83rd Pennsylvania Infantry

Regimental History and Service Record

Organized at Erie and mustered into United States service September 8, 1861. Moved to Washington, D.C., September 18-20, Attached to Butterfield's Brigade, Fitz John Porter's Division, Army of the Potomac, to March, 1862. 3rd Brigade, 1st Division, 3rd Army Corps, Army Potomac, to May, 1862. 3rd Brigade, 1st Division, 5th 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.

• Moved to the Virginia Peninsula March 22-24.
• March 17-September 2, 1862 - The Peninsula Campaign
  • Reconnaissance to Big Bethel March 30.
  • Warwick Road April 5.
  • April 5-May 4, 1862 - Siege of Yorktown, Virginia
  • Reconnaissance up the Pamunkey May 10.
  • May 27-29, 1862 - Operations about Hanover Court House, Virginia
    • May 27, 1862 - Engagement at Hanover Court House, Virginia
  • June 25-July 1, 1862 - The Seven Days Battles before Richmond, Virginia
    • Battle of Mechanicsville June 26.
    • June 27, 1862 - Engagement at Gaines's Mill, Virginia
    • June 29, 1862 - Engagement at Savage's Station, Virginia
    • June 30, 1862 - Engagement at Turkey Bridge, Virginia
    • July 1, 1862 - Engagement at Malvern Hill, Virginia

At Harrison's Landing until August 16. Movement to Fortress Monroe, thence to Centreville August 16-27. Pope's Campaign in Northern Virginia August 27-September 2. Battle of Bull Run August 30.

• September 3-20, 1862 - The Maryland Campaign
  • September 17, 1862 - Battle of Antietam, Maryland
  • September 19, 1862 - Actions at Sharpsburg and Shepherdstown/Blackford's/Boteler's Fords, Maryland

Duty at Sharpsburg, Md., until October 30. Movement to Falmouth, Va., October 30-November 19. Battle of Fredericksburg December 12-15. Expedition to Richards and Ellis Fords, Rappahannock River, December 29-30. Burnside's second Campaign, "Mud March," January 20-24. 1863. At Falmouth, Va., till April.

• April 27-May 6, 1863 - The Chancellorsville Campaign
  • May 1-5, 1863 - Battle of Chancellorsville, Virginia
• June 11-August 1, 1863 - The Gettysburg Campaign
  • July 1-3, 1863 - Battle of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania

Pursuit of Lee July 5-24. Duty at Warrenton, Beverly Ford and Culpeper until October. Advance to line of the Rappahannock November 7-8. Rappahannock Station November 7. Mine Run Campaign November 26-December 2. At Beverly Ford until May, 1864.

• 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 - Combat at Laurel Hill, Virginia
    • May 12, 1864 - Assault on the Salient at Spotsylvania Court House, Virginia
  • May 22-26, 1864 - Operations on Line of the North Anna River, Virginia
    • May 25, 1864 - Engagement at Jericho Ford, 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
    • June 1-3, 1864 - Battle of Bethesda Church, Virginia

Before Petersburg June 16-18. Siege of Petersburg June 16, 1864, to April 2, 1865. Mine Explosion, Petersburg, July 30, 1864. Weldon Railroad August 18-21. Old members mustered out September 7, 1864. Consolidated to 6 Companies. Peeble's Farm, Poplar Springs Church, September 29-October 2. Boydton Plank Road, 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 31. Junction of the Quaker and Boydton Roads March 29. White Oak Road March 31. Five Forks April 1. 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 28, 1865, and disbanded at Harrisburg, Pa., July 4, 1865.

Regimental Roster

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Regiment Statistical Information

Regiment Casualty Comparisons by Source

Source	Casualties	Remarks
Dyer	11 Officers and 271 enlisted men killed and mortally wounded 2 Officers and 151 enlisted men killed by disease Total 435	None
Fox	11 Officers and 271 enlisted men killed and mortally wounded Total 282 (Combat Losses) 15.5% Casualty Rate (282 Killed/1808 Enrolled) Fox lists this unit as: 2nd on the list of units "sustaining greatest loss in action" (Infantry units with over 200 casualties) 15th on the list of units with losses based on "maximum percentage of enrollment" 18th on the list of units with losses based on duration of the entire term of service of the unit (6th of the Pennsylvania troops)	"The second highest in the list of infantry regiments having the greatest number killed in battle, is the Eighty-third Pennsylvania, which lost 282 officers and men who died while fighting for the Union. ... Two of its Colonels were killed, and a third was badly wounded and crippled for life. It was a splendid regiment, well officered and well drilled. It suffered a severe loss in killed, by percentage, as well as in numbers."
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 758, 761, 827, 897, 900, 902, 903, 904, 905, 916, 933, 934, 936, 938, 939, 940, 941, 1601-1602)
• 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 2, 3, 4, 8, 13)