1st Regiment, Pennsylvania Volunteers

Northampton Street, Easton, Pennsylvania, circa 1860 (public domain).

Two days before President Abraham Lincoln issued his 15 April 1861 call for volunteer troops to help defend the nation’s capital (following the fall of Fort Sumter to Confederate forces), residents of the counties of Lehigh and Northampton in Pennsylvania “called a public meeting at Easton ‘to consider the posture of affairs and to take measures for the support of the National Government,'” according to Alfred Mathews and Austin N. Hungerford, authors of History of the Counties of Lehigh and Carbon, in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Worried about the worsening relations between America’s North and South, the citizens voted to establish and equip an entirely new military unit, one that would be readied for duty as quickly as possible — a decision which proved to be remarkably prescient.

Several of the men in attendance that evening, including Charles Heckman and Samuel Yohe, had already begun recruiting local militia members and other volunteers to fulfill this charge and protect the nation’s capital if needed. Yohe, the owner-operator of a local distillery, mill and store in Easton who had also served his community as an associate judge, county treasurer and prothonotary, was the commanding officer of the Washington Grays, an Easton-based militia unit.

Camp Curtin (Harper’s Weekly, 1861, public domain).

The same day that President Lincoln called for volunteer troops, these same community leaders then contacted Pennsylvania Governor Andrew Curtin to volunteer the support of their local recruits to the Keystone State and nation. Three days later, these experienced militia members left hearth and home to head for Dauphin County.

There, on 20 April 1861, they officially mustered in at Camp Curtin, a military training camp on Agricultural Society land in northern Harrisburg, and became members of the 1st Regiment, Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry.

While Yohe’s Washington Grays were ordered to form Company C of this new regiment and Yohe was commissioned as the regiment’s new Colonel, Thomas W. Lynn and Tilghman H. Good were awarded the ranks of Major and Lieutenant Colonel, respectively. George Warren Alexander and William H. Gausler, the captains of the Reading and Jordan Artillerists, were placed in charge of Companies G and I, respectively.

* Note: Tilghman Good, the commander of the 4th Regiment, Pennsylvania National Guard at the time of his appointment to the 1st Pennsylvania’s command staff, had previously served as Captain of the Allen Rifles, a long-time Lehigh County militia unit that had been formed nearly two decades earlier (in 1849). He would later go on to form his own regiment (the 47th Pennsylvania Volunteers) during the summer of 1861 and, later in life, would also be elected to three terms as Mayor of Allentown. G. W. Alexander would be commissioned as a Lieutenant Colonel with the 47th Pennsylvania and named Good’s second in command while William Gausler would also serve with Good’s 47th Pennsylvania command at the rank of Major.

Transported by Northern Central Railway cars with their regiment to Cockeysville, Maryland, the 1st Pennsylvanians then spent time at Camp Scott near York, Pennsylvania before being ordered to railroad guard duties along the rail lines between Pennsylvania and Druid Park in Baltimore, Maryland from 14-25 May.

From there, the 1st Pennsylvanians were assigned to Catonsville (25 May) and Franklintown (29 May) before being ordered back across the border with their regiment and stationed at Chambersburg (3 June). There, they were attached to the 2nd Brigade (under Brigadier-General George Wynkoop), 2nd Division (under Major-General William High Keim), in the Union Army corps commanded by Major-General Robert Patterson.

Ordered on to Hagerstown, Maryland on 18 June and then to Funkstown, Goose Creek and Edward’s Ferry, the regiment remained in that vicinity until 22 June, when it was ordered to Frederick, Maryland.

Assigned with other Union regiments to occupy the town of Martinsburg, Virginia from 8-21 July (following the Battle of Falling Waters earlier that month), the 1st Pennsylvanians were ordered to Harpers Ferry on 21 July. Following the completion of their Three Months’ Service, they honorably mustered out on 23 July 1861.

Field and Staff Officers
Colonel Samuel Yohe
Lieutenant Colonel Tilghman H. Good
Major Thomas W. Lynn
Adjutant James Miltimore
Quartermaster Frederick S. Pyfer
Jacob R. Ludlow, M.D. Surgeon
W. H. H. Michler, M.D., Assistant Surgeon
Sergeant-Major Edwin G. Minnich

Company B:

Led by Captain Jacob Dachrodt, who was a former member of the Easton Fencibles and Easton City Council during the 1850s and organizer at Lawall’s Hotel of the Citizens’ Artillery in that same city in 1856, Company B was largely made up of experienced local militia men, but also included other “green” (inexperienced) recruits from the greater Easton area of Northampton County, Pennsylvania.

Upon honorable completion of their Three Months’ Service, many B Company men then opted to re-up for service, including Captain Dachrodt who became Lieutenant Colonel of the 153rd Pennsylvania Volunteers and went on to serve in the Pennsylvania Senate from 1887-1890. Three of his siblings also fought for the Union during the Civil War, including his youngest brother, Daniel Dachrodt, who rose through the ranks of the 47th Pennsylvania (from drummer boy to Principal Musician), and then ultimately became that regiment’s last surviving member.

Company B Roster:

Officers:
Captain Jacob Dachrodt
1st Lieutenant Godfrey Mutchler
2nd Lieutenant Charles Eichman
1st Sergeant James F. Meyers
2nd Sergeant Jacob F. Rafferty
3rd Sergeant Andrew Burt
4th Sergeant Samuel H. Barnes
1st Corporal Edward Cook
2nd Corporal Max Weeks
3rd Corporal G. William Barrow
4th Corporal John H. Burch
Musician Samuel Burch
Musician William H. Ginnerd

Enlisted Men (rank of Private):
Barnes, Gideon A.
Bassett, Jacob
Benner, John
Bixler, John A.
Bigley, Solomon
Bittenbender, John B.
Bitzner, Laurence
Bloeckley, Edwin D.
Church, Pulaski M.
Dachrodt, John
Darmer, Paul
Davis, William D.
Dittler, Jacob N.
Eichman, William Henry
Everett, John Henry
Fargo, James G.
Frankenfield, Leonard
Fraunfelder, Levi
Fraunfelder, Richard
Gardner, Abraham
Ginnerd, Joseph A.
Hahn, George H.
Hartzell, William
Hay, Andrew I.
Hay, John Quintus
Hetzel, John
Hill, Heuman
Hincline, Daniel E.
Huble, Frederick W.
Irmick, Charles
Kemmerer, Edgar
Kromer, Lewis F.
Kromer, William H.
Lerch, John S.
Levers, Joseph
Lynn, F.
Michler, Peter S.
Moritz, William H.
Moser, James P.
Myers, Joseph S.
Purser, John
Ricker, John W.
Rinek, Jacob
Rinker, Franklin
Rodgers, Andrew
Savitz, Joseph W.
Schaffer, Samuel
Schlubach, Reuben
Schmitzer, William
Schook, Amandes
Schortz, Charles
Schweb, Frederick
Shotter, Charles P.
Singer, J. Lewis
Smith, Edward O.
Smith, Maximilian
Smith, Valentine
Smith, William
Snyder, William F.
Steer, William
Templin, William A.
Troxell, William E.
Ziegenfuss, William I.

Company C (Washington Grays):

Led during America’s Civil War by Captain William H. Armstrong and First Lieutenant Robert Ramsden, Company C was largely composed of members of the Washington Grays, an Easton-based militia unit, and other Northampton County residents.

Like the majority of their fellow 1st Pennsylvanians, the Grays were officially mustered in for duty at Camp Curtin (on 20 April 1861). And like the majority of their fellow 1st Pennsylvanians, they were honorably discharged from the regiment at Harrisburg between 23-43 July 1861 upon fulfillment of their Three Months’ Service.

Many of the Washington Grays then opted to re-enroll for three-year tours of duty, including with the 47th Pennsylvania Volunteers, and many served faithfully and honorably.

Company C Roster:

Officers:
Captain William H. Armstrong
First Lieutenant Robert Ramsden
Second Lieutenant Charles H. Yard
First Sergeant Lawrence Bonstine
Second Sergeant William H. Weaver
Third Sergeant Samuel Stewart
Fourth Sergeant Webanus Weisbach
First Corporal William B. Metler
Second Corporal Emanuel R. Shelling
Third Corporal Edward Wortley
Fourth Corporal Daniel Laubach
Musician William A. Hickman
Musician Joseph Young

Enlisted Men (rank of Private):
Arndt, George W.
Arnold, Charles
Barnet, Charles
Broadbach, John
Bitters, Richard Ney
Bull, Jonathan
Billings, John P.
Colbath, George
Carey, Daniel J.
Callahan, John
Colbath, William
Cyphers, George E.
Cook, John
Diehl, George A.
Drew, Samuel W.
Freyant, George H.
Gross, Stephen
Green, John S.
Gans, Owen
Gephart, Edwin
Heath, David
Hafford, Alvin
Huber, Henry
Ihrie, James
Kichlino, Martin
Knauss, Martin B.
Kilkerry, Thomas
Kline, William H.
Lesher, Charles H.
Lynd, John
Merwarth, Bernard
Miller, Henry
Moser, Lawrence
Moser, Philip L.
Moyer, Benjamin F.
Moyer, Henry
Mowry, Francis
Murray, John
Myers, Isaac M.
Paxson, Samuel
Pharo, William
Rongay, Joseph
Rustay, Jacob
Schlegel, Charles
Shelling, Augustus
Shelling, Richard
Sigman, George W.
Simons, Perry
Smith, Peter
Snyder, John G.
Stiles, Isaac
Stultz, William H.
Tilton, James P.
Troxell, Daniel
Van Campen, James
Vogel, Joseph
Wagener, George W.
Weber, Josiah
Weidel, Owen Joseph
Weiss, Augustus
Weller, John D.
Wolfrau, John
Wolfrau, William
Wyker, William

Company G (Reading Artillerists):

Led during America’s Civil War by New Hampshire native Captain George Warren Alexander, the commanding officer of the Reading Artillerists of Berks County, Pennsylvania since 1857, Company G was made up largely of the 78 men who had served with this Berks County militia unit during peacetime. (In reality, this militia unit had a long and distinguished record of service dating back to the late 1700s. For our full profile of this unit, read: The Reading Artillerists — Safeguarding George Washington and America’s Freedom.)

Just one day after President Lincoln’s call for volunteer troops to defend the nation’s capital following Fort Sumter’s fall, Captain G. W. Alexander offered the services of his Reading Artillerists to Pennsylvania Governor Curtin (on 16 April 1861). Like the majority of their fellow 1st Pennsylvanians, the Artillerists were officially mustered in for duty at Camp Curtin (on 20 April 1861). And like the majority of their fellow 1st Pennsylvanians, they were honorably discharged from the regiment at Harrisburg on 23 July 1861 upon fulfillment of their Three Months’ Service.

Most of the Reading Artillerists then opted to re-enroll for three-year tours of duty, but did so under different commanding officers. Many served with great distinction and many, like William H. Andrews, gave their lives to preserve America’s Union. Andrews, who had been commissioned as Captain of his own unit, was killed during the Battle of Antietam on 17 September 1862; he was then succeeded in the command of that unit by fellow Reading Artillerist Thomas Richards, who survived and was honorably discharged with his men on 19 December 1863.

Company G Roster:

Officers:
Captain George Warren Alexander
1st Lieutenant William A. H. Lewis
2nd Lieutenant Thomas M. Richards
1st Sergeant William McNall
2nd Sergeant William Eisenhower
3rd Sergeant Patrick Bloomfield
4th Sergeant Samuel G. Boone
1st Corporal Diller B. Groff
2nd Corporal Daniel Kelly
3rd Corporal George Ashenfelter
4th Corporal Henry Beckhardt
Richard H. Fisher, musician
Daniel H. Snyder, musician

Enlisted Men (rank of Private):
Acker, David D. (or L.)
Andrews, William H.
Bechtel, Allen
Becker, Henry
Becker, Jacob K.
Benson, Philip
Boland, John
Briner, Charles A.
Body, Elijah F.
Boger, George W.
Boyer, Jacob N.
Boyle, Charles
Clark, James A.
Clark, Samuel K.
Clark, William H.
Connelly, John
Coxell, William
Davis, Charles H.
Dougherty, William F.
Eisenhower, Charles
Eisenhower, James
Eyrich, Thomas T.
Fix, Harrison
Fox, William S.
Gabriel, Jacob
Gay, Nathaniel
Golden, Jr., Charles A.
Goodhart, Henry
Gossler, Henry
Graff, George
Hafer, Daniel E.
Harper, J. Brooke
Hassen, Michael
Heckler, Charles A.
Holland, Patrick
Krause, William D.
Leedom, George W.
Levan, Wellington
Linderman, George F.
McMichael, George W.
Miller, Isaiah
Miller, William
Morris, DeWitt Clinton
Muhlenberg, Frank P.
Nagle, Albert
Nagle, Charles D.
Reed, James H.
Reeser, Henry S.
Reigel, Jacob R.
Reilly, William
Rhoads, Percival
Rowe, William G.
Rummel, George
Setley, Joel
Sheridan, Albert
Shine, John
Strahle, Contrad
Strawbridge, William
Stieff, John D.
Summons, Henry A.
Teed, James E.
Toole, Robert
Van Reed, Mabury
Witman, John F.
Yeager, George F.

Company I:

During the 13 April 1861 meeting of Northampton County residents, community leaders also placed their faith Tilghman H. Good. in charge, assigning him the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel, a rank that was confirmed when Good officially mustered for duty in at Camp Curtin in Harrisburg as members of the 1st Pennsylvania Volunteers. His recruits were then incorporated into the same regiment, mustering in at Camp Curtin on 20 April 1861.

With Good ordered to help helm the region’s newly formed 1st Regiment, Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, the Allen Rifles and G Company needed new, but experienced leadership — and quickly. William H. Gausler was the man chosen for the job. In charge of the Jordan Artillerists at the time of his appointment to lead Company I of the 1st Pennsylvania Volunteers, Gausler would later be called on again by Good to help establish the 47th Pennsylvania Volunteers during the summer of 1861.

According to Lewis Schmidt in his A Civil War History of the 47th Regiment of Pennsylvania Veteran Volunteers, as the 1st Pennsylvania Volunteers came together, “These two units [the Allen Rifles and the Jordan Artillerists] combined their forces as the Union Rifles to meet the request of the state that units arriving should have at least 100 men on their muster.” Although officially known as Company I, the 81 officers and men of this particular company were still frequently referred to by their long-standing designation (the “Allen Rifles”).

Upon fulfillment of their Three Months’ Service, the men of Company I were honorably discharged, mustering out at Harrisburg on 23 July 1861. Many still loyal to their former “Allen Rifles” captain and 1st Regiment commanding officer, Tilghman Good, answered the call to arms yet again just weeks later as Good began recruiting for his 47th Regiment, Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry. This time, they would be in service for the long haul and headed deeper into Confederate territory than they could have ever imagined.

Company I Roster:

Officers:
Captain William H. Gausler (Jordan Artillerists)
1st Lieutenant Emanuel P. (“E.P.”) Rhoads (Allen Rifles)
2nd Lieutenant Benjamin C. Roth (Jordan Artillerists)
1st Sergeant Abiel Heilman (Jordan Artillerists)
2nd Sergeant Edwin G. Minnich (alternate spelling: Muench; Allen Rifles, promoted to Sergeant-Major)
3rd Sergeant Henry Fried (Jordan Artillerists)
4th Sergeant Noah Trumbor (Allen Rifles)
1st Corporal Henry Trumbor (Allen Rifles)
2nd Corporal Mahlon Fried (Jordan Artillerists)
3rd Corporal Daniel Miller (Allen Rifles)
4th Corporal Charles Mertz (Allen Rifles)
Julius Bankhardt, musician (alternate spelling of surname: Benkert; Allen Rifles)
Augustus Ebert, musician (Jordan Artillerists)

Enlisted Men (rank of Private):
Albright, James (Allen Rifles)
Albright, Tilghman (Allen Rifles)
Bechtel, Daniel (Allen Rifles)
Behlen, Anthony (Jordan Artillerists)
Bergenstock, David R. (Jordan Artillerists)
Blank, Wellington J. (Allen Rifles)
Blumer, Henry A. (Allen Rifles)
Christ, Nelson (alternate spelling of surname: Crist; Allen Rifles)
Dech, William (Allen Rifles)
Dennis, Tilghman Henry (Allen Rifles)
Egge, Perry (alternate spelling of surname: Eggye; Jordan Artillerists)
Eichel, John (Allen Rifles)
Gaumer, Willoughby (Jordan Artillerists)
Ginkinger, William H. (Allen Rifles)
Guth, Henry B. (Allen Rifles)
Hackman, Charles A. (Allen Rifles)
Hackman, Martin Henry (Allen Rifles)
Haines, Charles J. (Allen Rifles)
Haltiman, Henry (Jordan Artillerists; alternate spelling of surname: “Haldeman”)
Haltiman, William (Allen Rifles; alternate spelling of surname: “Haldeman”)
Hammersley, Ellis (Allen Rifles)
Hardner, David (Allen Rifles)
Harris, William P. (Allen Rifles)
Heldt, Jonas (Allen Rifles)
Hilyard, William H. (“Bob”; alternate spelling of surname: Hilliard; Allen Rifles)
Hiskey, Oliver (Jordan Artillerists)
Huber, Peter (Allen Rifles)
Keck, Franklin (Allen Rifles)
Keck, Thomas (Jordan Artillerists)
Kehler, Lewis (alternate spelling of surname: Koeler; Allen Rifles)
Keiper, Henry (Allen Rifles)
Kleckner, Benjamin (Jordan Artillerists)
Kleckner, William (Jordan Artillerists)
Konold, Melchoir (Allen Rifles)
Kramer, Henry (Allen Rifles)
Kramer, Solomon (Allen Rifles)
Kuhns, Alonzo (Allen Rifles)
Laubach, Thomas (Jordan Artillerists)
Leiser, James (Allen Rifles)
McCrystal, James (Jordan Artillerists)
Miller, Charles (Allen Rifles)
Miller, Henry (Allen Rifles)
Miller, Tilghman (Allen Rifles)
Mohr, Henry (Allen Rifles)
Moyer, William J. (Allen Rifles)
Nagel, Andrew (Jordan Artillerists)
Nonnemacher, Daniel (Jordan Artillerists)
Nonnemacher, John (Allen Rifles)
Ochs, Jesse (Jordan Artillerists)
Rehr, Lewis (Allen Rifles)
Remmel, Edward (Jordan Artillerists)
Remmel, Peter (Jordan Artillerists)
Ritz, Tilghman (Jordan Artillerists)
Roth, Edwin (Jordan Artillerists)
Saeger, Richard M. (Allen Rifles)
Schwenk, Charles (Allen Rifles)
Seip, James M. (Allen Rifles)
Smith, Joseph (Jordan Artillerists)
Stahley, Christian (Allen Rifles)
Steele, Joseph (Allen Rifles)
Stuber, James (Allen Rifles)
Trexler, Franklin (Jordan Artillerists)
Trexler, Henry (Jordan Artillerists)
Van Dyke, Walter Henry (Jordan Artillerists)
Wagner, Henry (Allen Rifles)
Wasser, Franklin (Jordan Artillerists)
Wenner, George (Allen Rifles)
Worman, Abraham (Allen Rifles)

See also: Allen Rifles, Jordan Artillerists, and Union Rifles.

 

Sources:

1. Bates, Samuel P. History of Pennsylvania Volunteers, 1861-5; prepared in compliance with acts of the legislature. Harrisburg, Pennsylvania: B. Singerly, State Printer, 1869.

2. Deegan, Jim. The Dachrodt Brothers of Easton, in Lehigh Valley Live. Allentown, Pennsylvania: http://www.lehighvalleylive.com, 28 August 2011.

3. Lovenstein, Lochard H. In Lieu of a Draft: A History of the 153rd Pennsylvania Volunteer Regiment. Bloomington, Indiana: AuthorHouse, 2012.

4. Mathews, Alfred and Austin Hungerford. History of the Counties of Lehigh and Carbon, in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: Everts & Richards, 1884.

5. Montgomery, Morton Luther. Historical Sketch of Reading Artillerists: Upon the Occasion of Their 102nd Anniversary in Metropolitan Hall, May 26, 1896. Reading, Pennsylvania: Press of James E. Norton & Co., 1897.

6. Schaadt, James L. Company I, First Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteers: A Memoir of Its Service for the Union in 1861, in The Penn Germania: A Popular Journal of German History and Ideals in the United States, vol. 1, no. 1. Lititz and Cleona, Pennsylvania: H.W. Kriebel, editor. Holzapfel Publishing Co, 1912.

7. Schmidt, Lewis. A Civil War History of the 47th Regiment of Pennsylvania Veteran Volunteers. Allentown, Pennsylvania: Self-published, 1986.