156th New York Infantry Regiment

United States Regiments & Batteries > New York > 156th New York Infantry Regiment

“The Mountain Legion”

The 156th New York Infantry Regiment lost 4 officers and 56 enlisted men killed or mortally wounded during the Civil War. Three officers and 164 enlisted men were lost to disease, 17 of whom where in Confederate captivity at the time.

1862
August-October Organized at Kingston, New York.

  • Company A was primarily recruited at Plattekill, New Paltz, Gardiner and Shawangunk
  • Company B at Kingston, Woodstock, Lloyd, Olive and Marbletown
  • Company C at Durham, Kingston, Wawarsing, Esopus, Hurley, Saugerties, Cairo and Rosendale
  • Company D at Wawarsing, Marbletown, Kingston and Shawangunk
  • Company E at Plattekill, Rosendale, Shawangunk, Gardiner and New Paltz
  • Company F at Kingston, Saugerties, Hurley, Rochester, Marbletown and Olive
  • Company G at Esopus, Marlborough and Kingston
  • Company H at Rochester, Southfields, Middle-town, Newtown, Greenville, Castleton, New York City, Westfield, Northfield, Hillsdale and Baltimore
  • Company I at Castleton, Northfield, Westfield, Hillsdale, Southfields and Greenville
  • Company K at Castleton, Middletown, Newtown, Northfiel’d and Hillsdale
November 17 The 156th New York Infantry Regiment mustered for three years Federal service under the command of Colonel Erastus Cooke, Lieutenant Colonel Jacob Sharpe and Major Louis Schaffner
December 4 Left New York for New Orleans, Louisiana.
December Camp at Carrollton, Louisiana, attached to Sherman’s Division, Department of the Gulf
1863
January Attached to 1st Brigade, 3rd Division. 19th Corps, Department of the Gulf, then 3rd Brigade, 3rd Division, 19th  Corps
January 31 Major Schaffner resigned.
February 1 Captain Thomas Fowler of Company B was promoted to major.
February 11-19 Expedition to Plaquemine
February At Carrollton
March 6 Moved to Baton Rouge
March 7-27

Operations against Port Hudson
March 28 Colonel Cooke was discharged and Lieutenant Colonel Jacob Sharpe was promoted to colonel.
April 1 Moved to Algiers
April 9 To Berwick City
April 9-May 14 Operations in Western Louisiana
April 11-20

Teche Campaign
April 12-15

Fort Bisland near Centreville

Lieutenant Nelson Freer and 4 enlisted men were killed or mortally wounded and 17 enlisted men were wounded
April 17 Vermillion Bayou
April 20 Opelousas
May 5-18

Expedition from Opelousas to Alexandria and Simsport
May 22-25 Moved to Port Hudson
May 25-July 9

Siege of Port Hudson
May 27

Assault on Port Hudson

The regiment lost 1 enlisted man killed
June 3-8 Expedition to Clinton
June 14

Assault on Port Hudson

The regiment lost Lieutenant Colonel Thomas Fowler and 5 enlisted men killed or mortally wounded. Captain Matthias Euen and 22 enlisted men were wounded.
June 23-24

Brashear City

The regiment lost 2 enlisted men killed and 1 missing.
July 1 Lieutenant Colonel Fowler died of his Port Hudson wounds in New Orleans. Captain William Van Wagenen of Company C was promoted to major
July 9

Surrender of Port Hudson
July 11-15 Moved to Baton Rouge, then to Donaldsonville, and attached to 2nd Brigade, 1st Division, 19th Corps.
August 13 Captain John Donaldson of Company G died of disease at Baton Rouge.
August 14 Major Van Wagenen was dismissed to date July 1.
August 15 At Baton Rouge
September 15 Lieutenant William Steadman of Company D died of disease at Baton Rouge.
November 19 Captain Alfred Neafie of Company D was promoted to lieutenant colonel.
1864
February Attached to 3rd Brigade, 2nd Division, 19th Corps. Department of the Gulf
March 19 Captain Howard Cooke of company B died of disease in St. James Hospital in New Orleans.
March 23-May 22

Red River Campaign
March 25-
April 12		 At Alexandria
April 1 Captain Matthias Euen of Company E was promoted to major.
April 9

Pleasant Hill

The regiment lost one enlisted man killed.
April 23-24 Cane River
April 30-May 10 Construction of dam at Alexandria
May 2 and 9

Actions at Alexandria
May 13-20 Retreat to Morganza
May 16 Mansura
May At Morganza
May 30-June 5 Expedition from Morganza to the Atchafalaya
June 1 Atchafalaya River
July 5-29 Moved to Fortress Monroe, Virginia, then to Washington, D.C.
August 5-November 28

Sheridan’s Shenandoah Valley Campaign

Attached to the Army of the Shenandoah, Middle Military Division, 19th Corps, 2nd Division, 3rd Brigade 
September 19

Third Battle of Winchester (or Opequon)

Lieutenant Colonel Alfred Neafie commanded the regiment while Colonel Jacob Sharpe commanded the brigade as brevet brigadier general. The regiment lost 29 enlisted men killed or mortally wounded. Colonel Jacob Sharpe, Lieutenant James Mack and 79 enlisted men were wounded.
September 22

Battle of Fisher’s Hill

The regiment lost 4 enlisted men wounded.
October 19

Battle of Cedar Creek

Captain Johannes Le Fevre, Lieutenant Christopher Larkin and 15 enlisted men were killed or mortally wounded, Captain James Hoyt, Lieutenants Peter Halwick and William Seaton and 25 enlisted men were wounded, and 46 men missing. The colors were saved from capture when Captain Alfred Cooley stripped the colors from the staff and brought them off the field.
October Duty at Kernstown and Winchester
1865
January 5-22 Moved to Savannah, Georgia and attached to 3rd Brigade, Grover’s Division, District of Savannah, Georgia, Department of the South
March 5 Transferred to Wilmington, North Carolina and attached to 3rd Brigade, 1st Division, 10th Corps, Army of the Ohio
March 10 To Morehead City
April 8 Moved to Goldsboro
May 2 To Savannah and attached to District of Savannah, Department of Georgia.
October 23 Mustered out at Augusta, Georgia under the command of Colonel Jacob Sharpe, Lieutenant Colonel Alfred Neafie and Major Matthias Euen