The 156th New York Infantry Regiment (aka, "Mountain Legion") 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 ...
in 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 156th New York Infantry was organized at
Kingston,
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
New York may also refer to:
Film and television
* '' ...
beginning August 23, 1862 and mustered in for three-years service on November 17, 1862 under the command of
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 ...
Erastus Cooke.
The regiment was attached to Sherman's Division,
Department of the Gulf
The Department of the Gulf was a command of the United States Army in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries and of the Confederate States Army during the Civil War.
History United States Army (Civil War)
Creation
The department was cons ...
, to January 1863. 1st Brigade, 3rd Division,
XIX Corps, Department of the Gulf, January 1863. 3rd Brigade, 3rd Division, XIX Corps, to July 1863. 2nd Brigade, 1st Division, XIX Corps, to February 1864. 3rd Brigade, 2nd Division, XIX Corps, Department of the Gulf, to July 1864, and
Army of the Shenandoah, Middle Military Division, to January 1865. 3rd Brigade, Grover's Division, District of Savannah, Georgia,
Department of the South The Department of the South was a military department of the United States Army that existed in several iterations in the 19th century during and after the American Civil War.
1862–65
After the first 11 months of the American Civil War, startin ...
, to March 1865. 3rd Brigade, 1st Division,
X Corps 10th Corps, Tenth Corps, or X Corps may refer to:
France
* 10th Army Corps (France)
* X Corps (Grande Armée), a unit of the Imperial French Army during the Napoleonic Wars
Germany
* X Corps (German Empire), a unit of the Imperial German Army
* ...
,
Army of the Ohio
The Army of the Ohio was the name of two Union armies in the American Civil War. The first army became the Army of the Cumberland and the second army was created in 1863.
History
1st Army of the Ohio
General Orders No. 97 appointed Maj. Gen. Do ...
, to May 1865. District of Savannah, Georgia, Department of Georgia, to July, 1865.
The 156th New York Infantry mustered out of service October 23, 1865 at
Augusta, Georgia
Augusta ( ), officially Augusta–Richmond County, is a consolidated city-county on the central eastern border of the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. The city lies across the Savannah River from South Carolina at the head of its navig ...
.
Detailed service
Left New York for New Orleans, La., December 4, 1862. Camp at Carrollton, La., until February 11, 1863. Expedition to Plaquemine February 11–19. At Carrollton until March 6. Moved to Baton Rouge, La., March 6. Operations against Port Hudson March 7–27. Moved to Algiers April 1, then to Berwick City April 9. Operations in western Louisiana April 9-May 14. Bayou Teche Campaign April 11–20. Fort Bisland near Centreville, April 12–13. Vermillion Bayou April 17. Opelousas April 20. Expedition from Opelousas to Alexandria and Simsport May 5–18. Moved to Port Hudson May 22–25. Siege of Port Hudson May 25-July 9. Assaults on Port Hudson May 27 and June 14. Expedition to Clinton June 3–8. Surrender of Port Hudson July 9. Moved to Baton Rouge, then to Donaldsonville, July 11–15, and duty there until August 15. At Baton Rouge until March 1864. Red River Campaign March 23-May 22. At Alexandria March 25-April 12. Cane River April 23–24. Construction of dam at Alexandria April 30-May 10. Actions at Alexandria May 2 and 9. Retreat to Morganza May 13–20. Mansura May 16. At Morganza until July. Expedition from Morganza to the Atchafalaya May 30-June 5. Atchafalaya River June 1. Moved to Fort Monroe, Va., then to Washington, D.C., July 5–29. Sheridan's Shenandoah Valley Campaign August 5-November 28. Third Battle of Winchester September 19. Fisher's Hill September 22. Battle of Cedar Creek October 19. Duty at Kernstown and Winchester until January 1865. Moved to Savannah, Ga., January 5–22, and duty there until March 5. Moved to Wilmington, N.C., March 5, then to Morehead City March 10, and duty there until April 8. Moved to Goldsboro April 8, then to Savannah May 2. Duty at Savannah, Ga., and in the Department of Georgia until October.
Casualties
The regiment lost a total of 227 men during service; 4 officers and 56 enlisted men killed or mortally wounded, 3 officers and 164 enlisted men died of disease.
Commanders
* Colonel Erastus Cooke
* Colonel Jacob Sharpe
* Lieutenant Colonel Alfred Neafie
See also
*
List of New York Civil War regiments
The following units served the Union Army during the American Civil War.
Infantry
Militia infantry
Cavalry
Artillery
1st New York Light Artillery
*Battery A, 1st New York Light Artillery
*Battery B, 1st New York Light ...
*
New York in the Civil War
The state of New York during the American Civil War was a major influence in national politics, the Union war effort, and the media coverage of the war. New York was the most populous state in the Union during the Civil War, and provided more tro ...
References
* Dyer, Frederick H. ''A Compendium of the War of the Rebellion'' (Des Moines, IA: Dyer Pub. Co.), 1908.
* Kennedy, Charles Washington. ''From Port Hudson to Cedar Creek: The Civil War Letters of Charles Washington Kennedy'' (S.l.: s.n.), 2015.
* Osborne, Seward R. ''The Saga of the "Mountain Legion" (156th N.Y. Vols.) in the Civil War'' (Hightstown, NJ: Longstreet House), 1994.
* Savas, Theodore P. (et al.). ''The Red River Campaign: Union and Confederate Leadership and War in Louisiana'' (Shreveport, LA: Parabellum Press), 2003.
ontains a chapter, "Lt. Charles W. Kennedy and the 156th New York Infantry in Alexandria".;Attribution
* {{CWR
Military units and formations established in 1862
Military units and formations disestablished in 1865
Infantry 156