"The Battling Bucktails"

Kevin Coolidge

Battling bears before breakfast, and wrassling my weight in cougars - yep, I’m a real wild cat, and I love reading about the Bucktails. Of all the unusual combat units of the Civil War; none was more colorful than the Pennsylvania Bucktails. In the spring of 1861, by raft, rowboat, and cattle cars, there came from the mountains of northern Pennsylvania's "Wildcat District" a group of young men who would form the core of a regiment destined to become famous. The regiment was made up largely of rough, hardy lumbermen who had their own peculiar "wildcat yell." The conduct of some of its men, as well as the region many of them were from, led to the designation of "Bucktailed Wildcats." (The "Wildcat District" had been given this name not for its feline fauna, but because its lumbermen were a loud and lively lot.) Because of the regiment's ritual of having each man wear on his hat the tail of a deer he had shot, the 13th Pennsylvania became known as the "Bucktails."
The Bucktails were all superior marksmen, and during the first year of the war, they distinguished themselves as skirmishers and sharpshooters. In July 1862, because of this excellent record, Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton directed Roy Stone, a major in the regiment, to enlist an additional brigade of Bucktails. Stone raised 20 companies of recruits by the end of August to send to Harrisburg, PA., for official organization into the 149th and 150th Pennsylvania regiments. The new volunteers, having proudly adopted the distinctive badge of the earlier group, also called themselves the "Bucktails" or sometimes the "New Bucktails."
The Bucktails, old and new, fought in most of the major campaigns in the East. In the spring of 1862, four companies of the 13th were in the Shenandoah Valley Campaign while the rest of the unit fought in the Peninsula Campaign. The regiment was also prominent in the second day's battle at Gettysburg while the 149th and 150th participated in other eastern actions, from Chancellorsville to Petersburg, with skill and courage.
The trials and tribulations of the Bucktails have been captured in an easy and fun- to- read series by writers William P. Robertson and David Rimer. The books bring the story of the famous regiment to a younger generation of readers; though I know of more than one adult (other than myself) who love this series. I recently finished number six, The Bucktails At The Devil’s Den, which is about the regiment’s involvement in the battle of Gettysburg.
The series starts with Hayfoot, Strawfoot, The Bucktail Recruits, and introduces the major characters. I find the books to be well researched and a must read for anyone who enjoys historical fiction, and the Civil War, and action-oriented prose. When I asked William how he writes the novels, he answered, “ The way we write the books is this. First, we both do research to find out what the Bucktails actually did during a particular campaign. Using the history as the template, we come up with a creative plot. I then write the rough draft and give it to Dave for editing. He corrects the grammar, finds weak places in the plot, and checks for logic and possible historical errors. After that, I add in his corrections and find other mistakes, too. The book goes back and forth 5 or 6 times until we work the bugs out of it. I am the creative force behind the books, while Dave is the technical writing expert.”
That passion and technical expertise shows, William P. Robertson is himself a Civil War buff and re-enactor, and his enthusiasm shows through his writing and photographs. Robertson does most of his own photography and there are several great photos of fellow re-enactors, which bring the books and time period to life. I often feel that good photography is under appreciated. I think I’m doing well if I don’t cut off the head, and the eyes aren’t glowing red.
Robertson’s series wraps up in his next book that is releasing in May/June called, The Bucktails Last Call, but catch the other great titles: The Bucktails’ Shenandoah March, The Bucktails:Perils on the Peninsula, The Bucktails’ Antietam Trials, and The Battling Bucktails at Fredericksburg. Me? I’m gonna grab my Sharpe’s rifle and practice my shootin’ cause I ain’t missing the next one…