143rd Infantry Regiment

Nickname: Sullivan County Regiment

Mustered in: October 8, 1862
Mustered out: July 20, 1865

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

August 14, 1862, Mr. John C. Holley received authority to recruit this regiment in Sullivan county; it was organized at Monticello, with David P. DeWitt as Colonel, and there mustered in the service of the United States for three years October 8, 1862.
The companies were recruited principally: A at Monticello, Fremont, Bethel, Rock-land, Forestburg, Liberty and Beaver Kill; B at Bethel, Thompson, Fallsburg, Forest-burg and Stormsville; C at Fallsburg, Rockland, Grahamville and Neversink; D at Ithaca and Lansing; E at Wurtsborough, Bridgeville, Monticello and Phillipsport; F at Fremont, Callicoon, Jeffersonville, Rockland and Monticello; G at Fremont, Blooming-burg, Neversink, Monticello, Thompson, Cochecton and Tusten; H at Liberty, Monti-cello and Rockland; I at Dryden and Cochecton; K at Cochecton, Monticello, Tusten, Callicoon, Highland and Thompson.
The regiment left the State October 14, 1862; it served in the defenses of Washington in the 3d Brigade, Abercrombie's Division, from October 16, 1862; in the 22d Corps, from February, 1863; in 3d, Hughston's, Brigade, Gurney's Division, Department of Virginia, at Suffolk, Va., from April, 1863; in the 1st Brigade, Gordon's Division, of 7th Corps, from May, 1863; of 4th Corps from June, 1863; in the 1st Brigade, 3d Division, nth Corps, from July 14, 1863; in the 3d Brigade, 1st Division, 2Oth Corps, from April, 1864; in the 2d Brigade, Bartlett's Division, 22d Corps, from June 30, 1865; and, under Col. Horace Boughton, it was honorably discharged and mustered out July 20, 1865, at and near Washington, D. C.
During its service the regiment lost by death, killed in action, 3 officers, 13 enlisted men; of wounds received in action, 2 officers, 25 enlisted men; of disease and other causes, 1 officer, 177 enlisted men; total, 6 officers, 215 enlisted men; aggregate, 221; of whom 3 enlisted men died in the hands of the enemy, the large loss by accident (9), was principally caused by a railroad accident March 20, 1863.

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 Forty-third Infantry.—Cols., David P. De-Witt, Horace Boughton; Lieut.-Cols., Horace Boughton, Joseph B. Taft, Hezekiah Watkins; Majs., Joseph B. Taft, Hezekiah Wat-kins, John Higgins, Edward H. Pinney. This regiment, recruited in the counties of Sullivan and Tompkins, was organized at Mon-ticello, and there mustered into the U. S. service for a three years' term on Oct. 8, 1862. Col. DeWitt was formerly in command of the 3d Maryland regiment. The 143d left the state on Oct. 14, proceeded to Washington and remained on duty in the defenses of the capital until April, 1863, when it. was ordered to the Department of Virginia. Here it participated in the defense of Suffolk, in the 3d (Hughston's) brigade, Gurney's division, and then took part in the operations against Richmond with Gordon's division. After the battle of Gettysburg it was transferred to the Army of the Potomac, and placed in the 1st brigade, 3d (Schurz's) division, nth corps. It accompanied the nth and 12th corps to Tennessee in September, joined Grant's army at Chattanooga and the following month took part in the midnight battle at Wauhatchie, Tenn., losing 6 killed and wounded. Lieut.-Col. Taft was killed in the action at Missionary ridge in November, after which the regiment was ordered to the relief of Knoxville, a most trying and arduous campaign. When the new 20th corps was formed in April, 1864, the 143d was assigned to 3d brigade (Robinson's), 1st division (Williams') of that corps, and fought under Sherman in all the battles and campaigns in which the 20th corps was engaged from Chattanooga to Raleigh. During this period of almost a year the regiment sustained casualties amounting to 176 killed, wounded and missing, its heaviest losses being incurred at Kennesaw mountain where 76 were killed, wounded and missing, and at Peachtree creek where the loss was 48 killed and wounded. Lieut. Edward Car-rington, a splendid soldier, was killed March 6, 1865, at Natural Bridge, Fla., while serving on the staff of Gen. Newton. After Johnston's surrender the regiment marched to Washington, where it took part in the grand review, and was there mustered out or July 20, 1865. It returned home under command of Col. Bough-ton, who was soon after commissioned brigadier-general. The loss of the regiment during service was 5 officers and 38 men killed and mortally wounded; I officer and 177 men died of disease and other causes; 9 men were killed in a railroad accident March 20, 1863 total deaths, 221.

143rdInfNationalColor1995-3708.jpg

143rd Regiment NY Volunteer Infantry | National Color | Civil War

On October 9, 1862, at Camp Holley, near Monticello, New York, the 143rd New York Volunteer Infantry received a stand of colors, including the…

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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

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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.

Anderson, John F. Diary,1863.
Handwritten daily account of Civil War service in 1863, including personal accounts; includes description of court-martial service. 
1 v. 
Located at the Hamilton College Library.

Bennett, William R. Letter, 1863 January 22. 
A detailed letters addressed to Captain Dorrance regarding the state of affairs of Company E while encamped near Upton Hill, Virginia. it includes names information about fellow officers. This letter was accompanied by a list of names of soldiers and the number of days they boarded themselves after enlistment. 
1 item (8 p.) ; 25 cm. 
Located at the New York State Library Manuscripts and Special Collections.

Bowers, Alfred. Alfred Bowers photograph series.1926. Portrait, holding flag. 
1 envelope.
Located at Bentley Historical Library, University of Michigan.

Bunnell, Luther G. Letters (1861-1864). 
These letters concern mostly routine activities of military service such as camp life, drill, and picket duty. Bunnell has also suggested that the 143rd Regiment was usually held in reserve to mop up after the worst of the fighting ceased. 
1 box (.25 cu. ft.).
Located at the New York State Library Manuscripts and Special Collections.

Coddington, Ronald S., 1963. Faces of the Civil War : an album of Union soldiers and their stories. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2004.

Committee of the 143d Regiment Association and Young, Moses G. ed. A condensed history of the 143d Regiment, New York Volunteer Infantry of the Civil War, 1861-1865 : together with a register or roster of all the members of the regiment, and the war record of each member, as recorded in the Adjutant-General's Office, at Albany, N.Y. Salem, Mass. Higginson Book Co, 1970.

Crary, Jerry. Jerry Crary, 1842-1936: Teacher, Soldier, Industrialist. Warren, PA: Newell, 1960.

Dusenberry, Orra. Dusenberry and Smith family letters, 1862-1969.
Description:    0.25 Linear ft. (1 box)
Abstract:    The collection consists primarily of Civil War correspondence between Private Orra Dusenberry and his friends and family members, as well as letters between Private Lawrence D. Smith and his sister. The collection also includes a copy of "Zina Dusenberry: Fact and Fiction : Material Relating to Elfrieda Hochbaum's Unpublished Novel, The Deer." Other materials include Orra Dusenberry's school papers and genealogy research regarding Private Smith's military service. A family tree of the Northrup family, of which the Dusenberrys and Smiths are a part, is also part of these genealogy papers. Orra Dusenberry's black tote bag inscribed with his name is also included.
Held by the University of Georgia.

Elmore, Bruce. Diaries, 1863-1865. 
Diaries contain entries for April 1863-February 1865. Describes life of soldier, homesickness, combat, illness, and troop movements. 
3 items.
Located at Auburn University.

Elmore, Willard. An abstract of some of the incidents of my three years military service during the Civil War, by myself, Willard Elmore : Co. C, 143rd N.Y. Volunteer Infantry. 1914. 7p.

Everett, J. H. J.H. Everett letters, 1864-1865.
Description:    1 folder (.05 cubic feet)
Abstract:    The J.H. Everett Letters are copies made by Joseph Frederick Waring, II of two letters written from Capt. J.H. Everett of the 120th Regiment, New York Volunteers, Sherman's Army, to Divine of the 143rd Regiment, New York Volunteers. The first letter written December 19, 1864 from near Savannah, Georgia describes Sherman's march from Atlanta to Savannah. Everett notes the army's destruction, destroying all that could not be eaten, burning cotton and cotton gins, and ruining the railroads. He outlines the path they took and their halt at the defenses outside of Savannah, Fort McAllister. Everett describes the capture of Fort McAllister by the 2nd Division, 15th Army Corps and states that "Savannah has got to succumb, we shall soon control the river." Everett's letter of January 29, 1865, was posted from the field in South Carolina, as his company was campaigning through the state. He describes the destruction of all supplies by the rebels in anticipation of their approach. Everett mentions the re-election of President Lincoln"Fortune's Favorite." Civil War Times Illustrated (Feb 2002): p. 72 (1 photocopied page) 
Vignette on & photo of William Thomas Morgans, Cos. F, F & H.
Held by the Georgia Historical Society.

Fitts, Charles T. Charles T. Fitts papers, 1862-1971 (bulk 1862-1865).
Description:    140 items. 29 digital files (26.4 MB). 1 container. 0.2 linear feet.
Abstract:    Chiefly correspondence of Fitts during his Civil War service in the 76th and 179th New York infantry regiments, U.S. Army, relating chiefly to his service prior to any major military action. Includes correspondence of his brother, Henry W. Fitts, while serving in the 143rd New York Infantry Regiment, U.S. Army, written from before his enlistment to his participation on the battlefield in Tennessee and Virginia. Subjects includes battles, camp life, deserters, family life in Dryden, N.Y., medical care, and Henry's death at Lookout Valley, Tenn., in 1864. Also includes Strong family correspondence following Charles's marriage to Mary Frances Strong, genealogical information pertaining to the Fitts and Strong families, a photocopy of a handwritten memoir, printed matter including two pieces of Confederate currency, and photocopies and digital copies of family photographs.
Held by the Library of Congress.

Gage, Ethel B. Orange County in the Civil War Official publication of the Orange County Community of Museums & Galleries. Goshen, NY: Orange County Community of Museums and Galleries, 2 :2 and 3 April and July, 1963.

Green, Andrew Y. Andrew Y. Green letter, 1 November 1863.
Description:    4 pages.
Abstract:    In a letter from Bridgeport, Alabama dated 1 November 1863, Pvt. Andrew Y. Green provides a secondhand account of the recent night action at Wauhatchie, Tennessee to his uncle in Forestburgh, New York. A member of Independent Battery E, Pennsylvania Light Artillery, Green relates that the Union forces crossed the Tennessee River at Bridgeport on the night of 27 October and marched toward Chattanooga. On the night of the 28th-29th, he continues, the Union camp was attacked by a large Confederate force. He learned, "The two lines of Battles was not over 75 or 100 yards apart," adding, "Our boys say it was the most desperate fighting they ever had." He describes the casualties in his unit and adds that the 143rd New York Infantry also participated in the fighting, noting that his brother Edward, a member of that command was "all right." He concludes the letter by stating, "The report is here that the (Union) army at Chattanooga is on 1/2 rations."
Held by the The Filson Historical Society, Louisville, KY.

Harris, Robert F., 1944. Dear sister : the Civil War letters of the Brothers Gould. Westport, Conn. Praeger, 1998.
Letters of Richard of the 143rd; and brothers Wesley, 45th Pennsylvania Infantry; Charles, 72nd New York Infantry, and James, William, George & Henry, 144th New York Infantry.

Harris, Robert F. The last dispatch rider. Bloomington, Ind. : AuthorHouse, 2009.

Hopkins, Henry, 1837-1908. "A memorial of Lieut. Edward Carrington, a discourse preached at Colebrook, Conn., November 21, 1866, by Rev. Henry Hopkins." Printed by request. Cambridge: 1867.
Original is located at the The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens and Brown University.

McAfee, Michael J. "143rd Regiment, New York Volunteer Infantry, 1862." Military Images Magazine (Jan/Feb 1990): p. 25.

Perry, Thornton Tayloe, collector. Non-Virginia miscellaneous papers, 1781-1949. (Thornton Tayloe Perry Collection).
154 items.
Miscellaneous papers from Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Missouri, Nebraska, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee, and Washington, D.C., and scattered foreign countries, collected by Thornton Tayloe Perry. Included are a journal of the siege of Pensacola, Fla., 1781; typescript copies of the personal correspondence, 1791-1840s, of Andrew Jackson; account book, 1805-1825, and loose papers of the Washington Tontine Company, a life insurance company based in Washington, D.C.; account book, 1807-1882, concerning board fees of inmates of the Pennsylvania Hospital for the Insane; account books, 1838-1839 and 1852, of general merchants in Mount Sterling, Ill.; muster rolls, 1861-1863, for the 2nd, 28th, and 143rd regiments, New York State Volunteers, U.S.A.; a letter, 1876, from W.B. Lawrence of Newport, R.I., concerning naturalization law; and correspondence from an officer serving with the A.E.F. in France, 1917.
Located at the Scarborough Library, Shepherd University.

Puffer family, et al. Puffer-Markham family papers, 1794-1910.
Description:    2.5 linear feet.
Abstract:    The Puffer-Markham family papers (1,875 items) are comprised of business letters, personal letters, legal documents, and financial records related to an extended family with business and agricultural interests in Massachusetts, New York, Michigan, and South Carolina. Also present are letters from five Civil War soldiers, containing descriptions of their wartime experiences.
Held by the University of Michigan.

Sullivan County (N.Y.) Historical Society and the Sullivan County Civil War Centennial Commission. Brass buttons and leather boots; Sullivan County and the Civil War. South Fallsburg, N.Y., Printed by Steingart Associates,1963. 84 p. illus., maps, facsims. 23 cm.

United States. Army. New York Infantry Regiment, 143rd (1862-1865). 143d Regiment New York Vols. Inft., Sullivan Co. Monticello, N.Y.: Watchman Print,1892. 32 p. incl. 2 port. 22 cm.

Watros, Mathew J. Gabriel :a novel of the American Civil War. Troy, NY : Troy Bookmakers, 2020.

Weiss, Nathan. "Sullivan County in the Civil War : The 143rd New York Volunteer Infantry Regiment." Yesteryears, A Quarterly Magazine. 4 :16 (June, 1961) 24-34.

Young, George et al. Papers,1861-1980. 
This collection contains information relating to the Civil War service of George Young. Included are legal papers in filing for his pension and for his wife filing for her widow's pension. Also included is a letter from Young to his parents during the war, a xerox of an article written about Young, and army papers accounting for the loss of his horse at the Battle of Peachtree Creek. 1 folder. 
Located at the Atlanta History Center.

Yorks, Robert G., ; editor. History of the 143rd Regiment New York Volunteers, Infantry Sullivan County. Oxford, NY : South Oxford Press, 2010.

Young, Moses G. ed. A condensed history of the 143d Regiment, New York Volunteer Infantry of the Civil War, 1861-1865 : together with a register or roster of all the members of the regiment, and the war record of each member, as recorded in the Adjutant-General's Office, at Albany, N.Y.. Salem, Mass. Higginson Book Co, c.1909.

 

Unit bibliography from the Army Heritage Center

Items in the museum collection are in bold.