The 4th Pennsylvania Reserve Regiment, also known as the 33rd Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry 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 ...

that served in 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 ...

. It was a part of the famed

Pennsylvania Reserves The Pennsylvania Reserves were an infantry division in the Union Army during the American Civil War. Noted for its famous commanders and high casualties, it served in the Eastern Theater, and fought in many important battles, including Antietam a ...

in the

Army of the Potomac The Army of the Potomac was the principal Union Army in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War. It was created in July 1861 shortly after the First Battle of Bull Run and was disbanded in June 1865 following the surrender of the Confedera ...

for much of the early part of the war and served in the Eastern Theater in several important battles, including

Antietam The Battle of Antietam (), or Battle of Sharpsburg particularly in the Southern United States, was a battle of the American Civil War fought on September 17, 1862, between Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia and Union ...

and Fredericksburg.

Organization

Service

The 4th Pennsylvania Reserves were raised at

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 ...

, on July 17, 1861. Robert G. March served as its first

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 ...

, John F. Gaul as

lieutenant colonel 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 colone ...

, and Robert M. McClure as

major Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...

. The regiment trained near Easton until mid-July, when it was transferred to

Camp Curtin Camp Curtin was a major Union Army training camp in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, during the American Civil War. It was located north of Pennsylvania's state capitol building on 80 acres of what had previously been land used by the Dauphin County Ag ...

in Harrisburg and then to

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

. On October 1, March was forced to resign due to illness and was succeeded by Lt. Col.

Albert Magilton Albert Lewis Magilton was an American colonel who served the Union during the American Civil War who commanded the 4th Pennsylvania Reserve Regiment and who participated the Battle of Antietam under the command of George Meade. Biography Early ...

of the 2nd Reserves. The 4th became part of the 2nd Brigade of the Pennsylvania Reserves

division Division or divider may refer to: Mathematics *Division (mathematics), the inverse of multiplication *Division algorithm, a method for computing the result of mathematical division Military *Division (military), a formation typically consisting ...

, part of the

I Corps I Corps, 1st Corps, or First Corps may refer to: France * 1st Army Corps (France) * I Cavalry Corps (Grande Armée), a cavalry unit of the Imperial French Army during the Napoleonic Wars * I Corps (Grande Armée), a unit of the Imperial French Arm ...

, Army of the Potomac. At first remaining with the I Corps in northern

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

, the 4th, along with the rest of the division, was sent to the Army outside of

Richmond Richmond most often refers to: * Richmond, Virginia, the capital of Virginia, United States * Richmond, London, a part of London * Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town in England * Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada * Richmond, California, ...

, where it was reassigned to the

V Corps 5th Corps, Fifth Corps, or V Corps may refer to: France * 5th Army Corps (France) * V Cavalry Corps (Grande Armée), a cavalry unit of the Imperial French Army during the Napoleonic Wars * V Corps (Grande Armée), a unit of the Imperial French Army ...

. During the Peninsula Campaign, it fought in the

Seven Days Battles The Seven Days Battles were a series of seven battles over seven days from June 25 to July 1, 1862, near Richmond, Virginia, during the American Civil War. Confederate General Robert E. Lee drove the invading Union Army of the Potomac, command ...

, losing about 200 men. The regiment lost 27 men at the

Battle of South Mountain The Battle of South Mountain—known in several early Southern accounts as the Battle of Boonsboro Gap—was fought on September 14, 1862, as part of the Maryland campaign of the American Civil War. Three pitched battles were fought for posses ...

and another 49 men at Antietam. After Fredericksburg, the 2nd Brigade, including the 4th Pennsylvania Reserves, was transferred from the Army of the Potomac in early 1863 to serve in the defenses of

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, ...

In 1864, it served in

West Virginia West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian, Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States.The Census Bureau and the Association of American Geographers classify West Virginia as part of the Southern United States while the Bur ...

, fighting at the

Battle of Cloyd's Mountain The Battle of Cloyd's Mountain was a Union victory in western Virginia on May 9, 1864, that allowed the Union forces to destroy a large bridge on the Virginia and Tennessee Railroad. The railroad was used to carry Confederate troops and suppli ...

, where the regiment's colonel, Richard H. Woolworth, was mortally wounded. The depleted regiment was mustered out in

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

on June 15, 1864, when its original three-year term of enlistment expired. Men who reenlisted and those replacements whose enlistments had not yet expired were transferred to the 54th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry on June 8.

Casualties

The 4th Pennsylvania Reserves suffered 2 officers and 76 enlisted men killed in battle or died from wounds, and 1 officer and 60 enlisted men died from disease, for a total of 139 fatalities.The Civil War Archive
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Commanders

* Col. Robert G. March, July 17 to October 1, 1861 (resigned due to illness) * Lt. Col. (to Col. 10/1/61) Albert L. Magilton, October 1, 1861, to September 14, 1862 (became brigade commander) * Maj. John Nyce, September 14 to November 29, 1862 (Promoted to Colonel of 174th Pennsylvania) * Col. Albert L. Magilton, November 29, 1862, to December 28, 1862 (resigned) * Lt. Col. (to Col. 3/1/63) Richard H. Woolworth, December 28, 1862, to May 9, 1864 (killed at Cloyd's Mountain) * Lt. Col. (to Col. 5/10/64) Thomas F.B. Tapper, May 9, 1864, to June 17, 1864 (mustered out)

Notes

References

* * * ;Attribution *{{CWR
The Civil War Archive

External links

The Pennsylvania Reserve Volunteer Corps Historical Society
Units and formations of the Union Army from Pennsylvania Pennsylvania Reserves 1861 establishments in Pennsylvania Military units and formations established in 1861 Military units and formations disestablished in 1864