70th New York Volunteer Infantry Regiment
| 70th Regiment New York Volunteer Infantry | |
|---|---|
| Active | June 1861 – July 1, 1864 |
| Country | United States of America |
| Allegiance | Union |
| Branch | Union Army |
| Type | Infantry |
| Role | Infantry |
| Size | 1,100 |
| Part of | Excelsior Brigade |
| Nickname(s) | "First Excelsior Regiment" |
| Engagements |
Chancellorsville Gettysburg The Overland Campaign Cold Harbor Petersburg |
| Commanders | |
| Colonel | Col J. Egbert Farnum |
| Ceremonial chief | Col William Dwight Jr. |
The 70th New York Volunteer Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment of Union Army in the American Civil War. The unit served in the Excelsior Brigade in several battles, including Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, and the Overland Campaign.
Service
The regiment was organized in New York City in May 1861 under the authority of the War Department as the 1st Regiment, Sickles' Brigade, at Camp Scott on Staten Island. It mustered into service on June 20, 1861. The 70th left the state for Washington, D.C., on July 23, 1861. It was subsequently attached to Sickles' Brigade, Division of the Potomac, until October, 1861. Then, it was reassigned to Sickles' Brigade, Hooker's Division, Army of the Potomac, until March 1862. (It was formally designated as the 70th Regiment New York Infantry on December 11, 1861.) The 70th was part of the 2nd Brigade, 2nd Division, Third Army Corps, Army of the Potomac, until March 1864. Then it was in the 2nd Brigade, 4th Division, Second Army Corps until May 1864. It finished the war in the 4th Brigade, 3rd Division, Second Army Corps, until July 1864.
Ordered to New York for muster out June 22, 1864. Veterans and Recruits were transferred to the 86th New York Infantry. The 70th mustered out on July 7, 1864, to date from July 1, 1864, after the expiration of its three-year term of enlistment.
The regiment lost during service 9 officers and 181 enlisted men killed and mortally wounded, and 2 officers and 62 enlisted men by disease for a total of 254 fatalities.[1]
Commanders
- Colonel John Egbert Farnum (his name appears in the Graffiti House in Brandy Station, Virginia, which was headquarters for a division of Third Corps, Army of the Potomac during the pursuit of Lee following Gettysburg)
See also
References
- The Civil War Archives: Union Regimental Histories: New York
- Foner, Eric (1988). Reconstruction: America's Unfinished Revolution, 1863-1877. New York, New York: Harper & Row. ISBN 0-06-091453-X.
- Table of 70th New York Engagements