 |
| From Dickey's History of the 85th Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry |
The 85th Pennsylvania had more casualties in this battle than in any other in which they fought. It should be noted that at Second Deep Bottom in August of 1864, the regiment, which was down from its original thousand members to around 400, suffered a higher percentage of losses at that time.
At Seven Pines, the 85th Pennsylvania was in Henry Wessells' Brigade, part of Silas Casey's Division of Erasmus Keyes' Fourth Corps. McClellan had inexplicably sent Casey's Division across the Chickahominy River, far in advance of the rest of his army. Three of McClellan's five corps did not cross the river. Only Keyes' Fourth Corps and Samuel Heintzelman's Third Corps advanced across the river to probe the enemy and to set up an encampment just three miles from Richmond.
Casey's Division, the least experienced of McClellan's five divisions and the one most depleted by illness, was thus put in the vanguard of McClellan's army with both flanks exposed.
Confederate General Joseph Johnston saw an inviting target for an attack, especially after a heavy spring rainstorm on May 30 had swelled the Chickahominy River into a rushing, almost impassable torrent. With most of McClellan's army on the opposite side of the river, and perhaps being unable to engage, Johnson devised a plan to throw his whole army of 60,000 against Casey's and Keyes' 33,000 men.
 |
| Picket Line and Casey's Division at Seven Pines From Dickey's History of the 85th Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry |
Casey's heavily outnumbered division held off the charging rebels for 2-3 hours, giving part of McClellan's force time to cross the Chickahominy River via the rickety Grapevine Bridge and stabilize the battlefield. The fight ended in a draw with heavy losses on both sides.
The 85th Pennsylvania suffered about 25 killed (including those who succumbed to wounds) and about 50 more who survived their wounds. Several others were captures. A few who were wounded who were captured and died in Confederate prisons. Several others were exchanged and rejoined the regiment several weeks later.
The tally below gives the casualties by Company, along with a brief biographical mention of each soldier's service. The list was culled from period newspapers, pension records, the 1860 fedearl census, the 1890 Veteran Schedule and obituaries.
Field and Staff
Wounded Lt. Col. Henry A. Purviance [killed
in action in 1863]
Hosp. Stwd. Robinson Elder [father of 7 children]
Company A
Killed Collin W. Barr [died at age
25]
Robert Byers [died in
Annapolis hospital at age 21]
John Low [died the
next month in Annapolis hospital]
John A. McMillen [died
10 days later in Washington, DC hospital]
Wounded Corp. R. W. Criswell [finished
3-year enlistment]
John Patterson [refused
to allow arm to be amputated]
William Scott [recovered in New York City hospital]
Lt. John W. Acheson [wounded again in 1864]
Joseph Schell [finished 3-year enlistment]
Company B
Killed Lt. Julius A. Smith [captured;
died 1 month later in Libby Prison]
William Howard [died at
age 32]
John Reily [died at
age 49]
Jacob Younkin [survived
by wife and infant son]
William Braden [killed
carrying Capt. Hooker to safety]
John B. Hayden [captured, exchanged, and died 3 months later]
Corp.Abraham Iams [died at White House Landing, VA]
Wounded Capt. George H. Hooker [life saved
by Wiliam Braden]
Owen Turner [transferred to Veterans Reserve Corps]
Joshua Torrence [captured in 1864; survived Andersonvile]
James Speer [wounded again
in 1864]
David Miller [later wounded
in North Carolina, 1863]
Amos Bane [discharged
5 months later]
Company C
Wounded Corp. John Woodward [killed in
action in 1864]
John B. Thompson [discharged 8 months later]
James Day [wounded
again in 1864]
Captured James
Beatty [exchanged; rejoined regiment]
Company D
Killed Corp. Alexander Morgan [first listed as MIA; body never identified]
Sgt. John N.
Donagho [died from wound in Salisbury POW Camp]
Captured Hezekiah
Horn [exchanged, finished 3-year enlistment]
Company E
Killed Lt. Thompson Purviance [cousin of Lt. Col. Henry Purviance]
Lindsay Hartman [brother William served in Company E]
Wounded Sgt. Robert G. Taylor, leg [discharged 5 months later, paralysis]
Sgt. Moses McKeag,
arm [discharged 1 month later]
Sgt. John Heckard,
shoulder [discharged 11 months later]
Corp. Charles E
Eckels [served 3-year enlistment]
Corp. Martin Pope, hand [finished 3-year enlistment]
Musc. Samuel Wood, finger [finished 3-year enlistment]
Rudolph Smith, thigh [discharged, date unknown]
Henry J. McAllister,
temple [age 16 at the time of his wounding]
Company F
Killed Richard F. Lewis [served in
company with brother George]
Cornelius Estrep [died
2 months after wounding]
Meeker Rinehart [died
in Annapolis 5 weeks after wounding]
Wounded Corp. Morgan Rinehart, neck [finished 3-year enlistment]
Isaac DeHavely, side [wounded again, 1864]
Charles Chapman, cheek [finished 3-year enlistment]
Jacob West, thigh [recovered
after 7 months in DC hospital]
Lisbon Scott, hand [captured 1864 and survived Andersonville]
Jesse Cheney, hand and
thigh [discharged 1 month later]
Isaac Gray, hand [recovered at home; wounded again, 1863]
Samuel Thompson, hand [lost a finger; served regt. band for 3 years]
Jacob Weaver, hand [spent
6 weeks recovering in Annapolis hospital]
Thomas M. Sellers [wounded again in 1864]
Company G
Killed Asberry Phillips [died 2
days after wounding at Fort Monroe]
Corp. Harrison
Hoge, knee [died 10 weeks later]
Wounded Sergeant James R. Core [discharged 9 months later]
John Cline [wounded
again in 1863; finished 3-year enlistment]
Company H
Killed Lt. James Hamilton [buried on the battlefield]
John Conn [married
farmer with 7 children]
William Hare, chest [died by wood pile on battlefield]
Wounded Corp. George Colburn [died on
disease, 1864]
James Bird [later died
of disease with 4th PA Artilllery]
Andrew J. Burgess [finished 3-year enlistment]
Reason B. Daniels [discharged 10 months later]
William Dennison [died
of disease 6 months later]
Francis D. Morrison [father
of MOH winner Francis Morrison]
William Muhlenberg [killed in action in 1864]
Harrison Younkin [discharge 13 months later]
Thomas J. McClintock [discharged 6 months later]
Ross Sterner [again
wounded in 1863 and 1864]
James Nichlow [finished
3-year enlistment]
Jesse Peck [finished
3-year enlistment]
Frederick Yurgason [killed in action in 1864]
Company I
Killed Corp. James S. Hackney [died at age 21]
Wounded Sgt. Lucius Bunting [discharged
3 months later]
Corp.Richard
Lincoln, hand [discharged 7 months later]
William E. Finley, leg [finished 3-year enlistment]
Cornelius Hennessy,
hand [finished 3-year enlistment]
Warren Kilgore hand [killed at Spotsylvania in 1864]
Company K
Wounded Sgt. Samuel Grim [killed in
service in 1863]
Matthew Campbell [discharged 19 months later in 1864]
