BTC Notes: History of the 104th Pennsylvania Regiment, From August 22nd, 1861, to September 30th, 1864

Note: The BTC Notes series serves as a way to gather important information about a given source on the Siege of Petersburg like a book, article, essay, map, etc.

Subject: History of the 104th Pennsylvania Regiment, From August 22nd, 1861, to September 30th, 1864 by William W. H. Davis

Important Points:

Note:

* Earlier chapters do not discuss the Bermuda Hundred Campaign or the Siege of Petersburg and were not consulted for the purposes of this research.

NOTE: History of the Battalion which came after the original members mustered out, and which is the unit that served at the Siege of Petersburg, starts on p. 331.

* Members of the 104th PA Bn, about a company in strength, fought at the Battle of Cedar Creek on October 19, 1864 under the command of Captain Kephart.¹

* Around November 1, 1864, Colonel Hart and the battlaion marched to Philadelphia to vote in the Presidential election.²

* The 104th PA reached the Bermuda Hundred front in the days shortly after November 22, 1864, and apparently stayed near the center of the Bermuda Hundred line until the end of the Siege of Petersburg.³

Order of Battle:
* 104th PA, Heine’s Brigade, ?, ?, ? (September 1864): Looking at the text and Dyer’s Compendium, it is clear the battalion was serving as a train guard for Sheridan’s Middle Military District.⁴

* 104th PA, Heine’s Brigade, Ricketts’ Division, Sixth Corps, Army of the Shenandoah: Although not noted in Dyer’s Compendium, the text claims that Heine’s Brigade was attached briefly to Ricketts’ Sixth Corps division late in September or early October 1864. It was just as quickly detached again and left to escort wagon trains.⁵

* 104th PA, ? Brigade, Heine’s Division: This unit was ordered to join Grant in front of Richmond on November 22, 1864.⁶

Unit Leaders:

* 104th PA: LtCol Hart was the original commander of the battalion as of September 24, 1864⁷

* 104th PA: LtCol Hart was the original commander of the battalion and LtCol Kephart succeeded him later.⁸

* 104th PA: LtCOl Hart was honorably discharged on November 20, 1864, and Captain Kephart took command on that date. Kephart was “afterwards” promoted to LtCol. How long “afterwards?”⁹

Unit Leader Images:

* None found

Unit Strengths:

* 205 officers and men PFD (200 men an five officers)(September 25, 1864)¹⁰

Unit Armament:

* None found

Itinerary:
* November 20, 1864: Captain Kephart assumes command of the 104th PA Bn. at Summit Point, Va.¹¹

* November 22, 1864: Heine’s Division is ordered from Summit Point to join Grant in front of Richmond. “It was stationed on the Bermuda [Hundred] front, about the centre of the line between the Appomattox and James’ rivers.”¹²

* “During the Winter”, 1864-65: The 104th PA was again made a full regiment, and LtCol Kephart (when was he commissioned LtCOl?) was “commissioned colonel, but was never mustered in his new grade.”¹³

* April 3-4, 1865: “The regiment was engaged in the operations on the 3d and 4th of April [1865], when the advance was made on Petersburg and Richmond which led to the route and surrender of the rebel army. On the fall of Petersburg it was sent into that town and formed part of the garrison until about the 20th of April, when it was ordered to report at Fortress Monroe.”¹⁴

Battle Excerpts:
* None found

Other:

* A roster of the regiment starts on page 349. Lists of missing, wounded, and killed are printed after the roster itself.¹⁵

Sources: