37th New York Infantry Regiment explained

Unit Name:37th New York Infantry Regiment
Dates:June 6, 1861, to June 22, 1863
Country:United States
Allegiance:Union
Branch:Infantry
Size:939, 740, 772
Nickname:Irish Rifles
Equipment:Model 1842 Springfield Muskets (.58 caliber, rifled), Enfield Rifled Muskets, Austrian Rifled Muskets
Battles:
Commander1:John H. McCunn
Commander1 Label:Colonel
Commander2:Samuel B. Hayman
Commander2 Label:Colonel
Identification Symbol Label:III Corps (3rd Division) badge
Identification Symbol 2 Label:III Corps (1st Division) badge

The 37th New York Infantry Regiment or the Irish Rifles was formed accepted by the State on May 25, 1861, and organized in New York City. The regiment mustered in the service of the United States on June 6 and 7, 1861 for two years of service to June 22, 1863.

The 75th New York Militia formed the nucleus of the regiment. Several companies were recruited: H at Allegany, I at Ellicottsville, K at Pulaski, and all others at New York City. Men from the 101st New York Volunteer Infantry joined this regiment by transfer on December 24, 1862. An on May 25, 1863, men who had served were consolidated into two companies and these were transferred to the 40th Infantry as Companies I and K.

Service

The 37th New York had its roots in the 75th New York State Militia, organized in 1856 by John H. McCunn, colonel; James Haggerty, lieutenant colonel; and Dennis C. Minton, major. The 75th was disbanded in 1856, but was revived in April 1861 when President Abraham Lincoln issued his call to arms.

1861

After leaving the State of New York on June 23, 1861, the regiment served at and near Washington D.C. until March 1862. They camped at the foot of East Capitol Street. An incident between Colonel John H. McCunn and 1st Lieutenant Robert F. Hunter who was then serving with the provost guard. McCunn was found guilty of conduct "prejudicial to the good order and military discipline" though also directed to "resume his sword and duties. Their service continued in COL John H. McCunn's Brigade in the Army of Northeastern Virginia from July 21, 1861.

The regiment continued in Hunter's Brigade, Division of the Potomac from August 4, 1861. Next they served in Richardson's Brigade from August 22, 1861; in same brigade, Heintzelman's Division, Army of the Potomac, from October 15, 1861. The regiment participated in the First Battle of Bull Run in MGEN McDowell's reserves and went into winter quarters near Bailey's cross-roads.

1862

After several temporary assignments the regiment finally became a part of the 3d brigade, 1st division, III Corps from March 13, 1862.}

The Peninsula campaign

Companies H and I had served detached from the regiment at Fort Washington, D. C., from August, 1861, to March, 1862, and rejoined the regiment in Alexandria on March 15. The regiment embarked for Fortress Monroe on Saturday, March 17, 1862. Morale was high in the army as they looked forward to the campaign, and some of the men in the 37th had smuggled whiskey aboard the transports leading to a drunken brawl with men of the 2nd Michigan that ended when the 2nd's colonel Orlando Poe, roughly sent five of the 37th's instigators below decks.The 37th was part of a movement of 121,500 men that an English observer remarked that it was the "stride of a giant." Amassing his army at Ft. Monroe, McClellan shelved his initial amphibious envelopment of Yorktown because the CSS Virginia was still in operation, and he ordered an advance up the Peninsula to begin April 4.

On April 5, the IV Corps made initial contact with Confederate defensive works at Lee's Mill, an area McClellan expected to move through without resistance. This unexpected defensive line stretched across the peninsula along the Warwick River. Taken in by a successful Rebel deception campaign by the local Rebel commander, MGEN John B. Magruder, McClellan began his siege. The 37th found themselves in the lines directly opposite Yorktown as a member of Heintzelman's III Corps. After a failed attempt to disrupt the Confederates' improvement of their fortifications at Dam No. 1, on the Warwick River near Lee's Mill, on Wednesday, April 16, the AoP spent the remainder of April in the laborious process of transporting and placing massive siege artillery batteries, which McClellan planned to deploy on May 5. By this time, LTGEN Joseph E. Johnston and his Army of Northern Virginia were in the Yorktown fortifications. The men of the 37th had to endure frequent April rains that turned the opposing trenches to morasses of mud. Among the more dangerous duty during the siege was picket duty in advance of the main lines, rotated through the companies along the 37th's frontage.

Escaped slaves entering the 37th's corps' lines on Saturday, May 3, reported that the Rebels were sending their supply wagons in the direction of Richmond. McClellan refused to believe the intelligence because of his overestimation of the size of Rebel forces opposite him. He was convinced that Johnston's 120,000 man army would stay and fight. Saturday evening, the 37th and the other troops received a brief bombardment from the Rebel fortifications. Early Sunday morning, the 37th's corps commander, Heintzelman, ascended in one of Lowe's observation balloons and saw that the Yorktown defenses were empty.

A surprised McClellan sent cavalry after Johnston who decided to make a stand Fort Magruder, straddling the Williamsburg Road (from Yorktown), constructed earlier by Magruder. The Battle of Williamsburg was the first pitched battle of the Peninsula campaign, in which nearly 41,000 Union and 32,000 Confederates were engaged. BGEN Joseph Hooker's division, first in line of march, made first contact. It assaulted Ft Magruder, but by 15:00, was being driven back and was at the point of being overrun by MGEN James Longstreet when they were saved by the timely arrival of BGEN Philip Kearny's 3rd Division. Kearny immediately deployed his men to Hooker's left. The 37th, being in BGEN Berry's 3rd brigade in Kearny's division, deployed on the left flank of their division with the regimental flank anchored against the marshy ground sloping down to Halfway Creek.

The battle was heavy and fought where the gun smoke combined with rain and fog to hamper visibility. There were several Rebel attempts to turn AoP's left flank. Berry had formed the 37th in loose order to extend through the woods between the farmland and the marsh. COL Hayman had further refused his line with Company B lest any rebels got through the timber and marsh. In that position, the 37th was continually engaged. Initially, the line was taken under fire from Confederate troops in the woods to their front. Soon, scouts came back from the woods reporting Rebels moving through the woods and marsh to get around the flank. Hayman shifted Companies C. F, G, I, K and to extend Company B's refusal of the line so that when the enemy came into the open they would not be behind the regiment. The 37th quickly repulsed the Rebels first and many frequent subsequent attempts to turn the left flank. After several of these assaults, the Rebels withdrew. The four companies remaining in the original line, Companies A, D, E, and H, had spread out further, but were also successful in beating back the attacks. Overall, holding down the left flank allowed Berry, and in turn, Kearny to keep the line intact and, in turn, allowed Hooker to hold. A Confederate assault on the other end of the line against Hancock's brigade in the 2nd Division of IV Corps failed with great loss and the battle ended. Around 17:00, McClellan finally arrived on the field from his headquarters in Yorktown despite being aware of heavy fighting since 09:00.

While at Williamsburg they received a complimentary mention from General Philip Kearny for gallantry in action. Several of the company-grade officers and staff NCOs were commended by both Berry and Hayman for their performance during this action. While Hooker's division was mauled, the 37th and Kearny's division as well as Hancock's brigade at the other end of the U.S. line, acquitted themselves well. During this battle, the 37th suffered 95 killed, wounded, or found to be missing.

While McClellan reported this battle as a brilliant victory saved from defeat by his appearance on the field, it was actually a planned delaying action by Johnston who bought time for his retreating army to get back to the defenses at Richmond. McClellan, per usual, was inept when the enemy behaved differently from how he expected, and he downplayed the performance of his subordinates while puffing up his ineffective actions. Francis Palfrey, an oft-quoted officer in the 20th Massachusetts, concluded that the commanding general's late arrival at the battle marked a pattern of behavior, a reluctance to actually command in battle; he wrote, "Curiously enough, there was almost always something for McClellan to do more important than to fight his own battles."

At the Battle of Fair Oaks and in the Seven Days' battles the regiment was closely engaged, after which it went into camp at Harrison's landing; moved from there to Alexandria; was present at the battles of Bull Run and Chantilly; reached Falmouth December 6, 1862; was active at Fredericksburg with a total loss of 35 members; and encamped near Falmouth during the rest of the winter.

On December 24, 1862, the regiment received the veterans of the 101st N. Y.

1863

The heaviest loss was suffered in the Chancellorsville campaign in May, 1863, when 222 of the 37th were killed, wounded or missing. A report from Major William DeLacy recounted the actions of this encounter in detail. The regiment struck tents the morning of April 28 and marched about 6 miles toward the Rappahannock River where they encamped. They crossed the river on May 1 at about 11am. They defended a battery on the front and then to connect with the left of General Howard's command. A night attack was undertaken at around 11pm. DeLacey recounted how the regiment "Drove some troops from the rifle-pits on our right." On May 3 while the brigade was moving to the rear of the Union lines, a deadly attack on the front and left flank caused confusion and forced the regiment to fall back. The regiment was later reformed and fell back.

The three years men were transferred to the 40th N. Y. on May 29, 1863. On June 22, 1863, the regiment was mustered out at New York City under the command of COL S. B. Hayman.

Affiliations, battle honors, detailed service, and casualties

Organizational affiliation

Attached to:

List of battles

The official list of battles in which the regiment bore a part:

Detailed service

1861

garrison at Fort Washington August, 1861, to March, 1862.)

1862

1863

Casualties

Regiment lost during service 5 Officers and 69 Enlisted men killed and mortally wounded and 1 Officer and 37 Enlisted men by disease. Total 112. The regiment's bloodiest battles were Williamsburg, Seven Days, Fredericksburg, and Chancellorsville.

Armament

Soldiers in the 37th were armed with 803 Model 1842 Muskets. By the end of the first full year of hard campaigning, the regimented returned 720 Model 1842 smoothbore percussion muskets to the Adjutant General. At some point in the fall of 1861, the regiment, like others in its division, exchanged the smoothbore muskets for newer rifled muskets at the Washington DC arsenal. By the end of the first full year of hard campaigning, the regiment reported the following survey result to U.S. War Department:

Three months later, after an effort to get most of the companies to be armed with the same weapon to make supply easier, the regiment reported the following survey:

Rifle-muskets

Uniform

The men of the regiment were initially issued the nine-button fatigue jackets dark blue sack coats, sky blue trousers or pantaloons with dark blue stripe on the outseams, and the sky blue infantry winter overcoat.

Commanders

Regimental staff

Medal of Honor Recipients

See also

References

Sources

External links

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "37th New York Infantry Regiment".

Except where otherwise indicated, Everything.Explained.Today is © Copyright 2009-2024, A B Cryer, All Rights Reserved. Cookie policy.