The 4th Pennsylvania Reserve Regiment, also known as the 33rd Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry Regiment, was an infantry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. The regiment was commanded by Major John Nyce. It was a part of the famed Pennsylvania Reserves in the Army of the Potomac for much of the early part of the war, and served in the Eastern Theater in a number of important battles, including Antietam and Fredericksburg. The 4th Pennsylvania Reserves suffered 2 officers and 76 enlisted men killed in battle or died from wounds, and 1 officer and 60 enlisted men dead from disease, for a total of 139 fatalities.
The 18th PA Reserve Volunteer Infantry Monument is located on Mansfield Avenue on the north end of the battlefield. To find the monument, traveling north on Smoketown Road, make a left on Mansfield Road. The road then turns right and the road turn left, where you will be traveling west. The monument is on the north or right side of the road. There are two monuments before it just like this one, three monuments if you count the one before the turn.
The SIRIS site describes this beautiful monument and figurative sculpture of a soldier as a full-length figure of a uniformed Union soldier stands atop a tapered rough-hewn pedestal on a tiered base. The figure is loading his musket held by the barrel in his proper left hand. His proper right hand is upraised to hold the ramrod. Decorative relief elements on the pedestal include a knapsack, canteen, cartridge box and blanket roll. The state coat of arms is on the right side of monument. The ram rod is gone!
The monument was dedicated September 17, 1906 by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The sculpture is approximately 7 ft. in height with a width of about 3 feet. The base is approximately 9 feet in height with a width of 7 feet squared. The sculpture of the soldier is composed of Westerly granite with the base constructed of Barre granite. The monument was designed by the Van Amringe Granite Company. This company was responsible for the production of scores of monuments at Gettysburg as well as most of the PA monuments here at Antietam. The inscription on this memorial lists the complete service history of this unit and reads as follows:
(Rear Inscription):
4th Regt. Pennsylvania
Reserve Volunteer Corps.33rd Regt. in line, 2nd Brigade.
3rd Division, 1st Army Corps.
Organized June 10th, 1861.
Mustered out June 17th, 1864.
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The regt. arrived on the field on the afternoon of
September 16th, 1862.
Formed at this point on the morning of the 17th.
Advanced about 600 yards south and became
engaged with Hood's Confederate Division.
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Casualties at Antietam
Killed 5
Wounded 43
Total 48
Recruited five companies in Philadelphia.
One compnay each in Montgomery, Chester, Monroe
Lycoming, and Susquenhanna Counties.
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Battles participated in
Dranesville, VA. December 20th, 1861.
Mechanicsville, Va. June 26th, 1862.
Gaines Mills, Va. June 27th, 1862.
Charles City Cross Roads, Va. June 30th, 1862.
Malvern Hill, Va. July 1st, 1862.
Gainesville, Va. August 26th, 1862.
Second Bull Run, Va. August 29th and 30th, 1862.
Chantilly, Va. September 1st, 1862.
South Mountain, Maryland. September 14th, 1862.
Antietam, Maryland. September 16th and 17th, 1862
Fredericksburg, Va. December 13th, 1862.
Princeton, W.Va. May 6th, 1864.
Brushey Mountain, W.Va. May 8th, 1864.
Cloyd's Mountain, W.Va. May 9th, 1864.
New River Bridge, W.Va. May 10th, 1864.
Blacksburg, W.Va. May 11th, 1864.
From 1890s to 1960s veterans’ organizations erected monuments to commemorate the people and actions associated the Battle of Antietam (16-18 September 1862). The 4th PA Reserve Vols Inf Monument contributes to the National Register District under Criteria A with the period of significance 1800-1899. The marker is classified as contributing structure number 003.
From the nomination form:
The 4th Pennsylvania Reserve Volunteer Infantry Monument is significant under Criterion A because of its association with the commemoration of the Battle of Antietam. The monuments and markers at Antietam represent a wide sampling of late 19th and early 20th century military memorialization from the period when such monumentation was in its heyday.
This monument marks the location where the 4th Pennsylvania Infantry formed on the morning of 17 September 1862. Six-hundred yards south of this point, the regiment engaged the Confederates during the battle. They suffered 48 casualties during the fighting. The monument was designed by the Van Amringe Granite Company.
The 4th Pennsylvania Reserve Volunteer Infantry Monument was listed on the National Register on October 15, 1966, with a confirmation National Register form updated and approved by the Keeper on February 10, 1982. There are a total of 19 monuments and markers dedicated to the Pennsylvania troops at Antietam.
Short Physical Description
The 4th PA Reserve Vol Inf Monument is located on the north side of Mansfield Ave. It consists of a rough-and smooth-dressed granite base and pedestal with a granite statue of a soldier holding a rifle in his proper left hand. There is a large bronze plaque set in the front of the pedestal.
The 4th Pennsylvania Reserve Volunteer Infantry Monument is located on the north side of Mansfield Avenue It consists of a three-tier rough-cut square base and rough-cut Barre, Vermont granite pedestal. A Maltese cross encircled by the large round disk of the First Corps is sunk into the east side of the pedestal, while a relief carving of a knapsack, cartridge box, canteen, and rolled blanket are located at the base of the pedestal on the south elevation. The inscribed text here reads:
Long Physical Description
“4TH REGIMENT/ PENNSYLVANIA/ RESERVE VOLUNTEER/ CORPS.” A bronze plaque on the north elevation of the pedestal reads: “4TH REGT. PENNSYLVANIA/ RESERVE VOLUNTEER CORPS./33RD REGT. IN LINE 2ND BRIGADE/ 3RD DIVISION. 1ST ARMY CORPS./ ORGANIZED JUNE 10, 1861/ MUSTERED OUT JUNE 17, 1864./ THE REGT. ARRIVED ON THE FIELD ON THE AFTERNOON OF/ SEPTEMBER 16, 1862. FORMED AT THIS POINT ON THE MORNING OF THE/ 17TH, ADVANCED ABOUT 600 YARDS/ SOUTH AND BECAME ENGAGED WITH HOOD'S/ CONFEDERATE DIVISION./ CASUALTIES AT ANTIETAM/ KILLED 5: WOUNDED 43: TOTAL 48/ RECRUITED FIVE COMPANIES IN PHILADELPHIA,/ ONE COMPANY EACH IN MONTGOMERY, CHESTER,/ MONROE, LYCOMING AND SUSQUEHANNA COUNTIES./ BATTLES PARTICIPATED IN:/ DRANESVILLE, VA., DECEMBER 20, 1861/ MECAHNICSVILLE, VA., JUNE 26, 1862/ GAINES MILLS, VA., JUNE 27, 1862/ CHARLES CITY CROSS ROADS, VA., JUNE 30, 1862/ MALVERN HILL, VA., JULY 1, 1862/ GAINESVILLE, VA., AUGUST 28, 1862/ SECOND BULL RUN, VA., AUGUST 29 AND 30, 1862/
CHANTILLY, VA., SEPTEMBER 1, 1862/ SOUTH MOUNTAIN, MARYLAND, SEPTEMBER 14, 1862/ ANTIETAM, MARYLAND, SEPTEMBER 16 AND 17, 1862/ FREDERICKSBURG, VA., DECEMBER 13, 1862/ PRINCETON, W. VA., MAY 6, 1864/ BUSHEY MOUNTAIN, W. VA., MAY 8, 1864/ CLOYDS MOUNTAIN, W. VA., MAY 9, 1864/ NEW RIVER BRIDGE, W. VA., MAY 10, 1864/ BLACKSBURG, W. VA., MAY 11, 1864/ VIRTUE, LIBERTY AND INDEPENDENCE/ ERECTED BY THE/ COMMONWEALTH OF PENNSYLVANIA.”
Standing atop the pedestal is the 7’ tall likeness of a soldier made out of Westerly, Rhode Island granite entitled “Loading Musket.” It illustrates the act of ramming the powder charge down the muzzle loading musket. The uniformed soldier is holding a rifle in his left hand while his right hand holds the rod for tamping gunpowder.
The rod is now missing. Despite the missing tamping rod, the monument is in good condition.
My Source
1.
NRHP Nomination Form
2.
SIRIS
3.
Stone Sentinels
4.
Virtual Antietam
5.
Historical Marker Database
6.
National Park Service
7.
Antietam on the Web
8.
Wikipedia