PA Civil War > Regiments > 56th

56th Pennsylvania Regiment

Recruited in the city of Philadelphia, Wayne County, Indiana County, Luzerne County, Centre County, Centre county, Schuylkill county, Susquehanna County, PA.


55th PA Regiment Newspaper Transcription

  • Miner' Journal - 1865
    A record of the names of the sons of Schuylkill who died that their country might live....



56th PA Regiment Companies




56th PA Regiment Organization, Service & Battles

    Organization
  • Organized at Camp Curtin, Harrisburg, March 7, 1862.
  • Left State for Washington, D.C., March 8.
  • Attached to Defences of Washington to May, 1862.
  • Doubleday's Brigade, Dept. of the Rappahannock, to June, 1862.
  • 2nd Brigade, 3rd Division, 3rd Corps, Army of Virginia, to September, 1862.
  • 2nd Brigade, 1st Division, 1st Army Corps, Army of the Potomac, to March, 1864.
  • 3rd Brigade, 2nd Division, 5th Array Corps, Army Potomac, to September, 1864.
  • 3rd Brigade, 3rd Division, 5th Army Corps, to July, 1865.
    Service & Battles - 1862
  • Duty at Fort Albany, Defences of Washington, till April 4, 1862,
  • And at Budd's Ferry till April 24.
  • At Aquia Creek Landing till May 10.
  • Guard railroad bridge at Potomac Creek May 21-27.
  • (Five Companies moved to Belle Plains May 10.)
  • Guard duty near Fredericksburg till August 9.
  • Pope's Campaign in Northern Virginia August 16-September 2.
  • Battles of Gainesville August 28;
  • Groveton August 29; Bull Run August 30.
  • Maryland Campaign September 6-24.
  • Battles of South Mountain September 14;
  • Antietam September 16-17.
  • Duty on the battlefield of Antietam till October 20.
  • (Co. "A" at Fairfax October 20-30.)
  • At Bakersville October 20-30. Movement to Falmouth, Va., October 30-November 19.
  • Union, Va., November 2-3.
  • Battle of Fredericksburg December 12-15.
    Service & Battles - 1863
  • Burnside's 2nd Campaign, "Mud March," January 20-24, 1863.
  • At Falmouth and Belle Plains till April 27, 1863.
  • Chancellorsville Campaign April 27-May 6.
  • Operations at Pollock's Mill Creek April 29-May 2.
  • Fitzhugh's Crossing April 29-30.
  • Chancellorsville May 2-5.
  • Brandy Station and Beverly Ford June 9. Gettysburg (Pa.) Campaign June 11-July 24.
  • Battle of Gettysburg, Pa., July 1-3.
  • Pursuit of Lee July 5-24.
  • Duty on line of the Rappahannock till October.
  • Bristoe Campaign October 9-22.
  • Advance to line of the Rappahannock November 7-8.
  • Mine Run Campaign November 26-December 2.
    Service & Battles - 1864
  • Demonstration on the Rapidan February 6-7, 1864.
  • On Veteran furlough March 10-April 17.
  • Rapidan Campaign May 4-June 12.
  • Battles of the Wilderness May 5-7;
  • Laurel Hill May 8;
  • Spottsylvania May 8-12;
  • Spottsylvania Court House May 12-21.
  • Assault on the Salient May 12.
  • North Anna River May 23-26.
  • Jericho Ford May 25.
  • Totopotomoy May 28-31.
  • Cold Harbor June 1-12.
  • Bethesda Church June 1-3.
  • Before Petersburg June 16-18.
    Service & Battles - 1865
  • Siege of Petersburg June 16, 1864, to April 2, 1865.
  • Mine Explosion, Petersburg, July 30, 1864 (Reserve).
  • Weldon Railroad August 18-21.
  • Poplar Springs Church September 29-October 2.
  • Boydton Plank Road, Hatcher's Run, October 27-28.
  • Warren's Raid on Weldon Railroad December 7-12.
  • Dabney's Mills, Hatcher's Run, February 5-7, 1865.
  • Appomattox Campaign March 28-April 9.
  • Lewis Farm near Gravelly Run March 29.
  • Boydton and White Oak Road March 31.
  • Five Forks April 1.
  • Fall of Petersburg April 2. 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 at Philadelphia, Pa., July 1, 1865.
    Regimental Losses
  • Regiment lost during service 7 Officers and 111 Enlisted men killed and mortally wounded and 1 Officer and 96 Enlisted men by disease. Total 215.



56th PA Regiment Medal of Honor Recipients

  • JENNINGS, JAMES T. Private, Company K, 56th Pennsylvania Infantry. Entered service at: Bucks County, Pa. Birth: England. Citation: Capture of flag of 55th North Carolina Infantry (C.S.A.) at Weldon Railroad, Va., 20 August 1864. Date of issue: 1 December 1864.