13th Pennsylvania Reserve Regiment

Union Army volunteer infantry regiment 13th Pennsylvania Reserve Regiment 1st Pennsylvania Rifles, Kane's Rifles, Bucktails Flag of Pennsylvania.svg 100 Pennsylvania flag June 21st, 1861 to June 11th, 1864 United States Union Infantry Battle of DranesvilleBattle of Good's FarmBattle of Cross KeysBattle of MechanicsvilleBattle of Gaines' MillBattle of Savage's StationBattle of GlendaleBattle of Malvern HillBattle of Second Bull RunBattle of South MountainBattle of AntietamBattle of FredericksburgBattle of GettysburgMine Run CampaignBattle of the WildernessBattle of Spotsylvania Courthouse Pennsylvania U.S. Volunteer Infantry Regiments 1861–1865 41st Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry Regiment (12th Pennsylvania Reserve Infantry Regiment) 43rd Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry Regiment (14th Pennsylvania Reserve Infantry Regiment) thumb|Col. Thomas L. Kane The Thirteenth Pennsylvania Reserve Regiment, also known as the 42nd Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, the 1st Pennsylvania Rifles, Kane's Rifles, or simply the "Bucktails," was a volunteer infantry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War.CWA, 13th Regiment Reserves Infantry 2016 It was a part of the famed Pennsylvania Reserve division in the Army of the Potomac for much of the early and middle parts of the war, and served in the Eastern Theater in a number of important battles, including Antietam, Fredericksburg, and Gettysburg. The "Rifles" designation was a holdover from the days when soldiers who carried rifled weapons wore a special outfit, and the Bucktails carried breech-loading Model 1859 Sharps Rifles, normally only issued to sharpshooters.PA-Roots, 13th Pennsylvania Reserves History Organization Company Earliest Moniker Primary Location of Recruitment Captains A The Anderson Guards Tioga County Phillip Holland John G. Harrower B The Morgan Rifles Perry County Langhorne Wister Thomas B. Lewis C The Cameron Rifles Cameron County John A. Eldred Leander W. Gifford Neri B. Kinsey D The Raftsman's Guards Warren County Roy Stone Hugh McNeil John T.A. Jewett David G. McNaughton E The Tioga Rifles Tioga County Alanson E. Niles Samuel A. Mack F The Irish Infantry Carbon County Dennis McGee John A. Wolfe G The Elk Rifles Elk County Hugh McDonald H Wayne Independent Rifles Chester County Charles Frederick Taylor John D. Yerkes I The McKean Rifles McKean County William Blanchard Frank J. Bell K The Raftsman's Rangers Clearfield County Edward A. Irvin James M WelchSypher 1865 66-67 Service The 13th Pennsylvania Reserves was mustered at Harrisburg, Pennsylvania on June 21, 1861. Thomas L. Kane was elected colonel, Charles John Biddle as lieutenant colonel, and Roy Stone as major.Thomson Rauch 1906 1-10 Kane, as a civilian, wanted to have Biddle, a Mexican War Veteran, be colonel instead, and a second election was held, granting Kane his wish. The unit served as part of the Pennsylvania Reserves for the majority of its service with the Union Army. The regiment was initially issued .69 caliber smoothbore muskets, but some of the men would not accept them, insisting that they were a rifle regiment. They eventually received .58 caliber rifles and used these weapons through August 1862.Bates 1869 907 The 13th Reserves were first assigned to garrison duty in Maryland. On July 12 a scouting party under Kane of sixty men were surrounded by cavalry at New Creek Village, but fought them off, killing eight Confederates and wounding sixteen. After receiving reinforcements, Kane moved to Ridgeville which he captured after a skirmish. In the fall, it was assigned to the V Corps of the Army of the Potomac,Dyer 1908 1583 then serving in the Shenandoah Valley. On October 20, it marched to Dranesville, where Colonel Kane was wounded in the mouth while repulsing the Confederates. During a reorganization of the regiment in January 1862, Hugh W. McNeil was elected colonel and Kane lieutenant colonel, with Stone remaining major. Biddle had resigned to take his place in Congress. During the Peninsula Campaign, the Pennsylvania Reserves division was assigned as part of the I Corps; only part of the regiment went to the Peninsula, Companies C, G, H, and I, under the command of Kane, remaining in the Valley. This provisional battalion fought in several battles of the 1862 Valley Campaign. During the Battle of HarrisonburgDyer 1908 1583 on June 6, in an attempt to rescue a Captain Haines and his wounded men of the 1st New Jersey Cavalry, the regiment held off Steuart's Brigade, including the 44th Virginia Infantry, the 58th Virginia Infantry, the 1st Maryland Infantry, CSA, and a Louisiana regiment, for an hour, killing General Turner Ashby. Colonel Kane was captured in the retreat. They had lost 52 men, and Confederates had lost over 500. The other six companies went under Major Stone. During the retreat from Richmond, they lost one company in a swamp, then fought at Gaines Mill. Two other companies were lost during the retreat. At the retreat to Harrison's Landing, Stone and his men constructed a bridge over a stream, possibly saving the Union army. Stone took command of a different regiment after this. After the Peninsula Campaign, the regiment served in the Northern Virginia Campaign and participated in the defense of Henry House Hill during the closing hours of the Second Battle of Bull Run. In early September, the two battalions were re-united under the command of McNeil, who had been sick; the Pennsylvania Reserve Division, now designated as the Third Division of the I Corps of the Army of the Potomac. The regiment was rearmed with Model 1859 Sharps breechloader rifles prior to setting off on the Maryland Campaign. At Bull Run, Kane was promoted to brigadier general for covering Pope's retreat. His position was filled by Edward Irvin. The new major was Alanson Niles. The regiment was decimated at Antietam, losing Colonel McNeil. The new commander was Charles Frederick Taylor, who had been captured twice by Confederates. They participated in the assault on Fredericksburg. Irwin resigned from injury, and Niles became lieutenant colonel. The Pennsylvania Reserves division was severely depleted from months of campaigning and in early 1863, they were sent back to Washington D.C. to rest and refit. The 13th Reserves thus did not participate in the Chancellorsville Campaign. Prior to the Gettysburg Campaign, the 13th Pennsylvania returned to the Pennsylvania Reserves division was reassigned to the V Corps. Niles was wounded and Taylor was killed in fighting at the edge of The Wheatfield, leaving Major Hartshorn in command. They then marched to Spotsylvania for their final battle. The regiment was mustered out of service on June 11, 1864.Dyer 1908 1583 Those who had reenlisted as veteran volunteers were transferred to the 190th Pennsylvania Infantry. Casualties Killed and mortally wounded:11 officers, 151 enlisted men Died of disease:2 officers, 88 enlisted men Total:13 officers, 239 enlisted menDyer 1908 1583 Commanders Lt. Col. Thomas Leiper Kane – 6/12–6/13/1861 (recruited unit; resigned commission as colonel in favor of the veteran Biddle; promoted to brigadier general)Rauch 1903 78-79 Col. Charles John Biddle – 6/14/1861–1/21/1862 (resigned to enter Congress)Rauch 1903 78-79 Col. Hugh McNeil – 1/22/1862–9/16/1862 (killed in action)Rauch 1903 78-79 Capt. Dennis Magee – 9/16/1862 (replaced)Rauch 1903 78-79 Col. Charles Frederick Taylor – 9/17/1862–7/2/1863 (killed in action)Rauch 1903 78-79 References Citations 30em Sources 40em Bates Samuel P. Samuel Penniman Bates History of the Pennsylvania Volunteers, 1861-5 prepared in compliance with acts of the legislature I https://archive.org/details/historyofpenn00bate/page/907/mode/1up B. Singerly, State Printer Harrisburg, PA 1869 227395009 02015897 en pdf 907-943 June 1, 2026 https://www.civilwararchive.com/Unreghst/unpainf1.htm#13thres 13th Regiment Reserves Infantry - 1st Rifles (42nd Volunteers "Bucktails") The Civil War Archive 2016 The Civil War Archive June 1, 2026 CWA, 13th Regiment Reserves Infantry 2016 Dyer Frederick Henry Frederick H. Dyer A Compendium of the War of the Rebellion Dyer Pub. Co. Des Moines, IA 1908 8697590 09005239 B01BUFJ76Q https://hdl.handle.net/2027/mdp.39015026937642?urlappend=%3Bseq=1595%3Bownerid=13510798899657173-1629 en PDF 1583 2027/mdp.39015026937642?urlappend=%3Bseq=1508%3Bownerid=13510798899657173-1629 registration October 20, 2024 Sypher Josiah Rhinehart History of the Pennsylvania Reserves: A Complete Record of the Organization https://archive.org/details/historypennsylv00esqgoog/page/66/mode/2up Elias Barr & Co. Lancaster, PA 1865 3927404 02015920 en 9df 66-67 June 9, 2018 https://www.pa-roots.com/pacw/reserves/13thres/42ndorg.html 13th Pennsylvania Reserves/42d Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteers Alice J. Gayley PA-Roots PA-Roots, 13th Pennsylvania Reserves June 1, 2026 Rauch William H 1903 Pennsylvania reserve volunteer corps "round-up" ... June 24, 25, 1903, Harrisburg, Pa. Together with a roster of comrades present Electric Print. Co Philadelphia, PA 759071359 06027972 en pdf 89 June 1, 2026 https://archive.org/details/pennsylvaniarese00rauc Thomson Osmund Rhodes Howard Rauch William H 1906 History of the "Bucktails," : Kane rifle regiment of the Pennsylvania reserve corp (13th Pennsylvania reserves, 42nd of the line) Electric Print. Co Philadelphia, PA 565971735 06019079 en pdf 466 June 1, 2026 https://archive.org/details/historybucktails00thomrich External links The Pennsylvania Reserve Volunteer Corps Historical Society Bucktails!: The 13th Pennsylvania Reserves Category:Units and formations of the Union army from Pennsylvania Category:Pennsylvania Reserves Category:1861 establishments in Pennsylvania Category:Military units and formations established in 1861 Category:Military units and formations disestablished in 1864