23rd New Jersey Infantry Regiment

United States Regiments & Batteries > New Jersey > 23rd New Jersey Infantry Regiment

“Yahoos”

The 23rd New Jersey Infantry Regiment lost 4 officers and 31 enlisted men killed or mortally wounded and 1 officer and 54 enlisted men to disease during the Civil War. The regiment is honored by a monument at Salem Church, near Fredericksburg.

1862
The regiment was organized at Beverly, New Jersey of men from Burlington and Burlington County. They trained at Camp Cadwalader in Beverly.

Original company commanders
  • Company A – Captain Francis W. Milnor
  • Company B – Captain Francis J. Higgins
  • Company C – Captain Samuel Carr
  • Company D – Captain Reading Newbold
  • Company E – Captain Augustus W. Grobler
  • Company F – Captain Samuel B. Smith
  • Company G – Captain Joseph R. Ridgway
  • Company H – Captain Henry A. McCabe
  • Company I – Captain John P. Burnett
  • Company K – Captain William J. Parmentier
September 13 The 23rd New Jersey Infantry Regiment mustered in for nine months Federal service under the command of Colonel John S. Cox, Lieutenant Colonel George C. Brown, Major Alfred Thompson, Adjutant William G. Winans and Sergeant Major John F. McKee.
September 26 Left New Jersey for Washington, D.C. then moved to Frederick, Maryland,
October 8 March to Bakersville, Maryland and attached to 1st Brigade, 1st Division, 6th Corps, Army of the Potomac. This was the First New Jersey Brigade, whose numbers had been badly depleted in the early battles of the war.
November 9 At New Baltimore. Colonel Cox resigned after Brigadier General Gabriel Paul brought court martial charges for incompetence and drunkeness. Lieutenant Colonel Henry O. Ryerson of the 2nd New Jersey Infantry was promoted to colonel and given command of the 23rd. Captain E. Burd Grubb of the 3rd New Jersey Infantry was promoted to major and transferred to the 23rd.Ryerson reviewed the regiment on taking command and disgustedly called them “Yahoos” due to their behavior and appearance. The men embraced the name, had it added to their regimental flag, and adopted it as the regiment’s nickname.
December 12-15

Battle of Fredericksburg
January-April Duty near Falmouth, Va.
1863
January 20-24
“Mud March”
March 26 Colonel Ryerson was transferred to the 10th New Jersey Infantry Regiment.
April 9 Twenty-one year old Major E. Burd Grubb was promoted to colonel.
April 27-May 6

Chancellorsville Campaign
April 29-May 2 Operations at Franklin’s Crossing
May 3

Battle of Maryes Heights (Second Fredericksburg)
May 3-4

Salem Church

A monument to the regiment is on the battlefield at Salem Church, the only monument to a nine months New Jersey regiment.

Captain Forrester L. Taylor was awarded the Medal of Honor for rescuing two wounded men while under intense fire. According to his citation,  “At great risk Captain Taylor voluntarily saved the lives of and brought from the battlefield two wounded comrades.” Taylor was the only man from any of New Jersey’s nine months regiments to receive the Medal of Honor in the Civil War.

Forrester Taylor, Medal of Honor recipient

Medal of Honor recipient Captain Forrester Taylor, seen long after the war.
May 4

Banks’ Ford
June The regiment’s term of enlistment was finished in mid june. They volunteered to extend their service during the emergency of Lee’s invasion of the North.
June 27 The 23rd New Jersey Infantry Regiment mustered out and moved to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.