Encounter of 122nd and 149th New York Regiments from Onondaga County on Culp’s Hill

Tom Elmore

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In 1862, the 122nd and 149th New York regiments were separately raised in Onondaga County, New York. The 122th was assigned to the Sixth Corps and the 149th to the Twelfth Corps. They would meet only once during the war – on Culp’s Hill on the late morning of July 3.

At an early hour on July 3, the 122nd and the other regiments of Brig. Gen. Alexander Shaler’s brigade left their position just north of Little Round Top, and headed to Culp’s Hill to reinforce the Twelfth Corps. Arriving before 9 a.m., the brigade was placed in a column of regiments in a hollow behind the brigade of Pennsylvanians led by Brig. Gen. Thomas L. Kane, with the 122nd in front. The 111th Pennsylvania of Kane’s brigade, then in the second line, was officially relieved and fell back to the Baltimore Pike. However, Shaler’s men remained inactive until the repulse of Brig. Gen. George H. Steuart’s Confederate brigade, around 10:30 a.m.

A slackening of fire coinciding with the defeat of Steuart’s final attack seemed an opportune moment to send fresh troops to replace Kane’s 29th and 109th Pennsylvania, many of whom had expended most, if not all, of their ammunition. The 122nd New York was selected and ordered forward. We can deduce from subsequent losses that the regiment had the original alignment of companies (from left to right, B-G-K-E-H-C-I-D-F-A). After advancing only a few yards, the four right companies took shelter behind a rock outcropping that had largely protected the 109th Pennsylvania. The six companies on the left wing were exposed and kept going, over a rise and into the works in front, which was likely an extension of the main line that was added by Brig. Gen. George S. Greene’s men the day before. Nothing in extant accounts suggests this extension was very long or as well constructed as the main breastworks, so it may have offered only limited protection from enemy small-arms fire. Alternatively, it is possible they proceeded to the main works running eastward (see question mark on map) and fired northward into a group of Confederates (mainly from the 4th Virginia) who were trapped behind an extended rock ledge that ran just in front and below the Union line.

As soon as the left wing of the 122nd New York came into view, the enemy reopened a sharp fire upon them, most of which was probably delivered by Brig. Gen. Junius Daniel’s brigade of North Carolinians, who occupied the captured Union breastworks directly in front. The left six companies of the 122nd New York sustained 40 casualties, the greater part incurred in crossing the short distance to the works. Once in place they blazed away effectively at their opponents. Soon the Marylanders in the breastworks to their left – thought to be several companies of the novice First Maryland Eastern Shore regiment – fell back.

Resting behind the Marylanders in a concealed hollow was the 149th New York of Greene’s brigade, which had been fighting off and on for the past 16 hours. Having used the brief respite to refill cartridge boxes and clean fouled weapons, the veterans of the 149th were sent back to the works to fill the gap. Advancing into the same section of the works they had occupied the previous night, the men naturally sought to identify friendly troops who protected their flanks. They were both surprised and elated to discover old comrades from upstate New York joined their right. Word quickly spread and both regiments began to cheer boisterously. It coincided with the general Confederate withdrawal from the hill, coupled with the surrender of dozens of enemy soldiers who had been too far out in front to safely risk an escape.

As the shooting rapidly diminished, some men of the 122nd and 149th let their guard down to meet and congratulate old acquaintances and fellow citizens from their home-town of Syracuse and surrounding communities in the county. However, a few of their opponents were still firmly in position as skirmishers to cover their retreat, or else had lingered behind. Capt. James E. Doran of Company K, 149th New York walked over to visit the 122nd, and while lifting his cap to raise a cheer, a minie ball slammed into his uplifted arm, shattering the bone and crippling him for life. Being told of Doran’s wounding, Lt. Col. Charles B. Randall, who then commanded the 149th, went to see him. As he was stooping down, a minie ball passed through Randall’s left arm, entered his side and lodged in his lung. It was initially thought to be a mortal wound, but he made a slow recovery over several months.

After 11 a.m., both the 122nd and 149th were relieved by other regiments of Shaler’s brigade, which concluded their brief battlefield “reunion.” The above analysis and the attached map represents my interpretation of this incident, although the times and locations are far from clear given the constant rotating of regiments in and out of the breastworks, and conflicting primary source accounts. For the reader, please note the modern road cuts right through the depicted position of the left wing of the 122nd New York before it divides into Williams and Slocum Avenues. The extension of the works is long gone, but the sharp angle in the main works can readily be discerned today on Culp’s Hill. As an additional reference, the monument to the 29th Pennsylvania sits atop the same rock outcropping behind which the right wing of the 122nd New York took refuge.

Sources:
-Official Report of Brig. Gen. Alexander Shaler.
-9 July letter from Col. Silas Titus, 122nd New York, published in Syracuse Courier and Union.
-Maj. David Cossitt, 122nd New York (Captain of Company D in the battle), New York at Gettysburg, III:848 and The Syracuse Journal of June 1888, Onondaga Historical Society.
-4 July letter from Adjutant Osgood Tracy, 122nd New York, published in a New York newspaper, Onondaga Historical Association, Syracuse; also Ruggles Regiment, the 122nd New York Volunteers in the American Civil War, by David B. Swinfen.
-Diary of Alonzo Clapp, 122nd New York.
-9 July letter from “D,” 122nd New York to the Standard, New York State Military Museum.
-4 July letter from James Goodfellow to the parents of Hiram Hilts, Company C, 122nd New York, describing the death of the their son.
-James M. Gere, Company H, 122nd New York, The Onondagas, A History of the 122d Regiment, New York Volunteers.
-Diary of George Henry DeVoe, Company I, 122nd New York.
-Letters of Sanford Truesdell, Company K, 122nd New York, University of Chicago, on file at Gettysburg National Military Park.
-Captain George K. Collins, Memoirs of the 149th Regiment N. Y. Vol. Inft.
 

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Tom,

How accurately placed are their monuments on Culp's Hill?

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The 149th New York monument reflects the initial position of the regiment, but before the battle began on the evening of July 2, the 149th shifted to the right into the spot that had been held by the 137th. But as far as I can determine, the 122nd never occupied the works where their monument sits. The primary sources confirm the 122nd relieved the men of Cobham/Kane just to the south and also joined the right of the 149th at one point. The clincher is the few casualties sustained by the right wing of the 122nd. If the 122nd actually occupied the works where their monument sits there is no reason why their right companies would have escaped the same fate as their left wing. My analysis has changed over time, influenced by the close study of the rock outcroppings and topography in the vicinity, which have led me to the above conclusions. The other major event solidified in my thinking over time is that of the extensive rock ledge just in front of those two monuments, which could easily provide cover for 30 or more trapped Confederates as mentioned in accounts of the 4th Virginia, and which ties into their lost flag as well as the suicidal mission of Maj. Benjamin Watkins Leigh.
 
Tom,
In the drawing you provided showing the alignment order of Company's of the 122nd NY at Culp's Hill....can you estimate a similar alignment of the 149th NY company positions/order?

Thanks,
Reg
 
Excellent observation! Based on a casualty analysis, the 122nd likely followed the "standard" company order, but I have no data on the 149th New York alignment, not even a clue from extant sources. From what I have gathered, about half of the infantry regiments at this stage of the war still retained the original order, but in the absence of hard information I would not hazard a guess about the 149th. Still, there is roughly a 50-50 chance that it is just like the 122nd. Unlike the 122nd, the 149th went in and out of the trenches a few times, so an analysis of its casualties by company would not be a reliable indicator.
 
I know this is a bit old but.....By chance, does anyone know if a roster of the men attending the ceremony exists from the day of dedication of the 149th NY Monument? Same question for dedication of the 122nd NY Monument.?
 
I attach an excerpt from, "An Abbreviated Account of Certain Men of Onondaga County Who Did Service in the War of 1861-1865 in the 149th New York Volunteer Regiment Infantry, collected by Captain George K. Collins for the Onondaga Historical Association, Syracuse, N.Y., 1928, p. 30. My limited copy does not identify when this photograph was taken - perhaps it is credited somewhere in this source. It may have been taken at the monument's dedication on September 18, 1892.
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This is one of my favorites Gettysburg stories. Also worth mentioning that the 147th New York’s secondary monument is next to these two memorials. The 147th is from Oswego County, the next county north of the aforementioned Onondaga County. (Lived in one or the other for 80% of my life.)
 
Many thanks Tom. I am writing another article for the Skaneateles Historic Society newsletter and am hoping to find who else may have attended the dedication. (I'd like to know if my ancestor Reuben Evans was there). I continue to believe more must be written about those men from the 149th, 122nd and the 137th....but now, I also need to look deeper at the 147th NY. (Jeff...I am in AZ but home in near Wolcott, NY...spend my summers at the farm and places in and around Fair Haven and Hannibal.). In reading Collin's 149th regimental history, I find it absolutely astounding that each man in the 149th NY fired over 300 rounds in those two and half days. My point remains that those on Culp's Hill are akin to those few of the "Battle of the Britain" whose efforts and sacrifice preserved England and changed the course of the war. The 149th NY did not have a J. L.Chamberlain to write about them after the battle. Interestingly, my GG Grandfather, Charles H. Weaver (185th NYV) served under Chamberlain at the end and was present at Appomattox. Thanks everyone for your continued help! Prof. Reg Parker
 
Tom...I went and looked at the preface in Collin's Memoirs of the 149th. Dated March 4, 1891, he speaks of the monument at Gettysburg as being under construction at that date. I will continue to look but make the assumption that the photo you supplied is of the actual dedication. Attached is Reuben Evans gravestone and information.
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