| If this website has been useful to you, please consider
making a Donation.
Your support will help keep this website free for everyone, and will allow us to do
more research. Thank you for your support! |
50th New
York Infantry
| Regimental History |
| Fiftieth Infantry.— Cols., Charles B. Stuart, William. H. Pettes;
Lieut. -Cols., William H. Pettes, Ira Spaulding; Majs., Frederick E. Embrick, Ira
Spaulding, George W. Ford, Orrin E. Hine, Wesley Brainard, William W. Folwell, Edmund O.
Beers, James H. McDonald. The 50th, known as Stuart's regiment, and later as the 50th
engineers, was organized at Elmira, of companies from the middle and western parts of the
state, which were mustered into the U. S. service Sept. 18, 1861, for a three years' term.
It left the state 850 strong, Sept. 21, for Washington; was ordered to Hall's hill, Va.,
and assigned to the 3d brigade of Gen. Porter's division. On Oct. 22, the regiment was
converted by special orders from the war department into a regiment of engineers and
ordered to Washington, where instruction was received by the men in their new duties. In
March, 1862, with the volunteer engineers' brigade, Army of the Potomac, the 50th moved to
Yorktown and worked faithfully in digging trenches, constructing bridges and earthworks,
etc., until the evacuation of that city. At White House the command was divided into
several detachments, which were engaged in escort duty and bridge building until reunited
at Dispatch Station on June 1, when the regiment was employed in providing for the passage
of the troops over the Chickahominy. It accompanied the army through the Seven Days'
battles to Harrison's landing, where it was again separated, one detachment being sent to
Hampton, Va. When the regimental headquarters was transferred to Hampton in August, a
detachment was left behind at Harrison's landing, but on Sept. 3 the regiment was reunited
at Washington. Four companies were detached on Sept 12 and ordered to Harper's Ferry,
where they were engaged in constructing pontoons and later returned in charge of two of
the pontoons to Washington, leaving a part of the detachment behind. Another detachment
was sent to the vicinity of Fredericksburg with these boats, and the headquarters of the
regiment were transferred to Acquia creek, leaving one company at Washington. Great
assistance was rendered by the 50th in laying the bridges before the battle of
Fredericksburg, when they were under continuous fire from the enemy's sharpshooters. Until
July 17, 1862, the 50th was enrolled on the state records as an infantry regiment, but an
act of Congress of that date accepted it as a regiment of the volunteer engineer corps, of
the same rank as the regular army engineer corps. After passing the winter in the
neighborhood of Fredericksburg, the regiment joined in the Chancellorsville campaign,
where it aided effectively in conveying the army across the river and was highly praised
by Gen. Benham. At Deep run in June the 50th suffered the loss of 11 in killed, wounded
and missing, while engaged in laying a bridge. Cos. A, C, F, G, H and K remained in the
field during the summer of 1863 and the others were stationed in Washington. In Dec, 1863,
about three fourths of the regiment reenlisted and received their veteran furlough. At the
opening of the Wilderness campaign in May, 1864, the 50th was again divided, one
detachment assigned to the 2nd, one to the 6th, and one to the 5th corps, one company
remaining in Washington. In the winter of 1863-64 two new companies were added to the
regiment and the ranks filled with new recruits. During the operations of the Army of the
Potomac in May and June, 1864, the main work of the regiment was that of laying bridges at
various points, notably one 2,010 feet long, across the James. At Petersburg the regiment
was in demand at all points for work of construction and repair on the fortifications, and
it also assisted in destroying rail-roads. During its long service the men became very
proficient in engineering and through its steadiness under fire is said to have lost
during the last year of its service no bridge material of any kind. The original members
not reenlisted were mustered out at New York in Sept., 1864, and after participation in
the grand review at Washington, the veteran organization was there mustered out on June
13-14, 1865. The loss of the regiment by death from wounds was 17 and by death from
disease and other causes 214. |
Footnotes:
Regimental history taken from "The Union Army" by Federal Publishing
Company, 1908 - Volume 2
|
Whats New
Bibliography
About Us
|