PA Civil War Volunteer Soldiers

53rd Pennsylvania Regiment

53rd PA Regiment Books

• We Might As Well Die Here: The 53rd Pennsylvania Veteran Volunteer Infantry
  The 53rd Pennsylvania was a fighting regiment in a fighting division of a fighting corps

53rd PA Regiment Organization, Service & Battles

Organization

• Organized at Harrisburg October, 1861.
• Left State for Washington, D.C., November 7.
• Attached to French's Brigade, Sumner's Division, Army Potomac, to March, 1862.
• 3rd Brigade, 1st Division, 2nd Army Corps, Army Potomac, to April, 1863.
• 4th Brigade, 1st Division, 2nd Army Corps, to June, 1865.

  Service & Battles - 1862

• Duty in the Defences of Washington and Alexandria till March, 1862.
• Advance on Manassas, Va., March 10-15.
• Ordered to the Virginia Peninsula. Siege of Yorktown April 5-May 4.
• Duty near Yorktown till June 12.
• Construction of Grape Vine Bridge over the Chickahominy May 28-30.
• Battle of Fair Oaks (Seven Pines) May 31-June 1.
• Seven days before Richmond June 25-July 1.
• Gaines Mill June 27. Peach Orchard and Savage Station June 29.
• White Oak Swamp Bridge and Glendale June 30.
• Malvern Hill July 1. T.
• Turkey Bend July 2.
• At Harrison's Landing till August 16.
• Movement to Fortress Monroe, thence to Alexandria and Centreville August 16-30.
• Assist in checking Pope's rout at Bull Run August 30, and cover retreat to Fairfax Court House, August 31-September 1.
• Maryland Campaign September 6-24.
• Battle of Antietam September 16-17.
• Duty at Bolivar Heights September 22-October 29.
• Reconnoissance to Charlestown October 16-17.
• Movement up Loudoun Valley and to Falmouth, Va., October 29-November 17.
• Snicker's Gap November 2.
• Manassas November 5-6.
• Battle of Fredericksburg December 12-15.

  Service & Battles - 1863

• Duty at Falmouth till April, 1863.
• Chancellorsville Campaign April 27-May 6.
• Battle of Chancellorsville May 1-5.
• Gettysburg (Pa.) Campaign June 13-July 24.
• Battle of Gettysburg, Pa., July 1-3.
• Funkstown, Md., July 12-13.
• Advance from the Rappahannock to the Rapidan September 13-17.
• Bristoe Campaign October 9-22.
• Auburn and Bristoe October 14.
• Advance to line of the Rappahannock November 7-8.
• Mine Run Campaign November 26-December 2.
• Payne's Farm November 27.
• Mine Run November 28-30.
• New Hope Church November 29.
• Regiment reenlisted December 27, 1863.

  Service & Battles - 1864

• Duty near Stevensburg till April, 1864.
• Demonstration on the Rapidan February 6-7.
• Rapidan Campaign May 4-June 12.
• Battles of the Wilderness May 5-7;
• Spottsylvania Court House May 8-21;
• Po River May 10.
• Assault on the Salient May 12.
• North Anna River May 23-26.
• On line of the Pamunkey May 26-28.
• Totopotomoy May 28-31.
• Cold Harbor June 1-12.
• Before Petersburg June 16-18.

  Service & Battles - 1865

• Siege of Petersburg June 16, 1864, to April 2, 1865.
• Weldon Railroad June 22-23, 1864.
• Demonstration north of the James at Deep Bottom July 27-29 and August 13-20.
• Strawberry Plains, Deep Bottom, August 14-18.
• Ream's Station August 25.
• Reconnoissance to Hatcher's Run December 9-10.
• Dabney's Mills, Hatcher's Run, February 5-7, 1865.
• Watkins, House, Petersburg, March 25.
• March 28-April 9.
• Boydton Plank Road, Hatcher's Run, March 31.
• White Oak Road March 31.
• Fall of Petersburg April 2.
• Sutherland Station April 2.
• Sailor's Creek April 6.
• High Bridge, Farmville, April 7.
• Appomattox Court House April 9.
• Surrender of Lee and his army.
• March to Washington, D.C., May 2-12..
• Grand Review May 23.
• Mustered out June 30, 1865.

  Regimental Losses

• Regiment lost during service 5 Officers and 195 Enlisted men killed and mortally wounded and 1 Officer and 193 Enlisted men by disease. Total 394.