Civil War: Fifty-Eighth Regiment, History and Roster, Delaware Co., PA Copyright(c) 2003 by Cyndie Enfinger http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm ******************************************************** Source: History of Delaware County, Pennsylvania, by Henry Graham Ashmead, L. H. Everts & Co., 1884, pp. 123-124. Fifty-eighth Regiment (Three-Years’ Service).- The county of Delaware, which furnished nearly fifty men to this regiment, in the official publications of the State receives no credit therefore, a statement that is equally true so far as it relates to other organizations, the general statement merely being made, “recruited in Philadelphia and vicinity.” The fact is that nearly one-half of Company A was recruited in this county, while in Companies B, C, and K, men from this neighborhood were mustered into service among the first that enlisted in the ranks of the regiment. On March 8, 1862, the Fifty-eighth was ordered to Fortress Monroe, arriving at its destination the next day, Sunday, the 9th, while the action between the ironclad “Merrimac” and “Monitor” was in progress. On May 10th it led the advance under Gen. Wool, and after the surrender of the city of Norfolk on that day, the flag of the Fifty-eighth was unfurled over the custom-house, where it remained until the regiment was ordered to Beaufort, N. C. While at Norfolk, First Lieut. Thomas I. Leiper, of Company A., who, while the regiment was in Philadelphia before being ordered to the front, had been appointed adjutant, was assigned to the staff of Gen. Thomas L. Kane, under whom he was in service at the battles of Antietam and Gettysburg. On Sept. 9, 1863, Leiper was promoted captain of Company A, and he thereupon returned to his command. On June 27, 1862, the Fifty-eighth was ordered to garrison Washington, N. C., at the head of navigation of the Pamlico River, and while there it was daily drilled in heavy artillery practice. On the 16th of December, Capt. Theodore Blakeley, of Company B, a gallant soldier from Chester, with a detachment of one hundred men, made a foray into the country fifteen miles southward, and captured a Confederate cavalry encampment, a captain, and sixty men, with all their horses and equipments, so absolutely surprising the enemy that they yielded without a gun being fired. For this Capt. Blakeley was complimented in an order from department headquarters. On May 1, 1864, the regiment joined the Army of the James, under Gen. Butler, in the operations against Richmond, and on the 9th the Fifty-eighth was in action near the Appomattox River, and the following day destroyed for a considerable distance the Petersburg and Richmond Railroad. The regiment was subsequently transferred to the army under Grant, and at Cold Harbor, on the 3d of June, it charged the enemy’s works, capturing the rifle- pits, and, as related by a New York Herald correspondent, -“Here, however, the men found themselves close prisoners, for it was utterly impossible for a head or an arm to make its appearance without being riddled by bullets. For two long hours the regiment held its position until it was reinforced.” On the 15th, it having returned to the Army of the James, it was in the attack on the enemy’s lines in front of Petersburg when the outer works were carried. On June 24th the re-enlisted soldiers were ordered to Philadelphia on the regular furlough granted to all veterans re-entering the service, and because of the good conduct of the regiment twenty days beyond the usual time was granted to them. Capt. Leiper remained at the front in command of the men who had not re-enlisted, and the recruits forwarded to the Fifty-eighth. The furlough having expired, the regiment joined the army on the north of the James, and on September 28th the Fifty-eighth and One Hundred and Eighth Pennsylvania made the desperate assault on Fort Harrison in face of sixteen guns of heavy caliber, in which the colors of the Fifty-eighth were three times shot away, and out of the two hundred and twenty-eight men of that regiment who had made the charge, one hundred and twenty-eight were killed and wounded. Among the former was the brave Capt. Theodore Blakeley, of Chester. The fort, with its cannon, small-arms, battle- flags, and garrison, was captured in this intrepid charge. The same day the two regiments were ordered to assault the Star Fort, a mile to the left of Fort Harrison, and although the brave fellows scaled the works and spiked the guns, weakened by their previous feat and unsupported, they were obliged to fall back under the heavy fire played upon them by the enemy’s gunboats. In the final campaign which resulted in the capture of Lee’s army it bore an honored part, and after the enemy’s force in the field was dispersed, it was assigned to duty in the lower counties of Virginia, and was mustered out at City Point, Va., Jan. 24, 1866. COMPANY A Thomas I. Leiper, capt., must. in Oct. 19, 1861; pro. to adjt. May 1, 1862; assigned to staff of Gen. Thomas L. Kane from December, 1862, to September, 1863; pro. to capt. Sept. 9, 1863; must. out Oct. 24, 1864, exp. of term. William F. Jester, sergt., must. in Sept. 16, 1861; pro. to sergt. Feb. 27, 1863; must. out with company Jan, 24, 1866; veteran. John Brown, sergt., must. in Dec. 30, 1861; pro. to corp. May 3, 1863; to sert. Aug. 17, 1865; must. out with company Jan. 24, 1866; veteran. Benjamin F. Graden, sergt., must. in Sept. 16, 1861; pro. to corp. May 3, 1863; to sergt. Aug. 17, 1865; must. out with company; veteran. Thomas Schofield, sergt., must. in Sept. 12,. 1861; pro. to corp. May 1, 1862; disch. on surg. certif. March 1, 1863. Calvert Cardwell, sergt., must. In Sept. 12, 1861; pro. to com.-sergt. Feb. 21, 1863. Hamilton Gillon, sergt., must. in Sept. 16, 1861; pro. to corp. March 1, 1862; to sergt. March 3, 1863; veteran. Samuel Blythe, sergt., must. in Sept. 20, 1861; pro. to sergt. March 1, 1865; veteran. Oliver Jacob, corp., must. in Oct. 15, 1861; pro. to corp. Sept. 13, 1864; must. out with company Jan. 24, 1866; veteran. James Stewart, corp., must. in Nov. 18, 1861; pro. to corp. Aug. 17, 1865; must. out with company Jan. 24, 1866; veteran. Edward Develin, corp., must. in Sept. 16, 1861; pro. to corp. June 3, 1863; must. out Nov. 1, 1864, exp. of term. Samuel R. Crooks, corp., must. in Sept. 16, 1861; pro. to corp. Aug. 16, 1863; must. out Sept. 13, 1864, exp. of term. James Graden, musician, must. in Sept. 24, 1861; must. out with com- pany Jan. 24, 1866; veteran. William W. Stewart, musician, must. in Aug. 21, 1862; disch. by G. O. June 12, 1865. Privates. William Bruton, must. in Sept. 17, 1861; disch. on surg. certif. Oct. 23, 1862. Robert Blakeley, must. in Oct. 11, 1862; disch. by G. O. June 12, 1865. Michael Burk, must. in Aug. 25, 1862; disch. by G. O. June 12, 1865. Thomas Burk, must. in Aug. 18, 1862; captured at Chapin’s Farm, Va., Sept. 29, 1864; died at Richmond, Va., Feb. 28, 1865. William Crossin, must. in Sept. 16, 1861; disch. on surg. certif.. May 29, 1863. John Cain, must. in Sept. 16, 1861; must. out Oct. 6, 1864, exp. of term. Richard Crowther, must. in Aug. 21, 1862; disch. on surg. certif. May 29, 1863. Joseph Collison, must. in Oct. 7, 1861; must. out Oct. 6, 1864, exp. of term. George Elliot, must. in Sept. 16, 1861; must. out Oct. 6, 1864, exp. of term. John Feeney, must. in Aug. 27, 1862; disch. by G. O. June 12, 1865. William Gorman, must. in Aug. 26, 1862; disch. by G. O. June 12, 1865. Richard Green, must. in Nov. 5, 1861; trans. to Vet. Res. Corps Jan. 15, 1865; veteran. Samuel Huston, must. in Sept. 17, 1861; disch. on surg. certif. April 11, 1863. Charles Hardy, must. in Sept. 16, 1861; disch. on surg. certif. Feb. 25, 1864. Thomas Hardy, must. in Sept. 17, 1861; died at Washington, N. C., March 5, 1864. Frank McGrath, must. In Sept. 16, 1861; must. out Sept. 16, 1864, exp. of term. John News, must. in Sept. 16, 1861; must. out Sept. 11, 1864, exp. of term. James Porter, must. in Sept. 16, 1861; veteran. Bradford Reed, must. in Sept. 16, 1861; disch. on surg. certif. March 27, 1862. William Schofield, must. in Sept. 18, 1861; must. out with company Jan. 24, 1866; veteran. Benjamin Schofield, must. in Aug. 27, 1862; disch. by G. O. June 6, 1865. Robert Schofield, must. in Aug. 10, 1864; disch. by G. O. June 28, 1865. William Vantine, must. in Sept. 16, 1861; killed in action April 29, 1863. Smith Williams, must. in Oct. 21, 1862; absent, sick, at muster out. John P. West, must. in Aug. 25, 1862; disch. by G. O. June 12, 1865. John M. Wood, must. in Aug. 2, 1862; disch. by G. O. June 12, 1865. COMPANY B Capt. Theodore Blakely, must. in Dec. 10, 1861; pro. from 2d to 1st lieut. Jan 31, 1863; to capt. July 1, 1863; killed at Fort Harrison, Va., Sept. 29, 1864. COMPANY C George C. Healey, sergt., must. in Nov. 6, 1861; pro. to corp. Nov. 26, 1863; to sergt. July 1, 1864; must. out with company Jan. 24, 1866; veteran. Privates Edward Andrews, must. in Nov. 6, 1861; must. out Sept. 23, 1864, exp. of term. Benjamin Quigley, must. in Nov. 6, 1861; must. out Sept. 10, 1864, exp. of term. COMPANY K James A. Finney, sergt., must. in Feb. 20, 1862; pro. to corp. April 1, 1865; must. out with company Jan. 24, 1866; veteran.