History of the Soldiers of the Camp William Penn Regiments
Regiments 3, 6, 8, 22, 24, 25, 32, 41, 43, 45 & 127
The complete military records of all of the soldiers as well as many death certificates, soldiers photographs, burial locations, gravestone photographs, genealogies and articles.
This interactive database and archive contains thousands of records compiled by Ed McLaughlin.
Instructions
- Click the button for the Index File.
- Search the index to find the soldier you are interested in.
- Click the File Archive button.
- Using the information found in the index file, navigate through the folder system to find the soldier you are researching.
A Note from the Researcher
Edward G. McLaughlin pncemetery@gmail.com
Camp William Penn trained 11 regiments, about 1,000 soldiers each. After the soldiers left Camp William Penn, recruits were added as replacements to the regiments. The files contain folders for each of those soldiers. In my research I have found gravestones as well as other documentation that claimed that the person was from one of these regiments, but I could not find the soldier’s records in the National Archives. That claim may or may not have been in error, I did not determine that it may have been in error and added the soldier to the files. I have found separate sets of military records from the National Archives of the same soldier with different spellings of the last name. One of the spellings may have been in error. I did not determine which was the correct spelling but added a separate file for each soldier. It is up to the researcher to settle on the correct spelling for their needs. Sometimes the same soldier is listed in more than one regiment. When this has happened, I listed the same soldier in each of those regiments. I have found cemeteries with USCT burials that I suspect had soldiers from one of the Camp William Penn regiments buried there, but had no further proof, because the soldier had a common name. Unfortunately I could not add the fact that I felt the soldiers was buried there to these files. It is my hope that this would be a growing file and if you have further documentation, please make comments and email information to the email shown above.
Other Research
For a comprehensive study of Camp William Penn and the Philadelphia National Cemetery, please see the following books by Edward G, McLaughlin, available in both print and Kindle versions.
Edward G McLaughlin – pncemetery@gmail.com
The Cemetery Monument Hidden in Plain View
Chapters include:
- The Philadelphia National Cemetery
- Lebanon Cemetery
- Camp William Penn
- Died of Gunshot Wounds
- Camp Sickness and Death
- Pay
- Slaves
- Some Unique Individual Stories – Camp Life
- The Pension at the Turn of the Century
- Name to Cemetery Section and Plot Number
The Cemetery Monument Hidden in Plain View: A Supplement
A 3 to 5-line history of each of the 1,000 black Civil War soldiers & sailors buried at the Philadelphia National Cemetery – where they were from, what they did for a living, what they died from and more.
Where Have all of the Soldiers Gone
The search for Camp William Penn soldiers’ burial sites. The book list about 800 cemeteries around the United States and Canada where these soldiers were buried. The book proposes a scavenger hunt to the reader to look for more.
Slaves and Soldiers in the Cemetery
Several dozen soldiers that were former slaves are featured with their documentation along with over 300 soldiers and sailors that may have been slaves because of their job description or place of birth.
Faces
A book showing photos of the officers of the Camp William Penn soldiers along a view of the final resting places of those officers.
Camp William Penn Faces
A larger colorized coffee table version of Faces.
Vignettes
Short stories of the Officers of the Camp William Penn USCT Soldiers. What were their attitudes and their thoughts, letters they wrote and what became of them after the War.
The Camp William Penn Researcher
Newspaper articles about Camp William Penn and the 11 regiments that trained there. Also, from the newspapers there are articles on death reports, condition of wounded offices, incidents at the camp as well incidents involving the colored soldiers from the camp.
The Gates of Camp William Penn
A study of the soldiers that died at the Camp William Penn Hospital or the hospitals that they were sent to. These soldiers marched into the camp thru the Gates and never marched out. A good research guide on the causes of death at the cemetery.
Black Civil War Sailors in the Cemetery
A study of black Civil War sailors buried at the Philadelphia National Cemetery. The book list the grave location in the cemetery, death certificates and the ships that they served on.
Harriet Tubman Davis Pension Records Researcher
Transcription of the pension records of Harriet Tubman Davis who was the wife of Nelson Davis, an 8th United States Colored Troop soldier.
Army Letters 1861 – 1865
Transcription of the book by Oliver Willcox Norton an officer in the 8th United States Colored Troops.