81st Pennsylvania Infantry

Regimental History and Service Record

Organized at Philadelphia October, 1861. At Easton, Pa., until October 10. Moved to Washington, D.C., October 10. Attached to Howard's Brigade, Richardson's Division, Army Potomac, to March, 1862. 1st Brigade. 1st Division, 2nd Army Corps, Army Potomac, to June, 1865.

SERVICE.--Duty in the Defenses of Washington, D.C., until March, 1862. Advance on Manassas, Va., March 10-15. Reconnaissance to Gainesville March 20. Operations on Orange & Alexandria Railroad March 28-31.

• Ordered to the Virginia Peninsula.
• ?-September 2, 1862 - The Peninsula Campaign
  • April 5-May 4, 1862 - Siege of Yorktown, Virginia
  • Construction of Grape Vine Bridge on Chickahominy May 28-30.
  • May 31-June 1, 1862 - Battle of Seven Pines, Virginia
  • June 18, 1862 - Skirmish at Fair Oaks, Virginia
  • June 21, 1862 - Skirmish at Fair Oaks Station, Virginia
  • June 25-July 1, 1862 - The Seven Days Battles before Richmond, Virginia
    • Orchard Station June 28.
    • June 29, 1862 - Battle of the Peach Orchard, Virginia
    • June 29, 1862 - Engagement at Savage's Station, Virginia
    • June 30, 1862 - Engagement at White Oak Swamp, Virginia
    • June 30, 1862 - Engagement at Glendale, Virginia
    • July 1, 1862 - Engagement at Malvern Hill, Virginia
• At Harrison's Landing until August 16.
• Movement to Fortress Monroe, thence to Alexandria and Centreville August 16-30.
• Centreville September 1.
• September 3-20, 1862 - The Maryland Campaign
  • September 17, 1862 - Battle of Antietam, Maryland
• Moved to Harper's Ferry, W. Va., and duty there until October 29.
• Reconnaissance to Charlestown October 16-17.
• Advance up Loudon Valley and movement to Falmouth, Va., October 29-November 17.
• Snicker's Gap November 2.
• Manassas Gap November 5-6.
• Battle of Fredericksburg, Va., December 12-15.
• At Falmouth until April, 1863.
• April 27-May 6, 1863 - The Chancellorsville Campaign
  • May 1-5, 1863 - Battle of Chancellorsville, Virginia
• Reconnaissance to the Rappahannock June 9.
• Kelly's Ford June 10.
• June 11-August 1, 1863 - The Gettysburg Campaign
  • July 1-3, 1863 - Battle of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania
  • Pursuit of Lee July 5-24.
• Duty on line of the Rappahannock until September.
• Advance from the Rappahannock to the Rapidan September 13-17.
• Bristoe Campaign October 9-22.
• Auburn and Bristoe October 14.
• Advance to line of the Rappahannock November 7-8.
• Mine Run Campaign November 26-December 2.
• Mine Run November 28-30.
• At Stevensburg until May, 1864.
• Demonstration on the Rapidan February 6-7.
• May 4-June 12, 1864 - The Overland Campaign
  • May 5-7, 1864 - Battle of the Wilderness, Virginia
  • May 8-21, 1864 - Battles of Spotsylvania Court House, Virginia
    • May 8, 1864 - Action at Corbin's Bridge, Virginia
    • May 10, 1864 - Combat at Po River, Virginia
    • May 12, 1864 - Assault on the Salient at Spotsylvania Court House, Virginia
    • Landen House May 18
  • May 22-26, 1864 - Operations on Line of the North Anna River, Virginia
  • May 26-28, 1864 - Operations on Line of the Pamunkey River, Virginia
  • May 28-31, 1864 - Operations on Line of the Totopotomoy River, Virginia
  • June 1-12, 1864 - Battles of Cold Harbor, Virginia

Before Petersburg June 16-18. Siege of Petersburg June 16, 1864, to April 2, 1865. Jerusalem Plank Road June 22-23, 1864. Demonstration north of the James at Deep Bottom July 27-29. Deep Bottom July 27-28. Mine Explosion, Petersburg, July 30 (Reserve). Demonstration north of the James at Deep Bottom August 13-20. Strawberry Plains, Deep Bottom, August 14-18. Ream's Station August 25. Reconnaissance to Hatcher's Run December 7-10. Hatcher's Run December 8. Dabney's, Mills, Hatcher's Run, February 5-7, 1865. Watkins' House, Petersburg, March 25. Appomattox Campaign March 28-April 9. On line of Hatcher's and Gravelly Runs March 29-30. Hatcher's Run or Boydton Road March 31. White Oak Road March 31. Sutherland Station April 2. Sailor's Creek April 6. High Bridge, Farmville, April 7. Appomattox C. H. April 9. Surrender of Lee and his army. March to Washington, D.C., May 2-12. Grand Review May 23. Mustered out June 29, 1865.

Regimental Roster

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Regiment Statistical Information

Regiment Casualty Comparisons by Source

Source	Casualties	Remarks
Dyer	18 Officers and 190 enlisted men killed and mortally wounded 2 Officers and 96 enlisted men killed by disease Total 306	None
Fox	15 Officers and 194 enlisted men killed and mortally wounded Total 209 (Combat Losses) Fox lists this unit as: 32nd on the list of units "sustaining greatest loss in action" (Infantry units with over 200 casualties) 70th on the list of units with losses based on duration of the entire term of service of the unit (16th of the Pennsylvania troops)	This feature is not yet available. Check back soon for updates!
WotRWiki Statistics	0 troops killed Includes 0 troops mortally wounded Includes 0 troops killed by disease All others are troops killed in action or under special circumstances	This feature is not yet available. Check back soon for updates!

Legacy

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Sources

• Dyer, Frederick H. A Compendium of the War of the Rebellion. The Dyer Publishing Company (Des Moine, 1908). (Pages 761, 827, 897, 901, 902, 903, 904, 905, 916, 932, 933, 934, 935, 936, 938, 939, 940, 941, 1600-1601)
• Fox, William F. 1840-1909. Regimental Losses in the American Civil War, 1861-1865: A Treatise on the Extent and Nature of the Mortuary Losses in the Union Regiments, With Full and Exhaustive Statistics Compiled From the Official Records on File in the State Military Bureaus and at Washington. Albany: Albany Pub. Co., 1889. (Pages 3, 13)