History

Taken from New York in the Spanish-American War 1898: Part of the Report of the Adjutant General of the State for 1900. Vol 3. Albany: James B. Lyon, State Printer, 1900, pages 499-500.

Under the provisions of general orders, No. 8, general headquarters, state of New York, A. G. O., June 27, 1898, this regiment was organized at the armory of the sixty-fifth regiment, national guard, Buffalo, and mustered in at that city and New York city.

Recruiting commenced about July 10th, preference being given to members of the national guard.

Companies A, B, C, D and E were mustered in July 19th; companies F and G, July 21st; company H, July 25th; companies I, K and L, August 1st, and company M, August 8th.

As soon after muster-in as practicable, companies were sent to, and the whole regiment assembled at Camp Black, Long Island.

September 13th, at 2 p. m., the regiment left Camp Black, en-route to Camp Meade, near Middletown, 1'a., where it arrived at 8.30 a. m., September 14th.

In October the regiment became part of the first brigade, third division, second army corps, and November 30th, found it at Camp Haskell, Athens, Ga.

The regiment left Camp Haskell, December 3d, and moved by train to Savannah, GA,, where it boarded the transport " Minnewasca," afterwards named the " Thomas " and sailed for Havana, Cuba, arriving at that city on the morning of the 9th, being the first American regiment to land at Havana.

December 11th, in the morning, and to the strains of American national airs, the regiment marched from the San Jose wharf to the depot passing through a vast crowd, a large portion of which being Spanish soldiers, whose conduct was all that could be desired. Headquarters, with companies A, C, E, F, H, I, K, and L, marched by train to Guanajay, province of Pinar del Rio, and went into camp outside of the town. This was named " Camp Barrett" in honor of Captain Gregory Barrett, tenth United States infantry, who died during the campaign of Santiago. Major Wood and the second battalion, consisting of companies B, D, G and M, proceeded to the town of Pinar del Rio, which was department headquarters. Sometime during January, 1890, Major Wood and his battalion rejoined the regiment at Guanajay, having been relieved by the first United States infantry. In February, 1899, a few cases of suspected yellow fever developed in camp. All suspected articles were destroyed or disinfected; an isolation ward and a detention camp established, and the main camp moved to the opposite side of the town. This was named " Camp Young," in honor of Major-General Young, U. S. A., commanding second army corps. The removal of camp had been under consideration for several weeks previous but no water supply other than that at Camp Barrett could be found, although the country had been thoroughly reconnoitered for miles in every direction. When Camp Young was occupied water had to be carted in barrels a distance of about three miles, part of the road being dangerous to wheel transportation.

Soon after the regiment arrived at Guanajay, Cuba, Colonel Seyburn was appointed military governor of the district, and in addition to routine camp life the American flag was raised with appropriate ceremony over the towns in the district, outposts were maintained, starving poor rationed, hospitals rehabilitated, sanitation of the towns supervised, roads and bridges reconstructed, public property inventoried, plans and specifications of public buildings, including forts, block houses, etc., made, telegraph lines constructed, postal routes opened, etc., etc.

On the 18th of March, 1899, orders having been received to muster-out at Savannah, GA and being relieved by a battalion of the first United States infantry from Pinar del Rio, the regiment returned by the same route and transport to that point, stopping at quarantine in the Savannah river. The regiment was mustered out of the United States service, April 15, 1899, at Savannah, Ga.