97th New York Infantry Regiment

United States Regiments & Batteries > New York

“Conklin Rifles”

The 97th New York Infantry Regiment lost 12 officers and 169 enlisted men killed and mortally wounded and 1 officer and 156 enlisted men to disease during the Civil War. It is honored by a monument at Gettysburg.

1861
Organized at Boonville, N.Y.
1862
February 18 Mustered in under Colonel Charles W. Wheelock, Lieutenant Colonel John P. Spofford and Major Charles Northrup
March 12 Left State for Washington, D.C.
March-May Duty in the Defenses of Washington, D.C. attached to Wadsworth’s Command, Military District of Washington
May Assigned to 2nd Brigade, Ord’s Division, Dept. of the Rappahannock
May 28-June 1 Expedition to Front Royal, Va., to intercept Jackson attached to 1st Brigade, 2nd Division, 3rd Corps, Pope’s Army of Virginia
June 2- 10 Picket duty on the Shenandoah and at Front Royal
June-August Duty at Catlett’s Station, Warrenton and Waterloo, Va.
August 9
Battle of Cedar Mountain
August 16-September 2 Pope’s Campaign in Northern Virginia
August 21-23 Fords of the Rappahannock
August 28 Thoroughfare Gap
August 29
Battle of Groveton
August 30
Second Battle of Bull Run

The regiment lost 2 officers and 13 men killed or mortally wounded, 2 offices and 34 men wounded, and 3 officrs and 56 men missing. Captain Richard Jones was motally wounded and First Lieutenant Dwight Faville was killed.
September 6-22 Maryland Campaign. Attached to 1st Brigade, 2nd Division, 1st Army Corps, Army of the Potomac
September 14
Battle of South Mountain

The regiment lost 2 men killed and 3 men wounded
September 16-17
Battle of Antietam

The regiment was commanded by Major Charles Northrup. It lost Lieutenant Louis Dallarmie and 23 enisted men killed, 15 men mortally wounded, 2 officers and 57 men wounded, and 9 men missing.

From the marker for Duryea’s Brigade on the Antietam battlefield:

Early in the morning Duryea’s Brigade moved from its bivouac in the Poffenberger Woods, on the Smoketown Road. Forming in column of Divisions it obliqued right until near J. Poffenberger’s when it marched south through the North Woods, passed the right of Hartsuff’s Brigade and between Pennsylvania Light Battery F (Matthews’) and Pennsylvania Light Battery C (Thompson’s), in position on the high ground between D. R. Miller’s and the East Woods. Arriving at the Cornfield fence the Brigade deployed and moved through the Cornfield to its south edge (75 yards distant) when it encountered the Confederate line, which was about 145 to 160 yards south of this. In less than a half hour the left of the Brigade was withdrawn, the right remained a few minutes longer when it fell back. Portions of the Brigade rallied and made another advance part way through the Cornfield, but fell back as Hartsuff’s Brigade came into action.
September-October Duty near Sharpsburg, Md.
October 30-
November 19		 Movement to Falmouth, Va.
November At Brooks’ Station
December Attached to 3rd Brigade, 2nd Division, 1st Army Corps
December 12-15
Battle of Fredericksburg

The regiment lost 8 men killed or mortally wounded, 2 officers and 28 men wounded, and 4 men missing.
December – April At Falmouth and Belle Plains
1863
January 20-24 “Mud March”
April 27-May 6 Chancellorsville Campaign
April 29-May 2 Operations about Fitzhugh’s Crossing
May 2-5 Battle of Chancellorsville
May Attached to 2nd Brigade, 2nd Division, 1st Army Corps
June 11-July 24.

Gettysburg Campaign
July 1-3

Battle of Gettysburg

The regiment was commanded by Colonel Charles Wheelock until he was wounded and captured on July 1. Lieutenant Colonel Spofford had also been captured, so Major Charles B. Northrup took command. The 97th brought 255 men to the field and lost 12 killed, 36 wounded, and 78 missing. It took 382 prisoners and the flag of the 20th North Carolina.

Captain D. J. Dowling was severely wounded, losing his leg. Captain Rouse Eggleston was captured but escaped on the retreat to Virginia, bringing several captured Confederates in with him. First Lieutenants Justus Rockwell and Francs Murphy were also captured, and First Lieutenant Rush P. Cady was mortally wounded, dying on July 19. Second Lieutenants James Stiles and William Morrin were killed, as was Color bearer Sergeant James Brown.

From the monument on Oak Ridge at Gettysburg:

Held the enemy in check here from 12:30 to 3, p.m. July 1st 1863 during this time charged across the field to the west assisting in capturing Iverson’s Brigade and securing flag of 20th N.C.

< See Colonel Charles Wheelock’s Official Report on the 97th New York at Gettysburg >
July 5-24 Pursuit of Lee to Manassas Gap
August-October Duty on line of the Rappahannock and Rapidan
October 9-22

Bristoe Campaign
November 7-8 Advance to line of the Rappahannock
November 26-December 2

Mine Run Campaign
1864
February 6-7 Demonstration on the Rapidan
March Assigned to 2nd Brigade, 2nd Division, 5th Army Corps
May 3-June 15

Campaign from the Rapidan to the James.

ttached to 2nd Brigade, 3rd Division, 5th Army Corps
May 5-7
Battle of the Wilderness

The regiment lost 3 officers and 25 men killed or mortally wounded, 3 officers and 59 men wounded, and 9 men missing. Major Northrup was severly wounded and Captain John T. Norton was wounded.
May 8 Laurel Hill
May 8-12 Spottsylvania
May 9-30 Assigned to 2nd Brigade, 2nd Division, 5th Army Corps
May 12-21
Spottsylvania Court House

The regiment lost 16 men killed or mortally wounded, 2 officers and 56 men wounded, and 2 men missing.
May 12 Assault on the Salient
May 23-26 North Anna River
May 23 Jericho Ford
May 26-28 On line of the Pamunkey
May 28-31
Totopotomoy

The regiment lost 6 men wounded.
June 1-12
Cold Harbor

The regiment lost Second Lieutenant John Koch and 6 men killed or mortally wounded, 14 men wounded and 1 man missing.
June 1-3 Bethesda Church
June 6 Assigned to 2nd Brigade, 3rd Division, 5th Army Corps
June 13 White Oak Swamp
June 16-18
Before Petersburg

Siege of Petersburg begins. The regiment lost 10 men killed or mortally wounded, 42 men wounded, and 2 men missing.
July 30 Mine Explosion, Petersburg (Reserve)
August 6 Captin John Norton discharged due to his wound from the Wilderness
August 10 103 men from the 94th New York Infantry were transferred in
August 18-21 Weldon Railroad
September 15 Reconnaissance toward Dinwiddie Court House
December 7-12
Warren’s Raid on Weldon Railroad

The regiment lost 1 officer and 6 men killed or mortally wounded, 3 officers and 9 men wounded, and 6 officers and 86 men missing or captured. Colonlel Wheelock was brevetted brigadier general for gallantry.
December 9 Major Northrup was discharged due to wounds.
December 10 Sussex Court House
1865
January 21 Brigadier General Wheelock died of disease in Washington
February 5-7
Dabney’s Mills, Hatcher’s Run

The regiment lost 1 officer and 10 men killed or mortally wounded, and 2 officers and 21 men wounded.
February 18 Lieutenant Colonel Spofford was promoted to colonel and Captain Rouse Eggleston was promoted to lieutenant colonel.
March 28-April 9
Appomattox Campaign

The regiment lost 4 men killed or mortally wounded, 2 officers and 16 men wounded, and 7 men missing.
March 29 Lewis Farm, near Gravelly Run
March 31 White Oak Road
April 1 Five Forks
April 2 Fall of Petersburg
April 3-9 Pursuit of Lee
April 9 Appomattox Court House. Surrender of Lee and his army.
May 1-12 Moved to Washington, D.C.
May 23 Grand Review
June Duty at Washington
July 18 Mustered out under Colonel John P. Spofford, Lieutenant Colonel Rouse Eggleston and Major Delos E. Hall