155th Pennsylvania Infantry
Encyclopedia
The 155th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry Regiment was a Federal infantry regiment that served in the American Civil War
in the Army of the Potomac
in the Eastern Theater
.
Recruits from the Pittsburgh
area organized at Camp Copeland from September 2-19, 1862, into the 155th Regiment, Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry. Edward J. Allen served as the first colonel. After initial training and drilling, the regiment moved via train to Washington, D.C.
where it joined the 2nd Brigade, 3rd Division of the Union Fifth Corps. It moved to Sharpsburg, Maryland
, after the Battle of Antietam
and then first saw combat in December 1862 at the Battle of Fredericksburg
, where the color guard suffered very high casualties in an ill-fated assault.
During their first years the regiment wore the regulation uniform of the Union Army
, but in 1863 they, along with the 140th New York
and 146th New York
received Zouave
uniforms. The three regiments were each given a different style Zouave uniform that varied in color. The 140th New York received a predominately dark blue traditional style Zouave uniform with red trim while the 146th New York was given a light blue uniform with yellow trim that resembled that worn by the French Tirailleur
s or "Turcos" of Crimean War
fame. The 155th Pennsylvania however received a unique Zouave uniform never before created. Their uniform consisted of a French Blue (not dark blue) Zouave jacket with yellow trimming. It featured very large yellow "tombeaus" (trim designed to create stylized false pocket on the front of the jacket). A departure from the usual styled jacket was an inside false vest. A red Zouave sash with yellow trimming, French Blue Zouave pantaloons, a red Zouave fez with yellow trimming and a dark blue tassle completed the uniform. Slight variations in jacket styles can be seen in the unit's regimental history entitled "Under the Maltese Cross
" published in 1910.
The 155th Pennsylvania along with the 140th New York, and the 146th New York became the "Zouave Brigade" in the Army of the Potomac
's Fifth Corps, an brigade that would later grow with the addition of the 5th New York and the 114th Pennsylvania.
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
in the Army of the Potomac
Army of the Potomac
The Army of the Potomac was the major Union Army in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War.-History:The Army of the Potomac was created in 1861, but was then only the size of a corps . Its nucleus was called the Army of Northeastern Virginia, under Brig. Gen...
in the Eastern Theater
Eastern Theater of the American Civil War
The Eastern Theater of the American Civil War included the states of Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania, the District of Columbia, and the coastal fortifications and seaports of North Carolina...
.
Recruits from the Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh is the second-largest city in the US Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. Regionally, it anchors the largest urban area of Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley, and nationally, it is the 22nd-largest urban area in the United States...
area organized at Camp Copeland from September 2-19, 1862, into the 155th Regiment, Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry. Edward J. Allen served as the first colonel. After initial training and drilling, the regiment moved via train to Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
where it joined the 2nd Brigade, 3rd Division of the Union Fifth Corps. It moved to Sharpsburg, Maryland
Sharpsburg, Maryland
Sharpsburg is a town in Washington County, Maryland, United States, approximately south of Hagerstown. The population was 691 at the 2000 census....
, after the Battle of Antietam
Battle of Antietam
The Battle of Antietam , fought on September 17, 1862, near Sharpsburg, Maryland, and Antietam Creek, as part of the Maryland Campaign, was the first major battle in the American Civil War to take place on Northern soil. It was the bloodiest single-day battle in American history, with about 23,000...
and then first saw combat in December 1862 at the Battle of Fredericksburg
Battle of Fredericksburg
The Battle of Fredericksburg was fought December 11–15, 1862, in and around Fredericksburg, Virginia, between General Robert E. Lee's Confederate Army of Northern Virginia and the Union Army of the Potomac, commanded by Maj. Gen. Ambrose E. Burnside...
, where the color guard suffered very high casualties in an ill-fated assault.
During their first years the regiment wore the regulation uniform of the Union Army
Union Army
The Union Army was the land force that fought for the Union during the American Civil War. It was also known as the Federal Army, the U.S. Army, the Northern Army and the National Army...
, but in 1863 they, along with the 140th New York
140th New York Volunteer Infantry Regiment
The 140th New York Volunteer Infantry Regiment was a Federal Regiment that was mustered on September 13, 1862 and was mustered out on June 3, 1865. Citizens of Monroe County comprising the majority of its members...
and 146th New York
146th New York Volunteer Infantry Regiment
The 146th New York Volunteer Infantry Regiment, nicknamed Garrard's Tigers, was a Federal regiment mustered on October 10, 1862, and was mustered out on July 16, 1865. The regiment was raised and organized in Utica New york, and was known as the 5th Oneida Regiment...
received Zouave
Zouave
Zouave was the title given to certain light infantry regiments in the French Army, normally serving in French North Africa between 1831 and 1962. The name was also adopted during the 19th century by units in other armies, especially volunteer regiments raised for service in the American Civil War...
uniforms. The three regiments were each given a different style Zouave uniform that varied in color. The 140th New York received a predominately dark blue traditional style Zouave uniform with red trim while the 146th New York was given a light blue uniform with yellow trim that resembled that worn by the French Tirailleur
Tirailleur
Tirailleur literally means a shooting skirmisher in French from tir—shot. The term dates back to the Napoleonic period where it was used to designate light infantry trained to skirmish ahead of the main columns...
s or "Turcos" of Crimean War
Crimean War
The Crimean War was a conflict fought between the Russian Empire and an alliance of the French Empire, the British Empire, the Ottoman Empire, and the Kingdom of Sardinia. The war was part of a long-running contest between the major European powers for influence over territories of the declining...
fame. The 155th Pennsylvania however received a unique Zouave uniform never before created. Their uniform consisted of a French Blue (not dark blue) Zouave jacket with yellow trimming. It featured very large yellow "tombeaus" (trim designed to create stylized false pocket on the front of the jacket). A departure from the usual styled jacket was an inside false vest. A red Zouave sash with yellow trimming, French Blue Zouave pantaloons, a red Zouave fez with yellow trimming and a dark blue tassle completed the uniform. Slight variations in jacket styles can be seen in the unit's regimental history entitled "Under the Maltese Cross
Maltese cross
The Maltese cross, also known as the Amalfi cross, is identified as the symbol of an order of Christian warriors known as the Knights Hospitaller or Knights of Malta and through them came to be identified with the Mediterranean island of Malta and is one of the National symbols of Malta...
" published in 1910.
The 155th Pennsylvania along with the 140th New York, and the 146th New York became the "Zouave Brigade" in the Army of the Potomac
Army of the Potomac
The Army of the Potomac was the major Union Army in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War.-History:The Army of the Potomac was created in 1861, but was then only the size of a corps . Its nucleus was called the Army of Northeastern Virginia, under Brig. Gen...
's Fifth Corps, an brigade that would later grow with the addition of the 5th New York and the 114th Pennsylvania.