118th Pennsylvania Infantry The 118th Pennsylvania Regiment was a volunteer infantry regiment in the Union Army during the American Civil War . They participated in several major conflicts during the war including the Battle of Gettysburg , Siege of Petersburg , and escorted the truce flag of Robert E . Lee at the Battle of Five Forks . The regiment was led by Colonel Charles Prevost until he was seriously injured at the Battle of Shepherdstown in which Lieutenant - Colonel James Gwyn assumed command until the end of the war . It was also known as the Corn Exchange Regiment because a bounty of $ 10 for each man , as well as the funds necessary for raising the regiment , were furnished by the Corn Exchange Association with their hall at 2nd and Gold Streets in Philadelphia . History . The regiment initially rendezvoused at Camp Union at Philadelphia , where it was mustered into Federal service on August 30 , 1862 , for a three - year term . The field officers were Charles M . Provost as colonel , James Gwyn as lieutenant colonel and Charles P . Herring as major . The regiment was ordered at once to Washington , D . C . , as part of the Army of the Potomac . Assigned to the 1st Brigade , 1st Division , V Corps , it reached Antietam on September 16 , but was held in reserve during the ensuing engagement . At Blackford ' s Ford , near Shepherdstown , it saw its first fight on September 20 , and lost 282 men out of a strength of 800 . Several officers were among those killed or wounded . A number drowned in the Potomac River trying to escape from a sudden counterattack by the division of A . P . Hill . Colonel Provost was made brevet brigadier general for gallantry in this battle . ( As of 2004 , the Shepherdstown Battlefield was threatened by development . ) On September 30 , 1863 , James Gwyn was officially promoted commander of the regiment holding the rank of Brevet Brigadier General . The regiment moved south in early November and took part in the Battle of Fredericksburg , where it joined in the assault on Marye ' s Heights and suffered severely . During the infamous " Mud March " in January , 1863 , the 118th was involved in a riot , fueled by a whiskey ration , with two other units , the 22nd Massachusetts and the 2nd Maine . The men of the 118th PA and the 22nd MA came to blows after accusations flew that the Massachusetts regiment failed to support the Pennsylvanians at Shepherdstown . Somehow , the 2nd Maine became involved and a 3 regiment free - for - all ensued , fizzling out only after the participants became exhausted . After the " Mud March " , the 118th returned to camp at Falmouth , which it occupied until April 27 , 1863 . It was closely engaged at the Battle of Chancellorsville , again suffering considerable casualties . The 118th was in camp at Falmouth until June 10 when the Army of the Potomac commenced its northward movement for the Gettysburg Campaign . The Corn Exchange Regiment acted as support in the cavalry engagements of Aldie , Upperville and Middleburg . The regiment reached Gettysburg early on July 2 , 1863 . At four o ' clock that afternoon , the 118th went into action in support of Maj . Gen . Daniel Sickles ' III Corps and was closely engaged , losing 3 killed , 19 wounded , and 3 missing or captured . On the 3rd , the regiment was moved to Big Round Top , where it remained without engagement . Following the battle , it then joined in the pursuit of the retreating Confederates and encountered the enemy on July 4 . At camp in Warrenton in August and September , about 300 recruits were received . After participating in the Mine Run campaign , the regiment went into winter quarters at Beverly Ford . On May 1 , 1864 , it started for the Wilderness , where it was engaged . It also fought at Spotsylvania Court House , the North Anna River , Mechanicsville , Totopotomoy Creek , and Petersburg . During the siege of Petersburg , the 118th remained in the trenches until August 15 . It then joined in the movement upon the Wilmington and Weldon Railroad , was posted near Yellow House in September , and joined in the Hatcher ' s Run movement in October , the raid on the Weldon Railroad in December , and the engagement at Dabney ' s Mill in February 1865 . On April 1 , it participated in the Battle of Five Forks and continued the pursuit to Appomattox Court House , where its brigade received the arms and flags of General Robert E . Lee ' s army . On April 15 , the regiment started for Washington , D . C . , where it was mustered out on June 1 , 1865 . The late - 1864 recruits were transferred to the 91st Pennsylvania Infantry . Legacy . A group based in the United Kingdom currently represents Company C and belongs to the American Civil War Society . Their website can be found here The 103rd Engineer Combat Battalion of the 28th Division , Pennsylvania National Guard , traces a lineage back through the 118th Pennsylvania Infantry . References . 5 . Philadelphia Inquirer , January 28 , 1863 , page 4 . http : / / www . genealogybank . com / gbnk / newspapers / ? sort = _ rank _ % 3AD & lname = % 22corn + exchange + association % 22 & fname = & minit = & kwinc = & kwexc = & formDate = 1862 + - + 1865 & processingtime = & ploc1 = Pennsylvania 6 . Philadelphia Inquirer , January 29 , 1862 , page 8 . http : / / www . genealogybank . com / gbnk / newspapers / ? sort = _ rank _ % 3AD & lname = % 22corn + exchange + association % 22 & fname = & minit = & kwinc = & kwexc = & formDate = 1862 + - + 1865 & processingtime = & ploc1 = Pennsylvania 7 . Philadelphia Inquirer , February 1 , 1865 , page 4 . http : / / www . genealogybank . com / gbnk / newspapers / ? sort = _ rank _ % 3AD & lname = % 22corn + exchange + association % 22 & fname = & minit = & kwinc = & kwexc = & formDate = 1862 + - + 1865 & processingtime = & ploc1 = Pennsylvania