The Original 9th Pennsylvania Reserves

The Original 9th Pennsylvania Reserves

[9th monument at Gettysburg]

As reenactors, we are honored to portray an outstanding, hard-fought regiment, the 9th Pennsylvania Reserves. As one of the 13 infantry regiments of the famous Pennsylvania Reserve Volunteer Corps, the 9th participated in many of the campaigns of the Army of the Potomac. The Seven Days Battles, 2d Bull Run, South Mountain, Antietam, Fredericksburg, and Gettysburg are all listed among their battle honors. The 9th was recruited in Western Pennsylvania, with the majority enlisting in Allegheny County. Company A was recruited in Pittsburgh and was known as the "Pittsburg Rifles." The Reserves were the first Pennsylvanians to enlist for three years service in answer to President Lincoln's call for volunteers.

History of original 9th Pennsylvania Reserves from Samuel P. Bates, History of the Pennsylvania Volunteers 1861-5, with photographs courtesy of Jim Owston.

The complete Bates' History of the Pennsylvania Volunteers 1861-5 can be found on Cornell University's and University of Michigan's Making of America, a digital library of primary sources in American social history from the antebellum period through reconstruction. The collection is particularly strong in the subject areas of education, psychology, American history, sociology, religion, and science and technology. The collection currently contains approximately 8,500 books and 50,000 journal articles with 19th century imprints.

Ninth Pennsylvania Reserve Infantry courtesy of U.S. Department of Interior, National Park Service, Antietam National Battlefield.

Roster of original 9th Pennsylvania Reserves.

Some 9th Pennsylvania Reserves portraits.

[NEW!] Veterans at the dedication of monument to 9th Pennsylvania Reserves.

Karl Johnson's Men of the 9th Reserves During the War's Final Years.

John J. Matviya's Basic Training at Camp Wilkins and Camp Wright.

Chris Rasmussen & Jim Owston's History of Ninth Pennsylvania Reserve Corps.

Jeff Sherry's Company "F": The Ninth's Crawford County Connection.

A first person account from Glimpses of the Nation's Struggle, submitted by Burt Kennedy, Jr.

A group photo of the 9th Pennsylvania Reserves captioned "Surviving members of the 9th PA Reserve unit, largely from Allegheny County, pose near the Warren statue atop Little Round Top in the late 1880's" was reproduced in "Preserving Gettysburg" in the 5 July 1998 Tribune-Review. This link now opens only to the general Tribune-Review Web page, but text only can be found by searching their Archives.

Tom & Nancy McAdams Civil War Veterans Tombstone Inscriptions, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, 9th Pennsylvania Reserves.

Tom & Nancy McAdams Colonel Robert Anderson, 9th Pennsylvania Reserves, Co. D, Saint Mary's Cemetery, Lawrenceville Photos of Allegheny Cemetery monuments to 9th Pennsylvania Reserves veterans.

Pennsylvania in the Civil War, with links to Reserve Corps and to 9th Pennsylvania Reserve Corps.

[Original 9th flag]In doing some further research for the unit and our Gettysburg Encampment, I came across the first and only description, that I know of, of the peticular regimental battle flag issued to the 13 regiments of infantry that constituted the Pennsylvania Reserves. The description was found in my copy of J.R. Sypher's "History of the Pennsylvania Reserve Corps" - published in 1865. The description of the state color is as follows:

"The flags were made of solid blue silk, fringed with yellow; in the center was embroidered the coat of arms of the State of Pennsylvania, surrounded by thirteen golden stars; the number of each regiment also, placed within a crimson ribbon appeared prominently on the flag it received."

I checked with the examples of Pennsylvania Battle flags kept in Harrisburg, and only a few come close to matching this descripition. Those few are cavalry and artillery standards. The Pennsylvania Infantry seemed to be issued a solid blue flag, embosed with a eagle in the center, not the state seal. Also the stars number 35 and are arched between the eagle's wings.

Below are examples of the typical battle standard (left) and the standard that somewhat matches the Reserves Regimental colors (right).

Mike Tommarello

[flag] [flag]

Images courtesy Pennsylvania Preservation Committee

[9th PA Reserves]
9th Pennsylvania Reserves soldiers' sketches: Andrew G. Curtin, Major General McCall, Major General George G. Meade, Major General E. O. C. Ord, General G. K. Warren, General S. W. Crawford, General M. D. Hardin, Major General J. F. Reynolds, General Robert Anderson, and General C. F. Jackson. This sketch appeared in the Pittsburgh Daily Dispatch in an article about that Reserves written in conjunction with the 28th National Encampment of the GAR. No author appears for the article but for several reasons we believe it was written by a 9th veteran. Of the men depicted, only Anderson and Jackson actually served in the 9th. With the exception of Hardin, who served as Col. of the 12th Reserves, and Gov. Curtin, the remaining men were associated with the Reserves as brigade, division, and/or corps commanders, and in the case of Meade, Army commander as well. (Sketch courtesy John Carnprobst; information courtesy Chris Rasmussen)


Jim Owston and Chris Rasmussen are working on a regimental history of the 9th.


Return to the 9th Pennsylvania Reserves Home Page. For further information write to 9th Pennsylvania Reserves,c/0 1887 Old Ramsey Rd., Monroeville, PA 15146.
URL: http://www.9thpareserves.org/Original9th.htm
© April 1998