The New York State Militia Responds to the Crisis of 1861by Gus Person anking first in population and wealth among the states of the Union in the 1860s, New York maintained the Rnation’s largest and most carefully organized state army. In 1850, the New York State Militia contained fifty-one active uniformed regiments and a number of independent companies. By that time, the state had completely eliminated its antiquated “enrolled” militia structure, and by a wide and radical re-organization in 1846–48, forced hundreds of hitherto independent, uniformed Volunteer Militia companies into regimental groupings.1 By 1858, this Volunteer Militia force had increased to sixty-seven regiments assigned to twenty-eight brigades and assembled into eight divisions. The composite strength was 16,434 officers and men. Additionally, there were thirty-six general officers to command this force. By January of 1861, this total had risen to 19,189—making the Volunteer Militia Coat of Arms, Crest, and Motto larger than the United States regular army.2 of the New York State Militia Until 1865, the regiments of New York were numbered in New York State General Headquarters, General Regulations for the a single series that included all branches. The regiments varied Military Forces of the State of New York (Albany, NY: Adjutant considerably in strength and effectiveness; those in the 1st General’s Office, 1858), 256–57.) Division in Manhattan had, as a rule, from six to ten active companies, while some regiments located in predominately rural areas were little better than paper organizations. Except for four (the 1st, 3rd, 4th and 70th), all the regiments served as infantry of some sort, although tradition, armament and the 1 CWH kind of drill manual employed indicated some variation. Thus, one finds regiments in the annual adjutant general’s reports of the The fall of FortMobilization Sumter on April 13 removed all uncertainty 1860s as “Rifles doing duty as Light Infantry,” or “Artillery doing as to what the future held, and the involvement of the state duty as infantry,” or merely “Artillery” only to discover that they militia began as soon as President Lincoln’s proclamation were all essentially in the same branch of service. Additionally, calling for the mobilization of 75,000 troops was announced regiments often contained troops of multiple branches.3 on April 15. In Albany, the legislature was still in session, and New York regiments deviated widely in such characteristics it acted promptly to create a State Military Board composed as wealth, traditions, and national origins. At the top, the 7th of the governor, the lieutenant governor, the secretary of state, Regiment (National Guards) recruited conservative, affluent the comptroller, the state engineer, and the state treasurer. Protestants. The older corps tended to be native-born American in The board acted to accept into the service of the state, in composition, and many took their membership from the wealthier addition to and as initial part of the militia, thirty thousand classes of society. Regiments more recently formed, especially volunteers for two-year enlistments (for the purposes of this in New York City, were often heavily or completely foreign in article, old-style Volunteer Militia units will be referred to as personnel, language, and institutions. The Irish 69th Regiment such, while the wartime volunteer regiments, such as the new was the prime example of a “foreign” unit. William H. Russell, thirty-eight regiments, will bear the designation “Volunteers”). correspondent of the London Times, visited the 12th Regiment These volunteer infantry regiments, which were numbered in (Independence Guards) in its camp in Washington, D.C. following a new sequence commencing with “1,” began the volunteer the outbreak of the war. He examined some statistics compiled by series that totaled 194 in the end. The resultant duplication Colonel Daniel Butterfield, and discovered that of twelve soldiers, of regimental numbers between militia and volunteers caused selected at random, only two were native-born American. The rest some confusion and much vexation, especially in those pre- were Irish, German, English, or generally European-born.4 war militia regiments that were forced to give up their old By January of 1861, genuine public anger in the North designations when they later volunteered for three-years’ exploded as news came in about states seceding and the seizure of active service. Thus, the 8th New York Militia Regiment served Federal forts, arsenals, and other property. In this atmosphere, the alongside the 8th New York Volunteers at First Bull Run. The Board of Officers of the 7th Regiment met on January 14 to discuss confusion that situation caused can be easily imagined. The the situation. It was resolved to offer the services of the regiment operation of organizing those new volunteer units, however, should exigencies arise. Brevet Lieutenant General Winfield Scott, would take time, and Governor Morgan now had to decide the army’s general-in-chief, courteously turned down the offer how best to carry out the president’s immediate requirement three days later in a letter to Governor Edwin D. Morgan. Two for seventeen militia regiments from New York.6 weeks later, however, another scare—caused by the counting of the On April 16, the legislature passed “An Act to Authorize electoral votes in the recent presidential election—prompted Major the Embodying and Equipment of a Volunteer Militia and to General Charles W. Sandford, commanding the 1st Division in Provide for the Public Defense.” In this first increment, only Manhattan, to assemble the officers of the regiment to brief them eleven regiments of the state militia mobilized with an aggregate on Governor Morgan’s plan to dispatch eight hundred militia to total of 7,334 officers and men.7 Washington, D.C. should the need arise.5 Some serious problems presented themselves to the State Military Board, since only two militia organizations were fully equipped and ready to march: the 5th and 7th Regiments. The remaining units were generally insufficiently uniformed and equipped. For example, the 69th Regiment— Edwin D. Morgan, scheduled to depart on April 23—had only 380 uniforms for Governor of New York 1,050 men. Even the 7th Regiment required assistance, and (1858–1862) on April 17 the merchants of New York City met in their Chamber of Commerce, where thirty-one gentlemen each Library of Congress pledged $100 for the “equipment of the Regiment for active service.” At this meeting the New York Stock Exchange also contributed $1,000. The designated militia regiments were gripped by great excitement. Regiments turned away significant numbers of willing recruits as the war fever overwhelmed the city, already dazzled by a number of mass patriotic rallies.8 May/June 2008 2 The 7th Regiment departs for the war, April 19, 1861 New York Historical Society Colonel Marshall Lefferts, commander of the 7th Regiment, directed his unit’s departure for April 19 following a requisition for additional camp equipage, baggage, and sufficient ammunition to furnish each man with twenty-four rounds. The regiment’s marching orders required each man to assemble in gray fatigue uniform, sky-blue greatcoat, and knapsack with one rolled blanket. Each soldier carried suitable underwear, an extra pair of ankle boots, mess utensils, waistbelt, and cap pouch. In one of its first official duties, the veterans of the 7th Regiment—the forerunners of the State Home Guard Force—assembled to guard their Tompkins Square Armory in the regiment’s absence.9 On April 19 the 8th Massachusetts Regiment marched through the city, accompanied by Benjamin F. Butler, brigadier general of all Massachusetts Volunteer Militia troops. At about 3:00 p.m., startling news arrived from Baltimore that the 6th Massachusetts Regiment had been A private in the 3rd Company, attacked by a pro-Southern mob in that city. The regiment sustained some 7th Regiment dressed in gray casualties, and had to fight its way across town to the railroad depot. Later fatigue uniform. He is equipped that afternoon, to tumultuous acclaim, the dandy 7th Regiment marched in full marching order, and down Broadway to embark at the ferry slip for Jersey City, and the first leg armed with the Model 1855 of its journey to the capital. Springfield Rifle-Musket. The 7th eventually boarded a train for Camden, New Jersey, where, United States Army Military History Institute, Carlisle, on April 20, it was ferried across the Delaware River to Philadelphia. Pennsylvania 3 CWH Two weighty problems now presented debilitated by the confinement on the steamerBoston , the change themselves. Mindful of the recent riots in diet, and the lack of rest.11 in Baltimore, Lefferts began to explore an alternate route to Washington, D.C. to avoid that trouble spot. He eventually Meanwhile inMustering-In Washington, D.C., General Scott managed decided against the overland route by to assemble a motley array of government clerks, laborers, boarding the steamer Boston, which foreign residents, and even War of 1812 veterans—besides a few would carry the unit to Annapolis, companies of regulars—to hold off an enemy attack. The 6th Maryland. Lefferts considered it prudent Massachusetts Regiment had arrived at the capital with some not to sail any further south since it was Pennsylvania militia, but it was the arrival of the 7th New York at reported that Confederate naval forces the railroad depot that electrified the city. Having been ordered threatened the Potomac River. to report to the president, Colonel Lefferts paraded his regiment In Philadelphia, a bitter feud erupted down Pennsylvania Avenue where it was reviewed at the White between Lefferts and Butler. The general House by the chief executive, an admiring group of cabinet was a brilliant, highly talented attorney, members, and an enthusiastic crowd.