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59th New
York Infantry
Online Books:
59th New York
Infantry Soldier
Roster - Annual Report of the Adjutant General of the State of New York For the Year
1893, Volume 26 View the Entire Book
| Regimental History |
| Fifty-ninth New York Infantry.— Cols., William Linn Tidball, William
Northedge, William Linn Tidball, Henry W. Hudson, William A. Olmstead; Lieut. -Cols.,
Philip I. Joachimsen, John L. Stetson, William Northedge, Max A. Thomain, William Linn
Tidball, Horace P. Rugg, James A. Jewell, Thomas Huggins, James A. Jewell; Majs., William
Northedge, Max A. Thomain, James H. Purdy, William McFadden, Michael H. Donovan, William
T. Simms. The 59th, the "Union Guards," was organized in New York city from the
U. S. Vanguard, President's Life Guard, U. S. Volunteers, Union Guard, Cameron
Highlanders, Kossuth Guards and Cameron Legion, and was mustered into the U. S. service
from Aug. 2 to Oct. 30, 1861, for a three years' term. The regiment left for Washington on
Nov. 19, was attached to Gen. Wadsworth's division and served in the vicinity of
Washington until Aug. 1862. It was then successively attached to the 2nd brigade, Casey's
division, 4th corps; Sturgis' brigade and the 4th brigade, Sigel's division, Department of
the Shenandoah. In July, 1862, the regiment was assigned to the 3d brigade, 2nd division,
2nd corps, Army of the Potomac and was first sent to the front at Malvern hill. The troops
showed their mettle at Antietam, where they bravely stood their ground under a fire which
reduced their ranks from 321 officers and men to 76. In the disaster of Sedgwick's
division at the Dunker Church Lieut. -Col. Stetson and 8 other officers were wounded, an
almost unprecedented loss among the army organizations. Proceeding next to Fredericksburg,
the regiment arrived in time to play its part in the battle, in which its loss was 44 in
killed, wounded and missing. The winter was spent in the vicinity of Falmouth, and in May,
1863, the command was active in the Chancellorsville campaign, returning to its old camp
for a short time before the Gettysburg movement began. On June 25, the 59th was
consolidated into four companies, owing to the reduction in its numbers and on July 4 the
veterans and recruits of the 82nd N. Y. infantry, forming five companies, were received,
and also one company of new recruits. The regiment fought bravely at Gettysburg, Auburn,
Bristoe Station and Blackburn's ford and shared in the Mine Run fiasco. A large number of
its members reenlisted in the winter of 1863-64 and as a veteran organization the regiment
fought through the Wilderness campaign, attached to the 1st brigade, 2nd division, 2nd
corps. At the Wilderness, Spottsylvania, the North Anna, Totopotomy, Cold Harbor and
Petersburg, the reputation of the command as a crack fighting regiment was nobly
sustained. In actions before Petersburg, at the Weldon railroad, Deep Bottom, Strawberry
Plains, Reams' station, the Boydton road, and Hatcher's run, over 200 of the regiment were
killed, wounded or reported missing. It was present at the final assault on the Petersburg
fortifications and was then stationed at Munson's hill, Va., where it was mustered out on
June 30, 1865, having rendered such effective service to the Union cause as entitled it to
rank among the "three hundred fighting regiments of the war." The regiment lost
141 by death from wounds and 130 from accident, imprisonment or disease, of whom 64 died
in Confederate prisons. |
Footnotes:
Regimental history taken from "The Union Army" by Federal Publishing
Company, 1908 - Volume 2
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