43rd New York Infantry Regiment

United States Regiments & Batteries > New York > 43rd New York Infantry Regiment

“Albany And Yates’ Rifles”

The 43rd New York Infantry Regiment lost 13 officers and 110 enlisted men killed and mortally wounded and 1 officer and 120 enlisted men to disease during the Civil War. It is honored by a little-seen monument at Gettysburg on “Lost Lane.”

1861
August -September The 43rd New York Infantry Regiment was organized at Albany, New York under the command of Colonel Francis L. Vinton, Lieutenant Colonel Charles Pierson and Major Benjamin Baker
September 21 Left New York for Washington, D.C. Attached to Hancock’s Brigade, W. F. Smith’s Division, Army of the Potomac for duty in the Defenses of Washington, D. C.
October 1 Major Baker was promoted to lieutenant colonel
1862
February 22 Expedition to Vienna and Flint Hill
March Attached to 1st Brigade, 2nd Division, 4th Corps, Army of the Potomac
March 10-15 Advance on Manassas, Virginia.
March 16

Peninsula Campaign

Moved to Alexandria then to Fortress Monroe, Virginia.
April 4-5 Advance on Yorktown
April 5-May 4

Siege of Yorktown
April 16 Lee’s Mills
April 28

Reconnaissance toward Lee’s Mills

The regiment lost 1 officer killed and Captain Charles Miliken and 4 enlisted men wounded.
May 5

Battle of Williamsburg
May 6 – 18 Duty at White House. Attached to 1st Brigade, 2nd Division, 6th Army Corps
May Picket duty near Richmond
June 25-July 1

Seven days before Richmond

The regiment lost 6 enlisted men killed or mortally wounded, 37 enlisted men wounded, and 28 missing or captured.
June 27

Garnett’s Farm
June 28

Garnett’s and Golding’s Farms
June 30

White Oak Swamp
July 1

Malvern Hill
July 15 Lieutenant Colonel Pierson was discharged.
July 17 Captain John Wilson of Company A was promoted to major.
July-August
At Harrison’s Landing

The regiment was consolidated to a battalion of five companies. Five new companies were recruited in New York that would join in October
August 16-28 Movement to Fortress Monroe, then to Centreville.
August 28-31 In works at Centreville
September 1 Covered Pope’s retreat to Fairfax Court House
September 6-22

Maryland Campaign
September 10-11 Sugar Loaf Mountain
September 14

South Mountain

The regiment was engaged at Crampton’s Gap.
September 16-17

Battle of Antietam

The battalion was commanded by Major Wilson. It was in reserve and lost 1 enlisted man wounded.

From the War Department marker for Smith’s Division on the Antietam battlefield:

Smith’s Division left camp between Crampton’s Pass and Rohrersville in Pleasant Valley at 5:30 A.M. of the 17th, crossed the Antietam at Pry’s Ford and arrived at the front about noon. Hancock’s Brigade was put in position on the left of Sedgwick’s Division of the Second Corps, its right near the Poffenberger Lane, its left extending in front of and parallel to the East Woods, Irwin’s Brigade advancing took cover behind the ridge south of the Smoketown Road and in front of the Church… The Division remained in position with some slight changes until the morning of the 19th, when it advanced and ascertained that the Confederates had recrossed the Potomac.
September 19 Colonel Vinton was promoted to brigadier general.
September 24 Lieutenant Colonel Baker was promoted to colonel, Major Wilson to lieutenant colonel and Captain John Fryer of Company A to major.
September-October Duty at Hagerstown, Maryland. Five new companies joined the regiment in October, returning it to regimental strength.
October 30-November 19 Movement to Falmouth, Virginia.
December 12-15

Battle of Fredericksburg

The regiment lost 11 enlisted men wounded and 1 missing
1863
January 20-24 “Mud March”
January 26 Attached to Light Division, 6th Corps
February-April At Falmouth
April 27-May 6

Chancellorsville Campaign
April 29-May 2 Operations about Franklin’s Crossing. attached to 3rd Brigade, 2nd Division, 6th Corps, Army of the Potomac
May 3

Battle of Maryes Heights, Second Fredericksburg
May 3-4
Marye’s Heights and Salem Church

Captains Hugh Knickerbocker and Douglas Lodge, Lieutenant George Krontz and 17 enlisted men were killed or mortally wounded, 2 officers and 46 enlisted men were wounded, and 7 officers and 129 enlisted men captured.Three cannon from the Confederate Washington Artillery of New Orleans were captured by the regiment.
May 4

Banks’ Ford
June 5-13 Operation at Franklin’s Crossing
July 2-4

Battle of Gettysburg

Commanded by Lieutenant Colonel John Wilson. It brought 403 men to the field, losing Captain William H. Gilfillan and 1 enlisted man killed, 2 enlisted men wounded and 1 missing.

From the monument at Gettysburg:

Arrived on field 4 p.m. July 2d 1863. Held this position from the morning of July 3d until the close of battle.
July 5-24 Pursuit of Lee
August Duty on the line of the Rappahannock
October 9-22

Bristoe Campaign

The regiment lost 2 enlisted men wounded and 1 missing
November 7-8 Advance to the line of the Rappahannock
November 7

Rappahannock Station

The regiment lost 5 enlisted men killed or mortally wounded, 5 wounded, and 1 missing.
November 26-December 2

Mine Run Campaign
December Duty near Brandy Station
1864
February 1 Colonel Baker resigned.
March 15 Lieutenant Colonel Wilson was promoted to colonel but not mustered.
May 3-June 15

Campaign from the Rapidan to the James
May 5-7

Battle of the Wilderness

Colonel Wilson, Lieutenant Colonel Fryer, Major Wallace, Lieutenants Theodore Bailey and David Meade and 38 enlisted men were killed or mortally wounded. Lieutenants John Cavanaugh, Edward Goodyear, James McNamera, Richard Reed, William Rogers, William Thompson, John Wilkinson and 87 enlisted men were wounded, and Lieutenants William Blasie and Henry Schutter and 59 enlisted men missing or captured
May 8-21

Spotsylvania Court House

The regiment was one of twelve picked battalions in General Upton’s charge. It lost Captain David Burhans and 9 enlisted men killed or mortally wounded, Captain Charles Milliken, Lieutenant Thomas Lynch, 1 other officer and 32 enlisted men wounded, and 6 enlisted men missing. Captain Burhans captured two Confederate flags before he fell, and Anthony Knifer of Company E captured the colors of the 44th Georgia Infantry Regiment.

By the end of Spotsylvania the regiment was reduced to 4 officers and 76 men.
May 12

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

North Anna River
May 26-28 On line of the Pamunkey
May 28-31

Totopotomoy
June 1-12

Battle of Cold Harbor

The regiment lost 2 enlisted men killed and Captain Samuel Fry and 10 enlisted men wounded.
June 17-18

First Assault on Petersburg (Grant’s First Assault)
June 19

Siege of Petersburg

Captain James Visscher of Company G promoted to lieutenant colonel
June 22-23

Jerusalem Plank Road, Weldon Railroad

The regiment lost 1 enlisted man killed
June 26-29 Moved to Washington, D.C.
July 11-12

Repulse of Early’s attack on Fort Stevens and Northern Defenses of Washington

Lt. Colonel Visscher, 1 other officer and 10 enlisted men killed or mortally wounded and 23 enlisted men wounded fighting under the eyes of President Lincoln.
July 14-22

Pursuit of Early

Attached to the Army of the Shenandoah.
August 1 Captain Volkert Van Patten was promoted to lieutenant colonel and Captain Charles Milliken of Company C to major.
August 7-November 28

Sheridan’s Shenandoah Valley Campaign
September 13 Gilbert’s Ford, Opequan Creek
September 19

Third Battle of Winchester (Battle of Opequan)

The regiment lost 2 enlisted men killed and Captain William Terrell, Lieutenants Maurice Ferris, George Kronz and John Carter and 3 enlisted men wounded.
September 21 Consolidated into a battalion of five companies under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Charles A. Milliken
September 22
Battle of Fisher’s Hill

The regmient lost 2 enlisted men killed and 3 enlisted men wounded. Private James Connors of Company E earned the Medal of Honor for extreme heroism in capturing a Confederate flag.
October 11 Lieutenant Colonel Van Paten mustered out.
October 19

Battle of Cedar Creek

The regient lost 4 enlisted men killed and Major Milliken, Lieutenant Edward Goodyear, 1 other officer and 15 enlisted men wounded. After the battle the battalion collected Springfield rifles from the battlefield and turned in their Austrian rifles.
October – December Duty in the Shenandoah Valley
Noveber 15 Major Milliken was promoted to lieutenant colonel.
December 13-16

Siege of Petersburg

Moved to Petersburg and rejoined the Army of the Potomac.
1865
March 25
Fort Fisher, Petersburg

The regiment lost Lieutenant John Dempsey and 3 enlisted men killed or mortally wounded and Lieutenant Colonel Milliken and 10 enlisted men wounded
March 28-April 9

Appomattox Campaign

The regiment lost 1 enlisted man killed and 1 officer and 9 enlisted men wounded
April 2

Fall of Petersburg

Sergeant Frank Shubert earned the Medal of Honor for capturing two Confederate colors in the final assault.
April 3-9 Pursuit of Lee
April 6

Sailor’s Creek

The regiment captured a Confederate flag, using the staff to replace the staff of the 43rd’s colors, which had been shattered at Petersburg.
April 9

Appomattox Court House

Surrender of Lee and his army.
April 23-27 Moved to Danville, Va.
May 18-June 2 Moved to Richmond, then to Washington, D.C.
June 8 Corps Review
June 14 Lieutenant Colonel Milliken was promoted to colonel and Captain William Terrell of Company D promoted to lieutenant colonel, but neither were mustered
June 27 The 43rd New York Infantry Regiment mustered out under the command of Colonel Milliken and Lieutenant Colonel Terrell