16th New York Infantry Regiment

16th New York Infantry Regiment Flag_of_New_York_(1778-1901).svg 100 May 15, 1861, to May 22, 1863 United States Union Union Army Infantry Peninsula Campaign Battle of Gaines Mill Battle of Crampton's Gap Battle of ChancellorsvilleNew York U.S. Volunteer Infantry Regiments 1861-1865 15th New York Engineer Regiment 17th New York Infantry RegimentThe 16th New York Infantry Regiment (or 1st Northern New York Regiment) was an volunteer infantry regiment in the Union Army during the American Civil War.NPS 16th Regiment, New York Infantry 2007 This regiment fought in critical battles like the First Battle of Bull Run, Gaines Mill, and Chancellorsville. While this regiment was only active for two years, from 1861 to 1863, it became known for its notable headwear, which included straw hats, making it more easily identified. Recruitment The 16th New York Infantry was organized by company in small towns and the regiment was assembled in Albany, New York, originally under the name "1st Northern New York Infantry.Troiani Coates McAfee 2002 110CWA, 16th Regiment Infantry 2016Civil War in the East, 16th New York Infantry Regiment 2016St Lawrence U, 16th Infantry Regiment (2019)NYSMM, 16th Infantry Regiment "First St. Lawrence County Regiment" "First Northern New York Regiment" (2019) The regiment mustered in for two years of service as the 16th New York Infantry on May 15, 1861,Troiani Coates McAfee 2002 110 under the command of Colonel Thomas A. Davies. This regiment recruited about 1,247 men, most of whom came from northern New York state.St Lawrence U, 16th Infantry Regiment (2019) Among the enlisted men, the youngest member was 18 years old and the oldest was 45 years old.NYSMM, 16th Infantry Regiment: Roster (2019) Companies were principally recruited as follows: A at Ogdensburg, B and F at Potsdam, C and E at Plattsburg, D at Gouverneur, G at DePeyster, H at Stockholm, I at Malone, and K at West Chazy and Mooers.New York State Library Digital Collections 2013 The regiment was attached to the 2nd Brigade, 5th Division, Army of Northeastern Virginia from June 1861 to August 1861; Heintzelman's Brigade, Division of the Potomac to March 1862; Slocum's Brigade, Franklin's Division, I Corps to May 1862; 2nd Brigade, 1st Division, VI Corps to May 1863.Federal Publishing Company 1908 59 The regiment was originally armed with model 1840 muskets. In July 1861 the state of New York replaced these with Pattern 1853 Enfield rifle muskets.Troiani Coates McAfee 2002 110 By the time of the Battle of Chancellorsville, Ordinance Dept. records show that the companies of the 16th were armed with a mixture of 1855 Springfield, 1861 Springfield and 1853 Enfield rifled muskets."Record Group 156: Records of the Office of the Chief of Ordinance-Summary Statements of Charterly Returns of Ordinance and Ordinance Stores on Hand in Regular and Volunteer Army Organizations, 1862-1867, 1870-1876," (M1281, Rolls 1,2 and 4). National Archives and Records Administration, Washington D.C. Transcribed by Eric J. Mink Service thumb|right|The 16th New York at the Battle of Frayser's Farm thumb|right|The 16th New York retreats with the Union Army after the Battle of Gaines's Mill Mustered in at Albany, May 15, 1861, the regiment went into camp near Bethlehem and left the state for Washington on June 26. To Alexandria on July 11, from there to Manassas, where it was engaged but a very short time on the 21st and returned immediately after to Alexandria. On September 15, 1861, to Fort Lyon. The winter of 1861-62 was passed at Camp Franklin. Ordered to Catlett's Station April 6, 1862, but at once returned to camp; then ordered to Yorktown, where it arrived on May 3. In 1862 Major Joel J. Seaver of the regiment presented the members of the regiment with straw hats.Troiani Coates McAfee 2002 110 By the 18th of May, 1861 the companies of the 16th began squad and company drills at the Industrial School Barracks in Albany, NY. They practiced drills and the manual of arms for six hours a day except on Sundays. As a volunteer regiment, the officers were as inexperienced as the enlisted men, using their copies of Hardees Tactics for guidance and training the men.Curtis 1906 28 On June 15, while in camp at Normand's Kill in Bethlehem, New York, the regiment was issued 150 Model 1840 Springfield muskets, and the men received their uniforms, notably first pattern New York State Jackets made by Brooks Brothers who were contracted by the New York State government to manufacture uniforms for volunteers. The morale of the regiment greatly improved upon receiving the new uniforms.Curtis 1906 28 The regiment was in action at West Point, and at Gaines Mill, its loss being over 200 killed and wounded. Their straw hats stood out on the battlefield, making them targets for Confederate guns.Troiani Coates McAfee 2002 110 The regiment was present through the remainder of that week of battle, but was not closely engaged, then encamped at Harrison's Landing until August 16, 1862, when it returned for a brief period to Alexandria. In the Battle of Crampton's Gap the regiment was in the battle field and lost heavily and was held in reserve at Antietam; at Fredericksburg was posted on picket duty, and after the battle went into winter quarters near Falmouth. It shared the hardships and discomforts of the Mud March under Burnside and was active in the Battle of Chancellorsville, with a loss at Salem Church of 20 killed, 87 wounded and 49 missing. A few days were next spent at Banks' Ford, then a short time in the old camp at Falmouth, and on May 22, 1863, the regiment was mustered out at Albany. During its term of service, its loss was 112 men killed or mortally wounded and 84 deaths from other causes. The three years men were transferred to the 121st New York Volunteer Infantry Regiment.St Lawrence U, 16th Infantry Regiment (2019) Casualties thumb|right|Savage Station, Va. Field hospital after the battle. June 30, 1862Johnson & Buel, The Struggle Intensifies Battles and Leader, vol. II (1887) 370-382 - Rear-Guard Fighting During the Change of Base (Gibson, James F., photographer: note the straw hats worn by the wounded.) The regiment lost a total of 213 men during service, including five officers and 124 enlisted men either killed or mortally wounded and one officer and 83 enlisted men who died of diseases.Dyer 1908 1411 Federal Publishing Company 1908 59 Of the 38 New York regiments, except the Fifth, the 16th New York Infantry Regiment lost the most men among all the other regiments who served for the same length and time.Thompson William W. https://archive.org/details/historicalsket00thom/page/n73/mode/2up Historical sketch of the Sixteenth Regiment N. Y. S. Volunteer Infantry, April 1861 - May 1863 : St. Lawrence. Clinton. Franklin. First reunion, Potsdam, NY, August 31st and September 1st, 1886 1886 [Albany? : s.n.] Allen County Public Library Genealogy Center 33 Furthermore, a total of 111 men died due to serious wounds, with 107 of them being enlisted men and 4 of them were officers. An estimated 86 men died from imprisonment, disease, and accidents with 1 officer and 85 enlisted men dying. Commanders Colonel Thomas A. DaviesPhisterer 1912 1923 Colonel Joseph HowlandPhisterer 1912 1923 Colonel Joel J. SeaverPhisterer 1912 1923 Lieutenant Colonel Samuel MarshPhisterer 1912 1923 Lieutenant Colonel Frank PalmerPhisterer 1912 1923 Major Buel PalmerPhisterer 1912 1923 Major John C. GilmorePhisterer 1912 1923 thumb|Corporal John S. Lyon of Co. A, 16th New York Infantry Regiment, and Corporal Melvin Tucker of Co. C, 16th New York Infantry Regiment, in uniforms holding torn flags, photographed by J.H. Abbott between 1861 and 1863 Women's contributions While the regiment consisted of men, numerous women assisted those on the battlefield by providing for and tending to the fighting men. In his 1906 monograph, From Bull Run to Chancellorsville, Newton Martin Curtis, a Union officer, notes that females contributed significantly to the medical care of the regiment in this regard. Mrs. Charles W. Woolsey Howland is among of these notable women who managed to provide hospitals "...with clothing and delicacies at the beginning of the war."Curtis 1906 281-287 Additionally, there were the efforts of Mrs. Howland and her sister (who goes unnamed by Curtis). Mrs. Howland was noted to have even saved a gentleman's arm from being amputated.Curtis 1906 281-287 Thanks to Mrs. Howland, "...Wells kept his arms and carried them to his grave, thirty seven years later." Curtis 1906 281-287 Last mentioned by Curtis is Miss Helen Gilson, who was noted to have kept an organized space for the injured on a "steamer" (boat or ship) despite the cramped conditions. Curtis fondly remembered Miss Gilson as a woman whose presence alone had quite the calming effect on the men in these less-than-ideal conditions.Curtis 1906 281-287 Curtis also mentions the discrimination faced by women and nurses by surgeons, which was a male-dominated profession at the time. Despite these unpleasantries faced by the women, Curtis claims that they endured this discrimination for the sole purpose of helping the sick and dying of the regiments. This earned them the vast praises of Curtis, writing, "Their persistence was crowned with full acknowledgement of the importance of the essential need of women nurses in hospitals."Curtis 1906 281-287 See also American Civil War List of New York Civil War regiments New York in the Civil War References Citations 60em Sources 60em Curtis Newton Martin Newton Martin Curtis https://books.google.com/books?id=b-MLt2z2wMMC From Bull Run to Chancellorsville: The Story of the Sixteenth New York Infantry Together with Personal Reminiscences G.P. Putnam's Sons 1906 1243695 281–287 Google Books Dyer Frederick Henry Frederick H. Dyer A Compendium of the War of the Rebellion Dyer Pub. Co. Des Moines, IA 1908 8697590 09005239 https://archive.org/details/08697590.3359.emory.edu/page/1410/mode/2up?view=theater en PDF July 11, 2024 1411 B01BUFJ76Q registration Federal Publishing Company Military Affairs and Regimental Histories of New York, Maryland, West Virginia, And Ohio Federal Publishing Company The Union Army: A History of Military Affairs in the Loyal States, 1861–65 – Records of the Regiments in the Union army – Cyclopedia of battles – Memoirs of Commanders and Soldiers. II 1908 Madison, WI https://archive.org/details/unionarmyhistory02madi/page/56/mode/1up July 11, 2024 1086145633 PDF 59 Fox William F. 1889 Regimental losses in the American Civil War, 1861-1865 https://archive.org/details/cu31924032779963/page/477/mode/1up Albany Publishing Company Albany, NY 477 1885641 14014065 en pdf July 29, 2024 Johnson Robert Underwood Buel Clarence Clough Robert Underwood Johnson Clarence Clough Buel Robert Underwood Johnson Clarence Clough Buel The Opening Battles The Century Company Battles and Leaders of the Civil War: Being for the Most Part Contributions by Union and Confederate officers: Based upon "The Century War Series" I 1887 New York City 784 https://archive.org/details/cu31924031044385/page/n10/mode/2up 48764702 Johnson & Buel, The Opening Battles Battles and Leader, vol. I (1887) Johnson Robert Underwood Buel Clarence Clough Robert Underwood Johnson Clarence Clough Buel Robert Underwood Johnson Clarence Clough Buel The Struggle Intensifies The Century Company Battles and Leaders of the Civil War: Being for the Most Part Contributions by Union and Confederate officers: Based upon "The Century War Series" II 1887 New York City 786 https://archive.org/details/cu31924031044393/page/n8/mode/2up 48764702 Johnson & Buel, The Struggle Intensifies Battles and Leader, vol. II (1887) Johnson Robert Underwood Buel Clarence Clough Robert Underwood Johnson Clarence Clough Buel Robert Underwood Johnson Clarence Clough Buel The Tide Shifts The Century Company Battles and Leaders of the Civil War: Being for the Most Part Contributions by Union and Confederate officers: Based upon "The Century War Series" III 1887 New York City 778 https://archive.org/details/cu31924031044401/page/n8/mode/2up 48764702 Johnson & Buel, The Tide Shifts Battles and Leader, vol. III (1887) Johnson Robert Underwood Buel Clarence Clough Robert Underwood Johnson Clarence Clough Buel Robert Underwood Johnson Clarence Clough Buel Retreat with Honor The Century Company Battles and Leaders of the Civil War: Being for the Most Part Contributions by Union and Confederate officers: Based upon "The Century War Series" IV 1887 New York City 778 https://archive.org/details/cu31924081314753/page/n10/mode/2up 48764702 Johnson & Buel, Retreat with Honor Battles and Leader, vol. IV (1887) Phisterer Frederick Frederick Phisterer Seventh Regiment of Infantry - Sixty Ninth Regiment of Infantry J. B. Lyon Company, State Printers New York in the War of Rebellion, 1861-1865 3 3rd 1912 Albany, NY 1922–1935 en https://archive.org/details/phisterernewyork03fredrich/page/1922/mode/1up July 11, 2024 registration 14013311 1359922 PDF Troiani Don Coates Earl J. McAfee Michael J. Don Troiani's Regiments and Uniforms of the Civil War 2002 Stackpole Books 9780811705202 110 https://books.google.com/books?id=F_rWkKT8ta4C&dq=16th+New+York+Volunteer+Infantry+Regiment+straw+hats&pg=PA110 28 March 2017 en 2016 16th Regiment Infantry http://www.civilwararchive.com/Unreghst/unnyinf2.htm#2 December 17, 2020 The Civil War Archive CWA, 16th Regiment Infantry 2016 2016 16th New York Infantry Regiment https://civilwarintheeast.com/us-regiments-batteries/new-york-regiments-and-batteries/16th-new-york/ December 17, 2020 The Civil War in the East Civil War in the East, 16th New York Infantry Regiment 2016 https://www.nps.gov/civilwar/search-battle-units-detail.htm?battleUnitCode=UNY0016RI Battle Unit Details, 16th Regiment, New York Infantry nps.gov January 19, 2007 U.S. National Park Service May 13, 2024 NPS 16th Regiment, New York Infantry 2007 New York State Library Digital Collections New York State Library Digital Collections June 20, 2013 https://nysl.ptfs.com/#!/s?a=c&q=*&type=16&criteria=field11=36784825&b=0 New York State Library Digital Collections 2013 October 15, 2024 16th Infantry Regiment: First St. Lawrence County Regiment; First Northern New York Regiment New York Division of Military and Naval Affairs 2019 https://museum.dmna.ny.gov/unit-history/infantry/16th-infantry-regiment NYSMM, 16th Infantry Regiment "First St. Lawrence County Regiment" "First Northern New York Regiment" (2019) July 11, 2024 16th Infantry Regiment: Roster New York Division of Military and Naval Affairs 2019 http://www.nysmm.org/download_file/view/3194 NYSMM, 16th Infantry Regiment: Roster (2019) July 11, 2024 16th New York Infantry Regiment Records Library https://library.stlawu.edu/collection/16th-new-york-infantry-regiment-records 2019 St Lawrence U, 16th Infantry Regiment (2019) 2024-10-12 library.stlawu.edu External links New York State Military Museum From Bull Run to Chancellorsville; the story of the Sixteenth New York Infantry together with personal reminiscences Category:Military units and formations established in 1861 Category:Military units and formations disestablished in 1863 Infantry 016 Category:1861 establishments in New York (state)