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11th Pennsylvania Infantry Regiment

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The 11th Pennsylvania Infantry Regiment was a Union army regiment that participated in the American Civil War. It had the distinction of being the oldest unit in continuous service from Pennsylvania.

11th Pennsylvania Infantry Regiment
ActiveApril 26, 1861 - July 1, 1865
CountryUnited States United States
AllegianceUnion
BranchUnited States Army
Union Army
TypeInfantry
Part ofArmy of the Potomac
Nickname(s)"The Bloody Eleventh"
Mascot(s)Sallie (dog)
EngagementsBattle of Hoke's Run
Battle of Bunker Hill (1861)
Battle of Cedar Mountain
Battle of Thoroughfare Gap
Second Battle of Bull Run
Battle of Antietam
Battle of Fredericksburg
Battle of Chancellorsville
Battle of Gettysburg
Battle of the Wilderness
Battle of Spotsylvania Court House
Battle of North Anna
Battle of Cold Harbor
Battle of Hatcher's Run
Siege of Petersburg
Battle of Five Forks
Appomattox Campaign
Commanders
Notable
commanders		Richard Coulter
Lieutenant Colonel John B. Johnson of Co. E, 11th Pennsylvania Infantry Regiment. From the Liljenquist Family Collection of Civil War Photographs, Prints and Photographs Division, Library of Congress

History

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The 11th Pennsylvania was recruited from several counties in Pennsylvania as a three-month regiment on April 26, 1861, and sent to Camp Curtin, Harrisburg for training and organization.[1] Phaon Jarrett served as its first colonel, with Richard Coulter as lieutenant colonel and William D. Earnest as major. It was assigned to Robert Patterson's Army of the Shenandoah. The regiment received the nickname "The Bloody Eleventh" at the Battle of Hoke's Run, Virginia, July 2, 1861.[2]

The 11th was reorganized as a three-year regiment in the August of the same year at Camp Curtin in Harrisburg. After a few weeks of drill, the regiment was given garrison duty at Annapolis, Maryland. In April, it was moved to Mannassas Junction, where it guarded the railroad. It was again transferred, this time to the Shenandoah Valley, in late May as part of Irvin McDowell's Corps. They fought in the Battles of Cedar Mountain and Second Bull Run.

After the Army of Virginia was merged into the Army of the Potomac, the reconstituted regiment became part of the I Corps. At Turner's Gap at the Battle of South Mountain, the 11th came under light fire only, losing two men wounded. At the Battle of Antietam three days later, it was heavily engaged on the Union right around the West Woods. In this battle, it lost 27 killed, 89 wounded, and two captured.

When the original three-year enlistment period expired in January 1864, many of the men re-enrolled in the regiment at the influence of Brig. Gen. Richard Coulter, a former colonel of the regiment. Because of this, the unit was designated "veteran volunteers." During the reorganization of the Army in the spring of 1864, the 11th became part of the V Corps, as the old I Corps had been disbanded, and surviving units transferred to the V Corps.[3]

The 11th fought in multiple battles in the Eastern Theater, including Second Bull Run, Antietam, Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, Grant's Overland Campaign, the Siege of Petersburg, and the Appomattox Campaign. It was mustered out on July 1, 1865.

 
Monument to the 11th Pennsylvania Infantry Regiment by Edward A. Kretschman (1849-1923) at the Battle of Gettysburg. It is located off Doubleday Avenue on Oak Ridge in the Gettysburg National Military Park, Gettysburg, PA, USA. The location is near the right flank of the First Corps on July 1, 1863. Note the inclusion of the regimental mascot, Sallie (see info at left).

A total of 1,890 men served in the regiment during the war, and only 340 men were discharged at war's end.

Among the numerous casualties was one that would stand out as an undying remembrance of the unit and its loyalty to the cause. The regiment's beloved mascot, Sallie Ann Jarrett, "a brindle, bull-terrier"[4]> similar to today's American Staffordshire Terrier, traveled everywhere with the unit. "Sallie" was said to have hated three things — Rebels, Democrats, and Women.[5] Her loyalty was undying, for at Gettysburg, after the battle on the First Day was over, Sallie, tired and hungry, ambled out to where her brave comrades had fought and died. She lay down with the dead, until she was found, weak and close to death herself, on July 4, 1863. Her friends nursed her back to health, and she fought with the unit in every battle until she was mortally wounded at Hatcher's Run in February 1865. Although under a "murderous fire,"[4] several of the men gave her a proper burial where she fell. Never forgetting the most devoted member of their regiment, in 1890 the veterans of the 11th forever memorialized her by placing her bronze likeness on their monument on Oak Ridge in the Gettysburg National Military Park.

Casualties:

  • Killed and mortally wounded: 12 officers, 224 enlisted men, 1 dog
  • Wounded: ? officers, ? enlisted men
  • Died of disease: 4 officers, 177 enlisted men
  • Captured or missing: ? officers, ? enlisted men
  • Total casualties: ? officers, ? enlisted men

Notable members

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The 11th Pennsylvania was commanded for most of its service by Colonel Richard Coulter.

Two of the regiment's men were awarded the Medal of Honor, both for capturing battle flags. Private George W. Reed[6][7][8][9][i] earned his at the Battle of Globe Tavern on August 21, 1864, and Sergeant Hiram H. De Lavie[10][11][12][13][ii] at the Battle of Five Forks on April 1, 1865.

William Henry Locke, the regimental chaplain, later wrote a history of the 11th Pennsylvania.

Reenactors

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Company A, 11th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, is based in central Pennsylvania. A family oriented authentic progressive unit and part of 4th Regiment, Federal Volunteer Brigade.

See also

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Footnotes

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  1. ^ George W. Reed (1831 – December 21, 1906) was captured during the Battle of Globe Tavern by a group of soldiers, including a color bearer, from the 24th North Carolina Infantry. When it became clear that the Confederates were lost, Reed convinced them to give him back his weapon and surrender themselves to him. They agreed, and he led them to the Union lines as his prisoners.
  2. ^ Hiram H. De Lavie (1824 – 1902) captured some Confederate colors during the Battle of Five Forks.

Citations

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  1. ^ Dyer (1908), p. 1581; Gibbs (2002), pp. xvii, 5–9.
  2. ^ & Gimbel, Blue & Gray, Sep 2005.
  3. ^ PA-Roots.com (2005).
  4. ^ a b Bates (1875), p. 1103.
  5. ^ 11th PVI Co K, Sallie (2009).
  6. ^ Sightline Media Group, Delavie (2020).
  7. ^ VCOnline, Delavie (2020).
  8. ^ CMOHS, Delavie (2014).
  9. ^ The National Medal of Honor Museum Foundation, Delavie (2020).
  10. ^ Sightline Media Group, Reed (2020).
  11. ^ VCOnline, Reed (2020).
  12. ^ CMOHS, Reed (2014).
  13. ^ The National Medal of Honor Museum Foundation, Reed (2020).

References

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  • Bates, Samuel Penniman (1875). Martial Deeds of Pennsylvania (1st ed.). Philadelphia, PA: T.H. Davis & Co. p. 1103. LCCN 02015898. OCLC 708494892. Retrieved August 8, 2015.
  • Dyer, Frederick Henry (1908). A Compendium of the War of the Rebellion (PDF). Des Moines, IA: Dyer Pub. Co. pp. 32, 44, 219, 270, 279, 285, 304, 306, 307, 326, 339, 348, 352, 1581. ASIN B01BUFJ76Q. LCCN 09005239. OCLC 8697590. Retrieved August 8, 2015.  This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  • Gibbs, Joseph (2002). Three years in the Bloody Eleventh: The Campaigns of a Pennsylvania Reserves Regiment (PDF) (1st ed.). University Park, PA: Pennsylvania State University Press. p. 378. ISBN 978-0-271-03072-2. LCCN 2001035926. OCLC 1285844024. Retrieved August 8, 2015.
  • "11th Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteers Organization and Service". pa-roots.com. 2005-05-10. Archived from the original on 2006-11-04. Retrieved 19 August 2020.
  • "About Sallie". www.11thpvi.org. 11th PVI Co K. 2009. Archived from the original on January 28, 2010. Retrieved October 24, 2015.
  • Gimbel, Gary (September 2005). "The End of Innocence, The Battle of Falling Waters". Blue & Gray Magazine. XXII (130). Columbus, OH: Blue & Gray Enterprises. ISSN 0741-2207.
  • "Hall of Valor: The Military Medals Database". The Hall of Valor Project. Sightline Media Group. 2020. Retrieved 19 May 2020.
  • "Hall of Valor: The Military Medals Database". The Hall of Valor Project. Sightline Media Group. 2020. Retrieved 19 May 2020.
  • "Medal of Honor Recipients". The Comprehensive Guide to the Victoria & George Cross. VCOnline. 2020. Retrieved 2 May 2020.
  • "Medal of Honor Recipients". The Comprehensive Guide to the Victoria & George Cross. VCOnline. 2020. Retrieved 2 May 2020.
  • "Stories of Sacrifice!". Congressional Medal of Honor Society. CMOHS. 2014. Retrieved 19 August 2014.
  • "Stories of Sacrifice!". Congressional Medal of Honor Society. CMOHS. 2014. Retrieved 19 August 2014.
  • "Recipient Database". The National Medal of Honor Museum. The National Medal of Honor Museum Foundation. 2020. Retrieved 19 May 2020.
  • "Recipient Database". The National Medal of Honor Museum. The National Medal of Honor Museum Foundation. 2020. Retrieved 19 May 2020.
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