53rd Pennsylvania Infantry The 53rd Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry was a volunteer infantry regiment in the Union Army during the American Civil War . History . Formation . The regiment was organized at Camp Curtin in Harrisburg , Pennsylvania , in the summer of 1861 , with John R . Brooke , of Pottstown , Montgomery County , was commissioned colonel on August 21 . Brooke had previously served as a captain in the three - month 4th Pennsylvania Infantry , and he immediately commenced recruiting his own regiment . By late September , the first companies had been organized and the first company was mustered into the service of the United States on September 28 at Camp Curtin . Ten companies were eventually formed , raised in the following counties : Richard McMichael of Berks County was commissioned lieutenant colonel , Thomas Yeager of Lehigh County major , and Charles P . Hatch of Philadelphia was appointed adjutant . While at Harrisburg , the regiment performed provost guard duty in the city . On November 7 , the 53rd moved to Washington and encamped north of the Capitol before crossing the Potomac River on the 27th , and went into camp near Alexandria . Here , the regiment was assigned to the brigade of Brigadier General William H . French in General William Sumner ' s division of the newly organized Army of the Potomac . The regiment participated in the general advance of the army under Irwin McDowell toward Manassas Junction in March 1862 , which had been evacuated by Confederate forces on the 12th . On March 21 , Brooke ' s command supported General Oliver O . Howard ' s Philadelphia Brigade in its reconnaissance to Warrenton Junction and beyond to the Rappahannock River . The regiment remained near the junction until ordered to return to Manassas on March 23 and then back to Alexandria . Upon the re - organization of the army that spring , French ' s brigade was designated as the Third Brigade in the First Division , II Corps . General Sumner having moved up to corps command ; the division was now commanded by General Israel B . Richardson . First battles in Virginia . The II Corps was transferred with the army to the Peninsula to take part in Major General George McClellan ' s drive on Richmond . The first action the regiment took part in was during the Siege of Yorktown , with the 53rd being held in reserve . The regiment briefly took part in the pursuit of the Confederate army before being ordered back to Yorktown on May 6 . During the advance on Richmond which following the siege , the Fifty - third assisted engineers in constructing the famous " grapevine bridge " across the Chickahominy River , from May 28 to the 30th . The Fifty - third ' s first major battle was at the Battle of Fair Oaks on June 1 , 1862 . Sent into the middle of the battle , the regiment was temporarily disorganized , but was still able to drive back the Confederates . Ninety - six men killed , wounded , and missing during the battle , including Major Yeager , who was killed . The 53rd fought during the Seven Days Battles , which began on June 27 , when Confederate forces attacked the V Corps near Gaines ' Mill . Richardson ' s division was rushed forward to the corps ' assistance , crossing the Chickahominy and came under fire of Confederate artillery and infantry . Forming in line of battle , the division covered the Union withdrawal and at midnight re - crossed the Chickahominy . The regiment fought again at the Battle of Savage ' s Station on June 29 in order to protect Union supplies and wounded near the railroad station . After a short fight , the Confederates withdrew and the retreat was resumed at midnight , French ' s brigade acting as rearguard for the corps . At daylight the regiment reached White Oak Creek and rejoined the corps . The regiment was assisting in the destruction to a bridge when Confederate skirmishers appeared and opened fire on the Union troops . A number of Confederate batteries opened fire on the Union lines , though did little damage . Although not seriously engaged , the regiment lost several men wounded . The regiment withdrew with its brigade soon after midnight and marched to Malvern Hill , arriving on the morning of July 1 . Though constantly under artillery fire throughout the Battle of Malvern Hill , no further loses were inflicted on the regiment . The 53rd camped with the corps near Harrison ' s Landing on the James River until August 16 . While here , the 64th New York was temporarily attached to the regiment for drill , discipline , and camp duty , all under command of Major Octavius S . Bull , promoted to fill the vacancy left by the death of Yeager . Brooke was placed in temporary command the brigade at this time , since General French who was ill . McMichael took a temporary leave due to sickness , one of over a hundred men of the regiment who suffered from illnesses during the campaign . On August 16 , the regiment marched to Newport News where it embarked for Alexandria , arriving on the 28th and camping next day near the Aqueduct Bridge . On the 30th , the brigade marched to Centreville , where it was deployed to protect the exposed flanks of the Union army in its retreat from Bull Run . It was near Vienna , Virginia , that the 53rd and one section of a battery were placed on the Leesburg Turnpike to guard the flank of the column . Suddenly , Confederate cavalry appeared and charged upon the Union column between the pike and Chain Bridge , separating the 53rd from the main column . Recognizing the danger , Colonel Brooke immediately rushed his regiment down the pike to rejoin the last of the column before their retreat was cut off . Soon after the battle , General French left the brigade to take command of the Third Division , II Corps , leaving Brooke in command of the brigade , a post he would hold off and on for the remainder of the war . Immediately thereafter , the Army of the Potomac moved towards western Maryland in response to the Confederate invasion . The Second Corps moved to Frederick , Maryland , and thence to South Mountain , where the regiment was held in reserve during the Battle of South Mountain on September 14 . The next day it skirmished during the morning with Confederate cavalry near Boonsboro and Keedysville . On September 17 , the II Corps was moved to the Union right to support the Union I Corps during the Battle of Antietam . General Richardson formed his division in lines of battle on the Roulette Farm , with the Fifty - third placed on the extreme right of the division , to the west of the Miller cornfield . Not quite a half mile ahead of the division was a " sunken road " occupied by a North Carolina brigade and an Alabama brigade , with a second line placed behind a stone wall on a slight ridge that covered the road and open approaches . Initial charges on the road met with disaster , including the mortal wounding of General Richardson . Finally the order came for French ' s brigade to move up and charge the enemy position . The Fifty - third charged towards the sunken road , driving back a dense skirmish line and falling upon the collapsing Confederate center . Further penetration beyond the road could not be accomplished . The Fifty - third was ordered to the support of a battery in a nearby orchard , where they remained for the rest of the day under constant artillery fire . Twenty - eight men of the regiment were killed and wounded at this battle . Fredericksburg to Gettysburg . On September 22 , the regiment forded the Potomac River at Harper ' s Ferry and encamped on the following day on Bolivar Heights , where new shoes and clothing were given to the men to replace the clothing worn since the previous winter . On October 16 , 1862 , the regiment was sent on a reconnaissance to Charlestown , reaching the town before evening and capturing some prisoners before returning to Bolivar Heights . On October 30 , the division crossed the Shenandoah River and proceeded down the Loudoun Valley , skirmishing with Confederate troops at Snicker ' s Gap on November 4 . Here , Major General Ambrose Burnside assumed command of the Army of the Potomac and the movement upon Fredericksburg was begun . The Fifty - third marched to Falmouth where it arrived on November 19 and performed provost guard duty until December 11 . It then took up a position opposite Fredericksburg in support of Union batteries engaged in the bombardment of the town . Early the next morning , the regiment crossed the Rappahannock River and formed a skirmish line to drive rebel sharpshooters out of the city . One soldier was mortally wounded during the street fighting , before the 53rd was relieved and rested for the night on the river bank . Early on the morning of Saturday , December 13 , the regiment marched through the fog into the streets of Fredericksburg and halted for an hour under Confederate artillery fire from Marye ' s Heights , west of the city where the Battle of Fredericksburg had begun . The brigade , commanded by Colonel Samuel K . Zook , rushed up St . Charles Street and formed in line of battle on the edge of town . The regiment reportedly got within 60 yards of the stone wall . Despite suffering heavy casualties and running low on ammunition , Brooke held his position , withdrawing back into the city after nightfall . The 53rd lost 39 killed and 119 wounded in the battle out of 283 officers and men . The regiment wintered at Falmouth and did not to take part in the Mud March that January . Three companies under command of Major Bull were detailed as provost guard at division headquarters and the major assigned to the staff of General Couch . Bull remained at Second Corps headquarters successively with subsequent corps commanders until May 1864 . After the appointment of Major General Joseph Hooker to army command , the 1st Division was divided into four brigades , with the Fourth commanded by Colonel Brooke and including the 53rd Pennsylvania , 27th Connecticut , 2nd Delaware , 145th Pennsylvania , and 64th New York . On April 28 , the Union Army began the Chancellorsville Campaign , crossing the Rappahannock River at United States Ford and moving into the Wilderness . The regiment was actively engaged on the skirmish line during the Battle of Chancellorsville , at one point in support of a battery near the Chancellor House with the 2nd Delaware and 145th Pennsylvania . One officer and several enlisted men were wounded by Confederate artillery fire , but the regiment stayed until ordered to withdraw . During the retreat , several men from the regiment manage to drag two guns from the battery three miles to the ford over the river . The Fifty - third remained on the battlefield until May 5 when , with the Irish Brigade , Brooke ' s brigade acted as a rear guard while the army withdrew . Losses for the regiment during the campaign were one officer and seven men wounded , with three missing and presumed captured . The Second Corps returned to their old winter camps near Falmouth , where they remained until June 14 when the Fifty - third left camp and marched to Banks ' Ford to observe Confederate movement westward . Having found that the Confederate columns had passed , the Fifty - third moved with the army northward , including a forced march to Thoroughfare Gap on June 20 . Here the regiment remained on picket until the 25th when the enemy attacked , driving in the outposts and forcing the command to withdraw . Luckily the corps had passed through the gap hours earlier and the regiment soon rejoined its division as they crossed the Potomac River and marched to the vicinity of Frederick , Maryland . General Hooker was removed from command on June 28 , and was replaced by Major General George G . Meade , who sent the army northward the next day to find Lee and draw him into battle . The Battle of Gettysburg started on July 1 . The Fifty - third marched from an overnight bivouac near Taneytown , Maryland , on July , arriving on the battlefield well after midnight . At eight o ' clock on the morning of the 2nd , the division , commanded by General John C . Caldwell , moved to a position on Cemetery Ridge , forming the left wing of the Second Corps and connecting with the III Corps , which also formed along the ridge line . Around 5 P . M . , Caldwell ' s Division was ordered to move south to support the First Division of the III Corps and shore up the battered line that ran through the Wheatfield . The division marched down a narrow farm lane to the north side of the field , where it was formed into battle lines and the brigades sent in one by one to stop the Confederates . Brooke ' s Brigade was ordered to fill the gap in the division center and charged into the center of the wheat field where the men were met with a destructive fire of musketry , but still managed to drive back the Confederates . The brigade was able to hold back two waves of Confederates counterattack s , but with no support in sight and discovering enemy troops moving upon the rear of the brigade position , Brooke reluctantly ordered his men to retire to their first position . Re - entering the wheat field , the Union ranks were suddenly swept by Confederate fire from a fresh brigade newly arrived on the field . On July 3 , the regiment was under a heavy artillery fire but not actively engaged . The regiment was reduced in numbers going into this battle with three companies being still on detached duty at division headquarters , and the remainder having only 124 officers and men . Six men were killed during the battle , sixty - seven wounded , one missing , and six captured . Colonel Brooke was also wounded in the retreat from the wheat field . Command of the regiment passed to Lt . Colonel McMichael . On the afternoon of July 5 , the regiment marched in pursuit of the retreating Confederates , arriving at Jones ' Cross Roads near Confederate positions near Hagerstown , on July 11 . The regiment advanced in line that evening after driving back enemy skirmishers to their main line , the regiment threw up breastworks . On the 14th it was deployed in line at right angles to the Williamsport Road and advanced cautiously only to discover the rebel works vacant , the southerners having crossed the Potomac River the evening before , back into Virginia . After remaining for a few days in Pleasant Valley , the Second Corps crossed the Potomac and marched down the Loudoun Valley to Ashby ' s and Manassas Gaps , passed White Plains , New Baltimore , and Warrenton and arrived on August 1 at Morrisville where it went into camp . During the Bristoe Campaign , the Fifty - third was engaged at the Battle of Bristoe Station . It also participated in the Mine Run Campaign . Ordered into winter quarters at Stevensburg , most of the regiment re - enlisted and on December 27 , proceeded to Harrisburg for a veteran furlough , after which the regiment returned to Virginia and again camped near Stevensburg for the remainder of the winter . Overland Campaign . In April 1864 , the Second Corps was re - organized with the assimilation of the III Corps . The First Division , now commanded General Francis Barlow , reorganized its four brigades , the Fourth ( Brooke ' s ) joined by the 66th New York and 148th Pennsylvania . The corps ' Second Division absorbed regiments as well , so that the Third Corps regiments became the Third and Fourth Divisions , respectively commanded by generals David Birney and Gershom Mott . Colonel Brooke also returned to the regiment and again assumed command of the brigade . On May 4 , 1864 , the army crossed the Rapidan River at Ely ' s Ford to begin the Overland Campaign . The next day , the II corps moved toward Orange Court House where it was attacked in the Battle of the Wilderness . The Fifty - third was detached from the brigade to guard the corps ' wagon train until that afternoon when it marched to rejoin the division , in line behind earthworks constructed along the length of the Brock Road . On May 6 , the division moved out from its works and into the woods only to encounter an impassible swamp and concentrated enemy fire . The Fifty - third moved to the left approximately two miles and threw up breastworks before being recalled to the former position , where they were shifted again to the right to relieve the 19th Maine Infantry on the firing line . A massive Confederate charge by General James Longstreet ' s Corps was halted at the Union works , a portion of which went up in flames , but the line held . The Fifty - third rejoined the brigade just before nightfall but was quickly detached to report to the First Brigade for duty , where the men remained through another night . The 7th was spent in skirmishing and reinforcing the earthworks . The army moved southward , the Fifty - third marching at 6 A . M . on May 8 toward Spotsylvania Court House . At 5 P . M . on May 9 , Barlow ' s Division moved westward to the Po River and crossed where the advance was then blocked by a large Confederate force . Barlow attempted to shift his troops around the Confederates . McMichael was relieved of command due to illness , and Lt . Col . D . L . Stricker of the 2nd Delaware took command of both regiments that evening . The next day , the regiment was shifted around to various points along the line . After 1 P . M . , the regiment was ordered forward in line of battle , through a ravine and up to the crest of a hill . After fighting for an hour , the 53rd was forced to fall back . Unable to turn the Confederate position , Barlow withdrew across the Po River that afternoon , the regiment going into camp a half mile from the river . On the 11th , Grant ordered an attack on the " Mule Shoe " salient . The Fifty - third took part behind the captured works until all of its ammunition was used up and it was ordered to the rear after noon . For the remainder of the battle , the regiment constructed earthworks and skirmished with the Confederates . During this time , Colonel Brooke was promoted to brigadier general and Major Bull promoted to lieutenant colonel to replace McMichael , who was discharged due to illness on May 19 . Captain Henry S . Dimm was commissioned major on the 17th , but never formally mustered into the rank . ( Dimm mustered out of service due to wounds received in September 1864 and was replaced by Captain William M . Mintzer , promoted to major . ) On May 20 , the Second Corps marched southward from Spotsylvania , eventually reaching the North Anna River . Crossing on the 24th , the corps seized a ridge overlooking the river and southern lines , which was held until five o ' clock when the Fifty - third moved forward three - quarters of a mile and built breastworks . Confederate artillery shelled the position , but the regiment suffered no casualties . The position was abandoned on the 27th , when the regiment recrossed the North Anna and moved across the Pamunkey River to Totopotomy Creek . By June 2 , the corps had reached Cold Harbor , where it moved close up to the enemy ' s entrenched line and constructed breastworks that night . The regiment participated in the massive assault during the Battle of Cold Harbor the next day , suffering severe losses due to artillery and musket fire . Barlow ' s Division remained in their position , exchanging skirmish fire with the Confederates until the night of June 12 . Siege of Petersburg . The regiment crossed the Chickahominy River at Long Bridge , the James River on transports , and arrived on the morning of June 16 in front of Petersburg . The regiment formed line of battle on the left of the brigade , now commanded by Colonel Beaver of the 148th Pennsylvania , and moved forward with bayonets fixed . Rushing through a cornfield , the line was hit by Confederate artillery that staggered the formations . The line was ordered to halt and the men immediately began to dig earthworks using cups , plates , bayonets and their bare hands . At 6 P . M . , the order came for another attack on the Confederate line . The regiment lost approximately seventy men in the charge on the southern fort . Moving to the southeast in an attempt to flank the Confederate line , on the 22nd , an attempt was made to establish a new line which proved alike unsuccessful . The Fifty - third had advanced through a dense wood and formed a battleline when the Confederates moved on their flank and rear . Fortunately , the regiment was able to return to the former line of works but several men became separated from the command and were captured . The regiment ' s losses from June 15 to the 30th totaled ten killed , 33 wounded , and 56 captured or missing . Apart from a foray to Reams Station in mid - July , the regiment was busy with the building of entrenchments until July 26 , when the Fifty - third moved with the brigade to the right and north of the James River , to take part in the First Battle of Deep Bottom . It returned to the Petersburg siege lines until August 12 , when the command again returned to the left bank of the James where it was engaged with Confederate outposts at the Second Battle of Deep Bottom . On the 21st , the regiment re - crossed the James and the Appomattox Rivers and passing in rear of the army to the extreme left of the line , commenced demolishing the Weldon Railroad near Ream ' s Station . Five miles had already been destroyed when the Confederates attacked in force and a line of battle was hastily formed to repel his advance and protect the working parties . The first charge was repulsed , but the next charge struck with overpowering force and the line wavered . Exhaustion , illness and low morale all contributed to the near disaster for the Second Corps at the Second Battle of Ream ' s Station , forced to abandon the field and retire to the lines in front of Petersburg . During the autumn and winter months the regiment was engaged in severe duty in the front lines before the besieged city . On September 18 , Bull was promoted to colonel to replace McMichael , having been discharged . Mintzer was promoted to lieutenant colonel and became full colonel in November when Bull , exhausted and in poor health , mustered out of service . Captain Philip H . Shreyer was promoted to major , which he held when he , too , mustered out and was replaced by Captain George D . Pifer . Captain George C . Anderson was made lieutenant colonel . Appomattox Campaign . On March 29 , 1865 , the V Corps had been ordered to move westward around the strained southern lines toward Five Forks , a major crossroads that protected the vital South Side Railroad into Petersburg . The II Corps was ordered to support and connect with the V in its operations . The First Division , now commanded by Nelson A . Miles , mrched across Hatcher ' s Run to the Vaughn Road , where the brigade formed into a line of battle and advanced two miles , connecting with the V Corps . The advance continued the next morning , driving in Confederate skirmishers across Dabney ' s Mill Roadto the Boydton Plank Road before dark , where the men threw up breastworks and camped for the night . In the morning of March 31 , the troops relieved the V Corps in their line of earthworks and watched them advance into the dense woods ahead . As the Battle of Dinwiddie Court House progressed , Miles ordered the Fourth Brigade to form a line in the rear to halt the retreat of the V Corps , which the men did as directed . At 12 : 30 , Miles received orders to go to the relief of the V Corps , and ordered the Third and Fourth Brigades to do the job . They advanced across Licking Run and attacked the Confederates in their flank and rear , routing the Confederate battlelines and driving them to their earthworks above White Oak Road . Passing over the White Oak Road , Miles ' troops encountered Confederate works and halted , not being strong enough to capture them . The line was shifted to make connection with the rest of the corps that evening . The Fifty - third lost fifteen men killed , one man mortally wounded , two officers and 47 men wounded in the fight on the Boydton Plank Road . Pifer led the Fifty - third in this action , Mintzer having been placed temporarily in command of a detachment deployed to pin down a portion of the Confederate force . Returning to the Boydton Plank Road on the morning of April 1 , the Fifty - third Pennsylvania stood picket duty until that afternoon when the division marched to the Battle of Five Forks , arriving after the battle had ended . A general withdrawal from Richmond and Petersburg was ordered that evening by General Lee . On April 2 , the Fifty - third occupied abandoned Confederate works on the White Oak Road , and then marched in pursuit of the retreating force , confronting a dense line near Sutherland ' s Station . Miles sent forward two of his brigades , which could not break the southern line . Ramsey ' s Brigade was then sent on a flanking maneuver through a ravine and dense woods where it was massed and ordered forward at 2 : 45 , attacking the Confederates in the flank , capturing the breastworks and routing the remainder of the Confederate force . Six hundred prisoners , one battleflag , and two artillery pieces were captured by the division in the Battle of Sutherland ' s Station , at a cost of eight men wounded in the Fifty - third . The regiment participated in the pursuit of Lee ' s army toward Danville . On April 6 , the division marched from Jetersville following a Confederate column guarding a wagon train , which became trapped at the Battle of Sayler ' s Creek . The bulk of the wagon train was taken along with several hundred prisoners , the Fifty - third arriving on the field at the close of the battle . The regiment moved out the following morning , crossed the South Side Railroad near High Bridge and over the Appomattox River where they immediately formed line of battle to confront a Confederate rear guard . One man was killed and another wounded in the ensuing Battle of Cumberland Church , which netted over one hundred prisoners , along with supplies and equipment scattered on the Buckingham Road toward Farmville where the Fifty - third bivouacked for the night . For the next two days the regiment marched unopposed until the 9th , when about four miles from Appomattox Court House , it was announced that the Army of Northern Virginia had surrendered . The column halted and camped on the Buckingham Road . The Fifty - third Pennsylvania encamped for a short time near Burkeville , when the II Corps was ordered to Washington . On a forced march , the troops proceeded through Richmond , Fredericksburg , and to camps at Alexandria . On May 23 , the regiment participated in the Grand Review . In June , the regiment marched to take a train home to Harrisburg , where they bivouacked at Camp Curtin . For the success attained in this service , Colonel Mintzer was promoted brevet brigadier general and several other officers received brevet - promotions . With final inventories made and pay drawn , the 53rd Pennsylvania Infantry was formally mustered out of service on June 30 , 1865 . Reenactors . Currently , a group in Montgomery County , Pennsylvania represents Company A , while another group in Gettysburg , Pennsylvania represents Company C .