User Tools

Site Tools


9th_new_york_heavy_artillery

This is an old revision of the document!


The 9th New York Heavy Artillery in Howard County

Detachment at Relay House, 8/10/1864-10/20/1864 [at least]
Primary Sources
Archival and Secondary Sources

WIKIPEDIA - “The 9th New York Heavy Artillery Regiment was a regiment in the American Civil War. It was one of the 9 Heavy Artillery regiments to suffer over 200 killed.[8] It is also mentioned as one of Fox's 300 Fighting Regiments.[9]

Formation and Defences of Washington, D.C. The regiment was originally mustered in on September 8, 1862, as the 138th New York Infantry Regiment, was quickly taken to Washington D.C. to be used in the defenses of the nation's capital. On December 19, 1862, it was redesignated as the 9th New York Heavy Artillery Regiment. On February 5, 1863, an additional Company M was created within the regiment with the transfer of the 22d N.Y. Volunteer Battery. Company L was organized in Albany between November 4 and December 9, 1863.[10]

Amongst the regimental commanders, William H. Seward Jr. stands out as he is the son of then-Secretary of State William H. Seward. Due to this, William H. Seward visited the regiment often, and as a consequence, it gained the nickname, “Seward's Pets.”[11]

The Regiment was divided into three battalions. After the formation of the regiment, its duties were the protection of the capital. While there, it built and garrisoned Fort Mansfield, Fort Bayard, Fort Gaines, and Fort Foote until spring, 1864. A letter to the editor of the Dem. Press gives the condition of the regiment on March 11, 1864, about two months before the 9th began combat operations. The letter is taken from the New York State Military Museum and Veterans Research Center.[12]

The 9th Artillery—their number, services, condition, &c.

Hospital Dep't, 9th N. Y. Artillery,

Fort Mansfield, Md., March 11, '64.

TO THE EDITOR DEM. PRESS:—There has been a great deal said in Lyons and vicinity respecting the number of men in the Ninth Artillery–the number ranging, as stated by different reports, at all points from eighteen hundred up to three thousand. For the information of those who are not posted, I will state that the aggregate number in the Report which was this morning sent to Brigade Headquarters was 1,674; of this number 79 are recruits who have lately arrived, and are not yet assigned to companies. The number of men in each Company is as follows: Co. A, 127; B, 147; C, 99; D, 121; E, 91; F, 132; G, 102; H, 146; I, 148; K, 147; L, 147; M, 137. These numbers, of course, do not include commissioned officers. Allow me, also, to disabuse the minds of your readers in regard to another point. This regiment has been styled the “pet Regiment,” Life Insurance Regiment, &c. Probably there is not a Regiment in the Defences of Washington that has done more fatigue duty and real hard work than the Ninth. If it has not fought as many battles as some Regiments, the work which it has done has been as valuable to the Government. Besides building Forts Simmons, Mansfield, Bayard, Gaines and Foote, (one of the largest in the Defences,) it helped build Forts Reno and Sumner, two very large Forts, and has dug miles upon miles of rifle pits and built miles upon miles of Military roads and in addition chopped over more land then a good many of the farms in Wayne County put together would compose. Notwithstanding this vast amount of “drill” with the pick, shovel and axe, Col. Welling has brought the Regiment to as high a state of discipline as can be desired. If the boys have not worked, who has? Yours, W. L. G.”

9th_new_york_heavy_artillery.1553601496.txt.gz · Last modified: 2019/05/10 15:14 (external edit)