14th Brooklyn (84th New York Volunteer Infantry) "Red Legged Devils"-Not Just a Cool Uniform

Here is how the regimental describes the fighting on Henry House Hill:

14th henry hill.JPG


p. 26
 
The regiment's commander, Col. Alfred Wood was wounded early in the battle and later captured and sent to Richmond. After his later release, he left the service because of his wound. Lt. Col. Fowler now took command.
 
Although the 14th was involved in several minor actions over the next twelve months, it did not follow McClellan to the Peninsula in March 1862 and its next major test came at Bull Run again. The regiment was part of Hatch's Brigade in Pope's Army of Northern Virginia. (p. 36)
 
After the defeat at Bull Run II, the 14th retreated with the army back to Washington. The regiment camped at Rockville, Md. and received some much-needed new recruits from Brooklyn. As Lee moved North, the 14th joined the army in pursuit as part of Hatch's division of Hooker's Corps and on September 14 it marched through Frederick. Later that day it participated in the Battle of South Mountain. The following day the regiment began its march to Antietam. By then, the regimental history says, the regiment was down to 100 men. (p. 45)
 
14th NY Militia AKA 14th Brooklyn was re-designated as the 84th NY after they re-enlisted (I think that they were 3 month service originally.) They disliked the designation and kept referring to themselves as the 14th Brooklyn. Led by Colonel Ned (Edward Brush) Fowler they distinguished themselves at Gettysburg at the middle railroad cut against Joe Davis's troops. After the battle Fowler and Rufus Dawes gave conflicting stories about whose troops did the most at the Railroad Cut, and Dawes's story prevailed in the lore of the battle.

Here is the monument of the 14th Brooklyn by that Cut at Gettysburg (picture facing W) :

RailroadCutFences07291102.jpg
 
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Other sources pertaining to Gettysburg:

-July 2 letter from 1st Lieutenant John Vliet to his employer Charles Collins (The Nassau County Historical Society Journal, ed. by Myron H. Luke, vol. 24, no. 3 (summer 1963), a reprint from the Long Island Historical Society.
-New York at Gettysburg, vol. II, pp. 688-689, Dedication of Monument, October 19, 1887.
-Souvenir of the Dedication of the Brooklyn 14th Regiment Monument, October 19, 1887, Henry Bessey, Printer, 1887.
-"Jenkins," Fourteenth Regiment N.Y.S.N.G., Writing and Fighting the Civil War, Soldier Correspondence of the New York Sunday Mercury, ed. by William B. Styple (Kearny, NJ: Belle Grove Publishing Company, 2000), pp. 196-207.
-A Letter from the 14th Regiment, N.Y.S.M., Near Gettysburg, July 5, Brooklyn Eagle, July 11, 1863, p.2.
-List of Casualties, Brooklyn Eagle, February 6, 1898.
-Civil War Newspaper Clippings, http://www.dmna.state.ny.us/historic/reghist/civil/infantry/84thInf/84thInfCWN.htm

As has been mentioned, the 14th Brooklyn played a prominent part in repulsing Brig. Gen. Davis' brigade of Mississippians around 10:20 a.m. on July 1. An excellent painting of this action is at the New York Military Museum in Saratoga. On the afternoon of July 1, the 14th Brooklyn occupied Oak Ridge and helped hold off the 3rd Alabama, 53rd North Carolina and 12th North Carolina from the brigades of O'Neal, Daniels and Iverson respectively. On July 2 and 3, they fought in the trenches on Culp's Hill. An excellent description of the 14th Brooklyn on Culp's Hill was given by Capt. George C. Collins in his book, Memoirs of the 149th Regt. N.Y. Vol Inft. (Reprint, Hamilton, NY: Edmonston Publishing, Inc., 1995), pp. 144-145. Collins wrote that the 14th was composed of "nearly all young boys" ... "young men possessed of so much courage and manliness."
 
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In December, the 14th crossed the river into Fredericksburg, but its losses there were comparatively light, with no one killed and 12 wounded.following that, it participated in the inglorious Mud March:

14th mud.JPG
 
The regiment was only lightly engaged at Chancellorsville. After the Union defeat, it joined in the pursuit of Lee as he headed North. The regimental history recalls marching through Bull Run, where the regiment had fought twice before.

14th bull run 3.JPG
 
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