49th Regiment - Pennsylvania Volunteers

The 49th Regiment, Pennsylvania Volunteers, was organized at West Chester on August 2, 1861.  Company "B" of that regiment was made up entirely of Chester County volunteers.  Most of them had served earlier in one of the 90-day volunteer units that had been established immediately after the fall of Fort Sumpter.  The roster of the company is as follows.

• CAPTAIN
  • Geo. F. SMITH, age 22 - promoted to Major, d. 1877 at West Chester

• 1st LIEUTENANT
  • B. J. HICKMAN, age 29& - promoted to Colonel, d. 1890 at Martinsburg, VA

• 2nd LIEUTENANT
  • Isaac B. PARKER, age 21 - d. 1890 in New York City, NY

• 1st SERGEANT

  • Benjamin H. DOWNING, age 19 - promoted to 1st Lieutenant - d. 1908 at Wichita. KS

• 2nd SERGEANT

  • E.J. LASELLE, age not stated, No further info

• 3rd SERGEANT
  • Lewis K. PINKERTON, age 26 - discharged 1865

• 4th SERGEANT
  • John P. GILLESPIE, age 46 - wounded May 10 1864, discharged October 1864

• 5th SERGEANT
  • Frank A. BROWN, age 25 -wounded May 10, 1864, d. Tilden Hospital, June 1864

• 1st CORPORAL
  • Jos. B. DOWNING, age 18 - promoted to Captain, wounded May 10, 1864

• 2nd CORPORAL
  • Thos. S. TAYLOR, age 22 -died March 15 1862

• 3rd CORPORAL
  • Jos. B. BROWN, age 22 - discharged February 1863, surgeon's certificate

• 4th CORPORAL
  • D. H. LAW, age 18, promoted to 2nd Lieutenant 1864, wounded June 3, 1864

• 5th CORPORAL
  • S. H. PACKINGHAM, age 19, promoted to Sergeant May 1864, discharged June 1865

• 6th CORPORAL
  • Marshall BATTON, age 26 - killed in action, Garnett's Hill, 1862

• 7th CORPORAL
  • John D. GILLESPIE, age 19 - wounded May 12, 1864, died 1865 of wounds

• 8th CORPORAL
  • H. G. HAZLETON, age 37 - died 1862, buried Alexandria VA, grave 535

• MUSICIANS
  • Geo. W. HINKLE, age 19 - discharged 1865, cited for heroic action 1862

  • L. P. HECKROTH, age 20 - taken Prisoner 1863, released, discharged 1864

The following are all rank of Private

• BEERBOWER, Sylvester, age 20 - No other notation

• BOYD, Aaron B., age 31 - disabled September 1864, Discharged October 1864

• BOYD, John A., age 23 - discharged 1862 on surgeon's certificate

• CAMP, Essex B., age 25 - wounded at Antietam, trans as hospital steward, d. 1885

• CONLIN, John, age 28 - discharged 1864 on surgeon's certificate

• COUGHLIN, Michael, age 40 - Wounded May 10, 1864 discharged 1865

• DALLAR, Daniel, age 22 - Promoted to Sergeant, wounded May 10, 1864, discharged 1865

• DAVIS, Geo. W., age 20 - died December 27, 1862

• DUNN, William, age 18 - No other notation

• DOWNING, William H., Age 20 - Captured 1863, Escaped 1864 Killed May 10, 1864

• DAVIS, W. J., age 19& - Wounded June 10, 1864, discharged 1865

• EMERICK, Levi, age 30 - discharged 1862, no other notation

• FARRA, Nathan, age 18, died 1862, buried at Soldiers Home, Washington DC, grave 2042

• FORD, Nehemiah, age not given - discharged 1862, no other notation

• FORD, Lewis, age 23 - died September 1862, buried at Mt. Moriah, Philadelphia, grave 161

• GARDNER, Richard, age 18 - Promoted to Corporal, no other notation

• GRAY, Samuel, age 21 - Discharged October 1864

• HELMICK, Geo. W., age 22 - No other notation

• HAINES, Michael, age 22 - AWOL since May 4, 1862

• KING, Edward N., age 19 - discharged 1863 on surgeon's certificate

• KISTON, Thomas J., age 18 - died January 11, 1862, no other notation

• KENNEDY, Smith, age 22 - AWOL since January 1863

• KENNEDY, Wm., age not given - AWOL, no date

• LILLY, Fleming, age 27 - AWOL, no date

• MANNING, Peter, age 30 - died February 1863 at Lincoln Hospital, Washington, DC, grave 4752

• McCAVERN, Patrick, age 36 - no other notation

• McCAFFERTY, Frank, age 32 - discharged 1865

• MONTGOMERY, John, age 19 - wounded May 10, 1864, discharged 1865

• MILLER, James S., age 31, - died August 24, 1895, Rockely, PA

• MAY, John P., age not given - Deserted at Harrisburg, PA, 1861

• NAYLOR, Andrew J., age 21 - Promoted to Corporal, wounded May 10, 1864

• NEELY, Wm., age 18 - discharged 1862, surgeon's certificate, died 1897 in Harrisburg

• NEIL, James, age 18 - Killed in action May 12, 1864

• PHELPS, Francis J., age 28 - Killed in action May 5, 1864, buried at Fredicksburg

• RADER, John, age 22 - no other notation

• RIMBY, Geo. W. C., age 20 - Killed in action June 1864

• RUSSELL, John W., age 30 - promoted up to Captain, Wounded May 10, 1864

• SETZLER, Abram, age not given - no further notation

• TAYLOR, Jesse, age 34 - Killed in action September 19, 1864

• TAYLOR, Thomas J., age 34 - discharged 1863 on surgeon's certificate

• TAYLOR, Wm. B., age 41 - d. March 1862, buried Soldier's Home, Washington DC, grave 1011

• TAYLOR, W. D., age 18 - discharged 1864, no further notation

• VANDIEVER, Elwood, age 33 - Deserted, no date

• VANDIEVER, Enos, age 18 - died Jan 6, 1862

• WALTERS, Frazier, age 21 - discharged September 1864

• WHITE, James, age 19 - died, no date given

• WILKINSON, Samuel D., age 20 - discharged 1865, no further notation

The regiment was reorganized twice during the Civil War, with re-assignments and replacements provided.  May 10-12, 1864, when so many of the above were killed or wounded, was the battle for the Spottsylvania, VA, courthouse, one of the bloodiest battles of the Civil War.  The regiment was also at Gettysburg for that memorable event on July 2-3, 1863, but it was held in reserve and did not see any direct action.

All the above data comes from "History of the 49th Pennsylvania Volunteers", by Robert S. Westbrook, 1898

This page was updated on February 23, 2009