Size of Regiment: 45 officers, 1211 men at muster out.
Losses: During the regiment's term of service, it lost 3 officers and 32 men to disease. Three additional men were disabled.
Location of Service: Puerto Rico.
Actions: Actions around the towns of Arroyo and Guayama,
Puerto Rico.
During their stay at Camp Thomas, the 4th Pennsylvania's the daily
schedule was as follows on most days:
At times, the drill got a bit too intense. Once, two battalions of the regiment squared off in a war game, then called a "sham battle" on Snodgrass Hill. The men out so much effort into the action that it began to get out of hand. The event had to be called off for the safety of the men involved. Still, it was not all work. On Saturday evenings, the regiment held music programs for entertainment. There was also the excitement of a mule stampede. Some of the new recruits had broken into applause which caused four mule teams to bolt and stampede through the remainder of the regiment, which was drawn up in battalion formation. The men scattered, and luckily no one was injured.4:55 a.m. First Call
5:00 a.m. Reveille; Roll Camp
6:00 a.m. Mess Call
7:30 a.m. Company Drill
9:00 a.m. Guard Mount
12:00 Noon Mess
1:30 p.m. School
3:00 p.m. Regimental Drill
5:30 p.m. Mess
6:00 p.m. Dress Parade
9:00 p.m. Tattoo; Roll Call
9:15 p.m. Taps
On July 4, the 4th Pennsylvania was ordered to Charleston, South Carolina. Leaving on July 22, the regiment arrived at Charleston on July 25. Each man was ordered to carry fifty rounds of ammunition, and an additional one hundred fifty rounds per man were shipped to Charleston. The regiment was apparently equipped with the older .45-70 "trapdoor" rifles.
On July 27, the regiment embarked aboard the CITY OF WASHINGTON and the SENECA, and left Charleston's harbor, passing the old forts of Sumter and Moultrie (now having new armament installed) and bound for Puerto Rico. Transport life was far from pleasing. The vessel had already made several trips as a transport and was showing the effects. A member of the 4th Pennsylvania commented that "Outside of the cabin she was unfit for human habitation." Below deck "small portholes furnished the only ventilation. If the sea was rough the holes had to be kept closed for fear of flooding the ship. After the first night few slept in the dirty hole. As night approached the men would take their blankets and find their way to the upper deck where they spent the night." The potable water was bad and it was impossible for the men to stay clean.
The
transports arrived at Guanica, Puerto Rico on August 2. They were
immediately sent to Ponce harbor, where the transports spent the night
until being ordered to Arroyo, about fifty miles east. At Arroyo, the
regiment disembarked, while the guns of the auxiliary cruiser ST.
LOUIS, cruiser CINCINNATI, and the GLOUCESTER
blazed away, shelling the hills beyond the town. One man
in the 4th Pennsylvania commented that "This was the first sight of
active war we had seen and aroused the spirit of the men to the highest
pitch."
A permanent camp was set up about one half mile from Arroyo. The regiment served on picket duty on the Patillo, and Guayama roads, and the road leading into the mountains. Company I was detached to serve in the town of Arroyo, and did not rejoin the regiment until the unit left Puerto Rico. While in this camp, the 4th Pennsylvania was rearmed with the new Krag-Jorgensen .30 cal. rifles.
On August 6, the brigade advanced on and captured the town of Guayama, however, the 4th Pennsylvania was held in reserve and did not take an active part in the battle. On the following day, the regiment's Springfield "Trapdoor" rifles were replaced with the more modern Krag-Jorgenson rifles, and cartridge belts which held one hundred rounds of .30 caliber ammunition with smokeless power.
On August 13, the regiment readied itself for an attack on the Spanish forces that were strongly entrenched in the mountains north of Guayama. Two battalions of the regiment advanced to the iron bridge about a mile north of Guayama, in support of the artillery force consisting of the 4th Ohio, Missouri Battery A (apparently with four dynamite guns), Pennsylvania Battery B, Illinois Battery A, and the 27th Battery, Indiana Volunteer Artillery. The regiment's third battalion remained at Arroyo to cover the town.
During the engagement, the 4th Ohio Volunteer Infantry was to conduct a flanking movement on the enemy, but it was discovered that the Spanish forces were attempting to make a flanking movement on the 4th Ohio itself! The 4th Pennsylvania's second battalion was ordered to the high ground overlooking the Cayey Road, on which the 4th Ohio was supposed to be advancing. Also, Company B of the 4th Pennsylvania was ordered into the town to take possession of the barracks and public buildings. While all of this activity was going on, news arrived that the peace had arrived. The actions were suspended.
The Regiment was moved into camp on the Ponce Road, just south of the town. On August 28, the regiment, consisting of twelve hundred men, twenty-eight army wagons, ten ox carts and the regimental ambulances, was ordered to march to Ponce. The regiment arrived in Ponce two days later. Orders had been published stating that the 4h Pennsylvania was being sent back to the United States. However, Colonel D. B. Case acted to have the orders countermanded. Soon officers were threatening to resign and the enlisted men were circulating a petition to countermand the countermanding orders. With growing anger among the men, General Brooke came down on the side of the men and the regiment was sent home.
On August 31 and September 1, the 4th Pennsylvania embarked on the CITY OF CHESTER. At 2:00 p.m., the transport weighed anchor, and the regiment left to return to the United States, arriving in New York on September 6, 1898.
The 4th Pennsylvania was given sixty days furlough. On October 27, about one thousand members of the regiment took part in the Peace Jubilee in Philadelphia. The regiment was mustered out on November 16, 1898.
The individual companies of the 4th Pennsylvania were formed from the
following counties:
Company A Berks County
Company B Lehigh County
Company C Lancaster County
Company D Lehigh County
Company E Berks County
Company F Schuylkill County
Company G Schuylkill County
Company H Lebanon County
Company I Dauphin County
Company K Lancaster County
Company L Lancaster County
Comany M Montgomery County
Stewart, Thomas J., Adj. Gen., Record of the Pennsylvania Volunteers. (Harrisburg: William Stanley Ray, 1901).