149th New York Volunteer Infantry Regiment
Encyclopedia
The 149th New York Volunteer Infantry Regiment was an infantry
regiment
that served in the Union Army
during the American Civil War
.
, and mustered in September 18, 1862.
, losing there 15 killed, 68 wounded, and 103 captured or missing.
At Gettysburg
the regiment participated in the famous defense of Culp's Hill
, made by Greene's Brigade, in which the One Hundred and Forty-ninth, fighting behind breastworks, lost 6 killed, 46 wounded, and 3 missing, but inflicted many times that loss on its assailants.
With the Twelfth Corps, it was transferred to the Army of the Cumberland
, and the Onondaga boys fought as bravely in Tennessee as in Virginia or at Gettysburg. At Lookout Mountain
, Tenn., they captured five flags while fighting under Hooker in that memorable affair, their casualties amounting to 10 killed and 64 wounded.
Before starting on the Atlanta campaign the Twelfth Corps was designated the Twentieth, its command being given to General Hooker. The regiment started on that campaign with 380 fighting men, of whom 136 were killed or wounded before reaching Atlanta. Lieutenant-Colonel Charles B. Randall, a gallant and skilful officer, was killed at Peach Tree Creek
, in which action the regiment sustained its heaviest loss while on that campaign, its casualties there aggregating 17 killed, 25 wounded, and 10 missing.
The regiment after marching with Sherman to the Sea
was actively engaged in the Siege of Savannah, and then marched through the Carolinas
on the final campaign which ended in the surrender of Johnston
.
The regiment mustered out on June 12, 1865 after participating in the Grand Review of the Armies
.
Infantry
Infantrymen are soldiers who are specifically trained for the role of fighting on foot to engage the enemy face to face and have historically borne the brunt of the casualties of combat in wars. As the oldest branch of combat arms, they are the backbone of armies...
regiment
Regiment
A regiment is a major tactical military unit, composed of variable numbers of batteries, squadrons or battalions, commanded by a colonel or lieutenant colonel...
that served in the Union Army
Union Army
The Union Army was the land force that fought for the Union during the American Civil War. It was also known as the Federal Army, the U.S. Army, the Northern Army and the National Army...
during the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
.
Service
The 149th New York Infantry was organized at Syracuse, N.Y.Syracuse, New York
Syracuse is a city in and the county seat of Onondaga County, New York, United States, the largest U.S. city with the name "Syracuse", and the fifth most populous city in the state. At the 2010 census, the city population was 145,170, and its metropolitan area had a population of 742,603...
, and mustered in September 18, 1862.
Campaigns
The regiment, under the command of Henry A. Barnum, left Syracuse on September 23, 1862, and within a short time joined General McClellan's army. It was assigned to the Third Brigade, Geary's Division, Twelfth Corps, in which command it fought at ChancellorsvilleBattle of Chancellorsville
The Battle of Chancellorsville was a major battle of the American Civil War, and the principal engagement of the Chancellorsville Campaign. It was fought from April 30 to May 6, 1863, in Spotsylvania County, Virginia, near the village of Chancellorsville. Two related battles were fought nearby on...
, losing there 15 killed, 68 wounded, and 103 captured or missing.
At Gettysburg
Battle of Gettysburg
The Battle of Gettysburg , was fought July 1–3, 1863, in and around the town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The battle with the largest number of casualties in the American Civil War, it is often described as the war's turning point. Union Maj. Gen. George Gordon Meade's Army of the Potomac...
the regiment participated in the famous defense of Culp's Hill
Culp's Hill
Culps Hill is a Battle of Gettysburg landform south of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, with a heavily wooded summit of . The east slope is to Rock Creek , 160 feet lower in elevation, and the west slope is to a saddle with Stevens Knoll with a summit lower than the Culps Hill summit...
, made by Greene's Brigade, in which the One Hundred and Forty-ninth, fighting behind breastworks, lost 6 killed, 46 wounded, and 3 missing, but inflicted many times that loss on its assailants.
With the Twelfth Corps, it was transferred to the Army of the Cumberland
Army of the Cumberland
The Army of the Cumberland was one of the principal Union armies in the Western Theater during the American Civil War. It was originally known as the Army of the Ohio.-History:...
, and the Onondaga boys fought as bravely in Tennessee as in Virginia or at Gettysburg. At Lookout Mountain
Battle of Lookout Mountain
The Battle of Lookout Mountain was fought November 24, 1863, as part of the Chattanooga Campaign of the American Civil War. Union forces under Maj. Gen. Joseph Hooker assaulted Lookout Mountain, Chattanooga, Tennessee, and defeated Confederate forces commanded by Maj. Gen. Carter L. Stevenson....
, Tenn., they captured five flags while fighting under Hooker in that memorable affair, their casualties amounting to 10 killed and 64 wounded.
Before starting on the Atlanta campaign the Twelfth Corps was designated the Twentieth, its command being given to General Hooker. The regiment started on that campaign with 380 fighting men, of whom 136 were killed or wounded before reaching Atlanta. Lieutenant-Colonel Charles B. Randall, a gallant and skilful officer, was killed at Peach Tree Creek
Battle of Peachtree Creek
The Battle of Peachtree Creek was fought in Georgia on July 20, 1864, as part of the Atlanta Campaign in the American Civil War. It was the first major attack by Lt. Gen. John B. Hood since taking command of the Confederate Army of Tennessee. The attack was against Maj. Gen. William T. Sherman's...
, in which action the regiment sustained its heaviest loss while on that campaign, its casualties there aggregating 17 killed, 25 wounded, and 10 missing.
The regiment after marching with Sherman to the Sea
Sherman's March to the Sea
Sherman's March to the Sea is the name commonly given to the Savannah Campaign conducted around Georgia from November 15, 1864 to December 21, 1864 by Maj. Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman of the Union Army in the American Civil War...
was actively engaged in the Siege of Savannah, and then marched through the Carolinas
Carolinas Campaign
The Carolinas Campaign was the final campaign in the Western Theater of the American Civil War. In January 1865, Union Maj. Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman advanced north from Savannah, Georgia, through the Carolinas, with the intention of linking up with Union forces in Virginia. The defeat of ...
on the final campaign which ended in the surrender of Johnston
Joseph E. Johnston
Joseph Eggleston Johnston was a career U.S. Army officer, serving with distinction in the Mexican-American War and Seminole Wars, and was also one of the most senior general officers in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War...
.
The regiment mustered out on June 12, 1865 after participating in the Grand Review of the Armies
Grand Review of the Armies
The Grand Review of the Armies was a military procession and celebration in Washington, D.C., on May 23 and May 24, 1865, following the close of the American Civil War...
.
Total strength and casualties
The regiment lost 4 officers and 129 enlisted men killed in action or mortally wounded and 78 enlisted men who died of disease, for a total of 211 fatalities.External links
- New York State Military Museum and Veterans Research Center - Civil War - 149th Infantry Regiment History, photographs, table of battles and casualties, and historical sketch for the 149th New York Infantry Regiment.