crossed the Blue Ridge, into the valley of Virginia. In the meantime, the One Hundred and Ninth had been assigned to the Second Brigade,* Second Division, of Banks' Corps, subsequently the Second of the Army of Northern Virginia, commanded by General Pope.

At the opening of the battle of Cedar Mountains, on the 9th of August, where Jackson, with the advance of the rebel army after his return from the Richmond front, attacked the corps of Banks, the One hundred and ninth was near Culpepper Court House, marching towards the field, to the sound of the enemy's guns, having been until after midnight upon the march. The firing had died away as it neared the battle ground, and upon emerging from the wood which skirts the road, filed suddenly to the left into the open fields. On the brow of a hill, three hundred yards in front, Knap's Battery was stationed, and towards this the regiment was rapidly led and was posted a few paces in its rear. As the men came into line they were ordered to lie down. Scarcely had the last man got his place when the enemy opened with heavy artillery, planted upon the breast of Slaughter Mountain, nearly a mile away. Knap's Battery was the target at which he aimed. At first the enemy's shells passed over and struck in the woods beyond, but soon he got the range and the terrible missiles began to burst in the very midst of the artillerists and their supports. At this juncture the word "forward" was given, and springing to their feet the command moved rapidly but in well dressed lines to the brow of the hill. In front was an open field, and beyond, tall corn, in which the enemy's infantry was concealed. Breasting the fire of infantry and artillery, now fairly directed upon it, the regiment dashed down across the open ground, scaled the fence which skirted it, and entered the corn. It now opened fire, and its rapid volleys told fearfully upon the masses of the foe in its front. For two hours the battle raged with unabated fury, but finally, just as night was closing in, the enemy was able to bring up fresh forces in overwhelming numbers, outflanking and forcing back the Union line. The regiment held its position until it received a volley from its right flank, which told too plainly that the enemy was gaining its rear, when the order to retire was given. It entered the engagement with about three hundred and fifty, rank and file, and of these nearly one-half were either killed, captured, or wounded. Colonel Stainrook was among the wounded. "The brigades of Generals Geary and General Prince," says an eye witness, "fought with the most desperate courage. There was no running, shirking, or skulking whatever. I saw them as they went into the battle, and saw their ranks, thinned and bleeding, return. Truly has the spot where lie so many dead and wounded been called Slaughter Mountain."

At evening Sigel's Corps came upon the field, but during the night the

*Organization of Prince's Brigade, Augur's Division, Banks' Corps. Battalions of Eighth and Tenth Regulars, Captain Pritchard; One Hundred and Eleventh Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteers, Colonel M. Schlaudecker; Third regiment Maryland Volunteers, Colonel Stephen W. Downey: One Hundred and Ninth Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteers, Colonel Henry J. Stainrook.

†Moore's Rebellion Record, Vol. V, page 327, Docs.

enemy withdrew. Pope, however, soon discovered that the whole body of the rebel army was concentrating in his front, and he accordingly fell back across the Rappahannock, and at the fords posted strong guards, which for several days successfully disputed the passage, the fire of artillery from the opposite banks being almost continuous and very heavy. But the enemy, moving on up the stream, turned Pope's right flank, Jackson marching around by Thoroughfare Gap and coming in upon his rear at Manassas Junction, compelling him to fall back rapidly. In this movement the impedimenta of the entire army were committed to the care of Banks' Corps, and while the battles at Bull Run were being fought, his troops were busy in saving the immense trains, and in destroying such of the stores as could not be got away. This duty required the utmost vigilance, and night and day the weary troops were kept at their posts and goaded to watchfulness. By the 1st of September the command had reached the fortifications at Alexandria. Resting here until the 5th, the brigade, now under command of Colonel Stainrook, Captain Seymour leading the regiment, marched through Washington and entered on the Maryland campaign, reaching Frederick on the 13th. In the battles of South Mountain and Antietam the One hundred and ninth did not actively engage, being still held for duty with the trains.

Immediately after the withdrawal of the rebel army, the division, to the command of which General Geary had been assigned, crossed to Loudon Heights, where it went into camp, and with the exception of an expedition to Leesburg, on the 21st of October, and an occasional reconnoissance, it remained here until the movement of the army into Virginia. After the death of General Mansfield, who fell at Antietam, the Second Corps, which he had commanded, was re-organized, and from part of it the Twelfth Corps was formed, to the command of which General Slocum was assigned, the One hundred and ninth forming part of Greene's Brigade of Geary's, Division. When McClellan, with the main body, moved south, through Virginia, the Twelfth Corps was left to garrison Harper's Ferry, and Geary's Division was moved across the Shenandoah River and encamped on Bolivar Heights. On the 2d of December, the division moved upon Winchester, and met and defeated the enemy under Jones.

On the 9th, upon the eve of the battle of Fredericksburg, the corps moved by forced marches towards the front, and on the 17th, after great suffering from the inclemency of the weather and in crossing swollen streams, reached Dumfries. Here intelligence of the army, broken and dispirited from the gory field of Fredericksburg, was received, and the corps immediately turned back to Fairfax, where it went into camp. As soon as settled, General Greene, who was a strict disciplinarian, commenced in earnest, brigade drill, and daily, when the weather would permit, officers labored industriously to bring their commands to a high state of efficiency. On the 20th of January, 1863, the regiment again moved in hostile array, on Burnside's second campaign, but beyond experiencing great suffering from the inclemency of weather, it met no

enemy, and on its return proceeded to Acquia Landing, the base of supply of the army, where it was employed on severe fatigue duty.

General Hooker succeeded General Burnside in command of the army, and in the re-organization which he effected, the One hundred and ninth was assigned to a brigade in which were the Twenty-ninth, One hundred and eleventh, One hundred and twenty-fourth, and One hundred and twenty-fifth Pennsylvania Regiments, General Kane-rendered famous by his command of the Bucktails-being assigned to its leadership. On the 27th of April, the regiment broke camp at the Landing, and moved with the brigade on the Chancellorsville campaign, crossing the Rappahannock at Kelly's, and the Rapidan at Germania Ford, meeting the skirmishers of the rebel General Anderson's command as it wended its way through the low tangled woods, and arriving at the open ground about the Chancellor House at four on the afternoon of the 30th. The proper disposition of the troops was at once made, the division being posted in the young forest in front of the mansion, and facing south. At dark the advance of the enemy arrived in front and opened a skirmish fire.

Early on the morning of the 1st of May, the division was put in motion, Kane's Brigade moving south a mile on the United States Ford Road, where it made a sharp turn to the right, and leaving knapsacks, was quickly formed and advanced into the woods to the south of the road. In the meantime, the battle had been raging on the left, and towards evening orders were received for the brigade to retire. Moving back to the road in its rear, it again went into position behind a pile of cord wood stretching along the way. The order to retire to the position of the morning was repeated, and as it went back the enemy came in upon its right flank, endangering, for the moment, its way of retreat. It received several volleys, but succeeded in reaching its position in line. At evening skirmishers were thrown out, and all night long was heard the sound of marching troops on their front, moving from left to right. At four o'clock on the afternoon of the 2d the division was ordered to advance, and leaping the breast-works, crossed the open ground in front. As it approached the wood beyond it was suddenly assailed by a hot fire of musketry and artillery, the enemy being well established in breast-works upon the crest but fifty yards distant. Taking position along the edge of the woods his fire was returned, and for half an hour the unequal contest was maintained, when it was again recalled to the breast-works. A strong line of skirmishers was kept well out in front, which was sorely annoyed by a battery which the enemy brought up and posted so as to rake the skirmish ground. The night was one of wild commotion, the roar of battle rising at times to a perfect tornado. Early in the evening Stonewall Jackson had fallen upon the right flank of the Eleventh Corps, driving it in rout, and had only been checked by double shotted charges of artillery, delivered from forty pieces most favorably and opportunely massed in a field a little to the right of where the regiment lay, and later in the night Berry's Brigade of the Third Corps had routed the enemy from breast-works, lost in the evening. At nine P. M., the

brigade was moved from the position which it had held for fifty hours, farther to the right, facing the west. Until noon of the 3d, the men hugged the breast-works, kept in nervous excitement in the momentary expectation of an attack, the fire of artillery and of the sharpshooters being constant. At a little past noon the enemy began to press upon the left flank, endangering the integrity of the command, pressing at the same time upon the front. The order was accordingly given to retire, but at this instant a rebel sharpshooter, not twenty paces distant, shot and instantly killed Colonel Stainrook. Lieutenant Kidney, of Company G, who had witnessed the act, seizing a musket and skilfully awaiting his opportunity, sent a bullet in reply which effectually silenced the sharpshooter's fire. Retiring along the trenches to the rear of the artillery, under a murderous fire, the brigade took position on the left of the new line, facing to the east, where it was at once set to work building breast-works, and where, with slight changes, it remained to the close of the battle. On the night of the 6th, the army retired from the contest, and the brigade returned to its camp at Acquia Landing. In addition to the Colonel killed, Lieutenant Charles W. Norris was mortally wounded, the regiment suffering otherwise severely.

Lee having repulsed the Union army in its advance upon him at Chancellorsville, elated by his success, early in June put his legions in motion northward. Hooker followed, and the two armies met at Gettysburg, Meade having succeeded Hooker in the meantime. The Twelfth Corps reached Littlestown on the evening of the 30th of June, where a small body of the enemy was encountered, who rapidly retreated. On the morning of the 1st, the columns moved forward, and, while resting by the way, the dull sound of distant battle was borne upon the sultry noontide air. The march was hurriedly resumed, and at the moment when the broken lines of the First and Second Corps were coming into position on Cemetery Hill, the head of the column came in sight of the field, the sulphurous smoke hanging heavy over all the valley. Filing to the left, the division moved over to the neighborhood of Round Top, the brigade resting at night upon an eminence overlooking the field. General Kane, who had been absent since the battle of Chancellorsville on account of wounds, returned the day previous, and, although still unable to sit his horse, assumed command. At nine o'clock on the morning of the 2d, the division was ordered to move from the left to the centre, and later to the extreme right of the line, at Culp's Hill. As it went, a battery passed the column going to the rear, the begrimmed gunner crying out as he went "Give it to them boys! We have come from the front; we would not be here, but our pieces are now too hot to use." Along the brow of Culp's Hill a heavy breast work was thrown up, its line conforming to the rugged ground, the men cutting the heavy timber and bringing it into position, and filling the interstices with broken stone and earth with a hearty good will. The brigade held the extreme right of the division. The enemy was now in its front, but, as yet, had made no demonstrations. Just at dark General Geary was ordered to move,

with two brigades, to the left, to the relief of the Third Corps. The First and Second Brigades were taken. Before they had reached the menaced lines the fighting was over, and Geary was accordingly ordered to re-. turn. Crossing the Baltimore Pike and moving rapidly over the fields towards the works which they had left, the lines were approaching the edge of the woods, when a stentorian voice from the opposite side of the stone wall called out "Who comes there?" "The One hundred and ninth," was the reply. The response was hardly uttered, when a terrible fire of musketry was opened upon the command. Dropping upon the ground until the first volley had passed, the troops rapidly retired to the pike, and moving in above, approached by the rear of the brigade which had been left, when it was ascertained that the enemy had broken through on the right, and was now holding the works which the First and Second Brigades had vacated. General Geary immediately brought his men into line, nearly at right angles to his former works, the enemy bringing up his men and making his front conform to the new position. The fire of musketry sprang up fitfully during the night, and at break of day opened and flamed out with violence all along the line. The One hundred and ninth fortunately had a sheltered position behind sheltering rocks, and pausing for deliberate aim, sent its missiles with deadly effect. "By nine o'clock," says a member* of the command, "our ammunition was being used up at a fearful rate. Several had been killed and wounded in our vicinity. The ground in front of Company A was more sloping than on other parts of the line, so that in order to get a good shot we were obliged to run out in advance of the rest behind a large tree, and await an opportunity, which constantly offered, to shoot rebels. This tree was in constant use by our company, each taking his turn at skirmishing. When one had discharged his piece and run back, another ran forward to occupy his place. This tree shortly became a mark for the rebels, and the face towards them soon became stripped of its bark by the constant battering it got." To crush the Union right and take the line in reverse was the daring purpose of the rebel leader. Johnson, who commanded Jackson's old division, was ordered to form and charge Geary. Gallantly that veteran legion came forward, and met for a time, unflinching, the fiery blast that swept it. On it came within twenty yards of the Union line, still confident of success, but here so fearful was the shock that it could go no further, and, thinned and broken, it fell back behind its breast-works, receiving a hot flank fire from the First Division as it went. "Then did the shouts of victory resound," says the soldier above quoted, "and echo from all parts of the line on the right flank, telling our comrades miles away of the result and Lee's discomfiture. Men cheered themselves hoarse, laughed, rolled themselves upon the ground, and threw their caps high in air, while others shook hands with

*August E. Zeitter, M. D., who served in this regiment throughout the entire term of service, has prepared a volume devoted to its history, of some eight hundred manuscript pages, illustrated with nun erous well executed maps, from which I have been kindly permitted by the author to draw many of the facts contained in the above narrative.