151st Pennsylvania Infantry
Encyclopedia
The 151st Pennsylvania Infantry was a Union Army
regiment during the American Civil War
. It was known as "The Schoolteachers' Regiment" because of the large enlistment of school instructors.
Harrison Allen was elected colonel
of the regiment, George F. McFarland
lieutenant colonel
, and John W. Young major
.
, Army of the Potomac
.
, where it fought on the picket line on the Union right flank. Colonel Allen was granted a furlough following the battle, with McFarland assuming temporary command.
, with Lt. Col. McFarland still in command. The regiment defended the Union left on McPherson's and Seminary Ridges. Confederate attacks forced the I Corps to retreat through Gettysburg. During the fighting near the Seminary, the regiment took cover near a barricade and held off several more Confederate attacks. Lt. Col. McFarland was at the front of the regiment, leading his men. The gunsmoke was so thick that McFarland couldn't see the enemy through it. He crouched down to see under the smoke and track the Confederates' movements. It was then that a Rebel bullet went through one of his legs and through the other as he crouched down. A private of Co. F attempted to carry McFarland back to the Seminary for treatment, as it was then being used as a hospital. The private nearly lost his life when a bullet came so close that it sheared off one of the brass buttons on his cuff. McFarland was kept safely inside the Seminary for several months after the battle.
The regiment reformed on Cemetery Hill
with only 113 officers and men left, with a captain in command. It was assigned a position on the left of the II Corps
, where on July 3, it helped repulse the Confederate attack. During the battle, the regiment lost 367 out of 478 officers and men, a rate of nearly 75%. Allen arrived that day to re-assume command of the regiment, which then participated in the pursuit of the Confederate army. Following the conclusion of the campaign, it was sent to Harrisburg on the 19th and mustered out on the 27th.
A reenacting unit from Juniata County portrays Company D of the regiment.
Union Army
The Union Army was the land force that fought for the Union during the American Civil War. It was also known as the Federal Army, the U.S. Army, the Northern Army and the National Army...
regiment during the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
. It was known as "The Schoolteachers' Regiment" because of the large enlistment of school instructors.
Forming of the Regiment
The regiment was recruited in south-central Pennsylvania during the fall of 1862, with the companies raised from the following counties:- Companies A and C, Susquehanna CountySusquehanna County, Pennsylvania-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 42,238 people, 16,529 households, and 11,785 families residing in the county. The population density was 51 people per square mile . There were 21,829 housing units at an average density of 26 per square mile...
; - Company B, in Pike CountyPike County, Pennsylvania-National protected areas:* Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area * Middle Delaware National Scenic River * Upper Delaware Scenic and Recreational River -Demographics:...
; - Company F, Warren CountyWarren County, PennsylvaniaWarren County is a county located in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. As of 2010, the population was 41,815. It was formed in 1800 from parts of Allegheny and Lycoming counties; attached to Crawford County until 1805 and then to Venango County until Warren was formally organized in 1819. Its county...
; - Company D, Juniata CountyJuniata County, PennsylvaniaJuniata County is a county located in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. As of 2010, the population was 24,636. Juniata County was created on March 2, 1831, from part of Mifflin County and named for the Juniata River. Its county seat is Mifflintown....
; - Companies E, G, H, K, and part of I, Berks CountyBerks County, Pennsylvania-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 373,638 people, 141,570 households, and 98,532 families residing in the county. The population density was 435 people per square mile . There were 150,222 housing units at an average density of 175 per square mile...
- Remainder of Company I, Schuylkill CountySchuylkill County, Pennsylvania-Notable people:*Boxing heavyweight great Muhammad Ali had his training camp in Deer Lake.*Charles Justin Bailey, commanding general of the 81st Division in World War I, was born in Tamaqua on June 21, 1859....
.
Harrison Allen was elected colonel
Colonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
of the regiment, George F. McFarland
George F. McFarland
George Fisher McFarland was a schoolteacher from Juniata County, Pennsylvania and Union Army officer during the American Civil War...
lieutenant colonel
Lieutenant colonel
Lieutenant colonel is a rank of commissioned officer in the armies and most marine forces and some air forces of the world, typically ranking above a major and below a colonel. The rank of lieutenant colonel is often shortened to simply "colonel" in conversation and in unofficial correspondence...
, and John W. Young major
Major (United States)
In the United States Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps, major is a field grade military officer rank just above the rank of captain and just below the rank of lieutenant colonel...
.
Early Service
The regiment was moved to Washington, D.C. at the end of November, and the following month to Union Mills, Virginia, in order to combat Confederate guerillas in the area. In mid-February, the regiment was re-assigned to the Third Division of the I CorpsI Corps (ACW)
I Corps was the designation of three different corps-sized units in the Union Army during the American Civil War. The units served in the following armies:...
, Army of the Potomac
Army of the Potomac
The Army of the Potomac was the major Union Army in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War.-History:The Army of the Potomac was created in 1861, but was then only the size of a corps . Its nucleus was called the Army of Northeastern Virginia, under Brig. Gen...
.
Chancellorsville
The 151st fought in its first battle at ChancellorsvilleBattle of Chancellorsville
The Battle of Chancellorsville was a major battle of the American Civil War, and the principal engagement of the Chancellorsville Campaign. It was fought from April 30 to May 6, 1863, in Spotsylvania County, Virginia, near the village of Chancellorsville. Two related battles were fought nearby on...
, where it fought on the picket line on the Union right flank. Colonel Allen was granted a furlough following the battle, with McFarland assuming temporary command.
Gettysburg
The regiment next fought at the Battle of GettysburgBattle of Gettysburg
The Battle of Gettysburg , was fought July 1–3, 1863, in and around the town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The battle with the largest number of casualties in the American Civil War, it is often described as the war's turning point. Union Maj. Gen. George Gordon Meade's Army of the Potomac...
, with Lt. Col. McFarland still in command. The regiment defended the Union left on McPherson's and Seminary Ridges. Confederate attacks forced the I Corps to retreat through Gettysburg. During the fighting near the Seminary, the regiment took cover near a barricade and held off several more Confederate attacks. Lt. Col. McFarland was at the front of the regiment, leading his men. The gunsmoke was so thick that McFarland couldn't see the enemy through it. He crouched down to see under the smoke and track the Confederates' movements. It was then that a Rebel bullet went through one of his legs and through the other as he crouched down. A private of Co. F attempted to carry McFarland back to the Seminary for treatment, as it was then being used as a hospital. The private nearly lost his life when a bullet came so close that it sheared off one of the brass buttons on his cuff. McFarland was kept safely inside the Seminary for several months after the battle.
The regiment reformed on Cemetery Hill
Cemetery Hill
Cemetery Hill is a Gettysburg Battlefield landform which had 1863 military engagements each day of the July 1–3 Battle of Gettysburg. The northernmost part of the Army of the Potomac defensive "fish-hook" line, the hill is gently sloped and provided a site for American Civil War artillery...
with only 113 officers and men left, with a captain in command. It was assigned a position on the left of the II Corps
II Corps (ACW)
There were five corps in the Union Army designated as II Corps during the American Civil War.* Army of the Cumberland, II Corps commanded by Thomas L. Crittenden , later renumbered XX Corps...
, where on July 3, it helped repulse the Confederate attack. During the battle, the regiment lost 367 out of 478 officers and men, a rate of nearly 75%. Allen arrived that day to re-assume command of the regiment, which then participated in the pursuit of the Confederate army. Following the conclusion of the campaign, it was sent to Harrisburg on the 19th and mustered out on the 27th.
Legacy
The 151st is held in high regard in Juniata County where Company D was formed. There is a plaque across from the old McAlisterville Academy where several members of the regiment, including Lt. Col. McFarland, used to teach. It memorializes the regiment and its actions at Gettysburg.A reenacting unit from Juniata County portrays Company D of the regiment.
Casualties
- Killed and mortally wounded: 2 officers, 67 enlisted men
- Died of disease: 1 officer, 53 enlisted men
- Total: 3 officers, 120 enlisted men