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1st New
Jersey Infantry
| Regimental History |
| First Infantry,— Cols., William R. Montgomery, Alfred T. A. Torbert,
Mark W. Collett; Lieut.-Cols., Robert McAllister, William Henry, Jr.; Majs., David
Hatfield, Enos Fouratt, Alexander M. Way. This regiment was recruited under General Orders
No. 15, of May 4, 1861. It was fully organized, equipped and officered by May 18, and on
the 21st was duly mustered into the service of the United States, for three years, at Camp
Olden, Trenton. It was one of the four regiments composing what was generally known as the
1st New Jersey brigade (the other regiments being the 2nd, 3d and 4th), for the greater
part of the time of service. It was first attached to Gen. Runyon's division of reserves
(militia) at the first battle of Bull Run, and then as already stated, became a part of
the 1st brigade. Immediately subsequent to the first battle of Bull Run the 1st and 2nd
went into camp near Alexandria, where the 3d, which was stationed at Fairfax during the
engagement, also took position and the 4th upon its arrival was ordered to the same
vicinity. On Oct. 15, a detachment of the 1st regiment fell in with the enemy, mainly
cavalry, at Benson's tavern, and after a brief skirmish, in which the soldiers of the
regiment emptied a number of saddles, retired with the loss of 3 or 4 killed. In the early
part of March, 1862, the regiment advanced to Fairfax Court House, whence, on the morning
of the 10th, a detachment under Maj. Hatfield and Capt. Vansickle was sent forward to
Centerville, which place was entered about noon — the remainder of the regiment
coming up shortly afterward under Lieut.-Col. McAllister. At the battle of West Point,
Va., in May, 1862, the brigade during the evening relieved the troops in advance, which
had borne the brunt of the fighting, and the men lay on their arms in line of battle until
daylight, when they were ordered forward, the 1st, 2nd and 3d regiments acting as
skirmishers and the 4th as a reserve. Advancing to a hill from which the enemy had the day
previous shelled our transports, it was occupied and held until noon, when, the enemy
having retreated, the troops returned to their old position, whence the 1st regiment was
advanced on the 9th to join Stoneman's forces. On the night of June 21, the regiment,
under McAllister, was sent out to guard a working party, near the Fair Oaks battle-field.
At the battle of Gaines' mill the brigade was formed in two lines, the 3d and 4th
regiments in front, the 1st and 2nd in the second line, and in this order advanced. About
half an hour after reaching the field, the 1st, under Lieut.-Col. McAllister, was ordered
into the woods to support Gen. Newton, and took position under the eye of Gen. Porter.
Maj. Hatfield was wounded in the early part of the engagement and subsequently died of his
injuries ; Capt. E. G. Brewster was killed; Capts. Way, Mount and others were wounded
— the total loss in the regiment being 21 killed, 78 wounded and 60 missing.
Lieut.-Col. McAllister displayed the utmost coolness throughout and many other officers
and privates excited the warmest approbation by their steadiness under fire. The regiment
also participated in the battles of Charles City cross-roads, Malvern hill, the second
Manassas, Chantilly, Crampton's gap and Antietam. In the movement against Fredericksburg,
in Dec, 1862, the brigade, to which had been added the 15th and 23d N. J., reached the
north bank of the river on the night of Dec. 11, crossed at daylight on the following
morning and was formed in two lines in rear of its division, as follows : First line, 15th
and 23d deployed ; second line, 1st, 2nd, 3d and 4th, massed 100 yards in rear of the
first. After the close of that battle and until the night of the 15th, the brigade
remained inactive in the position it had occupied, the 1st regiment only being engaged on
picket. In the operations at Fredericksburg in the spring of 1863 the brigade occupied a
position in the line of rifle-pits close to the river, and this position was occupied
until the evening of May 2, when the 1st regiment attacked and drove in the enemy's
pickets on the right, the ground thus taken being promptly occupied and held. Col. Collett
was killed in the thick of the fight at Salem Church. In the Gettysburg campaign, the
brigade, which prior to this movement had participated in various apparently aimless
marches in Virginia, was attached to Wright's division of the 6th corps, and then
consisted of the 1st, 2nd, 3d and 15th regiments and Hexamer's battery — the 4th
having been detailed for provost duty in Washington. The regiment was engaged at
Fairfield, Pa., Williamsport and Funkstown, Md., Rappahannock Station and Mine Run, Va.
During this time, Maj. Henry succeeded to the command of the regiment, and Col. Torbert
being assigned to the command of a cavalry division, Col. Brown, of the 3d, temporarily
took charge of the brigade, to which the 10th regiment was added before the grand advance
under Grant. Late in the second day's fight at the Wilderness, the 1st, 4th and 10th
regiments, lying on the left of Neill's brigade, were several times attacked with great
ferocity by the Confederates, but at nightfall still held substantially the ground
occupied by them in the morning — a heavy assault by the Confederate Gen. Gordon just
at dusk, which at first promised to destroy the whole right wing of the army, being
repulsed with heroic gallantry. Among the killed was Lieut. Swan of the 1st, and among the
wounded were Maj. Way, Capts. Warner, Sitgreaves, Blythe and several lieutenants. In fact,
the brigade was left with only a handful of officers and with terribly decimated ranks,
the 1st regiment especially being greatly thinned. But it was as firm and indomitable on
the morrow as when it first marched into the tangled thicket, where so many of its brave
and noble ones gloriously fell. At Spottsylvania, Col. Campbell was detached with the 1st
and 15th regiments and moved across the swamp, pushing the enemy before him through the
woods until he reached a ridge commanding a certain road, which it was deemed important to
occupy. Three days later the brigade was massed for a charge — the 1st, 4th and 15th
in the first line, four companies of the 2nd and the 3d in the second line — and in
this order pushed forward through the woods with muskets at a trail until within 100 yards
of the Confederate works. During the first eleven days of this great campaign the 1st
regiment lost 22 killed, 155 wounded, and 52 missing. The regiment next fought at the
North Anna river, then at Hanover Court House, Totopotomy creek, and Cold Harbor. After
the latter engagement the 1st and 3d regiments left the front, on June 3 — the two
numbering 340 men — and reached Trenton on the night of the 7th. The men of these
regiments who had reenlisted, and whose terms had not expired, were at first transferred
to the 4th and 15th, but were subsequently consolidated into the 1st, 2nd and 3d
battalions and with the 4th, 10th and 15th regiments, from that time forward until Feb.,
1865, constituted the 1st brigade — the 40th being added at the latter date. The
regiment continued in the service until the capitulation of Lee and was mustered out at
Hall's hill, Va., June 29, 1865. The total strength of the regiment was 1,397, and it
lost, by resignation 24, discharge 332, promotion 62, transfer 113, death 234, dismissal
4, deserted 124, and not accounted for 21, leaving 483 that were mustered out. |
Footnotes:
Regimental history taken from "The Union Army" by Federal Publishing
Company, 1908 - Volume 3
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