NEW JERSEY THIRD INFANTRY (Three Years)

Third Infantry.--Cols., George W. Taylor, Henry W. Brown; Lieut.-Cols., Mark W. Collett, James N. Duffy; Majs., James W. H. Stickney, William E. Bryan. This regiment, raised under authority of General Orders No. 15 of May 4, 1861, was fully organized, equipped and officered by May 18, and on June 4 was duly mustered into the U. S. service for three years, at Camp Olden, Trenton. It left the state on June 28, with a full complement of men--38 officers, 1,013 non-commissioned officers and privates, total, 1,051. It was assigned to Gen. Kearny's brigade, with the 1st, 2nd and 4th N. J., composing the 1st New Jersey brigade. Immediately after the first battle of Bull Run it joined the 1st and 2nd regiments near Alexandria, having been stationed at Fairfax during the engagement. It was among the first to come into direct collision with the pickets of the enemy and to suffer loss in its ranks from Confederate bullets at Munson's hill. On March 9, 1862, the 2nd and 3d, with a squadron of the Lincoln cavalry, occupied Sangster's station, on the Orange & Alexandria railroad, the 4th acting as a support to the advance. On the following day the brigade moved cautiously forward and at 10 o'clock in the morning entered the abandoned works at Manassas Junction--eight companies of the 3d being the first to take possession and hoist the regimental flag. At West Point, Va., the brigade relieved the troops in advance on the evening of May 6, 1862, and the men lay on their arms in line of battle until daylight, when they were ordered forward, the 3d regiment being on the skirmish line. At Gaines' mill the brigade was formed in two lines, the 3d and 4th in front, and in that order advanced to the brow of a hill, where the 3d, under Lieut.-Col. Brown, was ordered into the woods to relieve Newton's brigade, which was sorely pressed by the enemy. The gallant regiment stood its ground, opening a galling fire on the enemy and remaining in the woods until the close of the action, with a loss of 34 killed, 136 wounded and 45 missing. The regiment participated in the battles of Charles City cross-roads, Malvern hill, Manassas, Chantilly, Crampton's gap and Antietam, and also in the movement against Fredericksburg in December. In the spring of 1863 the regiment took part in the movements of Hooker in the vicinity of Fredericksburg and fought at Salem church. In the Gettysburg campaign the brigade, which prior to that movement had been in various apparently aimless marches in Virginia, was attached to Wright's division of the 6th corps. Following the Gettysburg fight the regiment was engaged at Fairfield, Pa., Williamsport and Funkstown, Md., Rappahannock Station and Mine Run, Va. Col. Torbert being assigned to the command of a cavalry division, Col. Brown, of the 3d, temporarily took charge of the brigade, to which the 10th regiment was added before the grand advance under Grant. In all the operations in the Wilderness the Jerseymen behaved with the greatest steadiness. At the opening of the fight at Spottsylvania, after some playing at cross-purposes, the 3d and 15th regiments were advanced, the former under Capt. Dubois deployed as skirmishers, and the latter under Col. Campbell acting as a support. On May 12, the brigade was massed for a charge--the 3d being in the second line-and pushed forward through the woods until within 100 yards of the Confederate works. In the first eleven days of Grant's campaign against Richmond the 3d regiment sustained the following losses: Killed 21, wounded 102, missing 33. After fighting at the North Anna river, Hanover Court House, Totopotomoy creek and Cold Harbor, the 3d left the front on June 3 and reached the New Jersey state capital on the night of the 7th. The men of the regiment who had reenlisted and those whose terms had not expired were at first transferred to the 4th and 15th, but were subsequently consolidated into the 1st, 2nd and 3d battalions, and with the 4th, 10th and 15th regiments, from that time forward until Feb., 1865, constituted the 1st brigade--the 40th regiment being added at the latter date. The regiment then participated in the final operations of the war until the surrender of Lee, when it was assigned to what was known as the provisional corps, Army of the Potomac, and was mustered out at Hall's hill, Va., June 29, 1865. The total strength of the regiment was 1,275 and it lost, by resignation 23, by discharge 383, by promotion 84, by transfer 95, by death 213, by desertion 111, by dismissal 4, not accounted for 3, leaving 359 that were mustered out. Source: The Union Army, vol. 3 Antietam after battle report: Report of Col. Henry W. Brown, Third New Jersey Infantry, of the battle of Crampton's Pass. HDQRS. THIRD REGIMENT NEW JERSEY VOLUNTEERS, Camp in Crampton's Pass, Md., September 15, 1862. SIR: On Sunday morning the 14th instant, about 6 o'clock, we left our bivouac, and marched through a pass over the mountain to Jefferson, where we halted in a field by the town for some time. A little before noon we again marched to a point about half a mile to the rear of the village of Burkittsville, where we formed line of battle on the slope of a wooded height, a little on the right of the enemy's position. After remaining a few minutes, we moved forward into a swampy hollow, and there remained until about 4 o'clock p.m., when we marched by a flank side by side with the First Regiment followed respectively by the Fourth and Second, keeping as well concealed as the nature of the ground permitted from the fire of the enemy's artillery, which was strongly posted on a road which leads nearly parallel to the hillside from Burkittsville, and turned suddenly to the left through the gap (artillery was also posted on the steep, rocky and woody height), until we came directly in front of the enemy's position, where we halted. The First and Second Regiments moved forward, forming the first line of the brigade. The Third and Fourth followed to the front at a distance varying from 100 to sometimes only 30 paces in rear, according to the nature of the ground. We moved thus over an open country intersected by high fences, the men clambering over as best they could, and quickly regaining their position in line, marching with great steadiness and precision, and so through a corn-field, still exposed to a hot fire of shell from the enemy, for a distance of one-fourth of a mile. At the verge of the corn-field we were ordered to halt. Here we lost some men from their shell. Ten minutes after, we were ordered forward, and moved rapidly and steadily across a grass field under cover of a slight rise in front. The men were here ordered to lie down in line. The first line was now hotly engaged, as we could hear from the incessant fusillade intermingled with the road of the enemy's guns, now throwing grape and canister as well as shell. In five minutes the Third and Fourth were ordered in to relieve the first line, and the men, springing up, went in with a cheer up to, over, and through the high fence held by the enemy at the base of the wooded heights and strongly lined by his sharpshooters, who delivered their fire with great rapidity. But nothing could withstand the onset of our men. The enemy broke and fled, pursued by our men without halt up the sides of the mountain, climbing up the singly sides of the hill until they reached the road before mentioned. Here it was observed that a battalion of the enemy were forming on the right of our line, now become the first line of the brigade, when we changed front forward and delivered a destructive fire on his half-formed line, followed up by a renewal of the charge, when he broke utterly and the pursuit continued. A party of my regiment, under command of Lieut. Fairly, my acting adjutant, and Lieut. Hufty, consisting of about 20 men, moved off from the regiment by my order, and circling round by the road to the right, got in rear of and around the heights up which the body of the regiment was pursuing the retreating foe. They moved with such rapidly that many of the party fell out exhausted, and on their arrival at the point desired in rear the adjutant found he had but 5 men. With these he succeeded in capturing 4 of the enemy's offices and many of their men. This party, being out of ammunition, was obliged to abandon the pursuit, though they delivered their last remaining fire into the enemy's artillery, now in full retreat, and which could easily have been captured had there been cavalry to pursue. Thus ended a sharp and well-contested action, in which the enemy had every advantage of numbers, position, and artillery. In his utter and complete rout, my men showed here what they could do when they had a fair chance, and they here well sustained the honor of New Jersey on this field. I have not to regret the loss of any officer killed. Capt. Stickney, of Company F, and Second Lieut. Lambson, of Company E, are both slightly wounded. My officers and men behaved most gallantly. Those officers who had received their commissions the previous day (all in command of companies) showed by their conduct how well they had deserved their promotion. Lieut.-Col. Campbell, of the Fifteenth Regiment New Jersey Volunteers, late captain of Company F, in my regiment, and of the acceptance of whose resignation I have not yet received official notice, was my only acting field officer, and though where all have distinguished it might seem invidious to particularize, I should be acting unjustly did I not mention how nobly he assisted me. I must also mention First Lieut. David Fairly, my acting adjutant, for his promptness in repeating my commands, as well as for his perfect coolness and daring intrepidity. Lieut. Hufty also behaved remarkably well. One of my officers captured the colors of the Cobb Legion at the same time with a private, but seeing the man belonged to the Fourth Regiment of our brigade; he gave up his clair to the colors, and gave Col. Hatch the sling in the evening. Both color-bearers of my regiment, Sergeant Haggerty, of Company A, and Corporal Westcott, of Company B, behaved with distinguished gallantry, waving their colors continually in advance, and I cannot speak too highly of the conduct of Acting Sergeant Dalziel, of Company D, who accompanied my acting adjutant with the party detailed and brought down many of the enemy with his unerring rifle. My entire loss was 11 killed and 28 wounded. I have the honor to be, very respectfully, your obedient servant, H.W. BROWN, Col., Commanding. Lieut. H.P. COOKE, Acting Assistant Adjutant-Gen.

Source: Official Records: Series I. Vol. 19. Part I, Reports. Serial No. 27

New Jersey 3rd Volunteer Infantry (Union)

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