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3rd New
Jersey Infantry
| Regimental History |
| Third Infantry. — Cols., George W. Taylor, Henry W. Brown; Lieut.-
Cols., Mark W. Collett, James N. Duffy; Majs., James W. H. Stickney, William E. Bryan.
This regiment, raised under authority of General Orders No. 15, of May 4, 1861, was fully
organized, equipped and officered by May 18, and on June 4 was duly mustered into the U.
S. service for three years, at Camp Olden, Trenton. It left the state on June 28, with a
full complement of men — 38 officers, 1,013 non-commissioned officers and privates,
total, 1,051. It was assigned to Gen. Kearny's brigade, with the 1st, 2nd and 4th N. J.,
composing the 1st New Jersey brigade. Immediately after the first battle of Bull Run it
joined the 1st and 2nd regiments near Alexandria, having been stationed at Fairfax during
the engagement. It was among the first to come into direct collision with the pickets of
the enemy and to suffer loss in its ranks from Confederate bullets at Munson's hill. On
March 9, 1862, the 2nd and 3d, with a squadron of the Lincoln cavalry, occupied Sangster's
station, on the Orange & Alexandria railroad, the 4th acting as a support to the
advance. On the following day the brigade moved cautiously forward and at 10 o'clock in
the morning entered the abandoned works at Manassas Junction — eight companies of the
3d being the first to take possession and hoist the regimental flag. At West Point, Va.,
the brigade relieved the troops in advance on the evening of May 6, 1862, and the men lay
on their arms in line of battle until daylight, when they were ordered forward, the 3d
regiment being on the skirmish line. At Gaines' mill the brigade was formed in two lines,
the 3d and 4th in front, and in that order advanced to the brow of a hill, where the 3d,
under Lieut-Col. Brown, was ordered into the woods to relieve Newton's brigade, which was
sorely pressed by the enemy. The gallant regiment stood its ground, opening a galling fire
on the enemy and remaining in the woods until the close of the action, with a loss of 34
killed, 136 wounded and 45 missing. The regiment participated in the battles of Charles
City cross-roads, Malvern hill, Manassas, Chantilly, Crampton's gap and Antietam, and also
in the movement against Fredericksburg in December. In the spring of 1863 the regiment
took part in the movements of Hooker in the vicinity of Fredericksburg and fought at Salem
church. In the Gettysburg campaign the brigade, which prior to that movement had been in
various apparently aimless marches in Virginia, was attached to Wright's division of the
6th corps. Following the Gettysburg fight the regiment was engaged at Fairfield. Pa.,
Williamsport and Funkstown, Md., Rappahannock Station and Mine Run, Va. 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. In all the operations in the Wilderness the Jerseymen behaved with the greatest
steadiness. At the opening of the light at Spottsylvania, after some playing at
cross-purposes, the 3d and 15th regiments were advanced, the former under Capt. Dubois
deployed as skirmishers, and the latter under Col. Campbell acting as a support. On May
12, the brigade was massed for a charge — the 3d being in the second line — and
pushed forward through the woods until within 100 yards of the Confederate works. In the
first eleven days of Grant's campaign against Richmond the 3d regiment sustained the
following losses: Killed 21, wounded 102, missing 33. After fighting at the North Anna
river, Hanover Court House, Totopotomy creek and Cold Harbor, the 3d left the front on
June 3 and reached the New Jersey state capital on the night of the 7th. The men of the
regiment who had reenlisted and those 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 regiment being added at the latter
date. The regiment then participated in the final operations of the war until the
surrender of Lee, when it was assigned to what was known as the provisional corps, Army of
the Potomac, and was mustered out at Hall's hill, Va., June 29, 1865. The total strength
of the regiment was 1,275 and it lost, by resignation 23, by discharge 383, by promotion
84, by transfer 95, by death 213, by desertion 111, by dismissal 4, not accounted for 3,
leaving 359 that were mustered out. |
Footnotes:
Regimental history taken from "The Union Army" by Federal Publishing
Company, 1908 - Volume 3
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