88th Pennsylvania Volunteers

the text in this section is copied from an article in Wikipedia

The 88th Regiment, Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry was an infantry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War.

Introduction

The 88th was also known as the Cameron Light Guards; it was recruited from Philadelphia and Berks County in September 1861. The regiment went through several commanders. The first was Maj. Benzet F. Foust (1840-1870), a Philadelphia lawyer. When Foust was wounded on July 1, Capt. Edmund A. Mass (1834-1894), a railroad baggage master from Reading, took command until he was captured. The final commander was Capt. Henry Whiteside (1835-1905), a cooper in Reading.^[1]

History

Regimental History ~ from Dyer’s Compendium of the War of the Rebellion

Organization

Organized at Philadelphia September, 1861. Left State for Washington, D.C., October 1. At Kendall Green, Washington, D.C., until October 12. Provost duty at Alexandria until April 17, 1862. (Cos. “A,” “C,” “D,” “E” and “I” garrison forts on Maryland side of the Potomac River February 18 to April 17.) At Cloud’s Mills, Va., April 17-23. Guard Orange & Alexandria Railroad between Bull Run and Fairfax C. H. until May 7. Attached to 1st Brigade, Ord’s 2nd Division, Dept. of the Rappahannock, to June, 1862. 2nd Brigade, 2nd Division, 3rd Corps, Army of Virginia, to September, 1862. 2nd Brigade, 2nd Division, 1st Army Corps, Army Potomac, to March, 1863. 3rd Brigade, 2nd Division, 1st Army Corps, to May, 1863. 2nd Brigade, 2nd Division, 1st Army Corps, to March, 1864. 2nd Brigade, 2nd Division, 5th Army Corps, to June, 1864. 2nd Brigade, 3rd Division, 5th Army Corps, to March, 1865. 3rd Brigade, 3rd Division, 5th Army Corps, to June, 1865.

Service

Duty near Fredericksburg, Va., until May 25. Expedition to Front Royal to intercept Jackson May 25-June 18. Duty at Manassas, Warrenton and Culpeper until August. Battle of Cedar Mountain August 9. Pope’s Campaign in Northern Virginia August 16-September 2. Fords of the Rappahannock August 21-23. Thoroughfare Gap August 28. Battle of Bull Run August 30. Chantilly September 1. Maryland Campaign September 6-24. Battles of South Mountain September 14; Antietam September 16-17. Duty near Sharpsburg, Md., until October 30. Movement to Falmouth, Va., October 30-November 19. Battle of Fredericksburg December 12-15. Burnside’s 2nd Campaign, "Mud March,” January 20-24, 1863. At Falmouth and Belle Plains until April 27. Chancellorsville Campaign April 27-May 6. Operations at Pollock’s Mill Creek April 29-May 2. Fitzhugh’s Crossing April 29-30. Chancellorsville May 2-5. Gettysburg (Pa.) Campaign June 11-July 24. Battle of Gettysburg July 1-3. Pursuit of Lee July 5-24. Duty on line of the Rappahannock until October. Bristoe Campaign October 9-22. Advance to line of the Rappahannock November 7-8. Mine Run Campaign November 26-December 2. Demonstration on the Rapidan February 6-7, 1864. Regiment reenlisted February 6, 1864, and on furlough until April 7. Rapidan Campaign May 4-June 12. Battles of the Wilderness May 5-7; Laurel Hill May 8; Spottsylvania May 8-12; Spottsylvania C. H. May 12-21. Assault on the Salient May 12. North Anna River May 23-26. Jericho Ford May 25. On line of the Pamunkey May 26-28. Totopotomoy May 28-31. Cold Harbor June 1-12. Bethesda Church June 1-3. White Oak Swamp June 13. Before Petersburg June 16-18. Siege of Petersburg June 16, 1864, to April 2, 1865. Mine Explosion, Petersburg, July 30, 1864 (Reserve). Weldon Railroad August 18-21. Hatcher’s Run October 27-28. Warren’s Expedition to Weldon Railroad December 7-12. Dabney’s Mills, Hatcher’s Run, February 5-7, 1865. Appomattox Campaign March 28-April 9. Lewis Farm near Gravelly Run March 29. White Oak Road March 30-31. Five Forks April 1. Pursuit of Lee April 2-9. Appomattox C. H. April 9. Surrender of Lee and his army. Moved to Washington, D.C., May 1-12. Grand Review May 23. Mustered out June 30, 1865. Regiment lost during service 8 Officers and 101 Enlisted men killed and mortally wounded and 72 Enlisted men by disease. Total 181.

Affiliated Units

88th Pennsylvania Regiment Companies:

Band

Company A (Berks County)

Company B (Berks County)

Company H (Berks County)

Photo Gallery

Book: Collective Works of John D. Vautier	88th PVI Encampment Site on Shuter’s Hill, near Fort Ellsworth, Virginia	88th Pennsylvania Infantry monument at Gettysburg Battlefield, PA	William Sands, First Sergeant, Company G, 88th Pennsylvania Infantry, awarded the Medal of Honor
88th Pennsylvania Infantry monument at Gettysburg Battlefield, PA

Internal Resources

• Book: Collective Works of John D. Vautier - John served as the Regimental Historian of the 88th PVI and put many years of research from official records, personal interviews, and his first hand experiences.
• Article: Hessians in our Midst. Provost Duty in Alexandria 1861-62: The 88th Pennsylvania Volunteers - The stories of the soldiers of the 88th PVI who provided provost duty in Alexandria from October 5, 1861 to April 14, 1862.

External Resources

• 88th Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteers - Recruitment, organization, and service record of the 88th Pennsylvania Infantry Regiment. Organized at Philadelphiain September 1861.
• The 88th Regiment, Pennsylvania Volunteers - Extracts and excerptions in part from The American Battlefields Preservation Program, History of the Pennsylvania Volunteers, Samuel Bates, 1870, and other unknown sources. Many photos from the Library of Congress Archives.
• 88th Pennsylvania Vounteer Infantry - Civil War reenactment group. The group does interpretations of the infantry, specifically Co. A of the 88th PVI, Medical, Musicians, and Civilians. They are involved in both large and small scale reenactments, living history demonstrations, parades, preservation campaigns, and school presentations.
• Book: History of the 88th Pennsylvania Volunteers in the War for the Union, 1861-1865 by John D. Vautier - Originally published in 1894, the book was written by an actual soldier of the regiment who participated in its battles during the Civil War.
• Pennsylvania Volunteers of the Civil War: 88th Pennsylvania Regiment - Companies, organization, service, battles and honors.
• MOA Books: History of Pennsylvania volunteers, 1861-5; prepared in compliance with acts of the legislature, by Samuel P. Bates (Samuel Penniman), 1827-1902.
• Antietam of the Web: 88th Pennsylvania Infantry - Involvement in the Battle of Antietam fought on September 17, 1862 near the small town of Sharpsburg, Maryland.
• Stone Sentinels: 88th Pennsylvania Infantry Regiment "Cameron Light Guards" - Photos of the monument to the Eighty Eighth Pennsylvania Infantry northwest of Gettysburg on Doubleday Avenue.
• Civil War in the East: 88th Pennsylvania Infantry Regiment - Timeline of the 88th Pennsylvania Infantry Regiment.
• Virtual Gettysburg: 88th Pennsylvania Infantry Monument - Civil War monument at Forney Field, Oak Hill, Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.
• Descendants of the 88th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry Regiment Group -Website for the Descendants of the 88th Pennsylvania Volunteers to meet and learn more about our ancestors.

References

1. ↑ Draw the Sword: 88th Pennsylvania Infantry