Federal Regiment

69th Pennsylvania Infantry

Organized: Philadelphia, PA; mustered in 8/18/1861
Disbanded/Mustered out: Ball's Cross Roads (now Ballston), VA 7/1/1865

Commanding Officer on the Antietam Campaign:
Joshua Thomas Owen

This Regiment's Chain of Command:
  Army - Army of the Potomac
  Corps - Second Army Corps
  Division - 2nd Division, 2nd Corps
  Brigade - 2nd Brigade, 2nd Division, 2nd Corps

Unit history

"The Twenty-fourth Regiment for three months' service, recruited and commanded by Colonel Joshua T. Owen, was mustered out at the expiration of its term on the 10th of August, 1861, having served under General Patterson on the Upper Potomac, and in the Shenandoah Valley. On the day of its muster-out, the President having issued his call for troops for three years, Colonel Owen established a camp of rendezvous near his own residence at Chestnut Hill, Twenty-second ward, Philadelphia, and commenced recruiting another regiment. The men came for the most part from the city, though a few were from Schuylkill county, were mostly of Irish origin, robust and of hardy habits, and emulous of courage as is the characteristic of their race."
(from Bates)

"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."
(from California)

Two companies of Zouaves were attached to the regiment in October 1861, making 12 companies total. The zouves had been acting as independent commands, and were known as the "Baker Guards".

On the Antietam Campaign

As part of the 2nd Brigade, 2nd Corps, the Regiment advanced to the Dunker Church, before being hit from the left flank by Confederate troops from the West Woods ...

" We still kept on," says Adjutant McDermott, "until within a few paces of the advanced line. The fire from his batteries was here so destructive that we were ordered to lie down. This fire was kept up on us for nearly half an hour, when General Sumner, accompanied by a single aid, came up in our front, waving his hand for us to fall back. It being impossible to hear what he was trying to say, the men rose to their feet, and fixed bayonets, thinking that he wanted them to charge the batteries on our left front, and it was not until this brave old man got in front of our colors, when he took off his hat and waived it for us to get back, that his order was understood. But it was now too late, as the enemy was pouring down upon us from the rear, delivering a terrible fire of musketry. The fire was coming from our rear, left, and front, and we were obliged to retire to the right."

Their losses were severe. Captain Francis V. Bierwirth, and Lieutenants Joseph McHugh and James Dunn were among the killed.

Statistics

Initial Strength: not known; Killed in Action (KIA): 21; Wounded (WIA): 57; Captured (POW): 10;

Map Showing this Unit

Detail Map #5: Sedgwick is Flanked in the West Woods (9-10am)

Battlefield Tablets for this Unit

Tablet #35: Second Army Corps - 15 Sep, 7 AM to 15 Sep, 8 PM
Tablet #115: Second Army Corps - 15 Sep, 9 AM to 17 Sep, 7 AM
Tablet #120: Army of the Potomac - 17 Sep, 5 AM to 17 Sep, 12 PM
Tablet #116: Second Army Corps - 17 Sep, 6 AM to 17 Sep, 10 AM
Tablet #36: Sedgwick's Division, Second Army Corps - 17 Sep, 7 AM to 17 Sep, 10 AM
Tablet #39: Howard's Brigade, Sedgwick's Division - 17 Sep, 7 AM to 17 Sep, 12 PM

After the Antietam Campaign

The regiment fought on the Fredericksburg, Gettysburg, Wilderness, Petersburg, and Appomattox Campaigns. In March 1864, at the end of their 3-year terms of sevice, a sufficient number of the troops had re-enlisted to continue the Regiment in service for the duration of the War.

References & Notes

Sources: Bates, Samuel P., History of the Pennsylvania Volunteers, 1861-65, Harrisburg: 1868-1871, extracted online at Pennsylvania in the Civil War ; and
California State Military Museum - online 'informal' unit history

We have 102 individuals in the AotW database who were on the Maryland Campaign with this unit:

Co.	Rank	Name	Casualty?
A	Lt	Dunn, James	MWIA 09/17
A	Pvt	McLaughlin, Richard	WIA 09/17
A	Pvt	Quigley, John	WIA 09/17
B	Sgt	Coyne, Michael	MWIA 09/17
B	Pvt	Early, Peter	WIA 09/17
B	Pvt	Gorrell, Charles	WIA 09/17
B	Pvt	Gould, Daniel	WIA 09/17
B	Pvt	Higgins, James	WIA 09/17
B	Pvt	King, Patrick	WIA 09/17
B	Pvt	Loughlin, Rodger	WIA 09/17
B	Pvt	McCabe, John	WIA 09/17
B	Pvt	McCall, Hugh	WIA 09/17
B	Pvt	McConaghy, James	WIA 09/17
B	Pvt	McCormick, Thomas	WIA 09/17
B	Pvt	McCusker, Mark	WIA 09/17
B	Pvt	McNamara, John	KIA 09/17
B	Pvt	O'Brien, Patrick	WIA 09/17
B	Pvt	Reagan, John	WIA 09/17
B	Pvt	Reiley, Terrence	MWIA 09/17
C	Pvt	Campbell, William	WIA 09/17
C	Sgt	Conley, Henry	WIA 09/17
C	Pvt	Cullen, Andrew	WIA 09/17
C	Pvt	Donohue, Owen	WIA 09/17
C	Pvt	Drain, James	KIA 09/17
C	Pvt	Haw, William	WIA 09/17
C	Pvt	King, Patrick	WIA 09/17
C	Pvt	McDevitt, Hugh	MWIA 09/17
C	Pvt	Moss, James	KIA 09/17
C	Sgt	O'Leary, John	WIA 09/17
C	Capt	O'Reilly, James	WIA 09/17
C	Corp	Reedy, Michael	KIA 09/17
C	Pvt	Sauber, John D.	MWIA 09/17
C	Pvt	Wilson, Hector	MWIA 09/17
D	Pvt	Anderson, Patrick H.	POW 09/17
D	Pvt	Boyle, John M.	WIA 09/17
D	Pvt	Buckley, Michael	WIA 09/17
D	Pvt	Burns, Patrick	WIA 09/17
D	Pvt	Kennedy, James	WIA 09/17
D	Lt	McHugh, Joseph	KIA 09/17
D	Sgt	Mellon, James	WIA 09/17
D	Pvt	Mellon, James	WIA 09/17
D	Pvt	Mullen, Charles	WIA 09/17
D	Pvt	Roach, Michael	WIA 09/17
E	Pvt	Carr, Owen	WIA 09/17
E	Pvt	Devlin, James	WIA/POW 09/17
E	Sgt	Devlin, John J.	WIA 09/17
E	Pvt	McQuade, Daniel	WIA 09/17
E	Lt	Taggart, John J.	WIA 09/17
E	Pvt	Vaughan, Beverly K.	KIA 09/17
E	Lt	Wood, Thomas	WIA 09/17
F	Sgt	Doake, Robert	WIA 09/17
F	Pvt	Dolan, John	WIA 09/17
F	Pvt	Edwards, James	MWIA 09/17
F	Pvt	Hoar, Thomas	WIA 09/17
F	Pvt	Hughes, Andrew	WIA 09/17
F	Pvt	O'Brien, Andrew	KIA 09/17
F	Pvt	Rourke, Michael	WIA 09/17
F	Sgt	Sneden, James	WIA 09/17
G	Capt	Bierwirth, Francis V.	KIA 09/17
G	Sgt	Boyle, Hugh	WIA 09/17
G	Pvt	Boyle, Stephen	WIA 09/17
G	Pvt	Brannon, John	WIA 09/17
G	Corp	McCartney, Henry	WIA 09/17
G	Pvt	Scully, Martin	WIA 09/17
G	Pvt	Tieman, Richard	WIA 09/17
G	Pvt	Toy, Robert S.	WIA 09/17
H	Capt	Kelley, Thomas	WIA 09/17
H	Pvt	Patton, William	WIA 09/17
H	Pvt	Todd, William	KIA 09/17
I	Pvt	Bowers, James	WIA 09/17
I	Pvt	Cloney, Thomas J.	POW 09/17
I	Pvt	Cush, William	WIA 09/17
I	Corp	Elben, William	POW 09/17
I	Sgt	Funston, George	WIA 09/17
I	Sgt	Gillen, Cornelius	MWIA 09/17
I	Capt	Gillen, Daniel F.	POW 09/17
I	Sgt	Lane, James H.	WIA 09/17
I	Pvt	Logan, Michael	POW 09/17
I	Pvt	Louden, John F.	KIA 09/17
I	Pvt	Loyer, Charles H.	WIA 09/17
I	Pvt	McClarren, James	POW 09/17
I	Pvt	Pine, Benjamin	WIA 09/17
K	Corp	Bradley, Dennis	WIA 09/17
K	Corp	Buckley, John	WIA 09/17
K	Pvt	Cotter, Thomas	KIA 09/17
K	Pvt	Flynn, John C.	KIA 09/17
K	Pvt	Flynn, Michael	POW 09/17
K	Corp	Hand, John	KIA 09/17
K	Sgt	Hart, Patrick	KIA 09/17
K	Pvt	Kearney, James	WIA 09/17
K	Lt	Kelley, Joseph M.	WIA 09/17
K	Pvt	McConnell, Patrick	POW 09/17
K	Pvt	McGrath, Thomas	WIA 09/17
K	Pvt	Moran, George M.	KIA 09/17
K	Pvt	Mulhall, John	WIA 09/17
K	Pvt	Polley, John	POW 09/17
K	Pvt	Shields, Francis	KIA 09/17
K	Pvt	Waters, John	KIA 09/17
K	Pvt	Welsh, John	WIA 09/17
F&S	Sgt	Coyne, Michael	KIA 09/17
F&S	Maj	Devereux, Jr., John	WIA 09/17
F&S	Col	Owen, Joshua Thomas

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