Dragoons' List of Engagements - General Alfred Gibbs

APPENDIX
LIST OF ENGAGEMENTS

In which the First New York Dragoons (originally One Hundred Thirtieth Infantry) participated.

LIST OF PRISONERS, GUNS, TROPHIES, ETC., CAPTURED BY THE FIRST NEW YORK DRAGOONS.

Prisoners, 1,533.
Pieces of artillery, 19.
Caissons, 21.
Artillery horses, 240.
Army wagons and ambulances, 40.
Animals of draught, 160.
Battle flags, 4.

ITINERARY OF THE FIRST NEW YORK DRAGOONS. (ONE HUNDRED THIRTIETH NEW YORK VOLUNTEERS.)

1862

September

13, arrived at Suffolk, Va.

1863

January

30, battle of Deserted House.

April

11, siege of Suffolk begun.

May

3, siege of Suffolk closed.

June

12, skirmish at South Quay;
13, skirmish at Franklin;
17, skirmish on the Blackwater;
19, left Suffolk to join Keyes’s Peninsula expedition;
20, arrived at Yorktown;
22, Williamsburg; 27, White House.

July

1, at Baltimore Cross Roads;
3, retirefl toward White House, skirmish at Baltimore Cross Roads;
9, Williamsburg; 1
0 Yorktown;
11, embarked for Washington;
12, arrived at Washington;
13, Frederick, Md.;
17, Berlin, assigned to Army Headquarters;
19, crossed the Potomac;
22, Upperville;
23, Manassas Gap;
24, Salem;
25, Warrenton;
28, regiment transferred to cavalry service, First New York Dragoons (Nineteenth New York Cavalry).

August

1, marched to Warrenton; 3, Union Mills.

August 6 to Oct. 12

at Manassas drilling in cavalry tactics.

October

13, rejoined the Army of the Potomac;
17, engagement at Manassas Plains.

November

20, engagement at Culpepper C. H.

December

26, moved from Culpepper to Mitchell’s Station.

1864

January

in camp at Mitchell’s Station, picketing the Rapidan.

February

6,-7, reconnoissance to Robertson’s River;
28, detail from regiment to join Custer’s Charlottesville raid.

March

29, review of 1st division of cavalry by General Grant.

April

23, moved to Culpepper.

May

4, broke camp for the Wilderness campaign;
5, crossed the Rapidan at Ely’s Ford;
7, battle of Todd’s Tavern;
8, engagement on Spottsylvania road. Sheridan’s raid to Richmond begun;
9, Beaver Dam Station; 10, crossed South Anna River, skirmish at Anderson’s Bridge;
11, battle of Yellow Tavern;
12, Richmond, battle of Meadow Bridge, Mechanicsville, Gaines Mills;
13, crossed Chickahominy at Bottom’s Bridge;
14, Malvern Hill, Haxall’s Landing;
17, night march crossing Chickahominy at Jones’s Bridge; 18, Baltimore Cross Roads;
21, White House;King William’s C. H.;
24, Polecat Station, rejoined the Army of the Potomac; 26, Chesterville Station;
27, Hanover Town; 28, battle at Hawe’sShop;
30, engagement at Old Church;
31, first engagement at Cold Harbor.

June

1, second engagement at Cold Harbor;
2, Bottom’s Bridge;
3, reconnoissance to Jones’s Bridge;
4, Old Church;
7, Trevilian raid begun, marched to Dunkirk:
8, Polecat Station;
10, within two miles of Trevilian Station;
11, first engagement at Trevilian;
12, second engagement at Trevilian;
13, retired by way of Carpenter’s Ford;
14, six miles from Spottsylvania C. H.;
15, Spottsylvania C. H., Schouler’s Plantation;
17, Bowling Green, Newtown, Dunkirk;
18, King and Queen’s C. H.;
19, to West Point and back to Dunkirk;
20, to West Point again;
21, crossed the Pamunky;
24, crossed the Chickahominy at Jones’s Bridge; rejoined the Army of the Potomac at Harrison’s Landing;
29, crossed the James to Prince George’s C. H.;
30, to Reams Station.

July

2, went in to camp at City Point;
26, reconnoissance across the James;
27, on the Newmarket road;
28, skirmish at Darbytown;
29, engagement at Darby town;
30, returned to Petersburg, Reams Station; returned to City Point.

August

1, embarked for Washington and the Shenandoah Valley;
2, landed at Giesboro Point;
6, Rockville, Clarksburg, Hyatts- towif;
7, Jefferson, Knoxville, Harper’s Ferry, Hallstown reconnoissance to Shepherdstown;
10, Berryville, engagement at White Post;
11, engagement at Newtown;
12, Middletown;
13, reconnoissance to Strasburg;
16, Nineveh;
17, Berryville;
20, reconnoissance to Kabletown;
21, retired to Charlestown;
22, to Shepherdstown;
25, reconnoissance to Leetown, engagement at Shepherdstown, retired across the Potomac to Sharpsburg;
26, Harper’s Ferry, Bolivar Heights;
27, reconnoissance to the Charlestown and Shepherdstown road; ‘
28, first engagement at Smithfield; 29, second engagement at Smithfield;
30, Berryville.

September

2, to Rippon returning to Berryville;
4, Snicker’s Ferry;
5, Summit Point;
8, Smithfield;
18, Summit Point;
19, battle of Winchester;
20, Strasburg;
21, Middletown;
22, Woodstock;
23, engagement at Mt. Jackson;
24, engagement at New Market;’ Harrisonburg;
26, engagement at Port Republic;
27, engagement at Cross Keys;
29, Port Republic, Mt. Crawford;
30, Cross Keys.

October

2, engagement at Mt. Crawford;
5, Cross Keys;
6, Harrisonburg, Timberville;
7, Edenburg;
8, engagement at Tom’sBrook;
9, Woodstock Races, driving the enemy twenty miles through Mt. Jackson;
10, Tom’s Brook; 1
1, Bowman’s Ford;
13, near Middletown;
14, engagement at Strasburg:
15, Front Royal;
16, Middletown;
19, battle of Cedar Creek;
20, Woodstock;
21, in camp at Middletown.

November

7, reconnoissance to Front Royal;
10, retired to near Winchester;
12, engagement near Newtown;
13, reconnoissance to Cedar Creek;
21, reconnoissance to Front Royal;
22, regiment on picket during brigade reconnoissance to Milford;
23, in camp near Winchester;
28, Loudon raid begun, Asby’s Gap, Paris, Upperville;
29,Bloomfield, Snickersville;
30, Waterford, Lovettsville.

December

1, Wheatland, Snickersville;
2, Snicker’s Gap, Berryville;
3, returned to camp near Kernstown;
19, Gordonsville raid begun, Front Royal, Chester Gap; 20, Flint Hill, Sperryville; 21, Madison C. H.; 22, crossed the Rapidan on Gordonsville road, engagement at Liberty Mills; 23, engagement at Gordonsville, retired across Rapidan and Robertson Rivers; 24, Alderate Mills; 25, Warrenton; 26, White Plains; 27, Millwood: 28, Kernstown; 29, marched to Smithfield; 30, Hallstown.

1865

January

in camp near Lovettsville.

February

27, James River raid begun, marched up the valley to Woodstock;
28, Mt. Jackson, New Market, Lacy’s Mills.

March

1, Harrisonburg, Mt. Crawford;
2, Staunton, Fishersville;
3, Waynesboro, Rockfish Gap;
4, Charlottesville;
6, Scottsville, Howardsville, New Market;
7, reconnoissance to Duguidsville Bridge;
8, night march to Columbia C. H.;
11, reconnoissance to Goochland;
12, Tolersville Station, Fredricks Hall;
14, Taylorsville; 15, Hanover Junction, Chesterville Station;
16, Twenty miles toward White House;
17, Ayletts, King William C. H.;
18, White House;
25. Baltimore Cross Roads, Charles City C. H., Harrison’s Landing;
26, Malvern Hill, crossed James River at Deep Bottom joining Army of Potomac;
27, front of Petersburg; 29, Appomattox campaign begun, Reams Station, Din- widdie C. H.;
30, move to Five Forks and retired; 31, engagement at Dinwiddle C. H.

April

1, battle of Five Forks;
2, Deep Creek, engagement at Sutherland Station;
3, moved toward Amelia C. H.;
4, skirmish near Amelia C. H.;
5, Jetersville;
6, battle of Sailor’s Creek;
7, Prince Edward’s C. H.;
8, engagement at Appomattox Station:
9, Appomattox C. H., Lee’s surrender;
10, returned to ProspectStation;
11, Prince Edward’s C. H.;
12, Burkesville; 13, Nottoway C. H.;
18, Petersburg;
24, Dan River expedition begun;
25, Meherrin River;
27, Clarksville;
28, crossed Stanton River and Dan river.

May

3, returned to Petersburg;
10, Richmond;
11, passed Yellow Tavern;
13, crossed Rapidan at Raccoon Ford;
14, crossed Rappahannock;
15, Fairfax C. H.;
16, Alexandria; 21, Clouds Mills;
23 -24, grand review at Washington. William C. Morey, Captain Co. D, First New York Dragoons, Brevet Lieutenant Colonel, United States Volunteers.

From an interesting book entitled “Regimental Losses in the American Civil war (1861-65),” compiled from official records by William F. Fox, lieutenant-colonel United States Volunteers, member of the New York Historical society, we make the following extracts:

THREE HUNDRED FIGHTING REGIMENTS

First New York Dragoons (Nineteenth New York Cavalry), Merritt’s brigade, Torbert’s division, Cavalry corps. First colonel, Alfred Gibbs, brevet-major general. Second colonel, Thomas J. Thorp, brevet-brigadier general.

“Losses: Killed, or died of wounds, 4 officers, 126 men; died of disease, or in prison, 1 officer, 130 men; total, 261; total killed and wounded, 461; died in Confederate prisons, 33

“Regiment organized at Portage, N. V., as One Hundred and Thirtieth Infantry, and served as such at Suffolk and in Keyes’s peninsula campaign. On July 28, 1863, it was transferred to the mounted service under the designation of the First New York Dragoons. Colonel Gibbs, who belonged to the United States cavalry service, drilled the men in their new duties, and on the night of Oct. 17, 1863, the Dragoons made their first fight as such at Manassas Plaips.

“The regiment started on Grant’s campaign in 1864 with about four hundred carbines, and in the Wilderness (at Todd’s Tavern), having dismounted, made a desperate fight, sustaining the heaviest loss of any cavalry regiment, in any one action, during the entire war, their casualties amounting to 20 killed, 36 wounded, and 35 missing; total, 91.

“At Cold Harbor, the wearied troopers, after holding Lee’s i n fan try in check for a whole day with their carbines, were sleeping on the ground, bridle reins in hand, when they were awakened and ordered into the slender breastworks, which they gallantly defended, while their band played gaily during the entire fight.

“ At Trevilian Station the remnant of the Dragoons were actively engaged in the two-days’ fight, their casualties in that action amounting to 16 killed, 61 wounded, and 8 missing.

“ After fighting under Sheridan in his famous Shenandoah campaign, and sharing the glories of the final scenes at Appomattox, the regiment was mustered out June 30.

1865

“The Dragoons ranked high in the estimation of its various brigade and division generals as a regiment of superior discipline and efficiency.’’

In this connection we may add that, upon special recommendation of Major-General Sheridan, each commissioned officer in the regiment was advanced two grades by brevet, from the rank he held at the close of the war, president Andrew Johnson issuing the commissions. Hon. Reuben E. Fenton, then governor of New York, acting upon recommendation of the State Legislature, also issued brevet commissions of beautiful design to every officer in the regiment “for gallant and meritorious services during the war.”