The 147th New York Infantry Regiment, the "Oswego Regiment" or "Ploughboys", was an

infantry Infantry is a military specialization which engages in ground combat on foot. Infantry generally consists of light infantry, mountain infantry, motorized infantry & mechanized infantry, airborne infantry, air assault infantry, and marine i ...

regiment A regiment is a military unit. Its role and size varies markedly, depending on the country, service and/or a specialisation. In Medieval Europe, the term "regiment" denoted any large body of front-line soldiers, recruited or conscripted ...

of the

Union Army During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union (American Civil War), Union of the collective U.S. st ...

during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

Service

The 147th New York was organized in

Oswego, New York Oswego () is a city in Oswego County, New York, United States. The population was 16,921 at the 2020 census. Oswego is located on Lake Ontario in Upstate New York, about 35 miles (55km) northwest of Syracuse. It promotes itself as "The Port C ...

, and mustered in for three years in September 1862; all companies were recruited from Oswego County. The regiment left the State in September 1862 and served in the

defenses of Washington The Civil War Defenses of Washington were a group of Union Army fortifications that protected the federal capital city, Washington, D.C., from invasion by the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War (see Washington, D.C., in the Ame ...

; in the Provost Guard of the

Army of the Potomac The Army of the Potomac was the principal Union Army in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War. It was created in July 1861 shortly after the First Battle of Bull Run and was disbanded in June 1865 following the surrender of the Confedera ...

, from December; in 1st Division, 1st Corps, from March 1863; in multiple divisions of 5th Corps from March 1864; and was honorably discharged and mustered out June 7, 1865, near

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

The 147th, after serving in defenses and on guard duty, was under fire for the first time at Fitzhugh's crossing below Fredericksburg, one of the first movements of the Chancellorsville campaign, losing some killed and wounded. It was in reserve at Chancellorsville and sustained no losses. It marched on the field at the opening of Gettysburg where the order to retire failed to reach them as their commander was wounded, so they temporarily held their ground with significant casualties. The regiment took part in the Mine Run campaign—the last campaign of the 1st corps—sustaining a few casualties, and then went into winter quarters at

Brandy Station Brandy Station is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Culpeper County, Virginia, United States. It was first listed as a CDP in the 2020 census with a population of 191. Its original name was Brandy. The name Brandy S ...

. In March, 1864, when the 1st corps was broken up, it was assigned to the 5th (

Warren A warren is a network of wild rodent or lagomorph, typically rabbit burrows. Domestic warrens are artificial, enclosed establishment of animal husbandry dedicated to the raising of rabbits for meat and fur. The term evolved from the medieval Angl ...

's) corps, and was actively engaged in all the battles of the corps during Grant's bloody campaign of 1864–65.

Total strength and casualties

The total enrollment of the regiment during service was 2,102. During its service the regiment lost by death, killed in action, 5 officers, 107 enlisted men; of wounds received in action, 4 officers, 52 enlisted men; of disease and other causes, 2 officers, 177 enlisted men; total, 11 officers, 336 enlisted men; aggregate, 347; of whom 71 enlisted men died in the hands of the enemy.New York State Military Museum Unit History Project 147th Infantry Regiment Civil War
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Commanders

Colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...

Andrew S. Warner *Colonel John G. Butler *Colonel Francis C. Miller

Notes

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References

The Civil War Archive

External links