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New York State Military Museum and Veterans Research Center: 45th Infantry Regiment
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The Civil War in the East: 45th New York Infantry Regiment

NEW YORK FORTY-FIFTH INFANTRY (Three Years)

Forty-fifth Infantry.-Cols., George Von Amsberg, Adolphus Dobke; Lieut.-Cols., Edward C. Wratislaw, Adolphus Dobke, Charles Koch, Joseph Sprangenburgh; Majs., Charles Sempsey, Adolphus Dobke, Charles Koch, Gustavus Korn. The 45th, the 5th German Rifles, recruited in New York city, was composed mainly of Germans and was mustered into the U. S. service at New York city Sept. 9, 1861, for a three years' term. A month was passed in camp at Jones' wood and Oct. 9, the regiment left for Washington, where it was assigned to the 1st brigade, 5th division and encamped at Hunter's Chapel, Va., for the winter. In April, 1862, the 45th was transferred to the Mountain Department under Gen. Fremont and arrived at Winchester on April 19, remaining there until May 1. It participated in the battle of Cross Keys and then retired to Middletown, where many of the men were on the sick list, owing to the constant, severe marches with insufficient food to which the troops had been subjected. Attached to the 1st brigade, 1st division, 1st corps, Army of Virginia, the regiment was ordered to Sperryville, Madison Court House, Gordonsville, Cuylersville, Cedar mountain and White Sulphur springs, took part in the second battle of Bull Run, and then encamped at Lewinsville from Sept. 3 to 21. It was next stationed until Nov. 3 at Centerville, where the brigade and division became a part of the 11th corps, Army of the Potomac, and were successively posted at Thoroughfare gap, Aldie and Chantilly. On Dec. 11, as part of Gen. Sigel's reserves, the 45th arrived at Falmouth and after the battle of Fredericksburg was withdrawn to Stafford Court House, where winter quarters were established. In the Chancellorsville movement in May 1863, the 45th was closely engaged with a loss of 76 in killed, wounded and missing, and in June it was assigned to the 1st brigade, 3d division, 11th corps and marched to Gettysburg, where it participated in the three days' battle with the loss of 224 in killed, wounded and missing. Gathering together its scattered ranks the regiment moved west and in October participated in the battle of Wauhatchie, Tenn. It then moved to Chattanooga, shared in the Rossville campaign, and was present at Missionary ridge in November. At the opening of the Atlanta campaign in the spring of 1864, the 45th was assigned to the 3d brigade, 1st division, 20th corps, with which it served until July, being in action at Resaca, Dallas and Kennesaw mountain. In July it was attached to the Department of the Cumberland at Nashville and remained there until the close of the war. The original members not reenlisted were mustered out on Oct. 8, 1864, but the command was retained as a veteran regiment until June 30, 1865, when it was consolidated with the 58th N. Y. and with it mustered out at Nashville Oct. 1, 1865. During the term of service the regiment lost 53 by death from wounds and 108 by death from other causes. Source: The Union Army, Vol. 2, p. 82 New York FORTY-FIFTH REGIMENT OF INFANTRY (VETERAN). Fifth German Regiment or Rifles; Howe's Rifles. (Three Years) This regiment, Col George Von Amsberg was organized in New York city, where it was recruited almost wholly of Germans, and mustered in the service of the United States for three years September 9, 1861; it received its numerical designation from the State September 14, 1861. Part of the Honved Regiment, Col. Edward Count Wratislaw, was consolidated into this regiment. At the expiration of its term of service, the men entitled thereto were discharged, principally October 8, 1864, and the regiment retained in service. The regiment left the State October 9, 1861; served in Stahel's Brigade, Blenker's Division, Army of the Potomac, from October 12, 1861; in 1st Brigade, same division, Mountain Department, from April, 1862; in the 1st Brigade, 1st Division, 1st Corps, Army of Virginia, from June 26, 1862; in the same brigade and division, 11th Corps,Army of the Potomac, from September 12, 1862; in the 1St Brigade, 3d Division, 11th Corps, Army of the Potomac, from June, 1863; in the 3d Brigade, 1st Division, 20th Corps, from April, 1864; in the 4th Division, 20th Corps, at Nashville, Tenn., Department of Cumberland, from July 6, 1864; and it was consolidated, under Lt.-Col. Adolphus Dobke, company to corresponding company, with the 58th Infantry, June 30, 1865 at Nashville. Tenn. Source: Phisterer, p. 2,305 Gettysburg after battle report: Report of Lieut. Col. Adolphus Dobke, Forty-fifth New York Infantry. Weaversville, Va., August 21, 1863. Sir: I have the honor to make the following report of the operations of the Forty-fifth Regt. New York Volunteers, from June 28 until its arrival at Warrenton Junction, including the battle at Gettysburg: June 28.--Having rested one day at Middletown, the Forty-fifth Regt. resumed the march to Frederick City early in the morning; at 3 o'clock to Emmitsburg, 22 miles, where it rested on June 30. Early in the morning of July 1, the regiment marched from Emmitsburg, without any rest, to Gettysburg, Pa., where it arrived at 11 a. m. The First Corps at this time being hotly engaged with and pressed by the enemy, the First Brigade, Third Division, Eleventh Corps, of which the Forty-fifth Regt. New York Volunteers is a part, was hurried to the battle-field in double-quick, to the right of the First Army Corps. Col. George von Amsberg at this moment was ordered to the command of the First Brigade, devolving the command of the Forty-fifth Regt. on Lieut. Col. Adolphus Dobke. The Forty-fifth Regt. New York Volunteers, on the immediate right of the First Corps, threw out four companies as skirmishers at 11.30 a. m., but owing to the wide, open space which was left to be covered by this regiment, the whole regiment was deployed as skirmishers in the open field in the immediate line of battle; Dilger's battery, in the rear, and the Sixty-first Ohio, on the right, also deployed as skirmishers. The enemy opened at once on this line from his batteries on the summit and base of a hill on the road to York, and an incessant fire was pouring grape, canister, solid shot, and shell on our position. At about 1.30 p. m. a long line of the enemy moved on the extreme right of the First Corps, passing the left of the Forty-fifth, and offering the flank to the Forty-fifth Regt. New York Volunteers. The left wing of our regiment at once gave fire at very short distance (50 or 100 yards) with such terrible effect that, in result with the combination of the fire from the extreme right of the First Corps, the whole of the enemy's line halted, gradually disappeared on the same spot where they stood, and the remainder, finding they could not retrace their steps, surrendered, partly to the First Corps and a great number to the Forty-fifth Regt., which prisoners were at once sent to the rear, but in the heat of the battle no account could be taken. In the most raging fire and the most horrible scenes, when 8 comrades, one after another, were killed, and some shattered to pieces, not a single man flinched, but all were cheering, and fulfilled their duties nobly. So we remained under fire until about 4 p. m., when the First Corps, on our left, gave way, and exposed our left flank, and at the same time heavy columns were moving on us in front and on the right, when the Forty-fifth Regt. was ordered to retreat. It rallied in line, and in splendid style retreated to the seminary, where it was ordered to halt and cover the retreat of the First and Eleventh Corps through Gettysburg. In a short time all sorts of missiles found their way through houses, fences, and gardens, and it was evident that to stay much longer would be certain destruction, so the regiment was ordered to follow the column which had passed, when, marching a few blocks, suddenly a few regiments of the First Corps were thrown in the way, and our regiment headed to the left to gain the other main streets. When about the middle of the square, a sudden panic arose in a column on the street we were to gain throwing themselves in our column and into the houses. Not to become mixed up, the Forty-fifth Regt. turned again to the street just left, marched two squares down, and turned again to the left for the before-mentioned roads. About the middle of the block our column was received by the enemy's infantry fire, when the column headed into an alley leading to the direction we had to follow. Unfortunately this alley led into a spacious yard surrounded by large buildings, which only offered an entrance, but no way to pass out, excepting a very narrow doorway, to freedom and heaven; but the enemy's sharpshooters had already piled a barricade of dead Union soldiers in the street in front of this doorway. About 100 of the Forty-fifth Regt. extricated themselves from this trap, ran the gauntlet, and arrived safely at the graveyard. The remainder were taken prisoners, as meanwhile the whole town was surrounded and the enemy in possession of Gettysburg. Only one-third of the equipped men of the Forty-fifth Regt. assembled at the cemetery behind the stone fence, and two-thirds of the regiment were lost. No demonstration was made by the enemy that night for the possession of Cemetery Hill, and we remained quiet for the night. Cartridges were distributed, as all had been used on July 1, and prepared for the conflict to come. All remained quiet until 4 p. m. of July 2, when the enemy's batteries opened in a wide circle, concentrating their fire on Cemetery Hill, which place was under the most hellish cross-fire during this and all other subsequent engagements. In the evening, at dark, a sudden attack was made on the Twelfth Corps, on our right, and the Forty-fifth Regt. ordered to support. For a mile through the complete darkness in the woods this regiment pushed up to the stone fence through an incessant shower of bullets, and shared well in the defense of this position. It is to be mentioned that while the regiment marched in the darkness through the woods, under guide of a staff officer, the march was considerably delayed by a number of general staff officers, each exerting himself to give his orders, and so, by movements, counter-movements, halts, &c., some time elapsed before the regiment found itself in the right place behind the fence. The firing lasted until midnight, and at 2.30 o'clock in the morning the Forty-fifth Regt. was ordered to return to its position on Cemetery Hill, in the center of the whole position. In the forenoon of July 3, since 3.45 a. m., the right wing was the special object of attack, but in the afternoon, after 12 m., the left and center were attacked, the Forty-fifth Regt. not coming into immediate action with the rifles, excepting with the sharpshooters in town, but the most vehement artillery cross-fire had to be sustained from 12 m. to 4 p. m., and particularly from 2 to 4 p. m., the last attack by the enemy. Very little damage was done, however, to our ranks, and it proved only to be noisy. The morning of July 4 showed us the great victory, and a summary of the loss of the Forty-fifth Regt. New York Volunteers proved as follows: Acting Second Lieut. Edward Milde; Sergts. E. May and J. Weitzel; Corpls. Rudolph Schwartz and E. Weissensel; Privates X. Feist, P. Schruve, F. Roth, J. Ploughoft, August Schoch, and Charles Schade killed; Maj. Charles Koch and 34 enlisted men wounded, and 14 officers and 164 men missing. The loss of rifles and accouterments has to be compared with the loss of men, as those of the killed and wounded could not be transported, and those of the missing fell in the hands of the enemy. Particular mention of individuals for bravery is withheld, as every one did his duty with coolness. Capt. Gustavus Korn was untiring in all special duties, and Sergt. Charles Link, Company C, a fearless soldier, leading a squad to dislodge a party of sharpshooters in the town, who were very annoying, received a painful wound in the thigh in the attempt. After the battle, the regiment remained on the battle-field on Cemetery Hill until 6 p. m. July 5, when it marched off toward Emmitsburg. At midnight the march was stopped, owing to the complete darkness and the horrible condition of the roads, which were nearly impassable from the heavy rain of the last two days. At 4 p. m. on July 6, the regiment arrived at Emmitsburg. On July 7, the heaviest march of the campaign was executed, marching 32 miles from Emmitsburg, and arrived at 10 p. m. at Middletown, a distance of 34 miles, through the open fields, taking a narrow pass road over the mountains in a circuit. Toward night the rain descended in torrents, amid which men and beasts sank down, tired to death, most of the soldiers without any shoes, barefooted, or shoes so ragged or torn that they did not deserve the name. On July 8, the regiment marched over South Mountain Pass to Boonsborough, where it arrived on the battle-field in the afternoon in time to see the enemy retreating. From Boonsborough to Funkstown positions were changed several times, until July 12, when we crossed the Antietam Creek and took position east of Hagerstown in front of the enemy's works, remaining until the morning of the 14th, when a general forward movement was ordered, only to find the enemy's lines deserted. Following until within the vicinity of Williamsport, the regiment returned on July 15 to Middletown, and marched from there to Berlin, where it again crossed the Potomac into Dixie on July 19. From there the regiment marched, via Lovettsville, Waterford, Middleburg, White Plains, and New Baltimore, to Warrenton Junction, where it arrived without further accident on July 25. Very respectfully, A. DOBKE, Lieut. Col., Comdg. Forty-fifth Regt. New York Volunteers. Col. G. von Amsberg, Comdg. First Brigade. Series I. Vol. 27. Part I. Reports. Serial No. 43

New York 45th Infantry (Union)

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