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

SEVENTY-THIRD i EGIMENT..
THE Seventy-third Regiment, originally known as the Pennsylvania Legion,
Forty-fifth of the line, was recruited in the city of Philadelphia, during
the months of June and July, 1861. It was organized on the 3d of August
by the choice of the following officers: John A. Koltes, Colonel; G. A. Muehleck, Lieutenant Colonel; Leopold Schott, Major; WVilliam Moore, Adjutant.
A considerable number of both officers and men had belonged to militia rifle
companies existing in Philadelphia. A camp of rendezvous was established
on Engle's and Wolf's farms at Lemon Hill. On the 24th of September the
regiment, fully armed and equipped, left Philadelphia, and proceeded via Washington to Roaches Mills, Virginia, where it was assigned to General Blenkerns
Division. It was here largely employed in building forts, in which service
General Blenker was eminent. Drill and discipline, when relief from fatigue
duty permitted, was rigidly enforced. About the middle of October it moved
to the neighborhood of Hunter's Chapel, where a new camp was established.
A few lays later it was pushed forward to Rose Hill, and placed upon the
picket line. On the 25th Ex-Governor Pollock presented the command with a
set of colors in behalf of ladies of Philadelphia. The line of pickets was advanced soon afterwards to Anandale, with headquarters at Fitzhugh's Farm,
and remained in this position until the 16th of November. On the 15th of
January, 1862, the altered Springfield muskets with which it was originally
armed were exchanged for Austrian rifled muskets. It numbered at this time
eight hundred and fifty-five rank and file. On the 18th the State flags were
presented to the Pennsylvania regiments of the brigade. The officers and
color-guard of the Seventy-third alone were present upon the occasion, the rest
of the regiment being out upon the picket line. On the 3d of March three
hundred and fifty men were added to its ranks, a part of what had been the
Sixty-sixth Regiment, just then disbanded.
The regiment moved with the army, on the 10th of March, upon the campaign to Manassas. The most of the army soon turned back, and proceeded
to the Peninsula. Blenker's Division remained, and the regiment was engaged
in picket and outpost duty, occasionally meeting bands of the enemy. After
remaining in the neighborhood of Catlett's Station until the 6th of April, it returned through Warrenton and proceeded with the division to West Virginia,
arriving at Petersburg on the 11th of May. The division was here reviewed
by General Fremont, and was incorporated with the. army of the Mountain
Department. The advance of this army under Milroy and Schenck having been
defeated at M'Dowell by Stonewall Jackson, the balance of the command was
moved hastily to Franklin to their support, arriving the day after the battle.
For several days it was engaged in reconnoitring and fortifying the position,
the mea suffering greatly from hard marching and insufficiency of food. On
the 25th Fremont moved back to Petersburg, and proceeding via Moorefield,
crossed the mountains into the Shenandoah Valley, but too late to intercept
Jackson, who having defeated and driven Banks, was now hurriedly returning.