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79th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry
"The Lancaster Rifles" 

Record of Service:  

The 79th Pennsylvania Infantry was organized in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania and mustered in for a three-year term of enlistment on September 19, 1861, under the command of Colonel Henry Augustus Hambright.

The regiment was recruited from Lancaster and Washington counties.

79 PA - Issue # 1.jpeg

Detailed Record of Service: 

​Service Organization Overview: 

  • The regiment was attached to Negley's 4th Brigade, McCook's Command, at Nolin, to November 1861. 7th Brigade, Army of the Ohio, to December 1861.

  • 7th Brigade, 2nd Division, Army of the Ohio, to March 1862.

  • Negley's Independent Brigade, Army of the Ohio, to August 1862.

  • 28th Brigade, 3rd Division, Army of the Ohio, to September 1862.

  • 28th Brigade, 3rd Division, I Corps, Army of the Ohio, to November 1862.

  • 3rd Brigade, 1st Division, Centre, Army of the Cumberland, to January 1863.

  • 3rd Brigade, 1st Division, XIV Corps, Army of the Cumberland, to April 1863.

  • 2nd Brigade, 1st Division, XIV Corps, to October 1863.

  • 3rd Brigade, 1st Division, XIV Corps, to July 1865.

  • The 79th Pennsylvania Infantry mustered out of service on July 12, 1865.

79th at Perryville .jpeg
1861
  • Moved to Pittsburg, thence to Louisville, Ky., October 18, 1861, and to Nolin Station, Ky., October 24, 1861.

1862

  • Duty at Nolin until December 1861, and at Munfordville until February 1862.

  • Moved to Bowling Green, Ky., thence to Nashville, Tenn., February 14-March 3, 1862.

  • At Nashville until March 28. Ordered to Columbia, Tenn., and to guard Nashville & Decatur Railroad until May, 1862.

  • Expedition to Rodgersville, Ala., May 13–14. Lamb's Ferry May 14, 1862.

  • Negley's Expedition to Chattanooga May 28-June 17, 1862.

  • Jasper, Sweeden's Cove, June 4, 1862.

  • Chattanooga, June 7–8, 1862.

  • Ordered to Tullahoma, Tenn., and duty there until August, 1862.  

  • Ordered to Nashville, thence march to Louisville, Ky., in pursuit of Bragg August 21-September 26, 1862.

  • Pursuit of Bragg into Kentucky October 1–16, 1862.

  • Battle of Perryville October 8, 1862.

  • Guard Louisville & Nashville Railroad at Mitchellsville November 9-December 7, 1862.

  • Advance on Murfreesboro December 26–30, 1862.

  • Jefferson December 30, 1862.

1863

  • Battle of Stones River December 30–31, 1862 and January 1–3, 1863.

  • Duty at Murfreesboro until June, 1863.

  • Expedition to McMinnville April 20–30, 1863.

  • Tullahoma Campaign June 23-July 7, 1863.

  • Hoover's Gap June 24–26, 1863.

  • Occupation of middle Tennessee until August 16, 1863.

  • Passage of Cumberland Mountains and Tennessee River, and Chickamauga Campaign August 16-September 22, 1863.

  • Davis Cross Roads or Dug Gap September 11, 1863.

  • Battle of Chickamauga September 19–21, 1863.

  • Rossville Gap September 21, 1863.

  • Siege of Chattanooga September 24-October 26, 1863.

  • Reopening Tennessee River October 26–29, 1863.

  • Battle of Chattanooga November 23–25, 1863.

1864

  • Reenlisted February 9, 1864.

  • Veterans on furlough March and April, 1864.

  • Atlanta Campaign May 1-September 8, 1864.

  • Demonstration on Rocky Faced Ridge May 8–11, 1864.

  • Battle of Resaca May 14–15, 1864.

  • Operations on line of Pumpkin Vine Creek and battles about Dallas, New Hope Church and Allatoona Pass May 25-June 5, 1864.

  • Pickett's Mill May 27, 1864.

  • Operations about Marietta and against Kennesaw Mountain June 10-July 2, 1864.

  • Pine Hill June 11–14, 1864.

  • Lost Mountain June 15–17 1864.

  • Assault on Kennesaw June 27, 1864.

  • Ruff's Station, Smyrna Camp Ground, July 4, 1864.

  • Chattahoochie River July 5–17, 1864.

  • Peachtree Creek July 19–20, 1864.

  • Siege of Atlanta July 22-August 25, 1864.

  • Utoy Creek August 5–7, 1864.

  • Flank movement on Jonesboro August 25–30, 1864.

  • Battle of Jonesboro August 31-September 1.

  • Operations in northern Georgia and northern Alabama against Hood September 29-November 3, 1864.

  • March to the Sea November 15-December 10, 1864.

  • Siege of Savannah December 10–21, 1864.

1865

  • Campaign of the Carolinas January to April, 1865.

  • League Cross Roads, near Lexington, S.C., February 15, 1865.

  • Cloud's House February 27, 1865.

  • Averysboro, N. C., March 16, 1865.

  • Battle of Bentonville March 19–21, 1865.

  • Occupation of Goldsboro March 24, 1865.

  • Advance on Raleigh April 9–13, 1865.

  • Occupation of Raleigh April 14, 1865.

  • Bennett's House April 26, 1865 - Surrender of Johnston and his army.

  • March to Washington, D.C., via Richmond, Va., April 29-May 20, 1865.

  • Washington, D.C. for the Grand Review of the Armies May 24, 1865.

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