The 55th New York Infantry Regiment (aka Gardes de Lafayette) 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 ...

predominantly made up of French immigrants.

Service

The 55th New York Infantry was organized in camp near

New Dorp, Staten Island New Dorp is a neighborhood on the East Shore of Staten Island, New York City, United States. New Dorp is bounded by Mill Road on the southeast, Tysens Lane on the southwest, Amboy and Richmond Roads on the northwest, and Bancroft Avenue on the no ...

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 August 28, 1861 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 ...

Régis de Trobriand Philippe Régis Denis de Keredern de Trobriand (June 4, 1816 – July 15, 1897) was a French aristocrat, lawyer, poet, and novelist who, on a dare, emigrated in his 20s to the United States, settling first in New York City. During the American ...

. Company B did not join the regiment until April 1862. The regiment was attached to Peck's Brigade, Buell's Division,

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 March 1862. 2nd Brigade, 1st Division, IV Corps, Army of the Potomac, to September 1862. 3rd Brigade, 1st 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 ...

, to November 1862. 2nd Brigade, 1st Division, III Corps, to December 1862. The 55th New York Infantry ceased to exist on December 21, 1862 when it was consolidated with the 38th New York Infantry Regiment as Companies G, H, I, and K.

Detailed service

Left New York for Washington, D.C., August 31, 1861. Duty at Fort Gaines, Md., September and October 1861. Duty in the defenses of Washington, D.C., until March 1862. Marched to Prospect Hill, Va., March 11–15. Moved to the Peninsula, Virginia, March 28. Siege of Yorktown April 5–May 4. Battle of Williamsburg May 5. Operations about Bottom's Bridge May 20–23. Battle of Seven Pines May 31 – June 1. Seven days before Richmond June 25 – July 1. Malvern Hill July 1. At Harrison's Landing until August 16. Movement to Fort Monroe, then to Centreville August 16–29. Duty in the defenses of Washington until October. Movement to Falmouth, Va., October–November. Battle of Fredericksburg, Va., December 12–15.

Casualties

The regiment lost a total of 62 men during service; 33 enlisted men killed or mortally wounded, 29 enlisted men died of disease.

Commanders

* Colonel Régis de Trobriand *

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 ...

Louis Thourot - commanded during the Seven Days Battles

References

* Dyer, Frederick H. ''A Compendium of the War of the Rebellion'' (Des Moines, IA: Dyer Pub. Co.), 1908. ;Attribution * {{CWR

External links