The 93rd Pennsylvania Volunteers, known as the "Lebanon Infantry," was formed
under the direction of Colonel James M. McCarter, pastor of the Methodist
Episcopal congregation of Lebanon, in the autumn of 1861. It was mustered
into service on October 28 of the same year. The regiment trained for a month
at Camp Coleman, now known as Monument Park, at presentday Eighth and
Lehman Streets. In addition to service at Gettysburg, it also saw action
at Fair Oaks, Antietam, Fredericksburg, the Wilderness, Spottsylvania,
Cold Harbor, Petersburg, and in numerous other battles. It was mustered
out at Harrisburg on June 30, 1865.
ON TO GETTYSBURG!
Ninety-third Regiment was now to fight its first battle on its
native soil, Pennsylvania. The Ninety-third was the first of our
Brigade to reach Little Round Top. Col. David J. Nevin, of the
62nd NewYork, of our Brigade, was in command, and the Ninety-third
was the first regiment of the Sixths corps to get into action.
Gen. Sedgwick says in his official report of the operations of the Sixth
Corps, "that he reported his Corps at Rock Creek at 2 P.M. ." He led
the Regiment and formed it on a low rocky knoll "Little Round Top"
covered with scattered trees, the left of the Brigade, 98th, overlapping
the Pennsylvania Reserves. Col. Nevin impetuous and fiery, in executing
the order, found Gen. Crawford and his Division of the Pennsylvania
Reserves of the Fifth Corps in his way and unwilling, to move, when he
relieved his mind in language more vehement than elegant, giving no attention
to the rank of the offending general, who doubtless overlooked the
offense, considering the exciting and sulphurous surroundings. Gen.
Sedgwick turned to Colonel Nevin and said: "Hurry up, there; never mind
forming your Brigade; pitch in by regiments.
The 93rd Regiment, commanded by Major John J. Nevin, was attached to
the 3rd Brigade, 3rd Division, commanded by Brigadier General Frank Wheaton.
In addition to its Lebanon recruits,the regiment also contained men from Berks,
Montour, Dauphin, Clinton, and Centre Counties. The majority, however,
came from Lebanon County, including five companies composed entirely of
Lebanon County men:
Company A ( Perseverance Company No. 1 ) commanded by Captain Jacob P. Embich;
Company C (Quittapahilla Guards) commanded by Captain Richard G. Rogers;
Company D ( Union Guards ) commanded by Captain Amos K. Kuhn;
Company F (Perseverance Company No. 2) commanded by Captain John S. Long;
Company K (Annville Guards) commanded by Captain David C. Keller.
The other Lebanon units were held, relatively speaking, inactive
on this day. Except for two minor incidents, the 107th, 142nd, and 149th
Regiments were acting as reserves on July 2.
Other Lebanon area units in volved at Gettysburg include the
[3rd. Artillery Battery H.] [4th. Cavalry company F.] [17th. Cavalry Company E.]
[26th. Regiment Company E.] [115th. Regiment Companies
D and G.]
In the meantime, the Sixth Corps had been rushed to the front.
it arrived at 5:00 P.M. with the 3rd Division's 3rd Brigade, now commanded
by Major David J. Nevin, leading the column. The brigade formed in a line
just to the right of Little Round Top with its left flank joining the
Pennsylvania Reserves. The 93rd Regiment ( Lebanon Infantry), heading
the brigade, was the first regiment of the corps to get into action.
By the time the corps had arrived, the Union line had been pushed back
to the slopes of Little Round Top and the southern part of Cemetery Ridge.
There was practically no Union line in our front. Gen. Sykes' Regulars rushing through our rankes
in confusion, with assaulting columns of Rebels, under Anderson, Mclaws,
Wilcox, Barksdale, Hood, Kershaw and Wofford of twenty
thousand men, under the personal command of Gen. Longstreet, were
accending Little Round Top. The 139th Pennsylvania of our Brigade
open fire upon the approaching Rebel column, although the orders were
await the coming of the Rebels, and the result was that the whole
Brigade,opened and checked the exultant and yelling Rebels. General
Sikes' Regulars had been contesting the ground in the open fields along
the Emmitsburg road, had been outflanked, broken and almost annihilated.
Had the fire been withheld, the charging Rebel column would have been captured,
as it was, a counter charge was made, and the Rebel charge checked and
crushed back and many prisoners taken. This charge will ever be known
as "The Whirlpool of the Rebellion's Decision Battle." Where at morn was
waving grain in golden ripeness and luxuriance, the darkness fell on
heel-pressed sod that oozed forth blood-on brooklets that run in crimson
streams-on a land so thickly sown with the dying and the dead, that those
who traveled the field walked on corpses.
The arrival of the Sixth Corps was just in time to save the whole front
from collapsing. The 93rd Regiment, seeing the approaching enemy columns,
took positions behind a stone fence about 300 feet west of Plum Run. Here
the regiment lay completely concealed as a Confederate column, unaware of
its presence, advanced. The order had been given to hold fire until the
enemy moved into point-blank range. Before the enemy column reached that
point, however, a premature shot was fired and, even though heavy casualties
were inflicted upon the Confederates, the desired degree was not achieved.
In this encounter the Lebanon Infantry captured twenty-five prisoners.
It was not until the arrival of the Pennsylvania Reserves, and the
Sixth Corps that the Union forces were able to check the Rebels.It was
our charge across the Valley of Death,the capture of the stone wall on
the East side of the wheat field,and holding it,and the re-capture of
Devil's Den,that stronghold which the Rebels dispirited,broken, sullen,
retired to the Emmettsburg road.The last effort against the Union forces
had failed;and,as the twilight crept in to cover the scene of blood and
death,the musketry fire ceases,the artillery languishes,and the pall of
smoke drifts away on the rising night breeze.The agony was over.The
"Old Sixth"-the immortal "Sixth"-had won again.
The unit remained at this spot for only a few minutes and then moved to the
defenses north of Little Round Top.
On the left is of the Valley of Death.The
right is Devil's Den at sunrise.
Late in the evening a portion of the 93rd Regiment, in conjunction with
the Pennsylvania Reserves, was sent into the "Valley of Death" to recover
a battery which had been abandoned in the retreat of the late afternoon
and early evening. The combined forces were unable to comply with the
order since the guns had already been captured by the enemy. The elements
of the 93rd Regiment returned and rested until the next morning. The
Lebanon companies received only five casualties throughout the day's
The 93rd Regiment, having completed its part in the battle, lay
behind the protective covering of the breastworks on the southern extension
of Cemetery Ridge just north of Little Round Top. Here the regiment remained
for the rest of the day. During the evening, men of the Lebanon units
assisted in burying the dead. The next day the troops were sent out in
small groups as skirmishing parties to determine the enemy's positions
then being evacuated.
In following Lee, the 93rd Regiment acted as a support force for
the corps artillery and was not engaged. The 4th Pennsylvania Cavalry
pursued the Confederates as far as Marion, a small town five miles south
of Chambersburg, at which point, on July 6, the Pennsylvania regiment
encountered the enemy rear guard commanded by Brigadier General Fitzhugh Lee.
After a brief encounter, the 4th Regiment returned to Chambersburg.
6TH. CORPS. ORDER OF BATTLE AT GETTYSBURG
SIXTH ARMY CORPS (Maj. Gen. John Sedgwick)
First Division (Brig. Gen. Horatio G. Wright)
First Brigade (Brig. Gen. Alfred T. A. Torbert)
1st New Jersey (Lieut. Col. William Henry, Jr.)
2nd New Jersey (Lieut. Col. Charles Wiebecke)
3rd New Jersey (Col. Henry W. Brown)
15th New Jersey (Col. William H. Penrose)
Second Brigade (Brig. Gen. Joseph J. Bartlett)
5th Maine (Col. Clark S. Edwards)
121st New York (Col. Emory Upton)
95th Pennsylvania (Lieut. Col. Edward Carroll)
96th Pennsylvania (Maj. William H. Lessig)
Third Brigade (Brig. Gen. David A. Russell)
6th Maine (Col. Hiram Burnham)
49th Pennsylvania (4 cos.) (Lieut. Col. Thomas L. Hulings)
119th Pennsylvania (Col. Peter S. Ellmaker)
5th Wisconsin (Col. Thomas S. Allen)
Second Division (Brig. Gen. Albion P. Howe)
Second Brigade (Col. Lewis A. Grant)
2nd Vermont (Col. James H. Walbridge)
3rd Vermont (Col. Thomas O. Seaver)
4th Vermont (Col. Charles B. Stoughton)
5th Vermont (Lieut. Col. John R. Lewis)
6th Vermont (Col. Elisha L. Barney)
Third Brigade (Brig. Gen. Thomas H. Neill)
7th Maine (6 cos.) (Lieut. Col. Selden Connor)
33rd New York (detach.) (Capt. Henry J. Gifford)
43rd New York (Lieut. Col. John Wilson)
49th New York (Col. Daniel D. Bidwell)
77th New York (Lieut. Col. Winsor B. French)
61st Pennsylvania (Lieut. Col. George F. Smith)
Third Division (Maj. Gen. John Newton)
--- (Brig. Gen. Frank Wheaton)
First Brigade (Brig. Gen. Alexander Shaler)
65th New York (Col. Joseph E. Hamblin)
67th New York (Col. Nelson Cross)
122nd New York (Col. Silas Titus)
23rd Pennsylvania (Lieut. Col. John F. Glenn)
82nd Pennsylvania (Col. Isaac C. Bassett)
Second Brigade (Col. Henry L. Eustis)
7th Massachusetts (Lieut. Col. Franklin P. Harrow)
10th Massachusetts (Lieut. Col. Joseph B. Parsons)
37th Massachusetts (Col. Oliver Edwards)
2nd Rhode Island (Col. Horatio Rogers, Jr.)
Third Brigade (Brig. Gen. Frank Wheaton)
--- (Col. David J. Nevin)
62nd New York (Col. David J. Nevin)
93rd Pennsylvania (Maj. John I. Nevin)
98th Pennsylvania (Maj. John B. Kohler)
139th Pennsylvania (Col. Fredrick H. Collier)
Artillery Brigade (Col. Charles H. Tompkins)
Massachusetts Light, 1st Battery (A) (Capt. William H. McCartney)
New York Light, 1st Battery (Capt. Andrew Cowan)
New York Light, 3rd Battery (Capt. William A. Harn)
1st Rhode Island Light, Battery (C) (Capt. Richard Waterman)
1st Rhode Island Light, Battery (G) (Capt. George A. Adams)
2nd United States, Battery (D) (Lieut. Edward B. Williston)
2nd United States, Battery (G) (Lieut. John H. Butler)
5th United States, Battery (F) (Lieut. Leonard Martin)
Information taken from
Penrose G. Mark. Red: white: and blue badge. Pennsylvania veteran
volunteers; a history of the 93rd Regiment. known as the ''Lebanon Infantry
'' and ''one of the 300 fighting regiments'' from September 12th, 1861 to
June 27th. 1865 (Harrisburg. 1911 )
Colonel McCarter,The Fighting Parson: Richard Matthews-Vol. XVII 1987 No.1
Lebanon County At Gettysburg: Joseph C. Saile-Vol.XIII 1963 No.5-The Lebanon County Historical
Photos: U.S. Army Military History Institute