Benjamin Fegley, our great-grandfather, was the 8^th child of 9 and the first Fegley to be born in Lycoming County, PA.   When he was 22 years old, the Civil War was raging and he took the Government’s offer of a bounty of $50 for nine months of service in the Union Army ($25 from the County and $25 from the State).   He enrolled on August 7, 1862 at Milton, PA and was taken to Harrisburg to await his assignment.   On August 14, he was mustered in as a Private in Company E of the 131st Regiment, Pennsylvania Infantry Volunteers.   Letters have been found that were written by a fellow soldier, John Earnest, who joined the 131^st on the same day, which chronicle the activities of Benjamin’s Regiment (literacy was not John’s long suit):

“August the 15 1862, ther was two compnys went to the tavern yesterday and got drunk and got to fighting and kild two and wounded fourteen and ther was five poisend to death yesterday by Wiman Seling pies[1] We got orders from head quarter that the first thet fetched eny thing in camp they Should be drove out and if they would git kild.”

“Ther was about thirty thousand in camp monday but they ar going out as fast as they got ther uniforms we got hour overcoats yesterday and ixpect we will git the rest agin to morow then we Shal leave to.”

On August 20^th, they were rushed to the defense of Washington, D. C.

“August the 22 1862 we ar in virginia along the potoymick river   we ar in Camped between to forts   we got here on thursday evening and we were knearly tierd out but the next morning we wer all wright agin   we can hear the Canons roar every hour in the day.”

“Camp Words September the 2   1862 ireceived a leter from father and was glad to gitit isent 20 dolars from the 25 igot from the County to knobles Store So father could gitit and ixpect the other 25 we will git from the State before long   as Soon as igitit iwill Send it home to and that at martz they can do what they please about it   iwill get my likeness taken and Sendit in aleter.”

The regiment was engaged in picket duty on the Leesburg Road and Little River Turnpike where they arrested many stragglers from the disastrous fields of 2nd Bull Run and Chantilly.   On September 14, they set forth toward Frederick, and on the 17th were ordered on to Sharpsburg, arriving on the battlefield of Antietam at 9:00 am on the 18th after a forced march of 23 miles.   They were too late for the bloody battle there, but they took position in line and relieved troops exhausted from the fight.   On October 30^th, they were sent to Falmouth, Virginia in preparation for the ill-fated attack on Fredericksburg   (see Appendix b.).   On December 12^th, led by General Ambrose Everett Burnside, they were asked to make repeated attempts at taking the hill where the Rebels had a strong, strategic position.   The attempts failed and the Regiment lost 175 men in this futile struggle.   Benjamin’s Company E fought in the thick of this slaughter pen and were thoroughly trounced.

“Dc the 23   1862 my riegement was in the fight at fredrics burg and got cut up bad.”

Burnside withdrew his troops, but a month later, January of 1863, he began a 2^nd campaign by marching the army three miles upstream in an attempt to flank Lee and the Army of Northern Virginia.   But torrential rain began to turn the clay soil into a sea of oozing mud. Pontoon trains, ammunition and supply wagons, and artillery sank up to their axels, and the soaked, demoralized, cursing soldiers found the going almost impossible.   What became known as the "Mud March" failed, and the struggling troops made their way back to winter camp as best they could.   The Regiment retreated to Falmouth and recuperated there until April.

“febuary the 26   1863 the Rebles made a raid yesterday and drove hour pickets in the cavelry Come in half Scart to Death.”

“iam Sure that there will be agreat many more killed for the rebles ar contrary as hell.”

Burnside was releaved of his command, and “Fighting Joe” Hooker took over.   Benjamin’s 131^st Pennsylvania was next sent to Chancellorsville.   They again took part in a losing struggle, considered the finest victory of Confederate General Robert E. Lee’s career.   However, both sides suffered heavy casualties.

Mercifully, Benjamin’s nine months came to an end.   He was honorably discharged at Harrisburg, Pennsylvania on May 23, 1863.   In little more than a month, the great battles at Gettysburg would be fought in Adams County just 90 miles away.   But Benjamin had escaped from this terrible war without being wounded.   However, were the many health problems he suffered from later a result of this horrible experience?   Fellow soldier and writer John Earnest was discharged on the same day as Benjamin.   But the following year, he decided to join up again.   In a skirmish near Rome, Georgia in October of 1864, there was only one Union soldier killed - John Earnest.