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Organized at Fort Schuyler, N.Y. by combining the 2nd and 4th Regiments of the Irish Brigade, with Colonel Baker of the 2nd taking command of the regiment and Colonel Meagher of the 4th taking command of the brigade. The regiment was recruited from Irish immigrants, a large number of whom had served in the British Army, and the regimental number was chosen in honor of the British 88th Connaught Rangers. Many of the officers had served in the 69th New York State Militia and were veterans of Bull Run. |
November 18 |
Mrs. Meagher presented the regiment with their colors in front of the Archiepiscopal Palace on Madison Avenue. |
December 16 |
Left State for Washington, D.C. under Colonel Henry M. Baker, Lieutenant Colonel Patrick Kelly and Major James Quinlan. The regiment was armed with smoothbore buck and ball muskets on General Meagher's theory that fighting would be at close range. |
December-March |
Duty in the Defenses of Washington, D. C. at Camp California near Alexandria. Attached to Meagher's Brigade, Sumner's Division, Army of the Potomac |
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March, 1862 |
Assigned to Meagher's 2nd Brigade, Richardson's 1st Division, 2nd Army Corps, Army of the Potomac |
March 10-15 |
Advance on Manassas, Va |
April |
Ordered to the Peninsula, Va. |
April 16-May 4 |
Siege of Yorktown |
May |
Assigned to 2nd Brigade, 1st Division, 2nd Army Corps |
May 21 |
White Oak Swamp
The regiment lost 1 enliste man killed and 4 men wounded. |
May 31-June 1 |
Battle of Fair Oaks or Seven Pines
The regiment lost 1 officer and 7 men killed or mortally wounded, and 1 officer and 16 men killed. Major James Quinlan earned the Medal of Honor when he "led his regiment on the enemy's battery, silenced the guns, held the position against overwhelming numners, and covered the retreat of the 2d Army Corps." |
June 25-July 1 |
Seven days before Richmond
The regiment lost 2 officers and 17 men killed or mortally wounded, 2 officers and 50 men wounded, and 58 men missing. |
June 27 |
Battles of Gaines Mill |
June 29 |
Peach Orchard and Savage Station |
June 30 |
White Oak Swamp Bridge and Glendale |
July 1 |
Malvern Hill |
July-August |
At Harrison's Landing |
August 16-30 |
Movement to Fortress Monroe, then to Alexandria and Centreville |
September 6-22 |
Maryland Campaign |
September 16-17 |
Battle of Antietam
The regiment was commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Patrick Kelly. It charged the infamous Sunken Road, or Bloody Lane, and lost 2 officers and 25 men killed, 8 men mortaly wounded, and 2 officers and 65 men wounded out of 302 men engaged. |
September 22 |
Moved to Harper's Ferry, W. Va. |
October 16-17 |
Reconnaissance to Charlestown |
October 20 |
Leutenant Colonel Kelly was promoted to colonel. |
October 29-November 17 |
Advance up Loudoun Valley and movement to Falmouth |
December 12-15 |
Battle of Fredericksburg
The regiment lost Major Wiliam Horgan, 3 other officers and 24 men killed or mortally wounded, 8 officers and 85 men wounded, and 6 men missing. Major Horgan had led his men forward in the attack on Marye's Heights in spite of a shattered jaw and other wounds, falling only 20 paces from the stone wall of the Confederate defences. |
December-April |
At Falmouth |
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January 20-24 |
"Mud March" |
April 27-May 6 |
Chancellorsville Campaign |
May 1-5 |
Battle of Chancellorsville
The regiment lost 5 men killed or mortally wounded, 4 officers and 18 men wounded, and 19 men missing. |
May 19 |
General Meagher resigned, and the 88th's Colonel Kelly took command of the brigade. The regiment was consolidated dur to losses into a battalion of two companies (A and B) under the command of Captain Denis Francis Burke. |
June 11-July 24 |
Gettysburg Campaign
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July 1-3 |
Battle of Gettysburg
Commanded by Captain Denis Francis Burke while Colonel Kelly commanded the Irish Brigade. The 88th brought 126 men to the field in two companies (A and B) and lost 1 officer and 6 men killed, 1 officer and 16 men wounded and 4 men missing.
From the monument: "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 5-24 |
Pursuit of Lee to Manassas Gap |
August |
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
One man was wounded |
November 7-8 |
Advance to line of the Rappahannock |
November 26-
December 2 |
Mine Run Campaign
One man was wounded |
November 28-30 |
Mine Run |
December-May |
Duty at and near Stevensburg |
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January |
Only 74 survivors remain when the regiment reenlisted. They returned home to recruit, and returned 440 strong to rejoin the brigade.
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February 6-7 |
Demonstration on the Rapidan |
May 3-June 15 |
Campaign from the Rapidan to the James |
May 5-7 |
Battle of the Wilderness
The regiment lost 2 officers and 14 men killed or mortally wounded, 34 men wounded and 2 men missing. |
May 8-12 |
Spottsylvania
The regiment lost 6 men killed or mortally wounded, 16 men wounded, and 3 men missing. |
May 10 |
Po River
Lost 1 man mortally wounded |
May 12-21 |
Spottsylvania Court House |
May 12 |
Assault on the Salient or "Bloody Angle"
Lost one man killed. |
May 18 |
Landron House
Lost 4 men killed or mortally wounded |
May 23-26 |
North Anna River
Lost 1 man mortally wounded |
May 26-28 |
On line of the Pamunkey |
May 28-31 |
Totopotomoy
Lost 1 man mortally wounded |
June 1-12 |
Cold Harbor
The regiment lost 1 officer and 3 men killed or mortally wounded and 7 wounded. |
June |
Assigned to Consolidated Brigade, 1st Division, 2nd Army Corps |
June 16-18 |
Before Petersburg; Siege of Petersburg begins.
The regiment lost Colonel Patrick Kelly and 5 enlisted men killed or mortally wounded, 1 officer and 15 enlosted men wounded, and 1 officer and 29 enlisted men missing. |
June 22-23 |
Jerusalem Plank Road
Lost 3 men killed or 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 2 men killed or mortally wounded, and 11 men wounded |
August 25 |
Ream's Station
The regiment lost 1 officer and 2 men wounded and 2 officers and 10 men missing. |
October 27-28 |
Boydton Plank Road, Hatcher's Run |
October 27 |
Front of Forts Morton and Sedgwick |
November |
Attached to 2nd Brigade, 1st Division, 2nd Army Corps
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December 9-10 |
Reconnaissance to Hatcher's Run |
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February 5-7 |
Dabney's Mills, Hatcher's Run |
March 25 |
Watkins' House
The regiment lost 1 men killed and 4 m3n wounded. |
March 28-April 9 |
Appomattox Campaign
The regiment lost 4 men wounded. |
March 30-31 |
Hatcher's Run or Boydton Road |
March 31 |
White Oak Road |
April 2 |
Sutherland Station and fall of Petersburg |
April 6 |
Sailor's Creek
First Lieutenant George W. Ford of Company E earned the Medal of Honor for capturing a Confederate flag. |
April 7 |
Farmville |
April 9 |
Appomattox Court House. Surrender of Lee and his army. |
April |
At Burkesville |
May 2-12 |
Moved to Washington, D.C. |
May 23 |
Grand Review |
June 30 |
96 survivors mustered out under Lieutenant Colonel Denis F. Burke near Alexandria, Virginia |
