50th NY Engineers

[David Ireland]

How often did engineer regiments actually see action? Some great detectives on here have helped me discover that my ancestor was not only in a PA regiment, but was also in the 50th NY Engineers. I'd like to find out where they actually were engaged. How would I do that? Also, how common was it for people to enlist in one state and then get home to a town in a bordering state and get drafted into a regiment in that second state like that? That must have sucked!

 

[rpkennedy]

Generally speaking, the 50th New York Engineers weren't engaged in combat or really came under fire. The one notable exception, of course, is building the pontoon bridges at Fredericksburg in December 1862. Attempting to build the bridge and assisting in making an amphibious assault across the Rappahannock River resulted in the 50th Engineers suffering 36 casualties.

Ryan