120th New York Infantry Regiment explained
| Unit Name: | 120th New York Infantry Regiment |
| Dates: | August 22, 1862, to June 3, 1865 |
| Country: | United States |
| Allegiance: | Union |
| Branch: | Infantry |
| Nickname: | Ulster Regiment, Washington Guards |
| Battles: | American Civil War |
| Commander1: | George Henry Sharpe |
| Commander1 Label: | Colonel |
| Commander2: | Cornelius D. Westbrook |
| Commander2 Label: | Lieutenant Colonel |
| Commander3: | John R. Tappen |
| Commander3 Label: | Lieutenant Colonel |
| Commander4: | Abram L. Lockwood |
| Commander4 Label: | Lieutenant Colonel |
| Identification Symbol Label: | 2nd Division, III Corps |
| Identification Symbol 2 Label: | 4th Division, II Corps |
| Identification Symbol 3 Label: | 3rd Division, II Corps |
The 120th New York Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment in the Union Army during the American Civil War.
Service
The 120th New York Infantry was organized at Kingston, New York, and mustered in for three years service on August 22, 1862, under the command of Colonel George Henry Sharpe.
The 120th New York Infantry mustered out of service June 3, 1865. Veterans and recruits whose enlistments had not expired were transferred to the 73rd New York Infantry.
Affiliations, battle honors, detailed service, and casualties
Organizational affiliation
The regiment was attached to the following brigades:
- Whipple's Brigade, Defenses of Washington, D.C., to October 1862
- 1st Brigade, 2nd Division, III Corps, Army of the Potomac, to December 1862
- 2nd Brigade, 2nd Division, III Corps, to March 1864
- 2nd Brigade, 4th Division, II Corps, Army of the Potomac, to May 1864
- 4th Brigade, 3rd Division, II Corps, to July 1864
- 3rd Brigade, 3rd Division, II Corps, to June 1865.
List of battles
The official list of battles in which the regiment bore a part:
Detailed service
1862
- Left New York for Washington, D.C., August 24, 1862.
- Duty in the defenses of Washington, D. C., until November 1862.
- At Fairfax Station, Virginia, until November 25.
- Operations on the Orange & Alexandria Railroad November 10–12.
- Rappahannock Campaign December 1862 to June 1863.
- Battle of Fredericksburg, December 12–15, 1862.
- At Falmouth, Virginia, until April 1863.
1865
Casualties
The regiment lost a total of 384 men during service: 11 officers and 140 enlisted men killed or mortally wounded, 3 officers and 179 enlisted men died of disease, and 51 died in Confederate prisons.
Commanders
- Colonel George Henry Sharpe - commanded until assigned to Army of the Potomac Provost Office and Bureau of Military Information on February 9, 1863
- Lieutenant Colonel Cornelius D. Westbrook - took command on February 9, 1863 when Col. Sharpe was reassigned; Westbrook was wounded in action at the Battle of Gettysburg on July 2, 1863
- Major John R. Tappen - took command on July 2, 1863 when Lt. Col. Westbrook was wounded; Tappen was promoted to Lt. Col. on February 27, 1864 and mustered out on December 3, 1864
- Major Abram L. Lockwood - took command on December 3, 1864 when Lt. Col. Tappen mustered out; Lockwood was promoted to Lt. Col. on December 20, 1864
See also
References
- Book: Dyer, Frederick Henry . Frederick H. Dyer . A Compendium of the War of the Rebellion . Dyer Pub. Co. . . 1908 . B01BUFJ76Q . PDF . August 8, 2015 . 30, 43, 196. 293, 296. 328, 1452.
- Book: Federal Publishing Company . Military Affairs and Regimental Histories of New York, Maryland, West Virginia, And Ohio . Federal Publishing Company . 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. . I . 1908 . . 1086145633 . PDF . 136–137.
- Book: Phisterer, Frederick . Frederick Phisterer . Seventieth Regiment of Infantry - One Hundred and Twenty-Eighth Regiment of Infantry . J. B. Lyon Company, State Printers . New York in the War of Rebellion, 1861-1865 . 4 . 3rd . 1912 . Albany, NY . 3410–3423 . en . 2023-04-06 . registration . 14013311 . 1359922 . PDF.
- Book: Van Santvoord, Cornelius . The One Hundred and Twentieth Regiment New York State Volunteers: A Narrative of Its Services in the War for the Union . Press of the Kingston Freeman . 1894 . Rondout, NY . 1–327 . en . 2020-04-20 . registration . 04011998 . 5836503 . PDF.
- Book: Wilber, Eseck G. . Hasenkopf . Sylvia . May God in His Mercy Spare Our Lives: The Civil War Letters and Diary of Eseck G. Wilber, Co. K, 120th NYV . Cairo Historical Society . 1st . 2013 . Cairo, NY . 62–63 . en . 2020-04-20 . subscription . 1-3045-1619-9 . 1354242028 . PDF.
- Web site: Union Regimental Histories, New York, 120th Regiment Infantry "Ulster Regiment" "Washington Guard" . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20000823135808/http://www.civilwararchive.com:80/Unreghst/unnyinf9.htm . 2000-08-23 . December 17, 2020 . Civil War Archive . .
- Web site: 120th New York Volunteer Infantry Regiment . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20170304212352/http://civilwarintheeast.com/us-regiments-batteries/new-york-infantry/120th-new-york/ . 2017-03-04 . December 17, 2020 . The Civil War in the East . .
- Web site: 120th Infantry Regiment: New York State Military Museum and Veterans Research Center . New York Division of Military and Naval Affairs . 2019 . . 2020-04-08.
Further reading
- Fiftieth Anniversary of the Muster Into Service of the One Hundred and Twentieth Regiment, N.Y.V. in the War for the Union Celebrated at Kingston, New York, August 22nd, 1912 (Kingston, NY: Freeman Pub. Co.), 1912.
- Sharpe, George H. & Theodore B. Gates. Addresses Delivered at Music Hall, Kingston, at the Seventh Annual Meeting of the 120th Regimental Union (Kingston, NY: Daily Freeman Steam Print. House), 1875.
External links
