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History of the 205th Pennsylvania
Volunteer Regiment.
COMPANIES A, C, and I of the
regiment were recruited in Blair county, B, E, and H in Berks, F, and K in
Mifflin, D in Huntingdon, and G in Blair, Dauphin, and Franklin. They
rendezvoused at Camp Curtin, where, on the 2d of September, 1864, the following
field officers were selected: Joseph A. Mathews, Colonel; William F. Walter,
Lieutenant Colonel; B. Mortimer Morrow, Major. Colonel Mathews had served
in the Forty-sixth, and in the One Hundred and Twenty-eighth, Lieutenant Colonel
Walter in the On Hundred and Fourth, Major Morrow in the Eighty-fourth regiment,
and a large proportion of the remaining officers and men were skilled in
military duty. On the 5th, the regiment left Harrisburg, and proceeding to
Washington, crossed the Potomac, and went into camp at Fort Corcoran. At
the end of a week, it moved to Camp Distribution, and taking in charge thirteen
hundred recruits and drafted men, proceeded with them by transports to City
Point. Moving out four miles, it reported to General Benham, and under his
direction, was engaged in picketing from the left to the army line, to the
James, and in building forts and earth-works for the defense of City Point,
nearly the entire regiment being called to duty daily. On the 9th day of
October, it was ordered to the Army of the James, and at the end of twenty days,
during which it was employed on picket duty, it returned and proceeded to join
the Army of the Potomac. With five other new Pennsylvania regiment, it
formed a provisional brigade, commanded by General Hartranft, and was attached
to Ninth Corps. Early in December, this brigade moved to the relief of the
Second and Fifth Corps, which were threatened with an attack by the enemy while
out upon a demonstration on the left. On the 15th of December, the six
regiment composing this brigade, were organized into a division, which became
the Third of the Ninth Corps, composed of two brigades, the Two Hundred and
Fifth, Two Hundred and Seventy, and Two Hundred and Eleventh, forming the Second
Brigade, to the command of which Colonel Mathews was assigned. General
Hartranft commanded the division, and General Parke the corps. With
exception of occasional marches to the left, in support of aggressive movements,
the regiment remained in camp, near Fort Prescott, on the Army Line Railroad
during the winter, engaged in drill and fatigue duty, the divisions of the
corps.
Before daylight,
on the morning of the 25th of March, 1865, the regiment was summoned to arms,
and ordered to stand in readiness to move upon the first signal, the enemy
having broken through the line on Wilcox's front, and captured Fort Streadman.
General Hartranft was quickly upon the ground where further disaster threatened,
and gathering in the regiments of his division, attacked and checked the
victorious onset of the enemy. The Two Hundred and Fifth was ordered to
move down a ravine which ran in rear of the captured line, and when opposite
Fort Haskell, was halted under cover, and held in support of the rest of the
line, which was hotly engaged. For nearly an hour, impatient to move upon
the defiant foe, it was forced to stand in waiting. Finally, when all his
plan for a combined assault had been perfected, General; Hartranft gave the
signal to charge, and with a united front, and with the greatest determination
and daring, the lines moved on, sweeping every thing before them, and re-gaining
all that was lost. The Two Hundred and Fifth, moved at once to the support
of the charging column, and held a large number of prisoner, small arms, and one
battle-flag. The loss, fortunately, was but slight, being but ten wounded.
Of the part taken by the Two Hundred and Fifth, in the final assault upon the
works before Petersburg, on the morning of the 2d of April, and idea will be
best gained by the following extract from Captain Holmes' official report:
"On the night of the 1st instant," he says, "at eleven o'clock,
the regiment was ordered to form on the color line in front of the camp, Major
Morrow in command. At one o'clock A.M., of the 2d, the regiment was moved
towards, and on the Plank Road in rear of Fort Sedgwick, halted sometime, and
the advanced by the right of the fort in the covered way, and formed in line of
battle, with the Two Hundred and Seventh in front, directly in rear of our
picket line. The order was given to charge the enemy's works at daylight,
which was gallantly accomplished. The regiment captured Battery 30, with a
number of prisoners; also one battle-flag fell into our hands, being captured by
private John Lilly, of company F, who acted very gallantly throughout the
engagement. This flag was forwarded to General Hartranft's headquarters,
with a statement of its capture. Our colors were planted on the works, and
remained there until the regiment was relieved. At this time, Major Morrow
received a severe wound in the foot, and was taken off the field. I then
assumed command, and remained with regiment in the works, repulsing several
charges made by the enemy during the day, and at night, assisted in placing the
abatis front of our works, under a severe enfilading fire from the enemy,
remaining upon the line until two o'clock on the following morning when I was
ordered to move with the regiment to the rear of our picket line." In
the advance upon the hostile works, and in driving out the enemy and holding the
line when captured, the regiment was exposed to a fearful fire of infantry and
artillery, from the effect of which it suffered heavy losses. Two
officers, Lieutenants Henry A. Lower, and David B. Roberts, and twenty-two
enlisted men were killed, six officers and ninety-one enlisted men were wounded,
on officer, Samuel L. Hughes, mortally, and five men were missing, and aggregate
loss of one hundred and twenty-six. Major Morrow lost a leg.
At daylight, the
regiment was ordered to advance towards Petersburg but everywhere the evidences
of a general evacuation were observable, and on arriving within the city, it was
found that the enemy had fired it in several places. By the aid of the
fire companies, the flames were subdued, and the bridges crossing the Appomattox
were saved. At noon the regiment returned to its former camp, and striking
tents, started with the division to follow up the advantage. The progress
to Burkesville Junction was slow, the command being charged with the repair of
the South Side Railroad as it went, and with keeping open this line of
communication with the main body of the army. At Burkesville, the regiment
remained until after the surrender of the rebel armies in the east, and hostile
operations were at an end. It then proceeded via City Point to
Alexandria, and encamped at Seminary Hill, where it remained until the 2d of
June, when it was mustered out of service.
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