{{Infobox military unit , unit_name= 88th New York Infantry Regiment , image=Flag_of_New_York_(1778-1901).svg , image_size = 100 , caption=New York flag , dates= November 1861 – June 30, 1865 , country=

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, allegiance=

Union Union commonly refers to: * Trade union, an organization of workers * Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets Union may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * Union (band), an American rock group ** ''Un ...

, branch= Infantry , nickname= Mr. Meaghers Own, 2nd Regiment of the Irish Brigade , equipment= , battles=

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 ...

Battle of Antietam The Battle of Antietam (), or Battle of Sharpsburg particularly in the Southern United States, was a battle of the American Civil War fought on September 17, 1862, between Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia and Union G ...

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

Battle of the Wilderness The Battle of the Wilderness was fought on May 5–7, 1864, during the American Civil War. It was the first battle of Lieutenant General Ulysses S. Grant's 1864 Virginia Overland Campaign against General Robert E. Lee and the Confederate Arm ...

Battle of 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 ...

Battle of 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 ...

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 ...

First Battle of Deep Bottom The First Battle of Deep Bottom, also known as Darbytown, Strawberry Plains, New Market Road, or Gravel Hill, was fought July 27–29, 1864, at Deep Bottom in Henrico County, Virginia, as part of the Siege of Petersburg of the American Civil ...

Appomattox Campaign The 88th New York Infantry Regiment was a volunteer

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 ...

's Irish Brigade 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 ...

History

1861

The regiment was mustered into service in the autumn of 1861 at

Fort Schuyler Fort Schuyler is a preserved 19th century fortification in the New York City borough of the Bronx. It houses a museum, the Stephen B. Luce Library, and the Marine Transportation Department and Administrative offices of the State University of ...

in New York when the government approved the commissioning of an Irish Brigade. Its men were gathered in the states of

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

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

from the various Irish masses of those states. In the beginning, the 88th was not one regiment, but two. One regiment was originally the 2nd New York Infantry, the other, the 4th, respectively under command of a Colonel Baker and Colonel

Thomas F. Meagher Thomas Francis Meagher (; 3 August 18231 July 1867) was an Irish nationalism, Irish nationalist and leader of the Young Irelanders in the Young Irelander Rebellion of 1848, Rebellion of 1848. After being convicted of sedition, he was first sent ...

, future commander of the entire brigade. The two colonels finally reached an agreement that the two regiments should be combined into one. When the issue arose of what number the regiment would be given, many arguments began over it. The men eventually settled on the number 88, in honor of the British Army's 88th Connaught Rangers, a unit composed of Irishmen, also where many of the now American troops received their training. In December of that year, the unit left Fort Schuyler for Virginia. At the time of departure, the unit contained 880 men and officers. Once in Virginia, they made camp for the winter until the next year.

1862

In 1862, the 88th officially joined the Army of the Potomac and fought in the Seven Days Battles, Antietam, and Fredericksburg.

Seven Days Battles

The 88th fought at the battles of

Gaines Mill The Battle of Gaines' Mill, sometimes known as the Battle of Chickahominy River, took place on June 27, 1862, in Hanover County, Virginia, as the third of the Seven Days Battles (Peninsula Campaign) of the American Civil War. Following the inconc ...

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, ...

, Savage's Station, 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 ...

during the Seven Days Battles in Virginia.

Antietam

At the Battle of Antietam, the Irish Brigade was one of the many brigades to charge the famous "Bloody Lane," a road that was sunken down into the ground over years of use, now held by two Confederate brigades. The whole Irish Brigade was armed that day with M1842 .69 caliber smoothbore muskets loaded with

buck and ball Buck and ball was a common load for muzzle-loading muskets, and was frequently used in the American Revolutionary War and into the early days of the American Civil War. The load usually consisted of a .50 to .75 caliber round lead musket ball tha ...

. The Irish Brigade did not break the Confederate line at the Bloody Lane, but fired round after round of the deadly buck-and-ball into the Confederate troops until exhausting their ammunition. The 88th and the rest of the Irish Brigade suffered 60% casualties that day.

Fredericksburg

Again, the 88th New York and the Irish Brigade would storm a heavily fortified position, this time being the hills above Fredericksburg, VA, known as Marye's Heights. The brigade was led forward by Brig. Gen. Thomas Meagher and sent forth upon the Confederate works. The 88th and their fellow Irishmen were some of the men that made it closest to their objective of the Confederate works. The 88th and the brigade were sent reeling back down the hill under unspeakably devastating artillery and small-arms fire. The Battle of Fredericksburg was again a grim day for the 88th. They suffered dozens upon dozens of casualties.

1863

By 1863, the regiments numbers had greatly decreased. The men had gone from nearly 900 men to about 50 in only two years.

Gettysburg

At Gettysburg, the 88th fought with the rest of the Irish Brigade, at that time under the command of

Patrick Kelly Patrick or Paddy Kelly may refer to: Politicians * Patrick Kelly (Irish politician) (1875–1934), Irish soldier, farmer and politician, Teachta Dála (TD) for Clare 1927–1932 * Patrick Kelly (Canadian politician) (1846–1916), Prince Edward I ...

John C. Caldwell John Curtis Caldwell (April 17, 1833 – August 31, 1912) was a teacher, a Union general in the American Civil War, and an American diplomat. Early life Caldwell was born in Lowell, Vermont. He graduated from Amherst College in 1855 and mov ...

's division of

Winfield Scott Hancock Winfield Scott Hancock (February 14, 1824 – February 9, 1886) was a United States Army officer and the Democratic nominee for President of the United States in 1880. He served with distinction in the Army for four decades, including service ...

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 ...

. On the second day of battle, General Hancock ordered Caldwell's division to reinforce General

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. ...

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 ...

at the Wheatfield, Devil's Den, and the Peach Orchard. The 88th New York and the rest of the Irish Brigade took up position at the Wheatfield and held against several attacks from Confederate General

James Longstreet James Longstreet (January 8, 1821January 2, 1904) was one of the foremost Confederate generals of the American Civil War and the principal subordinate to General Robert E. Lee, who called him his "Old War Horse". He served under Lee as a corps ...

's corps. The 88th and the rest of the brigade eventually broke, but were later considered heroes for holding for so long.

1864

By 1864, the 88th had fought in many battles and their men were depleted. They launched a recruiting campaign that year and gained 400 more recruits.

1865

At the end of the war in 1865, the men had mustered out. The 88th was then known as the "Wolves of the Army of the Potomac."