Peter H. Allabach
Encyclopedia
Peter Hollingshead Allabach (September 9, 1824 - February 11, 1892) was an officer in the Union Army
during the American Civil War
.
and attended the academy there. At the age of 20, he enlisted in Company E, Third US Infantry Regiment for five years. During his service in the Mexican-American War, he participated in every battle his regiment was in, including the battle of Vera Cruz, the battle of Chapultepec
, and at the battle of Contreras
, he is noted as planting the first flag in the enemy camp. The only conflict he did not participate in was the battle of Buena Vista
. He was promoted to Sergeant
within six months of enlisting and was discharged on November 25, 1849, when his term of service expired.
On September 30, 1851, he married Nancy Gertrude Blanchard, with whom he would have two children.
Allabach would also serve as the Brigade Inspector of the Uniformed Militia of Luzerne County, which he was commissioned as by Governor
William Bigler
on May 6, 1852. In 1853, United States Postmaster General
James Campbell
appointed Allabach to a position in the United States postal service, which he held for about eight years.
of the 131st Pennsylvania Infantry, a nine months' regiment, by Governor Andrew Gregg Curtin
. When his regiment reported to General Andrew A. Humphreys
, the brigade organization underwent some changes. Allabach, the senior colonel, replaced Brigadier General
Henry Shaw Briggs
, who had been severely wounded at the battle of Fair Oaks, and was unable to return to an active command. This brigade was composed of the 123rd, 131st, 133rd, and 155th Pennsylvania Infantry
, being assigned to the 3rd Division, V Corps of the Army of the Potomac
.
The 3rd Division arrived in Sharpsburg, Maryland
on the morning of September 18, 1862, relieving troops from the previous days' engagement. After the Confederate Army had withdrawn, the brigade was assigned to picket duty along the Potomac River
. At their camp, about a mile outside of Sharpsburg, they would spend time drilling until late October. At that time, General Ambrose Burnside
ordered the army into Virginia
for the Fredericksburg Campaign, where Allabach made camp for about a month in Falmouth
, during which time the brigade continued drilling.
Fredericksburg
On December 11, Allabach moved the brigade to Fredericksburg, where it would be held near General Burnside's headquarters at the Phillips' House until the 13th. At 2 o'clock in the afternoon, the brigade was ordered to cross the Rappahannock River
, march through the town, and prepare to assault Marye's Heights. The brigade was formed with the 155th and 133rd in the front, respectively, and the 123rd and 131st behind, as such, numbering about 2,300 men.
With Humphreys personally leading the assault, the brigade stepped out of the ravine where it had been deployed, and advanced about 200 yards before it reached the lines of the II Corps, lying on the ground about 150 yards from the stone wall on the heights. Despite attempts to prevent the brigade from stopping, it also fell to the ground amongst the II Corps men and began firing. Allabach would blame this on his troops greenness, as this was their first real combat.
After Humphreys and Allabach were able to quiet the fire among the lines, Allabach ordered a major from the II Corps to get up and charge with them or to go to the rear, which was ignored. With bayonets fixed, Allabach had his brigade rise up and advance at the double-quick to the stone wall. The charge was met with intense canister and musket fire, as well as confusion, due to the smoke and terrain. The 131st Pennsylvania even became split in two during the assault.
The brigade reached about 12 paces from the wall, before it began to withdraw due to the heavy fire. The retreat had some running back to the town and others joining the troops of the II Corps. The 131st took a forward position to the II Corps line and went prone, once again firing ineffectively at the enemy. Other commands soon began to fall into the same line.
This forward position soon became unbearable, as enemy fire from the front continued, new fire erupted from the rear. Those men who had disrupted the advance earlier were now overcome with an "excess of enthusiasm," and were firing into Allabach's lines, attempting to dislodge the enemy behind the wall. Allabach tried to push his lines forward, in a second attempt to charge, but his horse was soon shot from under him, and he was left looking for another mount.
The second charge ended much like the first one, being driven back to their forward position and suffering numerous casualties. Humphreys brought up Brigadier General Erastus B. Tyler
's 1st Brigade, which met a similar fate. After Tyler had retired, Humphreys returned to Allabach, who was still in his forward position. Humphreys used the 123rd and 155th Pennsylvania to cover the 131st and 133rd as Allabach withdrew them to Hanover Street. When the rest of the brigade was re-formed, there was little light left and they spent the night on picket duty, with details being sent out to gather the dead and wounded.
The brigade remained in Fredericksburg until the 16th, when it re-crossed the Rappahannock and settled in winter quarters. Allabach, whose brigade suffered about 24% casualties, would claim that his "old boys got nearer the gates of hell than any other regiments engaged in that battle."
Chancellorsville
On January 31, 1863, the brigade moved to a camp nearer to Falmouth, designated as Camp Humphreys. It remained here on picket duty until April 28, when the army, now under General Joseph Hooker
, was ordered to cross the Rappahannock once again, this time for the Chancellorsville campaign
. Arriving on May 1, the brigade was positioned near the Chancellor House. Within minutes, the V Corps was attacked, and Allabach's brigade was ordered to the extreme left to begin fortifying.
On the 3rd, the brigade was moved to the right of the Union lines with the rest of the V Corps, under General George G. Meade. At this position, they were placed in support of artillery batteries and saw relatively little combat compared to their previous engagement. On the night of the 5th, the brigade retired to the United States Ford and assisted in the crossing of artillery trains.
Returning to Harrisburg after the battle, the 123rd, 131st, and 133rd were mustered out of service. The 155th, which had enlisted for three years, was assigned to the 3rd Brigade, 2nd Division, V Corps, and would be heavily engaged at the battle of Gettysburg
less than two months later.
appointed Allabach as captain of Company E of the Centennial Guards, which he held during the Centennial Exposition
. On June 1, 1879, he was appointed as Chief of the United States Capitol Police
. This position was held until February 11, 1892, when, after having been ill for three weeks, he died at his home. Allabach was buried at Arlington National Cemetery
.
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...
.
Early Life and Career
Allabach was born in Wilkes-Barre, PennsylvaniaWilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania
Wilkes-Barre is a city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania, the county seat of Luzerne County. It is at the center of the Wyoming Valley area and is one of the principal cities in the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre metropolitan area, which had a population of 563,631 as of the 2010 Census...
and attended the academy there. At the age of 20, he enlisted in Company E, Third US Infantry Regiment for five years. During his service in the Mexican-American War, he participated in every battle his regiment was in, including the battle of Vera Cruz, the battle of Chapultepec
Battle of Chapultepec
The Battle of Chapultepec, in September 1847, was a United States victory over Mexican forces holding Chapultepec Castle west of Mexico City during the Mexican-American War.-Background:On September 13, 1847, in the costly Battle of Molino del Rey, U.S...
, and at the battle of Contreras
Battle of Contreras
The Battle of Contreras, also known as the Battle of Padierna, took place during August 19–20, 1847, in the final encounters of the Mexican-American War. In the Battle of Churubusco, fighting continued the following day.-Background:...
, he is noted as planting the first flag in the enemy camp. The only conflict he did not participate in was the battle of Buena Vista
Battle of Buena Vista
The Battle of Buena Vista , also known as the Battle of Angostura, saw the United States Army use artillery to repulse the much larger Mexican army in the Mexican-American War...
. He was promoted to Sergeant
Sergeant
Sergeant is a rank used in some form by most militaries, police forces, and other uniformed organizations around the world. Its origins are the Latin serviens, "one who serves", through the French term Sergent....
within six months of enlisting and was discharged on November 25, 1849, when his term of service expired.
On September 30, 1851, he married Nancy Gertrude Blanchard, with whom he would have two children.
Allabach would also serve as the Brigade Inspector of the Uniformed Militia of Luzerne County, which he was commissioned as by Governor
Governor
A governor is a governing official, usually the executive of a non-sovereign level of government, ranking under the head of state...
William Bigler
William Bigler
William Bigler was the 12th Governor of Pennsylvania from 1852 to 1855, and later a U.S. Senator for the Democratic Party....
on May 6, 1852. In 1853, United States Postmaster General
United States Postmaster General
The United States Postmaster General is the Chief Executive Officer of the United States Postal Service. The office, in one form or another, is older than both the United States Constitution and the United States Declaration of Independence...
James Campbell
James Campbell (Postmaster General)
James Campbell was a politician from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He served as Attorney-General of Pennsylvania and United States Postmaster General during the presidency of Franklin Pierce....
appointed Allabach to a position in the United States postal service, which he held for about eight years.
Civil War
On August 16, 1862, Allabach was commissioned as ColonelColonel
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...
of the 131st Pennsylvania Infantry, a nine months' regiment, by 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:...
. When his regiment reported to General Andrew A. Humphreys
Andrew A. Humphreys
Andrew Atkinson Humphreys , was a career United States Army officer, civil engineer, and a Union General in the American Civil War. He served in senior positions in the Army of the Potomac, including division command, chief of staff, and corps command, and was Chief Engineer of the U.S...
, the brigade organization underwent some changes. Allabach, the senior colonel, replaced Brigadier General
Brigadier General
Brigadier general is a senior rank in the armed forces. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries, usually sitting between the ranks of colonel and major general. When appointed to a field command, a brigadier general is typically in command of a brigade consisting of around 4,000...
Henry Shaw Briggs
Henry Shaw Briggs
Henry Shaw Briggs was brigadier general in the Union Army during the American Civil War.During the war, Briggs served as a captain with the 8th Regiment Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry. He was the colonel and first commander of the 10th Regiment Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry...
, who had been severely wounded at the battle of Fair Oaks, and was unable to return to an active command. This brigade was composed of the 123rd, 131st, 133rd, and 155th Pennsylvania Infantry
155th Pennsylvania Infantry
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....
, being assigned to the 3rd Division, V Corps of 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...
.
The 3rd Division arrived in 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....
on the morning of September 18, 1862, relieving troops from the previous days' engagement. After the Confederate Army had withdrawn, the brigade was assigned to picket duty along the Potomac River
Potomac River
The Potomac River flows into the Chesapeake Bay, located along the mid-Atlantic coast of the United States. The river is approximately long, with a drainage area of about 14,700 square miles...
. At their camp, about a mile outside of Sharpsburg, they would spend time drilling until late October. At that time, General Ambrose Burnside
Ambrose Burnside
Ambrose Everett Burnside was an American soldier, railroad executive, inventor, industrialist, and politician from Rhode Island, serving as governor and a U.S. Senator...
ordered the army into Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
for the Fredericksburg Campaign, where Allabach made camp for about a month in Falmouth
Falmouth, Virginia
Falmouth is an unincorporated community in Stafford County, Virginia, United States. Situated on the north bank of the Rappahannock River at the falls, the community is north of and opposite the city of Fredericksburg. Recognized by the U.S...
, during which time the brigade continued drilling.
Fredericksburg
On December 11, Allabach moved the brigade to Fredericksburg, where it would be held near General Burnside's headquarters at the Phillips' House until the 13th. At 2 o'clock in the afternoon, the brigade was ordered to cross the Rappahannock River
Rappahannock River
The Rappahannock River is a river in eastern Virginia, in the United States, approximately in length. It traverses the entire northern part of the state, from the Blue Ridge Mountains in the west, across the Piedmont, to the Chesapeake Bay, south of the Potomac River.An important river in American...
, march through the town, and prepare to assault Marye's Heights. The brigade was formed with the 155th and 133rd in the front, respectively, and the 123rd and 131st behind, as such, numbering about 2,300 men.
With Humphreys personally leading the assault, the brigade stepped out of the ravine where it had been deployed, and advanced about 200 yards before it reached the lines of the II Corps, lying on the ground about 150 yards from the stone wall on the heights. Despite attempts to prevent the brigade from stopping, it also fell to the ground amongst the II Corps men and began firing. Allabach would blame this on his troops greenness, as this was their first real combat.
After Humphreys and Allabach were able to quiet the fire among the lines, Allabach ordered a major from the II Corps to get up and charge with them or to go to the rear, which was ignored. With bayonets fixed, Allabach had his brigade rise up and advance at the double-quick to the stone wall. The charge was met with intense canister and musket fire, as well as confusion, due to the smoke and terrain. The 131st Pennsylvania even became split in two during the assault.
The brigade reached about 12 paces from the wall, before it began to withdraw due to the heavy fire. The retreat had some running back to the town and others joining the troops of the II Corps. The 131st took a forward position to the II Corps line and went prone, once again firing ineffectively at the enemy. Other commands soon began to fall into the same line.
This forward position soon became unbearable, as enemy fire from the front continued, new fire erupted from the rear. Those men who had disrupted the advance earlier were now overcome with an "excess of enthusiasm," and were firing into Allabach's lines, attempting to dislodge the enemy behind the wall. Allabach tried to push his lines forward, in a second attempt to charge, but his horse was soon shot from under him, and he was left looking for another mount.
| Casualties | 123rd | 131st | 133rd | 155th | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Killed | 21 | 21 | 20 | 6 | 68 |
| Wounded | 131 | 132 | 137 | 58 | 458 |
| Missing | 0 | 24 | 27 | 4 | 55 |
| Total | 152 | 177 | 184 | 68 | 581 |
The second charge ended much like the first one, being driven back to their forward position and suffering numerous casualties. Humphreys brought up Brigadier General Erastus B. Tyler
Erastus B. Tyler
Erastus Bernard Tyler was an American businessman, merchant, and soldier. He was a general in the Union Army during the American Civil War and fought in many of the early battles in the Eastern Theater before being assigned command of the defenses of Baltimore, Maryland. He briefly commanded the...
's 1st Brigade, which met a similar fate. After Tyler had retired, Humphreys returned to Allabach, who was still in his forward position. Humphreys used the 123rd and 155th Pennsylvania to cover the 131st and 133rd as Allabach withdrew them to Hanover Street. When the rest of the brigade was re-formed, there was little light left and they spent the night on picket duty, with details being sent out to gather the dead and wounded.
The brigade remained in Fredericksburg until the 16th, when it re-crossed the Rappahannock and settled in winter quarters. Allabach, whose brigade suffered about 24% casualties, would claim that his "old boys got nearer the gates of hell than any other regiments engaged in that battle."
Chancellorsville
On January 31, 1863, the brigade moved to a camp nearer to Falmouth, designated as Camp Humphreys. It remained here on picket duty until April 28, when the army, now under General 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...
, was ordered to cross the Rappahannock once again, this time for the Chancellorsville campaign
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...
. Arriving on May 1, the brigade was positioned near the Chancellor House. Within minutes, the V Corps was attacked, and Allabach's brigade was ordered to the extreme left to begin fortifying.
On the 3rd, the brigade was moved to the right of the Union lines with the rest of the V Corps, under General George G. Meade. At this position, they were placed in support of artillery batteries and saw relatively little combat compared to their previous engagement. On the night of the 5th, the brigade retired to the United States Ford and assisted in the crossing of artillery trains.
Returning to Harrisburg after the battle, the 123rd, 131st, and 133rd were mustered out of service. The 155th, which had enlisted for three years, was assigned to the 3rd Brigade, 2nd Division, V Corps, and would be heavily engaged at 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...
less than two months later.
Postbellum
Allabach did not return to the service of the army following his muster out. In April 1876, Governor John F. HartranftJohn F. Hartranft
John Frederick Hartranft was the 17th Governor of Pennsylvania from 1873 to 1879 and a Union Major General who received the Medal of Honor for his actions during the American Civil War.-Early life and career:...
appointed Allabach as captain of Company E of the Centennial Guards, which he held during the Centennial Exposition
Centennial Exposition
The Centennial International Exhibition of 1876, the first official World's Fair in the United States, was held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, from May 10 to November 10, 1876, to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence in Philadelphia. It was officially...
. On June 1, 1879, he was appointed as Chief of the United States Capitol Police
United States Capitol Police
The United States Capitol Police is a federal police force charged with protecting the United States Congress within the District of Columbia and throughout the United States and its territories.-History:...
. This position was held until February 11, 1892, when, after having been ill for three weeks, he died at his home. Allabach was buried at Arlington National Cemetery
Arlington National Cemetery
Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington County, Virginia, is a military cemetery in the United States of America, established during the American Civil War on the grounds of Arlington House, formerly the estate of the family of Confederate general Robert E. Lee's wife Mary Anna Lee, a great...
.