15th New Jersey Volunteer Infantry
Encyclopedia
The 15th New Jersey Volunteer Infantry was an American Civil War
infantry
regiment
from New Jersey
that served from September 1862 through 1865 in the Union Army
.
The Fifteenth Regiment was organized at Flemington, New Jersey
in July and August 1862. Three companies were recruited in Sussex County
, two in Warren
, two in Hunterdon
, two in Morris
and one in Somerset
, and all were composed of men of superior physical strength and capacities of endurance. The regiment was mustered into the United States services on the 25th of August and on the 27th left for Washington, numbering nine hundred and twenty-five officers and men, Colonel Samuel Fowler commanding. Reaching the Capital it encamped at Tennallytown, where it remained for about a month, engaged in drill and acquiring discipline for future service. While here, the men were also employed upon the defenses of Washington, slashing timber, making military roads, and throwing up earthworks - Fort Kearny
being constructed entirely by their labor.
, Sussex County, New Jersey when he enlisted at Newton. He served in Company I from first muster on August 11, 1862 until his capture on May 4, 1864 during the Battle of the Wilderness
. By July 16 he was at Andersonville where he remained until he was released to the Union with others who were too ill matter. That is, he was too far gone to recover. He was exchanged on November 30 at Savannah, Georgia, and taken to Annapolis where he died of chronic diarrhea on December 20, 1864. Private Peter Losey (no. 287) was buried at U. S. Cemetery Annapolis
in 259 Ash Grove.
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...
infantry
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...
from New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
that served from September 1862 through 1865 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...
.
The Fifteenth Regiment was organized at Flemington, New Jersey
Flemington, New Jersey
Flemington is a borough in Hunterdon County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2010 Census, the borough population was 4,581. It is the county seat of Hunterdon County....
in July and August 1862. Three companies were recruited in Sussex County
Sussex County, New Jersey
The County of Sussex is the northernmost county in the State of New Jersey. It is part of the New York City Metropolitan Area. As of the 2010 Federal decennial census, 149,265 persons resided in Sussex County...
, two in Warren
Warren County, New Jersey
Warren County is a county located in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2010 Census, the population was 108,692. Its county seat is Belvidere...
, two in Hunterdon
Hunterdon County, New Jersey
Hunterdon County is a county located in the western section of the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2010 United States Census, the population was 128,349. It is part of the New York Metropolitan Area. Its county seat is Flemington....
, two in Morris
Morris County, New Jersey
Morris County is a county located in the U.S. state of New Jersey, about west of New York City. According to the United States 2010 Census, the population was 492,276. It is part of the New York Metropolitan Area. Its county seat is Morristown....
and one in Somerset
Somerset County, New Jersey
Somerset County is a county located in the U.S. state of New Jersey. In 2010, the population was 323,444. It is part of the New York Metropolitan Area. Its county seat is Somerville....
, and all were composed of men of superior physical strength and capacities of endurance. The regiment was mustered into the United States services on the 25th of August and on the 27th left for Washington, numbering nine hundred and twenty-five officers and men, Colonel Samuel Fowler commanding. Reaching the Capital it encamped at Tennallytown, where it remained for about a month, engaged in drill and acquiring discipline for future service. While here, the men were also employed upon the defenses of Washington, slashing timber, making military roads, and throwing up earthworks - Fort Kearny
Fort Kearny (Washington D.C.)
Fort Kearny was a fort constructed during the American Civil War as part of the defenses of Washington, D.C. Located near Tenleytown, in the District of Columbia, it filled the gap between Fort Reno and Fort DeRussy north of the city of Washington. The fort was named in honor of Maj. Gen. Philip...
being constructed entirely by their labor.
Original regimental commanders
The following officers led the regiment at the outset. Staff officers, including the Colonel, were generally listed under Company S. Unassigned replacements were listed under Company U.- Colonel Samuel Fowler
- Lieutenant-Colonel Edward L. Campbell
- Major James M. Brown
- Adjutant William P. Peymour
- Quartermaster Lowe Emerson
- Surgeon Redford Sharp
- Assistant Surgeon George R. Sullivan
- Assistant Surgeon George Trumpore
- Chaplain Alanson A. Haines
Original company commanders
- Company A - Captain Lambert Boeman
- First Lieutenant Thomas P. Stout
- Second Lieutenant John R. Emery
- Company B - Captain Alfred S. Burt
- First Lieutenant Charles M. Fairelo
- Second Lieutenant Charles R. Paul
- Company C - Captain Ira J. Lindsely
- First Lieutenant Erastus H. Taylor
- Second Lieutenant Samuel R. Connett
- Company D - Captain James Walker
- First Lieutenant Lewis Van Blarcom
- Second Lieutenant James S. MacDanolds
- Company E - Captain John H. Vanderveer
- First Lieutenant Stephen H. Bogardus
- Second Lieutenant Ellis Hamilton
- Company F - Captain George C. King
- First Lieutenant Owen H. Day
- Second Lieutenant John H. Vanderveer
- Company G - Captain William H. Slater
- First Lieutenant (unknown per Fowler)
- Second Lieutenant John D. Trimmer
- Company H - Captain Andrew J. Wright
- First Lieutenant William D. Cornish
- Second Lieutenant James Bentley
- Company I - Captain (unknown per Fowler)
- First Lieutenant Cornelius C. Shimer
- Second Lieutenant William W. Van Voy
- Company K - Captain (unknown per Fowler)
- First Lieutenant William H. Edsall
- Second Lieutenant John Fowler
First enlistment
By the time the 15th was formed all regiments were created for 3 years service. Most would reenlist to become "Veteran" regiments when and if their time came.- December 11-15, 1862 - Battle of FredericksburgBattle of FredericksburgThe Battle of Fredericksburg was fought December 11–15, 1862, in and around Fredericksburg, Virginia, between General Robert E. Lee's Confederate Army of Northern Virginia and the Union Army of the Potomac, commanded by Maj. Gen. Ambrose E. Burnside...
- April 30 - May 6, 1863 - Battle of ChancellorsvilleBattle of ChancellorsvilleThe 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...
- July 1-3, 1863 - Battle of GettysburgBattle of GettysburgThe 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...
, but the regiment was not actively engaged - July 5-24, 1863 - Pursuit of Lee to Manassas GapBattle of Manassas GapThe Battle of Manassas Gap, also known as the Battle of Wapping Heights, took place on July 23, 1863, in Warren County, Virginia, at the conclusion of General Robert E. Lee's retreat back to Virginia in the final days of the Gettysburg Campaign of the American Civil War...
- July 5, 1863 - Fairfield, PennsylvaniaFairfield, PennsylvaniaFairfield is a borough in Adams County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 486 at the 2000 census.-History:During the Gettysburg Campaign in the American Civil War, the Battle of Fairfield played an important role in securing the Fairfield pass and the Hagerstown Road, enabling Robert E...
- July 10-13, 1863 - At and near Funkstown, MarylandBattle of FunkstownThe Second Battle of Funkstown took place near Funkstown, Maryland, on July 10, 1863, during the Gettysburg Campaign of the American Civil War...
- July 5, 1863 - Fairfield, Pennsylvania
- May 5-7, 1864 - Battle of the WildernessBattle of the WildernessThe Battle of the Wilderness, fought May 5–7, 1864, was the first battle of Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant's 1864 Virginia Overland Campaign against Gen. Robert E. Lee and the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia. Both armies suffered heavy casualties, a harbinger of a bloody war of attrition by...
- May 8-12, 1864 - SpottsylvaniaBattle of Spotsylvania Court HouseThe Battle of Spotsylvania Court House, sometimes simply referred to as the Battle of Spotsylvania , was the second major battle in Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant's 1864 Overland Campaign of the American Civil War. Following the bloody but inconclusive Battle of the Wilderness, Grant's army disengaged...
- May 12 - Assault on the Salient (the "Bloody Angle")
- May 12-21, 1864 - Spottsylvania Court House
- May 23-26, 1864 - Battle of North AnnaBattle of North AnnaThe Battle of North Anna was fought May 23–26, 1864, as part of Union Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant's Overland Campaign against Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia. It consisted of a series of small actions near the North Anna River in central Virginia, rather than a...
- June 1-12, 1864 - Battle of Cold HarborBattle of Cold HarborThe Battle of Cold Harbor was fought from May 31 to June 12, 1864 . It was one of the final battles of Union Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant's Overland Campaign during the American Civil War, and is remembered as one of American history's bloodiest, most lopsided battles...
- June 17-22, 1864 - Before PetersburgSiege of PetersburgThe Richmond–Petersburg Campaign was a series of battles around Petersburg, Virginia, fought from June 9, 1864, to March 25, 1865, during the American Civil War...
, Virginia - August 7-November 28 - Shenandoah Valley CampaignValley Campaigns of 1864The Valley Campaigns of 1864 were American Civil War operations and battles that took place in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia from May to October 1864. Military historians divide this period into three separate campaigns, but it is useful to consider the three together and how they...
Statistics
This regiment suffered higher casualties than any other infantry regiment from New Jersey.- Officers killed or wounded: 8
- Officers died of disease, etc.: 1
- Enlisted men killed or wounded: 239
- Enlisted men died of disease, etc.: 98
- Other: 15
Personal Stories
Personal stories of individual officers or enlisted men should be added to this section in alphabetical order.Losey, Peter (PVT)
Peter Losey was an unmarried farmer in Stillwater TownshipStillwater Township, New Jersey
- History timeline :*1741, Casper Shafer built the Stillwater gristmill about half a mile from the present mill site.*1764, the Stillwater gristmill was moved to its present location and commercially operated there until 1955...
, Sussex County, New Jersey when he enlisted at Newton. He served in Company I from first muster on August 11, 1862 until his capture on May 4, 1864 during the Battle of the Wilderness
Battle of the Wilderness
The Battle of the Wilderness, fought May 5–7, 1864, was the first battle of Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant's 1864 Virginia Overland Campaign against Gen. Robert E. Lee and the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia. Both armies suffered heavy casualties, a harbinger of a bloody war of attrition by...
. By July 16 he was at Andersonville where he remained until he was released to the Union with others who were too ill matter. That is, he was too far gone to recover. He was exchanged on November 30 at Savannah, Georgia, and taken to Annapolis where he died of chronic diarrhea on December 20, 1864. Private Peter Losey (no. 287) was buried at U. S. Cemetery Annapolis
Annapolis National Cemetery
Annapolis National Cemetery is a United States National Cemetery located in the city of Annapolis, in Anne Arundel County, Maryland. It encompasses , and as of the end of 2005, had 2,994 interments...
in 259 Ash Grove.
Further reading
- New Jersey and the Rebellion: A History of the services of the troops and people of New Jersey in aid of the Union cause. by John Y. Foster. Published by Authority of the State. Newark, N.J.; Martin R. Dennis & Co. 1868. Chapter XIII. Pages 382-407. Reprinted by Higginson Book Company, Salem MA. ISBN 0-8328-6032-8
- "Remember You Are Jerseymen!" A Military History of New Jersey's Troops in the Civil War. by Joseph G. Bilby and William C. Goble. Longstreet House, Hightstown NJ. New Book Number 141. 1998. Chapter 11. Pages 270-291. ISBN 0-944413-54-4
- RECORD of OFFICERS AND MEN OF NEW JERSEY in the CIVIL WAR 1861 - 1865. VOLUME I. Compiled in the office of the Adjutant General. William S. Stryker, New Jersey Adjutant General, Published by authority of the Legislature. William S. Stryker, Adjutant General. (Trenton, NJ: Office of the Adjutant General, 1876. Printed by John L. Murphy, Steam Book and Job Printer)