History of Pennsylvania volunteers, 1861-5; prepared in compliance with acts of the legislature, by Samuel P. Bates.

410 SIXTY-FIRST REGIMENT. 1862
battle of the previous evening. A retrograde movement was immediately
commenced, and the division, acting as rear guard to a part of the army, was
formed for battle three times in as many miles; but the sole purpose of the
enemy seemed to be to delay, and not to engage the column. Crossing the
Chain Bridge the regiment moved on the Maryland campaign, and was posted
along the line of the Potomac for picket duty. Here it remained until the
morning of the 17th, when it joined the division, reaching the battle-field of
Antietam on the evening of that day. Skirmishing at once opened, which was
continued at intervals until the 20th, resulting in some loss, when it received
orders to march with the division to Williamsport, where the enemy's cavalry
was met and quickly put to flight.
On the 23d the regiment went into camp at Downsville, where it remained,
with the exception of a short interval, in which it made an expedition up the
Potomac to Hancock, until the 31st of October. In the meantime the Sixtyfirst, with the division, was assigned to the Sixth Corps, to which it remained
attached until the cloe of its term of service, and during the period in which
that corps won a reputation for valor unsurpassed by any in the army. Crossing the Potomac with the corps, it moved down the valley of Virginia to the
neighborhood of Warrenton, remaining in the vicinity until the opening of the
Fredericksburg campaign under Burnside. It was in the left Grand Division,
under Franklin, in that ill-starred battle; but fortunately was only lightly engaged and suffered little loss. Upon the abandonment of the struggle it returned to camp on the left bank of the Rappah'annock, where it remained, with
the exception of a short interval while out upon the "Mud March," until the
re-organization of the army under General Hooker.
On the 3d of February, 1863, the Sixty-first was chosen, together with four
other regiments, the Thirty-first and Forty-third New York, Sixth Maine, Fifth
Wisconsin, and Harn's Light Battery, Third New York, to form the Light
Division of the Sixth Corps, organized for special service, and designed to act
in emergencies with great celerity. It was posted at Belle Plain until April
28th, when it broke camp and marched to the Rappahannock, near Fredericksburg, the duty being assigned to the Sixth Corps of making a co-operative
movement upon the rebel strongholds above the city, while Hooker, with the
main body of the army, was moving upon Chancellorsville. A successful lodgment was formed on the south side of the stream, and the corps, under command of General Sedgwick, passed over. Preparations were made for carrying
Marye's Heights by storm. At eleven o'clock on the morning of May 3d, the
troops moved to the assault, the Light Division in advance, the Sixty-first
leading the right column. The ground was open, over which it must advance
to reach the enemy's entrenched position, and was raked by his guns; but
without faltering, it moved forward, and, though men were swept from the
ranks at every step, his strong works were carried and possessed. Colonel
Spear, while bravely leading in the assault, was killed. The loss in killed and
wounded in this brief struggle was three officers and seventy-four men.
Pushing forward in pursuit of the flying enemy, he was encountered in
heavy force at Salem Heights, and a short but bloody struggle ensued. Overborne by weight of numbers, who had turned back from Hooker's front, the
corps was forced to retire, and re-crossed the river at Banks' Ford. The Light
Division, which had performed signal service in this campaign, and had been
greatly crippled in the desperate fighting in which it had been engaged, was