Captain David Acheson – Gettysburg

Captain David Acheson
Killed in Action at Gettysburg
140th Pennsylvania Volunteers

Transcribed from:
“Inscription at Gettysburg” by Sara Gould Walters

From “Inscription at Gettysburg”
by Sara Gould Walters

In July, 1862, “Stonewall” Jackson’s Confederate troops advanced north to threaten Washington, DC and the cry of alarm began to sound throughout the northern states. At Washington, Pennsylvania, a young man raised a company of volunteers and together with four other companies, they marched off to the seat of war.

Thus begins the story of Captain David Acheson, his brother Alexander (“Sandie”) and the other men of Company C, 140th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry. After their first action at Chancellorsville, Virginia, David and the men of the regiment returned northward to Pennsylvania. In the epic Battle of Gettysburg, on the second day of July, 1863, they advanced across a wheatfield onto a stony hill – and lost in casualties 241 of 589 men engaged. Of the casualties, 32 of 38 engaged will be from Company C, including their young Captain David Acheson.

The veterans of the company will never forget their Captain, who recruited, trained, marched and fought with them until Gettysburg. Sometime before 1868, in the area of his temporary burial site in Gettysburg’s “Valley of Death,” there was cut in a boulder, “D.A. 140 P.V.”

Engagements of the 140th Pennsylvania Volunteers

Chancellorsville
Falling Waters
Gettysburg
Mt. Auburn
White Sulphur Springs
Bristoe
Blackburn’s Ford
Kelley’s Ford
Robinson’s Tavern
Mine Run
Wilderness
Brock Road
Todd’s Tavern
Corbin’s Bridge
Po River
Spotsylvania 1st
Spotsylvania 2nd
Rural Plains
Tolopotomy Creek
North Anna River
Hanover
Cold Harbor
Petersburg 1st
Deep Bottom 1st
Deep Bottom 2nd
Charles City Cross Roads
Ream’s Station
Hatcher’s Run
Petersburg 2nd
Petersburg 3rd
Meade’s Station
Sailor’s Creek
Farmville
Southside R.R.

Casualties of Company C
140th Pennsylvania Volunteers

Captain David Acheson – Killed at Gettysburg

1st Lieutenant Isaac Vance – Wounded at Gettysburg, promoted to Captain, resigned

2nd Lieutenant Charles Linton – Wounded at Petersburg

Sandie Acheson – Wounded at Spotsylvania

William Armstrong – Captured at Gettysburg, died on Belle Isle

James Baird – Transferred to 1st R.I. Artillery

Samuel Baird

John Billick – Transferred to Invalid Corps

Jeremiah Bishop – Wounded at Chancellorsville, discharged

John Blair – Wounded at Gettysburg, discharged

James Blake – Appointed Orderly Sergeant

Henry Boatman – Captured at Gettysburg, prisoner at Andersonville, appointed Sergeant Major

Ephriam Brown – Killed in the Wilderness

James Campbell – Killed in the Wilderness

Lewis Cleaver – Wounded at Cold Harbor

Jefferson Cleaver – Died

Walter Cleaver – Drummer

James Clemins – Captured at Cold Harbor, prisoner at Andersonville

Phillip Cooper – Appointed Corporal

E. J. Cole – Wounded at Gettysburg and died

John Cully – Discharged and died

Wm. Cunningham – Promoted to 1st Lieutenant, killed at Petersburg, among the last who fell the evening before Lee surrendered

Samuel Curry – Captured at Cold Harbor and died at Andersonville

John Dickey – Wounded at Gettysburg and Deep Bottom

Benton Devon – Killed at Hanover

Daniel Dowling – Captured at Gettysburg and died at Belle Isle

Newton Dowling – Killed at North Anna River

John Duncan – Discharged

Alex Duncan – Teamster

Joseph Dye – Transferred to 1st R.I. Artillery

Samuel Fergus – Wounded at Gettysburg, promoted to Lieutenant in colored regiment

Aaron Gunn – Wounded at Spotsylvania

N. Gilbert – Wounded at Gettysburg, discharged

T. Hardesty – Transferred to 1st R.I. Artillery

Mason Hart

Alex Hartford – Appointed Corporal

Lewis Henry – Wounded at Po River and died

Wm. Horton – Killed at Gettysburg

Wm. Howard

Clark Irey – Wounded at Gettysburg and Wilderness

Thomas Jones – Killed at Chancellorsville

David Jones

Richard Jones – Wounded at Wilderness

John Jordan – Wounded at Gettysburg, transferred to Navy

James Kelly – Killed at Gettysburg

Daniel Keeney – Wounded at Gettysburg and died

Robert Lindsay – Captured at Gettysburg and died on Belle Isle

Eli Linton – Promoted to Captain in colored regiment

Thomas Long – Wounded at Spotsylvania and died

Thomas Lucas – Killed at Gettysburg

John McConn – Wounded at Spotsylvania and died

David McCoy

Thomas McClune – Wounded at Tolopotomy

James McCullough

Hugh McNeil – Wounded at North Anna River

Frank McNear – Wounded at Gettysburg and transferred to Invalid Corps

James McFarland – Wounded at Gettysburg, appointed Sergeant

James Martin – Discharged

John Martin – Wounded at Po River, mounted orderly on Miles’ staff

Samuel Mills

Richard Miller – Wounded at Gettysburg in 6 places and died

John Moore – Wounded at Tolopotomy

T. Mowrie – Wounded at Gettysburg, transferred

Anthony Mull – Killed at Gettysburg

Daniel McClain – Transferred to Invalid Corps

A. Newman – Wounded at Gettysburg and died

George Norris – Wounded at Chancellorsville

A. Patterson – Killed at Gettysburg

John Patterson

Robert Patterson

Wm. Pollock – Teamster

Wm. H. Pollock – Wounded at Deep Bottom

Andrew Plants – Teamster

Wm. Post – Wounded at Spotsylvania

Esau Powell – Captured at Cold Harbor, prisoner at Andersonville

J. Pratt – Killed at North Anna River

Chas. Quail – Captured at Cold Harbor, prisoner at Andersonville

J. M. Ray – Promoted to Captain, had his clothes cut seven times but was not hurt

Wm. Radcliff – Appointed Corporal

Robt. Reed – Promoted to 2nd Lieutenant, died

Chas. Rentz – Teamster

Saml. Rettig

Henry Richards – Teamster

Austin Richards – Wounded at Wilderness

D. Ruble – Captured at Chancellorsville, prisoner on Belle Isle, wounded at North Anna River

Gales Rose – Wounded at Spotsylvania, and died

Silas Sanders – Wounded at Tolopotomy

James Sayer – Wounded at Gettysburg in 5 places, discharged

John Smalley – Wounded at Cold Harbor

Wm. Stockwell – Wounded at Wilderness, died

John Stockwell – Teamster

Jas. Stockwell – Wounded at Gettysburg, transferred to Invalid Corps

P. Shipley – Wounded at Gettysburg and discharged

J. Tucker

Wm. Vankirk – Appointed Corporal

S. Vankirk – Killed at Gettysburg

Isaac Well – Killed at Chancellorsville

Colin Waltz – Wounded at Chancellorsville and Gettysburg and discharged

James Wise – Killed at Tolopotomy

Saml. Wise – Wounded at Gettysburg

John Wishart – Promoted to Corporal, transferred to 1st R.I. Artillery, wounded at Gettysburg while loading the gun which is now on exhibition in Washington City, with the Rebel shell lodged in the muzzle, died of disease

Jeff Younkin – Wounded at Gettysburg, transferred

RECRUITS

Wm. Amon – Killed at Spotsylvania

J. Black – Wounded at Todd’s Tavern

Sam Bonnell – Wounded at Po River

James Eckert – Killed at Spotsylvania

N. Mumbower

H. Needham – Wounded at Po River

Wm. Ravenscraft – Teamster

Wm. Ruble – Wounded at Tolopotomy

Wm. Simpson

J. Wylie – Wounded at Tolopotomy, promoted to 1st Lieutenant

SUMMARY

Whole number – 112

Killed and died of wounds – 27

Died of disease – 3

Died in Rebel prisons – 7

Wounded – 52

Transferred – 9

Deserted – 5

Discharged – 7

Loss in death – 38