90th Pennsylvania Infantry

90th Pennsylvania Infantry
Unit name	90th Pennsylvania Infantry
Dates	1861–1865
Country	United States
Allegiance	Union
Branch	Infantry
Size	Regiment
Battles	American Civil War, Peninsula Campaign, Seven Days Battles, Antietam, Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, Wilderness, Spotsylvania Court House, Cold Harbor, Siege of Petersburg
Notable commanders	Thomas S. Bell Jr., Benjamin C. Christ, James M. Smith

90th Pennsylvania Infantry The 90th Pennsylvania Infantry was a volunteer infantry regiment raised in Pennsylvania for service in the Union during the American Civil War. Organized in 1861, it served in the Army of the Potomac through major campaigns including the Peninsula Campaign, Antietam, and Gettysburg, sustaining significant losses before mustering out in 1865. The regiment is noted for actions at Crampton's Gap, Antietam, and the Battle of the Wilderness.

Formation and Organization

Recruitment for the 90th Pennsylvania Infantry began in late 1861 under state authority in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, drawing volunteers from Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, Chester County, Pennsylvania, York County, Pennsylvania, Berks County, Pennsylvania, and surrounding districts. Mustered into Federal service under the command of Colonel Thomas S. Bell Jr., the regiment was assigned to brigades within the III Corps and later the VI Corps of the Army of the Potomac. Training and organization took place at camps influenced by drill manuals used by instructors from units connected to Pennsylvania Militia traditions and overseen by state officials including figures aligned with the Pennsylvania Governor's Office.

Service History

The regiment moved to the Virginia Peninsula with George B. McClellan’s Peninsula Campaign, participating in the Yorktown operations and the Seven Days Battles before withdrawing to the James River. It later fought at South Mountain and Antietam during the Maryland Campaign, and was engaged at Fredericksburg and Chancellorsville in the 1862–1863 season. During the Gettysburg Campaign, the regiment marched north under Joseph Hooker and George G. Meade to counter Robert E. Lee’s invasion, fighting on the fields of Gettysburg. In 1864 the 90th joined the Overland Campaign under Ulysses S. Grant, enduring the Wilderness and Spotsylvania Court House before participating in the Siege of Petersburg and the final operations that led to the Confederate surrender at Appomattox Court House.

Engagements and Casualties

The regiment saw action in numerous engagements: Yorktown, Battle of Seven Pines, Mechanicsville, Gaines' Mill, Crampton's Gap, Antietam, Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, Bristoe Campaign, Mine Run Campaign, Wilderness, Spotsylvania Court House, North Anna River, Cold Harbor, Siege of Petersburg, and the Appomattox Campaign. Casualties included those killed, wounded, captured, and missing in engagements such as Antietam and Gettysburg, with disease losses typical of Civil War regiments following patterns observed in studies of Civil War medicine and mortality among units from Pennsylvania. The regiment’s strength fluctuated through reenlistments, recruiting, and transfers governed by the Enrollment Act and state quotas.

Commanders and Notable Personnel

Commanders included Colonel Thomas S. Bell Jr., who led during early actions, and subsequent commanders such as Colonel Benjamin C. Christ and Lieutenant Colonel James M. Smith, each associated with brigade assignments under generals like William B. Franklin, John Sedgwick, and Winfield Scott Hancock. Notable enlisted men and officers later recognized in postwar veterans' organizations included participants in the Grand Army of the Republic, contributors to regimental histories published in Lancaster County and speakers at reunions attended by figures connected to the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission and veterans’ monument dedications.

Regimental Flags and Insignia

The 90th Pennsylvania carried state and national colors typical of volunteer regiments, including a battle-worn national flag presented at mustering influenced by Eagle standards and Pennsylvania militia traditions. Surviving flag fragments and reproductions have been cataloged in collections of the Pennsylvania State Archives, National Museum of American History, and local historical societies in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Insignia worn on kepis and frock coats reflected brigade badges and corps identifiers used by the Army of the Potomac, with variations recorded in wartime photographs and veterans’ reunion portraits preserved in archives maintained by the Library of Congress and state repositories.

Legacy and Commemoration

Postwar remembrance included regimental reunions, monument dedications on battlefields such as Antietam National Battlefield and Gettysburg National Military Park, and entries in county histories published in Lancaster County Historical Society collections. Veterans participated in commemorative events alongside members of organizations like the Grand Army of the Republic and contributed affidavits to pension records held by the United States National Archives and Records Administration. The 90th Pennsylvania's lineage is memorialized on battlefield plaques, in published regimental histories, and within education programs coordinated by the American Battlefield Trust and state heritage initiatives.

Category:Units and formations of the Union Army from Pennsylvania