70th New York Infantry Regiment ( 70th New York Volunteer Infantry Regiment also 1st Excelsior ) - was one of the infantry regiments of the Union army during the Civil War in the United States . The regiment became the first regiment of the Excelsior Brigade by Daniel Sickles.
| 70th New York Infantry Regiment | |
|---|---|
 new york state flag | |
| Years of existence | 1861 - 1865 |
| A country |  USA |
| Type of | Infantry |
| Number | 700 people (May 1862) |
| Commanders | |
| Famous commanders |
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Content
Formation
On May 18, 1861, Congressman Daniel Sickles was authorized by the War Department to recruit a brigade for the federal army. The regiment was recruited by him in the Camp Scott camp on the island of Staten and on June 20 he took up service in the federal army for a period of 3 years. The companies of the regiment were recruited: Company A, B, D and G in New York, company C in Michigan, company E in Pittsburgh (Pennsylvania), company F in Port Jervis, Orange County, company N in Boston , part Company A and Company I in Paterson (New Jersey), and Company K in Newark (NJ)
The first commander of the regiment was Colonel Daniel Sickles, Lt. Col. William Dwight, Major - Egbert Farnum.
Battle Path
On July 23, 1861, the regiment left New York State and was transferred to Washington, where it was included in the brigade led by Sickles, who had surrendered the command of the regiment to Lt. Col. Dwight. The regiment was stationed in the fortifications of Washington. On September 3, Daniel Sickles received the rank of Brigadier General, Dwight - Colonel, and Farnum - Lieutenant Colonel. In October, the regiment was included in the Joseph Hooker brigade. On November 1, the captain of company F, Thomas Holt, became a major, and on September 11, the regiment received its official name: "70th New York."
In March 1862, the Sickles brigade became part of the 2nd Division of the III Corps of the Potomac Army . At the end of April, the regiment was sent to Frederiksberg, and on April 6 participated in a shootout at Stafford-Courthouse, where he lost one man wounded. On April 10, the regiment was transferred to the Virginian Peninsula and participated in the siege of Yorktown, during which one man was wounded.
On May 5, the Sickles brigade participated in the battle of Williamsburg . The regiment totaled 700 people at the beginning of the battle; 4 captains and 4 lieutenants and 101 privates were killed in battle. Colonel Dwight, 11 officers and 112 privates were injured. 97 people are missing. Colonel Dwight remained wounded on the battlefield, and was captured. Sergeant John Nicholas Coyne received the Medal of Honor for capturing the enemy’s banner during hand-to-hand combat.
Interesting Facts
In the 70th New York, Private was John Tommy, an ethnic Chinese who moved to the United States just before the war. He joined the regiment during its formation and served until 1863, until he was killed at the Battle of Gettysburg. Tommy was the only Chinese in the Potomac Army [1] .
Notes
Literature
- New York in the War of the Rebellion, 3rd ed. Frederick Phisterer. Albany: JB Lyon Company, 1912.