The 75th Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry was a unit of the Union Army during the American Civil War. It was composed almost entirely of German-speaking residents of Philadelphia and newly arrived German immigrants. Total enrollment, over the course of the war, was 1,293 officers and men. The 75th Pennsylvania participated in several major battles including Second Bull Run, Chancellorsville, and Gettysburg. The regiment was transferred to the Western Theater in September, 1863. There, it participated in operations in Tennessee, before it was mustered out of service on September 1, 1865, following the close of the war.
Commanding officers Colonel Henry Bohlen (August 7, 1861 – April 28, 1862, promoted to brigadier general) Colonel Francis Mahler (April 1862 – July 1, 1863, killed at Gettysburg) Major August Ledig (July 1, 1863 – March 8, 1864, assumed command after Mahler wounded at Gettysburg) Lt. Colonel Alvin V. Matzdorff (March 8, 1864 – September 1, 1865, mustered out with regiment)
Company commanders Company A – Capt. Julius Oswald (August 9, 1861 – July 28, 1862, resigned) Capt. Reinhard Gerke (July 28, 1862 – September 1, 1865, mustered out with company)
Company B – Capt. August Sehmann (August 16, 1861 – October 6, 1864, mustered out when term expired)
Company C – Capt. Rudolph Schwartz (August 22, 1861 – November 5, 1862, discharged for wounds received at Second Bull Run) Capt. Charles Saalmann (March 1, 1863 – May 28, 1865, detached from regiment as Acting Commissary of Subsistence to Third Brigade,First Division, Twentieth Corps on January 1, 1864, participated in General Sherman's Atlanta and Savannah Campaigns, resigned at close of war).
Company D – Capt. Philip T. Schopp (August 27, 1861 – September 14, 1862, promoted to colonel) Roderick Theune (June 26, 1862 – December 28, 1863, resigned)
Company E – Capt. August Ledig (August 9, 1861 – July 30, 1962, promoted to major)Capt. Roswell G Feltue (September 1, 1861 – September 1, 1865, mustered out with company)
Company F – Capt. Gablenz Wolfgang (September 16, 1861 – August 14, 1862, resigned)Capt. Frederick Oppman (August 14, 1862 – January 12, 1863, discharged)Capt. Richard Ledig (March 1, 1862 – November 3, 1864, discharged for wounds received at Second Bull Run)
Company G – Capt. Adoph Shoeninger (September 25, 1861 – August 23, 1862, resigned)Capt. Frederick Tiedemann (August 23, 1862 – September 15, 1863, resigned)Capt. Franz Ehrlich (December 5, 1861 – September 1, 1865, mustered out with company)
Company H – Capt. August Sauer (October 9, 1861 – December 1, 1861, resigned)Capt. Joseph S. Chandler (December 1, 1861 – September 18, 1862, promoted to major 114th Pennsylvania Infantry)Capt. William Schindler (August 31, 1862 – July 3, 1864, resigned)
Company I – Capt. Frederick Winter (October 16, 1861 – September 1, 1865, mustered out with company)
Company K – Capt. Christian Wyck (August 9, 1861 – April 15, 1862, drowned in Shenandoah River)Capt. Frederick Fromhagen (October 30, 1862 – April 9, 1863, resigned)
Assignments September 1861 – November 1861. Casey's Provisional Division, Army of the Potomac. November 1861 – March 1862. Bohlen's 3rd Brigade, Blenker's Division, Army of the Potomac. March 1862 – April 1862. Third Brigade, Blenker's Division, Second Corps, Army of the Potomac. April 1862 – June 1862. Third Brigade, Blenker's Division, Mountain Department. June 1862 – September 1862. Second Brigade, Third Division, First Corps, Army of Virginia. September 1862 – October 1863. Second Brigade, Third Division, Eleventh Corps, Army of the Potomac. October 1863 – April 1864. Third Brigade, Third Division, Eleventh Corps, Army of the Cumberland. April 1864 – March 1865. Unattached, Fourth Division, 20th Army Corps, Department of the Cumberland. March 1865 – September 1865. First Brigade, First Sub-District of Middle Tennessee.
History Organization
Henry Bohlen, a wealthy Philadelphia liquor merchant, financed, recruited, and organized the 75th Pennsylvania (originally designated the 40th Pennsylvania) during August and September 1861. As his second in command, Bohlen selected 35-year-old, Francis Mahler. The regiment fitted out at Camp Worth in Hestonville in West Philadelphia. On September 25, 1861, the regiment, by then numbering about 800 men, departed camp on foot and marched to downtown Philadelphia. There, the unit was presented with its regimentalYorkville enquirer, February 25, 1863, p.2 and national colors. At midnight, the troops departed Philadelphia for Washington, D.C. by train.
Winter of 1861–1862
After arriving in the nation's capital, the 75th Pennsylvania crossed the Potomac by way of the Long Bridge and went into camp near Roach's Mills on Four Mile Run. In October, it moved into permanent winter quarters near Hunter's Chapel, Virginia. In November, 1861, the regiment was assigned to The Third Brigade of Louis Blenker's Division, composed primarily of German-American regiments. On November 22, the regiment participated in the review of the Army of Potomac at Bailey's Cross Roads by President Lincoln and General McClellan.
1862 Shenandoah Valley Operations
Beginning on March 10, 1862, the 75th Pennsylvania served as forward guard during the advance on Manassas, Virginia. The men passed through Annandale, Burke's Station, and Fairfax Courthouse. They then marched west to Centreville, Virginia, and, from there, continued through Newmarket, Manassas, Milford, Weaverville, and Cattlett Station. By March 26, the regiment had arrived in Warrenton Junction. During this march, the troops suffered severely from want of provisions and shelter. After passing through Upperville and Paris, the regiment was ordered across the Shenandoah River at Berry's Ferry. The river was swollen with melted ice and snow. A boat carrying troops from companies I and K capsized in mid river, resulting in the loss of 53 lives. The accident was described as follows:
On the 15th [the regiment] was ordered to cross the Shenandoah, and move to Winchester, in pursuit of Stonewall Jackson's force then confronting Banks. Several rafts were constructed to cross the troops. The river was high, and the current rapid. Company D, the skirmish company, crossed in safety, when, to save time, and old ferry boat which had been partly burned by the enemy, was repaired, and a rope stretched across the stream to guide it. Companies I and K embarked, and when near the middle of the stream, the boat swamped and suddenly began to sink. It was a moment of terror. A shriek of agony rent the air as they were suddenly engul[f]ed. Scores of knapsacks covering the surface of the water were all that was visible of the unfortunate men as they floated, thus burdened, in the river. Captain Christian Wyck, of company K, Lieutenant Adolf Winter, of company I, First Sergeant Joseph Tiedemann, of company K, and fifty enlisted men were drowned. Sergeant Tiedemann, an expert swimmer, sacrificed his life in a vain attempt to save that of his Captain.
Those troops remaining on the east side of the river eventually crossed at Snicker's Ferry. The regiment reached Winchester, Virginia, on April 18, where the men received new uniforms, shoes, tents, and rations. Colonel Bohlen received his commission as brigade commander and command of the regiment fell to Lieutenant-Colonel Mahler.
Beginning on May 6, the men of the 75th Pennsylvania marched west from Winchester, passing through Romney and Petersburg, West Virginia, before arriving in Franklin, West Virginia. At Franklin, the men endured a period of near starvation. On May 26, the regiment arrived back in Petersburg, where the men were provided with rations that again proved insufficient. After leaving Petersburg, the troops endured a grueling march, during which they passed through Moorefield, before they eventually emerged into the Shenandoah Valley. In pursuit of rapidly retreating Confederate troops, they marched south through the valley passing through Strasburg, Woodstock, Mount Jackson and New Market, Virginia.
Battle of Cross Keys
On June 8, the 75th Pennsylvania participated in the Battle of Cross Keys near Harrisonburg, Virginia. The regiment arrived in an open area to the left of the Cross Keys Road, just past Pirkey's farm, at a little after 2:00 p.m. The men formed into double columns, but were held in reserve. The 75th Pennsylvania advanced to relieve other units on the left flank, sustaining heavy losses. However, as the regiment started to deploy, it was ordered to retreat into a gully to give the artillery a clear lane of fire. Thereafter, the regiment executed an orderly withdrawal. The next morning, federal troops found that the Confederates had abandoned their positions during the night. The Battle of Cross Keys was considered a Confederate victory.
On June 26, the 75th Pennsylvania was placed within the Second Brigade of the Third Division of the newly formed First Corps under the command of Major-General Sigel. On June 30, upon assuming command of the First Corps, Sigel dispatched a communication to Major General Pope from Middletown, Virginia, which read in part: "The troops forming the First Corps are not in good condition; they are weakened and poorly provided." In early July, the troops marched south, passing down the Luray Valley before arriving at Luray. From Luray, the regiment proceeded east and, after passing through Thornton's Gap, it arrived at Sperryville, Virginia. The regiment remained in this location for several weeks.
Skirmish at Freeman's Ford
On August 20, the 75th Pennsylvania crossed the Rappahannock River at Warrenton Sulphur Springs. The men then marched downstream along the north bank until they reached a point near Rappahannock Station. Also, on that date, a series of promotions altered the command structure of the regiment. Lieutenant-colonel Mahler was promoted to colonel, Major Alwin Von Matzdorf was promoted to lieutenant-colonel, and Captain August Ledig was promoted to major.
On the morning of August 22, the 75th Pennsylvania moved upstream to Freeman's Ford. The regiment waded across the Rappahannock and mounted the steep bank on the far side. General Sigel had ordered the troops to reconnoiter the area to the left of the ford. After moving inland a short distance, they encountered Confederates in heavy force and fell back toward the river. During the skirmish at Freeman's Ford, which is considered part of the First Battle of Rappahannock Station, Brigadier General Bohlen, the original commander of the 75th Pennsylvania, was killed by enemy fire.
Second Manassas
On August 28, the 75th Pennsylvania was first ordered to march toward Manassas, but was then redirected toward Centreville. On August 29, the regiment was thrown forward against the forces of Confederate Generals Ewell and Jackson about a mile east of Groveton. The men crossed the turnpike then forded Young's Branch. The troops moved north toward an unfinished railroad embankment. Skirmishers soon encountered a strong force of the enemy. The Confederates advanced in mass and a general battle erupted. The 75th Pennsylvania furiously engaged the enemy until the Fifty-eighth New York Volunteer Regiment could be brought forward. At great cost, the men succeeded in driving the enemy back and gained possession of the railroad embankment. General Carl Schurz, in his report on the engagement, observed, "The conduct of the Seventy-fifth Pennsylvania, which displayed the greatest firmness and preserved perfect order on that occasion, deploying and firing with the utmost regularity, deserve[s] special praise."