, and is the principal city of the Pottsville, PA Micropolitan Statistical Area. The city lies along the west bank of th ...

, the unit left Pennsylvania on March 14 and was at

Annapolis, Maryland Annapolis ( ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Maryland and the county seat of, and only incorporated city in, Anne Arundel County. Situated on the Chesapeake Bay at the mouth of the Severn River, south of Baltimore and about east o ...

, until April. Seeing heavy action in the Overland Campaign, the regiment participated in the Battles of the Wilderness (May 5–7),

Spotsylvania Court House The Battle of Spotsylvania Court House, sometimes more simply referred to as the Battle of Spotsylvania (or the 19th-century spelling Spottsylvania), was the second major battle in Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant and Maj. Gen. George G. Meade's 1864 ...

(May 8–12), Stannard's Mills (May 21), North Anna (May 23–26), Line of the Pamunkey, (May 26–28), Totopotomoy Creek (May 28–31),

Cold Harbor The Battle of Cold Harbor was fought during the American Civil War near Mechanicsville, Virginia, from May 31 to June 12, 1864, with the most significant fighting occurring on June 3. It was one of the final battles of Union Lt. Gen. Ulysses S ...

(June 1–12), and Bethesda Church (June 1–3).

Siege of Petersburg

The 48th Pennsylvania served in the Siege of Petersburg from June 16, 1864, to April 2, 1865, including the

Second Battle of Petersburg The Second Battle of Petersburg, also known as the Assault on Petersburg, was fought June 15–18, 1864, at the beginning of the Richmond–Petersburg Campaign (popularly known as the Siege of Petersburg). Union forces under Lieutenant General Ul ...

on June 16–18 and the Battle of Jerusalem Plank Road on June 22–23. At the Second Battle of Petersburg, two soldiers of the regiment earned 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. ...

: Private Robert Reid of Company G for capturing a Confederate battle flag, and Corporal

Patrick H. Monaghan Patrick Henry Monaghan (November 19, 1843 – October 22, 1917) was a native of Ireland who fought for the federal government of the United States (Union Army) during the American Civil War as a member of Company F of the 48th Pennsylvania Infantr ...

of Company F for re-capturing a Union battle flag. The 48th Pennsylvania then played an integral role in what would become known as the

Battle of the Crater The Battle of the Crater was a battle of the American Civil War, part of the siege of Petersburg. It took place on Saturday, July 30, 1864, between the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia, commanded by General Robert E. Lee, and the Union Arm ...

on July 30, 1864. In mid-1864, Grant wanted to defeat Lee's army at Petersburg without resorting to a lengthy siege—his experience in the Siege of Vicksburg told him that such affairs were expensive and difficult on the morale of his men. Lieutenant Colonel

Henry Pleasants Henry Clay Pleasants (February 16, 1833 – March 26, 1880) was a coal mining engineer and an officer in the Union Army during the American Civil War. He is best known for organizing the building of a tunnel filled with explosives under the Confe ...

, commanding the 48th Pennsylvania Infantry of Major General Ambrose Burnside's

IX Corps 9 Corps, 9th Corps, Ninth Corps, or IX Corps may refer to: France * 9th Army Corps (France) * IX Corps (Grande Armée), a unit of the Imperial French Army during the Napoleonic Wars Germany * IX Corps (German Empire), a unit of the Imperial German ...

, offered a novel proposal to solve Grant's problem. Pleasants, a mining engineer from Pennsylvania in civilian life, proposed digging a long mine shaft underneath the Confederate lines and planting explosive charges directly underneath a fort (Elliott's Salient) in the middle of the Confederate First Corps line. If successful, Union troops could drive through the resulting gap in the line into the Confederate rear area. Digging began in late June, creating a mine in a "T" shape with an approach shaft long. At its end, a perpendicular gallery of extended in both directions. The gallery was filled with 8,000 pounds of gunpowder, buried underneath the Confederate works.Eicher, pp. 720-21; Davis, pp. 67-69, 72; Trudeau, pp. 99-105; Kennedy, p. 355; Salmon, pp. 418-20; Welsh, p. 122. At 4:44 a.m. on July 30, the charges exploded in a massive shower of earth, men, and guns. A crater (still visible today) was created, long, 60 to wide, and deep. The blast destroyed the Confederate fortifications in the immediate vicinity, and instantly killed between 250 and 350 Confederate soldiers. The 48th Pennsylvania participated in several further battles of the Petersburg campaign in 1864: Globe Tavern (August 18–21), Peebles's Farm (September 29–October 2), and Boydton Plank Road (October 27–28). At the Third Battle of Petersburg on April 2, 1865, regimental Surgeon William R. D. Blackwood removed wounded comrades from the battlefield under heavy fire, for which he was later awarded the Medal of Honor. After occupying the city of Petersburg, the unit marched to

Farmville, Virginia Farmville is a town in Prince Edward and Cumberland counties in the U.S. state of Virginia. The population was 8,216 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Prince Edward County. Farmville developed near the headwaters of the Appomattox R ...

, on April 3–9. The 48th Pennsylvania returned to the Petersburg and

City Point City Point of CityPoint may refer to: United Kingdom * CityPoint, an office tower in London, England United States *City Point (New Haven), a neighborhood in New Haven, Connecticut * City Point, a section of the South Boston area in Boston, Massac ...

area on April 20–24, then moved on to

Alexandria, Virginia Alexandria is an independent city (United States), independent city in the northern region of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Virginia, United States. It lies on the western bank of the Potomac River approximately south of Downto ...

, on April 26–28. Following the end of the war, the regiment took part in the

Grand Review of the Armies The Grand Review of the Armies was a military procession and celebration in the national capital city of Washington, D.C., on May 23–24, 1865, following the Union victory in the American Civil War (1861–1865). Elements of the Union Army in the ...

in Washington, D.C., on May 23. The unit served at Washington and Alexandria until being mustered out on July 17, 1865. A monument was erected by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in Branch Avenue, Antietam Battlefield, MD to commemorate the services of the 48th Regiment, Pennsylvania Veteran volunteers and it was dedicated on September 17, 1904. Survivors of the 48th Regiment attended the dedication. Another monument was built and paid for by the 48th Regiment Pennsylvania Veteran Association and given to the state of Virginia. The monument was dedicated on June 20, 1907, in Richmond, Virginia. tory of the Forty-Eighth by Joseph Gould

Total strength and casualties

Eight hundred and fifty-eight officers and enlisted men were mustered into service as members of the regiment, of whom 11 officers and 145 enlisted men were killed and mortally wounded and 3 officers and 142 enlisted men died by disease, for a total of 301 deaths.48th Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteers Webpage by Alice J. Gayley
/ref>

Commanders

Colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...

James Nagle *Colonel Joshua K. Sigfried *Colonel George Washington Gowen *

Lt. Col. Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colonel. ...

Notes

{{reflist, refs= title = The Story of the Forty-Eighth by Joseph Gould ate quartermaster Sgt. of the Regiment, Mt.Carmel, Pa publisher = the Authority of the Regimental Association date = 1908 {{cite web , url = http://www.nps.gov/civilwar/search-battle-units-detail.htm?battleUnitCode=UPA0048RI , title = 48th Regiment, Pennsylvania Infantry , work = Civil War Soldiers and Sailors System , publisher = National Park Service , access-date = March 20, 2016 {{Cite web , title = Medal of Honor Recipients: Civil War (M–R) , publisher =

United States Army Center of Military History The United States Army Center of Military History (CMH) is a directorate within the United States Army Training and Doctrine Command. The Institute of Heraldry remains within the Office of the Administrative Assistant to the Secretary of the Arm ...

, date = August 13, 2013 , url = http://www.history.army.mil/moh/civilwar_mr.html#REID , access-date = March 21, 2016 {{Cite web , title = Medal of Honor Recipients: Civil War (A–F) , publisher =

, date = May 7, 2015 , url = http://www.history.army.mil/moh/civilwar_mr.html#REID , access-date = March 21, 2016

References

The Civil War Archive

External links

The Story of the Forty-eighth: A Record of the Campaigns of the Forty-eighth ...by Joseph Gould

The 48th Pennsylvania Infantry Online Journal of John David Hoptak

* ttp://www.nps.gov/anti/historyculture/mnt-pa-48.htm Antietam National Battlefield 48th Pennsylvania Infantry Monument
Antietam on the Web 48th Pennsylvania Infantry
Units and formations of the Union Army from Pennsylvania 1861 establishments in Pennsylvania Military units and formations established in 1861 Military units and formations disestablished in 1865