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| 5th New Hampshire Volunteer Regiment | |
|---|---|
| Unit name | 5th New Hampshire Volunteer Regiment |
| Dates | 1861–1865 |
| Country | United States |
| Allegiance | Union |
| Branch | United States Army |
| Type | Infantry |
| Size | Regiment |
| Garrison | Concord, New Hampshire |
| Notable commanders | Colonel Edward E. Cross, Lieutenant Colonel Charles L. Andrews |
5th New Hampshire Volunteer Regiment
The 5th New Hampshire Volunteer Regiment was an infantry regiment raised in New Hampshire that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. Organized in Concord, New Hampshire, the regiment participated in major campaigns in the Eastern Theater, including operations under the Army of the Potomac and actions associated with the Peninsula Campaign, the Seven Days Battles, and the Gettysburg Campaign.
Mustered in 1861 at Concord, New Hampshire, the regiment recruited volunteers from communities across New Hampshire, including Manchester, New Hampshire, Nashua, New Hampshire, and Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Officers were commissioned under the authority of Governor Nathaniel S. Berry and federal mustering orders issued by the War Department. The 5th New Hampshire was assigned to brigades and divisions within the II Corps and later to formations serving under generals such as George B. McClellan, Ambrose Burnside, and George G. Meade.
After organization, the regiment deployed to the defenses of Washington, D.C. before entering field campaigns. The 5th New Hampshire served during the Peninsula Campaign, fought in the Seven Days Battles around Richmond, Virginia, and took part in the Maryland Campaign culminating at Antietam. It later participated in the Fredericksburg Campaign, Chancellorsville Campaign, and was engaged at Gettysburg. In 1864 the regiment participated in the Overland Campaign under Ulysses S. Grant and saw action during the Siege of Petersburg. Elements remained active through the Appomattox operations leading to the Appomattox Campaign and the surrender of Robert E. Lee.
The 5th New Hampshire fought in numerous engagements including the Siege of Yorktown, the Battle of Gaines' Mill, the Battle of Savage's Station, the Battle of Malvern Hill, the Battle of Antietam, the Battle of Fredericksburg, the Battle of Chancellorsville, the Battle of Gettysburg, the Battle of the Wilderness, the Battle of Spotsylvania Court House, and the Battle of Cold Harbor. During the Siege of Petersburg, the regiment faced actions near Hatcher's Run and participated in assaults on Confederate fortifications culminating in movements that contributed to the Appomattox Campaign and the eventual surrender at Appomattox Court House.
Regimental leadership included Colonel Edward E. Cross, who gained recognition for leadership at Gettysburg and later fell at the Battle of the Wilderness. Other officers included Lieutenant Colonel Charles L. Andrews and company commanders drawn from towns such as Keene, New Hampshire and Concord, New Hampshire. Notable enlisted men and subalterns went on to civic roles in New Hampshire after the war, with veterans participating in organizations like the Grand Army of the Republic and state militia structures.
Throughout its service the regiment's strength fluctuated from initial enrollment of roughly 1,000 men to lower field numbers due to combat losses, disease, and attrition common to Civil War regiments. The 5th New Hampshire sustained significant casualties at Antietam, Fredericksburg, Gettysburg, and during the Overland Campaign. Losses included killed, wounded, missing, and those who died of disease, consistent with regimental returns reported to the Adjutant General of New Hampshire and consolidated in postwar rosters.
Soldiers of the 5th New Hampshire were equipped according to United States Army regulation patterns of the 1860s, commonly armed with rifled muskets such as the Springfield Model 1861 and occasionally with Pattern 1853 Enfield imports. Uniforms followed federal standards: dark blue frock coats or sack coats and sky-blue trousers, with shakos or forage caps regulated by the U.S. Army quartermaster system. Accoutrements included leather cartridge boxes, bayonets, and haversacks issued through Union supply depots.
The regiment's service is commemorated in New Hampshire through monuments at battlefields such as Gettysburg National Military Park and markers in Concord, New Hampshire. Veterans influenced state remembrance via Grand Army of the Republic posts and participated in dedication ceremonies for monuments on sites like Antietam National Battlefield and Petersburg National Battlefield. Regimental histories and rolls were compiled by postwar veterans and preserved in collections at institutions including the New Hampshire Historical Society and county historical societies in Hillsborough County, New Hampshire and Merrimack County, New Hampshire.
Category:Units and formations of the Union Army from New Hampshire Category:1861 establishments in New Hampshire