The 90th New York Infantry Regiment, the "Hancock Guard", "McClellan Chasseurs", "McClellan Rifles", 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 ...

of 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 companies were recruited principally: * A, B, and C at

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 ...

; * D at Clyde; * E at Unadilla,

Nineveh Nineveh (; akk, ; Biblical Hebrew: '; ar, نَيْنَوَىٰ '; syr, ܢܝܼܢܘܹܐ, Nīnwē) was an ancient Assyrian city of Upper Mesopotamia, located in the modern-day city of Mosul in northern Iraq. It is located on the eastern ban ...

, and Otego; * F, G, H, I, and K at

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 ...

and elsewhere; * Second B at

Norwich Norwich () is a cathedral city and district of Norfolk, England, of which it is the county town. Norwich is by the River Wensum, about north-east of London, north of Ipswich and east of Peterborough. As the seat of the See of Norwich, with ...

; * Second H at Chautauqua County, and * Second I at

Medina Medina,, ', "the radiant city"; or , ', (), "the city" officially Al Madinah Al Munawwarah (, , Turkish: Medine-i Münevvere) and also commonly simplified as Madīnah or Madinah (, ), is the Holiest sites in Islam, second-holiest city in Islam, ...

, Ridgway, and Shelby. It left on January 5, 1862, for

Key West, Florida Key West ( es, Cayo Hueso) is an island in the Straits of Florida, within the U.S. state of Florida. Together with all or parts of the separate islands of Sigsbee Park, Dredgers Key, Fleming Key, Sunset Key, and the northern part of Stock Isla ...

. In June 1862, the regiment was under the command of Lt. Col. Louis W. Tinelli at Fort Jefferson, Florida. Early in 1863 it joined the XIX Corps in

Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is borde ...

. The regiment moved to

Port Hudson, Louisiana Port Hudson is an unincorporated community in East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana, United States. Located about northwest of Baton Rouge, it is known primarily as the location of an American Civil War battle, the siege of Port Hudson, in 1863. ...

, Bayou Lafourche from

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans
Merriam-Webster. ; french: La Nouvelle-Orléans , es, Nuev ...

. and the Red River. The veterans took leave in August and September, 1864, and those not on leave went with the 160th New York Volunteer Infantry. The regiment was ordered to

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

and joined the

Union Army of the Shenandoah The Army of the Shenandoah was a Union army during the American Civil War. First organized as the ''Department of the Shenandoah'' in 1861 and then disbanded in early 1862, it became most effective after its recreation on August 1, 1864, under Phi ...

fighting against Gen. Jubal Early. Soldiers who didn't reenlist left in December, 1864. The regiment was consolidated into six companies, which received members of the 114th, 116th and

133rd New York Volunteer Infantry The 133rd New York Volunteer Infantry (aka "2nd Regiment Metropolitan Guard") was an infantry regiment in the Union Army during the American Civil War. Service The 133rd New York Infantry Regiment was organized at New York City, New York and mus ...

. The regiment served in

William Dwight William Dwight Jr. (July 14, 1831 – April 21, 1888), was a general in the Union Army during the American Civil War. Raised in Massachusetts, he came from a notable family of military leaders. Early life William Dwight was born July 14, 1831, in ...

's division at Washington, and at

Savannah, Georgia Savannah ( ) is the oldest city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia and is the county seat of Chatham County, Georgia, Chatham County. Established in 1733 on the Savannah River, the city of Savannah became the Kingdom of Great Br ...

. It was then ordered to Hawkinsville, Georgia, and mustered out at Savannah.

Total strength and casualties

During its service the regiment lost by death, killed in action, 2 officers, 33 enlisted men; of wounds received in action, 25 enlisted men; of disease and other causes, 8 officers, 183 enlisted men; total, 10 officers, 241 enlisted men; aggregate, 251; of whom 14 enlisted men died in the hands of the enemy.New York State Military Museum Unit History Project 90th Infantry Regiment Civil War Hancock Guard
/ref>

Commanders

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 ...

Joseph S. Morgan * Colonel Nelson Shaurman * Lieutenant Colonel Lewis W. Tinelli

Notes

References

The Civil War Archive

External links