122nd Infantry Regiment

Nickname: The Onondagas

Mustered in: August 28,1862
Mustered out: June 3, 1865

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

 Colonel Silas Titus receive authority, July 22, 1862, to raise this regiment in the county of Onondaga; it was organized at Syracuse, and there mustered in the service of the United States for three years August 28, 1862.
The companies were recruited principally: A at Baldwinsville; B at Syracuse; C at Fayetteville and Farmersville; D at Syracuse, Onondaga, Spafford and Amber; E at Syracuse; F at Marcellus and Syracuse; G at Eldridge; H at Camillus and Syracuse; I at Syracuse, and K at Syracuse, Tully, Skaneateles and Cicero.
The regiment left the State August 31, 1862; it served in the 3d Brigade, 1st Division, 4th Corps, from September 6, 1862; in the 3d Brigade, 3d Division, 6th Corps, from September, 1862; in the 1st Brigade, 3d Division, 6th Corps, from December, 1862; on Johnson's island, Lake Erie, Ohio, from January, 1864; in the 4th Brigade, 1st Division, 6th Corps, from March, 1864; in the 3d Brigade, 2d Division, 6th Corps, from July 6, 1864; and it was honorably discharged and mustered out, commanded by Col. Horace H. Walpole, June 23, 1865, near Washington, D. C.
During its service the regiment lost by death, killed in action, 5 officers, 56 enlisted men; of wounds received in action, I officer, 30 enlisted men; of disease and other causes, 3 officers, 85 enlisted men; total, 9 officers, 171 enlisted men.

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 Twenty-second Infantry—Cols., Silas Titus, Augustus W. Dwight, Horace H. Walpole; Lieut-Cols., Augustus N. Dwight, Horace H. Walpole, James M. Gere; Majs., Joshua B. Davis, Jabez M. Brower, Alonzo H. Clapp, Morton B. Marke. This regiment, recruited in the county of Onondaga, rendezvoused at Syracuse and was there mustered into the U. S. service for three years on Aug. 28, 1862. The regiment left the state three days
New York Regiments
139
later and was assigned to the 3d brigade. 3d division, 6th corps. It was under fire for the first time at Antietam, but sustained no losses. In the 1st brigade of Newton's (3d) division, same corps, it was slightly engaged at Fredericksburg, where a few men were wounded. It was engaged on the same field again, in May, 1863, in the battle of Marye's heights, when the divisions of Newton and Howe carried the heights at the point of the bayonet. At Get-tysburg it went into action with Shaler's brigade as a support to the 12th corps and sustained a loss of 44 killed, wounded and missing. It was sharply engaged in November at Rappahannock Station, when the 6th corps successfully stormed the enemy's intrenchments, losing 13 killed and wounded in the battle. It then engaged in the Mine Run campaign, and during Jan. and Feb., 1864, it was stationed on Johnson's island in Lake Erie, rejoining its corps in March, when Shaler's brigade (1st), was assigned to Wright's (1st) division. It encountered the hardest fighting of its experience at the Wilderness, where it lost 119 killed, wounded and missing. At Spottsylvania its losses were 24 wounded and missing, and at Cold Harbor 67 killed and wounded. After taking part in the early assaults on Petersburg in June, it accompanied the vet-eran 6th corps to Washington, at the time Early threatened the capital. In the 3d brigade, 2nd division, it was there active at Fort Stevens, joined in the pursuit of Early into Virginia and up the Shenandoah Valley, fighting at Charlestown, the Opequan, Fisher's hill and Cedar creek. Its losses from July 12 to Oct. 20, 1864, aggregated 110 killed and wounded. On Dec. 12, 1864, it was back in the trenches before Petersburg and established its , winter quarters near the Weldon railroad. It was actively engaged at Petersburg with the 6th and 2nd corps, when the Confederates attacked Fort Stedman, losing 16 killed and wounded, and closed its active service with the Appomattox campaign, when it was active at the final assault on Petersburg. April 2, 1865, and at Sailor's creek, where it fought its last battle. Maj. Jabez M. Brower was among the killed at Cedar creek, and Col. Augustus W. Dwight was killed in the action at Fort Stedman. The regiment commanded by Col. Walpole was mustered out near Washington, June 23, 1865. During its term of service it lost by death 6 officers and 86 enlisted men killed and mortally wounded; 3 officers and 85 enlisted men by disease and other causes, a total of 180.

122ndInfNat.jpg

122nd Regiment NY Volunteer Infantry | National Color | Civil War

This silk national color carried by the 122nd New York Volunteers features 29 of the original 34 stars, 3-inch bullion fringe, painted battle honors,…

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122ndInfGuidon2006.0306.jpg

122nd Regiment NY Volunteer Infantry | Guidon | Civil War

This 34-star silk swallowtail guidon conforms to the “stars and stripes” pattern prescribed in General Order No. 4, Headquarters of the U.S. Army,…

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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 - 50
Pages 51 - 59

Historical Sketch

Monument at Gettysburg

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.

Amidon, George. George Amidon papers, 1865-1919.
1 folder.
Military service records of a Town of Onondaga farmer, discharged from the 122nd Regiment, New York Volunteers, 23 June 1865, at the age of eighteen; also pension certificates, his 1883 will, a marriage license, and Amidon's Walnut Grove Cemetery agreement.
Located at the Onondaga Historical Association Research Center, 321 Montgomery Street, Syracuse, NY 13202.

Annual reunion of the 122d New York volunteers....1904, 1907-1919 (NN).
Held at the Military History Institute in Carlisle, PA.

Atterbury, J. C. J. C. Atterbury collection. 
Subject files relating to William G. Tracy, Syracusan wounded in the Civil War, and subsequently a prominent area lawyer; includes photographs, medical reports on his injury, transcripts of his letters, his speech at a reunion of the 122nd Regiment in part mentioning historical context of the Jerry Rescue, and an obituary. Also, subject files relating to the Malcolm Rifle Telescope Manufacturing Company, and Syracuse Arms Company, including photographs, corporate histories, material relating to Frank Hollenbeck, clippings, correspondence, surveys, and other papers. 
6 folders. 
Located at the Onondaga Historical Association Research Center, 321 Montgomery Street, Syracuse, NY 13202.

Burton, James. James Burton diary, 1864.
25 linear ft. (1 box)
The collection consists of an 1864 diary of James Burton. Burton's diary records his regiment's movements in North Carolina, but most was written while he was in prison at Andersonville Prison and a camp near Charleston, South Carolina. He describes conditions, attempted escapes, sickness, death, and boredom.
Located at Emory University.

Casler, George H. New York (State). Bureau of Military Statistics. "George H. Casler. Camillus, Nov. 8th, 1868.." Fifth Annual Report of the Bureau of Military Statistics, with Appendices : 5th Annual Report of the Bureau of Military Statistics, with Appendices. Albany, NY: C. Van Benthuysen & Sons' Steam Printing House, 1868. 295-296.

Clapp, Alonzo H. Alonzo H. Clapp diaries,1852-1865. 
Diaries kept while attending Homer Academy, 1852, teaching school in Oswego Bitters, Dryden, and Syracuse, 1852-53, and during a trip to Michigan, 1859; reports on school inspections as Onondaga County School Commissioner, 1860-1862; and Clapp's Civil War experiences with the 122nd New York Volunteers, 1862-1865. .3 cubic ft. (1-3 in. document box; 1 folder).
Located at the Onondaga Historical Association Research Center, 321 Montgomery Street, Syracuse, NY 13202.

Coburn, Henry. CWTIColl 
(Enlisted man's letters, Nov 2, 1862-Jul 25, 1864).
Located at the Military History Institute in Carlisle, PA.

Cox, William Van Zandt, 1852-1923. "The defenses of Washington : General Early's advance on the capital and the battle of Fort Stevens, July 11 and 12, 1864.." Records of the Columbia Historical Society, Washington, D.C.. 4 1901. 135-165.

Crowell, Kathy.  "The Onondagas" : a history of the 122d Regiment, New York Volunteers. Manlius, N.Y., 1998.
Held at the Onondaga County Public Library.

Doty, John C.  John C. Doty diary, 1865.
Description:    1 item.
Abstract:    Diary kept by Doty while serving with the 122nd New York Infantry Regiment, Company G, in which he describes the Appomattox Campaign, Robert E. Lee's surrender, and the assassination of Abraham Lincoln.
Held at the Library of Congress.

Dwight, A. W. A. W. Dwight papers, 1864-1896.
3 folders.
Reports submitted to the Syracuse Daily Journal on the activities of the New York 122nd Volunteers during the Civil War.
Located at the Onondaga Historical Association Research Center, 321 Montgomery Street, Syracuse, NY 13202.

Franz, William C. "Donovan's War." North South Trader. VIII :1 November 1980. 22 - 25.

Gere, James M. Escape to the Mountains: The Life of a Northern Civil War Soldier, Including his Personal Account of his Escape From a Confederate Prison. Stanford, CA: By the Author, 1998.

Gere family. Gere family papers,1829-1961. 
Correspondence, legal records, mortgages, tax records, legal papers, real estate records, wills, employment records, prose fiction manuscripts, artwork, and other papers of the Gere family of Syracuse, New York; includes records relating to land in Inlet, New York, and a frontispiece of a religious printing mentioning the name Kere (1793). Includes papers of Frances Kent Gere, Robert N. Gere, William S. Gere, and Anna G. Belden. Also, business, legal, and financial records of the Geres, who were millers and lumberers; requisitions, muster rolls, lists of officers, soldiers, and prisoners of war, relating to James M. Gere's captaincy in the 122nd Regiment; also includes field books related to a survey of Salina's streets and sewers in the 1890's done by J. M. Gere. 
3.1 cubic ft. (1-16 in. box; 6-5 in. legal boxes; 2-folders).
Located at the Onondaga Historical Association Research Center, 321 Montgomery Street, Syracuse, NY 13202.

Griffen, Z.T. "In the Battle of the Wilderness." National Tribune, March 11, 1886.

Knapp, Edwin A. Edwin A. Knapp Civil War diary, 1864-1865.
Diary of a Jamesville surgeon with the 122nd Regiment, New York Volunteers listing events, soldiers wounded, battles, and other matters of the war; includes sketches of camp scenes and vistas.
1 folder.
Located at the Onondaga Historical Association Research Center, 321 Montgomery Street, Syracuse, NY 13202.

Millions, Chauney K. 122nd New York Infantry, Co. K. Letter (May 7, 1863). 
This letter describes a skirmish between Union and Confederate forces that took place near Fredericksburg, Virginia. 
1 item. 
Located at the New York State Library Manuscripts and Special Collections.

Murray, R. L. Letters from the front : Onondaga County troops in the Civil War. Wolcott, N.Y. Benedum Books, c2002.

Onondaga Historical Association. "Civil War Flags." Civil War Flags Onondaga Historical Association Bulletin. Syracuse, NY: Onondaga Historical Association, 1962.

Onondaga Historical Association. Civil War flags at the Onondaga County Courthouse Syracuse, NY: Dupli (printer) 2012.

Onondaga County Savings Bank (Syracuse, N.Y.). Onondaga County Savings Bank records,1855-1900. 
Charter petition, statements, amendments, leases, manuscript maps, business correspondence, articles of agreement, abstracts, and other legal papers of a Syracuse bank; also, allotment records for soldiers and dependents of the 122nd and 149th regiments of the New York State Volunteers.
.3 cubic ft. 
Located at the Onondaga Historical Association Research Center, 321 Montgomery Street, Syracuse, NY 13202.

Papers of unidentified soldier, WineyColl 
(Enlisted man's diary, Jul 17-25, 1864)
Located at the Military History Institute in Carlisle, PA.

Pease, Edwin. Pease, Doolittle and Alger family papers, 1861-1871.
2 folders.
Letters home from Edwin Pease, including observations about the institution of slavery, the poverty of the white population of Alabama, the disillusionment and homesickness of Union soldiers, and the physical discomforts of military life; includes a manuscript map of the positions of Confederate and Union forces at Decatur, Alabama (probably in 1864) drawn by Edwin Pease, also includes a letter written by P.R. Alger in which he describes the declining morale of Union soldiers, military papers of Colonel Henry J. Doolittle, diplomas and certificates of James R. and Jacob R. Doolittle.
Located at the Onondaga Historical Association Research Center, 321 Montgomery Street, Syracuse, NY 13202.

Sanders, Benjamin. Benjamin Sanders papers, 1860-1866. 
Part of a diary, letters and other papers of Benjamin Sanders of the 122nd New York Volunteers. Includes letter of condolence from Sergeant Francis Calahan on Sanders's death.
1 folder.
Located at the Onondaga Historical Association Research Center, 321 Montgomery Street, Syracuse, NY 13202.

Summers, Moses. Moses Summers papers, 1862-1912.
2 vol.
Articles published in the Syracuse Standard describing events, battles, and the general progress of the Civil War; also descriptions of soldiers' camp life, photographs of officers, and accounts of the 122nd New York Volunteers' reunion.
Located at the Onondaga Historical Association Research Center, 321 Montgomery Street, Syracuse, NY 13202.

Swinfen, David B. Ruggles' Regiment: The 122nd New York Volunteers in the American Civil War. Hanover, NH: University Press of New England, 1982.

Tracy, Osgood Vose, Colonel, et al. Yours affectionately, Osgood : Colonel Osgood Vose Tracy's letters home from the Civil War, 1862-1865. Kent, Ohio : The Kent State University Press, 2022.

Truesdell, Sanford N. BrakeColl 
(Cpl's letter, Jul 9, 1863)
Located at the Military History Institute in Carlisle, PA.

Truesdell, Sandford Norton. Sanford Norton Truesdell papers, circa 1862.
Description:    0.015 linear feet (1 folder)
Abstract:    [Sargeant, New York Infantry, 122nd Regiment (Vol), Company K]. Papers, including two Civil War letters (ALS) 1862, family history, and carte de visite of Truesdell in uniform.
Held by the Department of Special Collections, UC Santa Barbara Library, University of California, Santa Barbara.

United States. Army. New York Infantry Regiment, 122nd. Company K : 122d Reg.t N.Y. State Vol. [Syracuse, N.Y.] : [publisher not identified], 1863
Description:    1 sheet ([1] pages) : illustrations, portrait ; 51 x 41 cm
Note(s):    At head of title: Rebellion memorial./ Text listing names in 3 columns within ornamental border, with officers in middle column; illustrations at head of title proper consist of portraits of President Lincoln and several generals, scenes of battle and of a soldier departing and returning to his familiy, and a variety of heraldic and mythical figures./ Regimental officers: Colonel, Silas Titus; Lt. Col., Augustus W. Dwight; Major, Joshua B. Davis .../ Bio/History: Organized at Syracuse, N.Y. Mustered into United States Service August 28th, 1862 by Major Edgarton, U.S.A., at Syracuse N.Y.
Held at Syracuse University.

Whaley, F.E. New York (State). Bureau of Military Statistics. Fifth Annual Report of the Bureau of Military Statistics, with Appendices : 5th Annual Report of the Bureau of Military Statistics, with Appendices. Albany, NY: C. Van Benthuysen & Sons' Steam Printing House, 1868.

Wilkin, Andrew W. Andrew W. Wilkin papers,1865-1918.
Records relating to Wilkin's service with the 122nd New York Infantry Volunteers in the Civil War; includes a list of Syracuse High School soldiers in the Civil War, and deaths in the 122nd's battles; also materials relating to Onondaga Academy, the Syracuse Bar Association; clippings, an obituary, and miscellaneous writings. 
1 folder.
Located at the Onondaga Historical Association Research Center, 321 Montgomery Street, Syracuse, NY 13202.

Williams, Samuel W. Samuel W. Williams papers, 1863.
1 folder.
Three letters written by Samuel W. Williams to his mother during the Civil War.
Located at the Onondaga Historical Association Research Center, 321 Montgomery Street, Syracuse, NY 13202.

 

Unit bibliography from the Army Heritage Center

Items in the museum collection are in bold.