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79th
Pennsylvania Infantry
Online Books
79th
Pennsylvania Infantry Soldier Roster - History of Pennsylvania
Volunteers, 1861-5, Volume 2 by Samuel P Bates, 1869
View Entire Book
| Regimental History |
| Seventy-ninth Infantry. — Col., Henry A. Hambright;
Lieut.-Cols., John H. Duchman, William S. Mellinger; Majs., William S.
Mellinger, Michael H. Locher, John S. McBride. The 79th was raised in
the late summer and early fall of 1861. It rendezvoused by companies at
Camp Wilkins, Pittsburg, where it was mustered into the U. S. service in
September and the early part of October for three years. It was
recruited from Lancaster county, with the exception of Co. D, which came
from Washington county, most of the officers and men having been in the
three months' service. On Oct. 17 it received its colors from the hands
of Gov. Curtin at Allegheny City, and the following day embarked at
Pittsburg for Louisville, Ky. From Louisville it moved to Camp Nevin, on
Nolin creek, and three weeks later crossed that stream to Camp Negley,
where it was assigned to Negley's brigade, McCook's division, Army of
the Ohio, under Gen. Buell. Upon the opening of the spring campaign in
1862, it moved with the division to Nashville, thence to Columbia at the
end of March, where a detachment of Co. A, under Capt. Kendrick, was
captured by Morgan's cavalry on the Pulaski road, but was soon paroled.
About the middle of May it shared in an expedition to Rogersville,
Tenn., and Florence, Ala., and on the 29th moved towards Chattanooga
with Gen. Negley's column, sharing in the engagements at Jasper,
Sweden's cove, and Chattanooga, after which it returned to Shelbyville,
having marched 284 miles in 14 days. The records of the regiment show
that on July 4, out of 998 members, 50 were in hospital, 53 dead, 51
discharged, and 7 had deserted. The regiment next proceeded to
Tullahoma, where it was assigned to a brigade made up of the 15th, 16th
and 19th regulars, under command of Gen. William S. Smith. It next moved
to Manchester and on Aug. 8 to Nashville, where it was variously
employed until September. Meanwhile, the regimental band was mustered
out by order of the war department, and the regiment was assigned to the
3d brigade (Gen. Starkweather), 1st division (Gen. Rousseau), 14th corps
(Gen. McCook). It moved north in September with Buell's army, in the
exciting race with Gen. Bragg, and was heavily engaged at the battle of
Perryville, losing 37 killed, 149 wounded and 3 missing. After the
pursuit of the enemy for several days it moved to Mitchellville, Tenn.,
and guarded the Louisville & Nashville railroad there for a month. In
December, having rejoined the main army at Nashville, it moved on the
Stone's river campaign and was engaged at Murfreesboro with a loss of 2
killed and 10 wounded. The 79th numbered at this time 35 officers and
688 enlisted men, of whom 25 officers and 484 men were present for duty.
It remained at Murfreesboro after the battle until the following June,
being engaged in numerous foraging expeditions. Assigned to the 2nd
brigade, 1st division, 14th corps, it moved with Rosecrans' army on the
summer campaign, and suffered severely in the bloody two days' battle of
Chickamauga, where of the 17 officers and 350 men in action, it lost 16
killed, 66 wounded and 47 missing. During the battles of Orchard Knob,
Lookout mountain and Missionary ridge, the 79th was employed in
garrisoning the forts of Chattanooga and was not engaged. On Feb. 9,
1864, 265 men reenlisted and were mustered in on the 12th. After sharing
with its division in the engagements at Buzzard Roost and Tunnel Hill,
Ga., the veterans were given their furlough and on their return rejoined
their brigade at Buzzard Roost on May 9, 1864. From this time on it
actively participated in the almost constant fighting leading up to the
fall of Atlanta. Its losses during the Atlanta campaign were 6 killed,
86 wounded (12 mortally) and 2 captured. It marched with Sherman to the
sea, rested at Savannah for a month, and in Jan., 1865, moved with the
army in the march through the Carolinas. It was heavily engaged at the
battle of Bentonville, losing 13 killed and 46 wounded. At Goldsboro, N.
C, March 22, it received 200 recruits, then marched to Raleigh and
thence to Martha's Vineyard, where it encamped. After Johnston's
surrender it moved via Richmond to the vicinity of Washington and was
mustered out near Alexandria, Va., July 12, 1865. |
Footnotes:
Regimental history taken from "The Union Army" by Federal Publishing
Company, 1908 - Volume 1
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