Muster Roll of the Governor’s Rangers (Reconstituted)

The “Governor’s Rangers” of Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania,
were assigned Company “F” of the 2nd Pennsylvania Reserves.

The original muster roll of this company was filled in May of 1861. In August of that same year, Company F as well as other companies in the regiment lost many men who refused to take the oath, and those companies thus negatively affected were disbanded. Company F was replaced with a new company in late August of 1861, and the following April of 1862 was again replaced with a new compliment of men from Huntingdon & Blair Counties.

Below you will find the “Reconstituted” muster roll of this company, as provided in Bates’ History of the Pennsylvania Volunteers.

Contributor Simon Losinger’s Notes:

1. No muster-out rolls for Companies B, F and G of the 2nd Reserves were on file in the office of the Adjutant General of the State.  As a consequence, the rolls for these companies were chiefly sourced by Samuel P. Bates for his History of the Pennsylvania Volunteers, 1861-1865 from “Our Campaigns; The Second Regiment Pennsylvania Reserve Volunteers” by Major E. M. Woodward.

2. Samuel P. Bates states in his History of the Pennsylvania Volunteers, 1861-1865, that Company F, together with Companies B, G, and I, were ordered by General Banks to be disbanded on or about August 16, 1861 “on the ground of their numbers being below the standard of acceptance – all the companies having been greatly reduced by the withdrawal of disaffected men – the officers to be mustered out and the men to be transferred to other companies” (Bates, Vol. 1, page 576).

3. Although not explicitly stated by Bates, but based on the dates given for men having mustered into the company, the roll presented in History of the Pennsylvania Volunteers, 1861-1865 is for the reconstituted Company F.  Bates, however, does not provide the date on which Company F was formally reconstituted.

4. For Company F, Bates does not provide the muster out date(s) for those men who “mustered out upon expiration of term.”  As the 2nd Reserves mustered out of service on June 16, 1864, it would seem reasonable to assume that those men of Company F, who did muster out for the reason that their term of service had been completed, did so on or before June 16, 1864.