1st Maryland Infantry, Potomac Home Brigade
Encyclopedia
The 1st Maryland Infantry, Potomac Home Brigade was an infantry
regiment
that served in the Union Army
during the American Civil War
.
beginning August 15, 1861 and mustered in on December 13, 1861 for three years under the command of Colonel
Roger E. Cook.
Companies A, B, D and I were recruited in Frederick County. Company C was recruited from Baltimore City. Companies E, F and H were recruited from Washington County. Company G comprised men from Baltimore, Carroll and Frederick Counties. Company K was from recruited Baltimore city and Frederick County.
The regiment was attached to Banks' Division, Army of the Potomac
, to March 1862. Unassigned, Banks' V Corps, and Department of the Shenandoah to May 1862. Railroad District, Middle Department
, to July 1862. Railroad District, VIII Corps, Middle Department, to September 1862. Annapolis, Maryland, VIII Corps, to March 1863. 1st Separate Brigade, VIII Corps, to June 1863. Lockwood's Brigade, VIII Corps, to July 1863. 2nd Brigade, 1st Division, XII Corps, Army of the Potomac, July 1863. 2nd Brigade, Maryland Heights, Division West Virginia, to December 1863. 2nd Brigade, 1st Division, West Virginia, to April 1864. Reserve Division, Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, to January 1865. 3rd Brigade, 3rd Division, West Virginia, to April 1865.
The 1st Maryland Infantry, Potomac Home Brigade mustered out of the service August through December 1864. The regiment continued to recruit for veteran service, and its designation was changed to the 13th Maryland Infantry.
July 2–3. Pursuit of Lee July 5–24. Guard duty on Baltimore Ohio Railroad in Maryland and Virginia until May 1864. Operations against Early's invasion of Maryland June and July. Duffield Station June 29. Battle of Monocacy
July 9. Moved from Monocacy to Harpers Ferry, West Virginia
, and duty in that district until April 1865
Henry H. Lockwood
), 1st Division (Brig. Gen. Alpheus S. Williams
), XII Corps (Maj. Gen.
Henry W. Slocum
) at the Battle of Gettysburg. The regiment mustered 674 all ranks, making it the largest regiment in the Army of the Potomac. The regiment reached Gettysburg during the afternoon of July 1, but was not engaged.
s south of Culp's Hill
at McAlister's Woods. The entire division was withdrawn later in the day and sent south to support a section of the Union line under attack by Longstreet's Corps
. Returning to Culp's Hill that evening, the regiment discovered that its breastworks had been captured by Confederates of Maj. Gen. Edward "Allegheny" Johnson
's division.
Infantry
Infantrymen are soldiers who are specifically trained for the role of fighting on foot to engage the enemy face to face and have historically borne the brunt of the casualties of combat in wars. As the oldest branch of combat arms, they are the backbone of armies...
regiment
Regiment
A regiment is a major tactical military unit, composed of variable numbers of batteries, squadrons or battalions, commanded by a colonel or lieutenant colonel...
that served in 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...
during the American Civil War
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...
.
Service
The 1st Maryland Infantry, Potomac Home Brigade was organized at Frederick, MarylandFrederick, Maryland
Frederick is a city in north-central Maryland. It is the county seat of Frederick County, the largest county by area in the state of Maryland. Frederick is an outlying community of the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is part of a greater...
beginning August 15, 1861 and mustered in on December 13, 1861 for three years under the command of Colonel
Colonel (United States)
In the United States Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps, colonel is a senior field grade military officer rank just above the rank of lieutenant colonel and just below the rank of brigadier general...
Roger E. Cook.
Companies A, B, D and I were recruited in Frederick County. Company C was recruited from Baltimore City. Companies E, F and H were recruited from Washington County. Company G comprised men from Baltimore, Carroll and Frederick Counties. Company K was from recruited Baltimore city and Frederick County.
The regiment was attached to Banks' Division, 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...
, to March 1862. Unassigned, Banks' V Corps, and Department of the Shenandoah to May 1862. Railroad District, Middle Department
Middle Department
The Middle Department was an administrative military district created by the United States War Department early in the American Civil War to administer the troops in the Middle Atlantic states....
, to July 1862. Railroad District, VIII Corps, Middle Department, to September 1862. Annapolis, Maryland, VIII Corps, to March 1863. 1st Separate Brigade, VIII Corps, to June 1863. Lockwood's Brigade, VIII Corps, to July 1863. 2nd Brigade, 1st Division, XII Corps, Army of the Potomac, July 1863. 2nd Brigade, Maryland Heights, Division West Virginia, to December 1863. 2nd Brigade, 1st Division, West Virginia, to April 1864. Reserve Division, Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, to January 1865. 3rd Brigade, 3rd Division, West Virginia, to April 1865.
The 1st Maryland Infantry, Potomac Home Brigade mustered out of the service August through December 1864. The regiment continued to recruit for veteran service, and its designation was changed to the 13th Maryland Infantry.
Detailed service
Railroad guard duty until March 1862. Advance on Winchester, Va., March 7–12. Strasburg March 27. Guarding Baltimore & Ohio Railroad until May. Concentrated at Harpers Ferry May 24, and action at Loudon Heights May 27. Defense of Harpers Ferry May 28–30. Guard Baltimore & Ohio Railroad until September. Action at Monocacy Aqueduct September 4. Poolesville September 5. Concentrated at Sandy Hook and march to Harpers Ferry. Siege of Harper's Ferry September 12–15. Maryland Heights September 13. Harpers Ferry September 14–15. Surrendered September 15 and paroled September 16. Sent to Annapolis, Md., and when exchanged assigned to duty on the Potomac in southern Maryland to June 1863. Martinsburg June 14. At point Lookout June. Joined Lockwood's Brigade and march to Gettysburg, Pa., June 25-July 2. Battle of GettysburgBattle of Gettysburg
The Battle of Gettysburg , was fought July 1–3, 1863, in and around the town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The battle with the largest number of casualties in the American Civil War, it is often described as the war's turning point. Union Maj. Gen. George Gordon Meade's Army of the Potomac...
July 2–3. Pursuit of Lee July 5–24. Guard duty on Baltimore Ohio Railroad in Maryland and Virginia until May 1864. Operations against Early's invasion of Maryland June and July. Duffield Station June 29. Battle of Monocacy
Battle of Monocacy
The Battle of Monocacy was fought on July 9, 1864, just outside Frederick, Maryland, as part of the Valley Campaigns of 1864, in the American Civil War. Confederate forces under Lt. Gen. Jubal A. Early defeated Union forces under Maj. Gen. Lew Wallace...
July 9. Moved from Monocacy to Harpers Ferry, West Virginia
Harpers Ferry, West Virginia
Harpers Ferry is a historic town in Jefferson County, West Virginia, United States. In many books the town is called "Harper's Ferry" with an apostrophe....
, and duty in that district until April 1865
First Day
Under command of Col. William P. Maulsby, the regiment formed part of 2nd Brigade (Brig. Gen.Brigadier general (United States)
A brigadier general in the United States Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps, is a one-star general officer, with the pay grade of O-7. Brigadier general ranks above a colonel and below major general. Brigadier general is equivalent to the rank of rear admiral in the other uniformed...
Henry H. Lockwood
Henry Hayes Lockwood
Henry Hayes Lockwood was an American soldier and authority on military tactics.-Early life:Lockwood was born in Kent County, Delaware, Delaware. He graduated from the United States Military Academy in 1836, served in the Seminole Wars as a lieutenant in the Second Artillery, and resigned his...
), 1st Division (Brig. Gen. Alpheus S. Williams
Alpheus S. Williams
Alpheus Starkey Williams was a lawyer, judge, journalist, U.S. Congressman, and a Union general in the American Civil War.-Early life:...
), XII Corps (Maj. Gen.
Major general (United States)
In the United States Army, United States Marine Corps, and United States Air Force, major general is a two-star general-officer rank, with the pay grade of O-8. Major general ranks above brigadier general and below lieutenant general...
Henry W. Slocum
Henry Warner Slocum
Henry Warner Slocum , was a Union general during the American Civil War and later served in the United States House of Representatives from New York. During the war, he was one of the youngest major generals in the Army and fought numerous major battles in the Eastern Theater and in Georgia and the...
) at the Battle of Gettysburg. The regiment mustered 674 all ranks, making it the largest regiment in the Army of the Potomac. The regiment reached Gettysburg during the afternoon of July 1, but was not engaged.
Second Day
On the morning of July 2, the regiment constructed breastworkBreastwork
Breastwork may mean:#A form of temporary fortification#Surgical alteration of the breast...
s south of Culp's Hill
Culp's Hill
Culps Hill is a Battle of Gettysburg landform south of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, with a heavily wooded summit of . The east slope is to Rock Creek , 160 feet lower in elevation, and the west slope is to a saddle with Stevens Knoll with a summit lower than the Culps Hill summit...
at McAlister's Woods. The entire division was withdrawn later in the day and sent south to support a section of the Union line under attack by Longstreet's Corps
First Corps, Army of Northern Virginia
The First Corps, Army of Northern Virginia was a military unit fighting for the Confederate States of America in the American Civil War. It was formed in early 1861 and served until the spring of 1865, mostly in the Eastern Theater. The corps was commanded by James Longstreet for much of its...
. Returning to Culp's Hill that evening, the regiment discovered that its breastworks had been captured by Confederates of Maj. Gen. Edward "Allegheny" Johnson
Edward Johnson (general)
Edward Johnson , also known as Allegheny Johnson , was a United States Army officer and a Confederate general in the American Civil War.-Early life:...
's division.
Third Day
On July 3, the regiment fought to hold ground against renewed attacks by Johnson's division. Bloody fighting continued until around 11:00 a.m. when Johnson finally broke off his attack. XII Corps commander Brig. Gen. Alpheus Williams wrote: "The wonder is that the rebels persisted so long in an attempt that the first half hour must have told them was useless."Losses
The regiment mustered 674 all ranks at the beginning of the battle. It lost 104 killed, wounded, captured and missing.Commanders
- Colonel Roger E. Cook
- Colonel William P. Maulsby
- MajorMajor (United States)In the United States Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps, major is a field grade military officer rank just above the rank of captain and just below the rank of lieutenant colonel...
J. Townsend Daniel - commanded at the battle of New Market - Captain Charles J. Brown - commanded at the battle of Monocacy
Casualties
The regiment lost a total of 131 men during service; 3 officers and 42 enlisted men killed or mortally wounded, 1 officer and 85 enlisted men died of disease.See also
- List of Maryland Civil War Units
- Maryland in the American Civil War