42nd New York Infantry

42nd New York Infantry
Unit name	42nd New York Infantry
Dates	July 1861 – June 1865
Country	United States
Allegiance	Union
Branch	Infantry
Size	Regiment

42nd New York Infantry The 42nd New York Infantry was a volunteer regiment raised in New York (state) for service in the American Civil War that served in multiple campaigns of the Army of the Potomac, participating in major operations in the Eastern Theater. Composed of companies recruited from New York counties and cities, the regiment saw action in campaigns associated with commanders such as George B. McClellan, Ambrose Burnside, Joseph Hooker, and George G. Meade. Its service spanned from early war mobilization through the Appomattox Campaign and the Confederate surrender under Robert E. Lee.

Formation and Organization

The regiment was mustered into Federal service during the mobilization that followed the Battle of Fort Sumter and the call for volunteers by Abraham Lincoln. Companies were drawn from municipalities including New York City, Brooklyn, Albany, and counties such as Westchester and Kings County. Officers commissioned from state militia units and civic leaders brought ties to organizations like the New York State Militia and civic institutions in New York (state). Initial training occurred at rendezvous grounds and camps patterned after facilities used for units like the 1st New York Infantry and other early volunteer regiments, prior to assignment to brigades within the Army of the Potomac.

Service History

After organization, the regiment joined early campaigns in the Eastern Theater, aligning with army-level movements directed by commanders including George B. McClellan during the Peninsula Campaign and later operations under Ambrose Burnside during the Maryland Campaign and the Battle of Antietam. The unit was present in the maneuvering that preceded the Battle of Fredericksburg and subsequently participated in the Chancellorsville Campaign under Joseph Hooker. During the Gettysburg Campaign it served with corps elements that confronted the forces of Robert E. Lee, then later took part in the Overland Campaign directed by Ulysses S. Grant and executed by George G. Meade's Army of the Potomac. In the final year the regiment participated in trench warfare around Petersburg and the offensive culminating in the Appomattox Campaign and the surrender at Appomattox Court House.

Engagements and Battles

The 42nd New York Infantry saw action at a sequence of named battles and engagements that shaped the Eastern Theater. Notable actions included participation near Seven Pines, involvement during the Seven Days Battles around Richmond, combat at Antietam during the Maryland operations, and fighting at Fredericksburg. The regiment was engaged at Chancellorsville and fought on the fields during the three-day clash at Gettysburg. In 1864 it entered the grueling series of engagements comprising the Wilderness Campaign, including the Battle of the Wilderness, actions at Spotsylvania Court House, and the assaults around Cold Harbor. Its service continued through the Siege of Petersburg and actions during the final drives that led to Appomattox Court House.

Casualties and Strength

Throughout its service the regiment's strength fluctuated due to enlistment terms, reenlistment rates, casualties, disease, and parole and exchange processes under practices influenced by early-war agreements such as the Dix–Hill Cartel. The unit sustained losses in major battles including Antietam and Gettysburg, with attrition mirrored among contemporary New York regiments like the 69th New York Infantry and the 83rd New York Infantry. Disease and non-combat deaths paralleled broader army trends documented in casualty reports from the Army of the Potomac, while battlefield casualties contributed to consolidation with other veteran units during the latter campaigns.

Commanders

Command leadership included colonels and field officers commissioned from New York militia and political circles, working under brigade commanders in divisions commanded by generals such as Daniel Butterfield, Winfield Scott Hancock, and John Sedgwick at different times. The regiment’s company captains and lieutenants were drawn from civic leaders in New York City and county towns, reflecting recruitment patterns similar to contemporaneous units led by figures like Elmer E. Ellsworth and Gouverneur K. Warren in other formations.

Regimental Flags and Insignia

The regiment carried colors typical of Union volunteer infantry, including state and national flags presented at muster by local committees and patriotic societies in New York City and county seats. Regimental colors often bore battle honors referencing engagements such as Antietam and Gettysburg, consistent with practices that also marked flags of units like the 20th Maine Volunteer Infantry Regiment and the 69th New York Infantry. Surviving examples and contemporary lithographs circulated in period newspapers and illustrated by artists who documented the war in publications alongside works depicting Matthew Brady's photographs and battlefield prints.

Legacy and Commemoration

Veterans of the regiment participated in postwar organizations such as the Grand Army of the Republic and attended reunions alongside veterans from formations like the 1st New York Veterans and other New York volunteer units. Monuments and tablets erected on battlefields including Gettysburg National Military Park and near veteran home sites in New York (state) commemorate their service, often listed in regimental rosters preserved in state archives and local historical societies. The regiment’s history is cited in studies of the Army of the Potomac’s operations and in compilations of New York Civil War units that inform modern exhibits at institutions such as the New-York Historical Society and the National Museum of American History.

Category:Units and formations of the Union Army from New York