1861 |
August 7 -
November 4 |
Organized at New York City under Colonel Richard C. Enright, Lieutenant Colonel Henry Fowler and Major Thomas Lynch as part of Meagher's Irish Brigade. |
November 28 |
Left State for Washington, D.C. |
November 30 |
Attached to Meagher's Brigade, Sumner's Division, Army of the Potomac for duty in the Defenses of Washington |
1862 |
January 31 |
Colonel Enright discharged. Lieutenant Colonel John Burke of the 37th New York Infantry Regiment transferred in as colonel |
February 12 |
Major Thomas Lynch died of disease at Fairfax Seminary |
February 14 |
Adjutant Richard Bentley of the 13th New York Infantry Regiment transferred in as major |
March 10-15 |
Advance on Manassas, Va. attached to 2nd Brigade, 1st Division, 2nd Army Corps, Army of the Potomac |
March 12 |
One man was wounded at Union Mills |
April 16-May 4 |
Ordered to the Virginia Peninsula. Siege of Yorktown, Va. |
May 31-June 1 |
Battle of Seven Pines or Fair Oaks
One enlisted man was wounded |
June 19 |
Two enlisted men were wounded near Burnt Chimneys |
June 24 |
Fair Oaks
One enlisted man was wounded |
June 25-July 1 |
Seven days before Richmond |
June 27 |
Battles of Gaines' Mill |
June 28-29 |
About Fair Oaks |
June 29 |
Peach Orchard and Savage Station |
June 30 |
White Oak Swamp Bridge and Glendale |
July 1 |
Malvern Hill
One officer and 18 enlisted men were wounded, 1 officer and 50 men missing |
July |
At Harrison's Landing |
August 16-30 |
Moved to Fortress Monroe, then to Alexandria and Centreville |
August 31-
September 2 |
Cover retreat of Pope's Army to Washington, D.C. |
September 6-22 |
Maryland Campaign |
September 16-17 |
Battle of Antietam
The regiment was commanded by Colonel John Burke. Captain John Kavanaugh, Lieutenants Patrick Lydon, George Lynch, James Mackay, Henry McConnell, Cadwallader Smith, 1 other officer and 57 enlisted men were killed or mortally wounded, Lieutenant Colonel Henry Fowler, Captain Michael O'Sullivan and 134 men wounded, and 2 men missing out of 341 men engaged in the attack on the Sunken Road, or "Bloody Lane."
When General Meagher was stunned by a fall from his horse Colonel Burke was to take over the brigade. Burke, however, had disappeared. Lieutenant Colonel Fowler took over the regiment but was wounded, leaving command to Captain Joseph O'Neill, who was the only officer not killed or wounded in the attack.
From the monument:
"On 17, September 1862, the Brigade crossed Antietam Creek (9:30 a.m.) at Pry's Ford. As it formed at the edge of a cornfield Father William Corby, Chaplain rode along the line, giving absolution to the soldiers. The 69th New York occupied the right then the 29th Massachusetts, the 63rd and 88th New York crossing the cornfield, the command encountered a rail fence which was torn down under severe fire an opposing Confederate column advanced within 300 paces of the brigade . After several volleys, the Irish Brigade charged with fixed bayonets. At 30 paces it poured buck and ball into General George B. Anderson's Brigade (2nd, 4th, 14th and 30th North Carolina Infantry Regiments) which fell back to 'Bloody Lane'. After fierce combat its ammunition exhausted the Irish Brigade was relieved." |
September 22-October 29 |
Duty at Harper's Ferry |
October 16-17 |
Reconnaissance to Charlestown |
October 20 |
Colonel Burke court martialled and dismissed from the service for his actions at Antietam. Lieutenant Colonel Fowler was promoted to colonel and command of the regiment. |
October 25 |
Captain Joseph O'Neil of Company A prmomted to major |
October 29-November 17 |
Advance up Loudoun Valley and movement to Falmouth, Va. |
October 31 |
Major Richard Bentley promoted to lieutenant colonel |
December 12-15 |
Battle of Fredericksburg
Captain John Sullivan and 6 enlisted men were killed or mortally wounded, Adjutant James Brady, Lieutenants Richard Moore, William Quick, Patrick Riordon, 2 other officers and 27 enlisted men were wounded and 4 men missing out of 162 men engaged. |
December-April |
At Falmouth |
1863 |
January 20-24 |
"Mud March" |
April 27-May 6 |
Chancellorsville Campaign |
May 1-5 |
Battle of Chancellorsville
Captain John Lynch was killed, 1 enlisted man mortally wounded, 2 officers wounded and 2 men missing. |
June 11-July 24 |
Gettysburg Campaign |
June 12 |
Consolidated into a battalion of two companies, A and B, under Lieutenant Colonel Richard Charles Bentley. Major Joseph O'Neal mustered out. |
July 1-4 |
Battle of Gettysburg
The regiment was commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Richard Charles Bentley. He was wounded on July 2nd, and Captain Thomas Touhy took command. The 63rd brought 112 men to the field in two companies (A and B) and lost 5 enlisted men killed, 2 mortally wounded, 1 officer and 7 enlisted men wounded, and Lieutenant Dominick Connolly and 7 enlisted men captured or missing
From the Irish Brigade monuement: "The brigade entered the battle under command of Colonel Patrick Kelly 530 strong, of which this contingent, composing three battalions of two companies each, numbered 240 men. The original strength of these battalions was 3,000 men. The brigade participated with great credit to itself and the race it represented, in every battle of the Army of the Potomac in which the Second Corps was engaged, from Fair Oaks, Jule 1, 1862, to Appomattox Court House, April 9, 1865." |
July 4 |
Colonel Henry Fowler discharged for his wound at Antietam |
July-October |
Duty on line of the Rappahannock |
September 13-17 |
Advance from the Rappahannock to the Rapidan |
October 9-22 |
Bristoe Campaign |
October 14 |
Auburn and Bristoe
The regiment lost 2 enlisted men wounded and 7 missing |
November 7-8 |
Advance to line of the Rappahannock |
November 26-December 2 |
Mine Run Campaign |
December-May |
Duty at and near Stevensburg, Va. |
1864 |
January 12 |
Company C added to the battalion, The company was originally raised for the King's County Volunteers in June of 1863. |
February 6-7 |
Demonstration on the Rapidan |
April |
Companies D and E of new recruits joined |
April 26 |
Captain Thomas Touhy of Company A promoted to major |
May 3-June 15 |
Campaign from the Rapidan to the James |
May 5-7 |
Battle of the Wilderness
Major Thomas Touhy, Captain Peter Boyle, and 21 enlisted men were killed or mortally wounded, 68 men wounded and 8 missing. |
May 8-12 |
Spottsylvania
Lieutenant James Smart and 11 enlisted men were killed or mortally wounded, 16 enlisted men wounded and 3 missing, including Major Thomas Touhey |
May 10 |
Po River |
May 12-21 |
Spottsylvania Court House |
May 12 |
Assault on the Salient or "Bloody Angle" |
May 23-26 |
North Anna River |
May 26-28 |
On line of the Pamunkey |
May 28-31 |
Totopotomoy |
June |
Company F joined, made up of new recruits |
June 1-12 |
Cold Harbor
The regiment lost 12 enlisted men killed or mortally wounded, Captain James Brady, Lieutenant David Rood and 13 enlisted men wounded and 5 men missing |
June |
Attached to Consolidated Brigade, 1st Division, 2nd Army Corps |
June 11 |
Captain Miles McDonald of Company E promoted to major |
June 15-18 |
Assault on Petersburg
Major Miles McDonald and 10 enlisted men killed or mortally wounded, Lieutenant Edward Maxwell and 20 enlisted men wounded and 15 missing |
June 16 - April 2 |
Siege of Petersburg
The regiment lost 5 enlisted men killed or mortally wounded, 1 officers and 25 enlisted men wounded and 19 missing in the nine month siege exclusinve of those listed in the battles below |
June 17 |
Captain John Gleason of Company D promoted to major |
June 22-23 |
Jerusalem Plank Road
Lieutenant Patrick Maher was mortally wounded |
July 27-29 |
Demonstration north of the James |
July 27-28 |
Deep Bottom |
August 13-20 |
Demonstration north of the James |
August 14-18 |
Strawberry Plains, Deep Bottom
The regiment lost 11 enlisted man mortally wounded, 9 wounded and 1 missing |
August 25 |
Ream's Station
The regiment lost 2 enlisted men killed |
September 14 |
Lieutenant Colonel Bentley discharged for disability due to his Gettysburg wound. Major Gleason promoted to lieutenant colonel |
September 19 |
Lieutenant Colonel Gleason promoted to colonel |
October 15 |
Captain William Terwilliger of Company E promoted to major |
November |
Assigned to 2nd Brigade, 1st Division, 2nd Army Corps |
December 9-10 |
Reconnaissance to Hatcher's Run |
1865 |
January 29 |
Captain Brady promoted to lieutenant colonel |
February 5-7 |
Dabney's Mills, Hatcher's Run |
March 25 |
Watkins' House
The regiment lost 1 enlisted man wounded |
March 28-April 9 |
Appomattox Campaign
Captain Edward Carroll and 4 enlisted men were killed or mortally wounded, 1 officer and 4 enlisted men wounded, and 2 men missing in the last two weeks of the war |
March 29-31 |
Hatcher's Run or Boydton Road |
March 31 |
White Oak Road |
April 2 |
Sutherland Station and fall of Petersburg
Captain Edward Carroll killed |
April 6 |
Sailor's Creek |
April 7 |
High Bridge. Farmville |
April 9 |
Appomattox Court House. Surrender of Lee and his army. |
May 2-12 |
Moved to Washington, D.C. |
May 18 |
Colonel John Gleason dismissed. Lieutenant Colonel Brady promoted to colonel, Major Terwilliger to lieutenant colonel and Captain James McQuade of Company F to major |
May 23 |
Grand Review |
June 30 |
Mustered out at Alexandria, Virginia under Colonel James D. Brady, Lieutenant Colonel Terwilliger and Major McQuade |
