14th New Jersey Infantry Regiment

United States Regiments & Batteries > New Jersey > 14th New Jersey Infantry Regiment

“The Monocacy Regiment”

The 14th New Jersey Infantry Regiment lost 8 officers and 139 enlisted men killed or mortally wounded and 110 enlisted men to disease during the Civil War. It is honored by a monument on the Monocacy battlefield in Maryland.

The regiment’s nickname came after it was assigned for nine months in 1862 and 1863 to Monocacy Junction, a strategic location in Maryland on the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad. During that time it became well known in the community. In 1864 the regiment returned to Monocacy to fight its biggest battle, suffering more casualties than any other regiment engaged.

1862
The 14th New Jersey Infantry Regiment was organized at Camp Vredenburg near Freehold, N.J.
August 26 Mustered in under the command of Colonel William S. Truex, Lieutenant Colonel Caldwell K. Hall and Major Peter Vredenburgh
September 2 Left New Jersey for Baltimore, Maryland. Attached to the Defenses of Baltimore, 8th Corps, Middle Department for duty near Monocacy, Maryland, guarding railroad bridges and other points on the Upper Potomac.
1863
January Attached to 3rd Separate Brigade, 8th Corps
June Moved to Harper’s Ferry, West Virginia, and duty there and at Maryland Heights attached to 3rd Provisional Brigade, French’s Division, 8th Corps
June 30 Moved to Frederick, Maryland.
July 2 To Monocacy
July 6-24 Pursuit of Lee, attached to 1st Brigade, 3rd Division, 3rd Corps, Army of the Potomac
July 20 Manassas Gap, Va.
July 23

Wapping Heights
August Duty on line of the Rappahannock and Rapidan
October 9-22

Bristoe Campaign
November 7-8 Advance to line of the Rappahannock
November 7 Kelly’s Ford
November 8

Brandy Station
November 26-December 2

Mine Run Campaign
November 27

Payne’s Farm

The regiment lost 14 enlisted men killed and 47 wounded.
November 28-30

Mine Run
1864
February 6-7 Demonstration on the Rapidan
March Attached to 1st Brigade, 3rd Division, 6th Corps, Army of the Potomac
May 3-June 15

Campaign from the Rapidan to the James
May 5-7

Battle of the Wilderness

The 14th New Jersey Infantry Regiment lost 1 officer and 4 enlisted men killed
May 8-21

Spotsylvania Court House

The regiment lost 4 enlisted men killed and 24 wounded
May 12

Assault on the Salient, “Bloody Angle”
May 23-26

North Anna River

The 14th New Jersey lost 1 officer and 5 enlisted men killed and 1 man missing
May 26-28 On line of the Pamunkey
May 28-31
Totopotomoy
May 30-31
Hanovertown
June 1-12

Battle of Cold Harbor

The regiment lost 2 officers and 22 enlisted men killed and 4 officers, 106 enlisted men wounded and 29 enlisted men missing or captured
June 17-July 9

Siege of Petersburg
June 22-23

Jerusalem Plank Road (Weldon Railroad)

The regiment lost 1 enlisted man killed and 3 wounded
July 6-8 Moved to City Point, then by ship to Baltimore, then by train to Monocacy Junction outside Frederick, Maryland. The regiment marched into Frederick and “then around a circuit of ten miles,” attempting to make the numbers of the Federal defenders appear larger than they were to the advancing Confederates. The ruse failed, and the regiment was withdrawn to the east side of the Monocacy River.
July 9

Battle of Monocacy

The 14th New Jersey Infantry Regiment reached the field with about 350 men under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Caldwell Hall. The regiment lost 2 officers and 22 enlisted men killed, 8 officers and 79 enlisted men wounded, and 29 enlisted men captured or missing, a total of 140.

Every officer with the regiment was killed or wounded except Major Peter Vredenburgh and Captain Benjamin F. Craig. Lieutenant Colonel Hall was badly wounded in the arm early in the battle. Captain James Conover took command, and was mortally wounded in the leg while the regiment counterattacked Confederates who had taken the Thomas farmhouse. Captain Chauncey Harris then took over. He was shot in the breast and then again in the knee after he had been placed in an ambulance. Captain Symmes Stults barely assumed command when he was shot and killed. Captain Jacob Janeway then briefly led the regiment before being shot in the shoulder, leaving no officers with the regiment. Major Vredenburgh had been detached to General Lew Wallace’s staff and came through the battle unscathed in spite of being in the front lines much of the time.

Color Sergeant William B. Cottrell was killed by the same ball that severed the staff of the colors, and he died upon the flag. Four other men of the color guard were shot down in quick succession as they tried to keep the flag waving, but the colors were saved during the retreat from the field.

Captain Craig, the sole unscathed officer who had been with the regiment, was dishonorably discharged shortly after the battle, while Major Vredenburgh returned from his staff duties to command the survivors.
July 14-23 Expedition to Snicker’s Gap
August 7-November 28

Sheridan’s Shenandoah Valley Campaign
September 19

Battle of Winchester (Opequon)

The regiment lost 2 officers and 4 enlisted men killed and 6 officers and 50 enlisted men wounded, including Major Peter Vredenburgh, who was killed.
September 22

Fisher’s Hill

The 14th New Jersey lost 3 enlisted men killed
October 19

Battle of Cedar Creek

The regiment lost 1 officer and 3 enlisted men killed and 1 officer and 23 enlisted men wounded
October Duty in the Shenandoah Valley
December 3-6

Siege of Petersburg

Moved to Washington, D. C. then returned to Petersburg, Virginia.
1865
February 5-7

Dabney’s Mills. Hatcher’s Run
March 25

Fort Fisher, Petersburg
March 28-
April 9

Appomattox Campaign

The regiment lost 2 enlisted men killed and 1 officer and 23 enlisted men wounded
April 2

Fall of Petersburg
April 3-9 Pursuit of Lee
April 9

Appomattox Court House

Surrender of Lee and his army.
April 23-27 March to Danville
May 18-June 2 Moved to Richmond, Va., then to Washington, D.C.
June 8 Corps Review
June 18 The 14th New Jersey Infantry Regiment mustered out near Washington, D.C.