20th New York Infantry Regiment

Last updated
20th New York Infantry Regiment
Flag of New York (1778-1901).svg
ActiveApril 29, 1861, to May 6, 1861 (New York State Service) and May 6, 1861, to June 1, 1863 (United States Service)
CountryFlag of the United States (1861-1863).svg  United States
Allegiance Union
Branch Infantry
Engagements Battle of Hatteras Inlet Batteries
Battle of White Oak Swamp
Battle of South Mountain
Battle of Antietam
Battle of Salem Church

The 20th New York Infantry Regiment, the "Turner Rifles", was an infantry regiment of the Union Army during the American Civil War.

Contents

Service

The 20th New York Volunteer Infantry, also known as the "Turner Rifles," was recruited primarily in New York City, although several companies of the regiment were formed in upstate New York or New Jersey. [1] The vast majority of recruits came from the various German-American Turner societies, with the largest number coming from New York City's Kleindeutschland neighborhood. [2] The regiment was mustered into federal service for two years on May 6, 1861. After training in Manhattan's Turtle Bay Park, the unit left New York for Fortress Monroe, Virginia, on June 14, 1861. They departed with much fanfare, including a parade from Kleindeutschland to their transport ship and the presentation of both an American flag and the Black-Red-Gold flag of Germany's democratic revolutionaries, as well as a guide flag with the motto Bahn Frei ("Clear the Way"). [3] To the dismay of the enlisted men, in whom was ingrained the German tradition of marksmanship, the regiment was issued with smoothbore muskets, though these would be replaced by rifles in 1862. [4]

The Turners were renowned as good entertainers. For the 4th of July celebration in 1861, the regiment put several much-praised concerts, with improvised lighting displays and 50 barrels of lager. [5] The Turners were also known to hold gymnastic performances, and their choral singing was popular even among Yankee soldiers. [6]

While stationed at Fortress Monroe, General Benjamin Butler commanded a joint army-navy expedition to capture Confederate Forts Hatteras and Clark. In the ensuing Battle of Hatteras Inlet Batteries, a mixed amphibious force led by the 20th New York's commander, Colonel Max Weber, accepted the surrender of the two forts. The landing was a botched affair, in which high seas prevented the majority of the invasion force from landing and left a mere 318 men stranded on shore with inadequate provisions. [7] The ensuing Union naval bombardment, however, forced the Confederate garrisons to surrender. The portion of the 20th which had taken part in the invasion remained in the vicinity of Forts Hatteras and Clark for several weeks, until reports reached Major General John Ellis Wool that soldiers from the regiment had committed "depredations and various outrages" on the inhabitants. [8] Other sources suggest that the colonel of the 9th New York blamed the looting on the men of the 20th to protect the reputation of his own regiment, which had also participated. [9]

Ernst von Vegesack in 1863, as colonel of the United Turner Regiment. Ernst von Vegesack.jpg
Ernst von Vegesack in 1863, as colonel of the United Turner Regiment.

On June 9, 1862, the 20th New York was transferred to the VI Corps of the Army of the Potomac in preparation for the Peninsula Campaign. The regiment did not engage in pitched battle until the Battle of White Oak Swamp, in which a Confederate artillery bombardment surprised the 20th New York as they were encamped. A significant number of the enlisted men and officers were routed, including the regiment's new commander, Colonel Francis Weiss. [10] As one eyewitness and future Medal of Honor winner in the 7th Maine Infantry remembered, the soldiers of the 20th New York "wore high, conical, black hats, and when they broke and ran the plain was dotted far and wide with their hats and knapsacks. It is a tradition in our regiment that they are running still, and their colonel, who, days before, was talking about the blood he was going to shed, and who certainly led the wild flight several lengths, may not have stopped, for he was never heard from afterwards." [11] Other officers at the brigade and divisional levels, however, reported that much of the regiment, though startled and disorganized, regrouped in the shelter of nearby woods to await the end of the bombardment. [12] In the days following the debacle at White Oak Swamp, nine officers were forced to resign their commissions, and Colonel Ernst von Vegesack was appointed to command the unit. [13] Weiss had been unpopular with his men, whom he considered "socialistic." [9]

Monument to the 20th at Antietam 20TH NEW YORK VOLUNTEER INFANTRY (TURNER RIFLES) MONUMENT, NORTH OF VISITORS CENTER; JUST SOUTH OF NEW YORK STATE MONUMENT - Antietam National Battlefield, Sharpsburg, HABS MD,22-SHARP.V,9-51.tif
Monument to the 20th at Antietam

The 20th New York was not engaged in major combat again until the Battle of Antietam on September 17, 1862. The regiment incurred heavy losses, but their performance during the battle earned the unit praise from their superior officers. [14] Their action in checking the final Confederate counterattack near Dunker Church even earned the praise of the observer who had criticized their flight at White Oak Swamp. [15] After the war ended, the veterans of the 20th New York would dedicate two separate monuments to commemorate the actions of the unit at Antietam.

Mutiny

As the 20th New York closed in on the end of its two years of service, questions arose as to whether the two years started from the point at which they were mustered into New York service or United States service. On April 29, 1863, the regiment was engaged in maneuvers which would lead to the Battle of Chancellorsville. When ordered to cross the Rappahannock River, approximately two hundred men refused to do so. [16] The mutineers were quickly tried and convicted for mutiny in the face of the enemy, and sentenced to hard labor. Lobbying efforts by Kleindeutschland elites and the support of Army of the Potomac Provost Marshal Marsena R. Patrick led to their sentence being commuted to dishonorable discharges, although these discharges were converted to honorable discharges by a declaration by the war department and a law passed by Congress in 1905.

The remainder of the regiment crossed the Rappahannock and participated in the Battle of Salem Church, in which the unit incurred higher casualties than at any other battle. [1] The survivors of the regiment returned to New York City and were mustered out on June 1, 1863.

Casualties

Over the course of its service, 61 officers and men were killed or mortally wounded in battle. An additional 58 officers and enlisted men died of disease.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Patrick Kelly (Civil War)</span>

Patrick Kelly was an Irish-American Union Army officer during the American Civil War. He led the famed Irish Brigade at the Battle of Gettysburg.

The 6th Indiana Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment from the State of Indiana that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. This regiment was the senior Indiana regiment of the Civil War, as it was numbered first in sequence after the five Indiana volunteer regiments which had served in the Mexican–American War. The regiment was originally mustered-in for a three-month period of service between April and August 1861, but after its initial term of service had expired it was re-formed in September 1861 for a further three-year period, before being mustered out in September 1864.

The 7th Regiment Indiana Volunteer Infantry was an infantry regiment from the State of Indiana that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">7th Michigan Infantry Regiment</span> Military unit

The 7th Michigan Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War.

1st Arkansas Mounted Rifles (1861–1865) was a Confederate States Army cavalry regiment during the American Civil War. The unit was formed as a mounted infantry regiment, but was dismounted in the spring of 1862 and remained dismounted for the remainder of the war. The unit participated in the earliest battles in the western theater at Wilson's Creek and surrendered with the remnants of the Army of Tennessee in North Carolina in April 1865.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">6th Arkansas Infantry Regiment</span> Military unit

The 6th Arkansas Infantry Regiment was a regiment of the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. Organized mainly from volunteer companies, including several prewar volunteer militia units, raised in the southern half of Arkansas, the regiment was among the first transferred to Confederate Service. It served virtually the entire war in Confederate forces east of the Mississippi River. After the unit sustained heavy casualties during the Battle of Shiloh and Bragg's Kentucky Campaign, the unit spent most of the rest of the war field consolidated with the 7th Arkansas Infantry Regiment, to form the 6th/7th Arkansas Infantry Regiment.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">70th New York Infantry Regiment</span> Military unit

The 70th New York Infantry Regiment was one of five infantry regiments formed by former U.S. Congressman Daniel Sickles and established as part of the Excelsior Brigade which fought with the Union Army during multiple key engagements of the American Civil War, including the Chancellorsville, Gettysburg and Overland campaigns. Leaders from the 70th New York recruited men from New Jersey, as well as from cities and small towns across the State of New York.

Edward Jardine was an American U.S. Army officer during the American Civil War serving with the 9th New York Volunteer Infantry Regiment under General Benjamin Butler and later the Army of the Potomac under General Ambrose Burnside in Virginia and North Carolina campaigns. He was one of the senior military officers during the New York Draft Riots and narrowly escaped lynching at the hands of a mob. The injuries he sustained during the riots ended his military career.

The Thirteenth Pennsylvania Reserve Regiment, also known as the 42nd Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, the 1st Pennsylvania Rifles, Kane's Rifles, or simply the "Bucktails," was a volunteer infantry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. It was a part of the famed Pennsylvania Reserve division in the Army of the Potomac for much of the early and middle parts of the war, and served in the Eastern Theater in a number of important battles, including Antietam, Fredericksburg, and Gettysburg.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">25th Virginia Infantry Regiment</span> Military unit

The 25th Virginia Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment raised in Virginia for service in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. It fought mostly with the Army of the Northwest and Army of Northern Virginia. Its soldiers saw action from the battle of Philippi until the Appomattox.

The 15th Arkansas Infantry Regiment or Josey's Arkansas Infantry Regiment was an infantry formation in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. The regiment was organized in May 1861 under the command of Colonel Patrick Cleburne. It served throughout the war in the western theater, seeing action in the Kentucky, Tennessee, and Georgia campaigns. Following its depletion in numbers the regiment was consolidated several times with other Arkansas regiments, finally merging in 1865 into the 1st Arkansas Consolidated Infantry Regiment. There were two other regiments which also received the designation of "15th Arkansas". The 21st (McRae's) Arkansas Infantry was redesignated 15th Arkansas in February 1863, but to avoid confusion, was normally referred to as the 15th (Northwest) Arkansas Infantry Regiment. This second "15th Arkansas" was surrendered at Vicksburg in July 1863. A third regiment, under command of Colonels Gee and later Johnson, also received the designation 15th Arkansas Infantry. This last regiment surrendered at Port Hudson, Louisiana, in July 1863.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">6th Texas Infantry Regiment</span> Military unit

The 6th Texas Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment from Texas that served in the Confederate States Army in the American Civil War. The regiment fought in the Battles of Arkansas Post, Chickamauga and Missionary Ridge.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">15th Arkansas Infantry Regiment (Northwest)</span> Military unit

The 15th (Northwest) Arkansas Infantry Regiment (1861–1865) was a Confederate Army infantry regiment during the American Civil War. The unit was originally formed as the 3rd Arkansas Infantry Battalion. After receiving the required 10 companies, the unit was redesignated as the 21st (McRae's) Arkansas Infantry Regiment. Upon recognition that there was already a 21st Arkansas, the unit was again redesignated as the 15th Arkansas Infantry Regiment. This was the third Arkansas unit to bear the designation "15th Arkansas". The others are the 15th (Josey's) Arkansas Infantry Regiment and the 15th (Gee/Johnson) Arkansas Infantry Regiment. The unit saw action both west and east of the Mississippi, before serving in the Vicksburg campaign. The regiment was surrendered at Vicksburg in July 1863. After being paroled and exchanged, the regiment was consolidated with other depleted Arkansas regiments to form the 1st (Trans-Mississippi) Arkansas Consolidated Infantry Regiment.

The 2nd Arkansas Mounted Rifles (1861–1865) was a Confederate Army infantry regiment that served during the American Civil War. Raised in 1861, the regiment consisted of nine companies, which were drawn from various counties in Arkansas. Throughout the course of the war, the 2nd Arkansas Mounted Rifles fought in a number of battles, including those at Wilson's Creek and Pea Ridge, and participated in a number of campaigns such as Tullahoma, Atlanta and the Carolinas. The regiment's final battle came at Bentonville in March 1865 after which its remaining personnel were consolidated into the 1st Arkansas Consolidated Mounted Rifles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">45th New York Infantry Regiment</span> Military unit

The 45th New York Infantry Regiment, also known as the 5th German Rifles, was an infantry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. It was composed almost entirely of German immigrants. Formed approximately five months after the start of hostilities, the unit's service spanned almost the entirety of the war, and it saw action in several of the war's noteworthy battles, in both the Eastern and Western Theaters.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">61st New York Infantry Regiment</span> Military unit

The 61st New York Infantry Regiment, also known as the "Astor Regiment", was an infantry regiment of the Union Army during the American Civil War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Erasmus Corwin Gilbreath</span> US military personnel

Erasmus Corwin Gilbreath was a major in the United States Army who began his 37-year career as a first lieutenant in the 20th Indiana Volunteer Regiment. Gilbreath was involved in numerous battles during the American Civil War, such as Gettysburg and bearing witness to the battle between the CSS Virginia and the USS Monitor, the American Indian Wars, in which he helped establish Fort Custer, and the Spanish–American War. Gilbreath is buried in Arlington National Cemetery with his wife, Susan, and daughter, Etta.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">4th Pennsylvania Infantry Regiment</span> Union Army unit in the American Civil War

The 4th Pennsylvania Infantry Regiment, officially known as the 4th Regiment, Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, was an infantry regiment of the Union Army in the American Civil War. Formed mostly from a militia unit in Norristown in southeastern Pennsylvania, the regiment enlisted at the beginning of the American Civil War in April 1861 for a three-month period of service under the command of Colonel John F. Hartranft. Logistical difficulties bedeviled the regiment, which served as part of the garrison of Washington, D.C., until late June, when it was sent into Northern Virginia to join in the army of Brigadier General Irvin McDowell.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">49th New York Infantry Regiment</span> Military unit

The 49th New York Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment in the Union Army during the American Civil War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">51st New York Infantry Regiment</span> Military unit

The 51st New York Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment in the Union Army during the American Civil War.

References

  1. 1 2 "20th Infantry Regiment :: New York State Military Museum and Veterans Research Center".
  2. ↑ Selig, I Enlisted on the First Day
  3. ↑ "Departure of the United Turner Rifles – Twentieth Regiment" New York Tribune, June 14, 1861
  4. ↑ Cameron, James L. The Troubled Turners. The Gun Report (magazine) Vol. XXXI, 12/85. pp. 66 – 70.
  5. ↑ Miller, C. Eugene and Forrest F. Steinlage. Der Turner Soldat - A Turner Soldier in the Civil War. Calmar Publications. Louisville, KY. 1988. 118pp.
  6. ↑ Wiley, Bell Irwin. The Life of Billy Yank – The Common Soldier of the Union. Louisiana State University Press. 1952. P. 169.
  7. ↑ Report of Colonel Max Weber, OR, S. I V. 4 Pg. 589-590
  8. ↑ Report of Major General John Ellis Wool, OR S. I V. 4 Pg. 581
  9. 1 2 "20th NYSV". Archived from the original on 2016-03-24. Retrieved 2015-08-30.
  10. ↑ Report of Brigadier General John Davidson, OR, S. I V. 11 Pg. 480-482
  11. ↑ Thomas W. Hyde, Following the Greek Cross, Pg. 73-74
  12. ↑ Meyer, Friedrich. The Narrative of Friedrich Meyer – A German Freiwilliger (Volunteer) in the Army of the Potomac. Translated and edited by Anders Henrikkson. Civil War Regiments vol. 6., pp. 1 – 22. 1998.
  13. ↑ "20th New York Volunteer Infantry - 'Turner Rifles.'" 20thnyvi.weebly.com
  14. ↑ Reports of General William F. Smith and Colonel William H. Irwin, OR, S. I V. 19 Pg. 402-412
  15. ↑ Hyde, 89
  16. ↑ Report Accompanying the Act for the Relief of Certain Enlisted Men of the Twentieth Regiment of New York Volunteer Infantry, 58th Congress, 3rd Session, 1905, HR 1860. Via Kappesser, Gary. "Twentieth New York State Infantry." Accessed March 6, 2015.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.