The 151st Penna. had 100 volunteers that were listed as School Teachers. A nine month Volunteer Unit were mustered out a few weeks after the battle of Gettysburg, July 29. The unit had a high casualty rate of 75% during the battle....
http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=vcsr&GSvcid=228758
Whoa. Little chilling to see the regimental losses on Find a Grave. Really sobering, seeing name after name after name- there's a page for the 151st, then memorials for a lot of the men. I don't think Civil War dot org will mind us borrowing a few paragraphs about teachers, to teach us about their further sacrifices as soldiers.
" "I know not, how men could have fought more desperately, exhibited more coolness, or contested the field with more determined courage," wrote Lt. Col. George McFarland when describing the conduct of the 151st Pennsylvania as they covered the retreat of the battered Iron Brigade and singularly faced a Confederate onslaught on the first day of the Battle of Gettysburg. These men, although brave indeed, were not battle-hardened West Point graduates. They were schoolteachers.
The 151st Pennsylvania Regiment was organized in September of 1862 and its ten companies congregated at Camp Curtin in Harrisburg that October. The recruits had all signed up for a volunteer service term of nine months.
In Company D alone there were more than 60 schoolteachers and their significant and surprising numeric concentration earned the company and the regiment the sobriquet of the "Teacher's Regiment" after the war. Many of these volunteers were teachers from the McAlisterville Academy in Juniata County, along with their principal turned company commander, Lt. Col. George McFarland. "
Their part in Gettysburg;
" Around 2:30pm, a gap opened between the Northern brigades, endangering the entire Union position, and the 151st was ordered to advance. Closing the broken line, the 151st had not even gotten into position before men began to fall. The Iron Brigade, having borne the brunt of the battle for hours, withdrew, exposing the right flank of the 151st. The regiments on the left were likewise overpowered and, one by one, they were forced back until the 151st Pennsylvania stood alone to resist the enemy's front and flank fire. The smoke was blinding and the crack of the rifles was deafening as the opposing lines traded volleys at a mere 20 yards apart. Finally, when more than half of the regiment had fallen, the order was given to withdraw, rallying at a rail entrenchment by the Seminary. Fresh Confederate regiments, South Carolinians under Col. Abner Perrin, launched an assault. The 14th South Carolina hit the 151st position fiercely in an attempt to finish off the flank of the First Corps. While aggressively attacking the numerically superior force, Lt. Col. McFarland received severe wounds in both legs. With their commander severely wounded and the line beginning to fracture, the 151st retreated towards town.
Only 92 survivors regrouped on Cemetery Ridge that night. By morning of July 2, the total had risen to 113 men. Out of the 467 men brought to the field, 337 men were killed, wounded, or captured, the second highest loss of any Union regiment at Gettysburg—72% casualties. Lt. Col. McFarland survived, but his left leg was amputated below the knee.
Despite these heavy losses, the remaining troops rallied and participated in the repulse of Pickett's Charge on July 3 alongside the 80th New York on the Union left flank, maintaining "sharp fire" against the enemy. After the Confederate retreat, the 151st rejoined the brigade near General Meade's headquarters. They briefly participated in the pursuit of Lee before their nine month term of engagement expired and the remaining soldiers were mustered out of service on July 27th, 1863.But was this terrible sacrifice in vain? The tenacity of the 151st ensured the safe withdrawal of the First Corps on July 1 and still rallied despite heavy losses to participate in Pickett's Charge July 3. Due to the tenacity of 151st Pennsylvania, the 26th North Carolina, the regiment that directly faced the 151st as they covered the retreat of the First Corps, suffered the greatest total loss of any regiment in the Battle of Gettysburg. The 11th North Carolina, the regiment that flanked the 151st before they retreated to the Seminary, takes the place of the second greatest total loss of any regiment. "
http://www.civilwar.org/education/teachers/teachers-regiment/trading-rulers-for-rifles.html
151st Pennsylvania
Must find out more about them- all I can say is wow. If there are these two which we've heard of must be even more. Emphasis on volunteers- believing so strongly in whatever it is they believed in personally they halted careers to go believe with their lives on the line. We'll never, ever know what that is although various agenda-seekers may attempt to fill in the blurb bubble over each head; the point is the depth of that belief by men ( and women.... ) of education and depth.
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