The 120th New York Infantry Regiment 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 120th 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 * '' ...

, and mustered in for three years service on August 22, 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 ...

George Henry Sharpe. The regiment was attached to the following brigades: * Whipple's Brigade, Defenses of Washington, D.C., to October 1862 * 1st Brigade, 2nd Division,

III Corps 3rd Corps, Third Corps, III Corps, or 3rd Army Corps may refer to: France * 3rd Army Corps (France) * III Cavalry Corps (Grande Armée), a cavalry unit of the Imperial French Army during the Napoleonic Wars * III Corps (Grande Armée), a unit of th ...

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 ...

, to December 1862 * 2nd Brigade, 2nd Division, III Corps, to March 1864 * 2nd Brigade, 4th Division,

II Corps 2nd Corps, Second Corps, or II Corps may refer to: France * 2nd Army Corps (France) * II Cavalry Corps (Grande Armée), a cavalry unit of the Imperial French Army during the Napoleonic Wars * II Corps (Grande Armée), a unit of the Imperial French ...

, Army of the Potomac, to May 1864 * 4th Brigade, 3rd Division, II Corps, to July 1864 * 3rd Brigade, 3rd Division, II Corps, to June 1865. The 120th New York Infantry mustered out of service June 3, 1865. Veterans and recruits whose enlistments had not expired were transferred to the 73rd New York Infantry.120th NY Infantry Regiment during the Civil War
''New York State Division of Military and Naval Affairs: Military History''

Detailed service

1862

* Left New York for Washington, D.C., August 24, 1862. * Duty in the defenses of Washington, D. C., until November 1862. * At

Fairfax Station, Virginia Fairfax Station is a census-designated place (CDP) in Fairfax County, Virginia, United States. The population was 12,030 at the 2010 census. Located in Northern Virginia, its center is located southwest of Washington, D.C. Geography Fairfax Sta ...

, until November 25. * Operations on the Orange & Alexandria Railroad November 10–12. * Rappahannock Campaign December 1862 to June 1863. *

Battle of Fredericksburg The Battle of Fredericksburg was fought December 11–15, 1862, in and around Fredericksburg, Virginia, in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War. The combat, between the Union Army of the Potomac commanded by Maj. Gen. Ambrose Burnsi ...

, December 12–15, 1862. * At

Falmouth, Virginia Falmouth is a census-designated place (CDP) in Stafford County, Virginia, United States. Situated on the north bank of the Rappahannock River at the falls, the community is north of and opposite the city of Fredericksburg. Recognized by the U. ...

, until April 1863.

1863

1864

1865

Casualties

The regiment lost a total of 384 men during service: 11 officers and 140 enlisted men killed or mortally wounded, 3 officers and 179 enlisted men died of disease, and 51 died in Confederate prisons.

Commanders

* Colonel George Henry Sharpe - commanded until assigned to Army of the Potomac Provost Office and

Bureau of Military Information The Bureau of Military Information (BMI) was the first formal and organized American intelligence agency, active during the American Civil War. Predecessors Allan Pinkerton was contracted by Federal and a number of state and local governments to s ...

on February 9, 1863 *

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 ...

Cornelius D. Westbrook - took command on February 9, 1863 when Col. Sharpe was reassigned; Westbrook was wounded in action at the Battle of Gettysburg on July 2, 1863 *

Major Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...

John R. Tappen - took command on July 2, 1863 when Lt. Col. Westbrook was wounded; Tappen was promoted to Lt. Col. on February 27, 1864 and mustered out on December 3, 1864 *Major Abram L. Lockwood - took command on December 3, 1864 when Lt. Col. Tappen mustered out; Lockwood was promoted to Lt. Col. on December 20, 1864

References

;Attribution *

External links

120th New York Infantry monument at Gettysburg
Military units and formations established in 1862 Military units and formations disestablished in 1865 Infantry 120 1862 establishments in New York (state)