99th New York Infantry: "Union Coast Guard"-- Part 8

1864 OPERATIONS:

SEPTEMBER 15TH: Regiment consolidated into Companies A-C.

DECEMBER 10TH: Colonel Waldrop discharged.

1865 OPERATIONS:

JANUARY: At New Berne, NC.

JUNE 15TH: Men from the 132nd New York transferred into the 99th.

JULY 15TH: Mustered out of service at Salisbury, North Carolina.

Not Your Standard Infantry Regiment. --Old Secesh

99th New York Infantry: The "Union Coast Guard"-- Part 7: 1864

OPERATIONS IN 1864:

JAN. 18TH TO FEB. 10TH: Operations around New Berne, NC against Confederate General W.H.C. Whiting.

JAN. 31ST-FEB. 1ST: Smithfield, Virginia, detachment. Capt. Frederick Rowe wounded and captured. Also 41 enlisted captured. (I have been writing a lot about this action)

FEB. 1ST: Action at Batchelor's Creek. Captain David Bailey and Lt. James Fleming and 52 men captured.

FEB. 2ND: Action at Beech Grove. Three captured.

JUNE 14TH: Old members mustered out and the regiment consolidated into Companies A-D.

More 1864 to Come. --Old Secesh

99th New York Infantry: "Union Coast Guard"-- Part 6: 1863

MOVEMENTS AND OPERATIONS IN 1863.

FEBRUARY: Assigned to General Terry's Provisional Brigade, Division at Suffolk, Virginia, 7th Army Corps.

APRIL 12-MAY 4TH: Siege of Suffolk. The regiment lost 22 killed or mortally wounded. Forty-nine wounded.

JUNE 16TH: Blackwater. Capt James Hart killed and 2 wounded near Franklinville, Virginia.

JUNE 24-JULY 7TH: Dix's Peninsular Campaign.

JULY 4TH: Battle at South Ann Bridge. Two wounded and two missing.

JULY: Duty at White House, Yorktown and Gloucester, Virginia.

OCTOBER: Duty at New Berne, NC.

--Old Secesh

99th New York Infantry: "Union Coast Guard-- Part 5: 1862

MARCH 14TH, 1862: Battle of New Berne, NC. Co. B detached. Two killed, seven wounded and ten captured.

APRIL 12-26TH: Siege of Fort Macon, NC. Co. B detached.

JULY 4TH: James River. Company I (Capt. J.C. Lee's company) detached on steamer C.P. Smith. One killed, six missing.

AUGUST-OCTOBER: Duty by detachments at Fortress Monroe, Norfolk, Fort Wool and Sewell's Point, Chesapeake Bay.

AUGUST 1862- MARCH 1863: Co. I detached on Army gunboats Smith Briggs and West End.

A Naval Infantry Unit? --Old Secesh

99th New York Infantry: the "Union Coast Guard"-- Part 4: 1862

These are events in 1862.

JANUARY: Designated as 99th New York Infantry Regiment.

JAN. 7-FEB. 8TH: Co. B detached to steamers Southfield and Hunchback and accompanied Burnside's Roanoke Island Expedition.

FEB. 8TH: Battle of Roanoke Island. Company B detached. Three men killed or mortally wounded, seven men wounded.

MARCH 7TH: Co. K organized. Co. D serving on the USS Congress.

MARCH 8-9: Battle of Hampton Roads between the CSS Virginia, USS Monitor and U.S. fleet. Destruction of the USS Congress and Cumberland. The 99th lost ten killed or mortally wounded, fifteen wounded and seven missing from Co. D serving on the USS Congress.

More to Come From 1862.

USS Congress Not a Good Ship To Be On in March 1862.  --Old Secesh

The 99th New York Infantry: the "Union Coast Guard"-- Part 3: 1861

Continuing with 1861.

 JUNE 14- OCT. 31: Eight companies mustered into U.S. service for three years. So, this unit began, was broken up and began again.

JULY 19TH: Battle of New Market Bridge.

AUGUST 21ST: Regiment reorganized as infantry under Col. William W. Wardop.

AUGUST 28-29TH: Bombardment and capture of Forts Hatteras and Clarke, NC.

SEPTEMBER 30, 1861: Company I organized (Capt. Lee's company).

---Old Secesh

99th New York Infantry, the "Union Coast Guard"-- Part 2

On May 14, 1861, six companies were mustered into state service. On May 28th, the 99th left the state on the steamer Coatzacouleous for Fortress Monroe.

Since they without uniforms, arms or equipment, they were not accepted into national service by General Butler and placed under guard in an open field. (Mighty unfriendly, if you ask me, but there definitely might have been something else to the story.)

On June 5th, after a confrontation, Major Burnett and 180 men returned to New York City on the same steamer. On June 14th, another 90 men returned on the steamer Stae of Georgia.

More to Come. --Old Secesh

99th New York Infantry, the Union Coast Guard-- Part 1

From the Civil War in the East "99th NY Infantry Regt. 'Union Coast Guard'."

I have been writing about this unit a lot in connection with Captain Lee and the Army gunboat Smith Briggs.

The regiment was organized in New York City as the Naval Brigade, to be provided with gunboats to cruise the Atlantic coast. They were an Army unit, but one that was at sea. I would imagine members of the 99th were familiar with the sea, just not in the Navy.

Companies G. H. I and K were recruited primarily from Massachusetts. Companies A through F also had many Massachusetts men.

The original commander was Col. William A. Bartlett.

--Old Secesh

A Smith Briggs Survivor Wants Information-- Part 2: Capt. Lee Was a Coward

The light draught gunboat Smith Briggs was blown up by the enemy. "Our Commander by the name of Captain Lee a New York man was a coward and he Drew us up in Line on the first road next to the Little River which I think was called Pagan Creek told the boys all who were in favor of Surrender Hold up their Right Hand.

The New Yorker Hands went up almost to a man. Only one Pennsylvanian sent up his hand.

The New Yorkers had the strongest side So Captain Lee Signed the Surrender looking as white as this paper I am writing upon."

This account of Captain Lee is certainly different from the previous accounts of his bravery and fortitude. And, it now sounds like the troops surrendered on land and not on the Smith Briggs.

Intereesting. --Old Secesh

A Smith Briggs Survivor Wants Information-- Part 1

From Southern Historical Society Papers, Vol. 34 "Yankee gunboat Smith Briggs from the Times-Dispatch, March 18, 1906 and July 15, 1906.

William W. Rodgers was a survivor of the Smith Briggs who was captured and ended up at Andersonville Prison in Georgia. He wants information from someone to find out about the ship's capture by the Rebels.

Written from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, February 22, 1906.

Mr. Rodgers said that on February 1, 1864, he was taken prisoner along with 12 New York Cavalry and a detachment of the 99th NY (I'll write more about Captain Lee's unit in a forthcoming post) along with some of his (Rodgers') Battery A 3rd Pa. Heavy Artillery and some of that unit's Battery B. He said that a total of 110 were captured.

--Old Secesh