History, 13th Regiment, National Guard of PA and 109th Inf.; 108th M. G. Bn., U.S.A.E.F.; & 109th Pennsylvania National Guard, 1877-1923
Scranton, PA: International Textbook Press, 1924. Presumed First Edition, First printing. Hardcover. x, 281, [3] pages. Illustrations. Tables. Roster. Some pages uncut. Some minor foxing to fore-edge. Some wear to plain paper DJ. Frederick L. Hitchcock (1837-1924) was a Civil War Union Army Officer. He enlisted in the Union Army in response to the outbreak of the Civil War, and received a commission of 1st Lieutenant and Regimental Adjutant of the 132nd Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry. In this role he was with his unit at the September 1862 Battle of Antietam, Maryland, and participated in the Union assault on the "Bloody Lane." He later wrote an account of the action that is still quoted by historians today. In February 1864 he was tabbed to officer one of the newly raised African American regiments, becoming the Lieutenant Colonel of the 25th United States Colored Troops. he was soon advanced to Colonel and commander of the regiment, and led it as it was assigned first to garrison duty in Florida, then in occupation duty after the end of the war. He served until December 1865, when the regiment was mustered out of Federal service. He was an attorney in Scranton, PA and was something of a historian. In 1877 he helped establish a militia unit in Scranton, later serving as Colonel of the 13th Regiment, Pennsylvania National Guard which was formed from it. He served in various public offices in Scranton. In addition to his history of the 132nd Regiment, he wrote History of Scranton and Its People in two volumes (1908, 1914) and History, 13th Regiment, National Guard of Pennsylvania and 109th Inf., 108th M. G. Bn., U.S.A.E.F., and 109th Pennsylvania National Guard, 1877-1923 (1924). This is an exceptional history that was formed before the Spanish-American War and ended after the conclusion of World War I. It saw service, including action at the Second Battle of the Marne. In 1917, when America entered World War I, the 28th Infantry Division was the nation’s oldest National Guard unit. Organized by Pennsylvania in 1878, the division was made up of units that had already earned battle streamers for contributions in conflicts from the American Revolution to the Civil War. Arriving in France in late Spring 1918, the 28th immediately began developing a reputation for successfully accomplishing difficult tasks. From July 15, 1918, to the end of hostilities on November 11, 1918, the 28th participated in no less than eight major operations. The division’s fighting ability and tenacity became widely recognized at the highest echelons of the military. When Gen. John J. Pershing, commander of the American Expeditionary Forces (AEF), visited the division’s 109th Regiment, 55th Brigade, to commend them for a defensive stand, he referred to them in a speech as “men of iron.” As the 28th continued to take and hold ground against the best the Germans could field against them in subsequent operations, Pershing began calling them the “Iron Division.”. Condition: Very good / Good.
Keywords: Unit Histories, Pennsylvania, WWI, Mexican Border, Spanish-American War, Mexican Border, National Guard, 28th Division
[Book #25263]
Price: $125.00