United States Regiments & Batteries > New York
“2nd Excelsior”
The 71st New York Infantry Regiment lost 5 officers and 83 enlisted men killed and mortally wounded and 2 officers and 73 enlisted men to disease. It is honored on the Excelsior Brigade monument at Gettysburg with its sister regiments in the brigade.
1861
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June | Organized under authority of the War Department at Camp Scott, Staten Island, N.Y., as 2nd Regiment, Sickles’ Brigade. Companies A and D were primarily recruited in Newark, New Jersey, Company E at Orange, New Jersey and Company G in Philadelphia, with the remainder of the regiment from New York. |
June 18 | The regiment was mustered in for three years Federal service under the command of Colonel George B. Hall, Lieutenant Colonel Henry L. Potter and Major Peter McDermott.Company A – Captain Patrick Nolan Company B – Captain Paul B. Bradley Company C – Captain John G. Brown Company D – Captain William H. Greene Company E – Captain Owen Murphy Company F – Captain Walter A. Donaldson Company G – Captain Edward W. Powers Company H – Captain Thomas Rafferty Company I – Captain John T. Bruen Company K – Captain Thomas A. Glover |
July 23 | Left State for Washington, D.C. Attached to Sickles’ Brigade, Division of the Potomac for duty in the Defenses of Washington, D. C. |
August 1 | Major McDermott discharged to organize and eventually become colonel of the 170th New York Infantry |
August 10 | Captain John Toler of Company A promoted to major |
September 15- October 2 |
Expedition to Lower Maryland |
September 20 | Captain Orville Howard died of disease in City Hospital, Washington |
October | Attached to Sickles’ Brigade, Hooker’s Division, Army of the Potomac |
November 9 | Expedition to Matthias Point |
1862
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February 28 | Captain John T. Bruen of Company C was transferred to command the 10th New York Independent Battery. |
March | Attached to 2nd Brigade, 2nd Division, 3rd Army Corps, Army of the Potomac |
March 10 | Advance on Manassas, Va. |
March 14 | Captain Edward W. Powers of Company G was discharged. |
March 18 | Expedition from Dumfries to Fredericksburg, Va., and capture of stores |
April 4 | Reconnaissance from Liverpool Point to Stafford Court House and action at Stafford Court House |
April | Ordered to the Peninsula, Va. |
April 10-May 4 |
Siege of Yorktown |
May 5 |
Battle of Williamsburg |
May 30 | Adjutant James Powell captured and paroled at Bottom’s Bridge, Virginia |
May 31-June 1 |
Battle of Seven Pines or Fair OaksLieutenant Theodore Laurier and 5 enlisted men were killed or mortally wounded, Lieutenant Patrick Nolan and 8 enlisted men were wounded, and 5 men were captured |
June 6 | Lieutenant William White was wounded at Fair Oaks |
June 15 | Lieutenant Joseph Palmer was killed in a skirmish at Fair Oaks |
June 25-July 1 |
Seven Days before RichmondThe regiment lost 10 enlisted men killed or mortally wounded, Captain Thomas Rafferty of Company H and 29 enlisted men were wounded, and 3 officers and 75 enlisted men were captured in the seven days of fighting |
June 25 |
Battle of Oak Grove |
June 29 |
Peach Orchard and Savage Station |
June 30 |
White Oak Swamp and Glendale |
July 1 & August 5 |
Malvern Hill |
July 31 | First Lieutenant John C. Leigh was promoted to captain of Company C. Second Lieutenant George W. Claflin was promoted to captain of Company H. |
August | At Harrison’s Landing |
August 1 | Captain Thomas Rafferty of Company H was promoted to major. |
August 4 | Lieutenant James C. Whalley was promoted to captain of Company C. |
August 16-26 | Movement to Fortress Monroe, then to Centreville |
August 26- September 2 |
Pope’s Campaign in Northern VirginiaOut of 250 men engaged, Lieutenant Colonel Henry Potter, Lieutenants Benjamin Franklin, James Powell and James Webb and 55 enlisted men were wounded, and 22 enlisted men were captured in addition to those listed below from August 27-30 |
August 27 |
Action at Bristoe Station or Kettle RunLieutenants John Lowentrout and Terrance Murphyand 19 enlisted men were killed or mortally wounded. Captain William Greene of Company D was wounded. |
August 29 |
Battle of GrovetonThe regiment lost 11 enlsited men killed or mortally wounded |
August 30 |
Second Battle of Bull Run (Manassas) |
September-November | Duty in the Defenses of Washington, D.C. at Fairfax Station |
September 6 | First Lieutenant Thomas Graham was promoted to captain of Company G. |
September 15 | Major Toler was discharged |
November 10-12 | Operations on the Orange & Alexandria Railroad |
December 12-15 |
Battle of FredericksburgThe regiment lost 3 enlisted men wounded |
1863
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January | Winter quarters at Falmouth |
January 20-24 |
“Mud March” |
February 5-7 | Operations at Rappahannock Bridge and Grove Church |
April 27-May 6 |
Chancellorsville Campaign |
April 28 | Colonel George Hall was discharged for disability |
May 1 | Lieutenant Colonel Potter was promoted to colonel and Major Rafferty to lieutenant colonel. |
May 1-5 |
Battle of ChancellorsvilleThe regiment lost 2 enlisted men killed or mortally wounded, Captains Walter Donaldson and William Ellwood and 12 enlisted men wounded, and 23 men captured |
June 11-July 24 |
Gettysburg Campaign |
July 1-3 |
Battle of GettysburgThe 71st New York Infantry Regiment was commaned by Colonel Potter until he was wounded on July 2nd. Lieutenant Andrew Estes and 16 enlisted men were killed or mortally wounded, Captain Walter Donaldson, Lieutenants Edward Conway, Hiram Holmes, Andrew Leonard, John O’Connell and Charles Slavin and 55 enlisted men were wounded, and 13 enlisted men were missing. |
July 5-24 | Pursuit of Lee to Manassas Gap, Va. |
July 23 |
Wapping HeightsThe regiment lost 2 enlisted men killed and 13 wounded |
August-October | Duty on line of the Rappahannock |
October 9-22 |
Bristoe Campaign |
November 7-8 | Advance to line of the Rappahannock |
November 7 |
Kelly’s Ford |
November 26-December 2 |
Mine Run Campaign |
November 27 |
Payne’s FarmThe regiment lost 1 enlisted man killed and 7 wounded |
December-May | Duty near Brandy Station, Va. |
1864
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February 6-7 | Demonstration on the Rapidan |
March | Attached to 2nd Brigade, 4th Division, 2nd Army Corps |
March 8 | First Lieutenant James Chambers was promoted to captain of Company D. |
May 3-June 15 | Campaign from the Rapidan to the James River. Attached to 4th Brigade, 3rd Division, 2nd Army Corps |
May 5-7 |
Battle of the WildernessThe regiment lost 2 enlisted men killed and 1 mortally wounded, Lieutenant Thomas Fogarty, 1 other officer, and 2 enlisted men wounded, Captain Thomas Leigh was wounded, captured and escaped, and 1 enlisted man was missing |
May 8-21 |
Spotsylvania Court HouseCaptain Patrick Nolan of Company A, Lieutenant John McBlair and 5 enlisted men were killed or mortally wounded, Lieutenant William Shick and 8 enlisted men were wounded and 2 enlisted men were missing |
May 10 | Po River |
May 12 | Assault on the Salient or “Bloody Angle” |
May 19 | Harris Farm or Fredericksburg Road |
May 23-26 |
North Anna RiverThe regiment lost 8 enlisted men wounded and 3 missing |
May 26-28 | On line of the Pamunkey |
May 28-31 |
Totopotomoy |
June 1-12 |
Cold HarborThe regiment lost 1 enlisted man killed, 1 officer mortally wounded and 2 men missing |
June 16-18 |
First Assault on PetersburgThe regiment lost 7 enlisted men illed or mortally wounded, Captain James Chambers of Company D, 1 other officer and 11 enlisted men wounded and 3 men missing |
June 18 |
Siege of Petersburg begins |
June 22-23 |
Jerusalem Plank Road, Weldon Railroad |
July 7 | Veterans and Recruits transferred to 120th New York Infantry Regiment |
July 30 | The 71st New York Infantry Regiment was mustered out at New York City under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Rafferty, as Colonel Potter was detached due to wounds |