Bedford inquirer. [volume] (Bedford, Pa.) 1857-1884, 1866-02-09

ture. that adeuuatep provision might be made
to enable me to render the military power of
j the State as available and efficient as IL
i should be, for the common defence of the
4 State and the General Government; and
j accordingly, on the 20th of April, 1861,
issued my proclamation, calling for meet
ing of the General assembly; on the Both OF
the same month.
In my message to the Legislature at its
opening, recommended the immediate or
ganization, diseiplining and arming of at
least fifteen regiments, exclusive OF those
called into the service of the United States.
| The Legislature acted promptly upon this
suggestion. and made full provlsieRs tor Its
| effecYnal accempishinant- The 'fessnh was
the early and complete organization, clothing
and equipment of the Pennsylvania Reserve
| VolunteerC Corps, with its thirteen regiments
of infantry, one of light artillery and one of
cavalry, under the supervision of George A.
| M'Call, who was selected to command it,
with the commission and rank of Major
General. This corps contained Is, $50 men,
and the whole expense of raising, clothing,
equipping, subsisting and paying them,
until their entry into the United States ser
vice, was 1856, ,443 81. They were emcam-
! ped in different parts of the State, except
two of the regiments commanded by Colo
nels Chas. j Biddle and Seneca q. Sim
mons, and two batteries of artillery, under
the command of Colonel Charles I. Camp
bell, which, at the request of the War De-
partment, were sent on the 22d of June,
1861, to the relief of Colonel Wallace, at
Cumberland Maryland and remained for
about six weeks there, and in Western Nir
ginia, engaged Ii active operations Towards
the close Of July the whole corps was called
70. faI~ into hd
service of the United States. Within four
| days after the disaster at Bull Run, eleven
regiments, in all respects ready for active
service, were in Washington and Balti-
more.
The troops sent to Western Virginia were
| recalled, and with the other two regiments
of the crops, forwarded to Washington.
On the Goth of July, 1861, the Secretary
of War expressed his qualification and
thanks for the prompt response from Penn
sylvania.
The wisdom of the Legislature in provi-
ing for the formation of this corps, for the
/ interests of the State and the Nation, was
fully shown by subsequent events. Most of
! the men who filed its ranks had been accep-
| ted by me under the call for twenty-five
regiments, which was afterwards rescinded.
| They had left their families and homes
under a deep sense of duty to their country,
and to have sent them back unaccepted
| would have caused serious difficulty in max
| ing future enlistments.
/ By acts of Congress of 22d and 25th Ju-
| ly, 1861, the President was authorized to
call upon the several States for volunteers
TO serve for three years. Under this au
thority acquisitions were made on this State
and fourteen regiments were promptly fur
| nished In the meantime authorities had
| been granted by the President and the War
/ Department to a number of individuals to
raise regiments Id different parts of the
| State, which seriously interfered with the
| action of the State authorities in filling re-
qu sitions regularly made under the acts of
| Congress-
The embalrassments arising from this
conflict of authorities became at length so
serious that | was constrained to call the at
tention of the President aud Secretary of
War to the subject, by communication,
dated the lst Of August 1861, and ON the
26th of September following, an order was
issued requiring these independent regi-
ments to report to the Governor, and plac-
ing them under his authority and control.
Acting under this order, many of the indie
pendent regiments were filed up, others
consolidated, AMI seventy three regiments,
with an aggregate strength of S9,04S men,
were promptly sent forward.
During the year 1862 draft was ordered
by the General Government, which was ex-
ecuted under the State authorities.
OF the quota of the State, under the call
of July 7, 1862, forty-three regiments of
ofvolunteers, aggregating 40. 383 men, were
put into service, and under the draft, order
ed August 4th of the same year, fifteen reg
iments, containing an aggregate force of 49,
600 men, organized and sent forward. Dur
ing the same period nine independent bat
teries of artillery were organized in the
State, with an aggregate strenth Of 1858
officers and men.
1t will be remembered that the ardor and
promptuess of our people, under such try
ing circumstances, In pressing the troops
forward, was such as to call from the Presi-
dent especial thanks and to request me to
express them to the people of the State
During the year 1868, forty-three thous-
and and forty-six men were furnished for
the service, principally to fill regiments in
the field which had been reduced by the ex-
igencies of the war.
During the year 1864, under the various
calls of the General Government, thirty two
regiments, two battallions and eight unat-
tached companies of different arms of the
service and for various periods, were or
ganized and sent to the field, aggregrating,
with the re-enlistments in the field, amoun-
ting to II SIC, an aggregate force of 81, 704
men, furnished for that year.
0nmy suggestion the policy of consoli-
dating our reduced regiments, and filling
them up by the assignment of new compan,
les was adopted, and in 1865, under this sys-
TEN, besides organizing three entire new
regiments, seventy-6ve companies were as
signed to reduced regiments, by which they
were again filed to the regimental standard
These three new regiments and seventy-fve
companies, with volunteer recruits for regi
ments in the ield, reported by the superin
tendents of that service, amounted, IN the
aggregate, to 100 men for this year.
In the month of September, 1862, aftel
the second disaster of Bull Run, it became
evident that the enemy had adopted an ag
gressive policy, and was about to invade the
: Northein States through Maryland and the
southern border of Pennsylvania Unde
the sanction of the President OF the United
States, on the llth day of that month, | is
sued my proclamation, calling to immediate
service fifty thousand of the freemen of thi
, State. Und sr this call twenty FIVE regi
: ments and four companies of infantry, four
} teen unattach I'd companies of cavalry, ant
J four batteries of artillery were immediatel,
: organized and sent to the border, the great
r er portion advancing beyond the State lln'
into MARYLAND. General John T. Reynolds
| Il 4 Il, . ha 1.-Two