The 5th New Jersey Volunteer Infantry was one of four regiments formed by Governor Charles Olden upon requisition of President Abraham Lincoln

Abraham Lincoln

Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...

 on July 24, 1861. The regiment departed for Washington, DC on August 24, 1861 and camped at Meridian Hill.

History

The regiment was ordered to Budd's Ferry in Charles County, Maryland

Charles County, Maryland

Charles County is a county in the south central portion of the U.S. state of Maryland.As of 2010, the population was 146,551. Its county seat is La Plata. This county was named for Charles Calvert , third Baron Baltimore....

, where they would join Brigadier General Joseph Hooker

Joseph Hooker

Joseph Hooker was a career United States Army officer, achieving the rank of major general in the Union Army during the American Civil War. Although he served throughout the war, usually with distinction, Hooker is best remembered for his stunning defeat by Confederate General Robert E...

's Third Brigade and fall under the immediate command of Colonel Samuel H. Starr

Samuel H. Starr

Samuel Henry Starr was a career United States Army Officer, regimental commander and prisoner of war. A collection of his letters provide a rare view of military life, the War with Mexico, Indian conflicts, the Civil War, his fall from grace, recovery and post Civil War service...

. The regiment would soon become part of the New Jersey Second Brigade and be commanded by Colonel William J. Sewell. ,