2nd Maryland Infantry (Union)

2nd Maryland Infantry (Union)
Unit name	2nd Maryland Infantry (Union)
Dates	July 1861 – July 1865
Country	United States
Allegiance	Union
Branch	United States Army
Type	Infantry
Size	Regiment
Garrison	Baltimore, Maryland
Battles	Battle of Front Royal, Valley Campaigns of 1864, Battle of Cedar Mountain, Second Battle of Winchester, Siege of Petersburg, Appomattox Campaign
Notable commanders	D. Appleton Myers, John Sommer, Wesley Merritt

2nd Maryland Infantry (Union) The 2nd Maryland Infantry (Union) was a volunteer infantry regiment raised in Maryland for service in the Union during the American Civil War. Organized in Baltimore in mid-1861, the regiment served in multiple theaters including the Eastern Theater, participating in campaigns from the Valley Campaigns of 1864 to the final Appomattox Campaign that culminated in the surrender of Robert E. Lee at Appomattox Court House. The unit served under commands associated with leaders such as George B. McClellan, Ulysses S. Grant, and Philip H. Sheridan, engaging Confederate forces led by figures like Stonewall Jackson and J. E. B. Stuart.

Formation and Organization

The regiment was mustered in Baltimore in July 1861 amid recruitment drives tied to the Maryland Line and state efforts influenced by politicians such as Francis P. Blair Jr. and Augustus Bradford. Companies were raised across Baltimore and surrounding counties with officers commissioned under state authority and federal mustering overseen by the War Department during the mobilization that followed the First Battle of Bull Run and orders from Abraham Lincoln. The 2nd Maryland was assigned to brigades and divisions within corps operating under army structures including the Army of the Potomac and later elements attached to forces under Philip H. Sheridan during the Valley Campaigns of 1864.

Service and Campaigns

Initially deployed to defend strategic points in Maryland and Virginia, the regiment saw early action in movements around Frederick County, Virginia and skirmishes near Harper's Ferry. In 1862 the 2nd Maryland fought at engagements connected to the Northern Virginia campaign, including actions at Cedar Mountain and operations during Pope's campaign against Confederate forces under Stonewall Jackson. The regiment participated in the 1863 Gettysburg campaign's flanking operations and later in the 1864 Shenandoah Valley Campaign where it engaged at the Battle of Front Royal and the Second Battle of Winchester against elements of Richard S. Ewell and Jubal Early. Assigned to siege operations in 1864–1865, the unit took part in the Siege of Petersburg and the culminating Appomattox Campaign, contributing to the pursuit that led to Robert E. Lee's surrender and interacting with commands of Grant, Meade, and cavalry leaders such as Wesley Merritt.

Commanders and Leadership

Regimental command rotated among officers commissioned early in the war, including colonels and lieutenant colonels who had served in Maryland militia traditions influenced by civic leaders like Elihu B. Washburne and state officials. Notable regimental commanders included officers who coordinated with corps commanders in the Army of the Potomac and subordinate leaders in Sheridan's force during the Valley Campaigns of 1864. The regiment's chain of command connected it to brigade commanders and division chiefs who also served under generals such as George G. Meade and Winfield Scott Hancock, and it fought in operations directed by theater commanders like John Pope and later integrated into strategic plans of Ulysses S. Grant.

Casualties and Strength

Beginning with an authorized strength typical for Civil War infantry regiments, the 2nd Maryland's numbers fluctuated due to enlistment terms, reenlistments, disease, and combat losses incurred in battles including Cedar Mountain, Second Winchester, and the Siege of Petersburg. The regiment suffered officer and enlisted casualties from engagements with Confederate forces commanded by Stonewall Jackson, J. E. B. Stuart, and Jubal Early, as well as non-combat losses from illnesses common in Civil War armies, influenced by conditions reported across encampments such as those near Harper's Ferry and Petersburg. Veterans and recruits were consolidated and transferred in the war's latter stages as part of broader consolidations directed by the War Department.

Uniforms, Equipment, and Flags

Soldiers of the 2nd Maryland were issued standard United States Army infantry uniforms and accoutrements of the period, including service frocks, sack coats, and forage caps similar to contemporary units in the Army of the Potomac and regiments raised under state quotas. The regiment was typically armed with rifled muskets in common use such as the Springfield Model 1861 and other percussion arms distributed through federal arsenals, and its companies carried regimental colors presented or authorized under state and federal regulations mirroring other Union flags. Battle flags and guidons of the regiment bore designs reflecting Maryland volunteer traditions and were entrusted in actions at engagements like Front Royal and Petersburg.

Notable Members and Honors

Members of the regiment who distinguished themselves received recognition within Union commemoration practices and veteran organizations such as the Grand Army of the Republic. Some soldiers went on to civic roles in Baltimore and Maryland politics, associating with figures like Eli Saulsbury and veterans' memorial efforts tied to sites including Antietam National Cemetery and regimental monuments on battlefields such as Petersburg National Battlefield. The 2nd Maryland's service is remembered alongside other Maryland units like the 1st Maryland Infantry (Union), 3rd Maryland Infantry (Union), and the state’s Confederate-aligned formations, informing historiography found in works addressing the Eastern Theater and studies of Maryland's divided loyalties.

Category:Units and formations of the Union Army from Maryland Category:Military units and formations established in 1861 Category:1865 disestablishments in the United States