Captain Jacob Heyer of Company A.Mustered in on August 8th 1861.Promoted from Sgt to 1st Sgt. October 2nd 1861 and then to 2nd Lt. on July 14th 1862 and then to 1st Lt. March 1st 1863. Finally he was made Captain on November 22nd 1863 and mustered out with the Regiment on September 8th 1864. He was wounded at Cold Harbor on June 1st 1864. He died on September 12th 1880 and is buried at Mt. Peace Cemetery in Philadelphia in Section E. You can view his Grave on Page 19 of the Virtual Cemetery and another photo of him on Page 28 of the Original Photos Pages.
Sgt. Jacob Heyer of Company A.Mustered in on August 8th 1861.Promoted from Sgt to 1st Sgt. October 2nd 1861 and then to 2nd Lt. on July 14th 1862 and then to 1st Lt. March 1st 1863. Finally he was made Captain on November 22nd 1863 and mustered out with the Regiment on September 8th 1864. He was wounded at Cold Harbor on June 1st 1864. He died on September 12th 1880 and is buried at Mt. Peace Cemetery in Philadelphia in Section E. You can view his Grave on Page 19 of the Virtual Cemetery and another photo of him on Page 28 of the Original Photos Pages.
This is a 1875 Photo of Robert Levan Orr Company O , "Birney's Zouaves", courtesy of Brendan Synnamon of The Union Drummer Boy of Gettysburg,PA. He was born on March 28th 1836 to his parents whom died while he was a young boy. His life and training then fell to a maternal aunt. He was educated in the public schools, completing an English course and graduating from Central High in Philadelphia in February of 1853 at the young age of 15. His tastes were for mercantile pursuits, a trade his father had prosperously established himself in. His aptitude and energy won him favor with his employers and his reputation of the knowledge of fabrics and of a salesman of high merit remained with him through a business career that remained with him after The Civil War.
He had scarcely come to manhood when as a volunteer fireman and member of the local militia he had showed that he had quickly conceived that some service was due the public. He had been a member of The Independent Grays and on April 25th 1861 just after the opening of hostilities, he was mustered into U.S. Service of First Lieutenant of Company I, 17th PA Infantry. That service terminated with his muster out as a three month regiment on August 2nd 1861.
One month later on September 2nd 1861, he again mustered into U.S. Service, but this time as a more permanent three year volunteer as a Captain with the 23rd Pennsylvania, “Birney’s Zouaves”, Company O. This thirty day interval between services was recognized by the U.S.Army as a period of reorganization, therefore Orr could claim continuous service in the field from the beginning to the end of the war. On September 8th 1861, he moved with the 23rd Pennsylvania Regiment to Washington D.C, where he was encamped just three miles north of the Capitol on “The Queen’s Farm” at Camp Graham . He was there with the Regiment during the cold winter months and in December of 1861; Typhoid Fever broke out within the Camp which resulted in the Death of Fifty-One men of the 23rd Pennsylvania Volunteers. It was decided on March 12th 1862 to move the camp to higher ground in Bladensburg, Maryland to rid the epidemic and ready the Soldiers for campaign. The 23rd Pennsylvania moved to Bladensburg and were encamped at Camp Clark .The 23rd Pennsylvania had been recruited beyond the maximum of 1,000 soldiers to nearly 1,500 and the War Department decided in late March to transfer 500 men, or five Companies of the 23rd PA to the 61st Pennsylvania Volunteers, a western PA Regiment that had only been able to recruit about 500 men. Under much protest from the men who loved the Zouave regiment, the men reluctantly obeyed the order and the transfer was made.
Captain Orr was now a member of the 61st Pennsylvania Volunteers and sustained the high distinction that preceded him. After Colonial Crosby was wounded at Ft. Stevens and Killed at Petersburg, Orr became the Colonel of the 61st. He had the confidence of his superiors and respect of his men who trusted his decisions and judgment of battlefield decisions. He was awarded the CMOH for his bravery at Petersburg, Virginia on April 2, 1865. His citation reads "Carried the colors at the head of the column in the assault after two color bearers had been shot down". His Medal was awarded to him on November 28, 1892.
Orr was a famous organizer. He married shortly after the war’s end but was soon a widower. He remained that way until his death.
You can view a Photo of the Grave of Robert Levan Orr on Page 39 of the 23rd Pennsylvania, Virtual Cemetery pages.
A Post War, G.A.R. Photo of Congressional Medal of Honor Winner Joseph Fisher. Mustered in to Company R, 23rd PA onSeptember 4th 1861. Transfered to 61st PA in March of 1862.Transfered to Company C on September 4th 1864. Promoted to Corporal on January 5th 1865. Wounded at Petersburg on April 2nd 1865. Discharged July 19th 1865 as a vet.
FISHER, JOSEPH
Rank and organization: Corporal, Company C, 61st Pennsylvania Infantry. Place and date: At Petersburg, Va., 2 April 1865. Entered service at: Philadelphia, Pa. Birth: Philadelphia, Pa. Date of issue: 16 January 1894. Citation: Carried the colors 50 yards in advance of his regiment, and after being painfully wounded attempted to crawl into the enemy's works in an endeavor to plant his flag thereon.
Corporal Matthew Spence of Company C, 23rd PA. Mustered in on August 2nd 1861. Wounded at Gettysburg July 3rd 1863. Promoted to Corporal June 1st 1864. Mustered out with the Company on September 8th 1864. Matthew Spence's head was used for the model of the 23rd Pennsylvania Monument on Culp's Hill in Gettysburg, PA. You can view it on The Monument Page. We have yet to find his final resting place.
Sketch of Pvt. Albert Henry Walters Company B , 23rd Pennsylvania Volunteers, also known by their nickname, “Birney’s Zouaves”. He was born in Philadelphia in 1842. He enlisted into the 23rd Pennsylvania at the Schuylkill Arsenal in Philadelphia on August 2nd 1861 .He was mustered in as a 1st Lieutenant in Company D, 118th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry on September 1, 1862. He was promoted to Captain of Company A on February 10, 1864, and served until his discharge on February 13, 1865. He received a brevet of Major, US Volunteers on July 6, 1864. He was mustered out of Service on September 8th 1864.After the War he moved back to Philadelphia. He died in Philadelphia on March 10th 1892.. He is buried at Lakeview Cemetery in Cleveland Ohio. His death occurred on. He is buried at Woodlands Cemetery in Philadelphia in Section F, Lot 355, Grave 1. His brother Charles P walters is buried in the same plot. He was a Private in Company K.
You can view a Photo of the Grave of Albert Henry Walters on Page 66 of the 23rd Pennsylvania, Virtual Cemetery pages.
You can view The Burial Records of Albert Henry Walters on Page 18 of the 23rd Pennsylvania, Burial Records pages.
