A quarter of theofficers had no previous military training. At least five of the 27th's officers were immigrants. One each came from Poland, Germany and England. Two were from Ireland. Irish-born Lt. Col. John W. Donnellan eventually took over command of the regiment.
In April 1864, the regiment was moved by rail and steamer to Virginia to join Burnside's IX Corps of the Army of the Potomac. Along the way, men in Pittsburgh threw stones at one of the companies. But, they were cheered in Baltimore.
On April 25, they marched past President Lincoln who reviewed them from a balcony at the Willard Hotel in Washington, D.C..
They were placed in Ferrero's Fourth Division, an almost all-black unit. In May they were brigaded in Ferrero's First Brigade under Joshua Siegfried. On May 4-5 they moved towards the Wilderness where they did not get into the actual fighting but were relegated to guarding supply trains.
--Old Secesh
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