The 55th New York Infantry Regiment ( 55th New York Volunteer Infantry Regiment , also Garde De Lafayette ) - was one of the infantry regiments of the Union army during the Civil War in the United States . It was recruited mainly from French immigrants. The regiment went through the initial battles of the Civil War in the east from the siege of Yorktown to the battle of Fredericksburg , after which it was disbanded and merged with the 38th New York Infantry Regiment .
| 55th New York Infantry Regiment | |
|---|---|
 new york state flag | |
| Years of existence | 1861 - 1862 |
| A country |  USA |
| Type of | Infantry |
| Number | ... people (1862) |
| Commanders | |
| Famous commanders |
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Content
- 1 Formation
- 2 Battle Path
- 3 notes
- 4 References
Formation
On July 25, 1861, Colonel Regis de Trobriand was authorized by the Military Department to recruit an infantry regiment. The set was made in New York and mainly among French speakers. The regiment was formed in a camp on the island of Staten, and there on August 28, 1861 he was accepted to serve in the federal army for a period of three years. Company B was formed later and entered into the regiment as early as April 1862 [1] . The first commander of the regiment was Colonel Rezhi de Trobriand, Lieutenant Colonel - Louis Touro and Major - Francis Gel.
The regiment was recruited mainly from French emigrants, veterans of the French wars in Algeria, the Crimean War and the wars in Italy were in its ranks. In addition to the French, the Irish, Germans, Italians and Spaniards also served in the regiment. But only one of the regiment's mouth wore the form of French zouaves [2] .
Battle Path
On August 31, the regiment left the state and was sent to Washington, where in September-October it was stationed at Fort Gaines (Maryland) in the fortifications of Washington. He was listed in the team of Peck, Buell’s division, as part of the Potomac Army .
On January 8, 1862, the regiment solemnly celebrated the 50th anniversary of the battle of New Orleans , and President Lincoln appeared on this holiday at the invitation of the regiment. A small parade was arranged, after which the president was invited to a banquet. Colonel De Trobriand made a toast: “For the health and prosperity of the President of the Republic. May he soon see the restoration of the Union under his administration; but not before the 55th got a chance to contribute to this matter on the battlefield. ” Lincoln responded with a toast: “All I can say: if you fight as well as you meet guests, then victory is guaranteed to us. And since the Union is unlikely to be restored before the 55th goes into battle, I will drink for the battle for the 55th, and I hope that it will happen as soon as possible ” [2] .
In March 1862, the Pek brigade became the 3rd brigade of the 1st Division ( Darius Cauch ) of the 4th Corps of the Potomac Army. March 11-15, the regiment took part in the march to Prospect Hill in Virginia, and on March 28 it was transferred to the Virginian Peninsula.
In April 1862, the regiment participated in the siege of Yorktown, during which the regiment lost two privates wounded. On May 5, the regiment participated in the battle of Williamsburg , where 5 people were killed and 12 wounded. On May 20–23, the regiment operated near Bottoms Bridge, and on May 21 – June 1, it fought at Seven Pines . In this battle, 25 people were killed, 4 officers and 73 privates were wounded.
In June, the regiment passed the battles of the Seven-Day Battle: on June 1, he participated in the battle of Malvern Hill , where he lost 5 people killed and 32 people wounded. After the battle, the regiment retreated to the camp at Harrison Landing, where Lieutenant Colonel Thourot quit. On August 16, the regiment was transferred to Fort Monroe, and from there to northern Virginia, Centerville. In September, he was again taken to the fortifications of Washington, where he was included in the Orlando Poe brigade in the George Stoneman division (III Corps). The regiment was reduced to a 4-company battalion.
In October, the regiment participated in the attack on Falmouth, and was transferred to the David Byrne brigade. On October 30, Byrne became the division commander, and the brigade was led by Hobard Ward.
In December, the regiment participated in the battle of Frederiksberg, where it lost 1 officer and 7 privates wounded.
On December 21, the regiment was disbanded and its companies were transferred to the 38th New York Infantry Regiment as companies G, H, I, K. The regiment was led by Colonel De Trobriand, and Lieutenant Colonel William King was transferred from the 34th New York.