UnionPennsylvania

56th Pennsylvania Infantry

Union · Formed 1861-09-10 · Mustered out 1864-10-19
Raised From
Adams County, Pennsylvania
Initial Strength
950
Formed
1861-09-10
Mustered Out
1864-10-19

Service Summary

The 56th Pennsylvania Infantry was a Union regiment raised in Pennsylvania during the American Civil War. The regiment was recruited from Adams County, Pennsylvania. It mustered into service with an initial strength of approximately 950 soldiers. The regiment was formed on September 10, 1861. It was mustered out on October 19, 1864.

Key Engagements

Battles and campaigns in which the 56th Pennsylvania Infantry served. Linked entries open the engagement's full record.

1863Gettysburg
1862 · MarylandAntietamView record ›
VirginiaFredericksburg
1863 · VirginiaChancellorsville

Distinctive Record

Recruited primarily from Adams County - the county in which Gettysburg stands. Held the Union right flank on Oak Ridge on July 1, 1863, suffering severe casualties before being driven back through the town.

Civil War context

The American Civil War (1861–1865) was the deadliest conflict in American history, killing an estimated 620,000 to 750,000 soldiers and an unknown number of civilians. The Confederate States of America, formed by eleven seceding Southern states, faced the Union in four years of warfare across 23 states and territories. Major engagements included First and Second Bull Run, Antietam (the bloodiest single day in American history, September 17, 1862), Chancellorsville, Gettysburg (July 1–3, 1863), Vicksburg (surrendered July 4, 1863), and Sherman's March through Georgia and the Carolinas (1864–1865). President Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863, transforming the war's stated purpose to include the abolition of slavery and enabling the enlistment of approximately 180,000 Black men in the United States Colored Troops. Confederate General Robert E. Lee surrendered to Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox Court House on April 9, 1865. The war resolved the question of secession and ended American slavery, though Reconstruction would face sustained resistance in its attempt to secure civil rights for formerly enslaved people.

Source

Regimental data from the Civil War Soldiers and Sailors System, National Park Service (public domain). Reference: National Park Service.

Questions about this regiment

What was the 56th Pennsylvania Infantry?
The 56th Pennsylvania Infantry was a Union regiment raised in Pennsylvania during the American Civil War. It was formed on September 10, 1861.
Where was the 56th Pennsylvania Infantry raised?
The regiment was raised in Adams County, Pennsylvania.
What battles did the 56th Pennsylvania Infantry fight in?
The 56th Pennsylvania Infantry saw action at Gettysburg (1863), Antietam (1862), Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville (1863).
How large was the 56th Pennsylvania Infantry?
The regiment mustered in with an initial strength of approximately 950 soldiers.
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