{{Infobox Military Unit , unit_name= 3rd Pennsylvania Heavy Artillery , image=Flag of Pennsylvania.svg , caption=Pennsylvania flag , dates= February 17, 1863, to November 9, 1865 , country=

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

, allegiance= Union , branch=

Heavy Artillery The formal definition of large-calibre artillery used by the United Nations Register of Conventional Arms (UNROCA) is "guns, howitzers, artillery pieces, combining the characteristics of a gun, howitzer, mortar, or rocket, capable of engaging ...

, equipment= , battles=

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

Siege of Suffolk The siege of Suffolk, also known as the Battle of Suffolk, took place from April 11 to May 4, 1863, near Suffolk, Virginia during the American Civil War. Background In 1863 Lieutenant General James Longstreet was placed in command of the Confe ...

Battle of Gettysburg The Battle of Gettysburg () was a three-day battle in the American Civil War, which was fought between the Union and Confederate armies between July 1 and July 3, 1863, in and around Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The battle, won by the Union, ...

Siege of Petersburg The Richmond–Petersburg campaign was a series of battles around Petersburg, Virginia, fought from June 9, 1864, to March 25, 1865, during the American Civil War. Although it is more popularly known as the siege of Petersburg, it was not a c ...

, notable_commanders= Col. Joseph Roberts The 3rd Pennsylvania Heavy Artillery was a heavy

artillery Artillery consists of ranged weapons that launch Ammunition, munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during sieges, and l ...

regiment A regiment is a military unit. Its role and size varies markedly, depending on the country, military service, service, or administrative corps, specialisation. In Middle Ages, Medieval Europe, the term "regiment" denoted any large body of l ...

that fought in the Union Army during the

History

The regiment was organized at

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

, by the consolidation of Robert's Battalion Pennsylvania Heavy Artillery (redesignated Companies C, D, and F), Segebarth's Battalion Marine Artillery (Companies A, B, G, H, K, and L), and the 1st Battalion Pennsylvania Heavy Artillery (Company E). Companies I and M were organized in Philadelphia. Recruiting finished on February 17, 1863, with Joseph Roberts as

colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...

, R. V. W. Howard as lieutenant colonel, and John A. Darling as

major Major most commonly refers to: * Major (rank), a military rank * Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits * People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames * Major and minor in musi ...

. The regiment was sent to

Fort Monroe Fort Monroe is a former military installation in Hampton, Virginia, at Old Point Comfort, the southern tip of the Virginia Peninsula, United States. It is currently managed by partnership between the Fort Monroe Authority for the Commonwealth o ...

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...

, except for Company H, which was sent to

Baltimore Baltimore is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the 30th-most populous U.S. city. The Baltimore metropolitan area is the 20th-large ...

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It borders the states of Virginia to its south, West Virginia to its west, Pennsylvania to its north, and Delaware to its east ...

. During the Suffolk Campaign, companies A, B, F, and G were sent to

Suffolk Suffolk ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East of England and East Anglia. It is bordered by Norfolk to the north, the North Sea to the east, Essex to the south, and Cambridgeshire to the west. Ipswich is the largest settlement and the county ...

and participated in the

siege A siege () . is a military blockade of a city, or fortress, with the intent of conquering by attrition, or by well-prepared assault. Siege warfare (also called siegecrafts or poliorcetics) is a form of constant, low-intensity conflict charact ...

. During the Gettysburg Campaign, Company H was assigned to the Second Division of the

Army of the Potomac The Army of the Potomac was the primary field army of the Union army in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War. It was created in July 1861 shortly after the First Battle of Bull Run and was disbanded in June 1865 following the Battle of ...

's Cavalry Corps and was present at the

on July 2 and 3 1863. It fought at the East Cavalry Battlefield on July 3. After the campaign, the company returned to Baltimore, where it remained for the remainder of the war. In the spring of 1864, the regiment was above its authorized strength, so its surplus men were organized into the 188th Pennsylvania Infantry. Shortly afterwards, it received more recruits, so it remained above strength. During the

, Companies D, E, G, and N were assigned to the

Army of the James The Army of the James was a Union Army that was composed of units from the Department of Virginia and North Carolina and served along the James River during the final operations of the American Civil War in Virginia. History The Union Department ...

to serve in light artillery batteries and to work on various parts of the fortifications. Detachments from various companies were assigned to the Naval Brigade, which fought along the rivers around

Richmond Richmond most often refers to: * Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada * Richmond, California, a city in the United States * Richmond, London, a town in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, England * Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town ...

and Petersburg during 1864 and 1865. Company I was selected as the guard company for the headquarters of the Army of the James. Following the capture of Richmond, the regiment was reassigned to Fort Monroe, where it provided the guard for

Jefferson Davis Jefferson F. Davis (June 3, 1808December 6, 1889) was an American politician who served as the only President of the Confederate States of America, president of the Confederate States from 1861 to 1865. He represented Mississippi in the Unite ...

' imprisonment there. Companies A and B were mustered out at Fort Monroe on July 11, 1865; company H was mustered out at Baltimore on July 25; and the remaining companies were mustered out at Fort Monroe on November 9.

Casualties

* Killed and mortally wounded: 0 officers, 19 enlisted men * Died of disease: 1 officers, 214 enlisted men * Captured or missing: 863 officers and enlisted men * Total: ? officers, ? enlisted men

Civil War reenactors

3rd PA Heavy Artillery is represented today by a group of Civil War living history reenactors, based in

Boalsburg, Pennsylvania Boalsburg is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Harris Township, Centre County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is part of the State College, Pennsylvania Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 3,722 at ...

, that represents Battery B. The unit operates as a light artillery unit, as Battery H did at Gettysburg. Website for Battery B is http://batteryb-3pavol.org

References

Pennsylvania in the Civil War

PA-Roots Genealogy Databoards

Officers of the regiment at Fort Monroe, Virginia
Units and formations of the Union army from Pennsylvania

1863 establishments in Pennsylvania Military units and formations established in 1863 Military units and formations disestablished in 1865

History

Casualties

Civil War reenactors

See also

References