98th Infantry Regiment

Nickname: Malone And Lyons Regiment; Wayne County Regiment; Franklin's Own

Mustered in: February 1-6, 1862
Mustered out: August 31, 1865

The following is taken from New York in the War of the Rebellion, 3rd ed. Frederick Phisterer. Albany: J. B. Lyon Company, 1912.

This regiment, Col. William Dutton, was organized at Albany, February 5, 1862, by the consolidation of two incomplete, the Lyons and the Malone, regiments. The eight companies of the latter were consolidated into seven, and formed Companies A, B, C, D, E, G and H; the five of the former, consolidated into three, formed Companies F, I and K of the new regiment. The companies of the Malone Regiment were mustered in the service of the United States for three years, at Malone, February 6, 1862; those of the Lyons Regiment at Lyons, February 1, 1862. At the expiration of its term of enlistment, the men entitled thereto were discharged and the regiment retained in service. June 19, 1865, the men of the 139th Infantry, not discharged with it, were assigned to this regiment.
The companies were recruited principally: A, B, C and E at Malone; D and G at Bangor; H at Fort Covington; F, K and I at Lyons. The 34th Militia formed the nucleus of the regiment, which contained, also, a few St. Regis Indians.
The regiment left the State March 8, 1862; served in Palmer's, 3d, Brigade,, Casey's, 3d, Division, 4th Corps, Army of the Potomac, from March, 1862; in 1st Brigade, 2d Division, 4th Corps, from June, 1862; in 1st, Naglee's, Brigade, Peck's. Division, 4th Corps, from July, 1862; at Yorktown, Va., from August, 1862; in Naglee's Brigade, 1st Division, Department of North Carolina, from December, 1862; in 1st Brigade, 2d Division, 18th Corps, in South Carolina, from January 11, 1863; in the District of Beaufort, N. C., from May, 1863; at Newport News, Va. from October, 1863; at Portsmouth, Va., from November, 1863; in the District of Currituck, Va., from December, 1863; in 1st Brigade, 1st Division, 18th Corps, Army of the James, from April, 1864; in New York harbor, in November, 1864; in the 1st Brigade, 3d Division, 24th Corps, from December, 1864; in the 2d Brigade, 3d Division, 24th Corps, from June, 1865; and it was honorably discharged and mustered out, under Col. William Kreutzer, August 31, 1865, at Richmond, Va.
During its service the regiment lost by death, killed in action, 2 officers, 61 enlisted men; of wounds received in action, 2 officers, 37 enlisted men; of disease and other causes, 4 officers, 132 enlisted men; total, 8 officers, 230 enlisted men; aggregate, 238; of whom 22 enlisted men died in the hands of the enemy.

The following is taken from The Union army: a history of military affairs in the loyal states, 1861-65 -- records of the regiments in the Union army -- cyclopedia of battles -- memoirs of commanders and soldiers. Madison, WI: Federal Pub. Co., 1908. volume II. 

Ninety-eighth Infantry.—Cols., William Dutton, Charles Dur-kee, Frederick M. Wead, William Kreutzer; Lieut.-Cols., Charles Dur-kee, Frederick M. Wead, William Kreutzer, William H. Rogers; Majs., Albon Manrn, George H. Clark, William Hunt Rogers, Albert C. Wells. The p8th, the Wayne county regiment, was re-cruited mainly in Wayne county and mustered into the U. S. service at Malone and Lyons in Feb., 1862, for a three years' term. It left for Washington on March 8; was assigned to the 3d brigade, 3d division, 4th corps, with which it embarked for the Peninsula; was present at the siege of Yorktown and the battles of Williams-burg and Savage Station, but was not closely engaged until the battle of Fair Oaks, where the total loss of the regiment was 71 killed, wounded or missing. It was held in reserve during the Seven Days' battles and stationed at Yorktown at the time of the second battle of Bull Run. Assigned to the Department of North Carolina in Dec., 1862, it became a part of the 1st brigade, 2nd division, 18th corps in Jan., 1863, and served until the following October at various posts held by that corps. Returning to Virginia, it served un-til April, 1864, at Newport News, Portsmouth and in the Currituck district, and was then attached to the 1st brigade, 1st division, 18th corps, until the organization of the 24th corps in December, when it became a part of the 3d division of that corps, with which it remained during the war. It was engaged at Swift creek and Proc-tor's creek, Drewry's bluff and Bermuda Hundred, in May, 1864; joined the Army of the Potomac before Cold Harbor and there lost 114 in killed, wounded and missing; was active in the battles at Fort Harrison, Fair Oaks, and in the final assault on the Petersburg works, April 2, 1865. The regiment was mustered out on Aug. 31, 1865, at Richmond, having lost 102 by death from wounds and 136 by death from accident, imprisonment or disease. From. June 19, 1865, the 139th N. Y. served with the 98th.

98thInfCamp.jpg

98th Regiment NY Volunteer Infantry | Camp Color | Civil War

The 98th Regiment, under Colonel William Dutton, organized at Albany in February 1862 when two incomplete units, the Lyons and Malone regiments,…

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98thInfCamp2002.0002.jpg

98th Regiment NY Volunteer Infantry | Camp Colors | Civil War

The 98th Regiment, under Colonel William Dutton, organized at Albany in February 1862 when two incomplete units, the Lyons and Malone regiments,…

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NYSMM Online Resources

Battles and Casualties from Phisterer (pdf)
Battles and Casualties from Phisterer (spreadsheet)

Muster Roll

Unit Roster

Newspaper Clippings
 

Search the Museum catalog for this unit

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Other Resources

This is meant to be a comprehensive list. If, however, you know of a resource that is not listed below, please send an email to ng.ny.nyarng.list.historians@army.mil with the name of the resource and where it is located. This can include photographs, letters, articles and other non-book materials. Also, if you have any materials in your possession that you would like to donate, the museum is always looking for items specific to New York's military heritage. Thank you.

Atkins, Alfred. Alfred Atkins Letter, 1864 : 98th New York Volunteer Infantry. 1864.

Balch, Galusha B. Letters to his wife, 1862-1865.
113 items in folders ; 26 x 38 cm. + transcriptions and CD-ROM. 
Describes in detail army camp life, battles and skirmishes with Rebs; writes of the men who are killed, wounded and captured or who fall prey to disease or accident; recounts the changing attitude of Southerners toward the war, political views of those whom he served, the quality and character of Union leadership and the evils of slavery; writes of the isolation and loneliness of being apart from his family. 
Located at the Boston Public Library.

Benton, James D. and Christopher E. Loperfido,  (editor) A Surgeon's Tale : The Civil War Letters of Surgeon James D. Benton, 111th and 98th New York Infantries, 1862-1865. Ten Roads Publishing, LLC, 2011.

Benton, James D. and Christopher E. Loperfido,  (editor). Death, disease, and life at war : the Civil War letters of Surgeon James D. Benton, 111th and 98th New York Infantry Regiments, 1862-1865. El Dorado Hills, CA: Savas Beatie LLC, 2018.

Benton, James D. CWTIColl 
(Enlisted man's letters, 1865-85)
Located at the Military History Institute in Carlisle, PA.

Bryant, James K.  The 36th Infantry United States Colored Troops in the Civil War : a history and roster. Jefferson, N.C. : McFarland & Co., 2012
Description:    viii, 248 pages : illustrations ; 26 cm
Language:    English
Contents:    Introduction : the resurrection of Peter Wilson, Company C, 36th USCT -- I belonged to a man -- Noble men and patriots -- They are most reliable soldiers -- Selected from the most intelligent among them -- De bottom rail on top -- First and foremost of them all -- Conclusion : "pure patriotic principles" -- Roster : 36th Infantry, United States Colored Troops (formerly 2nd North Carolina Colored Volunteers), 1863-1866 -- Appendix 1. Composition of a regiment of infantry -- Appendix 2. U.S. Army ranks -- Appendix 3. Unit organization in the Union Army -- Appendix 4. Colonel Alonzo G. Draper's report of Knott's Island, N.C, the arrest of Nancy White, and the altercation with Lieutenant Colonel Fredrick F. Wead, 98th New York Volunteers -- Appendix 5. Letter of Sergeant Major Henry N. Adkins, 36th USCT, requesting an appointment as a second lieutenant, with endorsements and reply.

Denson Family. Papers, 1861-1958. 
5.5 cu. ft.
Family correspondence (1870-1978), including correspondence of N.D. Denson, Sr., Carrie Vernon Denson, John Vernon Denson, N.D. "Nim" Denson, Jr., Carrie Luphelia Denson Hine, and Mary Denson Sanford; correspondence (1902-1919) to and from John and Nim Denson while attending college and law school, and from their military service in World War I; business and political correspondence (1861-1929). Genealogical material on the Denson, Vernon, Ivey and Rush families; typescript of diaries (1863-1865) of James Daniel Hardy, who served in the 98th New York Infantry Regiment during the Civil War and later settled in Alabama; family photographs; postcards; clippings; and scrapbooks. 
Located at Auburn University.

Hardy, John. ThomasStoneColl 
(Pvt's report of death, Oct 5, 1864)
Located at the Military History Institute in Carlisle, PA.

Hotchkiss, Franklin.  Franklin Hotchkiss letter to Mr. A.D. Blodgett, 1862-04-20.
Description:    1 item
Abstract:    A letter written by Franklin Hotchkiss on Sunday April 20, 1862, to Mr. A.D. Blodgett in Cortland, N.Y. Hotchkiss writes of his time going south to Dixie during the war, and that their company is near Warkwick Prison. Hotchkiss mentions a balloon being used by the Army. Hotchkiss is in the 98th Regiment, Company K New York Volunteers, 3rd Brigade, Caseys Division.
Held by the United States Military Academy West Point.

Hurd, D. Hamilton. History of Clinton and Franklin Counties, New York. Philadelphia: J. W. Lewis, 1880.

Rea, Thomas, Et al. Huse family papers : series VII : miscellaneous, ca. 1772-1961.
Description:    .5 linear ft.
In:    Huse family papers, 1772-1970
Abstract:    This series contains the Civil War correspondence of Thomas Rea of Malone, New York, 98th Regiment, Co. C, New York Volunteers, with Albert Broughton and W.A. Wheeler from April 1862 to August 1864, located in Doc 566:16-18. In his lengthy letters Rea is often philosophical and descriptive in his discussion of slavery, politics, and the geographical characteristics of Virginia. In the last letter, August 1, 1864, during the siege of Petersburg, he writes of low troop morale. In a January 1864 letter to his father, Hiram S. Huse, Hiram A. Huse refers to "Uncle Thomas (Rea) in Norfolk, Virginia." These are the only letters in the Huse papers from this branch of the family. Also in this series are three unidentified diaries. The writer mentions farm work and central Vermont communities, suggesting that these diaries came from a central Vermont farm(s). The author of the three diaries, 1839-40, 1841, and 1863 may not be the same. Reference to "Frank" and "hop roots" suggests that the 1863 diary may have been kept by a member of the Woodbury family in Randolph, Vermont. As well, this series contains the oldest item in the collection, an index to an account book, inscribed "Gad Corse, his alphabet, Northfield, January 3, 1772". This may have belonged to Gad Corse (1750-1813) who lived in Northfield, Massachusetts, and is buried in Waterbury, Vermont. How it came to be with the Huse family papers is not known. The series also includes architectural house plans and drawings that are associated with the Huse family. A plan of the south elevation and a detail of the living room's bay window for a house at 1 Hopkins Street in Montpelier are in MS Size B. In a 1903 letter to her daughter Harriet, Olivia Huse writes: "I will give you a building lot in the garden the length, breadth, and thickness which shall be satisfactorily decided by you and Carl and Ray." (Doc 561:19). In the 1905 Montpelier census, Harriet Huse Bancroft and her two children were living at this address and the house remained in the family until 2000. As well, the collection contains Boston architect Royal Barry Wills' 1939 and 1940 drawings and house plans, and a 1945 house plan for Heber G. England.
Held by the Vermont Historical Society.

Kreutzer, William. Notes and observations made during four years of service with the Ninety-eighth N.Y. volunteers, in the war of 1861 by William Kreutzer. Philadelphia: Grant, Faires & Rodgers, 1878.

Kreutzer, William. LeighColl Bk 49: 70
(LTC's letter, Jun 16, 1865)
Located at the Military History Institute in Carlisle, PA.

Wead, Frederick F. and Maren E. Dodge Miles, compiler.My dear father : the Civil War letters of Col. Frederick F. Wead. Chateaugay, NY : Write One Plus, Malone, NY (51 Milwaukee St., PO Box 388, Malone 12953) : Franklin County Historical and Museum Society,  2015.

Marvin, Edwin. "Extracts from diary of Private Edwin Marvin, Company C, Ninety-eighth New York vols." 4th annual report Bureau of military statistics State of New York. 1867, p. 570-78.

Rudd, William Beardslee. Correspondence, 1862-1865. 
5 items ; 31 x 20 cm. or smaller. 
Letters from fellow members of the 98th Regiment of New York Infantry after his return home to Lyons, N.Y.; Charles Roys asks Rudd to forward the sword he sent to Prof. North as a trophy for the library of Hamilton College.
Located at the Connecticut Historical Society.

Skinner, Samuel E. LeighColl Bk 42: 8l-82 
(Enlisted man's letters, Mar 24, 1863& Jan 19, 1864)
Located at the Military History Institute in Carlisle, PA.

Willard, Sylvester David. Sylvester David Willard correspondence, 1862.
Description:    1 item.
Abstract:    ALS (1862 December 6; Albany, [N.Y.]) from Willard, while serving as medical examiner with the 98th New York Infantry Regiment, to his brother Rev. Samuel G. Willard, Willimantic, Conn. Subjects include Willard's duties as a medical examiner, upcoming military campaigns, news of mutual acquaintances, his brother's sermons, and family affairs.
Held by the Library of Congress.

Wead, Frederick F. 1823-1896 ; bulk, 1861-1865. Papers.
1 box (.30 cu. ft.). 
Civil War papers of Frederick F. Wead of Malone, NY include letters written to his father, S.C. Wead, as an officer in the 16th New York Infantry Regiment (May-Sep. 1861), as aide-de-campe to Gen. Henry W. Slocum on detached service (Sep. 1861-Aug. 1862), and as Lt. Col. of the 98th New York Infantry Regiment (Sep. 1862-1864). Wead's letters describe camp life, garrison duties, time awaiting marching orders, and action seen during the Peninsular Campaign, in particular at Yorktown, Gaines's Mill, and Harrison's Landing (1862), and at Drewry's Bluff (1864). Wead was killed at the Battle of Cold Harbor on 3 June 1864. Additional subjects include Wead's support of Gen. George McClellan in 1861 and 1862 and charges made against Wead as commander of the 98th NY in North Carolina stemming from a dispute with Col. Draper of the 2nd NC Colored Volunteers regarding the latter's burning of houses and the taking of two women as hostages. Also included are manuscript maps of engagements at Chickahominy and Yorktown, returns for ordnance for the 98th NY, and letters to S.C. 
Located at the New York State Library Manuscripts and Special Collections.

 

Unit bibliography from the Army Heritage Center

Items in the museum collection are in bold.