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15th New
York Infantry
| Regimental History |
| Fifteenth Infantry, — Cols., John McLeod Murphy, Clinton G. Colgate,
Wesley Brainard; Lieut.-Cols., Richard J. Dodge, Francis B. O'Keefe, Clinton G. Colgate,
James A. Magruder, William A. Ketchum, Stephen Chester; Majs., Francis B. O'Keefe. Clinton
G. Colgate, John A. Magruder, Walter L. Cassin, William A. Ketchum, Edward C. Perry,
Sewall Sergeant, Henry V. Slosson, William Henderson, Timothy Lubey, Thomas Bogan. The
15th infantry, which subsequently became the 15th regiment of engineers, known as the New
York sappers and miners, was organized in New York city and mustered into the U. S.
service at Willett's point, New York harbor, June 17, 1861, for two years. It left for
Washington on June 29, and there encamped until late in July, when it was assigned to
McCunn's brigade. It was on picket and guard duty in the vicinity of Fairfax seminary
until August, when it was transferred to Franklin's brigade; in September to Newton's
brigade, and in November the original purpose of the organization was carried out and it
was ordered to Alexandria to receive instruction in engineering. Here the regiment
remained until March 19, 1862, at which time it was ordered to Fairfax seminary in the 1st
corps under Gen. McDowell. It participated in the siege duties before Yorktown, rendering
effective service in bridge building, etc. After the close of the campaign on the
Peninsula, the 15th encamped at Harrison's landing and was then returned to Washington,
joining the Army of the Potomac in the field Nov. 17, 1862. Work on the bridges by which
the army crossed to Fredericksburg was next undertaken; in Jan., 1863, ensued the
"Mud March," when the men were engaged in the construction of roads; the
remainder of the winter of 1862-63 was passed in camp at Falmouth, and during the
Chancellorsville campaign the engineering brigade, of which the 15th formed a part, was
instrumental in building bridges. The regiment remained with this branch of the service
until the middle of June, when the two years' men returned home and were mustered out at
New York city, June 25, 1863. The remainder of the regiment was consolidated into a
battalion of three companies, to which was added in October a company recruited for the
2nd N. Y. engineers and another company in March, 1864. Seven additional companies were
added in Nov., 1864, by means of which the regimental organization was completed and it
remained in service as a veteran regiment until the close of the war. With the volunteer
engineer brigade of the Army of the Potomac, it was present at Gettysburg, then joined in
the southward movement of the army, shared in the Mine Run campaign and went into winter
quarters near Brandy Station, Va. Until Jan., 1865, the 15th was engaged in siege duties
before Petersburg, when three companies were detached and sent to North Carolina under
Gen. Terry, where they were present at the fall of Fort Fisher, and in March, 1865, were
sent to join the Army of the Ohio. The remainder of the regiment remained at Petersburg
until the final surrender, engaged in trench digging, mining and other services incident
to the siege. This portion of the regiment was mustered out at Washington June 13 and 14,
1865, and the other three companies on July 2. The regimental loss by death from wounds
was but 5 during its term of service but it lost 124 by disease and other causes. |
Footnotes:
Regimental history taken from "The Union Army" by Federal Publishing
Company, 1908 - Volume 2
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