History of the 17th U.S. Inf.

By Act of Congress approved July 29, 1861, the action of the President was confirmed and the regiment obtained a legal status; the law made a few changes in its organization, which were, however, minor ones, and the “Plan of Organization “ was substantially carried out. The act reduced the term of enlistment, for those enlisting in 1861 and 1862 only, to three years; and provided for the disbandment of the regiment within one year after the constitutional authority of the Government of the United States should be reestablished, and organized resistance to such authority should no longer exist.

General Order No. 33, A. G. O., June 18, 1861, announced the appointment of a number of officers, their commissions dating May 14, 1861. So many declined that in G. O. No. 6 (of August 23d) a “Revised edition” of G. O. No. 33 was published, leaving out a number of those originally mentioned and naming others, some of whom were given commissions dating May 14^th and were placed senior to some named in the first order.

In this latter order the field officers were named as follows:—Colonel Samuel P. Heintzelman, Lieut.-Col. J. Durell Greene, and Majors Abner Doubleday, William H. Wood and George L. Andrews. There were also mentioned 18 captains, 23 first lieutenants and 2 second lieutenants. The field officers all accepted but a number of the company officers did not, and the last original vacancy above the grade of second lieutenant was not filled until February 19, 1862. The regiment never had its full complement of second lieutenants until after the reorganization of 1866, while between January, 1864, and February, 1866, there were none, and vacancies existed in the grade of first lieutenant.

The regimental and battalion adjutants and quartermasters were mentioned in the law in addition to the company lieutenants, thus giving 32 first lieutenants, but the number 24 was never exceeded and the regimental staff were not extra lieutenants until after 1866.

Fort Preble, Me., was designated as the headquarters of the regiment, and early in July, 1861, the officers commenced to assemble there. Lieut.-Col. Greene arrived and took command July 6. He appointed Lieuts. E. O. Pearson, Jr., and Nathaniel Prime, acting adjutant and quartermaster, respectively; assigned officers to recruiting duty in various towns in Maine and New Hampshire, to which two states recruiting was at first restricted; and commenced actively the organization of the regiment.

The Trent “affair” caused Great Britain to send several battalions to Canada during the winter of 1861-62, and the St. Lawrence being frozen, the troops landed in New Brunswick and were conveyed along our boundary in sleds. A number of men deserted, found their way to our recruiting stations and later became non-commissioned officers in the regiment. They assisted materially by their knowledge and experience in organizing and disciplining the recruits.

What was known before the war as “Poppenberg’s Band” of Buffalo, was enlisted as an organization, and under its talented leader became the 17^th Infantry Band. During a part of 1863-64 it was stationed at General Heintzelman’s headquarters in Washington, and played at the White House, alternating with the Marine Band with which it was favorably compared.

The battalion embarked at Alexandria March 26, 1862; arrived at Fort Monroe March 28, and proceeded up “The Peninsula.” The five companies participated in the siege of Yorktown, performing their share of duty in the trenches. Companies A, C and E were present at Gaines’ Mill and Malvern Hill, the first of these battles being inscribed on the regimental colors. In it the regiment lost Captain Dodd and five men killed, three officers and twenty-five men wounded or missing.

While in camp at Harrison’s Landing Companies B, D, F, G and H joined, which made a complete battalion of eight companies present. It withdrew from the Peninsula with the rest of the army, landed at Aquia Creek and proceeded towards Manassas. August 29^th, Companies B and F were engaged at Gainesville, and the next day the entire battalion was engaged at 2d Bull Run, which is inscribed on its colors. The losses were 5 men killed and 43 wounded or missing. The battalion was present at Antietam, Shepherdstown, Leetown and Fredericksburg, the last of these being borne on the colors, and in this battle the position was a most trying one. For one entire day (December 14) the men lay flat on their faces eighty yards in front of the famous stone wall, behind which the enemy was posted in large numbers; and any movement on their part was sure to draw the fire of the rebel sharpshooters. The regiment lost Captain McLanburg and two men killed and nineteen men wounded.

After Fredericksburg the army went into winter camp at Potomac Creek, and while here, owing to the depleted ranks, Companies B, E and F were broken up March 1, 1863, and the men assigned to Companies A, C, D, G and H. Shortly afterwards Companies A and B, 2d Battalion, joined from Fort Preble, giving seven companies in the field.

April 27, 1863, active operations were again commenced, the army marching to the Rapidan. May 1, the regiment was deployed as skirmishers and opened the battle of Chancellorsville (which name is inscribed on its colors), and lost Captain Temple and five men killed, two officers, and 27 men wounded or missing, Lieut. Weld dying soon after from the effects of wounds.

June 26, 1863, the revenue cutter Caleb Cushing and schooner Archer were captured by rebels in Portland Harbor, and the next day three officers and thirty-eight men of the regiment with two guns went from Fort Preble in the steamer Forest City to recapture them; the rebels set the cutter on fire and abandoned it; the entire rebel crew—captain and 25 men—was captured, and the schooner, with two prisoners they had, retaken.

Early in June, 1863, Lieut. Col. Greene joined and took command in the field, Major Andrews going to Fort Preble.

July 1 and 2, 1863, the regiment made a forced march in order to reach the field of Gettysburg, during which so many of its men fell by the wayside utterly exhausted, that of the 334 present June 30, but 226 went into action. In the fierce fight that followed in the “Devil’s Den,” Lieutenant Chamberlin and 24 men were killed and 13 officers and 112 men wounded or missing, Lieutenant Abbot dying shortly after from wounds. “Gettysburg” appears on the colors.

August 14, 1863, the regiment was detached from duty with the Army of the Potomac and proceeded to New York City, where it camped in “Jones’ Wood,” and was active in the suppression of the “Draft Riots.”

September 11, “The General” was sounded, and the men thought that their hope—which had grown into belief—of returning home, was about to be realized. The regiment marched through the city and embarked on the steamer Admiral Dupont, where they soon learned that they were bound for the “Old Dominion,” and on the 21^st they rejoined their corps; were present in engagements at Rappahannock Station and on Mine Run, and marched with it until going into winter camp, first at Catlett’s Station and later at Nokesville, at which place Company C, Second Battalion, joined early in April, 1864.

Lieut.-Col. Greene was promoted and left the regiment in December, 1863, and from that time until after its withdrawal from the field there was no field officer present with it.

May 3, 1864, the army was again on the move. The regiment comprising nine companies (after Company B, 1^st Battalion, which had been lately reorganized, joined June 8) took part in “The Wilderness Campaign” and “The Operations before Petersburg,” inscribing on its colors Laurel Hill, North Anna, Bethesda Church, Cold Harbor and Petersburg; while its records show in addition that it was engaged at Spotsylvania C. H., battle of the Wilderness, and on the Pamunkey and Totopotomoy rivers the losses during this time being Lieutenants Dowling and Stimpson mortally wounded and dying soon after, sixteen men killed and six officers and 113 men wounded or missing.

In August the regiment took part in the capture of the Weldon Railroad, and on the last of September and 1^st of October was engaged at Poplar Springs Church, both of these names being inscribed on the colors—the latter as Chapel House. In these two engagements the losses were Lieutenant Crosman and eight men killed, four officers and 82 men wounded or missing.

The regiment had now become so reduced in numbers that on the 13^th of October, 1864, it was withdrawn from the field and took station at Fort Lafayette, New York Harbor, where it guarded rebel prisoners both civil and military.

It has been impossible in such a brief sketch to do full justice to the regiment. Suffice it to say that its history—from March, 1862, to October, 1864—is inseparably connected with that of the famous “Regular Division” of the Fifth Corps, and that where that corps was called upon the 17^th Infantry was ever ready and did its full share.

The battalion in the field was composed of three companies (the other two being part of the provost guard) until July, 1862; eight until March, 1863; seven until the spring of 1864, and after that of nine.

The records of the regiment are not complete enough to make an accurate table of casualties. Colonel Fox in his “Regimental Losses in the American Civil War” states the deaths as follows: Killed or died of wounds, nine officers and 92 men. Died of disease, accidents, or in prison, etc., two officers and 100 men. The per cent. of loss has not been figured out but it is worthy of note that in the number of officers killed the regiment was exceeded by no other regiment and equalled by only the First Cavalry and 18^th Infantry—each larger organizations. In addition to the number given by Colonel Fox, the regiment lost Captain Wilkin, while serving as Colonel Second Minnesota Vols., killed in the battle of Tupela [i.e., Tupelo], Miss.

Fort Lafayette was garrisoned for one year, and Oct. 14, 1865, the troops were transferred to Hart Island in Long Island Sound at which point the regiment was concentrated, headquarters and several companies moving down from Forts Preble and Scammel, Me. General Heintzelman joined Oct. 24, 1865, thus giving the regiment, for the first time, its colonel present for duty.

Recruiting was actively carried on and by Feb. 1, 1866, the twenty-fourth company was organized. In March, Companies E, F and H, Second Battalion, were sent to Michigan and stationed, first at Detroit Barracks, then at Forts Wayne and Gratiot, until, in October, they were sent to Kansas and Missouri, from whence, in November, they went to Texas. In April, the regiment was ordered to Texas, regimental and all battalion headquarters, three companies of the first, two of the second and all of the third battalion leaving early in the month, going by sea and arriving in the latter part of the month at Galveston. The companies that remained at Hart Island were those that had been greatly reduced during their field service and not yet recruited. Early in July two of these (A and D, First Battalion) followed; the cholera broke out aboard ship and upon arrival the troops were put in quarantine on the beach at Galveston where they remained until November. This disease breaking out also at Hart Island the remaining six companies (C, G and H, First Battalion, and A, B and C, Second) were on July 20^th changed to David’s Island, which place they left Oct. 20, and joined at Galveston, Nov. 1^st. During the epidemic the regiment lost Major Plympton and a large number of men.

Soon after arrival in Texas a number of companies were sent to different points and commenced that most disagreeable work known as “Reconstruction Duty.”

To carry out the Act of July 28, 1866, two new companies for each battalion were organized at Newport Barracks, Ky., and sent to Galveston; the 2d Battalion was concentrated at Austin and the 3d Battalion at San Antonio, and were changed into the 26^th and 35^th Regiments of Infantry respectively.