Peter H . Allabach Peter Hollingshead Allabach ( September 9 , 1824 - February 11 , 1892 ) was an officer in the Union Army during the American Civil War . Early life and career . Allabach was born in Wilkes - Barre , Pennsylvania 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 . Civil War . On August 16 , 1862 , Allabach was commissioned as Colonel 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 After the Confederate Army had withdrawn , the brigade was assigned to picket duty along the Potomac River .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 . Postbellum . Allabach did not return to the service of the army following his muster out . In April 1876 , Governor John F . Hartranft 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 .