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Union
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In Memoriam
This web page is dedicated to the memory of my 2nd great-grandfather Jonathan Dellinger, and the men he served with in the 187th Pennsylvania Infantry Regiment during the American Civil War. |
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Jonathan Dellinger was
born 21 Dec 1846 in Hellam Township, York County, Pennsylvania. He was the
second of at least four known children produced by Johan George Dellinger and
his wife Lydia Lieberknecht. Jonathan
grew up on the family farm located near Wrightsville in Hellam Township.
Lincoln, in Philadelphia, at which the 187th led
the procession from the railway station to Independence Hall and guarded the remains
while they lay in state. Together with the 1st City Troop the Regiment was
then detailed to escort the remains back to the railroad. During the
remainder of his service Jonathon performed guard and provost duty in the
Pennsylvania. Sgt. Jonathan Dellinger was mustered out, as a Sergeant, with
his unit at Harrisburg on Aug. 3, 1865. One year after he
returned from the war he married Mary Arnold in 1866. Jonathan was 22 years
old at the time. He and his wife Mary
had eight children, three boys and five girls. Jonathan made his living as a farmer. He passed away one month short of age 77
years. Jonathan Dellinger was buried
November 1921 at St. Luke's Cemetery, Chanceford Twp., Pennsylvania. |
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Regimental History
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The nucleus of the 187th was the 1st
battalion of six months' infantry, which was mustered in at Harrisburg from
June 21 to July 8, 1863. The battalion performed guard and provost duty at
different points in the state until the expiration of its term, when it was
reorganized at Camp Curtin and recruited to a full regiment. The 187th Pennsylvania
Volunteer Infantry Regiment was
mustered into the U. S. service from Feb. to May, 1864, for a three years'
term. The original Commanding Officers were- Colonels, John S. Schultze, and
John E. Parsons; Lieut.-Colonels, Joseph E. Ramsey, John E. Parsons, and
Joseph A. Ege; Majors, George W. Merrick, and David Z. Seipe. On May 19 the 187th Regiment
left for Washington and a week later started for the front, joining the Army
of the Potomac on June 6. It was assigned to the 1st brigade, (Gen.
Chamberlain) 1st division (Gen. Griffin) 5th corps, (Gen. Warren). It
supported the 9th corps during the fighting of June 17 in front of Petersburg
and was itself heavily engaged with its corps on the left the next day, when
it lost one-tenth of its numbers and was complimented by General Chamberlain
for its gallantry. Maj. Merrick, commanding the regiment, lost a leg here. It
was engaged in the trenches and on the fortifications before Petersburg until
Aug. 18, when it moved with its corps upon the Weldon railroad and after
severe fighting at Six-mile house it was engaged in the work of fortification
until Sept. 22. It was then ordered to Philadelphia and employed in garrison
and escort duty at Camp Cadwalader. During the funeral obsequies of President
Lincoln it led the procession from the railway station to Independence Hall
and guarded the remains while they lay in state. Together with the 1st City
Troop it was then detailed to escort the remains back to the railroad. During
the remainder of its service it performed guard and provost duty at various
points in the state by detachments. It was mustered out at Harrisburg on Aug.
3, 1865. During the course of the War 1 Officer
and 66 enlisted men were either killed or morally wounded in battle. Another
69 enlisted men died of disease or accident. (A listing of these soldiers can be found within our “Image
Gallery.”)
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Engagements
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Second
Battle of Petersburg
The Second Battle of Petersburg, also known as the Assault on Petersburg, was the major
attempt by the Union Army to take Petersburg, Virginia, before the main Confederate
Army could reinforce the city. The failure of the Union to defeat the
Confederates in these actions resulted in the start of the ten-month Siege of Petersburg. After the Battle of Cold Harbor in Ulysses
S. Grant's 1864 Overland Campaign, the Union Army slipped away
from Robert E. Lee and began crossing the James River. The advance unit was the XVIII Corps under William F. "Baldy" Smith, who had
just finished the unsuccessful Bermuda Hundred Campaign under Benjamin Butler. Petersburg
was lightly defended by roughly 4,500 soldiers under P.G.T. Beauregard, but Smith waited too long
before launching his assault. By the time he did, reinforcements from Lee
were marching into the city. When Smith finally did attack he drove the
Confederates from their first line of trenches. On June 16, Winfield Scott Hancock with the II
Corps reinforced Smith and captured another line of trenches. Reinforced
by the IX Corps, the Union Army captured a third line of
trenches as Beauregard pulled troops from Bermuda Hundred. The Federals
failed to press their advantage and more of Lee's reinforcements were rushing
to the defense. Despite being reinforced by the V
Corps, the Union attacks on June 18 were repulsed with severe losses. Colonel Joshua L. Chamberlain, was in command the
newly organized First Brigade in the V Corps. This brigade consisted of five
veteran Pennsylvania regiments from the now-gone First Corps: the 121st,
142nd, 143rd, 149th, and 150th--and a brand-new regiment, the 187th
Pennsylvania. This new military unit became known as the "Keystone
Brigade". The First Brigade participated in the
June 18 assault and Chamberlain was wounded so severely his name appeared in
newspaper obituaries. He eventually survived the wound and returned to
command his brigade as a brigadier general, promoted in the field
personally by Grant for his bravery. The Union assaults continued on through June 17 and
June 18, but to no avail. Grant arrived and suspended the assaults. The
chance to take Petersburg was lost, but the Confederate army was unable to
prevent the Union army from laying siege to the city. The siege would last until
April 1865. The 187th
Pennsylvania Infantry Regiment was involved in the fighting at
Petersburg on the following days: June
18, 19, 22, 25, July 10, 16 and August 3, 1864. Second Battle of the Weldon Railroad This engagement also known as the Battle of Globe Tavern, August 18 to
August 21, 1864, saw the Confederate forces lose control of
the vital Weldon Railroad to the Union Army
during the Siege of Petersburg of the American Civil War. Lt. Gen. Ulysses
S. Grant ordered an attack against the Weldon Railroad while the II
Corps attacked Deep Bottom. The V
Corps supported by units from the IX
Corps and II Corps was chosen for the attack under the overall command of
V Corps commander, Maj. Gen. Gouverneur K. Warren. On August 18, Warren reached the Weldon
Railroad and drove off the Confederate pickets. He ordered the division of Brig. Gen. Charles
Griffin to destroy the track. Confederate General Robert
E. Lee reacted quickly, sending the Third Corps under Lt. Gen. A.P. Hill
to secure the important rail line. Hill sent the division of Maj. Gen. Henry Heth
against Warren while he attacked Brig. Gen. Romeyn
B. Ayres's division. The Federals fell back and entrenched for the night. On August 19, Maj. Gen. William
Mahone's Confederate division attacked Brig. Gen. Samuel W. Crawford's division, driving back
its flank. Warren brought up reinforcements and counterattacked. The Federals
succeeded in retaking nearly all the lost ground by the day's end. Warren had
established a strong defensive position in an L-shape around Globe Tavern on
August 20. The next day Hill attacked Warren's new
position. Parts of three Confederate divisions assailed the Union works but
were repulsed. At the corner of the L, Brig. Gen. Johnson Hagood's division managed to
break through the Union lines, but then nearly became cut off before fighting
its way back out. The IX Corps extended the Union siege lines to connect with
Warren's current position. The Confederates had lost the Weldon
Railroad and were forced to cart supplies 30 miles from the railroad at Stony
Creek up the Boydton Plank Road into Petersburg. The Union army had gained
its first decisive victory during the siege of Petersburg and achieved a
major objective. Grant had severed the Weldon and extended his siege lines to
Globe Tavern. The 187th Pennsylvania Infantry Regiment was
primarily involved in the fighting at the Weldon Railroad on Auguts 19, 20,
and 21, 1864. |
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Regimental
Records
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The following is a listing of the
documentation we’ve collected
regarding the wartime record of this
military unit, and the persons who served therein. |
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·
ROLL OF HONOR - A
List of Those Who Were Killed, or Died From Wounds Received in Action, or
Died From Disease ·
ROSTER OF OFFICERS - 187th
Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry Regiment ·
COMPLETE ROSTER -
all men who
served in the 187th P.V.I Regiment
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Roster of
Company H - 187th PA Vol. Inf. Regiment |
· Muster Roll,
187th Pennsylvania Volunteers, Co. A (use
this direct link to website) · Roster
of Company G, 187th PA Vol. Inf. Regiment (use this direct link to website) · Descriptions
of Battles in which Regiment participated |
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Click on this LINK to view our entire |
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collection of documents for this military unit. |
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Use the following LINKS to access documentation of this regiment as published
in the History of the 187th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry
Regiment 1863-1865 |
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Chapter
I. - The story of the First Battalion Pennsylvania Six Months'
Volunteers—Lee's invasion of Pennsylvania— The formation of the Departments of Monongahela and
Susquehanna. Governor Curtin's
Proclamation—Formation of the Battalion; its service in Pennsylvania—Muster
out, January 9. 1864 Chapter
II. -
Roster of the First Battalion—Field and Staff
Officers Company A, Captain George W. Merrick; Company B, Captain David Z.
Seip; Company C, Captain John R. Miles Chapter
III. -
Company D, Captain William Young; Company E,
Captain William D. Snow; Company F, Captain Joseph A. Ege; Company G,
Lieutenant Samuel Boyd, 41 Chapter
IV. -
"A Roll of Honor"—A Roll of the members
of the Regiment, killed in battle and those who died from wounds and disease,
67 Chapter
V. - The 187th Regiment—Its formation—Enlistment of
Companies A, B, C, D, E and F—General Order, No. 20—Department of the
Susquehanna—Organization of Companies G, H, I, K—The assembling at
Harrisburg, May 17, 1864
Chapter
VII. - Arrival at Port Royal, May 29th—Left Port Royal
May 31st— Bowling Green—Mosby's Guerillas—Mattapony river— Picket firing at
night—March resumed on the 2nd; Com- panies A and B thrown out as
skirmishers—Joined by the Second Pennsylvania Heavy Artillery and Twenty-first
Cavalry—Beulah Church—Elliottville—Pawmunky River —Arrival at Cold Harbor Chapter
VIII. - Sunday, June
5th, marched all day—Mechanicsville—Shady Grove Church—Chickahominy
River—Under fire at Cold Harbor—Assigned to the First Brigade, First
Division, Fifth Army Corps—On the North bank of the Chickahominy river—Bottom
Bridge—June 12th, on the picket line—Cross the Chickahominy near Long's
Bridge—White Oak Swamp—Charles City Court House—Crossing the James River—The
march to Petersburg Chapter
IX. - In front of Petersburg, June 17th—In support of
the Ninth Corps —The First baptism of blood—Death of Theodore Boyles and A.
A. Wolf, of Company D—Moving into position— The bugle call at 3 p. m.—The
terrible charge on "Rives Salient"—The story of the charge by
Captain John E. Reilly—Description of the fight by Lieutenant Colonel Thomas
Chamberlain, 150th P. V.
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Chapter
XI. - The movement to the Weldon railroad—Tearing up
the road at the Yellow House—The movement to the right in support of the First
Michigan—Moving into position—Loss of several men of Company D—In water all
night—Corporal William A. Stone and several members of Company A close up a
gap in the breastworks—Major Hooper, of the First Michigan, describes the
fight on the picket line, the night of August 20th, and morning of
21st—Sunday morning, August 21st, by Captain John E. Reilly—Capture of
Confederate flags and prisoners—Shooting of Captain Daily, by Confederate
General Haygood—Movement to the left flank—Fortifying the line at White Farm Chapter
XII. - The fight at
Ream's Station—Building of Fort White—Movement to Vaughn's road, September
15-16th Chapter
XIII. - Transferred to the Department of
Pennsylvania—Farewell to the Army of the Potomac—March to City Point—Embarked
on transport for Washington—By rail to Philadelphia—Arrival there September
27th—Breakfast at the Union Volunteer Refreshment Saloon—March to Camp
Cadwallader Chapter XIV. - Funeral of Abraham Lincoln—Meeting the remains at
the P. W. and B. depot—Escorting them to Independence Hall—On duty there all
day Sunday—The march to the New York depot on Monday morning Chapter XV. - The Regiment on duty in Pennsylvania—Special
Order No. 81— The march to Spring Mills—Ordered to Harrisburg— Mustered out August 3, 1865 Chapter XVI. - Inauguration of Governor William A.
Stone—Formation of the Survivors' Association—Addresses of James M. Gibbs and
Samuel C. Ilgenfritz—Roll of the members of the Regiment present at the
Inauguration Chapter XVII. - Second Annual Reunion of the Association at
Gettysburg, June 5, 1900—Address of Hon. William A. Stone, 165 Chapter XVIII. - Camp-fire at
the Third Annual Reunion of the Association at Gettysburg—Address of Major
George W. Merrick Chapter XIX. - Camp-fire
at the Fourth Annual Reunion of the Association at Gettysburg, June 3,
1902—Speech of Captain George G. IvOvett, of Company K, and Comrade Frances
M. Stoke,of Company D, 185
Chapter XXI. - Bill
Blain and his mule Chapter XXII. - A
complete Roster of the Officers of the Regiment—Roll of the members of the
187th Regiment, P. V. L, living thirty-nine years after muster out of service Chapter XXIII. - Roster
of the Field and Staff Officers—Companies A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I and K
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Image
Gallery
During our research we have collected and images and photographs
that may be of interest to the history of this military unit. Some of them are presented on this website
because we believe they tend to provide the reader with additional
information which may aid in the understanding
of our ancestors past lives and war experiences. |
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Our Image Archives of the 187th Pennsylvania Volunteer
Infantry Regiment features portraits of the following named soldiers. |
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FIELD AND STAFF. Major George W. Merrick Surgeon John C. Fruit Hospital Steward George W. Kennedy COMPANY A |
Sergeant A. B. Patton Charles P. Harder John Sechler Isaac Snell Augustus Kyle F. K. Ployer |
COMPANY E H. B. Wilkinson COMPANY F Corporal Eugene Lenhart Lieutenant Deemer Corp. John Montgomery COMPANY I A. M. Landis |
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Use this LINK to see the picture
gallery |
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that pertains to this military unit. |
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Use the power of Google™ to find more interesting images about
this topic. A Click on this button will link you to the Google Images
Search page. |
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Enter the topic
you are searching in the box and click “Search Images”. At the “Images”
display page you will see the image, as well as the website of which it
is associated. |
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Website resourcess
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assist with your research
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Within
our Genealogy Reference Library (U.S.A.) page where you will find U.S. military
histories from the American
Revolution to World War One at the following link. If you are looking for the history of a specific state or local U.S. military unit
take a look in the Genealogy Reference Library U.S.A. Locations
pages. In addition, we have general military reference texts as well as other
books that will assist you with your research. |
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of military reference books. |
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All of the records and databases
listed on our Military webpage are FREE and can be accessed and
searched online without having to pay for a subscription. We try not to list any sites that have
only a few records for the purpose of getting you to a website that will
charge a fee to actually see the record beyond just a name. |
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INFORMATION
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Snail
mail: Fred USA |
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Pony Express: Tom Sooke, BC V9Z 0Y7 Canada |
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