172nd Pennsylvania Infantry Regiment

The 172nd Pennsylvania Infantry was an infantry regiment in the Union Army during the American Civil War.

172nd Pennsylvania Infantry Regiment
172nd Pennsylvania regimental colors. Photo: Pennsylvania Capitol Preservation Committee
ActiveNovember 29, 1862 to August 1, 1863
CountryUnited States
AllegianceUnion
BranchInfantry
Size1,332
EngagementsGettysburg Campaign

Formation

When Pennsylvania did not meet President Lincoln's August 1862 request for 300,000 nine-month volunteers, the Commonwealth drafted (under the Federal Militia Act of 1862[1]) fifteen regiments between mid-October and early December 1862, totaling 15,000 men. All fifteen regiments were mustered out of service by mid-August 1863. Few saw any combat action.[2]

The 172nd Pennsylvania Infantry was organized at Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. The regiment’s soldiers were recruited principally from Snyder and Northumberland Counties, with detachments from Clearfield, Elk, McKean, Union, Montour, and Butler Counties.[3] In all, 1,332 men were mustered into the regiment.[4]

By company, most soldiers hailed from the following counties:

  • Company A: Snyder, Northumberland, and Union
  • Company B: Northumberland
  • Company C: Snyder, Elk, Union, and Northumberland
  • Company D: Northumberland
  • Company E: York and Elk
  • Company F: Clearfield, Montour, and Union
  • Company G: Snyder and Union
  • Company H: Northumberland, Montour, and Elk
  • Company I: Snyder
  • Company K: Northumberland[5]

Service

The regiment mustered in for nine months service between October 27 and November 29, 1862, under the command of Colonel Charles Kleckner.[6]

The regiment was assigned or attached to larger formations as follows:

The 172nd Pennsylvania Infantry mustered out of service August 1, 1863.[3]

Detailed service

1862
  • Moved to Washington, D.C., December 2.
  • To Newport News. Va., December 4.
  • To Yorktown, Va., December 12.
  • Garrison duty at Yorktown, Va. assigned to IV Corps, Dept. of Virginia, December.

1863
  • Attached to West’s Advance Brigade, IV Corps, Dept. of Virginia, April.
  • Maj. Gen. John Dix’s Peninsula Campaign. Attached to 3rd Brigade, 1st Division, IV Corps, June 27-July 7.
  • Ordered to Washington, D.C., July 9.
  • Joined Army of the Potomac at Hagerstown, Md. assigned to 1st Brigade, 3rd Division, XI Corps, July 14.
  • Pursuit of Robert E. Lee to Williamsport, Md., march to Warrenton Junction, Va., July 19-25.
  • Ordered to Harrisburg, Pa., and mustered out under Colonel Kleckner, August 1.[6]

Casualties

The regiment lost 13 enlisted men to disease.[6]

Commanders

The regiment was formed under Colonel Charles Kleckner, Lt. Colonel Thddeus G. Bogle, and Major M. T. Heintzelman. On December 10, 1862, Lt. Colonel Bogle was discharged and replaced by Lt. Colonel James A. Johnson. The regiment mustered out on August 1, 1863, under Colonel Kleckner.[6]

See also

References
  1. Douglas Harper. "NORTHERN DRAFT of 1862". The American Civil War. Retrieved January 30, 2021.
  2. "172nd Infantry Regiment". Pennsylvania Civil War Battle Flags. Pennsylvania Capitol Preservation Committee. Retrieved January 29, 2021.
  3. Bates, Samuel P. (1870). History of Pennsylvania Volunteers, 1861-5, Vol. IV. Harrisburg, Pennsylvania: B. Singerly, State Printer. p. 1182. Retrieved January 30, 2021.
  4. "172nd Regiment, Pennsylvania Infantry (Drafted Militia), Search for Soldiers". The Civil War. National Park Service. Retrieved January 30, 2021.
  5. "172nd Regiment, Pennsylvania Infantry (Drafted Militia)". FamilySearch Research Wiki. FamilySearch. Retrieved January 30, 2021.
  6. "172nd Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry Regiment". The Civil War in the East. Retrieved January 28, 2021.
  7. "172d Pennsylvania Regiment". Pennsylvania Volunteers of the Civil War. Retrieved January 30, 2021.
Attribution
  • This article contains text from a text now in the public domain: Dyer, Frederick H. (1908). A Compendium of the War of the Rebellion. Des Moines, IA: Dyer Publishing Co.

Further reading
  • Dyer, Frederick H. A Compendium of the War of the Rebellion (Des Moines, IA: Dyer Pub. Co.), 1908.
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