Captain David Acheson : 140th Pennsylvania Volunteers

From Washington Pennsylvania, four Acheson brothers marched off to fight for the Union in the Civil War; John with the 85th Pennsylvania Volunteers, Alexander with the 140th Pennsylvania Volunteers, Joseph with Knap's Battery, and David as the Captain of Company C, 140th Pennsylvania Volunteers.

Captain David Acheson
Company C, 140th P.V.

From "Inscription at Gettysburg"
by Sara Gould Walters

In July, 1862, "Stonewall" Jackson's Confederate troops advanced north to threaten Washington, DC and the cry of alarm began to sound throughout the northern states. At Washington, Pennsylvania, a young man raised a company of volunteers and together with four other companies, they marched off to the seat of war.

Thus begins the story of Captain David Acheson, his brother Alexander ("Sandie") and the other men of Company C, 140th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry. After their first action at Chancellorsville, Virginia, David and the men of the regiment returned northward to Pennsylvania. In the epic Battle of Gettysburg, on the second day of July, 1863, they advanced across a wheatfield onto a stony hill - and lost in casualties 241 of 589 men engaged. Of the casualties, 32 of 38 engaged will be from Company C, including their young Captain David Acheson.

The veterans of the company will never forget their Captain, who recruited, trained, marched and fought with them until Gettysburg. Sometime before 1868, in the area of his temporary burial site in Gettysburg's "Valley of Death," there was cut in a boulder, "D.A. 140 P.V."

Webpage background painting is:
Action at the Loop - Gettysburg, July 2, 1863
- The Death of David Acheson -
by R Forquer

Washington Cemetery click thumbnails to enlarge

Captain David Acheson

Captain
David Acheson

Washington, PA

Born: January 10, 1841

Died: July 2, 1863

Age: 22

Gettysburg boulder inscribed with "DA 140 PV"

Searchable Google Map of Gettysburg

*Engagements of the 140th Pennsylvania Volunteers*
Civil War Campaign Badge	Chancellorsville Falling Waters Gettysburg Mt. Auburn White Sulphur Springs Bristoe Blackburn's Ford Kelley's Ford Robinson's Tavern Mine Run Wilderness Brock Road Todd's Tavern Corbin's Bridge Po River Spotsylvania 1st Spotsylvania 2nd Rural Plains Tolopotomy Creek North Anna River Hanover Cold Harbor Petersburg 1st Deep Bottom 1st Deep Bottom 2nd Charles City Cross Roads Ream's Station Hatcher's Run Petersburg 2nd Petersburg 3rd Meade's Station Sailor's Creek Farmville Southside R.R.

*Civil War Campaign Badge* The Civil War Campaign Badge was design by Mr. F. D. Millett, a prominent American Artist, and the Chief of Staff, U.S. Army, approved the design and authorized the manufacture of the badge in 1906. The initial contract with a commercial firm was canceled and the design turned over to the U.S. Mint in Philadelphia for manufacture. The initial ribbon design was two bands of red, white, and blue with the red on the outside and the blue bands separated by a thin white stripe in the center. The head of Lincoln was selected because it was the only thing that could be used on the medal without offense to the sentiment then happily prevailing over the whole country in regard to the Civil War. The portrait of Lincoln must be acceptable to everybody, particularly when accompanied by the noble phrase from the Gettysburg oration which so tersely and accurately expresses his attitude during the war. The ribbon was changed in 1913 to half blue (on the left) and half gray.
*Civil War Streamers* There were 25 campaigns in the Civil War. The streamers are equally divided with blue and gray. Units that received campaign credit as a confederate unit use the same ribbon with the colors reversed. Blue refers to Federal Service and gray is indicative of the Confederacy, joined together they represent the unification of the country after the Civil War. The following inscriptions in yellow are authorized on the streamers:
	SUMTER 1861 BULL RUN 1861 ("FIRST MANASSAS") FOR CONFEDERATE SERVICE HENRY & DONELSON 1862 MISSISSIPPI RIVER 1862-1863 PENINSULA 1862 SHILOH 1862 VALLEY 1862 MANASSAS 1862 ("SECOND MANASSAS") FOR CONFEDERATE SERVICE ANTIETAM 1862 ("SHARPSBURG") FOR CONFEDERATE SERVICE FREDERICKSBURG 1862 MURFREESBOROUGH 1862-1863 CHANCELLORSVILLE 1863 GETTYSBURG 1863 VICKSBURG 1863 CHICKAMAUGA 1863 CHATTANOOGA 1863 WILDERNESS 1864 ATLANTA 1864 SPOTSYLVANIA 1864 COLD HARBOR 1864 PETERSBURG 1864-1865 SHENANDOAH 1864 FRANKLIN 1864 NASHVILLE 1864 APPOMATTOX 1865
Streamer image source: US Army Institute of Heraldry

Statue in Washington Cemetery
Washington, Pennsylvania

"This monument is erected by the
people of Washington County
in honor of her devoted sons
who died for their country
in the great rebellion"

Casualties of Company C
140th Pennsylvania Volunteers

Captain David Acheson - Killed at Gettysburg

1st Lieutenant Isaac Vance - Wounded at Gettysburg, promoted to Captain, resigned

2nd Lieutenant Charles Linton - Wounded at Petersburg

Sandie Acheson - Wounded at Spotsylvania

William Armstrong - Captured at Gettysburg, died on Belle Isle

James Baird - Transferred to 1st R.I. Artillery

Samuel Baird

John Billick - Transferred to Invalid Corps

Jeremiah Bishop - Wounded at Chancellorsville, discharged

John Blair - Wounded at Gettysburg, discharged

James Blake - Appointed Orderly Sergeant

Henry Boatman - Captured at Gettysburg, prisoner at Andersonville, appointed Sergeant Major

Ephriam Brown - Killed in the Wilderness

James Campbell - Killed in the Wilderness

Lewis Cleaver - Wounded at Cold Harbor

Jefferson Cleaver - Died

Walter Cleaver - Drummer

James Clemins - Captured at Cold Harbor, prisoner at Andersonville

Phillip Cooper - Appointed Corporal

E. J. Cole - Wounded at Gettysburg and died

John Cully - Discharged and died

Wm. Cunningham - Promoted to 1st Lieutenant, killed at Petersburg, among the last who fell the evening before Lee surrendered

Samuel Curry - Captured at Cold Harbor and died at Andersonville

John Dickey - Wounded at Gettysburg and Deep Bottom

Benton Devon - Killed at Hanover

Daniel Dowling - Captured at Gettysburg and died at Belle Isle

Newton Dowling - Killed at North Anna River

John Duncan - Discharged

Alex Duncan - Teamster

Joseph Dye - Transferred to 1st R.I. Artillery

Samuel Fergus - Wounded at Gettysburg, promoted to Lieutenant in colored regiment

Aaron Gunn - Wounded at Spotsylvania

N. Gilbert - Wounded at Gettysburg, discharged

T. Hardesty - Transferred to 1st R.I. Artillery

Mason Hart

Alex Hartford - Appointed Corporal

Lewis Henry - Wounded at Po River and died

Wm. Horton - Killed at Gettysburg

Wm. Howard

Clark Irey - Wounded at Gettysburg and Wilderness

Thomas Jones - Killed at Chancellorsville

David Jones

Richard Jones - Wounded at Wilderness

John Jordan - Wounded at Gettysburg, transferred to Navy

James Kelly - Killed at Gettysburg

Daniel Keeney - Wounded at Gettysburg and died

Robert Lindsay - Captured at Gettysburg and died on Belle Isle

Eli Linton - Promoted to Captain in colored regiment

Thomas Long - Wounded at Spotsylvania and died

Thomas Lucas - Killed at Gettysburg

John McConn - Wounded at Spotsylvania and died

David McCoy

Thomas McClune - Wounded at Tolopotomy

James McCullough

Hugh McNeil - Wounded at North Anna River

Frank McNear - Wounded at Gettysburg and transferred to Invalid Corps

James McFarland - Wounded at Gettysburg, appointed Sergeant

James Martin - Discharged

John Martin - Wounded at Po River, mounted orderly on Miles' staff

Samuel Mills

Richard Miller - Wounded at Gettysburg in 6 places and died

John Moore - Wounded at Tolopotomy

T. Mowrie - Wounded at Gettysburg, transferred

Anthony Mull - Killed at Gettysburg

Daniel McClain - Transferred to Invalid Corps

A. Newman - Wounded at Gettysburg and died

George Norris - Wounded at Chancellorsville

A. Patterson - Killed at Gettysburg

John Patterson

Robert Patterson

Wm. Pollock - Teamster

Wm. H. Pollock - Wounded at Deep Bottom

Andrew Plants - Teamster

Wm. Post - Wounded at Spotsylvania

Esau Powell - Captured at Cold Harbor, prisoner at Andersonville

J. Pratt - Killed at North Anna River

Chas. Quail - Captured at Cold Harbor, prisoner at Andersonville

J. M. Ray - Promoted to Captain, had his clothes cut seven times but was not hurt

Wm. Radcliff - Appointed Corporal

Robt. Reed - Promoted to 2nd Lieutenant, died

Chas. Rentz - Teamster

Saml. Rettig

Henry Richards - Teamster

Austin Richards - Wounded at Wilderness

D. Ruble - Captured at Chancellorsville, prisoner on Belle Isle, wounded at North Anna River

Gales Rose - Wounded at Spotsylvania, and died

Silas Sanders - Wounded at Tolopotomy

James Sayer - Wounded at Gettysburg in 5 places, discharged

John Smalley - Wounded at Cold Harbor

Wm. Stockwell - Wounded at Wilderness, died

John Stockwell - Teamster

Jas. Stockwell - Wounded at Gettysburg, transferred to Invalid Corps

P. Shipley - Wounded at Gettysburg and discharged

J. Tucker

Wm. Vankirk - Appointed Corporal

S. Vankirk - Killed at Gettysburg

Isaac Well - Killed at Chancellorsville

Colin Waltz - Wounded at Chancellorsville and Gettysburg and discharged

James Wise - Killed at Tolopotomy

Saml. Wise - Wounded at Gettysburg

John Wishart - Promoted to Corporal, transferred to 1st R.I. Artillery, wounded at Gettysburg while loading the gun which is now on exhibition in Washington City, with the Rebel shell lodged in the muzzle, died of disease

Jeff Younkin - Wounded at Gettysburg, transferred

RECRUITS

Wm. Amon - Killed at Spotsylvania

J. Black - Wounded at Todd's Tavern

Sam Bonnell - Wounded at Po River

James Eckert - Killed at Spotsylvania

N. Mumbower

H. Needham - Wounded at Po River

Wm. Ravenscraft - Teamster

Wm. Ruble - Wounded at Tolopotomy

Wm. Simpson

J. Wylie - Wounded at Tolopotomy, promoted to 1st Lieutenant