Historical Sketch:
In Aug., 1862, James N. Schoonmaker, a citizen of Pittsburg, and a lieutenant in the 1st Md. cavalry, was authorized by Sec. Stanton to recruit a battalion of five companies of cavalry. Recruits were rapidly obtained and authority was given to recruit a full regiment. The men were principally from the counties of Allegheny, Fayette, Armstrong, Washington, Lawrence, Erie and Warren, and the city of Philadelphia.
Officers:
Col., James N. Schoonmaker; Lieut. -Cols., William Blakeley, John M. Daily; Majs., Thomas Gibson, Shadrack Foley, John M. Daily, William W. Miles, John Bird.
Assignments:
• Attached to Defenses Upper Potomac, 8th Army Corps,
• Middle Department, to March, 1863.
• 1st Brigade, 1st Division, 8th Corps, March, 1863.
• 4th Separate Brigade, 8th Corps, to June, 1863.
• Averill's 4th Separate Brigade, Dept. West Virginia, to December, 1863.
• 2nd Brigade, 4th Division, Dept. West Virginia, to April, 1864.
• 2nd Brigade, 2nd Cavalry Division, West Virginia, to June, 1864.
• 1st Brigade, 2nd Cavalry Division, West Virginia, to August, 1864.
• 3rd Brigade, 1st Division, Cavalry Corps, Army Shenandoah,
• Middle Military Division, August, 1864.
• 1st Brigade, 2nd Cavalry Division, West Virginia, to April, 1865.
• 1st Separate Brigade, 22nd Corps, Dept. of Washington, to June, 1865. Dept. of Missouri to August, 1865. Service:
• Picket and outpost duty in the vicinity of Harper's Ferry, W. Va., till May, 1863.
• Scout to Leesburg March 15 and April 21-24, 1863.
• Ordered to Grafton, W. Va., May, 1863, and duty protecting Phillippi, Beverly and Webster till July.
• Forced march to relief of Beverly July 2-3.
• Huttonsville July 4.
• Moved to Webster, thence to Cumberland, Md., and to
• Williamsport, Md., July 5-14, and join Army of the Potomac.
• Advance to Martinsburg July 15.
• Martinsburg and Hedgesville July 18-19.
• McConnellsburg, Pa., July 30.
• Averill's Raid from Winchester through Hardy, Pendleton,
• Highland, Bath, Greenbrier and Pocahontas Counties, W. Va., August 1-31.
• Newtown August 2.
• Moorefield and Cacapon Mountain August 6 (Detachment).
• Salt Works, near Franklin, August 19.
• Jackson River August 25. Rocky Gap, near White Sulphur Springs, August 26-27.
• Hedgesville October 15 (Detachment).
• Averill's Raid against Lewisburg and the Virginia & Tennessee Railroad November 1-17.
• Cackletown November 4.
• Mill Point November 5.
• Droop Mountain November 6.
• Averill's Raid from New Creek to Salem, on Virginia & Tennessee Railroad, December 8-25.
• Marling's Bottom Bridge December 11.
• Gatewood's December 12.
• Descent upon Salem December 16.
• Scott's or Barber's Creek December 19.
• Jackson River, near Covington, December 19.
• Winchester March 22 and April 8, 1864.
• Sigel's Expedition from Martinsburg to New Market, April 23-May 16 (Detachment).
• Averill's Raid on Virginia & Tennessee Railroad May 5-19.
• Grassy Lick, Cove Mountain, near Wytheville, May 10.
• New River Bridge May 10.
• New Market May 15 (Detachment).
• Hunter's Expedition to Lynchburg May 26-July 1.
• Piedmont, Mount Crawford, June 5.
• Occupation of Staunton June 6. (Detachment with Sigel rejoined Regiment at Staunton.)
• Lexington June 11.
• Scout around Lynchburg June 13-15.
• Near Buchanan June 13.
• New London June 16.
• Diamond Hill June 17.
• Lynchburg June 17-18.
• Liberty June 19.
• Buford's Gap June 20.
• Catawba Mountains and about Salem June 21.
• Liberty June 22.
• Moved to the Shenandoah Valley July.
• Buckton July 17.
• Stephenson's Depot July 20.
• Newtown July 22. Kernstown, Winchester, July 24.
• Near Martinsburg July 25.
• Hagerstown July 29.
• Hancock, Md., July 31.
• Antietam Ford August 4.
• Sheridan's Shenandoah Valley Campaign August to November.
• Near Moorefield August 7.
• Williamsport, Md., August 26.
• Martinsburg August 31.
• Bunker Hill September 2-3.
• Winchester September 5.
• Darkesville September 10.
• Bunker Hill September 13.
• Near Berryville September 14.
• Opequan, Winchester, September 19.
• Fisher's Hill September 22.
• Mount Jackson September 23-24.
• Forest Hill or Timberville September 24.
• Brown's Gap September 26.
• Weyer's Cave September 26-27.
• Mount Jackson October 3 (Detachment).
• Battle of Cedar Creek October 19.
• Dry Run October 23 (Detachment).
• Milford October 25-26.
• Cedar Creek November 8.
• Nineveh November 12.
• Rude's Hill November 23.
• Snicker's Gap November 30.
• Millwood December 17 (Detachment).
• Expedition from Winchester to Gordonsville December 19-28.
• Madison Court House December 21.
• Liberty Mills December 22.
• Near Gordonsville December 23.
• At Winchester till April, 1865.
• Expedition into Loudoun County February 18-19 (Detachment).
• Expedition to Ashby's Gap February 19.
• Operations in the valley till April 20.
• Ordered to Washington, D.C., April 20, and duty there till June.
• Grand Review May 28-24.
• Moved to Fort Leavenworth, Kan., June, and duty
• in the District of the Plains till August.
• Mustered out August 24, 1865. Roster:
The Roster of this unit contains the names of 1826 men.
Company A - Philadelphia County and Allegheny County
Company B - Allegheny County and Fayette County
Company C - Allegheny County and Erie County
Company D - Allegheny County
Company E - Fayette County, Allegheny County, and Beaver County
Company F - Allegheny County, Armstrong County, and Fayette County
Company G - Allegheny County
Company H - Washington County and enrolled in Allegheny County and Crawford County
Company I - Erie County and Warren County
Company K - Armstrong County
Company L - Armstrong County
Company M - Armstrong County and Westmoreland County
Source:
The Union Army by Federal Publishing Company, 1908 - Volume 1 Bibliography:
Barcousky, Len. Civil War Pittsburgh: Forge of the Union. Charleston, South Carolina: The History Press, 2013. ISBN 9781626190818.
Blair, William and William Pencak, editors. Making and Remaking Pennsylvania's Civil War. University Park, Pennsylvania: Penn State University Press, 2004.
Fox, Arthur B. Our Honored Dead: Alleghany County, Pennsylvania, in the American Civil War. Chicora, Pennsylvania: Mechling Bookbindery, 2008.
Fox, Arthur B. Pittsburgh During the American Civil War 1860–1865. Chicora, Pennsylvania: Mechling Bookbindery, 2002.
Greater Chambersburg Chamber of Commerce. Southern Revenge: Civil War History of Chambersburg, Pennsylvania. Chambersburg, Pennsylvania: Greater Chambersburg Chamber of Commerce, 1989.
Miller, William J. The Training of an Army: Camp Curtin and the North's Civil War. Shippensburg, Pennsylvania: White Mane, 1990.
Sandou, Robert M. Deserter County: Civil War Opposition in the Pennsylvania Appalachians. Fordham University Press, 2009.
Skinner, George W., ed. Pennsylvania at Chickamauga and Chattanooga: Ceremonies at the Dedication of the Monuments Erected by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Harrisburg, Pennsylvania: Wm. Stanley Ray, State Printer, 1897.
Taylor, Frank H. Philadelphia in the Civil War. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: The City, 1913.
Wingert, Cooper H. Harrisburg and the Civil War: Defending the Keystone of the Union. Charleston, South Carolina: The History Press, 2013. ISBN 9781626190412.
Young, Ronald C. Lancaster County, Pennsylvania in the Civil War. Lancaster, Pennsylvania: published by the author, 2003.
Historical Sketch: