In April of 1861, after the firing on Fort Sumter and Lincolns call for seventy-five day
volunteers, Pennsylvania would form twenty-five regiments with three-month contracts. One of
those regiments was the 11 th Pennsylvania. They were recruited from several counties around
Pennsylvania and were organized at Camp Curtin, Harrisburg, where they were given their state
issued uniforms and .69 caliber muskets. Following their organization, the 11 th was transferred to
West Chester, Pennsylvania where they trained at Camp Wayne for about a month. While
training at Camp Wayne, the 11 th would receive their beloved regimental mascot, Sallie. Sallie, a
brindle American Staffordshire Terrier, would become famous for following the 11 th into battle,
furiously barking at the enemy. For the remainder of May and June of 1861, they would be
trained and stationed around Maryland guarding various railroad junctions. On July 2 nd the 11 th
Pennsylvania would have their first taste of combat when they confronted Confederate forces at
Hoke’s Run, Virginia. Here the regiment would earn their nickname the “bloody eleventh”, with
one soldier being killed and ten wounded. At the beginning of August, the 11 th Pennsylvania
would be reorganized with three-year service contracts. By 1862, after being issued the “new”
standardized Federal uniform, the 11 th would be reviewed by President Lincoln and attached to
the Army of Virginia. While in the Army of Virginia, the 11 th would be engaged in numerous
battles, including the Second Battle of Manassas where the regimental colors were captured by
Confederate soldier, they were eventually retrieved after a fierce struggle. Approximately 33
men were killed and 25 were wounded. After Second Manassas, the 11 th Pennsylvania would be
attached to the Army of the Potomac and participate in the Maryland Campaign. At the Battle of
Antietam in September of 1862 they would be engaged in heavy fighting again in the “West
Woods”, with 27 men being killed and 89 wounded. A few months later, the 11 th Pennsylvania
would yet again be in the thick of things at the Battle of Fredericksburg, Virginia, with 15 men
being killed and 66 wounded. At the beginning of 1863, the 11 th Pennsylvania would receive new
.58 caliber rifled muskets and participate in the famous “mud march”. On July 1 st of 1863 the 11 th
would be engaged at the Battle of Gettysburg, fighting around Oak Ridge before retreating to
Cemetery Hill with the remainder of the Union forces. During the retreat, Sallie would become
separated from the regiment, being found two days later watching over the wounded from the
first day’s battle. They would be engaged with Confederate forces around Cemetery Ridge for
the remainder of the battle. By the end of the battle 15 would be killed, 59 were wounded, and 64
were taken prisoner. The next major battle that the 11 th would participate in was the Battle of the
Wilderness in May of 1864, suffering over 200 casualties in the two bloody days of fighting. For
the remainder of 1864, the 11 th Pennsylvania would be engaged in every major battle. At the start
of 1865 during the battle of Hatchers Run Sallie the beloved mascot of the 11 th would be struck
in the head by a stray mini ball, killing her instantly. While under intense fire and with tear-
soaked faces, the men of the 11 th buried Sallie where she fell. Only a few months later, the
regiment would watch General Lee surrender the Army of Northern Virginia at Appomattox
Courthouse, Virginia. In July of 1865 the 11 th Pennsylvania only mustered 340 men out of
service, of the 1,890 who served in its rank throughout the war. They were the longest
continuous regiment in Pennsylvania, serving in all four years of the war.