83rd Pennsylvania Infantry Regiment
The 83rd Pennsylvania was a volunteer infantry regiment in the Union Army during the American Civil War, which participated in almost every major battle in the East, including Seven Days Battles, Antietam, Fredericksburg, Gettysburg, Petersburg and Appomattox Court House.
| 83rd Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry | |
|---|---|
 Pennsylvania flag | |
| Active | September 8, 1861–June 1865 [1] |
| Country | United States |
| Allegiance | Union |
| Branch | Infantry |
| Size | 1,808 |
| Part of | 3rd Brigade, 1st Division V Corps, Army of the Potomac |
| Nickname(s) | Pennsylvania Mud turtles [2] |
| Engagements | Yorktown Seven Days Battles Second Battle of Bull Run Battle of Antietam Battle of Fredericksburg Chancellorsville Gettysburg Mine Run Campaign Wilderness Spotsylvania Cold Harbor Siege of Petersburg Appomattox Campaign[1] Battle of Five Forks |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders | Col. John W. McLane[3] Col. Strong Vincent Col. Orpheus S. Woodward[4] |
As one of four regiments in the 3rd Brigade, 1st Division, V Corps, Army of the Potomac, it fought alongside the 20th Maine, 44th New York, and the 16th Michigan in the defense of Little Round Top. Colonel Strong Vincent, the regiment's commanding officer, was mortally wounded during this engagement.
The 83rd Pennsylvania suffered the second-highest number of battle deaths among Union Army infantry regiments during the war, second only to the 5th New Hampshire.
Future Medal of Honor recipient Leander Herron served in the 83rd Pennsylvania from December 1863 to June 1865.
Casualties
During its time of service, the 83rd Pennsylvania lost 11 officers and 271 men killed in combat and 2 officers and 151 men died from disease or accidents. 435 men in total died during the regiment's time of service, amounting to 24% of its enlistments. [5]
References
- "History - Pennsylvania Infantry (Part 4)". Civilwararchive.com. Retrieved 2013-10-12.
- Norton, Oliver Willcox (2008-01-07). "army letters 1861-1865 - oliver willcox norton - Google Boeken". Retrieved 2013-10-12.
- History of the Eighty-Third Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteers by A.M. Judson, B.F.H. Lynn, Publisher, Erie PA, 1881
- "Monument to the 83rd Pennsylvania Infantry Regiment at Gettysburg". Gettysburg.stonesentinels.com. Retrieved 2013-10-12.
- Fox, William F. (William Freeman) (1889). Regimental losses in the American Civil War, 1861-1865. A treatise on the extent and nature of the mortuary losses in the Union regiments, with full and exhaustive statistics compiled from the official records on file in the state military bureaus and at Washington. University of California Libraries. Albany, Albany Pub. Co.