3rd New York Light Artillery in the American Civil War

Overview

The 3rd New York Light Artillery served as a Union artillery regiment during the American Civil War. Organized in New York, its batteries mustered at various times between 1861 and 1864, with service extending through July 1865. The regiment operated primarily in the Department of North Carolina and the Department of the South, with batteries often serving detached and participating in both field and garrison duties. The 3rd New York Light Artillery is notable for its complex organization, with several batteries being reorganized, consolidated, or re-mustered during the war.

The regiment’s batteries participated in major campaigns in North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia, including the Carolina expedition, the Goldsboro expedition, operations against Charleston, and the Petersburg campaign. The unit was attached to various corps and divisions, including the 10th, 18th, and 24th Army Corps, and was present at the final assaults on Petersburg in April 1865.

Organization & Service

The 3rd New York Light Artillery was organized in several stages, with batteries mustering in at different times and locations. The initial organization began in 1861, with some batteries formed from existing companies and others newly raised. The regiment’s headquarters and several batteries assembled at Elmira, New York, while others mustered at Syracuse, Auburn, and New York City.

In February 1862, the portion of the regiment from Hancock joined new companies at Washington, D.C., and moved to Arlington Heights. On March 27, 1862, the regiment was assigned to General Burnside’s command for the Carolina expedition, embarking for New Berne, North Carolina. Throughout its service, the batteries often operated independently, serving as both light and heavy artillery as required.

Battery A, originally a two-year company, served as heavy artillery at Fort Rowan during the North Carolina campaign, later joining the 10th Corps and mustering out in June 1863. A new Battery A was mustered in September 1864 and participated in the campaign of March and April 1865. Battery B was reorganized in December 1861, served in the 18th Corps in North Carolina, participated in the Weldon and Goldsboro expeditions, and later operated near Charleston until mustering out in July 1865. Battery C, after mustering out its original members in June 1863, was reformed and served in North Carolina and the Carolinas campaign.

Other batteries, such as D, E, F, G, H, I, K, L, and M, underwent similar reorganizations and participated in various expeditions and campaigns. Batteries E, H, K, and M were notably active in Virginia, including at Petersburg and Bermuda Hundred. Battery L, originally an independent battery, was transferred to the regiment in March 1865. Battery M, formed from Company I of the 76th New York Infantry, joined the regiment in January 1862 and participated in operations near New Berne and later in Virginia.

The regiment’s batteries were mustered out at different times and locations between June and July 1865, with some mustering out at Richmond, Virginia, and others at Syracuse or Elmira, New York. Throughout its service, the 3rd New York Light Artillery was frequently reorganized to maintain operational strength, with men transferred between batteries as needed.

Research This Regiment Further

If you’d like to explore this unit’s history in more depth, regimental histories and Civil War reference works offer valuable detail.

Engagements & Campaigns

  • Carolina Expedition (1862)
  • North Carolina Campaigns (including actions at Fort Rowan, Foster’s Mills, Gardiner’s Bridge, Butler’s Bridge, Wise’s Forks)
  • Expedition to Weldon
  • Rawle’s Mill
  • Goldsboro Expedition (including Southwest Creek, Kinston Bridge, Whitehall, Goldsboro)
  • Operations against Fort Wagner and Charleston Harbor
  • Blount’s Creek Expedition
  • Bombardment of Fort Sumter, Seabrook, John’s Island, James Island
  • Operations at Washington, N.C.
  • Siege of Fort Macon
  • Swift Creek, Tarboro, Dismal Swamp
  • Drewry’s Bluff, Bermuda Hundred, Fort Harrison, Petersburg
  • Final Assault on Petersburg (April 2, 1865)
  • Bennett House

Casualties

During its term of service, the 3rd New York Light Artillery lost a total of 189 members killed, wounded, or missing. Specific breakdowns by cause (killed, mortally wounded, died of disease) are not fully detailed in available primary sources.

Field Officers & Commanders

  • Col. James H. Ledlie
  • Col. Charles H. Stewart
  • Lt. Col. William H. Rogers
  • Maj. John T. Baker
  • Maj. Terrence J. Kennedy
  • Maj. James E. Ashcroft
  • Maj. Owen Gavignan
  • Maj. Theodore Schenck
  • Maj. Nelson T. Stevens
  • Maj. Edwin S. Jenny
  • Maj. Charles H. Stewart
  • Maj. Solomon Giles
  • Maj. John H. Ammon
  • Maj. James R. Angell
  • Maj. James V. White
  • Maj. David L. Aberdeen
  • Maj. William J. Riggs
  • Maj. W. E. Mercer
  • Maj. Joseph J. Morrison

Regimental Roster

The full roster of the 3rd New York Light Artillery, including officers and enlisted men for each battery, is available for genealogical and historical research. The roster provides names, ranks, and service details as recorded in official state and federal records.

To view the complete roster, visit the 3rd New York Light Artillery Regimental Roster page.

Sources & References

  • Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, Series I, various volumes and parts (Army of the Potomac, Department of North Carolina, Department of the South, Army of the James)
  • New York State Adjutant General’s Reports, Annual Reports for 1861–1865
  • Dyer, Frederick H. A Compendium of the War of the Rebellion
  • Fox, William F. Regimental Losses in the American Civil War
  • The Union Army, Federal Publishing Company, 1908, Volume 2
Scroll to Top