The 72nd New York Infantry Regiment was one of five infantry regiments formed by former U.S. Congressman

Daniel Sickles Daniel Edgar Sickles (October 20, 1819May 3, 1914) was an American politician, soldier, and diplomat. Born to a wealthy family in New York City, Sickles was involved in a number of scandals, most notably the 1859 homicide of his wife's lover, U. ...

and established as part of the

Excelsior Brigade The Excelsior Brigade was a military unit in the Union Army during the American Civil War. Mainly composed of infantry regiments raised in the state of New York primarily by former U.S. Representative Daniel Sickles, the brigade served in several ...

which fought with 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 multiple key engagements of 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 ...

, including the

Chancellorsville Campaign The Battle of Chancellorsville, April 30 – May 6, 1863, was a major battle of the American Civil War (1861–1865), and the principal engagement of the Chancellorsville campaign. Chancellorsville is known as Lee's "perfect battle" because h ...

in Virginia, the

Battle of Gettysburg The Battle of Gettysburg () was fought July 1–3, 1863, in and around the town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, by Union and Confederate forces during the American Civil War. In the battle, Union Major General George Meade's Army of the Po ...

in Pennsylvania, and the

Overland Campaign The Overland Campaign, also known as Grant's Overland Campaign and the Wilderness Campaign, was a series of battles fought in Virginia during May and June 1864, in the American Civil War. Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant, general-in-chief of all Union ...

. Leaders from the 72nd New York recruited men from New Jersey, as well as from cities and small towns across the State of New York.

Service

Raised by former U.S. Congressman

, under authority of the

U.S. War Department The United States Department of War, also called the War Department (and occasionally War Office in the early years), was the United States Cabinet department originally responsible for the operation and maintenance of the United States Army, a ...

on May 18, 1861, the 72nd New York Infantry was organized at Camp Scott on

Staten Island, New York Staten Island ( ) is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City, coextensive with Richmond County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. Located in the city's southwest portion, the borough is separated from New Jersey b ...

with its members mustering in there from June through November 1861. Listed on its rosters were men from New York City, who were assigned to Companies A, H or K; members of the 68th Militia from

Dunkirk Dunkirk (french: Dunkerque ; vls, label=French Flemish, Duunkerke; nl, Duinkerke(n) ; , ;) is a commune in the department of Nord in northern France.Newark, New Jersey Newark ( , ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of New Jersey and the seat of Essex County and the second largest city within the New York metropolitan area.Nelson Taylor Nelson Taylor (June 8, 1821 – January 16, 1894) was a U.S. Representative from New York, a brigadier-general in the Union Army during the American Civil War, and a captain in the U.S. Army during the Mexican-American War. Biography Born in ...

, the regiment was awarded its state number on December 11. Part of Sickles'

, the 72nd New York participated in many of the war's most significant battles. Transported to Washington, D.C., the members of this regiment were initially attached to Division of the Potomac (Sickles' Brigade), and assigned to defend the city before participating in the Union Army's expedition to lower Maryland (September 15–October 2, 1861). They were then reassigned as Sickles' Brigade to the U.S.

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 ...

in October as part of the division commanded by Brigadier-General

Joseph Hooker Joseph Hooker (November 13, 1814 – October 31, 1879) was an American Civil War general for the Union, chiefly remembered for his decisive defeat by Confederate General Robert E. Lee at the Battle of Chancellorsville in 1863. Hooker had serv ...

. Their next significant deployment came as part of the U.S. Army's Third Corps, Second Division when they engaged in the Union Army's advance on Manassas, Virginia (March 10, 1862), the expedition from Dumfries to Fredericksburg, capture of stores (March 18), and reconnoissance from Liverpool Point to Stafford Court House and subsequent operations there (April 4). Reassigned to the Peninsula Campaign, they then participated in the

Siege of Yorktown The Siege of Yorktown, also known as the Battle of Yorktown, the surrender at Yorktown, or the German battle (from the presence of Germans in all three armies), beginning on September 28, 1781, and ending on October 19, 1781, at Yorktown, Virgi ...

, Virginia (April 5–May 4, 1862), and incurred heavy casualties in the

Battle of Williamsburg The Battle of Williamsburg, also known as the Battle of Fort Magruder, took place on May 5, 1862, in York County, James City County, and Williamsburg, Virginia, as part of the Peninsula Campaign of the American Civil War. It was the first pitc ...

(May 5). By the time that battle was over, nearly 200 members of the regiment had been killed or wounded, a loss rate which the regiment would not experience again for the remainder of the war. Next engaged in the Battle of Seven Pines/Fair Oaks (May 31–June 1), the regiment then fought in the

Seven Days Battles The Seven Days Battles were a series of seven battles over seven days from June 25 to July 1, 1862, near Richmond, Virginia, during the American Civil War. Confederate General Robert E. Lee drove the invading Union Army of the Potomac, command ...

at Oak Grove (June 25), the Peach Orchard and Savage's Station (June 29), White Oak Swamp and

Glendale Glendale is the anglicised version of the Gaelic Gleann Dail, which means ''valley of fertile, low-lying arable land''. It may refer to: Places Australia * Glendale, New South Wales ** Stockland Glendale, a shopping centre *Glendale, Queensland, ...

(June 30), and

Malvern Hill Malvern Hill stands on the north bank of the James River in Henrico County, Virginia, USA, about eighteen miles southeast of Richmond. On 1 July 1862, it was the scene of the Battle of Malvern Hill, one of the Seven Days Battles of the American ...

(July 1 and August 5). Transferred from the Peninsula during the fall of 1862, the regiment saw heavy action in the Union's Manassas Station Operations (August 25–27) and the

Second Battle of Bull Run The Second Battle of Bull Run or Battle of Second Manassas was fought August 28–30, 1862, in Prince William County, Virginia, as part of the American Civil War. It was the culmination of the Northern Virginia Campaign waged by Confederate ...

(August 28–30). Engaged later that summer in the Union's Northern Virginia Campaign, under the command of Major-General John Pope, and in operations at Fairfax Station and along the Orange and Alexandria Railroad that fall, the 72nd New York received roughly 200 replacement soldiers in December 1862, bringing the regiment's strength to just over 400. It was then ordered into the

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), where it remained in the field under arms and without tents for 50 hours before retreating with other Union Army troops. Encamped 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. ...

through April 1863, the regiment participated in Major-General Ambrose Burnside's Mud March (January 1863) and in operations at Rappanhannock Bridge and Grove Church (February 5–7) before being ordered on to the Chancellorsville Campaign. During this phase of duty, the 72nd New York lost nearly one-fourth of its members in the intense combat of the

Battle of Chancellorsville The Battle of Chancellorsville, April 30 – May 6, 1863, was a major battle of the American Civil War (1861–1865), and the principal engagement of the Chancellorsville campaign. Chancellorsville is known as Lee's "perfect battle" because h ...

on May 7, including the regiment's commanding officer, Colonel William O. Stevens, who died the next day after having been mortally wounded and captured by

Confederate States Army The Confederate States Army, also called the Confederate Army or the Southern Army, was the military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy) during the American Civil War (1861–1865), fighting ...

troops.

Assigned next to the Gettysburg Campaign, the 72nd New York fought in the

under the command of Colonel John Austin. Positioned near the Emmettsburg Road, the regiment was forced to retreat when the Third Corps was routed from its advance position. By the time the second day's fight was over, Austin and one-third of the regiment had become casualties, as had Sickles, the regiment's founder, whose leg was so badly damaged by a stray cannon ball that it required amputation. When the engagement was over, the regiment was ordered to pursue Confederate troops from Gettysburg into Maryland and Virginia, and re-engaged with the enemy in the battles of Wapping Heights (July 23), Bristoe Station (October 14) and Kelly's Ford (November 7), as well as in the

Mine Run Campaign The Battle of Mine Run, also known as Payne's Farm, or New Hope Church, or the Mine Run campaign (November 27 – December 2, 1863), was conducted in Orange County, Virginia, in the American Civil War. An unsuccessful attempt of the Union A ...

(November 27–December 2). Assigned to duties in the vicinity of Brandy Station until early May 1864, the 72nd New York assisted with operations along the Rapidan River (February 6–7), and was then assigned to the

led by Lieutenant-General

Ulysses S. Grant Ulysses S. Grant (born Hiram Ulysses Grant ; April 27, 1822July 23, 1885) was an American military officer and politician who served as the 18th president of the United States from 1869 to 1877. As Commanding General, he led the Union Ar ...

. After fighting in the battles of the

Wilderness Wilderness or wildlands (usually in the plural), are natural environments on Earth that have not been significantly modified by human activity or any nonurbanized land not under extensive agricultural cultivation. The term has traditionally re ...

(May 5–7),

Spotsylvania Court House The Battle of Spotsylvania Court House, sometimes more simply referred to as the Battle of Spotsylvania (or the 19th-century spelling Spottsylvania), was the second major battle in Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant and Maj. Gen. George G. Meade's 1864 ...

(May 8–21), North Anna (May 23–26), Totopotomoy Creek (May 28–31), and

Cold Harbor The Battle of Cold Harbor was fought during the American Civil War near Mechanicsville, Virginia, from May 31 to June 12, 1864, with the most significant fighting occurring on June 3. It was one of the final battles of Union Lt. Gen. Ulysses S ...

(June 1–12), the regiment also participated in the opening weeks of the

Siege of Petersburg The Richmond–Petersburg campaign was a series of battles around Petersburg, Virginia, fought from June 9, 1864, to March 25, 1865, during the American Civil War. Although it is more popularly known as the Siege of Petersburg, it was not a cla ...

until its leaders received orders to begin winding down the regiment's operations. On June 20, Companies A, B, D, E, F, I and K mustered out. Companies C, G, and H were then transferred to the 120th New York Infantry. Company G was then officially mustered out on July 2, followed by Company C on July 20 and Company H on October 31, 1864.

Notable members

* Haight, John H.: Winner of the U.S. Medal of Honor for extraordinary heroism displayed in 1862 during the Battle of Williamsburg, Manassas Station Operations, and Second Battle of Bull Run while serving as a sergeant with the regiment's G Company. * Thomas Horan: Recipient of the U.S. Medal of Honor after the Battle of Gettysburg. * Stevens, William O.: After advancing through the ranks, Stevens was commissioned as colonel on September 8, 1862 and placed in charge of the regiment, a post he held until he was killed in action on May 3, 1863 during the Battle of Chancellorsville, Virginia. * Taylor, Nelson: Founder and first commanding officer of the regiment, Tayor was appointed as Brigadier-General of Volunteers, U.S. Army on September 7, 1862. Elected to the U.S. House of Representatives just prior to the end of the war, he served in Congress from March 4, 1865 to March 3, 1867.Taylor, Nelson
, in ''Biographical Directory of the United States Congress''. Washington, D.C.: U.S. House of Representatives, retrieved online October 4, 2018. File: John H. Haight, U.S. Medal of Honor Winner, c. 1907.jpg, Sgt. John H. Haight File: Col. William O. Stevens.jpg, Colonel William O. Stevens File: Nelson Taylor.jpg, General Nelson Taylor

Monuments and other memorials

File:Gettysburg, 72NY.jpg, 72nd New York Infantry monument, Gettysburg National Battlefield File:72nd-NY-Inf-Monument.jpg, Plaque, 72nd New York Infantry monument, Gettysburg National Battlefield

References

External links

72nd New York State Volunteer Infantry, Company C
(reenactors' website). * Hawks, Steve A.
Excelsior Brigade
, in "Union Monuments at Gettysburg (New York Infantry)". ''Stone Sentinels'': Retrieved online October 4, 2018.

Service

Notable members

Monuments and other memorials

See also

References

External links

Further reading