50th New York Engineer Regiment

United States Regiments & Batteries > New York > Artillery and Engineers

The 50th New York Infantry Regiment, which became the 50th New York Engineer Regiment, lost 1 officer and 19 enlisted men killed or mortally wounded and 1 officer and 206 enlisted men to disease during the Civil War. It is honored by a monument at Gettysburg shared with the 15th New York Engineers.

1861
September 18 Organized at Elmira, N.Y. as the 50th New York Infantry
October 22 Detailed as sappers, miners and pontooners, and designated 50th New York Engineers at Washington, D.C. Attached to Woodbury’s Brigade, Army of the Potomac for duty at Alexandria, Va.
1862
March Duty at Washington, D.C.
April Attached to Engineer Brigade, Army of the Potomac and moved with Army of the Potomac to the Virginia Peninsula.
April 5-May 4 Siege of Yorktown
May Advance up the Peninsula and constructing bridges on the Chickahominy River
May 31-June 1 Battle of Fair Oaks, Seven Pines
June 25-July 1 Seven days before Richmond
June 27 Battle of Seven Pines
June 30 White Oak Swamp and Charles City Cross Roads
July 1 Malvern Hill
July – August At Harrison’s Landing
August 16-22 Moved to Washington, D.C.
September-October
Maryland Campaign

Operating at and about Harper’s Ferry, Va., and Berlin, Md., during and after the battle of Antietam. Threw two pontoon bridges over the Potomac River at Berlin, Md., for the crossing the Army of the Potomac in their pursuit of Lee from Antietam.
November Rappahannock Campaign
December 12-15
Battle of Fredericksburg

The regiment lost 1 officer and 9 men killed or mortally wounded and3 officers and 37 men wounded
1863
January 20-24 “Mud March”
April 27-May 6 Chancellorsville Campaign
April 29-May 2 Operations at Franklin’s Crossing
May 3 Maryes Heights, Fredericksburg
May 3-4 Salem Heights
May 4 Banks’ Ford
June 5 13 Operations at Deep Run Ravine
June 13-July 24 Gettysburg Campaign
July 1-4 Battle of Gettysburg

From the Engineer Brigade monument on the Gettysburg battlefield:

Engaged in arduous duties from June 13 to July 18 1863 bridging rivers and transporting pontoons to enable the Army to cross the Potomac River and its tributaries into Pennsylvania and to recross into Virginia.
October 9-22 Bristoe Campaign
November 7-8 Advance to line of the Rappahannock
November 26-December 2 Mine Run Campaign
1864
May 3-June 15
Campaign from the Rapidan to the James River

Laid all bridges for Army of the Potomac during the Campaign.
May 5-7
Battle of the Wilderness
May 8-21 Battle of Spottsylvania Court House
May 10 To expedite the transportation of wounded three Companies made a forced march to Fredericksburg, starting at 11:30 a.m. Built bridge over the Rappahannock at Fredericksburg Lower Crossing, having it completed and ready for use at 4:30 p.m., having marched 8 miles and built bridge 420 feet long in 5 hours.
May 23-26 North Anna River
May 26-28 On line of the Pamunkey
May 28-31 On line of the Totopotomoy
June 1-12 About Cold Harbor
June 15 Crossing of James River
June 16-18 First Assault on Petersburg
June
Siege operations against Petersburg and Richmond

T.M. Blythe of the 50th Engineers is quoted on a wayside marker on the Petersburg battlefield:

“The romance of a soldier’s life disappears in a siege. The change of scenery and the lively marches are gone, and the same monotonous unvaried rounds of toil take their place. Sunday and weekday are all alike.”
June 22-23 Jerusalem Plank Road
July 27-29 Demonstration on north side of James River
July 27-28 Deep Bottom
1865
February 5-7 Hatcher’s Run
March 28-April 9 Appomattox Campaign
April 2 Fall of Petersburg
April 9
Appomattox Court House.

Surrender of Lee and his army.
April 23-27 Company I march to Danville with 6th Army Corps
June 13 Mustered out at Fort Berry, Virginia under Colonel Pettes