The next morning, September first, I had my last meal with Mother; then came the time to part, that was hard. I told her that I would see her some time in the future, then I kissed her and put that fifty dollars in her hand.1)Allegheny County provided a $50 bounty for enlisting, see earlier post “William H. Moody Recruits a Company” Just then Mrs. Huffman came in; I asked her to stay with Mother and I hurried out of the house. I think that was the last time I cried for three long years.
At 10.30 A. M. the regiment was in line at Camp Howe, ready to start on our first march of three miles to the Union Station, Pittsburgh. A train of fourteen cars was ready for us. Thousands came to see us off. We left that evening and arrived at Harrisburg, Pa., early the next morning and marched to the State House eleven hundred strong. We formed in line to be received by Governor Curtin and his staff. Then we received our arms – French rifles with long sword bayonets, and ten rounds of ammunition to each man.
Andrew Gregg Curtin, Governor of Pennsylvania, 1861-1867
Governor Curtin had a talk with Col. Colyer [Collier] and informed him that he had word from Baltimore that the “Copperheads” and “Plug Uglys” [sic] would lay for us as we marched through the streets of Baltimore to the Camden Station. He told the Colonel to pay no attention to water or ashes, but should they fire on us or stone us, then he could order his boys to cut loose, and to let him know what those French rifles could do. Ashes and water we had, but no gun fire. But they kept telling us, “You damn Yanks are not out of Baltimore yet.”When we reached the station one-half of the regiment formed on each side of the train, with guns loaded and bayonets on the guns ready for the fray. The “Plugs” and “Copperheads,” most of them city firemen, were lined all up and down the track waiting for the train to pull out for Washington. Meantime, our Major, and four men from our company who were formerly Pennsylvania Railroad engineers, slipped back to the station, found the oil house, and ten minutes later the entire station was on fire. The “Plugs” and firemen rushed back to fight the fire and our train pulled out and not a gun was fired.
~ Conrad Smith2)My Early Life and the Civil War, Conrad Smith, 1920, pages 20-22
Camden Station 1865
The 139th Regiment was initially attached to the 2nd brigade, 1st division of the 4th Army Corps in the Army of the Potomac. Before the end of September 1862, it had been transferred to the 6th Army Corps where it remained for the duration of the war.