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Commanding Officers on the Antietam Campaign:
Maj. Edward Overton
Capt. William W. Diehl
This Regiment's Chain of Command:
Army - Army of the Potomac
Corps - Ninth Army Corps
Division - 1st Division, 9th Corps
Brigade - 1st Brigade, 1st Division, 9th Corps
Unit history
The Fiftieth Regiment was recruited in the counties of Berks, Schuylkill, Bradford, Susquehanna, Lancaster, and Luzerne. Initial field officers:
Benjamin C. Christ, of Schuylkill county, Colonel; Thomas S. Brenholtz, of Berks county, Lieutenant Colonel; Edward Overton, Jr., of Bradford county, Major.
By mid-July 1862, Colonel Christ was promoted to Brigade command, and Lieutenant Colonel Brenholtz was wounded at Bull Run, leaving Major Overton in command of the Regiment.
On the Antietam Campaign
On 17 September they "crossed-the stone bridge and drove the enemy back. Christ's Brigade charged with great spirit and gallantry, and attained a position in advance of the Union lines, where it was exposed to a terrible cross-fire of artillery; but it maintained its position until the rebels were forced to retreat. In the midst of the fight Major Overton fell severely wounded, and the command devolved on Captain Diehl. The loss was seven killed and seven severely wounded".
(from Bates)
Maps Showing this Unit
Detail Map #7: Burnside Attacks the Lower Bridge (10 am-1 pm)
Detail Map #12: Burnside's Ninth Corps Climbs Toward Sharpsburg (3-4 pm)
Detail Map #13: AP Hill's Division Hits Burnside's Flank (4-5 pm)
Detail Map #14: Sykes' Regulars Near Sharpsburg (4-5 pm)
Battlefield Tablets for this Unit
Tablet #56: Ninth Army Corps - 15 Sep, 7 AM to 16 Sep, 3 PM
Tablet #62: Willcox's Division, Ninth Army Corps - 16 Sep, 9 PM to 18 Sep, 6 PM
Tablet #122: Army of the Potomac - 17 Sep, 10 AM to 17 Sep, 6 PM
Tablet #99: Willcox's Division, Ninth Army Corps - 17 Sep, 2 PM to 18 Sep, 9 AM
Tablet #70, cont: Ninth Army Corps - 17 Sep, 3 PM to 17 Sep, 5 PM
Tablet #70: Ninth Army Corps - 17 Sep, 7 AM to 17 Sep, 3 PM
Tablet #57: Ninth Army Corps - 17 Sep, 7 AM to 17 Sep, 5 PM
Tablet #63: Christ's Brigade, Willcox's Division - 17 Sep, 7 AM to 18 Sep, 5 PM
More on the Web
See a February 1862 photograph of the Regiment at Beaufort, S.C., from the Library of Congress.
References & Notes
Source: Bates, Samuel P., History of the Pennsylvania Volunteers, 1861-65, Harrisburg: 1868-1871, extracted online at Pennsylvania in the Civil War.
We have 25 individuals in the AotW database who were on the Maryland Campaign with this unit:
| Co. | Rank | Name | Casualty? | Details* |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | Pvt | Bleiler, William H. | WIA 09/14 |  |
| A | Pvt | Herner, Edward | KIA 09/17 | |
| A | Sgt | Schwalm, Samuel | WIA 09/17 |  |
| B | Pvt | Sellers, Samuel | KIA 09/17 | |
| C | Pvt | Berger, Augustus | KIA 09/17 | |
| C | Pvt | Brenner, Jonathan | MWIA 09/17 | |
| C | Corp | Brown, Charles E. | | |
| C | Pvt | Fenstermacher, Franklin | WIA 09/17 | |
| C | Pvt | Fohl, Richard | MWIA 09/17 | |
| C | Mus | Helms, Jeremiah | MWIA 09/17 | |
| C | Pvt | McGlenn, Daniel | KIA 09/17 | |
| E | Capt | Diehl, William W. | | |
| E | Pvt | Flammer, William | WIA 09/17 | |
| E | Pvt | Garrett, Levi | WIA 09/17 | |
| E | Pvt | Kline, Henry Harrison | WIA 09/17 | |
| F | Corp | Keatz, Frederick | WIA 09/17 | |
| F | Pvt | Killchrist, Thomas | WIA 09/17 | |
| F | Sgt | Schernitzer, Florang | MWIA 09/17 | |
| G | Pvt | Bennett, James | KIA 09/17 | |
| G | Corp | Hurst, William | KIA 09/17 | |
| G | Pvt | Warner, Fletcher Gustavus | WIA 09/17 | |
| I | Pvt | Tallada, William | WIA 09/17 | |
| K | Capt | Ingham, James B. | KIA 09/17 | |
| K | Pvt | Keeney, Parshall | MWIA 09/14 | |
| F&S | Maj | Overton, Jr., Edward | WIA 09/17 | |
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Click on their last name to see more