Company "A" (Southard's Independent Company), Pennsylvania (Colored) Infantry was a United States Colored Troops unit briefly formed during the Civil War in the Union Army. The unit was organized at Camp William Penn, Pennsylvania on July 28, 1864Frank H. Taylor, PHILADELPHIA IN THE CIVIL WAR (1861-1865), Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1913, p.279 It was named for its commander, Captain Converse Southard. The unit was disbanded November 14, 1864Frank H. Taylor, PHILADELPHIA IN THE CIVIL WAR (1861-1865), Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1913, p.279 at Philadelphia, PennsylvaniaPennsylvania Adjutant-General's Office, Report of the Adjutant General of Pennsylvania (1864); Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, 1865. p.269 and its remaining members sent to reinforce existing U.S.C.T. regiments.
Purpose Not much is known about this unit, except that it did not see combat. It was enlisted for a period of only 100 days;Pennsylvania Adjutant-General's Office, Report of the Adjutant General of Pennsylvania (1864); Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, 1865. p.269 enlistments of 3 to 4 months or so were usually for emergencies. Many members transferred to other units before the unit was disbanded, including its officers.
An army under CSA General Jubal Early had threatened Washington DC in the beginning of July but had fled to West Virginia by August. The troops may have been raised to serve in the defense of Washington DC or replace Pennsylvanian units sent to Maryland.
Known members There were 100 men (3 officers, 18 NCOs, 2 Musicians, and 77? Soldiers) assigned to the unit at formation.Company, United States Colored Infantry (Pennsylvania)%22 although no summary of the Units service is listed in the US NPS database, there is a listing by name of 89 members of this Unit in the NPS database.
Officers Captain Converse Southard (b. Unknown (c.1838) - d. November 20, 1876; 37 yrs old). Converse A. Southard was born in Newark, Licking County, Ohio the son of Joseph and Priscilla Southard. In 1860 Southard was residing in Peoria City, Peoria County, Illinois and was a clerk before the war. 1861 Peoria City Directory He was commissioned as a 1st Lieutenant in the Illinois Militia on Aug 16, 1861 and was assigned to Company "A", 47th Illinois Volunteer Infantry (IVI).http://civilwar.illinoisgenweb.org/r050/047-a-in.html Roster: Company "A", 47th Illinois He was promoted to Captain of Company "A", 47th Illinois on May 9, 1862 but resigned his commission on October 29, 1862.http://civilwar.illinoisgenweb.org/r050/047-a-in.html Roster: Company "A", 47th Illinois Infantry He attended the Command School at Camp William Penn from March 30, 1864 and was commissioned as a Captain in the Pennsylvania Militia on July 20, 1864.Pennsylvania Adjutant-General's Office, Report of the Adjutant General of Pennsylvania (1864); Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, 1865. p.269 He was assigned to command a company in what was anticipated to be a full regiment of Colored Troops that was later reorganized as an Independent Company. Southard was given an honorable discharge on August 11, 1864https://s3.amazonaws.com/pastperfectonline/images/museum_193/051/20193533-8.jpg WAR DEPARTMENT, Adjutant General's Office (Washington, December 12, 1864) Special Order №442, section 27 and was then transferred to Paducah, Kentucky to command Company "C", 119th US Colored Infantry Regiment, U.S. Colored Troopshttp://soda.pop.psu.edu/cgi-bin/broker?e2=transfer&_PROGRAM=pubprogs.cw3b.sas&_SERVICE=sodapop Pennsylvanians in the Civil War. by Steve Maczuga and mustered in on February 28, 1865. He was later charged in July with "Behavior Unbecoming of an Officer"; reportedly he had been found with a woman in his quarters who was undressing. He requested to resign his commission for the good of the service on July 7, was marked Absent Without Leave on August 19, and was mustered out on September 7, 1865. He later resided in Buffalo, New York after the war and died there of "congestion of the brain" on November 20, 1876. His remains were shipped by rail to his birthplace of Newark, Ohio where he was interred in the Cedar Hill Cemetery on November 23, 1876.
First Lieutenant Enon M. Harris (b. March 3, 1839 - d. October 26, 1908; 69 yrs old) Enon Major Harris was commissioned as a First Lieutenant in the Pennsylvania Militia on July 20, 1864.Pennsylvania Adjutant-General's Office, Report of the Adjutant General of Pennsylvania (1864); Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, 1865. p.269 He received a transfer to the 8th US Colored Heavy Artillery Regiment. He had the distinction of being one of 27 veteran Navy and Army officers assigned to the Honor Guard for Abraham Lincoln's coffin. They escorted it to and from Independence Hall in Philadelphia and guarded Lincoln while he lay in state. Harris was buried at Arlington Cemetery.
Second Lieutenant George W. Keys Was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the Pennsylvania Militia on July 21, 1864.Pennsylvania Adjutant-General's Office, Report of the Adjutant General of Pennsylvania (1864); Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, 1865. p.269 He transferred to Company A, 41st US Colored Infantry Regiment, U.S.C.T. on September 10, 1864.http://soda.pop.psu.edu/cgi-bin/broker?e2=transfer&_PROGRAM=pubprogs.cw3b.sas&_SERVICE=sodapop Pennsylvanians in the Civil War. by Steve Maczuga Promoted to Adjutant on August 14, 1865.Samuel P. Bates, History of the Pennsylvania Volunteers, (1861-1865), Harrisburg, Pennsylvania; 1868-1871.
Non-Commissioned Officers First Sergeant William Lee Sergeant Daniel Young Sergeant Daniel Wright Sergeant Enoch P. Gibbs Sergeant Levi M. Hood Sergeant Crawford Hardy Sergeant Harvy P. London Sergeant Anthony Y. Wilson Corporal Martin Gibbs Corporal Thomas L. Wesley Corporal Jacob T. Compton Corporal Jacob S. Christy Corporal James Patten Corporal Isaac P. Brown Corporal Charles W. Calaman Corporal Henry P. M’Kinsey Corporal Ebenezer J. Miller Corporal Jacob M. Miller
Musicians Enoch Ferguson Abraham Brown
Private Soldiers Levi Alexander John A. Archie William Brown Christopher Brown Jacob Boyer Philip Bell William S. Bell Ephraim Brown Henderson Brown William H. D. Bush William Cain William Cole John Clemans James Chambers Samuel Christy Jacob T. Cumpton (b? - d. September 6, 1905)https://www.afrolumens.com/rising_free/usct/southards.html#Samuel_P._Bates African American Civil War Veterans - Pennsylvania Burials by Units - Southard's Company, United States Colored Infantry (Pennsylvania) - Cumpton, Jacob T. mustered into the company as a private on July 28, 1864.National Park Service, "Civil War Soldiers and Sailors System" (Film M589, roll 18) He transferred as a corporalSamuel P. Bates, History of the Pennsylvania Volunteers (1861-1865), Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, 1868. to Company D, 24th US Colored Infantry Regiment, U.S.C.T. on November 14, 1864https://www.afrolumens.com/rising_free/usct/southards.html African American Civil War Veterans - Pennsylvania Burials by Units - Southard's Company, United States Colored Infantry (Pennsylvania) and was promoted to Sergeant on February 23, 1865. Cumpton was mustered out with his Company on October 1, 1865. John Davis William H. Dixson Franklin Duffin Edward Emery Isaac B. Fray William Fray John Giddings Benjamin M. Gooseberry (b? - d. September 16, 1906)http://files.usgwarchives.net/pa/philadelphia/cemeteries/philly-nat-cem/phil-g.txt Philadelphia County, PA_USGenWeb Archives Cemeteries.....G Surnames: Philadelphia National Cemetery, Philadelphia, PA mustered in as a private on July 28, 1864.National Park Service, "Civil War Soldiers and Sailors System" (Film M589, roll 33) He transferred as a private into the 41st US Colored Infantry Regiment, U.S.C.T. on September 21, 1864.https://www.afrolumens.com/rising_free/usct/southards.html African American Civil War Veterans - Pennsylvania Burials by Units - Southard's Company, United States Colored Infantry (Pennsylvania) Gooseberry was discharged on completion of his term of service on September 30, 1865. Benjamin Hill Ferdinand Hearkless Daniel Harmon James Hallow John Hood Alfred W. Jones Andrew Jackson Cyrus Johnson Samuel L. Little Isaac Lewis Michael Lamborn Joshua Mason Lewis L. Nixon Richard Plater William H. Paxson William Platter George W. Patts William Prigg Robert Peck Isaiah Queman William H. Rudolph George W. Richardson John H. Rozell William H. Smith Charles Sheridan William P. Scott Henry Smith James H. Samons Francis H. Smith William H. Thomas Henry Wilson William H. White David M. Wells Joseph Wilkinson John Wooden Richard Wilson
See also List of Pennsylvania Civil War regiments List of United States Colored Troops Civil War units
References