111th New York Infantry Regiment explained

Unit Name:	111th New York Infantry Regiment
Dates:	August 20, 1862, to June 4, 1865
Country:	United States
Allegiance:	Union
Branch:	Infantry
Command Structure:	II Corps, Army of the Potomac
Battles:	Gettysburg Campaign Bristoe Campaign Mine Run Campaign Overland Campaign Appomattox Campaign
Battles Label:	Campaigns
Commander1:	Colonel Jesse Segoine
Commander1 Label:	Aug 20, 1862 to Jan 3, 1863
Commander2:	Colonel Clinton D. MacDougall
Commander2 Label:	Jan 3, 1863 to Jun 3, 1865
Commander3:	Lieutenant Colonel Isaac M. Lusk
Commander3 Label:	Jul 3, 1863
Commander4:	Captain Aaron P. Seeley
Commander4 Label:	Jul 3, 1863

The 111th New York Infantry Regiment was organized at Auburn, New York, to answer the call by Abraham Lincoln for 300,000 more troops to fight in the American Civil War. Over the next three years, this regiment lost the fifth greatest number of men among all New York regiments.

History

Jesse Segoine was authorized on July 18, 1862, to begin recruiting a regiment of men within the Cayuga and Wayne Counties, New York. As Segoine was able to raise the men, he received a commission of Colonel and commander of this, the 111th New York Infantry Regiment. The regiment was raised in almost a month's time, and mustered into service in Auburn, New York, on August 20, 1862.^[1]

Regimental organization

Company A – Principally recruited from Wayne County.^[2]

Company B – Principally recruited from Wayne County.

Company C – Principally recruited from Wayne County.

Company D – Principally recruited from Wayne County.

Company E – Principally recruited from Wayne County.

Company F – Principally recruited from Cayuga County

Company G – Principally recruited from Cayuga County.

Company H – Principally recruited from Cayuga County.

Company I – Principally recruited from Cayuga County.

Company K – Principally recruited from Cayuga County.

Time line

Date	Battle or Event
July 18, 1862	Organized at Auburn, N.Y.
August 20, 1862	Mustered in under Colonel Jesse Segoine, Lieutenant Colonel Clinton McDougall, and Major Senaca B. Smith
August 21, 1862	Left State for Harper's Ferry. Attached to Miles' Command, Harper's Ferry.
September 12–15, 1862	Defense of Harper's Ferry
September 15, 1862	Regiment was surrendered with garrison
September 16, 1862	Paroled and sent to Annapolis, Maryland, then to Camp Douglas, Chicago, Illinois
November 23, 1862	Exchanged; duty at Camp Douglas guarding prisoners
December, 1862	Ordered to Washington, D.C., and duty in the defenses of that city and at Centreville, Va. assigned to Wadsworth's Command, Military District of Washington
February, 1863	Attached to 3rd Brigade, Casey's Division, 22nd Army Corps, Department of Washington
April, 1863	Attached to 3rd Brigade, Abercrombie's Division, 22nd Army Corps
June 25, 1863	Ordered to join Army of the Potomac in the field. Assigned to 3rd Brigade, 3rd Division, 2nd Army Corps, Army of the Potomac

Gettysburg Campaign – June 25 – July 24, 1863

Two companies were left on guard at Accotink bridge, the remaining eight, numbering 390 men, joined the Second Corps on the march to Gettysburg.

July 2–4, 1863	Battle of Gettysburg
	The regiment was commanded by Colonel Clinton D. MacDougall until he was wounded on July 3. Lieutenant Colonel Isaac M. Lusk took command until he, too was wounded, when Caption Aaron P. Seeley took over the regiment.
	From the monument: "Arrived early morning July 2nd 1863, position near Ziegler's Grove. Went to relief of 3rd Corps in afternoon; took this position that evening and held it to close of battle. Number engaged (8 companies) 390 Casualties Killed 58, wounded 177, missing 14, total 249"
July 5–24, 1863	Pursuit of Lee to Manassas Gap, Va.
August, 1863	Duty on line of the Rappahannock and Rapidan
September 13–17, 1863	Advance from the Rappahannock to the Rapidan
October 3, 1863	Lewinsville

Bristoe Campaign – October 9–22, 1863

October 14, 1863	Auburn and Bristoe
October 15, 1863	Blackburn's and Mitchell's Fords
November 7–8, 1863	Advance to line of the Rappahannock

Mine Run Campaign – November 26 – December 2, 1863

December, 1863	At and near Stevensburg, Va.
February 6–7, 1864	Demonstration on the Rapidan; Morton's Ford
March, 1864	Attached to 3rd Brigade, 1st Division, 2nd Army Corps

Campaign from the Rapidan to the James – May 3 – June 15, 1864

May 5–7, 1864	Battle of the Wilderness
	The regiment lost 42 killed, 119 wounded and 17 missing, over half its strength.
May 8–12, 1864	Spottsylvania
	The regiment lost 22 killed, 37 wounded, and 13 missing
May 10, 1864	Po River
May 12–21, 1864	Spottsylvania Court House
May 12, 1864	Assault on the Salient, or "Bloody Angle"
May 23–26, 1864	North Anna River
May 26–28, 1864	On line of the Pamunkey
May 28–31, 1864	Totopotomoy
June 1–12, 1864	Cold Harbor
June 16–18, 1864	Before Petersburg
June 16, 1864	Siege of Petersburg begins.
	Attached to Consolidated Brigade, 1st Division, 2nd Army Corps.
June 22–23, 1864	Jerusalem Plank Road, Weldon Railroad
July 27–29, 1864	Demonstration north of the James
July 27–28, 1864	Deep Bottom
August 13–20, 1864	Demonstration north of the James
August 14–18, 1864	Strawberry Plains, Deep Bottom
August 25, 1864	Ream's Station
November, 1864	Attached to 3rd Brigade, 1st Division, 2nd Army Corps
December 9–10, 1864	Reconnaissance to Hatcher's Run
February 5–7. 1865	Dabney's Mills, Hatcher's Run
March 25. 1865	Watkins' House

Appomattox Campaign – March 28 – April 9. 1865

The regiment lost 81 casualties in the last campaign of the war

March 29–30. 1865	On line of Hatcher's and Gravelly Runs
March 31. 1865	Hatcher's Run or Boydton Road and White Oak Road
April 2. 1865	Sutherland Station and fall of Petersburg
April 3–9	Pursuit of Lee
April 6. 1865	Sailor's Creek
April 7. 1865	High Bridge and Farmville
April 9. 1865	Appomattox Court House. Surrender of Lee and his army.
April 1865	At Burkesville
May 2–12. 1865	Moved to Washington, D.C.
May 23. 1865	Grand Review
June 3. 1865	Mustered out under Lieutenant Colonel Lewis W. Husk. Veterans and recruits transferred to 4th New York Heavy Artillery.

Regiment losses

Over the 111th Regiment's time in service, total enrollment was 1,780 soldiers. Ten officers and 210 men were killed and mortally wounded in battle. The total of 220 men who were killed and died of wounds is only exceeded by four other New York regiments — the 69th, 40th, 48th and 121st. In the entire Union Army, that number is only exceeded by 24 other regiments. Disease and other causes took another 2 officers and 177 enlisted men. This raises the total sacrificed to reunite this nation to 404. Two officers and 74 men died while in the confinement of Confederate prisons.^[3]

Post war

See also

• List of New York Civil War regiments
• New York in the American Civil War

Further reading

• Annual Report of the Adjutant General of the State of New York For the Year 1893, Volume 34
• Campbell, Eric A. ' "Remember Harper's Ferry!" : The degradation, humiliation, and redemption of Col. George L Willard's Brigade – Part Two.' Gettysburg: Historical Articles of Lasting Interest. 8 (January 1993) 95–110.
• Contant, George W. Each bee was a bullet. Dover, Del. : Grand Army Historic Publications, 1998. 60 p. : ill. ; 21 cm.
• Drummond, Robert Loudon. The religious pray, the profane swear: a Civil War memoir personal reminiscences of prison life during the war of the rebellion. Aurora, CO : Davies Group, 2002. x, 108 p. : ill. ; 22 cm.
• Hall, Henry. "History of Auburn" Auburn, NY: Dennis Brothers & Co., 1869. pp. 429–435.
• Husk, Martin W. "The 111th New York Volunteer Infantry: a Civil War history." Jefferson, N.C. : McFarland & Co., 2010.
• Loperfido, Christopher E. "Death, Disease, and Life at War: The Civil War Letters of Surgeon James D. Benton, 111th and 98th New York Infantry Regiments." Savas Beatie. 2018.
• Monroe, Joel H. "Gen. Clinton D. MacDougall." Historical Records of a Hundred and Twenty Years. Geneva, NY: W.F. Humphrey, 1913.
• Murray, R.L. and David Hickey (ed.). The redemption of the "Harper's Ferry Cowards" : the story of the 111th and 126th New York state volunteer regiments at Gettysburg. 1994. [E 523.5 126th .M]

External links

• Civil War in the East: 111th New York Infantry Regiment
• Civil War Index: 111th New York Infantry Regiment
• Family Search: 111th Regiment, New York Infantry
• New York State Military Museum: 111th Infantry Regiment
• and formations of the Union Army from New York (state)|Infantry 111]

Notes and References

1. Book: Phister, Frederick. New York in the War of Rebellion, 1861–1865. 1912. J. R. Lyon Company, State Printers. Albany. 3305.
2. Web site: 111th Regiment, New York Infantry. FamilySearch. Intellectual Reserve, Inc.. October 9, 2012. 17 August 2012.
3. Book: The Union Army: A History of Military Affairs in the Loyal States 1861-65 - Records of the Regiments in the Union Army - Cyclopedia of Battles - Memoirs of Commanders and Soldiers. Volume 2.. 1908. Federal Publishing Company. Madison. 130–131.