140th New York Volunteer Infantry Regiment
Encyclopedia
The 140th New York Volunteer Infantry Regiment was a Federal Regiment
that was mustered on September 13, 1862 and was mustered out on June 3, 1865. Citizens of Monroe County comprising the majority of its members. Companies B, C, E, F, K and part of G were men from Rochester; the remaining four and a half companies were populated by citizens of the neighboring towns and villages.
The 140th left Rochester on September 19 of 1862 and after a brief stay in the defensive fortifications around Washington, DC, saw some action at the battles of Fredericksburg and Chancellorsville. The regiment went through its first severe punishment in battle on the second day of July in 1863 at Gettysburg. No sooner had it arrived on the battlefield when the 140th was ordered into action on the slopes of Little Round Top
. Summoned by Brig. Gen. Gouverneur K. Warren
to reinforce Vincent's 16th Michigan, the 140th charged over the hill led by Col. Patrick "Paddy" O'Rorke
, pushing back the 4th and 5th Texas. Although the 140th was successful in its defense of the Hill, it cost the regiment 133 casualties: 37 dead including Colonel O'Rorke, 78 wounded and 18 missing.
In the winter camp of 1863-64, the regiment was outfitted as Zouaves. These flamboyant uniforms were patterned after elite French army units which had earned military glory in the 1850s, and they were "awarded" to the 140th in recognition of the regiment's seamless record.
During 1864, General Grant assumed command of all Federal forces and began a relentless push toward the Confederacy's capitol of Richmond. The 140th's participation in this campaign cost 384 of its men in 39 days, as well as the life of Colonel George Ryan. The heaviest losses were at the Wilderness and Cold Harbor. By the war's end, Sgt. Robert F. Shipley had won the Congressional Medal of Honor, but only 245 of its original members answered to its final muster.
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...
that was mustered on September 13, 1862 and was mustered out on June 3, 1865. Citizens of Monroe County comprising the majority of its members. Companies B, C, E, F, K and part of G were men from Rochester; the remaining four and a half companies were populated by citizens of the neighboring towns and villages.
The 140th left Rochester on September 19 of 1862 and after a brief stay in the defensive fortifications around Washington, DC, saw some action at the battles of Fredericksburg and Chancellorsville. The regiment went through its first severe punishment in battle on the second day of July in 1863 at Gettysburg. No sooner had it arrived on the battlefield when the 140th was ordered into action on the slopes of Little Round Top
Little Round Top
Little Round Top is the smaller of two rocky hills south of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. It was the site of an unsuccessful assault by Confederate troops against the Union left flank on July 2, 1863, the second day of the Battle of Gettysburg....
. Summoned by Brig. Gen. Gouverneur K. Warren
Gouverneur K. Warren
Gouverneur Kemble Warren was a civil engineer and prominent general in the Union Army during the American Civil War...
to reinforce Vincent's 16th Michigan, the 140th charged over the hill led by Col. Patrick "Paddy" O'Rorke
Patrick O'Rorke
This article is about an Irish-American colonel. For the Meath footballer from Skryne, see Patrick O'Rourke Patrick Henry "Paddy" O'Rorke or O'Rourke was an Irish-American immigrant who became a colonel in the Union Army during the American Civil War and was killed at the Battle of...
, pushing back the 4th and 5th Texas. Although the 140th was successful in its defense of the Hill, it cost the regiment 133 casualties: 37 dead including Colonel O'Rorke, 78 wounded and 18 missing.
In the winter camp of 1863-64, the regiment was outfitted as Zouaves. These flamboyant uniforms were patterned after elite French army units which had earned military glory in the 1850s, and they were "awarded" to the 140th in recognition of the regiment's seamless record.
During 1864, General Grant assumed command of all Federal forces and began a relentless push toward the Confederacy's capitol of Richmond. The 140th's participation in this campaign cost 384 of its men in 39 days, as well as the life of Colonel George Ryan. The heaviest losses were at the Wilderness and Cold Harbor. By the war's end, Sgt. Robert F. Shipley had won the Congressional Medal of Honor, but only 245 of its original members answered to its final muster.