121st New York Volunteer Infantry Regiment

The 121st New York Volunteer Infantry Regiment, commonly known as the "Onesers", was a volunteer regiment

Regiment

A regiment is a major tactical military unit, composed of variable numbers of batteries, squadrons or battalions, commanded by a colonel or lieutenant colonel...

recruited during the American Civil War

American Civil War

The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...

from Otsego County

Otsego County, New York

Otsego County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. The 2010 population was 62,259. The county seat is Cooperstown. The name Otsego is from a Mohawk word meaning "place of the rock."-History:...

and Herkimer County

Herkimer County, New York

Herkimer County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. It was created in 1791 north of the Mohawk River out of part of Montgomery County. As of the 2010 census, the population was 64,519. It is named after General Nicholas Herkimer, who died from battle wounds in 1777 after taking part...

, New York

New York

New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...

. The Hon. Richard Franchot

Richard Franchot

Richard Franchot was a U.S. Representative from New York and then an officer in the Union Army during the American Civil War...

was appointed colonel of the regiment and authorized to establish his headquarters at Richfield Springs

Richfield Springs, New York

Richfield Springs is a village located in the Town of Richfield, on the north-central border of Otsego County, New York. The population was 1,255 at the 2000 census. The name is derived from some local sulfur springs....

, Otsego County. He proceeded without delay to organize the regiment, and on August 23, 1862 the regiment was mustered into the service of the Union Army

Union Army

The Union Army was the land force that fought for the Union during the American Civil War. It was also known as the Federal Army, the U.S. Army, the Northern Army and the National Army...

. The command at that time consisted of 39 officers and 946 enlisted men. The 121st Regiment proceeded to Washington

Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....

, arriving there on the morning of September 3, and was assigned provisionally to a brigade under Colonel Gibson with headquarters at Fort Lincoln

Fort Lincoln, Washington, D.C.

Fort Lincoln is a neighborhood located in northeastern Washington, D.C. It is bounded by Bladensburg Road to the northwest, Eastern Avenue to the northeast, New York Avenue NE to the south, and South Dakota Avenue NE to the southwest...

.

On the march to the South Mountain

Battle of South Mountain

The Battle of South Mountain was fought September 14, 1862, as part of the Maryland Campaign of the American Civil War. Three pitched battles were fought for possession of three South Mountain passes: Crampton's, Turner's, and Fox's Gaps. Maj. Gen. George B...

and Antietam

Battle of Antietam

The Battle of Antietam , fought on September 17, 1862, near Sharpsburg, Maryland, and Antietam Creek, as part of the Maryland Campaign, was the first major battle in the American Civil War to take place on Northern soil. It was the bloodiest single-day battle in American history, with about 23,000...

battlefields the regiment was assigned to the Second Brigade

Brigade

A brigade is a major tactical military formation that is typically composed of two to five battalions, plus supporting elements depending on the era and nationality of a given army and could be perceived as an enlarged/reinforced regiment...

, First Division, Sixth Corps

VI Corps (ACW)

The VI Corps was a corps of the Union Army during the American Civil War.-Formation:The corps was organized as the Sixth Provisional Corps on May 18, 1862, by uniting Maj. Gen. William B. Franklin's Division, which had just arrived on the Virginia Peninsula, with Maj. Gen. William F. Smith's...

and remained with the command during its entire term of service.

Colonel

Colonel

Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...

Richard Franchot resigned on September 25, 1862 and selected Colonel Emory Upton

Emory Upton

Emory Upton was a United States Army General and military strategist, prominent for his role in leading infantry to attack entrenched positions successfully at the Battle of Spotsylvania Court House during the American Civil War, but he also excelled at artillery and cavalry assignments...

, at the time a first lieutenant in the Regular army, under whose command the regiment made a record second to none in the Army of the Potomac

Army of the Potomac

The Army of the Potomac was the major Union Army in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War.-History:The Army of the Potomac was created in 1861, but was then only the size of a corps . Its nucleus was called the Army of Northeastern Virginia, under Brig. Gen...

Organization

The companies were recruited principally from these towns and organized by region:

A Company: Manheim
Manheim, New York
Manheim is a town in Herkimer County, New York, United States. The population was 3,171 at the 2000 census. The town name is derived from Mannheim, in Baden, Germany....

, Little Falls
Little Falls (town), New York
Little Falls is a town in Herkimer County, New York, United States. The population was 1,544 at the 2000 census. The town is named after a waterfall located nearby.The Town of Little Falls has on its eastern end a small city called Little Falls...

, Salisbury
Salisbury, Herkimer County, New York
----Salisbury is a town in Herkimer County, New York, United States. The population was 1,953 at the 2000 census.The Town of Salisbury is on the eastern edge of the county. Salisbury is north of the City of Little Falls...

, and Danube
Danube, New York
Danube is a town in Herkimer County, New York, United States. The population was 1,098 at the 2000 census. Early Palatine German immigrants in the eighteenth century named the town after the Danube River in Europe....
B Company: Winfield, Plainfield
Plainfield, New York
Plainfield is a town in Otsego County, New York, United States. The population was 986 at the 2000 census.The Town of Plainfield is located in the northwest corner of Otsego County.- History :...

, Litchfield
Litchfield, New York
Litchfield is a town in Herkimer County, New York, United States. The population was 1,453 at the 2000 census. The town is named after Litchfield, Connecticut, the source of some early settlers....

, German Flatts
German Flatts, New York
German Flatts is a town in Herkimer County, New York, United States. The population was 13,629 at the 2000 census.The Town of German Flatts is in the south part of Herkimer County, across from the of Village of Herkimer on the south side of the Mohawk River, and southeast of Utica.-Herkimer:This...

, Columbia
Columbia, New York
Columbia is a town in Herkimer County, New York, United States. As of the 2000 census, the town population was 1,630 .The Town of Columbia is at the south border of the county and is southeast of Utica.-History:...

, and Stark
Stark, New York
Stark is a town in Herkimer County, New York, United States. The population was 767 at the 2000 census. The town was named after a Revolutionary War General named John Stark.The Town of Stark is in the eastern part of Herkimer County.- History :...
C Company: Fairfield
Fairfield, New York
Fairfield is a town in Herkimer County, New York, United States. The population was 1,607 at the 2000 census. The town is named after Fairfield, Connecticut.The Town of Fairfield is north of the Village of Herkimer and east of Utica...

, Russia
Russia, New York
Russia is a town in Herkimer County, New York, United States. The population was 2,487 at the 2000 census.The Town of Russia is located in the northwest part of the county...

, Herkimer, and Newport
Newport (town), New York
Newport is a town in Herkimer County, New York, United States. The population was 2,192 at the 2000 census.The Town of Newport, located on the western edge of the county, contains the village called Newport...
D Company: Frankfort, Warren
Warren, New York
----Warren is a town in Herkimer County, New York, United States. The population was 1,136 at the 2000 census. The town is named after General Joseph Warren, who was killed at the Battle of Bunker Hill....

, Manheim
Manheim, New York
Manheim is a town in Herkimer County, New York, United States. The population was 3,171 at the 2000 census. The town name is derived from Mannheim, in Baden, Germany....

, Schuyler
Schuyler, New York
----Schuyler is a town in Herkimer County, New York, United States. The population was 3,385 at the 2000 census.The Town of Schuyler is located in the western part of Herkimer County. The town is east of Utica, New York.- History :...

, Columbia
Columbia, New York
Columbia is a town in Herkimer County, New York, United States. As of the 2000 census, the town population was 1,630 .The Town of Columbia is at the south border of the county and is southeast of Utica.-History:...

, and Salisbury
Salisbury, Herkimer County, New York
----Salisbury is a town in Herkimer County, New York, United States. The population was 1,953 at the 2000 census.The Town of Salisbury is on the eastern edge of the county. Salisbury is north of the City of Little Falls...
E Company: Middlefeild
Middlefield, New York
Middlefield is a town in Otsego County, New York, United States. The population was 2,249 at the 2000 census.The Town of Middlefield is in the northeast part of the county...

, Milford
Milford (town), New York
Milford is a town in Otsego County, New York, USA. The population was 2,938 at the 2000 census.In the Town of Milford is a village called Milford...

, Cherry Valley
Cherry Valley (town), New York
Cherry Valley is a town in Otsego County, New York, USA. The population was 1,266 at the 2000 census.Within the Town of Cherry Valley is a village, also called Cherry Valley...

, Hartwick
Hartwick, New York
Hartwick is a town located in Otsego County, New York, USA. As of the 2000 census, the town had a population of 2,203.Town of Hartwick is located in the middle of the county, southwest of Village of Cooperstown....

, Springfield
Springfield, New York
Springfield is a town in Otsego County, New York, USA. The population was 1,350 at the 2000 census.The Town of Springfield is located at the northern county line of Otsego County and is approximately west of Schenectady.- History :...

, Otsego
Otsego, New York
Otsego is a town in Otsego County, New York, United States. The population was 3,904 at the 2000 census. The town is named after a lake on its border.The Town of Otsego is in the north central part of the county.- History :...

, and Roseboom
Roseboom, New York
Roseboom is a town in Otsego County, New York, United States. The population was 740 at the 2009 census. The town name is that of an early landowners and settlers Abram and John Roseboom.The Town of Roseboom is at the eastern county line.- History :...
F Company: Edmeston
Edmeston, New York
Edmeston is a town located in Otsego County, New York, United States. As of the 2000 census, the town had a total population of 1,824.The Town of Edmeston is at the western county line. Edmeston is also the name of the largest hamlet in the town...

, Exeter
Exeter, New York
Exeter is a town in Otsego County, New York, United States. The town is located in the norther part of the county. The population was 954 at the 2000 census...

, Unadilla
Unadilla (town), New York
Unadilla is a town located in Otsego County, New York, USA. As of the 2000 census, the town had a population of 4,548. The name is derived from an Iroquois word for "meeting place."...

, Otsego
Otsego, New York
Otsego is a town in Otsego County, New York, United States. The population was 3,904 at the 2000 census. The town is named after a lake on its border.The Town of Otsego is in the north central part of the county.- History :...

, and Maryland
Maryland, New York
Maryland is a town in Otsego County, New York, United States. The population was 1,920 at the 2000 census. It was named for the U.S. state of the same name.The Town of Maryland is on the county's south border...
G Company: Cherry Valley
Cherry Valley (town), New York
Cherry Valley is a town in Otsego County, New York, USA. The population was 1,266 at the 2000 census.Within the Town of Cherry Valley is a village, also called Cherry Valley...

, Roseboom
Roseboom, New York
Roseboom is a town in Otsego County, New York, United States. The population was 740 at the 2009 census. The town name is that of an early landowners and settlers Abram and John Roseboom.The Town of Roseboom is at the eastern county line.- History :...

, Decatur
Decatur, New York
The Town of Decatur is located on the eastern border of Otsego County, New York, United States. As of the 2000 U.S. census, the town had a population of 410. It is named for naval hero Stephen Decatur.- History :...

, Middlefield
Middlefield, New York
Middlefield is a town in Otsego County, New York, United States. The population was 2,249 at the 2000 census.The Town of Middlefield is in the northeast part of the county...

, Westford
Westford, New York
Westford is a town in Otsego County, New York, United States. The population was 784 at the 2000 census.The Town of Westford is southeast of Cooperstown.- History :...

, Worcester
Worcester, New York
Worcester is a town in Otsego County, New York, United States. The population was 2,207 at the 2000 census.Worcester is on the southeast border of the county and is northeast of Oneonta....

, and Herkimer
H Company: Little Falls
Little Falls (town), New York
Little Falls is a town in Herkimer County, New York, United States. The population was 1,544 at the 2000 census. The town is named after a waterfall located nearby.The Town of Little Falls has on its eastern end a small city called Little Falls...

, Richfield
Richfield, New York
Richfield is a town located in Otsego County, New York, USA. As of the 2000 census, the town had a population of 2,423.The Town of Richfield is located at the northern border of the county.-History:...

, Salisbury
Salisbury, New York
Salisbury is the name of some places in the U.S. state of New York:*Salisbury, Herkimer County, New York, a town*Salisbury, Nassau County, New York, a census-designated place...

, and Otesego
Otsego, New York
Otsego is a town in Otsego County, New York, United States. The population was 3,904 at the 2000 census. The town is named after a lake on its border.The Town of Otsego is in the north central part of the county.- History :...
I Company: Milford
Milford (town), New York
Milford is a town in Otsego County, New York, USA. The population was 2,938 at the 2000 census.In the Town of Milford is a village called Milford...

, Laurens
Laurens (town), New York
Laurens is a town in Otsego County, New York, United States. The population was 2,402 at the 2000 census.The Town of Laurens is in the south half of the county, north of the City of Oneonta. There is also a village named Laurens, located in the town....

, Morris, Wochester
Worcester, New York
Worcester is a town in Otsego County, New York, United States. The population was 2,207 at the 2000 census.Worcester is on the southeast border of the county and is northeast of Oneonta....

, Pittsfield
Pittsfield, New York
Pittsfield is a town in Otsego County, New York, United States. The population was 1,295 at the 2000 census.The Town of Pittsfield is on the west border of the county, northwest of the City of Oneonta.- History :...

, Hartwick
Hartwick, New York
Hartwick is a town located in Otsego County, New York, USA. As of the 2000 census, the town had a population of 2,203.Town of Hartwick is located in the middle of the county, southwest of Village of Cooperstown....

, and German Flatts
German Flatts, New York
German Flatts is a town in Herkimer County, New York, United States. The population was 13,629 at the 2000 census.The Town of German Flatts is in the south part of Herkimer County, across from the of Village of Herkimer on the south side of the Mohawk River, and southeast of Utica.-Herkimer:This...
K Company: Laurens
Laurens (town), New York
Laurens is a town in Otsego County, New York, United States. The population was 2,402 at the 2000 census.The Town of Laurens is in the south half of the county, north of the City of Oneonta. There is also a village named Laurens, located in the town....

, New Lisbon
New Lisbon, New York
New Lisbon is a town in Otsego County, New York, United States. The population was 1,116 at the 2000 census.The Town of New Lisbon is in the west-central part of the county. It is north of the City of Oneonta.- History :...

, Oneonta
Oneonta, New York
Oneonta is a city in southern Otsego County, New York, USA. As of the 2010 U.S. Census, had a population of 13,901. Its nickname is "City of the Hills." While the word "oneonta" is of undetermined origin, it is popularly believed to mean "place of open rocks" in the Iroquois language...

, Burlington
Burlington, New York
Burlington is a town in Otsego County, New York, USA. The population was 1,085 at the 2000 census.The Town of Burlington is in the northwest part of the county and is north of Oneonta.-Geography:...

, Otesgo
Otsego, New York
Otsego is a town in Otsego County, New York, United States. The population was 3,904 at the 2000 census. The town is named after a lake on its border.The Town of Otsego is in the north central part of the county.- History :...

, Butternuts
Butternuts, New York
Butternuts is a town located in Otsego County, New York, USA. As of the 2000 census, the town had a population of 1,792. The town name is derived from a stream flowing through the town....

, Pittsfield
Pittsfield, New York
Pittsfield is a town in Otsego County, New York, United States. The population was 1,295 at the 2000 census.The Town of Pittsfield is on the west border of the county, northwest of the City of Oneonta.- History :...

, and Plainfield
Plainfield, New York
Plainfield is a town in Otsego County, New York, United States. The population was 986 at the 2000 census.The Town of Plainfield is located in the northwest corner of Otsego County.- History :...

Organization

External links

Further reading