The 44th New York Infantry Regiment was a regiment 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 ...

which was formed up in mid-1861, and mustered in on August 30, 1861. The regiment wore an americanized zouave uniform which consisted of a dark blue zouave jacket with red piping on the cuffs, dark blue trousers with a red stripe, a red zouave shirt, a dark blue forage cap, and a pair of leather gaiters. The jacket had buttons down the front of it which was not part of the original French zouave uniform.

Service

The regiment was first mustered by Stephen W. Stryker, a former lieutenant in the 11th New York Volunteer Infantry Regiment, in part to remember his former commander, Colonel

Elmer Ellsworth Elmer Ephraim Ellsworth (April 11, 1837 – May 24, 1861) was a United States Army officer and law clerk who was the first conspicuous casualty and the first Union officer to die in the American Civil War. He was killed while removing ...

Alexandria, Virginia Alexandria is an independent city (United States), independent city in the northern region of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Virginia, United States. It lies on the western bank of the Potomac River approximately south of Downto ...

, the first officer to die in the war. The regiment became known as ''"Ellsworth's Avengers"''. Several other members of the regiments were members of Ellsworth's Chicago Zouave Cadets, including Colonel Freeman Conner, Major Edward B. Knox and Captain Lucius Larrabee, who commanded Company B and was killed at Gettysburg.Ingraham (1925) pp. 66 The regiment first saw action in the Peninsular Campaign and by October 1862, battle deaths and disease had left only 200 men of the regiment's original strength of 1100 members. They were one of four regiments in the 3rd Brigade, 1st Division, V Corps, Army of the Potomac, commanded by lieutenant colonel

Strong Vincent Strong Vincent (June 17, 1837 – July 7, 1863) was a lawyer who became famous as a U.S. Army officer during the American Civil War. He was mortally wounded while leading his brigade during the fighting at Little Round Top on the second day of ...

, which fought during 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 ...

. On July 2, 1863, at around 4:00 p.m., the second day of the battle, the 3rd Brigade began a heroic defense of

Little Round Top Little Round Top is the smaller of two rocky hills south of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania—the companion to the adjacent, taller hill named Big Round Top. It was the site of an unsuccessful assault by Confederate troops against the Union left fla ...

, the extreme left flank of the Union Line. The 44th New York mustered out on October 11, 1864, with the veterans and recruits being transferred to the 140th and 146th New York Volunteers.

Commanders

*Colonel Stephen W. Stryker *Colonel

James Clay Rice James Clay Rice (December 27, 1828 – May 10, 1864) was a lawyer from Massachusetts, who became a brigadier general of volunteers in the Union Army during the American Civil War. Early life Rice was born in Worthington, Massachusetts on December ...

*Colonel Freeman Conner

Notes

References

* Ingraham, Charles A (1925). ''Elmer E. Ellsworth and the Zouaves of '61''. Chicago, Illinois: University of Chicago Press.
The Civil War Archive

External links

History, photographs, table of battles and casualties, and historical sketch for the 44th New York Infantry Regiment. * {{Internet Archive, 02687858.3118.emory.edu, A history of the Forty-fourth Regiment, New York Volunteer Infantry, in the Civil War, 1861-1865 (1911) Infantry 044 1861 establishments in New York (state) Military units and formations established in 1861 Military units and formations disestablished in 1864

Service

Commanders

See also

Notes

References

External links