Pennsylvania Bucktails: Civil War Sharpshooters

By Raymond C. Wilson

One of the most distinguished units to serve in the Civil War was the 42nd Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry Regiment, popularly known as the Bucktails. These men adorned their own caps with bucktails and were thus set apart from the typical Federal soldier by their distinctive headgear. The Bucktail regiment consistently displayed courage and tactical ability on the battlefield. Sometimes the Bucktails stood and fought in a line of battle, but often were detailed as skirmishers and sharpshooters where they could employ their deadly talents more effectively. The gallant service of the original Bucktails led to the call in the summer of 1862 for an entire brigade of Bucktail regiments. In the end, only two new Bucktail regiments managed to take the field, the 149th and 150th Pennsylvania Infantry. The men of the new Bucktail regiments sought to be worthy of their more famous predecessor. The Bucktails did the Keystone State proud and earned a noted place in the pantheon of Civil War regiments.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Raymond C. Wilson
• Release date: Aug 21, 2021
• ISBN: 9781005350444

Raymond C. Wilson

Raymond C. Wilson is a military historian, filmmaker, and amateur genealogist. During his military career as an enlisted soldier, warrant officer, and commissioned officer in the U.S. Army for twenty-one years, Wilson served in a number of interesting assignments both stateside and overseas. He had the honor of serving as Administrative Assistant to Brigadier General George S. Patton (son of famed WWII general) at the Armor School; Administrative Assistant to General of the Army Omar Nelson Bradley at the Pentagon; and Military Assistant to the Civilian Aide to the Secretary of the Army at the Pentagon. In 1984, Wilson was nominated by the U.S. Army Adjutant General Branch to serve as a White House Fellow in Washington, D.C. While on active duty, Wilson authored numerous Army regulations as well as articles for professional journals including 1775 (Adjutant General Corps Regimental Association magazine), Program Manager (Journal of the Defense Systems Management College), and Army Trainer magazine. He also wrote, directed, and produced three training films for Army-wide distribution. He is an associate member of the Military Writers Society of America. Following his retirement from the U.S. Army in 1992, Wilson made a career change to the education field. He served as Vice President of Admissions and Development at Florida Air Academy; Vice President of Admissions and Community Relations at Oak Ridge Military Academy; Adjunct Professor of Corresponding Studies at U.S. Army Command and General Staff College; and Senior Academic Advisor at Eastern Florida State College. While working at Florida Air Academy, Wilson wrote articles for several popular publications including the Vincent Curtis Educational Register and the South Florida Parenting Magazine. At Oak Ridge Military Academy, Wilson co-wrote and co-directed two teen reality shows that appeared on national television (Nickelodeon & ABC Family Channel). As an Adjunct Professor at U.S. Army Command and General Staff College, Wilson taught effective communications and military history for eighteen years. At Eastern Florida State College, Wilson wrote, directed, and produced a documentary entitled "Wounded Warriors - Their Struggle for Independence" for the Chi Nu chapter of Phi Theta Kappa. Since retiring from Eastern Florida State College, Wilson has devoted countless hours working on book manuscripts.

Book preview

PENNSYLVANIA BUCKTAILS

Civil War Sharpshooters

Written by

RAYMOND C. WILSON

Author of:

Out of Necessity

Commander in Chief

Martyr of the Race Course

The Men Who Saved West Point

Wounded Warriors - Their Struggle for Independence

European Royal Bloodlines of the American Presidents

Pass in Review - Military School Celebrities (Volume One)

Pass in Review - Military School Celebrities (Volume Two)

Pass in Review - Military School Celebrities (Volume Three)

Pass in Review - Military School Celebrities (Volume Four)

PENNSYLVANIA BUCKTAILS

Civil War Sharpshooters

Published by Raymond C. Wilson at Smashwords

Copyright 2021 Raymond C. Wilson

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Table of Contents

Introduction

The 42nd Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry Regiment (Bucktails)

History of the 42nd Regiment

Organization of the 42nd Regiment

Defending the Mason-Dixon Line

Battle of Dranesville

Pursuit of ‘Stonewall’ Jackson up the Shenandoah Valley

Battle of Harrisonburg

Battle of Cross Keys

Battle of Beaver Dam Creek

Battle of Gaines' Mill

Battle of Charles City Crossroads

Bridge Building at Harrison's Landing

Battle of Brandy Station

Battle of Second Bull Run

Battle of South Mountain

Battle of Antietam

Battle of Fredericksburg

Movement to Fairfax Court House

The 42nd Regiment at Battle of Gettysburg

The 42nd Regiment at Battle of The Wilderness

The 42nd Regiment at Battle of Spotsylvania Court House

The 42nd Regiment Mustered Out

The 149th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry Regiment (Bucktails)

History of the 149th Regiment

Organization of the 149th Regiment

The 149th Regiment at Washington, D.C.

The 149th Regiment at Battle of Chancellorsville

The 149th Regiment at Battle of Gettysburg

The 149th Regiment at Battle of The Wilderness

Battle of Laurel Hill

Battle of North Anna River

Assault upon Weldon Railroad

The 149th Regiment at Battle of Hatcher’s Run

The 149th Regiment at Elmira Prison Camp

The 149th Regiment Mustered Out

The 150th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry Regiment (Bucktails)

History of the 150th Regiment

Organization of the 150th Regiment

The 150th Regiment at Washington, D.C.

Company K, 150th Regiment - President Lincoln's Body Guard

The 150th Regiment at Battle of Chancellorsville

The 150th Regiment at Battle of Gettysburg

The 150th Regiment at Battle of The Wilderness

The 150th Regiment at Battle of Spotsylvania Court House

Battle of Petersburg

The 150th Regiment at Battle of Hatcher’s Run

The 150th Regiment at Elmira Prison Camp

The 150th Regiment Mustered Out

Guns Used by the ‘Bucktails’

The Colors of the ‘Bucktail’ Brigade

‘Bucktail’ Colonels

Bibliography

About Raymond C. Wilson

Introduction

About one year after my family rented a farm near the central Pennsylvania town of Duncannon, this small community on the banks of the Susquehanna River celebrated its Centennial. From 29 August to 6 September 1965, the local townspeople enjoyed their community’s 100 year celebration.

Retro view of Main Street in Duncannon (courtesy of Scotty Swank Brown)

To prepare for the Duncannon Centennial, the town council hired local contractors to erect a few structures (including a stage for performers, a building with stables for vendors, and a pavilion for spectators). When my father saw this employment opportunity for his 15-year-old son, he signed me up to help with the construction. I soon found myself digging ditches, carrying concrete blocks, and mixing cement.

The congregations of Duncannon’s numerous churches were active participants in the Centennial celebration. Several women’s groups got together to make commemorative quilts.

Duncannon churches

My father and I grew beards and joined the ‘Brothers of the Brush’. My mother and sister sewed period costumes and participated in the ‘Centennial Belles of Duncannon’.

My family got involved with ‘Brothers of the Brush’ and ‘Centennial Belles of Duncannon’

My sister and I even designed a parade float for the Duncannon Centennial. Our landlord (Bill Gamber) supplied the tractor to pull the parade float. Since I was too young to get a driver’s license, one of our neighbors (Fay Rumbaugh) volunteered to drive the float in the parade.

Parade float

The theme of the Duncannon Centennial was designed to honor the ‘Bucktails’ - one of the most distinguished units to serve in the Civil War.

Duncannon Centennial attendees wore paper hats honoring the ‘Bucktails’

The soldiers of the 42nd Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry (13th Reserves) adorned their own caps with bucktails and were thus set apart from the typical Federal soldier by their distinctive headgear. The soldiers from Duncannon filled the ranks of Company B (the Morgan Rifles) commanded initially by Captain Langhorne Wister then by Captain Thomas B. Lewis. Thomas Belton served as the company First Sergeant.

Captain Langhorne Wister / Captain Thomas Lewis / First Sergeant Thomas Belton

These Pennsylvanians saw action early in the Civil War under the command of Colonel Thomas Kane, who later fought with four companies in the Shenandoah Valley, while Major Roy Stone led the additional six companies on the Virginia Peninsula with the Army of the Potomac. Both of these contingents rendered distinguished service.

Upon reunification of the ‘Bucktail’ regiment, they consistently displayed courage and tactical ability on the battlefields of Second Bull Run, South Mountain, Antietam, Fredericksburg, Gettysburg, The Wilderness, and Spotsylvania. Sometimes the ‘Bucktails’ stood and fought in a line of battle, but often were detailed as skirmishers and sharpshooters where they could employ their deadly talents more effectively.

42nd Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry Regiment

The gallant service of the original ‘Bucktails’ led to the call in the summer of 1862 for an entire brigade of ‘Bucktail’ regiments. In the end, only two new ‘Bucktail’ regiments (149th and 150th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry) managed to take the field. The men of the new ‘Bucktail’ regiments sought to be worthy of their more famous predecessors. Initially called into service during the 1862 Maryland Campaign, the two new ‘Bucktail’ regiments were posted for a time in the vicinity of Washington, D.C.

The greatest trial by fire for these two new ‘Bucktail’ regiments came at Gettysburg on 1 July 1863. Serving side by side in the same brigade, the next blood-letting for the 149th and 150th came during the horrendous fighting at the Battle of The Wilderness in early May 1864. They continued on with the Army of the Potomac through the actions at Spotsylvania, and Petersburg, especially along the Weldon Railroad. With the numerical strength of the 149th and 150th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry regiments greatly reduced, they were withdrawn from the lines and sent to Elmira, New York, in February 1865.

The ‘Bucktails’ did the Keystone State proud and earned a noted place in the pantheon of Civil War regiments. Their legacy has had the admiration of many over the years and their fame remains strong today.

Here is a poem about the ‘Bucktails’ written by Mr. M.H. Cobb, former editor of the Wellsboro Agitator:

TO THE BUCKTAILS

Six and twenty years ago —

When the tide of war’s alarms

Made the fires of Freedom’s altar brightly glow.

From these hills the sturdy yeomen

Answered to the patriot call,

Moved by sternest purposes all,

Sworn to fight the fight as treason’s foemen.

Resolved they gathered then —

From workshop and from field,

Our liberties to shield —

The best defense of all — a wall of living men.

Nor shrank they from the trial —

The mothers and the wives;

The treasures of their lives

They laid upon the altar with noble self-denial.

They questioned not, they gave,

Those hero wives and mothers,

Sons, husbands, lovers, brothers,

To find returning welcome or perish with the brave.

And thus they marched away —

That band of hardy yeomen,

And worthier foes than they

Never were matched with foemen;

In many a bloody fray,

Wherever MEN were wanted,

The Bucktails led the way

And bore the brunt undaunted.

As face to face we stand

We raise familiar faces,

A shattered, grizzled band;

And many vacant places.

Yet, brothers, not in vain

Did these our comrades perish,

They rise, they live again

In memories we cherish.

They fought the fight — they bought

A purer, higher freedom,

Their sacrifices wrought

The death of what was fraught

With all that blighted Edom.

Since I was a teenager at the time of the Duncannon Centennial in 1965, I didn’t fully comprehend the significance of the valuable service rendered by the ‘Bucktails’ during the Civil War. It was fifty years later, after the Duncannon Sesquicentennial in August 2015, that I began to develop a keen interest in this distinguished military unit from my hometown.

On 6 August 2016, the Perry County Times published the following article (written by Jim T. Ryan) entitled Bucktails unit to march on Duncannon, Aug. 6-7 [2016].

This weekend (Aug. 6-7) marks the 23rd annual Bucktails Reunion, which returns to Duncannon for the