A substantial portion of the antebellum Regular Army along with four of the new 1861-authorized new Regular regiments played their Civil War roles as part of the Army of the Potomac.  They initially formed as the Regular Infantry Brigade, but as the regiments began to add up, a Regular Infantry Division – Sykes’ Regulars – built up.  Recruitment never caught up with battle and disease losses, however, and after several hard-fought battles, the surviving Regulars found themselves pulled from the battlefield after the battle of Cold Harbor in mid-June 1864, their ranks much diminished. In this post, we look at the overall history of the Regular Infantry in the East.

After the war Romeyn Ayres, commander of the Regular Division during 1863-1864 was asked if any of his regulars were still serving. Ayres replied “I had a division of regulars once. I buried half of them at Gettysburg and the other half in the Wilderness. There’s no regulars left.” 

ORGANIZATION

At the risk of repeating myself – I will anyway 😐.  Battles took place all over the different theaters of the war, but they concentrated in Virginia where the Federal Army of the Potomac rose to face off with the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia.  To the Potomac came most of the various original ten regiments of the Regular Army.  But included in the original call for volunteers came a doubling in size of the Regular forces, as well.  Ten new infantry regiments arose.  Some of these would shunt to the Potomac, but most of the newly raised units found their way to become part of the Regular Infantry Brigade of the Army of the Cumberland, one of the main Union armies fighting in the western theaters of the war.

Being new units, it took time to both recruit and train the new Regular regiments before sending them into battle.  The new regiments became authorized for three battalions but recruiting proved difficult for the new regiments drawn mainly from the western States of the North.  Most regiments went into battle with only one battalion present.  As such, instead of a division of Regulars, like in the east on the Potomac, in the West, there were only enough Regular troops to build into a brigade.

Unit basics

First, here is a quick primer on military units, their classification and sizes.  An army consisted of the largest organization, technically commanded by a lieutenant general though in all cases for Federal units, their armies fell under the command of a major general since before 1864 that rank did not exist.  An army consisted of two or more corps and could number 80,000 or more, though some armies were also smaller.

Commanding a corps of troops, again, was a major general.  Two to three divisions usually made up a corps.  The corps normally numbered well over 20,000 men though some could be smaller and some larger.  A corps was a relatively new-to-the-time organization dating to the Napoleonic era when armies grew to enormous sizes also seen in the American Civil War.  The divisions making up the corps held about 8,000 troops led by a major general but could also have a brigadier general at the helm.

size compounds command problems

At division, corps and army commands, generals in charge had a hard time seeing the whole picture of battle with army sizes up past 100,000 in some Federal cases.  Below, the leaders had a closer perspective on the actions and their actors.  Two to five brigades combined into a division on the next organizational rung down.  The brigades were commanded by brigadier generals, though in many cases, colonels were called upon to lead. 

They consisted of two to five regiments of some 2,600 soldiers.  The main tactical units on the battlefield were the regiments led by a colonel with 800 to 1,000 soldiers.  As the war went on and the size of regiments shrank due to disease and battle casualties, the number of regiments in a brigade increased.  It was not uncommon either, to find a major or even a senior captain in charge of a regiment after a serious engagement.

Adaptation

It is important to remember, no officers had commanded units larger than a regiment for the most part before the war, let alone brigades, divisions, corps or armies.  Command was something, like much of the war, learned on the job.  The size of the Regular army before the war consisted of 16,000 men made up of 198 companies posted across North America at 79 different locations.  Here, we are only talking about the fighting foot soldiers or infantry, but there were many other components of the Army needing to adapt to the new conditions – quartermaster, ordnance, medical, adjutant general, subsistence, paymaster, engineer, inspector general, topographical engineer (mapping), and judge advocate general.

All Regular regiments – old and new – faced an uphill battle when it came to recruitment.  Volunteers opted to join State Volunteer regiments as opposed to one of the Regular ones.  Both States and the Regular Army never figured out an effective way to replenish the ranks as the war went on.  For the States, they simply tended to make more new regiments, possibly increasing the size of bounties a soldier could gain by signing up.  The Regulars tried to increase their bounties, as well, meanwhile outlawing flogging and decreasing the time needed to serve an enlistment.  But harsher discipline and the tendency to stick Regular units into the heart of a combat resulting in higher casualties tended to make recruiting more difficult.

Role models

Federal antebellum regiments – a model used by most State Volunteer units – consisted of ten companies.  While companies made up the fighting unit most soldiers knew best, it was the regiment forming the basic maneuver unit.  Another unit falling in between the regiment and the company was the battalion, normally commanded by a major. 

The new regiments raised after 1861 for the Regular Army consisted of three battalions.  A battalion was not a commonly used organization before or during the war.  Battalions could consist of as little as two companies – companies, led by captains, usually numbered 100 at the beginning of their lives.  Regiments fewer with eight or less companies often were referred to as a battalion. 

The original Regular Army regiments, like State Volunteers, did not normally use battalions.  With the new regiments, the three battalions comprised of twenty-four companies instead of the normal ten.  This made them technically stronger, but again authorization and reality did not mesh well.  Only a couple of the regiments seeing action in the West ever put more than two battalions on the field at once.  Several managed only one.  A couple of instances where a company or two of a third battalion actually became raised, but losses and the inability to recruit at a high standard made the three-battalion structure a bit of a dream.

REGULARS FACE THE FIRST ACTIONS AT BULL RUN

George sykes

Any discussion with the Regular Army units and the Army of the Potomac starts and (almost) stops with the organizer of the original Regular Battalion within the ad-hoc Army of Northeastern Virginia gathered together by General Irwin McDowell, Major George Sykes.

Sykes grew up in an influential family – one grandfather was a governor and a great grandfather served in the Continental Congress – in Dover, Delaware.  He graduated from West Point with the class of 1842 along with many other Civil War luminaries, John Pope, William Rosecrans, James Longstreet, Abner Doubleday, Richard Anderson and his roommate, Daniel H. Hill.  George gained the nickname “Tardy George” at the Point, a moniker which historians love to repeat, but also a name, a gestalt taken in by others, some who would serve influentially in Sykes’ career later on.

sykes and the antebellum army

Sykes served with the 3^rd US Infantry Regiment immediately in the Second Seminole War before going off to Mexico.  In Mexico, first fighting with Zachary Taylor’s army, he earned a promotion to first lieutenant for actions at Monterrey.  Then he joined Winfield Scott’s force taking part in many of the battles of that campaign.  For his service at Cerro Gordo, Sykes gained a brevet promotion to captain.  He eventually became a true captain at the end of September 1853.

After the Mexican War, Sykes served out of Texas, mostly in the newly acquired lands of New Mexico.   Still as a captain, Sykes was in charge of the garrison at Fort Clark west from San Antonio by 125 miles.  The Department of Texas surrendered courtesy of Brigadier General David Twiggs in February 1861 following the secession of the state.  Twiggs surrendered all posts within his command including Fort Clark. 

Soldiers were initially allowed to repair to the Gulf Coast for evacuation to the North as soon as they could march to the ports and find transportation.  Sykes and senior captain Oliver Lathrop Shepherd led five companies to Indianola where steamers shipped the companies to New York in March-April.  Three companies of the 3^rd US did not arrive at the ports before the shots fired at Fort Sumter.  With actual war begun, these companies became treated as prisoners of war.

Sykes at Bull run

After arriving in New York, Sheperd went east to become the lieutenant colonel – and eventually colonel – of the newly raised 14^th US Infantry Regiment.  Sykes gathered the companies of the 3^rd US together with two companies of the 2^nd US and one of the 8^th US to form the Battalion of Regulars in McDowell’s newly formed army, attached to the 1^st Brigade under Colonel Andrew Porter in the 2^nd Division of Colonel David Hunter – also included in that brigade was a Marine Battalion and a seven US Regular Cavalry companies.

Sykes, now a major, led the Regulars Battalion at the battle of 1^st Bull Run marching to support the attack of Colonel Ambrose Burnside on Henry Hill.  That line became overextended and became flanked by Confederate troops arriving from the Shenandoah Valley knocking the Federals into retreat.  The retreat eventually turned into a rout though the worst avoided by Sykes’ Regulars and the US Regular Cavalry both covering the Federal retreat to Washington.  Losses to Sykes’ Regulars Battalion in their first action amounted to 83 casualties – 44 more from the Marines and 8 from the cavalry.

THE OLD GATHERS WITH THE NEW

After the fiasco at Manassas, Lincoln brought in George McClellan as the new Federal commander.  McClellan began a new policy of discipline and organization as the Army of Northeastern Virginia began its transformation into the Army of the Potomac.  Helping clear the streets of straggling soldiers, the Regulars placed under overall command of Colonel Andrew Porter, newly appointed as provost marshal. 

By October, the elements of the 3^rd US were joined by the 2^nd US, 4^th US, 6^th US and two companies of the 8^th US.  Then in March 1862, those regulars were joined by the newly raised 11^th US, 12^th US and 14^th US along with four companies from both the 10^th US and the newly raised 17^th US.  The regulars organized as a brigade under the now Brigadier General George Sykes as the Infantry Reserve.  

McClellan saw Sykes’ Regulars as his most stable force for inserted into potential areas of emergency.  The brigade saw newcomers join also in March with the 5^th New York Infantry Regiment “Duryée’s Zouaves” who by this time lay under the command of Colonel Gouverneur Warren.  The 8^th US companies remained the Provost Guard which further augmented with two companies of the 19^th US.

To the south

In June 1862, the Army of the Potomac sailed south to begin the Peninsular Campaign.  Sykes’ Regulars started out the campaign as a brigade, involved nominally at the Siege of Yorktown.  In May, they became part of the newly organized 2^nd Division of the 5^th Corps – Brigadier General Fitz John Porter. 

The new division, under General Sykes, was further split into three brigades – including two brigades of Regulars.  The 1^st Brigade under Lieutenant Colonel Robert C. Buchanan included the 3^rd, 4^th, 12^th and 14^th US regiments.  The 2^nd Brigade under Lieutenant Colonel William Chapman included the 2^nd, 6^th, 10^th, 11^th and 17^th US regiments.  For the 3^rd Brigade, led by Colonel Warren, the 5^th New York welcomed the 10^th New York Infantry – “National Zouaves” Colonel John Bendix – and the 1^st Connecticut Heavy Artillery operating as infantry.

quick aside

A sidenote:  Buchanan previously commanded Fort Humboldt in northern California in 1854.  Witnessing the alcoholic binges affecting a young Ulysses Grant, Buchanan is thought to have given Grant the option of resignation or court martial.  Grant chose the latter but is thought not to have hold it against “Old Buck” in the long run.

REGULARS IN THE PENINSULA

Now known as “Sykes’ Regulars”, the division fought at both Gaines’ Mill – 27 June – and Malvern Hill 1 July.  While important to note, many of Sykes’ Regulars had gathered from the outposts of the antebellum Army, many of the “Regulars” came from new recruits like the Volunteer regiments.  The main difference was they had the help of a cadre of experienced officers – for the most part – and non-commissioned officers who brought discipline to the newly raised units, very important on battlefields as chaotic as those found in the Civil War.

As the Army of the Potomac pushed the Confederate forces back ever closer to Richmond, Virginia – capital of the new Confederacy, Lincoln – never a great fan of the Peninsular Campaign – called on McClellan to split his forces up to be able to cover Washington as well as push on to Richmond.  McClellan sent three of his five corps north of the Chickahominy River maintaining two corps to the south of the river in front of Richmond.

Fair Oaks and a new Opponent

Confederate commander General Joseph E. Johnston attacked McClellan in the battle of Fair Oaks on 31 May trying to destroy the two corps south of the river.  That attack bungled, and Johnston found himself wounded with his place at the top taken by Robert E. Lee.

McClellan decided to besiege Richmond after Fair Oaks moved all his corps south of the Chickahominy except for Porter’s 5^th Corps.  The thought – more like hope – was McDowell’s 1^st Corps up north near Fredericksburg covering any direct attempts by the Confederates to march upon Washington would be released for operations with McClellan’s force further to the south.  One division – Brigadier General G. A. McCall’s – of the 1^st Corps did actually move south to come under Porter’s command.  But the Confederates did not simply sit back and respond.

new plans

Lee knew his forces could not survive a prolonged siege – witness what happened in 1864-1865.  Lee brought Thomas Jackson force out of the Shenandoah Valley with the idea of concentrating and crushing the northern wing of the Army of the Potomac – Porter’s 5^th Corps north of the Chickahominy.  The first battle of what became the Seven Days’ Campaign began at the battle of Beaver Dam Creek – also known as Mechanicsville – on 26 June.  Jackson did not bring his troops up in time and A. P. Hill’s division with one brigade from D. H. Hill were driven back with heavy casualties.  Federal losses amounted to 361 against the almost 1,500 Confederate casualties.

While the battle chalked up as a Union victory, McClellan still began withdrawing to the southeast away from Richmond.  He also lost the initiative, something he always had a problem holding in the first place.

GAINES’ MILL

Lee picked up the next day where he left off only this time with Jackson’s men at hand.  In the largest Confederate attack of the war – 57,000 men in six divisions – Lee’s forces assailed Porter’s 5^th Corps again.  As the day before, Jackson’s forces were still not up to the front and an attack by A. P. Hill went in against a reinforced entrenched 5^th Corps getting bashed in the process.  D. H. Hill had his men ready to come in on the Federal right, but unexpected resistance caused him to await the arrival of Jackson so they could attack together.

Lee ordered James Longstreet’s men forward to attack to keep the Federals off guard while Jackson could get into position.  The brigade of George Pickett launched a frontal attack on the lines of the 5^th Corps but were repulsed with heavy casualties including Pickett, himself, shelved for the rest of the summer with a bullet to the shoulder.

Pressure builds

The efforts of Sykes’ Regulars had been constant since 1400 with both the 14^th and 12^th US supporting and then counterattacking earlier Confederate attempts to break the Federal lines.  Pressure on Warren’s brigade brought forward troops from Chapman’s brigade with the 6^th US going to the left of Warren where the 2^nd was already fighting while the 10^th and 17^th went to the right.  The counterattack from the 12^th and 14^th ran into withering fire causing 452 casualties in the new regiments’ first battle.  The 3^rd US were able to successfully extricate the new regiments as they retreated to rally about 159 yards to the rear.  Major Clitz of the 12^th fell wounded and Delozier Davidson commanding the 4^th suffered capture.

Jackson’s Intervention

Jackson’s men began arriving in the mid afternoon and they began to attack in a somewhat piecemeal fashion.  Finally, at 1900, Jackson, D. H. Hill, Longstreet and A. P. Hill launched a coordinated attack with 16 brigades – a little over 57,000 men – against Porter’s reinforced corps of about 34,000.  Sykes’ REgulars were on the Federal right with the brigade of Buchanan on the division right – 12^th, 14^th, 3^rd and 4^th US – Warren to the immediate left and the 2^nd brigade of Lieutenant Colonel William Chapman – classmate of Buchanan – stood behind in reserve.

With the huge onslaught coming in now and little in the way of Federal reserves coming up from the south, the 5^th Corps finally began to give ground, low on ammunition, fatigue from battle and the tropical climate all contributing.  The Federal line began to unravel from right to left as the sun hung low in the sky.  Sykes’ Regulars held on until darkness and unlike other 5^th Corps units, they were able to move their artillery pieces away from the onrushing Confederate storm. 

regulars save the day at a cost

Their stand allowed the rest of the 5^th Corps to withdraw to the south across the Chickahominy bridges as darkness fell.  The 4^th US was late in getting the message to withdraw across the river.  Only at 0400 was Captain Joseph B. Collins able to discover their plight being the only Federals still north of the river and the bridges destroyed.  They made some quick repairs and escaped at the last moment.

980 Regulars were among the 6,800 Federal casualties – the Confederates lost 8,700 on the day – but the 5^th Corps also lost over 24 artillery pieces and nine regimental commanders were among the casualties.  The US 12^th, as one example, lost their commander Major Clitz shot through both legs and taken prisoner.  They went into battle with 470 men and lost 212.  Gaines’ Mill does not figure as high in memory as other battles of the Civil War, but with 15,500 suffered on both sides in one day, the battle was far and away the bloodiest of the Peninsula Campaign – to date, only Shiloh measured worse.  That would change shortly.

MALVERN HILL

McClellan already began moving his army south to reorganize his overstretched supply lines to a new base on the James River.  The battle of Gaines’ Mill probably did not need fighting since the Federals were already getting to move in that direction after Mechanicsville.  Two other major battles followed the Federal defeat at Gaines’ Mill – Savage’s Station 29 June and Glendale 30 June.  Even though the Confederate attacks failed to succeed like at Gaines’ Mill, McClellan continued his retreat to the south.  Along the way, his army briefly took up positions on Malvern Hill.  Not much of a hill really, but the ground over which the Confederates traversed was completely open with a slight uphill slope.  Forests concentrated the ground over which they could attack.  That attack remembered for the awful casualties the Confederates took from masses of Union artillery.

Sykes’ Regulars covered the left flank of the Federal position supporting several artillery batteries set on high ground above Crewes Run.  The Confederate attacks launched in a piecemeal fashion were thwarted by the Federal fire.  Nowhere were the Rebels able to threaten the Union line.  An attempt by the division of A. P. Hill to attack the Federal left went nowhere against the guns and cannons of Sykes’ line.

Peninsular losses

The 5^th Corps suffered 7,601 casualties over the course of the Seven Days campaign or half the total number accrued by the Army of the Potomac. McClellan wrote after the battles, “My Regulars were superb, and I count upon what are left to turn another battle, in company with their gallant comrades of the volunteers.”  Meanwhile, the Army of the Potomac slumbered under the hot Virginia sunshine while events turned to the north.

NEW REGIMENTS GATHER IN NORTHERN VIRGINIA

Many of the Federal forces earlier involved in the campaigning in Shenandoah Valley combined with other units from the defenses of Washington and the 1^st Corps of the Army of the Potomac – Irwin McDowell commanding – forming the Army of Virginia commanded by John Pope, a Westerner brought East by Lincoln in the hope of finding someone more aggressive than McClellan.  Pope declared, “I have come to you from the West, where we have always seen the backs of our enemies, from an army whose business it has been to seek the adversary, and beat him to when he was found; whose policy has been to attack and not defense.”

To this mix of troops, the two companies of the 8^th US – finally exchanged from their parole after the men captured in Texas – and the 12^th US – four companies of the newly raised 2^nd Battalion – became part of the 1^st Brigade 2^nd Division 2^nd Corps – the brigade and division under Brigadier General James Cooper with Major General Nathaniel Banks leading at the corps level.  Captain Thomas Pitcher of the 8^th oversaw this composite battalion.

Cedar Mountain

The men went out as skirmishers at the battle of Cedar Mountain as Banks’ corps ran into Stonewall Jackson’s force heading north from the Peninsula to intercept Pope’s army.  They made themselves a nuisance to the Confederates while losing 60 casualties, among whom was Captain Thomas Gamble Pitcher.

Pitcher was a West Pointer from the class of 1845.  Graduating 40^th out of 41 cadets, the infantry was his only possible destination fighting in the Mexican War with the 8^th US.  Throughout the Mexican War, he served with the 8^th in Scott’s invasion of Mexico. He was shot through a knee at Cedar Mountain which ended his duty in the field.  Pitcher went on serving as a Provost Marshal during the war going on to command the 44^th US after the war as he returned to West Point as superintendent.  He retired as a colonel with brevet for brigadier general.

Thomas Anderson

The two battalions of the 12^th US united with each other, the 2^nd Battalion now commanded by Captain Thomas M. Anderson, a young lawyer before the war who accepted a commission with the 2^nd US Cavalry in the spring of 1861.  His uncle was Robert Anderson, the Federal commander of Fort Sumter.  Thomas gained promotion to captain in the fall of 1861 with the newly raised 12^th.  Eventually, after a long postwar career in the army, he would be a division commander in Manila leading a division in the Philippine-American War in 1899.  Along with the rest of Banks’ corps in the upcoming battle at 2^nd Bull Run, they were tasked to guard the supply wagon trains of the Army of Virginia thereby missing out on the direct battle.

SYKES/ REGULARS AT BULL RUN TWO

After the Seven Days Campaign, the Army of the Potomac was immobilized by insecurities and fears suffered by their commander, General McClellan.  Satisfied that the Federal position on the James River was not a threat, Lee moved most of his command to follow in Jackson’s footsteps to try and bring Pope’s army to grief.  In response, Washington ordered McClellan to bring his army back to Washington to combine with Pope.  Against his wishes, McClellan began to ship his forces north and the 5^th Corps and Sykes’ Regulars became the vanguard.  Along with several other corps from the Army of the Potomac, they joined up with Pope on 29 August.

Sykes’ Regulars still presented with three brigades – the two Regular brigades under Robert Buchanan and William Chapman and the Volunteer brigade of Warren – 5^th and 10^th New York.  Attached to the division were six Regular artillery batteries, one commanded by Captain Stephen H. Weed, who figures more prominently soon.

arrival from the peninsula

The division posted to the south of the main battle taking place to the north of the Warrenton Turnpike.  On the second day of the battle, Sykes’ Regulars joined in the actions.  Buchanan’s 1^st Brigade – 3^rd, 4^th, 12^th, 14^th – backed up attacks made by the divisions of Daniel Butterfield and John Porter Hatch – Hatch (West Point 1845) only gained command on the eve of the battle after Rufus King (West Point 1829) fell ill.  The attacks went in with the Confederates of Longstreet’s corps arrayed southwards able to fire into the flank and rear of the Federals.  The Federals managed to break the Confederate line briefly, but the flanking fire added to quick moves on Stonewall Jackson’s part forced the Federals back.  Buchanan’s men tried to support Butterfield just as Longstreet began his attack against the weak Federal left.

Longstreet’s Assault

The brigade of Warren, alone with one other brigade on the left was overwhelmed quickly.  Ten minutes into Longstreet’s attack – 25,000 in five divisions – the 5^th New York lost 297 out of the 490 present – 120 dead or mortally wounded.  The 10^th New York suffered as well.  The other brigade, the Ohio Brigade of Nathaniel McLean, barely managed to hold off the onslaught for 30 crucial minutes allowing Pope to develop a second line further up Chinn Ridge.

 In the meantime, Porter, seeing Longstreet’s assault take off, sent Buchanan to move to help on the Federal left.  Other Federal reinforcements also became caught up in the maelstrom with survivors pushed back disorganized onto Henry House Hill.  McDowell constructed a new defensive line along the Manassas-Sudley Road running south of Henry House Hill including Sykes’ two brigades of regulars along with the division from McDowell’s 3^rd Corps commanded by John Reynolds.  Together, they were able to hold off the last of Longstreet’s divisions – Robert Anderson – giving time for the rest of Pope’s army to withdraw in reasonable fashion across the Stone Bridge on Bull Run on the Warrenton Turnpike towards Centreville.  Losses from Sykes’ division ran to 285 from Buchanan’s brigade and Chapman’s brigade 218 – as opposed to the 412 lost from Warren.

A NEW REGULAR DIVISION

The 5^th Corps did not take an active role during the battle of Antietam held in reserve by McClellan.  The Regulars were involved at Fredericksburg as reserves which entailed laying down under fire for several hours in front of the Confederate positions on Marye’s Heights.  Here, 80 men from the 1^st Brigade became casualties while having no chance to inflict damage upon the enemy.

At Chancellorsville, Sykes men were set out on the old Richmond Turnpike pushing east from Chancellorsville in a probe towards the Confederates in Fredericksburg.  At the same time, two other probes went out separately along the River Road and the Orange Plank Road, all isolated from each other by the forested terrain.

Chancellorsville day one

Sykes’ Regulars ran into men of Lafayette McLaw’s division sent over by Lee.  All three of his brigades were under new commanders here – Buchanan left possibly because of his friendship with Fitz John Porter; Chapman went on sick leave and subsequently retired.  Here on 1 May, the 1^st Brigade under Brigadier General Romeyn Ayres were on the left; Colonel Sidney Burbank’s 2^nd Brigade took the front with support lent from Colonel Patrick O’Rorke (West Point 1861) of the 140^th New York (included in the 3^rd Brigade also the 5^th and 146^th New York). 

They pushed them back uphill for a while before the Confederate division under Robert Rodes flanked Sykes on his right – south.  With his units unable to support each other, army commander Joseph Hooker pulled Sykes back to a defensive position around Chancellorsville.  The division thereafter played little role in the ensuing battle.  From its actions, the division lost 286 casualties from mostly fighting on 1 May.

In addition to O’Rorke, Stephen Weed commanded the artillery for the division.  Both would feature more dramatically in the next major outing the Army of the Potomac played in.

GETTYSBURG – “THEY SHOWED US HOW TO DIE”

After Chancellorsville, Lee pushed north on his second invasion.  Of the three days, Sykes’ Regulars – now under the command of Romeyn Ayres – played a significantly pivotal role on the afternoon of 2 July filling in the holes left by Daniel Sickles 3^rd Corps.  In addition, they helped solidify the Federal left flank atop Little Round Top.  Ayres went to divisional command only five days before the battle of Gettysburg.  That resulted from Joseph Hooker’s resignation leading to George Meade’s elevation to command the Army of the Potomac.  Taking Meade’s place at the head of 5^th Corps was George Sykes.

The new brigade commanders were Colonel Hannibal Day (West Point 1823) coming off recruiting duty as colonel of the 6^th US; Colonel Sidney Burbank (West Point 1829) and newly promoted Brigadier General (Volunteer) Stephen Weed former artillery chief of the 5^th Corps.

Sykes’ 5^th Corps – including this division of Regulars – marched to Gettysburg arriving early in the dark 2 July from Union Mills, Maryland, five miles south of the Pennsylvania border.  They spent much of the day resting in reserve behind Cemetery Ridge.  With Sickles’ 3^rd Corps collapsing under Longstreet’s late afternoon attack in the Peach Orchard, Sykes’ men were ordered forward by General Meade.

Into the Wheatfield

Sickles put his three divisions forward from where Meade wanted them.  This resulted in his left flank floating in the air unprotected.  The 3^rd Corps fought hard but outnumbered, they slowly crumbled.  The first two divisions came in to fill the holes developing around the Wheatfield.  First in, the 1^st Division of James Barnes who fell wounded.  Second in was the Regular Division minus the Weed’s 3^rd Brigade which was drawn off to the dramatic fight atop Little Round Top.  Weed fell shot by a sniper from down in Devil’s Den while he arranged artillery pieces on the summit.

The Regular brigades went into action in the Wheatfield where they took the brunt of four attacking Confederate brigades.  Ahead of them coming out of the woods around the Stony Top were men of John C. Caldwell’s division of Winfield S. Hancock’s 2^nd Corps, the first reinforcements in to try and stem the bleeding of the 3^rd Corps.  The Regulars stepped into the Wheatfield with attackers to their front and on their right flank coming out from the Devil’s Den.  For a little less than an hour, they blazed away before finally they slowly withdrew to the safety of Federal artillery covering their retreat.  Half of their ranks becoming casualties of war.  Burbank’s brigade marched in front with Day’s brigade right behind.

Heavy Losses

Total losses for the two brigades came to a little over 25% – 382 casualties – for Day’s men and 47% – 447 casualties – for Burbank’s.  From the Regular ranks, 57 to 63 Irish-born fell during the Second Day’s fight.  Of the more than 900 men present in Burbank’s force, 134 died – at least 34 were Irish-born matching the losses of the Irish Brigade whose place the Regulars took in the Wheatfield.

The Volunteer Brigade

The third brigade of Ayres division under Weed joined Strong Vincent’s brigade atop Little Round Top.  Former brigade commander, Gouverneur Warren – now Meade’s chief of engineers – discovered the high ground undefended by the forward push by Sickles’ 3^rd Corps.  Vincent’s brigade, also belonging to Sykes’ 5^th Corps in the division of Brigadier General Charles Griffin, got up first.  Under attack from John Hood’s division, Vincent’s men were just about to be overwhelmed when Patrick O’Rorke’s 140^th New York Zouaves plugged the gaps.  The rest of Weed’s brigade followed securing Vincent’s right flank on the hill.  Lieutenant Charles Hazlett brought Battery D, 5^th US Artillery to the top of the hill with six 10-pounder Parrot Rifles to support the defense.  Vincent, Weed, O’Rorke and Hazlett were all killed or mortally wounded in the fighting.

Meade’s army lived to fight another day along their fishhook line at Gettysburg.  On the final day of the battle, Sykes’ 5^th Corps took up positions atop both of the Round Tops, helping hold the Federal left secure.

OVERLAND CAMPAIGN

After the battle at Gettysburg, the two Regular brigades combined into one under Burbank.  After a digression to New York City to repress the Draft Riots, he led the men through the fall campaigns – Bristoe and Mine Run – of 1863 before both brigade commanders left the field for less strenuous positions.  The 4^th, 6^th, 7^th and 10^th US were pulled out of the army being sent to New York.  The elements of the eight remaining Regular regiments by this point in time were much reduced in manpower, even more so when the 3^rd US got its call to New York in December.

The remaining Regulars were combined with the remaining now non-Regular 3^rd Brigade into on brigade in the spring of 1864 under the command of their former division commander Romeyn Ayres – 1^st brigade, 1^st Division under Brigadier General Charles Griffin (West Point 1847) – 2^nd, 11^th, 14^th and 17^th US along with the 140^th and 146^th New York and the 91^st and 155^th Pennsylvania.  The 5^th Corps went into the spring actions with Major General Warren at the head, Sykes having been relieved probably in part as a scapegoat for Meade’s inactions during the fall of 1863.  He ended the war as commander of the Department of Kansas.

Overland Losses

In the beginning battle of the Overland, the Regulars – now thrown into a brigade (3839 men in total) with three other Volunteer units – were thrown into Saunders Field with Confederates of Richard Ewell’s corps set up in earthworks on the west edge of the open field.  The Federals achieved a momentary breakthrough before being hit on the right flank by John Gordon’s brigade sealing the breach.   The Federals ended up losing 302 casualties – the other regiments attached to their brigade lost another 633 casualties with 567 coming from the 140^{th (}154 from 529 men) and 146^th New York (312 from 556 men).

Spotsylvania followed rapidly on the heels of the last battle.  Here, the Regulars lost another 420 casualties – the brigade lost 936 men.  They would lose another 44 men before the battles at Cold Harbor where another 165 casualties were recorded.  Total losses to the Regulars from the Overland Campaign amounted to 931 men.  Even with significant recruitment before the campaign, these losses left the Regular units as shells of their former selves.

WITHDRAWAL WITH AN EYE TO THE NEXT STEPS

During 1864, the Regular units attached to the Army of the Potomac began to withdraw from that unit unable to make up for losses incurred in battles or with disease.  The 2^nd US moved off the battlefield becoming the Provost Guard for the 5^th Corps in June.  Ayres saw an elevation back to divisional command with the 2^nd Division 5^th Corps.  He commanded there for the rest of the war.

In the meantime, the shells of the Regular regiments withdrew from the battlefields.  The 2^nd US went to Newport Barracks, Kentucky; the 10^th US to Federal Army headquarters then onto New York City harbor though they would rejoin on Apr 23 with the headquarters of the Army of the Potomac; the 11^th and 12^th US remained with the 2^nd Brigade; the 17^th US moved back to New York City.  The regiments slowly rebuilt themselves for future duties as occupation troops in the South or back to the western frontiers.

further reading

A good source for more information on the Regulars with the Army of the Potomac if you can find it is Sykes’ Regular Infantry Division, 1861-1864 by Timothy J. Reese. For Regulars fighting with the Army of the Cumberland, see That Brave Body of Men by Mark W. Johnson. The second book is easier to find than the former.