1st New York Engineer Regiment
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The 1st New York Engineer Regiment was an
engineer Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who invent, design, analyze, build and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while considering the l ...
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 ...
that served 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 ...
. It was also known as Serrell's Engineers, New York Volunteer Corps of Engineers, or Engineer's and Artizans. The regiment served initially in the Lower Seaboard Theater, and later in the Richmond–Petersburg Campaign.


Organization and muster

In 1860 the army Corps of Engineers consisted of just 44 officers and 100 soldiers for an army of 15,000 soldiers. After the formation of the Confederacy and the
Battle of Fort Sumter The Battle of Fort Sumter (April 12–13, 1861) was the bombardment of Fort Sumter near Charleston, South Carolina by the South Carolina militia. It ended with the surrender by the United States Army, beginning the American Civil War. Follo ...
, Congress authorized a massive increase in the number of specialized engineer troops on August 3, 1861, to complement the growing Union Army.
Edward W. Serrell Edward Wellman Serrell (November 5, 1826 – April 25, 1906) was an American civil engineer during the mid 19th century. In 1861, during the American Civil War he helped raise a regiment of engineers from New York state, the 1st New York Voluntee ...
, a prominent
civil engineer A civil engineer is a person who practices civil engineering – the application of planning, designing, constructing, maintaining, and operating infrastructure while protecting the public and environmental health, as well as improving existing ...
obtained authorization to begin recruiting an engineer regiment which would become known as the 1st New York Volunteer Engineer Regiment, or Serrell's Engineers. The regiment was accepted by the state on September 27, 1861. Serrell was appointed a
Lieutenant Colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colone ...
of Volunteers on October 11, 1861, and promoted to a full
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 ...
by December of that year. The regiment was officially organized in
New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
, and mustered in for a three-year enlistment on October 11, 1861. Volunteers were recruited by company: *Company A: New York City *Company B: New York City *Company C:
Athens Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...
,
Hudson Hudson may refer to: People * Hudson (given name) * Hudson (surname) * Henry Hudson, English explorer * Hudson (footballer, born 1986), Hudson Fernando Tobias de Carvalho, Brazilian football right-back * Hudson (footballer, born 1988), Hudso ...
,
Cooperstown Cooperstown is a village in and county seat of Otsego County, New York, United States. Most of the village lies within the town of Otsego, but some of the eastern part is in the town of Middlefield. Located at the foot of Otsego Lake in the C ...
,
Newark Newark most commonly refers to: * Newark, New Jersey, city in the United States * Newark Liberty International Airport, New Jersey; a major air hub in the New York metropolitan area Newark may also refer to: Places Canada * Niagara-on-the ...
, and
Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...
*Company D: New York City *Company E: Kingston, PA, Newark,
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, Poughkeepsie, and Ulster County *Company F: New York City,
Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...
, Rochester, Canandaigua, and Newark *Company G: New York City, Canandaigua, and Otsego County *Company H: New York City *Company I: New York City, Newburgh, Schuyler's Falls, Mooers, Goshen, Saranac, Piermont,
Plattsburgh Plattsburgh ( moh, Tsi ietsénhtha) is a city in, and the seat of, Clinton County, New York, United States, situated on the north-western shore of Lake Champlain. The population was 19,841 at the 2020 census. The population of the surrounding ...
, Centerville, and Ellenburgh *Company K: New Jersey at
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Dover Dover () is a town and major ferry port in Kent, South East England. It faces France across the Strait of Dover, the narrowest part of the English Channel at from Cap Gris Nez in France. It lies south-east of Canterbury and east of Maidstone ...
, Paterson, Morristown, Stanhope, and
Rockaway Rockaway may refer to: Places in the United States *Rockaway Beach (disambiguation) New Jersey * Rockaway, New Jersey, a borough in Morris County *Rockaway Township, New Jersey, a township in Morris County *Rockaway Creek (New Jersey), a tributar ...
*Company L: New York City *Company M: New York City, Brooklyn,
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,
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, and Tarrytown Upon formation, the volunteer engineers were promised pay wages one-third greater than that of the line. After the unit had been mustered, the Paymaster General refused to recognize the status of the newly formed regiment, and paid them the same rate as infantry. After protests to the War Department failed to rectify the situation, the men refused to take their reduced pay. Finally, after eight months of refusing to accept the lower wages, the order finally came through to increase the soldiers' pay to the agreed amount.


Department of the South

The 1st New York was deployed to Port Royal Sound and was formed as the 10th Corps Engineers in the Department of the South. The regiment sailed for Port Royal from New York Harbor on October 13, 1861 aboard the steamship ''
Star of the South The Star of the South, also known as 'Limar', is a diamond found in Brazil in July 1853. The diamond is cut into a cushion shape and weighs . The Star of the South is graded as a type IIa diamond, with a color grading of fancy light pinkish-br ...
''. The regiment distinguished itself in the
Battle of Fort Pulaski The siege of Fort Pulaski (or the Siege and Reduction of Fort Pulaski) concluded with the Battle of Fort Pulaski fought April 10–11, 1862, during the American Civil War. Union forces on Tybee Island and naval operations conducted a 112-day si ...
, helping to capture the fort after 30 hours of bombardment, constructing batteries for the new James rifled cannon. The 1st New York was given the honor of having their regimental flag chosen as the first to float over Fort Pulaski after its capture. The regiment was employed throughout the east coast, from South Carolina to Florida. While serving in the
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 * X ...
, the regiment was involved in capturing several key forts in Charleston Harbor. After the failed infantry assault on Fort Wagner which included the famous charge by the
54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry The 54th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment that saw extensive service in the Union Army during the American Civil War. The unit was the second African-American regiment, following the 1st Kansas Colored Volunteer Infantry ...
, retold in the climax of the feature film '' Glory'', the 1st New York Engineers were tasked with conducting a traditional
siege A siege is a military blockade of a city, or fortress, with the intent of conquering by attrition warfare, attrition, or a well-prepared assault. This derives from la, sedere, lit=to sit. Siege warfare is a form of constant, low-intensity con ...
on the fort. After 60 days of shelling, the defenders abandoned the fort on September 7, 1863. Using
Morris Island Morris Island is an 840-acre (3.4 km²) uninhabited island in Charleston Harbor in South Carolina, accessible only by boat. The island lies in the outer reaches of the harbor and was thus a strategic location in the American Civil War. The ...
as a staging area, the X Corps could focus on recapturing Fort Sumter, the site of the first military action of the Civil War. During the
Battle of Fort Sumter The Battle of Fort Sumter (April 12–13, 1861) was the bombardment of Fort Sumter near Charleston, South Carolina by the South Carolina militia. It ended with the surrender by the United States Army, beginning the American Civil War. Follo ...
, the 1st New York established watchtowers and built batteries in an attempt to pummel the fort into capitulation. However, in spite of a near constant bombardment, as well as a failed amphibious assault, Union forces were unable to occupy the fort until its abandonment by
Confederate Confederacy or confederate may refer to: States or communities * Confederate state or confederation, a union of sovereign groups or communities * Confederate States of America, a confederation of secessionist American states that existed between ...
forces on February 17, 1865.


The Marsh Battery and the Swamp Angel

Unable to recapture Fort Sumter, the X Corps under Gen.
Quincy Adams Gillmore Quincy Adams Gillmore (February 28, 1825 – April 7, 1888) was an American civil engineer, author, and a general in the Union Army during the American Civil War. He was noted for his actions in the Union victory at Fort Pulaski, where his m ...
turned their attention to the nearby city of Charleston. Gillmore wanted to shell Charleston using
Greek Fire Greek fire was an incendiary weapon used by the Eastern Roman Empire beginning . Used to set fire to enemy ships, it consisted of a combustible compound emitted by a flame-throwing weapon. Some historians believe it could be ignited on contact w ...
to force its capitulation without capturing the harbor forts, so he instructed Serrell to explore the possibilities of constructing a battery in the marshes between James Island and Morris Island. According to legend Serrell gave the duty to a young engineer who declared the project could not be done. Serrell told the doubting engineer that nothing was impossible, and to requisition any necessary materials. A short time later Serrell received a request for twenty men eighteen feet tall. At the same time there was a request to the department's surgeon to splice three six-foot men together to make the needed eighteen footers. The request did not amuse Serrell, and he soon replaced the young officer. Serrell assumed personal responsibility and conducted a series of experiments to establish the capability of the soil to support weight. He believed the soil could be stabilized enough to receive the weight of a siege piece. A plan was presented to Gilmore for the construction of a battery on August 2, 1863. It was immediately accepted, and several days were spent setting up support activities to supply lumber and other materials. Construction began on 10 August. The engineers built a rectangular frame of sheet piling that was driven by a lever activated ram. The first measure to reinforce the soil was "a thick stratum of grass." This was covered by two layers of tarpaulin followed by "15 inches of well rammed sand." A platform consisting of three layers of 3 inch pine planks topped off the position. The "Marsh Battery" was completed on August 17, 1863, and stood ready for its armament. The " Swamp Angel," an 8-inch, 200 pound Parrott Rifle was positioned in the battery, and the
11th Maine Volunteer Infantry Regiment The 11th Maine Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. Service The 11th Maine Infantry was organized in Augusta, Maine, and mustered in for a three-year enlistment on November 12, ...
manned the weapon, firing incendiary shells at the city of Charleston from August 22–23 of 1863. After lobbing 35 shells into Charleston the Swamp Angel burst, and the battery was abandoned. Like Sumter before, Charleston held out under bombardment and did not capitulate until February 18, 1865. The artillery piece also inspired a poem by Herman Melville, and is known as one of the most famous artillery pieces of the Civil War.


Army of the James

In the spring of 1864, companies B, C, E, F, H, K, L & M were sent to join Benjamin Butler's
Army of the James The Army of the James was a Union Army that was composed of units from the Department of Virginia and North Carolina and served along the James River (Virginia), James River during the final operations of the American Civil War in Virginia. Histor ...
, and Serrell was again named chief engineer of the Corps. They participated in the Bermuda Hundred Campaign, building the entire Bermuda Hundred Line, laid many miles of
corduroy road A corduroy road or log road is a type of road or timber trackway made by placing logs, perpendicular to the direction of the road over a low or swampy area. The result is an improvement over impassable mud or dirt roads, yet rough in the bes ...
s, dredged the
Dutch Gap Canal Dutch Gap Canal is located on the James River in Chesterfield County, Virginia just north of the lost 17th-century town of Henricus. The canal's construction was initiated by Union forces during the American Civil War to bypass a meander loop of ...
, and constructed the abutments and roads that connected the pontoon bridge assembled by the Engineers 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 ...
with City Point, Virginia. During the Richmond–Petersburg Campaign, the Confederate line was broken at
Fort Harrison Fort Harrison, later renamed Fort Burnham, was an important component of the Confederate defenses of Richmond during the American Civil War. Named after Lieutenant William Harrison, a Confederate engineer, it was the largest in the series of fort ...
, and the 1st New York set the new line from the newly constructed Fort Brady to Fort Harrison and over to Deep Bottom. After the fall of Petersburg, the 1st New York was formed into the Engineer Brigade, along with the 15th New York Volunteer Engineer Regiment and the 50th New York Volunteer Engineer Regiment. Col. Serrell was honorably discharged on February 15, 1865, and Col. James F. Hall took command of the regiment until the end of the war. The regiment was mustered out on June 30, 1865.


Casualties

The regiment lost 2 officers, and 25 enlisted men killed or mortally wounded in combat. 5 Officers and 116 Enlisted men died from disease, for a total of 148 casualties.


Commanders

* Colonel Edward W. Serrell * Colonel James F. Hall


Notable soldiers

*Lieutenant Frederick Clarke Withers


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 ...
*
List of Engineer Regiments of the Union Army Engineer Regiments were a key aspect of the Union army during the American Civil War. The duties engineer regiments during the American Civil War included destroying and building transportation networks, erecting defensive and offensive emplacemen ...


External links


1st New York Volunteer Engineers Descendants’ Depot


Notes and references

{{DEFAULTSORT:1st New York Engineer Regiment Military units and formations in New York (state) Engineer 001 1861 establishments in New York (state) Military units and formations established in 1861 Military units and formations disestablished in 1865 Engineer units and formations of the Union Army