25th Pennsylvania Infantry Regiment

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The 25th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry was a three months’ service regiment in the Union Army during the American Civil War. It began as the First Defenders—the first five companies who answered President Lincoln’s call to defend Washington, D.C., after the fall of Fort Sumter, joined by five more companies enlisted later in April 1861. About 476 men from Allentown, Lewistown, Pottsville, and Reading organized in Harrisburg, took oaths on April 18, and traveled to Washington, arriving in the capital on April 18–19. The First Defenders were issued new Springfield rifles that evening as Lincoln and cabinet members watched, and they were assigned to guard duties around the Capitol, the Arsenal, the Navy Yard, and Fort Washington. The rest of the regiment began organizing in Harrisburg under Col. Henry L. Cake, and were also sent to Washington.

The first defenders and the rest of the regiment served at several posts in and around Washington, with some companies stationed at the Arsenal and Navy Yard and others at Fort Washington. On June 29–30, 1861, D, F, G, I, and K left Washington for Rockville, Maryland, under Lt. Col. Selheimer and joined Stone’s command under Major General Charles W. Sandford, part of Patterson’s Army of the Shenandoah. From July 1 they moved to Poolesville, then Sandy Hook opposite Harper’s Ferry, and later marched to Martinsburg, West Virginia. They joined Stone’s 7th Brigade and, after advances and bivouacking near Harper’s Ferry, returned to Harrisburg on July 23 to be honorably mustered out by August 1, 1861.

Many members chose to reenlist with the 96th Pennsylvania Infantry after mustering out.