Organization The regiment was recruited in
Beaver,
Greene,
Mercer, and
Washington counties, and formally mustered into service on September 8, 1862, at
Camp Curtin, under the command of Col. Richard P. Roberts. The 140th was initially placed on duty guarding the North Central Railway near
Parkton, Maryland, and remained there until being ordered to join the
Army of the Potomac at
Aquia Creek,
Virginia, where they arrived on December 12. Here they were assigned to the 3rd Brigade, 1st Division,
II Army Corps, under the command of Gen.
Samuel K. Zook, and proceeded to go into winter quarters near
Falmouth, Virginia. Receiving orders on the evening of May 2 to report to
Col. Nelson Miles, in charge of the 1st Division’s picket line, the men helped to beat back repeated
Confederate assaults throughout the morning of May 3. Additionally, a part of the regiment assisted in bringing off the guns of Battery E, 5th Maine Light Artillery to avoid capture. With Hooker on the retreat, the 140th re-crossed the Rappahannock with the rest of Zook’s brigade on May 6 and returned to their old camp near Falmouth. Thus, the regiment had had its baptism by fire. The 3rd Brigade, under Gen. Zook, who was mortally wounded, advanced on the right end of the division across The Wheatfield, with the 140th occupying the right flank of the brigade. They initially made progress in pushing back the Rebels, but with the onset of Confederate reinforcements and the subsequent collapse of the III Corps to their right, as well as the withdrawal of the division on the left, the brigade was compelled to retreat. Together with their brigade, the regiment occupied a position on the left center of the Union line for the remainder of the battle. At Gettysburg the 140th carried into action 29 officers and 560 enlisted men. 14 officers and 227 enlisted men were lost in action, as follows: Killed, 3 officers and 34 enlisted men. Died of wounds, 1 officer and 16 enlisted men. Wounded, 7 officers and 120 enlisted men. Captured and missing, 3 officers and 57 enlisted men. Command of the regiment now devolved to Lt. Col John Fraser, who would be promoted to colonel dating from July 4, 1863. With Lee defeated at Gettysburg, the Union Army pursued him as he retreated back into Virginia. In September, the 1st Division was reorganized and the 140th was now assigned to the 1st Brigade, under the command of Col.
Nelson Miles. For the remainder of 1863, the regiment was involved in a series of advances and retrograde movements in Northern Virginia with the II Corps, including limited involvement at the
Battle of Bristoe Station on October 14, before finally settling into winter encampment.
1864 On May 3, 1864, the 140th broke camp and began their part in what would be known as
Overland Campaign, under the command of
Gen. Ulysses S. Grant. During the
Battle of the Wilderness, the 1st Brigade occupied the extreme left flank of the Union line. For the first part of the
Battle of Spotsylvania, the 1st Brigade occupied the extreme right of the Union line. After being detached for a brief reconnaissance to Todd’s Tavern, the 140th rejoined the brigade in its slide to the east, closer to the left end of the Union line. There, early on the morning of May 12 they took part in the massive assault on the part of the Confederate line known as the “Mule Shoe.” The men had to pick their way through trees felled to form an
abatis before making their way up to the Mule Shoe, where they managed to dislodge the Rebels from their first line, but were unable to proceed further, having to settle into the works just captured. On May 15 the 1st Division was ordered to the rear and occupied this position until the 21st, when they joined Grant’s next flank movement to the east toward
North Anna River. The movement to and actions at Spotsylvania cost the regiment 41 men killed, 125 officers and men wounded, and 10 men missing, for a total of 176. The regiment next moved with the II Corps toward the
North Anna River, and was involved in skirmishing there May 23–25 at the
Battle of North Anna. Grant finding that Lee’s forces were too strongly entrenched there for a major assault, he ordered yet another eastward movement, this time in the direction of Cold Harbor. At the
Battle of Cold Harbor the 1st Brigade occupied the left of the Union line, making contact with the Confederates on June 2, and driving their line back for a period before being counterattacked in turn and forced to give ground themselves. On June 3, the regiment was held in support of pickets on the left while the rest of the Union assault occurred to the north. Having advanced their position and entrenching on June 6, they remained in this position until the 12th. Their losses in the movement to Cold Harbor and the subsequent battle there were 10 officers and men killed, 24 men wounded, and 10 men missing.
Petersburg Grant again uprooted his army, and the II Corps now crossed the
James River and advanced on
Petersburg. On June 16 the 1st Division joined in an attack on the Confederate entrenchments outside the city, but this would prove to be the beginning of a long siege that would last until April 2, 1865. During this period, the 140th was involved in various movements and smaller battles which comprised the overall siege, including
Ream's Station on August 25, and
Hatcher's Run February 5–7, 1865.
End of the War in Eastern Theater With the Union Army’s breakthrough of the Confederate line on April 2, the 140th now joined in the final pursuit of the remnants of Lee’s troops, which would include the
Battle of Sayler's Creek and their final battle at
Farmville on April 7. Lee would finally surrender to Grant on April 9, thus bringing the war to a close in this theater. The regiment took its place in the
Grand Review of the Armies in
Washington, D.C., and was then formally mustered out of service on May 31. ==Notable members==