CIVIL WAR INDEX
Primary Source Material
on the Soldiers and the Battles
Home The Armies The Soldiers The Battles Civilians Articles
 
If this website has been useful to you, please consider making a Donation.

Your support will help keep this website free for everyone, and will allow us to do more research. Thank you for your support!

70th New York Infantry

Online Books:
70th New York Infantry Soldier Roster - Annual Report of the Adjutant General of the State of New York For the Year 1893, Volume 28     View the Entire Book

Regimental History
Seventieth New York Infantry. — Cols., Daniel E. Sickles, William Dwight, Jr., J. Egbert Farnum; Lieut. -Cols., William Dwight, Jr., J. Egbert Farnum, Thomas Holt, Daniel Mahan; Majs., J. Egbert Farnum, Thomas Holt, Daniel Mahan, William H. Hugo. The 70th, the 1st regiment of the Excelsior brigade, was composed of companies from New York city, Port Jervis, Paw Paw, Mich., Pittsburgh, Pa., Boston, Mass., Patterson and Newark, N. J., and was mustered into the U. S. service at Camp Scott, Staten island, June 20, 1861, for a three years' term. It left for Washington on July 23; was quartered in the city for a short time and then assigned to Sickles' brigade, Hooker's division, on guard duty at the forts along the Maryland side of the Potomac. Co. G joined the regiment in October, being mustered in at Washington on Oct. 8. In the disposition of troops preparatory to the advance on the Peninsula, Sickles' brigade became the 2nd brigade, 2nd division, 3d corps, and reached Yorktown in April. In the battle of Williamsburg, the first battle of consequence in which the 70th took part it met with the heaviest loss of its service. Out of 700 engaged the loss was 330 killed, wounded or missing. At Fair Oaks and in the Seven Days' battles the regiment was active and embarked at Yorktown, Aug. 20, for Alexandria, whence it moved at once to the support of Gen. Pope at Manassas. In a sharp encounter at Bristoe Station, the 70th lost 5 men and at the second Bull Run 23. The regiment returned to Washington and was stationed in that vicinity until November, when it moved to Falmouth. It was present at the battle of Fredericksburg, returning immediately afterward to its camp at Falmouth, which became its winter quarters. It was next in the field at Chancellorsville, and at Gettysburg lost 113, killed or wounded, and 4 missing. In the southward movement, the brigade met the enemy in a brisk engagement at Wapping heights, fought at Kelly's ford, participated in the Mine Run campaign, and spent the winter at Brandy Station. In the reorganization of the corps, the regiment was assigned in April, 1864, to the 2nd brigade, 4th division, 2nd corps, and on May 13, to the 4th brigade, 3d division, 2nd corps. It shared in the memorable campaign under Gen. Grant until July 1, 1864, when it was mustered out at the close of its term of service, the veterans and recruits being transferred to the 86th N. Y. infantry. Although not in service as long as the preceding New York regiments, the 70th won its right to be known as one of the "three hundred fighting regiments" by many an instance of gallantry and the loss of 182 by death from wounds out of a total enrollment of 1,226. It also lost 70 by death from disease, etc.

Footnotes:
Regimental history taken from "The Union Army" by Federal Publishing Company, 1908 - Volume 2

Whats New
Bibliography
About Us


Copyright 2010 by CivilWarIndex.com
A Division of Pier-Pleasure.com