Bill Weidner
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“Sent to Hell”: Experiences In One Southern Prison
After their capture at the Weldon Railroad, the Union prisoners were ushered towards Petersburg where they were kept in an open, wet, muddy field until the evening of the twentieth. Westwood A. Todd, an ordinance officer in Mahone’s Brigade (Confederate), observed, “The prisoners passed by me as they were coming out. I thought we had…
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Shock Troops for the Union: The Pennsylvania Reserves at the Battle of Fredericksburg
October 26 to December 14, 1862 The fighting along Antietam Creek ended almost six weeks ago. The Confederate army returned to Virginia within days of the battle but the Army of the Potomac was still camped in the area of the battlefield waiting for replacements and supplies. “I may safely say you of the North…
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After the Reserves: Lead-in to Five Forks – March 28 to April 1, 1865
The five days of March 28 thru April 1, 1865, are complex in the history of the 190th/191st Regiments due to controversies, confusion of orders and differences in descriptions of the troop positions, fighting, etc. The most significant controversy involved Major General Philip Sheridan, commander of Union operations on the left flank, and Major General…
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After the Reserves: In the Trenches Again with a Few Exceptions (September 23, 1864 – March 25, 1865)
While the Army of the Potomac prepared for a fall campaign, a letter home from Pvt. Nelson Robbins (12th Pa. Res., Co. C, 190th Pa., Co. E) described conditions around the camp of the 190th & 191st Pennsylvania Veteran Volunteers. “Here I am in this land of desolation and ruin – for what else can…
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After the Reserves: Disaster at the Weldon Railroad (August 18-21, 1864)
As part of Grant’s Fourth Offensive, about 5 a.m., General Warren led his V Corps south on the Jerusalem Plank Road from their camp near the Chieves House Gust south of Ft. Warren). Their objective was the Weldon Railroad, one of the last two railroad supply lines for General Lee’s army and the citizens of…
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After the Reserves: Into the Trenches
Introduction Except for a few pages in Samuel Bates’ History of the Pennsylvania Volunteers, there is no published regimental history for these two units.’ As a follower of the Pennsylvania Reserves, I felt this omission in their continuing history should be corrected. Because of their origin, and since the two regiments fought side by side…
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The Death of Ashby (Mostly From the Bucktails’ Perspective)
After recovering from his Dranesville wound, Col. Thomas L. Kane returned to the Bucktails in their winter quarters (1862) where he began working on his Instructions for Skirmishers which was a new concept for tactics employed by riflemen. Upon its completion and approval, Gen. George B. McClellan ordered Colonel Kane to drill four companies of…
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When Legend Becomes Fact
In the John Wayne classic movie, “The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance,” a reporter makes the comment “When the legend becomes fact, print the legend.” This is probably true many times in history, and seems to involve a part of the Reserves’ history at Appomattox Court House as shown in the recent post by Codie…
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Meanwhile… The 54th Pennsylvania Veteran Volunteers
While their “cousins” in the 190th and 191st Regiments were involved in more noted events in the concluding chapter of the Petersburg siege, the remnants of the 3rd and 4th Reserves, now formally “adopted” and part of the 54th Pennsylvania Volunteer Regiment, were involved in areas of fighting just as heavy and important towards ending…
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Rumors: Mustering Out of the Pennsylvania Reserves
The date for muster out was finally settled for the Reserves. However, as the muster out date approached, rumors of their lack of reenlistment spread through the Army of the Potomac causing a suspicion in the ranks of their comrades. This misunderstanding and its effect is shown by three modern writers in their respective works.…