Chapter 17, History of Columbia County, New York, USA

[Page 143] In the last war against Great Britain, in 1812 to 1815, Columbia County furnished a large number of troops (both volunteers and drafted men), though few of them saw actual service under hostile fire.

Of the military organizations existing in the county prior to that war we obtain some idea from an old brigade order, signed by Joseph Lord as brigade-major, and issued by command of Brig.-Gen. Samuel Ten Broeck, Aug. 10, 1806, directing that a review and inspection of his brigade be held near the tavern of Jacob Moul, in Claverack, on the 2d of September in that year. The different commands mentioned in the order as composing the brigade were as follows:

1. the regiment of infantry commanded by Maj. Robert T. Livingston, having attached to it the troop of cavalry commanded by Capt. Walter T. Livingston.

2. The regiment of infantry under command of Lieut.-Col. Jacob Rutsen Van Rensselaer; attached to which was the troop of horse commanded by Capt. Killian Hogeboom.

3. The infantry regiment of Lieut.-Col. Cornwell; with Capt. John Whiting's troop of cavalry attached.

The brigade was still under command of Gen. Ten Broeck at the opening of the war, and as to the commands composing it, we find reference to the 15th, 44th, 56th, and 165th Regiments of infantry. In the 15th Regiment the following commissions were issued in April, 1814, viz.:

Captains: Robert Elting, Joseph Hoot, John I. Rossman, Elias Fingar, Hugh Knickerbacker.

Lieutenants: Anson Gale, Jonas Lasher, John Kline, Frederick F. Stickle, John McKinstry, Jr., Charles Robinson, Cornelius Washburn.

Ensigns: Benjamin I. Miller, Jeremiah Best, Jacob P. Rockefeller, Jacob H. Teal, George Ellsworth, Henry H. Teal, Elisha Miner, Philip W. Rockefeller.

Lieutenants: Ralph Tanner, Luther Chase, David Chamberlain, Flavel Tiffany, Jakah Lawrence.

Ensigns: Daniel Morehouse, Samuel Wise, William Stuart, Peter Downing, Amos M. Knapp.

A list of commissions, issued about the same time, for the 165th Regiment, was as follows:

Captains: Gideon P. Wolcott, John Stall, Teunis Race, Conrad I. Wilsey, Henry M. Hoffman, George I. Rossman, John A. Decker, Daniel Baker, Jr.

Lieutenants: John C. Drum, Christian c. Shultz, David Langdon, Abraham Bain, Daniel Loughren, John B. Van Dusen, John T. Bresee, Cornelius S. Williams.

Ensigns: Richard Townsend, Peter Silvernail, Ebenezer Finch, Robert Kline, Cornelius Washman, Alvin Covey, James Conklin, John Kingman.

For the 5th Regiment of cavalry we find commissions issued in 1813 and 1814 to residents of Columbia county, as follows:

The following is a copy of the "muster-roll of a company of volunteer cavalry under command of Captain Lodowick S. Babcock. Mustered into the service of the United State Aug. 25, 1812, for the term of one year, actual service, or for the term specified in an act of Congress passed Feb. 6, 1812:

Privates.---Orrin Tickner, Bartholomew F. Pratt, James Peasly, Elial Benjamins, Benjamin Hutchinson, Lemuel Kilburn, Abram Ely, Philip Pitts, Ananias Hocomb, John C. Wilkinson, Palmer Watterman, Reuben B. Babcock, Matthew W. Lord, Isaac V. Marcelius, Thomas Wright, Daniel Davis, John Parks, George G. Simmons, Burton Munroe, (Oct. 22, 1812), Jacob Hait, John Darling, George Babcock (waiter), John T. Baker, Peleg Kittle (died at Buffalo, Dec. 5, 1812), Wheeler Lamphin.

The above company, known as the "Governor's Guard," was largely composed of men from the northeastern part of the county, and its field of service during the war was on the frontier, in the vicinity of Niagara river.

A regiment or battalion under command of Lieut-Col. Vosburgh, of Stuyvesant Landing, served from about September, 1812, to March, 1813, on the northern frontier, at Chateaugay, French Mills, and other points. Among Col. Vosburgh's company commanders were Capts. James Warner, Ira Gale, and Jared Winslow.

The "Light Infantry Battalion" of Lieut.-Col. (afterwards promoted to colonel and brigadier-general) Jacob R. Van Rensselaer was ordered to the defense of the city of New York about Sept. 1, 1814, and remained on that duty during its whole term of service, but had no occasion to participate in any engagement. Col. Van Rensselaer's second in command was Maj. John Whitbeck, and the battalion contained the uniformed company known as the "Hudson Greens" commanded by Capt. Barnabas Waterman; a company of artillery---also from Hudson---commanded by Capt. Elias Worden, and the infantry companies of Capts. Abraham L. Fonda, of Claverack; Robt. Elting, Jr., of Clermont; Israel Holmes, of the southern part of the county: Henry Van Vleck, of Kinderhook; and Wm. N. Bentley. The artillery was posted on Staten Island.

A battalion under command of Col. John Van Dolfson was also in service at Brooklyn, for the defense of New York. Its term of service was four months, and the command included among its companies those of Capts. Coonrod J. Wiltsey, of Copake; John Martin, of Claverack; Joseph Lord, of Canaan; and ------ Cooper, of the southern part of the county.

A company of one hundred and twenty volunteers, under command of Capt. William Jordan, marched from their rendezvous at Miller's tavern, above Kinderhook, in 1814, destined for Plattsburgh, but had proceeded only a small part of the distance when news of the battle reached them, and rendered their further advance unnecessary. Another company, under Capt. Henry P. Mesick, First Lieut. Christopher W. Miller, and Second Lieut. Ralph Tanner, marched for the same destination, where they arrived two days after the battle had been fought. In the naval battle fought on Lake Champlain by Commodore McDonough, Wm. A. Spencer, a native of Columbia county, and son of Judge Ambrose Spencer, served gallantly as a midshipman in the commodore's fleet, and was wounded upon that occasion.

At the commencement of the war Gen. Scott marched through the county with a command of about seven hundred men, destined for service in the north, making his encampment for a night in the city of Hudson, on a spot of vacant ground near the present site of the court-house.

For many of the above facts relative to the movements of the Columbia county troops in the War of 1812 we are indebted to Wheeler H. Clarke, Esq., of Hudson.

The part performed by the county of Columbia in the war waged from 1861 to 1865, for the suppression of rebellion and the preservation of the Union, was most honorable and patriotic. At the receipt of the intelligence of the attack on Fort Sumter, in April, 1861, there were seen here the same demonstrations of loyalty to the Union and of determination to crush out treason at every hazard; the same patriotic meetings and flag-raisings; the same disposition of young men to volunteer, and of old men to encourage and aid them in doing so, as were found everywhere, in nearly every county throughout the Empire State. And when our armies melted away in the fervent heat of battle, and call after call was made for men to take the places of those who had fallen, there was shown here the same determination to stand by the government at whatever cost; and the people and the local authorities with the same alacrity voted the moneys which were called for to accomplish the desired end.

The troops from Columbia county who entered the service of the government during the War of 1861-65 were, as nearly as can be ascertained, as follows, viz.:

Four companies (and parts of other companies) of the 128th Regiment New York Volunteers, under Col. David S. Cowles, of Hudson,---three years' term of service.

Three companies* (and part of another) of the 91st Regiment New York Volunteers,---three years' service,---commanded by Col. Jacob Van Zandt.

Four companies (and a large portion of a fifth) of the 159th Regiment New York Volunteers, under Col. Edward L. Molineux,---three years' service.

A large number of men from this county also entered and served in companies of the 44th, 48th, 93d, and 150th Regiments of New York Volunteer Infantry, as well as of the 1st, 3d, 5th, 6th, 7th, and 12th Regiments of Cavalry, and in the regular army and navy of the United States.

For the names of those who entered the service from this county in New York State regiments, we refer the reader to the list printed at the end of this volume, copied from the rolls in the adjutant-general's office at Albany, and verified, corrected, and added to, in accordance with such information (deemed reliable) as we have been able to obtain from veterans of the war and from other sources. [Note-to see the town listings of the men who served go to the index of the towns, click here.]

[page 145] There were probably few from this county who served their country in the navy during the war, but among these few was Lieut. J. Van Ness Philip, of Claverack, of whose honorable career we elsewhere give a brief sketch.

Below we give condensed historical narratives of the four regiments the 128th, 91st, 159th, and 14th, which contained companies from Columbia county.

This regiment was raised in the counties of Columbia and Dutchess during the months of July and August, 1862. Four of its companies (A, E, G, and K) were contributed by Columbia, and six (B, C, D, F, H, and I) by Dutchess. The term for which its men enlisted was three years.

The first movement in Columbia towards the formation of a company for this regiment was the issuance of a call, dated Hudson, July 23, signed by Edward Gifford, Granville P. Haws, and John V. Whitbeck, asking for volunteers. A company (afterwards designated as A of the 128th) was completed within a few days, and the three other companies from the county were rapidly filled.

On Saturday, Aug. 30, national and regimental colors were presented to the regiment at Camp Kelly,† in the presence of about four thousand spectators and amid great enthusiasm. One of the speeches made on that occasion was by the author of the "Field-Book of the Revolution," Benson J. Lossing, who said, "Soldiers,---Mothers, wives, sisters, and sweethearts have laid these objects of their affection upon the alter of their country as tokens of patriotism; in their name I present you with the banner of our common country. This banner is the insignia of the Republic, the symbol of our nationality. Take it; bear it proudly; defend it gallantly; wave it triumphantly over field, and fortress, and town, and bring it back unsullied, with the glad tidings that it represents a redeemed, purified, and strengthened nation, whose every image of God is, by the law of the land, entitled to the inalienable right of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness."

On the 4th of September the men were mustered into the service of the United States, and on the following day the regiment, one thousand strong, under command of Col. David S. Cowles, embarked at Hudson on board the steamer "Oregon" for New York, whence they proceeded south by railway, arrived at Baltimore at five p.m. on the 6th, and bivouacked on Stewart's hill, where, on the 8th, they received their arms, ammunition, and shelter-tents, and afterwards marched to their camping-ground at Camp Millington.

On the 10th of October the alarming intelligence was received that the cavalry general Stuart had invaded Maryland and was pressing northward with a force estimated at three thousand men. Upon this the regiment received orders to prepare to move immediately with two days' rations, and, on the 13th, at six a.m., they, as part of an expedition composed of several regiments of Gen. Wool's command, left Baltimore by the Northern Central railroad, and proceeded by way of Hanover to Gettysburg, where they arrived at nine p.m. There, upon a report that the enemy were advancing, their first line of battle was formed, and the men stood ready to face Gen. Stuart. But the time had not come for the hills of Gettysburg to become historic ground. On learning of the position of affairs there, the rebel general abandoned his raid in that direction and retired across the Potomac.

The regiment left Gettysburg on the 14th of October, and, after a detention of two days at Hanover, caused by the breaking of a bridge, arrived at Baltimore on the 17th, and re-occupied their old ground at Camp Millington. Here they remained, perfecting their drill, but without notable incident, until Nov. 5, when orders were received to embark on the transport "Arago," to form a part of General Banks' famous expedition to New Orleans, though the destination was at that time unknown to regimental officers or men.

The ship did not sail until the 9th, when, at seven o'clock a.m., she left her anchorage and steamed down the Chesapeake. The day was rough and uncomfortable, but, as the evening came on, the wind lulled and the surface of the bay was as smooth as that of their own placid Hudson. Away to the eastward the land could be dimly seen, but to the south and west there was only one wide stretch of flashing water, while from above the stars twinkled and the moonlight glittered on barrel and bayonet, and sparkled on the foam that bubbled in the wake of the ship. All were in good spirits, for the belief was general that their destination was the harbor of Charleston. A young officer of the regiment, in a letter written home from the transport, said, " If I am to lose my life during the war, I would prefer to die fighting within sight of the battered walls of old Sumter."

They arrived at Fortress Monroe on the morning of the 10th, and on the 12th the "Arago
steamed up the Roads and lay off Newport News, near the wrecks of the historic frigates "Congress" and "Cumberland." On the 30th the regiment encamped near the ruins of the Virginian village of Hampton, but on the 2d of December they were ordered to strike tents and re-embark on the "Arago." Their surgeon, Dr. D. P. Van Vleck, died on board the ship Nov. 21, and during their tedious stay there, both on land and afloat, they experienced much hardship and a considerable amount of sickness.

In the afternoon of the 4th of December the "Arago" and other vessels of the expedition set sail from Hampton Roads, and it was now definitely known that their destination was New Orleans, and that they were to form a part of the army of General Banks.

During the nine days which they passed at sea, several deaths occurred; among them being that of Lieut. Francis N. Sterling, of Co. D., who died Dec. 6, and on the following day was buried beneath the waters.

The transport arrived at Ship Island on the 13th of December. Here they met the steamer, "Northern Light," having on board the 159th New York Regiment, of which a part was from Columbia county, and it may be imagined better than it can be told with what cheers and demonstrations of delight the two commands greeted each other. The "Arago" soon resumed her voyage, entered the Southwest Pass on the morning of the 14th, and in the afternoon of the same day reached Quarantine Station, where the [page 146] vessel was detained. On the 16th the regiment was disembarked, and quartered in a vacant storehouse, where they remained until the 5th of January, 1863, at which time they embarked on the steamer "Laurel Hill," and were transported to Camp Chalmette, upon the old battle-field of New Orleans, and about three miles below the city.

The stay here was most disagreeable. The weather was cold and rainy, and the ground became so soft that it was barely possible to move from one tent to another. At this dismal place Lieut. Augustus U. Bradbury, of Hudson, contracted the disease which one month later terminated his life. His last camp duty he performed here, on the night of January, 28, as officer of the guard, and on the evening of February 25 he died. "I entertained," wrote Col. Cowles, "a very high opinion of Lieut. Bradbury as a perfectly reliable solider under whatever circumstances." At his funeral the Rev. William S. Leavitt said, "He whom we have come to bury has finished his warfare,---prematurely, according to human judgment. But God sees not with our eyes, and judges by higher and wiser rules than we. . . It is but a few months since we saw him going forth with a thousand more,---fresh, earnest, full of patriotic fire, while our whole city thronged about them with its tears and farewells. We looked forward to the time---and it was ever in our thought, and present always to our hopes---when we should welcome him and them, returning again to the warm hearts and smiles of home, amid the rejoicings of victory and the blessings of re-established order and peace.

On the 3d of February the regiment removed from Chalmette, a few miles, to Camp Parapet, where they remained at guard and drill duty until the 18th of April, when the men were embarked on the steamers "Empire Parish" and "J. M. Brown," and proceeded across Lake Pontchartrain on an expedition to Fort Pike and Gainesville; from which service they returned to camp on the 22d, having captured one steamboat and a large amount of other rebel property. For this, their first achievement in the southwest, they were commended in general orders by Brig.-Gen. T. W. Sherman, under whose immediate command the expedition had moved.

On the 12th of May another expedition was formed, and the 128th, with the 6th Michigan Volunteers, all under command of Col. Clark, of the latter, proceeded to Pontochoula, from which the enemy retired, and the place was occupied by our men until the 19th, when they returned to Camp Parapet.

The siege of Port Hudson, which was one of the leading objects of the Banks expedition, had now commenced, and on the 20th of May the brigade of which the 128th was part, under command of Brig.-Gen. Neal Dow, embarked on transports to join the main army. They landed on the 22d at Springfield Landing, about five miles below Port Hudson, whence, on the same day, they marched ten miles inland to the rear of the fortifications, and on the following day moved forward, and were among the first to take possession of some of the outer works, from which the enemy withdrew to their principal defenses.

Port Hudson is about twenty-five miles above Baton Rough, on the east side of the Mississippi, upon a commanding point, around which the river bends, forming almost a right angel. The strength of the position, naturally great, had been increased by all the devices of military science, until the enemy, with apparent reason, accounted it their Gibraltar. The forces defending the fortifications were under Maj.-Gen. Franklin Gardner, who had been assigned to that command on the 27th of December.

The plans of the commanding general having been perfected, on the 27th of May the troops moved forward to a general assault. The fire of the artillery was opened early in the morning, and continued unabated during the day. At ten a.m. the infantry, under Gen. Weitzel, attacked the right of the enemy's works. "On the left," said Gen. Banks, in his official report, "the infantry did not come up until later in the day; but at two o'clock an assault was opened on the works on the centre and left centre by the divisions under Maj.-Gen. Augur and Brig.-Gen. Sherman. The enemy was driven into his works, and our troops moved up to the fortifications, holding the opposite sides of the parapet with the enemy."

The 128th New York formed a part of Sherman's division, which attacked the rebel left centre, and through all that lurid day Port Hudson saw no better fighting than was done by this command.

A storming column, composed of the Columbia and Dutchess Regiment, the 6th Michigan, 15th New Hampshire, and 26th Connecticut, moved into the infernal fire with the steadiness of veterans, and carried a portion of the works by the bayonet; but afterwards, by overwhelming odds and exposure to a flank fire, they were compelled to retire to a belt of woods; though their skirmish line still held its position close under the fortifications.

The record of the day was that of repulse and disaster to the Union forces, and of irreparable loss to the 128th Regiment in the death of their brave and beloved colonel, who fell early in the fight, and at the head of his command. When within a few rods of a gateway which formed the entrance to the work, two balls struck him, one passing through his body from breast to back, and the other entering his groin and passing downward, giving the wound the appearance of a bayonet-thrust.‡ The wound was a mortal one, and he died in less than an hour. His last words were, "Tell my mother, I died with my face to the enemy." His remains were brought home and interred with imposing solemnity on Monday, June 15, 1863. The funeral cortege was composed of delegations from the Masonic order of eleven different adjoining towns, the fire department, Col. Wright and staff of the 21st Regiment, members of the bar, Claverack, cadets, etc. An appropriate eulogy was delivered by I. H. Reynolds, Esq., and a funeral discourse by Rev. W. S. Leavitt. The place of interment was the plot of ground just previously appropriated by the common [page 147] council for the burial of those who should fall in the service of their country. The memory of this gallant and patriotic officer will ever be cherished by the people of Columbia county.

A singular circumstance connected with his death is the fact that on the very day when the assault was made, while it was impossible that any news of it could have arrived, a report was started in Hudson (producing great excitement) to the effect that the regiment had participated in a terrible battle, and that Col. Cowles had fallen.

On the day preceding the engagement, Capt. (afterwards Maj.) Edward Gifford, while in command of a party engaged in burning some buildings in the immediate vicinity of the hostile lines, was captured by the enemy, and remained a prisoner in Port Hudson for thirty-nine days, but succeeded in escaping on the night of the 4th of July. In crossing a creek while attempting to regain the Union lines, he was carried by the current out into the Mississippi, where for four hours he battled with the swift waters and barely escaped with life, although an expert swimmer. He was rescued by some Indiana troops, and returned to his comrades, but the privations he had undergone, and the almost superhuman efforts put forth to regain his liberty, proved too much for his constitution, and although he received the tenderest care and attention from his brother officers and friends, he steadily sunk, and died in New Orleans on the 8th of August. His remains were brought to Hudson and buried with military honors.

After the unsuccessful assault of May 27 the whole brigade fell back under cover of some heavy timber, but still in range of the hostile batteries, the 128th being then under command of Major Keese. Here they remained till June 14, when another advance was attempted at the left, with similar result. In this engagement the loss of the regiment was much less than on the previous occasion. Among the wounded were Capt. George W. Van Slyck and Adj. J. P. Wilkinson.

The Union forces now held their positions before Port Hudson until July 7, at which time Gen. Gardner sent a communication to Gen. Banks asking if the report of the surrender of Vicksburg was true, and if so, requesting a cessation of hostilities. Gen. Banks replied that Vicksburg had surrendered to Grant on the 4th, and that under the circumstances he could not grant the cessation. To which Gen. Gardner responded proposing capitulation, which was soon agreed on, and on the morning of the 9th the rebel forces, consisting of about five thousand men, were surrendered, and the fortifications occupied by a small Union detachment selected for their bravery and discipline. One of the regiments so selected was the 128th New York. The had remained inside the works but two days, when they received orders to proceed to Baton Rouge, at which place they arrived, after a most fatiguing march, on the 12th of July. On the 15th they proceeded by transports to Donaldsonville, where they enemy was reported to be in great force. On the 14th of August they occupied the village of Plaquemine, and were there assigned to the 2d Brigade, 1st Division, under Gen. Weitzel. On the 29th they were ordered to return to Baton Rouge.

During the autumn of 1863 the following officers of the regiment were transferred to the Corps d'Afrique: Capt. C. C. Bostwick, as major; Capt. George Parker, as lieutenant-colonel; Lieut. Rufus J. Palen, as major; Lieut. T. E. Merritt, as captain. On the 1st of January the field-officers of the 128th were James Smith, colonel; James P. Foster, lieutenant-colonel; Francis S. Keese, major.

The regiment remained at Baton Rouge until March 23, 1865, when the Red River campaign opened, and it joined the advance of Banks' Army corps at Alexandria. Gen. Grover's Division, to which the 128th was attached, remained here while the rest of the army proceeded to Shreveport and fought the battles of Pleasant Hill and Mansfield, rejoining the main army at Grand Ecore. On the 20th of April this place was evacuated and the army fell back towards Alexandria. The battle of Cane River was fought on the 23d, and the 128th distinguished itself by making a decisive charge at a critical stage of the engagement, routing the enemy and capturing one officer and thirty men. Col. James Smith led the regiment in this charge, and was complimented by Gens. Birge and Grover on the skill and bravery displayed by officers and men. The losses were one killed and eleven wounded. During their stay at Alexandria the regiment received a new color, presented by the ladies of Columbia. In announcing this, Col. Smith said, "It is with feelings of pride and gratification that the colonel commanding announces officially that a new color has been received, intended as a gift from the ladies of Columbia county. . . . Many, whose loss we mourn, have fallen under, the old colors. How many may fall while serving under the new no one can tell."

Alexandria was evacuated May 11, Grover's Division in the advance. On the 16th and 17th the battle of Mansura Plains was fought, and on the 22d the army reached the Mississippi river. On the 27th three brigades, including the 128th, returned to the Atchafalaya river to guard against a flank movement of the enemy, and after several days' skirmishing proceeded to Morganza, where they remained till July 3, when the regiment embarked on board the steamer "City of Memphis" and proceeded to Algiers, opposite New Orleans, where it encamped till the 20th. On that day it re-embarked on the "Daniel Webster," sailing under sealed orders, and arrived at Washington July 29. The day following it proceeded to Monocacy Junction, where the different regiments composing the 19th Corps were reunited and moved immediately to Halltown, near Harper's Ferry. Here Gen. Sheridan assumed command of the army of the Middle Military Division, to which the 19th Corps was now attached.

On the 10th of August, Sheridan advances against Early, then encamped at Winchester. Then followed the battles of Halltown, Berryville, Winchester, Fisher's Hill, and Cedar Creek, in all which the 128th was conspicuously engaged.

At the three engagements of Winchester, Fisher's Hill, and Cedar Creek, between the 19th of September and 19th of August, the regiment lost two hundred in killed, wounded, and prisoners.

At the battle of Winchester five officers and sixty men were killed and wounded, among whom was Maj. F. S. Keese, who ws severely wounded.

[page 148] At the battle of Cedar Creek, where Sheridan won such imperishable renown, Maj. Wilkinson, then captain and judge-advocate on Gen. Emory's staff, was wounded by a shot through the lungs while attempting to save the guns of a battery from capture.

At Fisher's Hill, the regiment being deployed as skirmishers, drove the enemy from a hill in front of the position with such impetuous gallantry as to win the applause of all the comrades who witnessed it, and elicit compliments from Gens. Sheridan, Emory, and Grover.

In the month of August, Sheridan requested Gen. Emory to detail one of his best regiments for headquarter guard. The latter directed Gen. Grover, commanding the 2d Division, to comply with the order, and he designated the 128th by name from the twenty-two regiments of his division for that purpose. It was kept on this duty until the army retired to Harper's Ferry.

At the close of Sheridan's valley campaign, the 128th was one of the regiments chosen to garrison Winchester, where it remained until the 6th of January, 1865, when the whole division was ordered to Baltimore, and thence to Savannah by transports.

On the 5th of March two brigades, including the 128th, left Savannah for Newbern, N. C., to assist in opening a base of supplies for Sherman's army. Immediately on arriving there the 128th was detailed by Gen. Schofield, commanding the department of North Carolina, to repair the road connecting Newbern with Kinston. This labor occupied about three weeks, during which the men became familiar with the use of the axe and spade as well as the musket.

The regiment returned to Savannah on the 4th of May, and soon after marched to Augusta, where it was engaged in garrison and provost duty, when the order came to return to Savannah, and there it was formally mustered out of service, dating from the 12th of July.

On the 16th it embarked on board the steamer "Charles Thomas" for New York, reaching there on the morning of the 20th. In the afternoon of the same day the men were transferred to the steamer "Commodore" without leaving the pier. They reached Albany early on the following morning, and went into barracks on the Troy road, whence, after receiving pay for their weary service, they dispersed to their homes, and resumed the vocations of peaceful life.

The 128th returned with four hundred of the nine hundred and sixty men, and one hundred and seventy-three added by recruits. The officers at mustering out were as follows:

Field and Staff.---Capt. Thomas N. Davis in command. Surg. J. M. Crawe; Assist. Surg., W. H. B. Post; Adj, A. B. Hart; Q.-M., S. H. Mase.

Line Officers.---Co. A, Lieut. T. W. Krafft; Co. B, Capt. J. S. Pierce, Lieut. R. A. White; Co. C, 1st Lieut. J. H. Hager, 2d Lieut. J. H. Asher; Co. D, Lieut. J. Armstrong; Co. E, Capt. G. T. White; Co. F, Capt. C. R. Anderson, Lieut. C. Van Tine; Co. G, Capt. H. E. Mitchell, Lieut. G. Murell; Co. H, Capt. H. H. Sincerbox, Lieut. C.S. Keyes, Lieut. B. T. Benson; Co. I, Lieut J. Schouten; Co. K, Lieut. B. Speed.

The tattered battle-flag of the regiment bears the names of the following fields:

Soon after the war commenced, the Hon. David S. Cowles (afterwards colonel of the 128th Regiment) resolved to give up for his country his lucrative practice at the bar and go to the front, and, after consultation with his friends, decided, if possible, to raise a regiment from Columbia county, to be known as the Columbia County Regiment; and in the month of July, 1861, with his friend, James Mulford, began the work. He commenced recruiting in various parts of the county under the following captains: Charles A. Burt, at Kinderhook; John B. Collins, at Hillsdale; John I. Langdon, at Copake; and William H. Atwood at Hudson. As at this time the first burst of patriotism was dying out except in the breasts of those who were too old to be accepted, or were unable to go to war for other causes, and bounties had not been offered, recruiting was very slow, and it was not until September that any of he companies were filled to the number of men required to be mustered in as a company, thirty-two enlisted men being required. On the 27th day of September, Capt. Atwood took his company to Albany, and they were mustered into service at the barracks. On the next day Capt. Collins' company was mustered in; and Sept. 30, Capt. Langdon's company. On this day (30th), Col. Cowles, finding it impossible to raise a full regiment in Columbia county, arranged with Capt. Allan H. Jackson, of Schenectady, who was having his company mustered in, to join his regiment, and also arranged with Capt. Aaron J. Oliver to recruit a company in Albany and vicinity. October 15, Capt. Burt's company was mustered in, and soon after Capts. Oliver and Henry S. Hulbert with their companies went into barracks. Only seven companies out of ten were obtained, and none of them were full. At this time there was a part of a regiment in the same barracks, called the Albany County Regiment, being raised by Col. Fredendall, of Albany, and the most strenuous efforts were put forth by the officers of each of these regiments to fill up the companies and regiments, that they might keep their distinctive organizations and field-officers, but they were unable so to do; and an order coming form Washington to consolidate parts of regiments and send them forward as soon as possible, these two were consolidated and given their number as the 91st Regiment New York Volunteers. On the consolidation a great strife commenced as to the coloneley between Jacob Van Zandt, then nominal lieutenant-colonel of the Albany Regiment, and Col. Cowles, of the Columbia County Regiment, which resulted in the appointment of the former. In the consolidation the most of the men from Columbia county were placed in Company E, H, and I, and some were assigned to Company K. The consolidation was effected about Dec. 16, 1861, and the field-officers placed in command were: Col., Jacob Van ]page 149] Zandt; Lieut.-Col. Jonathan Tarbell; Maj., Charles G. Clark.

The regiment, about nine hundred strong, having received a beautiful regimental color, the gift of Mrs. Harcourt, a patriotic lady of Albany, left camp at that city Dec. 20, 1861, and proceeded to Governor's island, New York harbor, where it was mustered into the United States service by Capt. Updegraff, U. S. A., Dec. 30. On Jan. 9, 1862, it embarked on the steamer "Ericsson," which set sail the following day for Key West, Fla., and arrived there ten days later. Here the regiment was armed with Enfield rifles, and remained in drill and routine duty until May 20, when it embarked for Pensacola, and reached there on the 24th. Its first engagement with the enemy was at Gonzales' Plantation, Fla., Oct. 27, 1862, on which occasion the conduct of men and officers was excellent. On the 27th of December the regiment left Pensacola by steamer, and on Jan. 1, 1863, arrived at Baton Rouge, La.

At the opening of the campaign against Port Hudson, the 91st was assigned to a post of danger in engaging the enemy to draw his attention while the fleet passed the batteries; and this service was well and bravely performed. Then the command returned to Baton Rouge, remaining there from the 19th to the 27th of March, at which time it embarked on steamer, and on the 28th arrived at Donaldsonville, and thence took up its line of march for Thibodeaux, arriving April 2; left by rail for Bayou Bœuf, remaining there several days. On the 12th it embarked for Irish Bend (near Franklin), and was hotly engaged on that bloody field in the battle of April 14. On the next day it was again engaged with the foe at Vermilion Bayou, after having made a weary march of thirty-six miles through dust, fatigue, and almost intolerable thirst. The enemy retreated, and the 91st, with other troops, pursued. On the 21st it arrived at Opelousas.

For about a month the regiment was almost constantly on the move in marchings, skirmishings, and expeditions for the seizure of cotton, until, on the 24th of May, it took its position before the enemy's works at Port Hudson, where it participated in the attacks made on the 25th and 27th of May, as also in the furious and disastrous assault of June 14. From this time the regiment was on constant duty in the trenches until the capitulation of the enemy, July 8, 1863, and on the day following marched into the captured town. It sailed on the 11th for Donaldsonville, and there engaged the enemy in force on the 12th. On the 29th of July the 91st left Donaldsonville for New Orleans, where it was paid off, a six months' arrearage, and laid in comparative quiet for nearly a month; then, on August 29, it sailed for Brashear City, which point was reached Sept. 2.

At Brashear most of the regiment re-enlisted as heavy artillery, and it was recruited to fill the ranks. In January, 1864, it was removed to Fort Jackson, on the Mississippi river, and there remained on garrison duty till July 21, 1864, when the portion who had re-enlisted received leave to return home on furlough. They returned by way of the river to Cairo, thence by railroad to Albany, N. Y. At the expiration of thirty days these men re-assembled at Albany, and proceeded in a body to Baltimore, where they were assigned to duty in the 8th Army Corps. This was about Aug. 25, 1864. They remained on garrison duty in Baltimore for about one month, and were then relieved and ordered to join the 2d (Ironsides) Brigade, 3d Division, of the 5th Corps, commanded by Gen. Warren, and then on duty in front of Petersburg. They went through all the remainder of that bloody campaign down to Five Forks and Appomattox, and remained on duty in that neighborhood, after the surrender of the rebel army, for about three weeks, at the end of which time they marched across the country (a march of nine days) to Arlington Heights, opposite Washington, where they were disarmed, and were then transported by rail to New York, thence by steamer "John Brooks" to Albany, and there mustered out of the service; a large number of the men having been in the field (excepting their thirty days' furlough) from the first year of the war until its close.

This regiment was composed of men from Columbia and Kings counties, and was formed by the consolidation of the 167th with the skeleton organization of the 159th. The companies were recruited during the months of August, September, and October, 1862, and on the 1st of November in that year the regiment was mustered into the United States service,§ at the Park barracks, New York city, by Lieut. R. B. Smith, of the 11th Regular Infantry. It was then ordered under canvas at "Camp Nelson," New Dorp, Staten Island, whence, on the 28th of the same month, it moved to New York, where it was embarked on the United States transport "Northern Light," which, on the 4th of December, proceeded to sea under sealed orders. Her destination proved to be Ship Island, in the Gulf of Mexico, and the regiment found itself assigned to duty with the Louisiana expedition under Gen. Banks.

Without disembarking at Ship island the command proceeded up the Mississippi river, arrived at New Orleans on the 15th of December, and was at once attached to the expedition about to move against Baton Rouge, under Gen. Cuvier Grover. It arrived at its destination on the 17th, and disembarked under the fire of the Union gunboats, but the enemy had already evacuated the town.

On the 1st of January, 1863, it was assigned to the 3d Brigade of Grover's Division, commanded by Col. H. E. Payne (afterwards by Col. H. W. Birge), and saw active service immediately, being placed on duty at the United States arsenal. On the first demonstration against Port Hudson, March 14, it was sent, with a detachment of the 26th Maine and two pieces of artillery, "to open, keep open, and hold the Clinton road, leading from Baton Rouge past the rear of Port Hudson, Clinton, and the rebel 'Camp Moore.' " The whole force was under command of Col Molineaux, of the 159th.

[page 150] The duty was performed to the satisfaction of the commanding general, and, on the 28th of March, the regiment embarked on the transport "Laurel Hill," and with the remainder of the division proceeded up Grand lake to Indian Bend. It was the second regiment to effect a landing, which it did under a severe fire of canister and musketry. It was pushed across within speaking distance of the enemy, and participated in the general engagement of the following day. In this battle (Irish Bend) the colonel was severely wounded, the lieutenant-colonel, adjutant, and two lieutenants killed, and two other lieutenants mortally wounded. The regiment lost one hundred and ten killed, wounded, and missing.

One the 15th of April the regiment took its march up the Teche, reaching Vermilion Bayou on the 17th. On the 19th it was detailed to gather all stock and negroes on the prairies and plantations and drive them back to Berwick City, and on the way thither to destroy the enemy's works at Camp Bisland and Franklin. On the 29th it arrived at Berwick with eight thousand head of cattle, horses, and mules, and five hundred negroes. On the 30th the regiment rejoined the division, and marched, by way of Opelousas and Barre's Landing, to the vicinity of Alexandria, where it arrived May 12, halted two days for rest, and on the 14th resumed march from Simmsport, arriving May 17; the marches up to that time amounting to eight hundred miles. May 21 the command passed up the Atchafalaya by transport, landing at Bayou Sara, and marching thence to Port Hudson, where it arrived May 25. On the 27th the 159th, under command of Lieut.-Col. Burt, and supported by the 25th Connecticut Infantry, attacked a portion of the enemy's works, which, however, proved far stronger than was anticipated, and too strong for capture. The regiment's loss in this attack was forty-seven. Then came nearly three weeks of severe duty in the trenches, and on the 14th of June the regiment participated in the furious assault on the works of the enemy, but retired at night unsuccessful, with a loss of twenty-eight.

On the 11th of July, after the surrender, the 159th, with other troops, marched through the captured works, proceeded by transport to Donaldsonville, and took part in the engagement of July 13. In the official reports of General Cuvier Grover and acting Brigadier-General Birge, of the 2d Brigade, this regiment received most honorable mention for good conduct and gallantry in the engagement of Irish Bend, April 14, and Port Hudson, May 27 and June 14, 1863. From Donaldsonville the regiment went to Thibodeaux, where it remained until the inauguration of the movement up Red river, when it proceeded to New Orleans, and, crossing to Algiers, took steamboat for Alexandria. At Alexandria the regiment (then in command of Col. William E. Waltermire) remained with the rest of the brigade (Molineux's), holding the fortifications and guarding the flank of the operating army. At the end of about ten days they left for Morganza, where they remained some four weeks in camp, and at the end of that time left by boat for New Orleans, at which point they took steamer and proceeded by sea to the James river, landing at City Point, from whence they marched to the front of Petersburg, but returned in a few days to City Point, and there re-shipped for Washington. From that city they proceeded to Tenallytown, Md., and there remained about a week, when, upon orders to join Sheridan's army in the valley of Virginia, they marched by way of Rockville, Edwards' Ferry, the Luray valley, and Snicker's Gap (being a part of General Emory's Corps), and after a weary march reached the main army.

They participated in the affairs at Halltown, the battle of Winchester (in which they lost very heavily), Fisher's Hill, and Cedar Creek (Oct. 19, 1864). At the close of the valley campaign they marched to Baltimore, and there shipped for Savannah, Ga., but at the end of about one month were transported by sea to Morehead City, N. C., to assist in the forwarding of supplies to the army of General Sherman. After the surrender of the rebel army under Johnston, the 159th returned to Savannah, and were ordered thence to Augusta, Ga., where they remained a few weeks, and proceeded by rail to Madison, Ga. At this point they remained until November, 1865, they were ordered to Savannah, and thence to New York, and were mustered out at Hart's Island, having seen active service through nearly half of the rebel confederacy, from the Potomac river to the borders of Texas.

The principal battle-fields of the 159th were Irish Ben, Port Hudson, Halltown, Va., Fisher's Hill, Winchester, and Cedar Creek.

This regiment which contained one company (K) of men from Columbia county, was mustered into the United States service for two years, at Albany, May 27, 1861.

Under command of Col. James McQuade, the 14th left Albany on the 30th of that month, bound for Washington, where it arrived in due time, and camped at Camp Cameron, near Columbia College. On the 21st of July it crossed the Potomac by the Aqueduct bridge, encamped on the Virginia side, and remained in that vicinity, engaged in provost and picket duty, until March 10, when it moved to Fairfax Court-House. After five days' stop there the 14th moved to Alexandria, and there embarked for Fortress Monroe, arriving on the 23d of March, and camping beyond Hampton, on the road to Newport News.

On the 4th of April, 1862, the men of the 14th struck tents and, as a part of the great army of McClellan, commenced the memorable march up the Peninsula towards Richmond, halting in front of Yorktown for four weeks with the rest of the army. On the evacuation of that stronghold (as it was then supposed to be) by the enemy, on the 4th of May, they entered the works, and on the 8th proceeded up York river, on board the steamers "C. Vanderbilt," to West Point, Va., where they disembarked, and after a few days' stay marched by way of White House to Gaines' Mills, which they reached on the 26th, in time to form a part of the detachment which marched in the early morning of the 27th to Hanover Court-House, where they were engaged in the sharp engagement known by that name, which was brought about as a diversion to favor McDowell's advance from the vicinity of Fredericksburg. [page 151] After the fight they returned to their camp near Gaines' Mills, and remained on ordinary duty until June 26, when they participated slightly in the battle of Mechanicsville, which was the first of that series of bloody and disastrous engagements known as the "Seven Days' fight."

On the morning of the 27th they marched back to camp, packed knapsacks, and fell back on Cold Harbor, where, about noon, they were suddenly and heavily attacked, and from that time until dark, through the seemingly interminable hours of that bloody battle of Gaines' Mills, they sustained repeated assault, and were constantly engaged in the thickest of the fight. About midnight they crossed the Chickahominy, and on the following evening were at Savage Station. From thence they pursued their line of retreat towards Malvern Hill, where they arrived on the last day of June. In the fierce battle which was fought on the following day they were hotly engaged, occupying a position on the extreme left. About midnight they were ordered to leave the field (which they had supposed to be the field of victory) and pursue their march to the river, which they reached, at Harrison's Landing, in the midst of a drenching rain, at about noon on the 2d of July.

Their stay of about six weeks near Harrison's Landing was unmarked by more than the ordinary events of camp life, and, at daylight on the 15th of August, they marched down the Peninsula, arriving at Newport News on the 19th, and, embarking on steamer "John A. Warner," were transported to Acquia Creek, whence they marched by way of Fredericksburg, Ellis' Ford, and other points, to Miner's Hill, which they reached on the 3d of September.

On the 12th of September they crossed the Potomac, reached Rockville on the 15th, Frederick City, Md., on the 17th, and Boonesborough on the 18th of September. Here they were detailed to escort prisoners taken at Antietam, back to Frederick. Returning from thence, they reached Sharpsburg on the 21st. On the 3d of October they were reviewed by President Lincoln. On the 31st of October they recrossed the Potomac into Virginia, and thence they marched to Warrenton. Here they made a considerable stop, and then marched to Falmouth, from which they proceeded to Fredericksburg, and there participated in the tremendous battle of the 13th of December. After that fight they experienced the discomforts of the "mud march" made by Burnside's army, and took their share in all the heavy and incessant fatigue duty necessary to place the army again in a condition to meet the enemy.

The 14th took active part in the battle of Chancellorsville. On the 6th of May, after the fight had closed in disaster, they recrossed the Rappahannock, and returned to their former camp at Falmouth, where they made a few days' stay, and on the 12th they broke camp and turned their faces northward, as their term of service had almost expired. At Acquia creek they took steamer for Washington, and moved thence by railroad to New York, which city they reached on the 14th of May. At daylight on the 15th they reached Hudson, where they were enthusiastically received, and complimented by a dinner at the city hall. One the same night they reached Albany, supped at the Deavan House, and camped at the barracks. On the 20th the regiment went by rail to Utica, where, on the 21st, they turned in their arms and accoutrements, and were mustered out of service on the 25th of May, 1863, having served two days less than the term of enlistment.

During the year 1862 a volunteer bounty was offered to encourage enlistments, under which $58,221.24 were paid. At the annual meetings of 1863, the board offered a bounty of $300 to volunteers for three years who were accredited to the quota of the county, and a loan was effected for the purpose of paying the same, the resolution providing for the same being carried unanimously by a full board; Wm. G. Mandeville, Wright H. Barnes, Peter Mesick, supervisors, and Allen Rossman and Casper P. Collier being a committee for negotiating the bonds of the county and disbursing the bounties. An additional bounty of $25 was offered subsequently to volunteers for three years. Under this resolution $245,104 were paid. In February, 1864, the $325 bounty was offered to all volunteers under the call of Feb. 1, 1864, at a special meeting, and a loan of $250,000 authorized, the last $15,000 to fall due March 1, 1878, the bonds to bear six per cent. interest, and to be sold at par. Under this call $78,712 were expended. In March the same bounty was continued to volunteers under the call of March 14, $70,426.26 being paid out under the same. $75,000 were levied in 1864 and 1865 to pay these last bounties. Under the call of July 18, 1864, for $500,000, a bounty of $400 was offered for volunteers for one and two years, and $500 for three years. Hudson raised $30,000 under this call. Under the call of Jan. 1, 1865, a special bounty tax was levied of $98,072.62.

During the war the county furnished seventeen hundred and twenty-nine men, for which bounties were paid by the county at large amounting to $367,577.16, including expenses. the towns also paid bounties as follows:

Towns.	No. of Men.	Bounties & Expenses.	Received from State	Substitutes furnished.
Ancram	155	$70,031.67	$18,800	18
Austerlitz	147	35,573.09	15,100	12
Canaan	155	65,451.91	22,500	11
Chatham	270	92,757.09	42,000	42
Claverack	256	86,473.16	40,400	33
Clermont	74	25,893.59,	9,600	14
Copake	166	67,295.22	21,100	14
Gallatin	104	34,730.44	9,100	11
Germantown	110	49,737.30	14,300	11
Ghent	208	89,467.87	28,400	34
Greenport	117	51,960.81	16,200	7
Hillsdale	192	77,592.80	22,300	24
Hudson	501	193,655.55	69,300	55
Kinderhook	407	123,161.11	36,700	32
Livingston	168	53,382.91	21,400	23
New Lebanon	170	62,210.17	23,600	18
Stockport	96	34,277.09	12,600	14
Stuyvesant	162	64,207.35	18,200	13
Taghkanic	123	41,690.12	17,000	19
	_______	_________	_______	_______
	3581	$1,319,549.26	$458,600	405
County	1729	367,577.10
	_____	__________
	5310	$1,687,126.36

The towns refunded to individual subscribers to the first bounty fund $81,300; $143,577 have been paid for interest on the war bonds for the county up to March 1, 1878. The whole amount of war debt incurred has been paid in full, except $40,000, which has been extended by new bonds falling due March 1, 1883 and 1884, bearing seven per cent. interest.

* It is not intended to state that every man in the companies mentioned was of Columbia county, but that they were nearly all such, so that they were recognized and mentioned as Columbia companies.

‡ In Greeley's "American Conflict," as in some other accounts of this engagement, it was erroneously stated that Col. Cowles died form a bayonet wound.

§ The field-officers of the regiment were Col. E. L. Molineux, Lt.-Col. Gilbert A. Draper, Maj. Charles A. Burt. The Columbia county companies and their captains were as follows: Co. A, Capt. E. L. Gaul, afterwards promoted to major; Co. C, Capt. A. W. Gamwell (afterwards Capt. Charles Lewis); Co. E, Capt Wm. E. Waltermire; Co. G, Capt. ------ Sluyter. Co. I was partly from this county. The first adjutant of the regiment was Lieut. Robert D. Lathrop, of Stockport.