The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1897-09-22
THE ls3d PENNSYLVANIA.
Hssty Sketch Of the Record of the Rsgi
ment Whose Survivors are With Us
To-day.
THEY FOUGHT LIKE BRAVE EEH.
Everett Republican.


from Johnstown and vicinity, r from
Ebensburg, Cambria county. q, III and |
| from Perry county, c and X from Bed
ford county, and ID and f from Somerset
| county.
On the 10Th of August the following
field officers were commissioned
Franklin B. Speakman, Colonel; Abra-
ham Copelin. of Johnstown. Lieutenant
Colonel; Edward NJ. Schrock, of Somerset
county, Major; James c. Noon, Of Ebens-
burg. was appointed Adjutant, John
Castner, of Bedford county WAS appoint
ed Qnartermaster. David ID. Kennedy, OF
Perry county. Surgeon of the regiment,
and a. j. Hartsock, of Johnstown, was
appointed Chaplain.
The Regiment consisted of ten full
companies. which gave it strength of
one thousand men. The companies were
commanded as follows.
Company A, Captain John Downey.
Company b, Captain Charles Butland.
Company C, Captain Alexander Bobb.
Company ID. Captain Amos Schrock.
Company T.. Captain George +. Baer.
Company Il, Captain John NJ. Jones.
Company q. Captain Wm. III. Schibley.
Company II, Captain David l.. Tressler
Company l. Captain Albert B. Demaree
Company X, Captain Samuel II. Tate.
The Regiment was made up of men
from almost every ayocatiOn in life, and
being from the mountain regions in
Pennsylvania, were nearly all accustom-
ed TO the use of firearms. The armies in
Virginia having met with disaster, they
made patriotic response to the call of
President Lincoln for volunteers to stem
the rebel tide then flowing North and
which threatened to eugulf the city of
Washington On completing the organi-
zation and equipment at Harrisburg the
Regiment WAS hurried forward to Wash
ington, where they reported TO General
Casey, who at once ordered them to Ar
lington Heights, Virginia, where the
regiment was brigaded with the l23d,
l3lst and l55th Pennsylvania Regiments.
Col. p. II. Allabach, of the ISIst, was plac-
ed in command OF the Brigade.
On the night of the Both OF August, 1862,
the Regiment was moved to the front,
where they did their first picket duty.
The army of General Pope was at this
time falling back on Washington from
Bull Ruiz. Il was on this occasion that
Major Schrock came near losing bis life.
L. J. Riley, of Company X, mistook him
for one of the enemy in the darkness, and
bursted a cap at him at distance of ten
feet. For the next two weeks they were
engaged in picket duty and in throwing
up intrenchments. On the 18th Of Sep
tember they moved to Washington with
the Brigade, which was thereafter known
as the Second Brigade, Third Division,
Fifth Army Corps, or Humphreys Di-
vision.
There they exchanged their new but
defective Austrian rifles for Springfield
muskets which used ball and buckshot
and is terribly destructive at short range.
The Regiments afterwards gave the rebel
brigades of Kershaw and Cobb a practi-
cal demonstration OF that fact at Freder-
icksburg. II gives one the nightmare yet TO
think about it. on the ith the Regiment
took up the line of march to meet in
Maryland the army of Lee, which was
threatening the borders of Pennsylvania.
on the morning of the 18th they arrived
on the battlefield of Antietam and at
once formed in line of battle and awaited
a renewal of the battle of the previous
day.
On the following morning the enemy
having stolen away without attempting
to seriously contest the ground further.
the Regiment moved forward over the
field covered with the dead and wounded
of both armies and went into camp near
Sharpsburg. on the Shepardstown road.
II remained there until the close of Octo-
ber. when the army moved once more
into Virginia, and the Fredericksburg
campaign was inaugurated under Bnrn-
side. For nearly month preceding the
battle of Fredericksburg the Regiment
was in camp near Falmouth, constantly
engaged in drill and preparations for
decisive engagement. Between two and
three o'clock on Saturday. the 18th of
Dec, the Regiment, with the other regi-
ments of the brigade. was ordered across
the river. The crossing was successfully
accomplished under a heavy artillery fire
from the enemy's batteries. The Bri-
gade advanced through Fredericksburg,
crossed the canal just outside of the town,
and, filing to the left, formed in line of
battle under cover OF low hill. KNAPP
sacks were unslung and biyone.s fixed.
In the formation of the Brigade in order
of battle, the l33d Regiment formed the
right of the front line and led the charge
on the stone wall and sunken road at the
base OF Marye's hill. The grand ai-
vance across that plain of death and the
brave determination with which they
held their ground in the face of over
whelming numbers in a strongly forti-
fed position for nearly an hoIr made
this one of the greatest charges in the his
tory Of modern warfare. The Regiment
gained position within fifty yards of the
stone wall and held it until they were
stampeded by the first brigade, (ryler'sl
which was sent To their support. Find
ing them all lying down among the dead
anu MouHlCbs a. SpthR OA
them said afterwards, that all were dead
or wounded, they stampeded, after firing
one vOlley. This stampede was quickly
followed by the wrecked 2l brigade,
(Allahach's.) General Humphreys and
staff made vain effort to prevent the
stampede; the General rode recklessly
among his men calling TO them To reform
and give the enemy the cold steel, but
they realized that all was lost, and fell
back in confusion, but reformed in line
of battle near the place where they had
formed for the charge an hour before.
Here the Regiment remained during the
most of the night, squads Icing sent out to
scour the field and bring in the wound
ed. At 3 o'clock on Sunday morning.
they were marched into the town, where
they received fresh supply of ammuni-
ton and were ag lin ordered to the field.
They were again formed on the same
ground where they had formed the day
before for their disastrous charge on the
stone wall. They were somewhat shell
tered by the low hill but exposed to the
enemy's fire. AT seven o'clock in the
evening they were ordered into Freder-
ieksburg, where they remained until
Tuesday morning, having been treated
to lively bombardment from the rebel
batteries on Marye's hill. When dark
ness set in on Monday night the retreat
of the army across the river commenced.
The 1881 was among the last regiments
a. .-o.a .oooh;ng tho north side af the