69th Regiment of Infantry, Pennsylvania
Volunteers
(2nd California Regiment)
Organized at Philadelphia
August 18, 1861. Left State for Washington, D.C., September 17.
Attached to Baker's Brigade, Stone's (Sedgwick's) Division, Army
Potomac, to March, 1862. 2nd Brigade, 2nd Division, 2nd Army
Corps, Army Potomac, to June, 1864. 3rd Brigade, 2nd Division,
2nd Army Corps, to June, 1865.
Service
Duty in the Defenses of
Washington, D. C., until October. Affair at Vaderburg's House,
Munson's Hill, September 29, 1861. Moved to Poolesville, Md.,
and duty on the Upper Potomac until February, 1862. At Harper's
Ferry, W. Va.. until March 24. Moved to the Virginia Peninsula
March 24-April 1. Siege of Yorktown April 5-May 4. Moved to West
Point May 7. Duty at Tyler's Farm until May 31. Battle of Fair
Oaks, Seven Pines, May 31-June 1. Duty at Fair Oaks until June
28. Skirmish at Fair Oaks June 18. Seven days before Richmond
June 25-July 1. Battles of Peach Orchard and Savage Station June
29. Charles City Cross Roads and Glendale June 30. Malvern Hill
July 1. At Harrison's Landing until August 16. Movement to Newport
News, thence to Alexandria August 16-28, and to Centreville and
Chantilly August 29-30. Cover Pope's retreat August 31-September
1. Chantilly September 1. Maryland Campaign September 6-24. Battle
of Antietam September 16-17. Moved to Harper's Ferry September
22, and duty there until October 30. Movement to Falmouth, Va.,
October 30-November 20. Battle of Fredericksburg, Va., December
12-15. Burnside's 2nd Campaign, "Mud March," January
20-24, 1863. At Falmouth until April. Hartwood Church February
25. Chancellorsville Campaign April 27-May 6. Banks' Ford May
1 and 4. Gettysburg (Pa.) Campaign June 13-July 24. Battle of
Gettysburg, Pa., July 2-4. Pursuit of Lee July 5-24. At Banks'
Ford and Culpeper until October. Advance from the Rappahannock
to the Rapidan September 13-17. Bristoe Campaign October 9-22.
Advance to line of the Rappahannock November 7-8. Mine Run Campaign
November 26-December 2. Robertson's Tavern or Locust Grove November
27. Duty on the Rapidan until May, 1864. Demonstration on the
Rapidan February 6-7. Veterans on furlough March and April. Rapidan
Campaign May 4-June 12. Battles of the Wilderness May 5-7; Laurel
Hill May 8; Spottsylvania May 8-12; Po River May 10; Spottsylvania
C. H. May 12-21. Assault on the Salient May 12. North Anna River
May 23-26. Line of the Pamunkey May 26-28. Totopotomoy May 28-31.
Cold Harbor June 1-12. Before Petersburg June 16-18. Siege of
Petersburg June 16, 1864, to April 2, 1865. Jerusalem Plank Road
June 22-23, 1864. Demonstration north of the James at Deep Bottom
July 27-29. Mine Explosion, Petersburg, July 30 (Reserve). Demonstration
north of the James at Deep Bottom August 13-20. Strawberry Plains,
Deep Bottom, August 14-18. Ream's Station August 25. Boydton
Plank Road, Hatcher's Run, October 27-28. Dabney's Mills, Hatcher's
Run, February 5-7, 1865. Watkins' House March 25. Appomattox
Campaign March 28-April 9. Vaughan Road near Hatcher's Run March
29. Crow's House March 31. Fall of Petersburg April 2. Sailor's
Creek April 6. High Bridge and Farmville April 7. Appomattox
C. H. April 9. Surrender of Lee and his army. At Burkesville
until May 2. March to Washington, D.C., May 2-12. Grand Review
May 23. At Ball's Cross Roads until July. Mustered out July 1,
1865.
Regiment lost during service 12 Officers and 166 Enlisted men
killed and mortally wounded and 3 Officers and 107 Enlisted men
by disease. Total 288.
An
Informal History
The 69th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry
was originally the Second Regiment (Irish Brigade), 2nd Division,
Pennsylvania Militia. It was formed from several State Militia
groups:The Irish Volunteers, Hibernian Greens, Emmett Guards,
Jackson Guards, Meagher Guards, Shields Guards, Patterson Light
Guards, and the United Guards. The vast majority of the Regiment
were Irish Descendants and Immigrants from the city of Philadelphia,
though some came from Schuylkill County. By the start of the war
the Regiment would be assigned to the California Brigade and designated
the 2nd California. The Commanding Officer of the Brigade was
Col. (Senator) Edwin Baker of California, who felt that California
would remain loyal to the union cause if it had some representation
in the East. After Col. Bakers death at Balls Bluff the regiment
was designated the 24th Pennsylvania, then a short time later
the 68th Pennsylvania.
An effort was made by members of both the
68th Pennsylvania and the 69th NYNG to form an Irish Brigade out
of New York. Governor Curtin of Pa. adamantly opposed the idea
and threatened to withhold the pensions of anyone who defected
to the Irish Brigade. The 68th reluctantly stayed in Pennsylvania.
but requested to have their regimental designation changed to
the 69th Pennsylvania in honor of the 69th NY, to which the Governor
acceded. They were then assigned to the Philadelphia Brigade,
the only brigade to be named after the city it came from. The
other regiments of the brigade were the 71st, 72nd, and 106th
Pennsylvania. The 69th Pennsylvania., though not the only Irish
regiment from the state, would be the only Pennsylvania regiment
to carry Green Regimental Colors. Their first set of colors would
carry the State Seal on one side and the Maid of Erin Harp wreathed
in Shamrocks on the other. The second regimental colors would
have the same state seal on one side, but on the other side were
the Round Tower, Wolfhound, Harp, and Fenian Sunburst.
Though fighting anti-Irish and Nativist
sentiment both in Philadelphia and in the Army of The Potomac
the Irish Volunteers from Philadelphia would distinguish themselves
in battle throughout the war. They never lost their colors, nor
did they ever leave the field of battle unless ordered to do so.
They would earn 45 battle ribbons throughout the duration of the
war, serving until Lee's Surrender. Brig. Gen. Smyth, in command
of the 69th at Appomattox, would be the last General Officer killed
in the war, and distinguished themselves in every engagement they
were involved in.
The 69th was credited by Gen. Jos. Hooker
as having executed the first successful bayonet charge of the
war at Glendale during the Peninsula campaign when they singlehandedly
charged uphill against a Confederate brigade, chasing them from
the hill.
They were heavily involved in the West Woods
at Antietam, standing their ground though caught in a horseshoe
by the Confederates (Including Stonewall's Brigade), taking extremely
heavy losses until finally being ordered from the field.
At Gettysburg on the evening of July 2nd,
they charged out against Wright's Brigade, who had taken the 2nd
Rhode Island Artillery battery, and retook the guns. On the afternoon
of the 3rd they were at the little stone wall in front of the
copse of trees, the focal point for Pickett's Charge. Of the 250
men left in the 69th fit for duty not one man left his post. At
one point they had become completely surrounded, and kept the
fight going hand to hand until the charge was broken. They suffered
60 percent casualties in that charge, leaving only 100 men fit
for duty.