69th Pennsylvania Infantry
Encyclopedia
The 69th Pennsylvania Infantry (originally raised as the 2nd California) was a volunteer regiment
in the Union army
during the American Civil War
. Part of the famed Philadelphia Brigade
, it played a key role defending against Pickett's Charge
during the Battle of Gettysburg
. Companies I and K wore a very americanized zouave uniform. This uniform consisted of a dark blue zouave jacket with green trimming, green cuffs, and sixteen brass buttons down the front on both sides of the jacket, a sky blue zouave vest, chasseur sky blue trousers, and a dark blue kepi. This is one of the few zouave uniforms that did not use red as the jacket trimming.
militia
companies of the 2nd Regiment, Pennsylvania Militia. It was mustered into service on August 19, 1861, with Joshua T. Owen
as its first colonel
. Many of its members had served in the 24th - three month volunteer regiment The unit was first designated the 2nd California. It left for Washington, D.C.
that September, before being assigned to the Army of the Potomac
in October as part of Colonel Edwin Baker
's California Brigade. The regiment’s first action was at the Battle of Balls Bluff. After this battle, its name was changed to the 68th Pa for a short time and then the 69th. They made an attempt with the 69th New York to form an Irish Brigade but Governor Andrew Gregg Curtin
of Pennsylvania opposed the idea, which led to the proposal being dropped. The 68th had their regimental designation changed to the 69th in honor of the 69th New York.
The 69th served in the Peninsula Campaign
, during which it was complimented by Maj. Gen. Joseph Hooker
for making “the first successful bayonet charge of the war.” Its next major action was at the Battle of Antietam
. It lost heavily at the Battle of Fredericksburg
, but missed any major action at Chancellorsville
, seeing only minor skirmishing.
The unit played a large role at the Battle of Gettysburg, helping repel both Brig. Gen. Ambrose Wright’s charge on July 2 and Pickett’s Charge on July 3. Its casualties over the last two days of the battle were enormous, losing 143 men out of 258, including its colonel, lieutenant colonel
, two captains, and a lieutenant
. The regiment's ranking officer, Maj. Duffy, was seriously wounded but refused to give up command until the battle was over. The 69th finished the campaign under the command of a captain.
The 69th fought in Grant’s
Overland Campaign
, again losing heavily. At the Battle of Spotsylvania Court House
, Lieutenant Charles McAnally
of Company D captured a Confederate
battleflag. He was later awarded the Medal of Honor
for this act, becoming the only soldier of the 69th so decorated. After the Battle of Cold Harbor
, the 71st Pennsylvania was merged into the 69th. During the Siege of Petersburg
, the Philadelphia Brigade was broken up, with the 72nd Pennsylvania mustered out of service and the 106th reduced to a single battalion. The 69th participated in the pursuit of the Army of Northern Virginia
during the Appomattox Campaign
. The regiment was mustered out at Ball’s Cross-Roads, near Washington, on July 1, 1865.
The 69th was the only Pennsylvania regiment to carry a green "Irish" flag into battle.
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...
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...
. Part of the famed Philadelphia Brigade
Philadelphia Brigade
The Philadelphia Brigade was a Union Army brigade that served in the American Civil War. It was raised primarily in the city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, with the exception of the 106th regiment which contained men from Lycoming and Bradford counties.The brigade fought with the Army of the...
, it played a key role defending against Pickett's Charge
Pickett's Charge
Pickett's Charge was an infantry assault ordered by Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee against Maj. Gen. George G. Meade's Union positions on Cemetery Ridge on July 3, 1863, the last day of the Battle of Gettysburg during the American Civil War. Its futility was predicted by the charge's commander,...
during the Battle of Gettysburg
Battle 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...
. Companies I and K wore a very americanized zouave uniform. This uniform consisted of a dark blue zouave jacket with green trimming, green cuffs, and sixteen brass buttons down the front on both sides of the jacket, a sky blue zouave vest, chasseur sky blue trousers, and a dark blue kepi. This is one of the few zouave uniforms that did not use red as the jacket trimming.
History
The 69th Pennsylvania was recruited from Philadelphia IrishIrish American
Irish Americans are citizens of the United States who can trace their ancestry to Ireland. A total of 36,278,332 Americans—estimated at 11.9% of the total population—reported Irish ancestry in the 2008 American Community Survey conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau...
militia
Militia
The term militia is commonly used today to refer to a military force composed of ordinary citizens to provide defense, emergency law enforcement, or paramilitary service, in times of emergency without being paid a regular salary or committed to a fixed term of service. It is a polyseme with...
companies of the 2nd Regiment, Pennsylvania Militia. It was mustered into service on August 19, 1861, with Joshua T. Owen
Joshua T. Owen
Joshua Thomas Owen was an educator, politician, and soldier from Pennsylvania who served as a Union brigadier general during the American Civil War. He commanded the famed Philadelphia Brigade for part of the war, but was relieved of duty for alleged cowardice during battle.-Early life and...
as its first colonel
Colonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
. Many of its members had served in the 24th - three month volunteer regiment The unit was first designated the 2nd California. It left for 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....
that September, before being assigned to 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 October as part of Colonel Edwin Baker
Edward Dickinson Baker
Edward Dickinson Baker was an English-born American politician, lawyer, military leader. In his political career, Baker served in the U.S. House of Representatives from Illinois and later as a U.S. Senator from Oregon. A long-time close friend of U.S. President Abraham Lincoln, Baker served as U.S...
's California Brigade. The regiment’s first action was at the Battle of Balls Bluff. After this battle, its name was changed to the 68th Pa for a short time and then the 69th. They made an attempt with the 69th New York to form an Irish Brigade but Governor Andrew Gregg Curtin
Andrew Gregg Curtin
Andrew Gregg Curtin was a U.S. lawyer and politician. He served as the Governor of Pennsylvania during the Civil War.-Biography:...
of Pennsylvania opposed the idea, which led to the proposal being dropped. The 68th had their regimental designation changed to the 69th in honor of the 69th New York.
The 69th served in the Peninsula Campaign
Peninsula Campaign
The Peninsula Campaign of the American Civil War was a major Union operation launched in southeastern Virginia from March through July 1862, the first large-scale offensive in the Eastern Theater. The operation, commanded by Maj. Gen. George B...
, during which it was complimented by Maj. Gen. Joseph Hooker
Joseph Hooker
Joseph Hooker was a career United States Army officer, achieving the rank of major general in the Union Army during the American Civil War. Although he served throughout the war, usually with distinction, Hooker is best remembered for his stunning defeat by Confederate General Robert E...
for making “the first successful bayonet charge of the war.” Its next major action was at 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...
. It lost heavily 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...
, but missed any major action at Chancellorsville
Battle of Chancellorsville
The Battle of Chancellorsville was a major battle of the American Civil War, and the principal engagement of the Chancellorsville Campaign. It was fought from April 30 to May 6, 1863, in Spotsylvania County, Virginia, near the village of Chancellorsville. Two related battles were fought nearby on...
, seeing only minor skirmishing.
Lieutenant Colonel (United States)
In the United States Army, United States Air Force, and United States Marine Corps, a lieutenant colonel is a field grade military officer rank just above the rank of major and just below the rank of colonel. It is equivalent to the naval rank of commander in the other uniformed services.The pay...
, two captains, and a lieutenant
Lieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
. The regiment's ranking officer, Maj. Duffy, was seriously wounded but refused to give up command until the battle was over. The 69th finished the campaign under the command of a captain.
The 69th fought in Grant’s
Ulysses S. Grant
Ulysses S. Grant was the 18th President of the United States as well as military commander during the Civil War and post-war Reconstruction periods. Under Grant's command, the Union Army defeated the Confederate military and ended the Confederate States of America...
Overland Campaign
Overland Campaign
The Overland Campaign, also known as Grant's Overland Campaign and the Wilderness Campaign, was a series of battles fought in Virginia during May and June 1864, in the American Civil War. Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant, general-in-chief of all Union armies, directed the actions of the Army of the...
, again losing heavily. At the Battle of Spotsylvania Court House
Battle of Spotsylvania Court House
The Battle of Spotsylvania Court House, sometimes simply referred to as the Battle of Spotsylvania , was the second major battle in Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant's 1864 Overland Campaign of the American Civil War. Following the bloody but inconclusive Battle of the Wilderness, Grant's army disengaged...
, Lieutenant Charles McAnally
Charles McAnally
Charles McAnally, was an officer in the Union Army who received the United States military's highest award for bravery, the Medal of Honor, for his actions in the American Civil War.-Biography:...
of Company D captured a Confederate
Confederate States Army
The Confederate States Army was the army of the Confederate States of America while the Confederacy existed during the American Civil War. On February 8, 1861, delegates from the seven Deep South states which had already declared their secession from the United States of America adopted the...
battleflag. He was later awarded the Medal of Honor
Medal of Honor
The Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration awarded by the United States government. It is bestowed by the President, in the name of Congress, upon members of the United States Armed Forces who distinguish themselves through "conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his or her...
for this act, becoming the only soldier of the 69th so decorated. After the Battle of Cold Harbor
Battle of Cold Harbor
The Battle of Cold Harbor was fought from May 31 to June 12, 1864 . It was one of the final battles of Union Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant's Overland Campaign during the American Civil War, and is remembered as one of American history's bloodiest, most lopsided battles...
, the 71st Pennsylvania was merged into the 69th. During the Siege of Petersburg
Siege of Petersburg
The Richmond–Petersburg Campaign was a series of battles around Petersburg, Virginia, fought from June 9, 1864, to March 25, 1865, during the American Civil War...
, the Philadelphia Brigade was broken up, with the 72nd Pennsylvania mustered out of service and the 106th reduced to a single battalion. The 69th participated in the pursuit of the Army of Northern Virginia
Army of Northern Virginia
The Army of Northern Virginia was the primary military force of the Confederate States of America in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War, as well as the primary command structure of the Department of Northern Virginia. It was most often arrayed against the Union Army of the Potomac...
during the Appomattox Campaign
Appomattox Campaign
The Appomattox Campaign was a series of battles fought March 29 – April 9, 1865, in Virginia that culminated in the surrender of Confederate General Robert E...
. The regiment was mustered out at Ball’s Cross-Roads, near Washington, on July 1, 1865.
The 69th was the only Pennsylvania regiment to carry a green "Irish" flag into battle.