How To Properly Reference the Pennsylvania Reserves in Historical Texts

I have seen time and time again where, any reference to the regiments in the Pennsylvania Reserve Corps are made so using their Federal Designation. Historically, these men never referred to themselves by their federal designation. This notion of using the federal designation instead of the state designation began when the children and grandchildren of these soldiers began applying for pensions through the United States Government, as the USG would only recognize them by their federal designations. For whatever reason this trend has continued, and is a tremendous disservice to those who served within the ranks of the Pennsylvania Reserve Corps. This is especially so when referencing them in historical texts. As historians, it is our responsibility to get this right; using their federal designation rather then that of their state designation is historically inaccurate. It can almost be said that making this error is somewhat of a reenactorism. These men cherished the name of their organization dearly – and were proud to have served in its ranks.

If you are an author, a historian or a researcher – the proper reference to any regiment serving in the Pennsylvania Reserves, or “P.R.V.C.” – is to use their state designations. Omitting their federal designation is the proper thing to do, unless of course you are writing a “how to” on researching postwar government documents and paperwork housed at the National Archives in Washington, D.C. Proper etiquette in referring to the Pennsylvania Reserves is as follows, i.e.:

It should also be mentioned, that there were only 15 regiments in the entire Union Army that were “Pennsylvania Reserves.” I have seen numerous occasions where other Pennsylvania Regiments are mistakenly referred to as being Reserves. i.e., 125th Pennsylvania Reserve Volunteer Corps. There was never such a regiment. The reference table above gives the only units in the Pennsylvania Reserve Corps, and their proper, historically accurate designations.