BTC Notes: History of the One Hundred and Sixth Regiment, Pennsylvania Volunteers

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 One Hundred and Sixth Regiment, Pennsylvania Volunteers by J.R.C. Ward

Important Points:

Notes:

• Earlier chapters do not discuss the Siege of Petersburg and were not consulted for the purposes of this research.
• This BTC notes is compiled using the 1906 revised edition rather than the original 1883 volume.

Chapter XIX. The Wilderness

• The 106th PA suffered 53 casualties out of less than 200 engaged at the Wilderness.¹

Chapter XX. Spottsylvania

• Lt. Colonel William L. Curry was mortally wounded at Spotsylvania on May 11, 1864.²

• The 106th PA suffered 40 casualties out of 150 engaged at the Mule Shoe Salient at Spotsylvania on May 12, 1864.³

• Mott’s Division, 2nd Corps was consolidated into a brigade and added to Briney’s Division, 2nd Corps on May 13, 1864.⁴

• A new brigade of New York regiments, the Corcoran Legion, joined the 2nd Division, 2nd Corps on the evening of May 17, 1864.⁵

• The 106th PA lost 5 wounded in the fighting on May 18, 1864.⁶

• The 106th PA lost 103 men out of a starting Present (but not Present for Duty, see unit strengths as of May 1, 1864.) of 229 officers and men at the Wilderness and Spotsylvania.  Assuming no reinforcements, that leaves 126 Present For Duty on May 19, 1864.⁷

Chapter XXI. North Anna and Totopotomoy

• No notes for this chapter.

Chapter XXII. Cold Harbor

• The 184th PA joined the 2nd Brigade, 2nd Division, 2nd Corps in late May-early June, 1864 with Major Stover of the 106th PA commanding.⁸

• The 71st PA left for home around June 13, 1864.  Reenlistees were assigned to the 69th PA.⁹

• The 2nd Brigade, 2nd Division, 2nd Corps crossed the James River at 5 pm on June 14, 1864.¹⁰

Chapter XXIII. Petersburg

• The 2nd Corps arrived at the Petersburg front around 10 pm on the night of June 15, 1864.¹¹

• On June 18, 1864, Gibbon became a Major General and Pierce became a Brigadier General.¹²

• On June 22, 1864 at the Battle of the Jerusalem Plank Road, the 106th PA was decimated.  It lost 5 killed, 12 wounded, and 75 captured.  Only 1 officer and 11 men escaped, leaving 1 officer and 28 men present for duty the next morning.  Working backward the regiment had 104 men in the fight plus 17 noncombatants behind the lines at the start of June 22, 1864.¹³

• On June 28, 1864 the 2nd Brigade, 2nd Division, 2nd Corps was disbanded.  according to the author the 69th PA, 72nd PA, and 106th PA were sent to the 1st Brigade, 2nd Division, 2nd Corps.  The 152nd NY and the 184th PA were sent to the 3rd Brigade, 2nd Division, 2nd Corps.  The 4th Brigade, 2nd Division, 2nd Corps (the Corcoran Legion) became the new 2nd Brigade, a source of anger to veterans of the old Philadelphia Brigade ever after. Note: The author appears to be incorrect in sending the three lower numbered PA regiments to the 1st Brigade.  Dyer’s Compendium has them all located in the 3rd Brigade immediately after their service in the old 2nd.  Did these regiments move for a very brief time to the 1st Brigade before transferring to the 3rd Brigade, or were they never in the 1st Brigade at all?  More research is needed.¹⁴

• Captain Breitenbach was the only officer left with the 106th PA after the disaster of June 22, 1864.¹⁵

• The four guns of McKnight’s Battery of the 2nd Corps were lost on June 22, 1864.¹⁶

• On June 27, 1864, the 106th PA was relieved from the front and moved to Prince George Court House as a precaution against Confederate cavalry patrols.  On June 29, 1864, the regiment went back to the front and relieved part of the 6th Corps.  On July 2, the 106th PA moved to the right and took over for a First Division, 2nd Corps Brigade, the 6th Corps moving back into its former lines.  On July 12, 1864 the men leveled their works and were placed into a position at the crossroads near the Williams House.  On the 13th of July they moved nearer the White House. ¹⁷

• The 15th MA left for home on July 12, 1864 because their terms of enlistment were up.¹⁸

Chapter XXIV. Home Again

• On July 20-21, 1864 the 106th PA was moved to Washington, D.C., with the men whose time was expiring transferred to companies F, H, and K.  These men formed the 106th PA Battalion and were assigned to the 69th PA.  The author does not make clear if this battalion ever fought independently as a unit.  More research is needed.¹⁹

• On July 20-21, 1864 the 72nd PA also left the front at the expiration of its terms of service.  Those members whose enlistments were not yet up transferred to the 183rd PA under Colonel James C. Lynch.²⁰

• See pages 284-285 for a description of the regiments’ short service around Washington, D.c. and its muster out and return home.²¹

Chapter XXV. One Hundred and Sixth Battalion

• The text on page 290 infers that the 106th PA Battalion was more or less a permanent part of the 69th Pa and did not fight independently.²²

• The 106th PA Battalion were mustered out on June 30, 1865.²³

Unit Strengths

• 69th PA, 2nd Brig, 2nd Div, 2nd Corps, AotP: 324 Present (NOT Present for Duty as far as I can tell) on May 1, 1864.²⁴

• 71st PA, 2nd Brig, 2nd Div, 2nd Corps, AotP: 316 Present (NOT Present for Duty as far as I can tell) on May 1, 1864.²⁵

• 72nd PA, 2nd Brig, 2nd Div, 2nd Corps, AotP: 299 Present (NOT Present for Duty as far as I can tell) on May 1, 1864.²⁶

• 106th PA, 2nd Brig, 2nd Div, 2nd Corps, AotP: 238 Present (NOT Present for Duty as far as I can tell) on May 1, 1864.²⁷

• 152nd NY, 2nd Brig, 2nd Div, 2nd Corps, AotP: 391 Present (NOT Present for Duty as far as I can tell) on May 1, 1864.²⁸

• 106th PA, 2nd Brig, 2nd Div, 2nd Corps, AotP: The 106th PA had 104 men in the fight plus 17 noncombatants behind the lines at the start of June 22, 1864.²⁹

Unit Armament

• None found.

Unit Commanders:

• 106th PA, 2nd Brig, 2nd Div, 2nd Corps, AotP: Lt. Colonel William L. Curry was in command on May 9, 1864 at Spotsylvania Court House and was mortally wounded on May 11, 1864.³⁰

• 2nd Brig, 2nd Div, 2nd Corps, AotP: Joshua T. Owen commanded the Philadelphia Brigade at the North Anna River and Cold Harbor in late May-early June 1864.³¹

• 184th PA, 2nd Brig, 2nd Div, 2nd Corps, AotP: Major Stover of the 106th PA took command of the 184th PA when it joined the brigade in late May or early June 1864.³²

• 106th PA, 2nd Brig, 2nd Div, 2nd Corps, AotP: Captain John R. Breitenbach was in command of the 106th PA on June 16, 1864.³³

• 106th PA, 2nd Brig, 2nd Div, 2nd Corps, AotP: Captain John R. Breitenbach was in command of the 106th PA after the disaster of June 22, 1864, the only officer remaining, and was in command on June 22 as well.³⁴

• 106th PA Battalion, 3rd Brig, 2nd Div, 2nd Corps, AotP: Captain Frank Wessels was nominally in command of the newly formed 106th PA Battalion on July 20, 1864, but he was on staff duty.³⁵

• 106th PA Battalion, 3rd Brig, 2nd Div, 2nd Corps, AotP: Lieutenant John Irwin was placed in field command of the three companies of the 106th PA Battalion (F, H and K).  The battalion was assigned to the 69th PA.³⁶

• 69th PA, 3rd Brig, 2nd Div, 2nd Corps, AotP: Colonel William Davis commanded the 69th PA on July 20th, 1864.   He was wounded on August 25, 1864 at Second Reams’ Station.  It can be inferred that Davis was the commander between July 20, 1864 and August 25, 1864, but the author does not state this definitively.³⁷

• 2nd Div, 2nd Corps, AotP: General Egan commanded the 2nd Division, 2nd Corps at the Battle of Boydton Plank Road in late October 1864.³⁸

• 3rd Brig, 2nd Div, 2nd Corps, AotP: General Smyth commanded the 3rd Brigade, 2nd Division, 2nd Corps at the Battle of Boydton Plank Road in late October, 1864.³⁹

• 3rd Brig, 2nd Div, 2nd Corps, AotP: Brigadier General Thomas A. Smyth commanded 3rd Brigade, 2nd Division, 2nd Corps in the Appomattox Campaign but was wounded at Farmville, VA.⁴⁰

Unit Performance at Specific Battles:

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Unit Itinerary:

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Other:

• Pictures of many regimental leaders are located just after page 4⁴¹

• Picture of Lt. Colonel William L. Curry located just after page 246⁴²

Sources: