81st New York Infantry Regiment

United States Regiments & Batteries > New York > 81st New York Volunteer Infantry Regiment

“2nd Oswego Regiment”

“Mohawk Rangers”

The 81st New York Volunteer Infantry Regiment lost 13 officers and 129 enlisted men killed or mortally wounded and 1 officer and 98 enlisted men to disease during the Civil War.

1861
December 20 – February 20 Organized at Albany, New York and mustered in under the command of Colonel Edwin Rose, Lieutenant Colonel Jacob J. DeForest and Major Byron B. Morris
1862
March 5 The 81st New York Volunteer Infantry Regiment left the state for Washington, D. C.
March 7-13 Duty at Kalorama Heights, Defenses of Washington, D.C. Attached to 3rd Brigade, 3rd Division, 4th Corps, Army of the Potomac
March 28

Peninsula Campaign

Moved to the Virginia Peninsula
April 5-May 4

Siege of Yorktown
April 29 Reconnaissance toward Lee’s Mills
May 5

Battle of Williamsburg
May 31-June 1

Battle of Seven Pines or Fair Oaks

The regiment was under the command of Lieutenant Colonel DeForest, with colonel Rose absent on sick leave. lt lost 2 officers and 35 men killed or mortally wounded, 5 officers and 78 men wounded, and 17 missing. Major John McAmbly and Captain Kingman were killed and Lieutenant Colonel DeForest and Captain James Martin were wounded. Captain William C. Raulston took command of the regiment.
June 25-July 1

Seven days before Richmond

Attached to 2nd Brigade, 2nd Division, 4th Corps, then 1st Brigade, 2nd Division, 4th Corps
June 30

White Oak Swamp
July 1

Malvern Hill
July-August At Harrison’s Landing. Colonel Rose resigned, and Major Raulston took command. Colonel Rose would die of heart disease in January of 1864.
August 16-22 Movement to Fortress Monroe
September 18 Duty at Yorktown, Norfolk and Portsmouth
December 28 – January 1 Moved to Morehead City, North Caolina, and attached to Naglee’s Brigade, Department of North Carolina
1863
January 28-31 To Port Royal, South Carolina attached to 1st Brigade, 2nd Division, 18th Army Corps, Department of North Carolina,
February At St. Helena Island, South Carolina attached to 1st Brigade, 1st Division, 18th Army Corps, Department of the South
April 3-11 Expedition against Charleston, South Carolina asigned to District of Beaufort, N. C., 18th Corps
April 12-15 Moved to New Berne, North Caolina
April 17-21 Expedition to relief of Little Washington
July 4-8 Expedition to Trenton
July 6 Action at Quaker Bridge
July-October Duty in District of Beaufort, North Caolina
October 16-18 Moved to Newport News, Virginia, Department of Virginia and North Carolina
1864
January 22 Moved to Portsmouth, Virginia and duty there and in the District of the Currituck, Department of Virginia and North Carolina
March Assigned to 1st Brigade, Heckman’s Division, Department of Virginia and North Carolina
April 26 Moved to Yorktown, Virginia and assigned to 1st Brigade, 1st Division, 18th Corps, Army of the James
May 4-28 Butler’s operations on south side of the James River and against Petersburg and Richmond
May 5-31

Occupation of Bermuda Hundred and City Point

The regiment lost 5 men killed or mortally wounded, 1 officer and 18 men wounded, and 4 men missing.
May 9-10 Swift Creek or Arrowfield Church
May 12-16 Operations against Fort Darling
May 14-16

Battle of Drury’s Bluff
May 16-28

Bermuda Hundred
May 27-31 Moved to White House Landing, then to Cold Harbor
June 1-12

Battles about Cold Harbor

The 81st New York Infantry Regiment was commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Lieutenant Colonel William Raulston. After taking a line of rifle pits in an initial assault it led the advance in a second assault, planting its colors on the Confederate works but losing two thirds of the men.

The regiment lost 4 officers and 72 men killed or mortally wounded, 10 officers and 126 men wounded, and 3 men missing. Captains W.W. Ballard and James Martin and Lieutenant John W. Burke were killed and Adjutant J.E. Mallette mortally wounded. Captains M.J. DeForrest, R.A. Frances, B.W. Richardson, R.D.S. Tyler and Hugh Anderson and Lieutenants J.M. Baxter, E.A. Cook, C.C. Coville, Maurice P. Tidd and Seward Zimmerman were wounded.

After the battle the regiment was consolidated into a battalion of four companies.
June 15-18

Grant’s First Assault on Petersburg

The regiment lost 1 officer killed and 5 men wounded
July 30

Mine Explosion, Petersburg (Reserve)
September 28-30

Battle of Chaffin’s Farm, New Market Heights

The regiment was the first to plant its colors on the works at Fort Harrison. It lost 6 officers and 12 men killed or mortally wounded, and 3 officers and 38 men wounded. Captain Rix and Lieutenants Tuttle and Nethway were killed, and Lieutenants Dobear and Porter were mortally wounded.
October 27-28

Battle of Fair Oaks
November-April Duty in trenches before Richmond
December Assigned to 1st Brigade, 3rd Division, 24th Army Corps
1865
April 3 Occupation of Richmond
April 4-9 Pursuit of Lee
April 9

Appomattox Court House

Surrender of Lee and his army.
April Duty in the Department of Virginia
July Assigned to 1st Independent Brigade, 24th Army Corps
August 31 The 81st New York Infantry Regiment mustered out at Fort Monroe under Colonel David B. White and Lieutenant Colonel Lucius V.S. Mattison