116th Infantry Regiment

Mustered in: August 10 to September 5, 1862
Mustered out: June 8, 1865.

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

July 14, 1862, Col. Edward P. Chapin received authority to recruit this regiment in Erie county; it was organized at Buffalo and there mustered in the service of the United States for three years from August 20 to September 5, 1862. The men not to be mustered out with the regiment were transferred, June 3, 1865, to the 90th Infantry.
The companies were recruited principally: A at Angola, Brant, Evans, Hamburgh and Buffalo; B at Newstead, Aurora, Lancaster, Clarence, Elma and Alden; C at Buffalo, Am-herst, Alden and Sardinia; D at Buffalo, Aurora, Golden, Eden and West Seneca; E at Buffalo and Amherst; F at Concord, Collins, Boston, Sardinia and Ashford; G at Buffalo; H at Aurora, Buffalo, Clarence, Hamburgh, Eden, Amherst and West Seneca; I at Buffalo, Holland, Elma, Lancaster, Marilla, Sardinia and Wales; and K at Hamburgh, Brant, Eden, Evans and Marilla.
Nine companies left the State September 5, 1862; Company K joined later in September; the regiment served in the 8th Corps, Middle Department, at Baltimore, Md., from September 7, 1862; arrived at Ship Island, La., December 4, 1862; served in 3d Brigade, 3d Division, Department of the Gulf, from January, 1863; in 1st Brigade, 3d Division, 19th Corps, from February, 1863; in 1st Brigade, 1st Division, 19th Corps, from April, 1863; in 3d Brigade, 1st Division, 19th Corps, from February, 1864; in 1st Brigade, same division and corps, from March, 1864; in 3d Brigade, same division and corps, from May 9, 1864; in 1st Brigade, same division and corps, from June, 1864; with the Army of the Shenandoah, from October, 1864; in the defenses, of Washington, D. C., from April, 1865; and it was honorably discharged and mustered out, under Col. Geo. M. Love, June 8, 1865, at Washington, D. C. 
During its service the regiment lost by death, killed in action, 3 officers, 58 enlisted men; of wounds received in action, 2 officers, 36 enlisted men; of disease and other causes, 2 officers, 124 enlisted men; total, 7 officers, 218 enlisted mem; aggregate, 225; of whom 4 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. 

One Hundred and Sixteenth Infantry.—Cols., Edward P. Cha-pin, George M. Love; Lieut-Cols., Robert Cottier, Albert J. Barnard, John Higgins, Hohn Mappa Sizer; Majs., George M. Love, John Higgins, Hohn Mappa Sizer, George W. Carpenter. This regiment was recruited in Erie county, organized at Buffalo, and there mustered into the U. S. service from Aug. 20 to Sept. 5, 1862, for three years. Nine companies left the state the same day, Co. K following later in the month. It was stationed at Baltimore until November, when it sailed for Ship island, Miss., as part of Banks' expedition, arriving at its destination on Dec. 4. During March, 1863, it took part in the operations against Port Hudson, conducted as a diversion to enable Farragut's fleet to run the batteries. In the 1st brigade, 1st (Augur's) division, 19th corps, it fought gallantly at Plains store, losing 56 killed, wounded and missing, and was complimented on the field by Gen. Augur. During the long siege of Port Hudson, the regiment bore a conspicuous and glorious part, suffering in the assaults of May 27 and June 14, a loss of 130 in killed, wounded and missing. Among the killed in the. assault of May 27, was the gallant Col. Chapin and Maj. Love succeeded to the command. It was heavily engaged at Donaldson-yille and Bayou La Fourche, losing 44 killed, wounded and miss-' ing, and then moved with Franklin's expedition to Sabine pass, Tex., where 26 were captured. It was also present at Centerville, Vermillion bayou, and Carrion Crow bayou, La. In Dwight's (1st) brigade, Emory's (1st) division, 19th corps, it started on Banks' Red River expedition in March, 1864, engaging at Sabine cross-roads with a loss of 22; at Pleasant Hill, where the loss was 14, and at Cane river, Alexandria and Mansura. In July, when the corps was ordered to Virginia, it embarked for Washington. Upon its arrival there it marched through Maryland and participated in Sheridan's brilliant campaign in the Shenandoah Valley against Gen. Early. It was heavily engaged at the battle of the Opequan, losing 48 killed and wounded; was present at Fisher's hill, where it sustained a loss of 10 killed and wounded; and at New Market and Cedar creek, it again fought gallantly, losing 59 killed, wounded and missing. Col. Love is said to have captured the first Confederate flag taken during the battle, that of the 2nd S. C., and was awarded a medal of honor. The regiment was mustered out, under Col. Love, at Washington, D. C., June 8, 1865. It lost by death during service, 5 officers and 94 enlisted men killed and mortally wounded; 2 officers, 124 enlisted men by disease and other causes —total deaths 7 officers and 218 enlisted men.

NYSMM Online Resources

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

Muster Roll

Unit Roster

Civil War Newspaper Clippings
Pages 1 - 10
Pages 11 - 20
Pages 21 - 30
Pages 31 - 40
Pages 41 - 51

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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.

"116th Volunteer Infantry Regiment Collection." Hamilton College Library. Available online at: https://cwl.dhinitiative.org/islandora/search/116th?type=dismax

Adams, John and Adams, Henry.  Civil War letters to John and Henry Adams, 1863 Jan. 17-Apr. 16. 
Three letters from friends in the 116th N.Y. Regiment serving in Louisiana, and one letter from a friend with the 14th Army Corps in Tennesee; written to Henry and John Adams of Marilla, N.Y. 4 items. (0.1 linear ft.). 
Located at the Buffalo & Erie County Historical Society Library.

Ayer, Ira. Ira Ayer, 1802-1889. Reminiscences,1880(ca.). 
Typed copy, with photocopies of original drawings, of Ayer's 'Reminiscences from The Life of a Pioneer'. Ayer was a colonel in the 48th New York Militia in the Patriot's War, 1838, and a captain with Co. A, 116th Regiment, New York Volunteer Infantry in the Civil War, 1862-63.  1 vol. 
Located at the Town of Evans Historical Society, Route 5, Evans Center, Angola, New York 14006.

Buffalo City Guard (N.Y.). Buffalo City Guard record books, 1847-1890.
15 v. ; 36 cm. or smaller. (1.5 linear ft.).
Abstract: Includes the constitution and by-laws, as adopted on 29 June 1870, amended to 16 Oct. 1876; minutes of meetings, 11 Aug. 1847-24 Sept. 1862, 11 Oct. 1869-24 Mar. 1890; roll books, 1 Aug. 1847-26 Feb. 1868; and a record of the military service of individual D Company members.
Note(s): Bio/History: One of the ten companies comprising Buffalo's first uniformed militia regiment, organized after the Patriot War of 1837, with James McKay as colonel, Dr. Ebenzer Johnson as lieutenant colonel, and George P. Barker as major. The Buffalo City Guard was officially part of the 37th Regiment of Artillery, New York State Militia. When the state militia was reorganized in 1848, Company D became part of the 65th Regiment. In July 1852, the company withdrew from the 65th Regiment and formed an independent organization known as D Company, Independent Guard. Daniel Bidwell was elected captain. D Company became the nucleus of the new 74th Regiment, N.Y.S.M., organized in June 1854. Volunteers from the 74th Regiment formed the core of the 21st New York State Volunteers, organized in April 1861. Members of the 74th also served with other New York volunteer regiments, including the 49th, 116th, and 94th. Company D left the 74th Regiment in 1870, and incorporated as Company D, Independent Guard, with W.C. Alberger as captain. In 1871, the name was changed to Company D, Buffalo City Guard. The company was dissolved in the mid-1890s.
Located at the Buffalo & Erie County Historical Society Library.

Calkins, Wallace. Civil War letters and enlistment paper,1862-1863. 
Letters from Calkins to family and friends describing army conditions and battles; letter from hospital chaplain describing his wound and health; letters of condolence; and enlistment roll. 
18 items. (0.1 linear ft.).
Located at the Buffalo & Erie County Historical Society Library.

Clark, Orton S. The One hundred and sixteenth regiment of New York state volunteers, being a complete history of its organization and of its nearly three years of active service in the great rebellion, to which is appended memorial sketches, and a muster roll of the Regiment, containing the name of every man connected with it, by Orton S. Clark, late Captain Co. H. Buffalo: Print, house of Matthews & Warren, 1868.

Clark, Orton S.  "Sheridan's Shenandoah Valley Campaign." In Glimpses of the Nation's Struggle (MOLLUS, MN, Vol. 6). Minneapolis, MN: Davis, 1909. pp. 28-51 (12 photocopied pages). 

"Co. D, 160th N.Y. Vols." : They drank from the same canteen and Notes of the 116th and 160th N.Y. Regts.." Neighbor’s Home Mail. 1876.

Ferris, Zebulon. Papers,1823-1884. 
9 folders (128 items) (0.5 linear ft.). 
Located at the Buffalo & Erie County Historical Society Library.

First re-union of the One Hundred and Sixteenth New York Volunteers. Buffalo? N.Y. : s.n., 1873. 16 p.

Griffith, Frank Elnathan, 1835-1921. The Griffith letters : the story of Frank Griffith and the 116th New York Volunteer Infantry in the Civil War. Westminster, Md. Heritage Books, Inc, 2004.

Hilfinger, Christian.  Letter and military discharge,[between 1861 and 1865].
Letter from Hilfinger, Camp Chapin, to his sister, undated, and his discharge from the 116th Regiment, N.Y. Infantry. 2 items. (0.1 linear ft.).
Located at the Buffalo & Erie County Historical Society Library.

Horton, N. J.  Address :thirty-ninth annual reunion of the 116th Regiment, New York Infantry, 1918.
Compares the Civil War to World War I. 1 item (5 p.) ; 28 cm. (0.1 linear ft.). 
Located at the Buffalo & Erie County Historical Society Library.

Krause, Albert A. Albert A. Krause diaries,1864-1865.
Description:    2 volumes (190 pages and 65 pages) ; 15 x 8 cm, 13 x 9 cm 1 carte de visite : 15 x 8 cm, 13 x 9 cm
Abstract:    The collection consists of two diaries kept by Albert A. Krause in 1864 and 1865 and of a three-quarters standing portrait of a soldier on a carte de visite inscribed on the back: Albert Krause, 1864, U.S.A. The diaries are difficult to read because they were written in pencil and appear to be, at least partially, in German. The 1864 diary includes a pencil drawing of a soldier's tent entitled "Sergeant [Willard S.] Berry's Tent"; a pencil drawing of a one-story building with many windows surrounded by a wooden fence; a pen-and-ink drawing of the United States - from Nebraska to the Atlantic Ocean and from Minnesota and Maine to Texas and Florida; a detailed pen-and-ink drawing of Louisiana (with Lake Pontchartrain) east to Pensacola, Florida, with an inset drawing of the Vermillion Bay area; a pencil drawing of a steamboat with a single huge smoke stack and an American flag flying from a pole at the front of the boat; and a drawing of the Mississippi River and environs from Greenville, Mississippi, to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and south to a little past Donaldson [sic], showing Lake Pontchartrain. The maps show many little feeder streams The 1865 diary is less a diary than a notebook of miscellaneous information. Included are lists of equipment and the men to whom the equipment belonged. This would support the possibility that Krause served as a quartermaster. One of the lists of equipment is entitled "Camp and Garrison Equipment to be condemned." This volume also contains pages of mathematical notes and diagrams.
Held at the NYS Library.

Martin, John. John Martin papers, 1861-1981 (bulk 1861-1865).
Description:    300 items. 1 container plus 1 oversize. 0.4 linear feet.
Abstract:    Chiefly correspondence of Martin during his Civil War service as a soldier and musician in the 116th New York Infantry Regiment. Discusses regimental operations in Louisiana especially during the siege of Port Hudson in 1863; Baltimore and Frederick, Md.; New York state; Camp Sheridan in Winchester, Va.; and Washington D.C. Includes a pro-Union speech from 1861, a newspaper clipping concerning death of Martin, and genealogical material.
Held at the Library of Congress.

Mayor. Military Committee. Minutes of the mayor's military committee, 1862 July 5-Oct. 6. Buffalo (N.Y.), 1862. 
Minutes concerning the organization and recruitment of the 116th Infantry Regiment and the 3rd Regiment of the Corcoran Brigade, which became part of the 164th Infantry Regiment. 1 v. (288 p.) ; 19 cm. (0.1 linear ft.).
Located at the Buffalo & Erie County Historical Society Library.

Parks, George and Overfield, Joseph M.  The Civil War letters of Private George Parks, Company C, 24th New York Cavalry Volunteers :with additional commentary on the Civil War experiences of Private Francis Overfield, 116th New York Infantry Volunteers and Landsman Joseph J. Overfield, United States Navy. Buffalo, N.Y. : Printed by Gallagher Printing, 1992. vi, 109 p. : ill., ports. ; 23 cm.

Rigdon, John c. Historical Sketch And Roster Of The New York 116th Infantry Regiment. 2022

"Sheridan's Shenandoah valley campaign." MOLLUS-Minn VI (1903)2 8-51.

Taylor, Douglass S. et al. Taylor family correspondence, 1837-1869, (bulk 1860-1865).
Description:    204 letters : also ephemera 4 boxes
Abstract:    Letters that Douglass S. Taylor wrote to his mother and siblings between December 1860 and June 1865 make up the bulk of the collection. The letters describe his life in Evans, N.Y, his enlistment in the army and military service. The letters cover his entire Civil War service, including his duty in Baltimore, Md.; the movement against Jeb Stuart's Chambersburg raid (October 12-15, 1862); duty at Carrollton and Baton Rouge, La.; operations against Port Hudson; duty at Camp New Iberia and Franklin, La. ; the Red River Campaign; duty at Morganza; Snicker's Gap expedition; Sheridan's Shenandoah Valley Campaign; duty at Middletown, Newtown, Stephenson's Depot, Va. and Washington, D.C. Because Taylor had to spend a week in the hospital, there is no information on the operations against Port Hudson (March 7-27, 1863). Some letters, e.g. those describing the battles of Sabine Cross Roads (Apr. 8, 1864) and Pleasant Hill (Apr., 1864) contain excerpts from Taylor's diary. Some letters contain passing references to Taylor's maternal uncle Abraham Sherwood Coan (1829-1874), an opera singer known under his stage name SC Campbell. Also included are: letters by Addison C. Taylor that cover his Civil War service, including his duty in Washington, D.C. and the Peninsular Campaign; letters of Elizabeth Hannah Coan Taylor from New Haven, with particular emphasis on religious life; letters of condolences and tributes to Addison C. Taylor, and transcripts of letters from Sarah Hayward Torrey Eddy (1817-1885), one of the first graduates of Mount Holyoke (class of 1839) and a mathematics teacher there (1837-1853).
Held at the The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens.

Thompson, John. John Thompson Power of Attorney, November 8, 1864.
Description:    1 item (1 folder) (0.1 linear ft.)
Abstract:    Soldier's Power of Attorney for John Thompson to authorize Robert Thompson to cast a vote or ballot in place of John. Signed by David C. Reed, a fellow soldier and John C. Nial, Adjutant of Company.
Held by the Buffalo History Museum.

Thorn, Walter and J. S. Sherman. Walter Thorn Papers, 1861-1919, (bulk 1898-1910).
Description:    1 box (0.4 linear feet)
Abstract:    This collection includes correspondence, documents, news clippings, a small autograph collection, ephemera, bound reports of the Medal of Honor Legion Annual Convention, and one photograph. The materials date primarily to the years following the Civil War with a focus on Thorn's civic activities, especially with the Medal of Honor Legion. The 12 autographs in this collection are from Civil War officers and other prominent friends, including 27th Vice President James S. Sherman and Civil War Major General Henry Ware Lawton, a fellow Medal of Honor winner killed during the Philippine-American War.
Held at the Brooklyn Public Library.

Tuttle, George.  Sketch of the life and services of Captain David Wooster Tuttle : [between 1865 and 1884]. 
Biographical sketch of David Wooster Tuttle, who served with the 21st New York Volunteers and helped raise the 116th New York Volunteers during the Civil War. He fought with the 116th in the siege of Port Hudson and was killed at Donaldsonville, La. on 13 July 1863. 1 item (6 p.) ; 28 cm. (0.1 linear ft.). 
Located at the Buffalo & Erie County Historical Society Library.

United States. Army.  New York Infantry Regiment, 116th (1862-1865). Proceedings at the first reunion of the 116th N.Y. volunteers,May 21, 1873. Buffalo, N.Y.: Matthews,1873. 16 p.

United States. Army.  New York Infantry Regiment, 116th (1862-1865). Roll of recruits, [1862]. 
1 item ; 56 cm. (0.1 linear ft.)
Located at the Buffalo & Erie County Historical Society Library.

United States. Army.  New York Infantry Regiment, 116th (1862-1865). Manual of the 116th Regiment, New York State Volunteers. Buffalo : Young, Lockwood & Co's Steam Press, 1862-1865? 24 p. ; 14 cm. 
Located at the Buffalo & Erie County Historical Society Library.

United States. Army.  New York Infantry Regiment, 116th (1862-1865). Civil War volunteer enlistments and bounty receipts,1862 Sept.-Oct. 1862.
5 folders (110 items) (0.3 linear ft.) 
Located at the Buffalo & Erie County Historical Society Library.

United States. Army.  New York Infantry Regiment, 116th (1862-1865). Souvenir, 116th Reg't New York Vol. Infantry :twenty-fifth anniversary of muster into the U.S. Service ; Ninth reunion of the 116th Reg't New York Vol. Infantry. Buffalo : Haas & Klein, Printers, 1887. [4], [4] p. ; 24 cm. 
Located at the Buffalo & Erie County Historical Society Library.

United States. Army.  New York Infantry Regiment, 116th (1862-1865) Souvenir, 116th reg't. New York vol. infantry, twenty-fifth anniversary of muster into the U.S. service. Buffalo: Hass & Klein, printers [1887].

United States. Army.  New York Infantry Regiment, 116th (1862-1865). Roster of the One Hundred and Sixteenth Regiment New York Voluntees [sic] Veteran Association : Buffalo, N.Y. : s.n.,1907. 24 p. ; 15 cm. 
Located at the National Archives.

Weber, John B. Autobiography of John B. Weber. [Buffalo, N.Y., J.W. Clement Co., 1924.

 

Unit bibliography from the Army Heritage Center

Items in the museum collection are in bold.