CHAPTER XVII.
Pg. 112.

COMPANIES FROM SCHUYLKILL COUNTY THAT SAW COMPARATIVELY LITTLE SERVICE.

     IMMEDIATELY following the departure of the first two companies from this county were others that rushed to the rendezvous at Harrisburg.
     Several of these were incorporated in the 5th regiment, which was organized April 21st, 1861.  These were the Columbian Infantry, Company C; Minersville Artillerists, Company E; the Scott Artillery, of Schuylkill Haven, Company F; and the Ringgold Rifles, of Minersville, Company I.
     The regiment went to Annapolis on the 23d, and to Washington on the 27th.  It was at Alexandria when the battle of Bull Run was fought, and it did not participate in any engagement during its term of service.  It was discharged July 25th, 1861.
     The following are the muster rolls of the companies as they left.

COLUMBIAN INFANTRY, OF GLEN CARBON.

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SCOTT ARTILLERY, OF SCHUYLKILL HAVEN.

RINGGOLD RIFLES, OF MINERSVILLE.

SIXTH REGIMENT.

     Schuylkill county was represented in this regiment by the Port Clinton Artillery, Company B; the Marion Rifles, Company C, recruited at Port Carbon; the Nagle Guards, of Pottsville, Company D; The Ashland Rifles, Company E; the Washington Yagers, of Pottsville, Company F; the Lewellyn Rifles, Company G; and the Tower Guards, of Pottsville, Company H.
     The regiment was assigned to General Thomas's brigade and made a part of General Patterson's division, with which it crossed the Potomac in a demonstration on Harper's Ferry.  It was engaged in one or two skirmishes, and was mustered out on the expiration of its three months' term.
     The men from this county were:

PORT CLINTON ARTILLERY.

MARION RIFLES, OF PORT CARBON.

NAGLE GUARDS, OF POTTSVILLE.

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ASHLAND RIFLES.

WASHINGTON YAGERS, OF POTTSVILLE.

LEWELLYN RIFLES.

TOWER GUARDS, OF POTTSVILLE.

NINTH REGIMENT.

     In this regiment the Wetherill Rifles of St. Clair (Company H) and the Keystone Rifles of Port Carbon (Company K) represented Schuylkill county.  The regiment
was stationed for a very brief period a short distance

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from Wilmington, Del., after which it became a part of Miles's brigade and participated in a forward movement toward Winchester.  It was never under fire and suffered no loss by death or desertion.
     The rolls of the Schuylkill county companies were as follows:

WETHERILL RIFLES, OF ST. CLAIR.

KEYSTONE RIFLES, OF PORT CARBON.

TENTH REGIMENT.

     The Scott Rifles, of Tamaqua (Company G), and the Washington Light Infantry, of Pine Grove, were attached to this regiment.  It participated in the demonstration on Winchester but it engaged in no severe service.  It was mustered out of the service July 31st, 1861.  The men in these companies were as follows:

SCOTT RIFLES, OF TAMAQUA.

WASHINGTON LIGHT INFANTRY, OF PINEGROVE.

FOURTEENTH REGIMENT.

     Company B, called the Lafayette Rifles, alone represented Schuylkill county in this regiment.  During its brief term of service it several times went in search of the enemy, but failed to encounter him.  At the expiration of the term it was discharged, but many of the officers and men re-enlisted.
     The roll of Company B was as follows:

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LAFAYETTE RIFLES, OF ST. CLAIR.

SIXTEENTH REGIMENT.

     In this regiment the German Light Infantry, Company B, of Tamaqua ; the Jackson Guards, Company D, also of Tamaqua; the Wynkoop Artillery, Company E, of Silver Creek; the Union Guards, Company I, of Pottsville; and the Schuylkill Guards, of Minersville, represented Schuylkill county.  Like many of the three months troops, its severest duly was marching.  It was not under fire.  The following are the rolls:

GERMAN LIGHT INFANTRY OF TAMAQUA.

JACKSON GUARDS, OF TAMAQUA.

WYNKOOP ARTILLERY, OF SILVER CREEK.

UNION GUARDS, OF POTTSVILLE.

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SCHUYLKILL GUARDS, OF MINERSVILLE.

TWENTY-SEVENTH REGIMENT P. V. M.

     When in June, 1863, Pennsylvania was a second time invaded, the citizens of Schuylkill county as well as other portions of the State at once took measures to meet the emergency.  A mass meeting was held, and companies were raised and sent forward to Harrisburg.  It is said that 700 men left the county within 24 hours.  Of thirteen employes of the Miners Journal office ten volunteered, and the others reluctantly remained to prevent the suspension of the paper.  On their arrival at Harrisburg these volunteers were organized into the 27th P. V. M., of which companies A, B, C, E, G and I, were from this county.  Three - A, B and C - were from Pottsville; E from Tamaqua, G from Ashland and I from Frailey township.
     It moved to Columbia on the 24th, and as it guarded the bridge across the Susquehanna there it was on Sunday, the 28th, attacked by a largely superior force of the rebels, who were prevented from crossing, and thus the Pennsylvania Railroad as well as other roads and bridges saved from destruction.  In this action the regiment suffered no loss.  Three deaths from disease occurred during its short term of service.

TWENTY-EIGHTH REGIMENT.

     This regiment, in which were some forty men from Schuylkill county, was raised under authority of Governor Curtin by Colonel (afterward General Geary, who was subsequently governor of the State.  It was uniformed and equipped at his expense, and under his command and that of the able officers who succeeded him it achieved a brilliant record.  Space will not permit a detailed account of the career of this regiment, in which the few men from this county bore an honorable part.  It served through the term for which it was mustered and many of its veterans re-enlisted and served to the end of the war.
     The following represented Schuylkill county in this regiment:

THIRTY-NINTH REGIMENT P. V. M.

     Nearly all the men in this regiment were from Schuylkill county.  They went into the ser\ice for the purpose of repelling the invaders who came into Pennsylvania the second time.  In July, 1863, they left Harrisburg for Carlisle, and thence went to Shippensburg, from which place they marched to Chambersburg and to Green Castle.  The invaders had been to these places and retired before the arrival of this regiment.  Had opportunity presented, the men of this regiment would have done battle valiantly in defense of their State.

FORTIETH REGT. - ELEVENTH RESERVES.

     This was a three-years regiment in which Schuylkill county was represented by about thirty men.  It was organized on the 1st of July, 1861, and on the 30th was mustered into the service of the United States at Washington.  In September it had a slight skirmish with the rebels across the Potomac while doing picket duty, and in December it went into winter quarters near Lewinsville.  In June, 1862, the regiment went to the Chickahominy, and at the battle of Gaines's Mill was fiercely engaged, losing forty-six killed and one hundred wounded.  The regiment was captured here and sent to Richmond, whence it returned in August.
     It was in the second Bull Run campaign, in the Maryland campaign following, and those of Fredericksburg and Gettysburg, in all of which it was warmly engaged.  Its last service was in the Wilderness, where it was engaged and under fire during several days.  Immediately after the battle of Bethesda Church it returned to this State and was mustered out.
     The following were from Schuylkill:

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