A FINE AND RARE PENNSYLVANIA FIRST DEFENDER 1861 MEDAL TO A 15 YEAR OLD PRIVATE IN THE ALLEN INFANTRY WHO DESERTED AFTER SERVING WITH THE 128TH PENNSYLVANIA INFANTRY AT THE BATTLE OF ANTIETAM WHERE HIS REGIMENT LOST ITS COLONEL AND MANY MEN DURING A CHARGE AT THE MEMORABLE ‘CORNFIELD’. LATER JOINING THE 47TH PENNSYLVANIA INFANTRY, HE WAS WOUNDED AT THE BATTLE OF WINCHESTER IN SEPTEMBER 1864

PENNSYLVANIA FIRST DEFENDER 1861 MEDAL, ALLEN INFANTRY REVERSE, ENGRAVED ‘CHAS. A. PFEIFFER’.

Pennsylvania ‘First Defender’ medals were authorised in 1891 and were awarded to the 476 officers and men of the five Pennsylvania units that answered the Presidents call in 1861. The medal was issued with five different reverses, one for each unit; the recipient’s name being engraved above the embossed unit. As such these medals rare pieces, especially when complete with their ribbon bar. Captain Yeager who Commanded the Allen Infantry recorded that Pfeiffer was one of 49 men of the company that immediately volunteered for service on the Presidents call being made and marched with him to Washington, therefore being one of the first soldiers to reach Washington. Clearly other men joined over the next 2 months for when they mustered out on 27 July 1861, the companies strength was 78 and presumably all received the medal.

Charles A. Pfeiffer was born April 4, 1846 to Henry and Caroline Pfeiffer, of Allentown, Lehigh County, Pennsylvania and served with the Allen Guards/Infantry between 18 April and 26 July, 1861.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/25th_Pennsylvania_Infantry_Regiment

He did not immediately re-enlist like many of his comrades; possibly as he had only just reached the age of 16; though he had claimed he was 18 when joining the Allen Infantry. However it appears in August 1862, he enlisted as a Sergeant in the newly formed 128th Pennsylvania Infantry Regiment and served with them at the Battle of Antietam 17 September 1862, a battle that would be the . The 128th were heavily engaged during the battle, in particular when charged at Millers Cornfield, losing their Colonel, who was killed, and suffered a further 117 casualties.

https://www.nps.gov/anti/learn/photosmultimedia/tour-stop-4.htm

“On September 6th, the regiment re-crossed the Potomac and entered into the Maryland Campaign. At Frederick City, where it arrived on the 14th, it was assigned to Crawford's Brigade, of Williams' Division, Mansfield's XII Corps………………

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Condition of this medal is excellent, complete with its original ribbon and top bar which is often missing form these medals. Sold with some copy research (digital) which includes the 1910 publication ‘The First Defenders’ which details each company, including musters and a 13 page article on the Allen Infantry from the 1911 Pennsylvania-German magazine.

A fine and rare medal to a young soldier with a most interesting service.