A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE
TWENTY-FOURTH NEW YORK CAVALRY
By D. Lockhart, Copyright 2005
The Remains of The 24th New
York Cavalry Battle Flag
It may be said
that the history of 24th New York Cavalry begins not in New York but in
Castlefinn, Donaghmore Parish, County Donegal, Ireland. It was in
this Ulster village that the regiment's first commander, Colonel William C. Raulston, was born
on November 15, 1832. Raulston was
apparently the first child of William and Eliza Raulston. He had
one sister, Eliza J., and three brothers, John B., James A., and George F. The family emigrated to
the United States in the mid-late
1830s. In 1840 and 1850 they were living in the town of Dewitt,
Onondaga County, New York. By 1860 they had settled in Southwest
Oswego, Oswego County, where the father was a substantial farmer and
apparently an innkeeper as well.
All four Raulston brothers served in the war. In May 1861 James joined the 24th New York Infantry. He was killed at the Battle of Antietam. In September 1861 William and John joined the 81st New York Infantry. William entered as a Captain and rose to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel in less than a year. John remained with the regiment for most of the war and eventually became its commander. The youngest brother, George, joined the 24th New York Cavalry as a First Lieutenant in July 1864. He was promoted to Captain two months later.
William Raulston left the 81st to raise his own regiment. On August 25, 1863 he received authority to reorganize the 24th New York Infantry, which had completed its term of service. A month later the authority was modified so that the unit would be designated a cavalry regiment. By late September 1863 Raulston was busy organizing the new regiment from a base in Buffalo. By December 1863 the regiment was stationed at Camp Seward in the town of Auburn, Cayuga County. Then-Major Walter Cass Newberry was in charge of recruiting men. He was headquartered at the American Hotel in Auburn.
Newberry is a story in himself. He was born on December 23, 1835 in Sangerfield, Oneida County, the son of Colonel Amasa Stoughton Newberry and Cornelia Perry (Pangborn) Newberry. Newberry's uncle, Walter Loomis Newberry, was founder and benefactor of the Newberry Library of Chicago. When the war broke out Newberry enlisted as a lowly Private in the 81st New York Infantry, eventually rising to the rank of Captain. Newberry began as a Major in the 24th New York Cavalry and ultimately succeeded Raulston as commander of the regiment after Raulston was captured. By the war's end Newberry was brevetted as a Brigadier General. After the war he went on to hold several public posts, including Mayor of Petersburg, Virginia (1869-70), Postmaster of Chicago (1888-89), and U.S. Representative from Illinois (1891-93).
Newberry's recruitment efforts met with success. By mid-December about five hundred men had already joined the regiment, spurred on no doubt by the hefty bounties being offered ($677 for new recruits and $852 for veterans, with $300 cash down), by the lure of serving in the most dashing branch of the service, and by the threat of a looming draft. There was much to be said for cash, fancy cavalry gear, and an opportunity to see some action before the war ended. By late January 1864 the regiment was about 1,040 strong, making it two or three times the size of a typical regiment.
Oswego was the most represented county of the regiment. A substantial number of men came from Erie, Livingston, Monroe, Oneida, Onondaga, and Ontario counties. Other key contributors were Albany, Cayuga, Chemung, Jefferson, Herkimer, Madison, Otsego, and Wayne counties. The regiment continued to enlist new men right through the closing weeks of the war, however, and increasingly they came from other areas of New York including the New York city area.
Each company was associated with particular towns from which most of the men were recruited, as follows: A (Fulton and Phoenix); B (Utica, Auburn, and Springfield); C (Oswego, Buffalo, Ogdensburg, Auburn, and Volney); D (Buffalo, Southport, Baldwin, Orange, Elmira, and Catlin); E (Oswego, Scriba, Hastings, Hannibal, Orwell, and Parish); F (Buffalo, Taberg, Oswego, Rome, and Utica); G (Orwell, Sandy Creek, Amboy, Oswego, New Haven, and Lorraine); H (Rochester, Mt. Morris, and Canandaigua); I (Oswego, Fulton, Parish, Palermo, and Hastings); K (Syracuse, Onondaga, Oswego, and Buffalo); L (Canandaigua, Auburn, Rochester, Mt. Morris, Rome, and Utica); M (Buffalo, Auburn, Utica, Syracuse, and Onondaga).
Although enlisting men were told that the regiment would linger in New York until spring, that proved not to be the case. On February 23, 1864 the regiment left Auburn by train. They passed through Elmira, Harrisburg, and Baltimore, and arrived at the Baltimore & Ohio Station in Washington, DC, late at night on February 25. That same night the men crossed to the north side of the Potomac and pitched their tents at Camp Stoneman. March and April were occupied with drilling. The men were issued Starr Carbines, sabers and cavalry boots. Their horses, however, did not materialize. On April 26 they learned why: they were to serve dismounted, as a mere infantry unit. Raulston calmed the near mutiny that ensued by promising the men that they would retain their formal designation as a cavalry regiment and that they would be mounted within sixty days. In fact, they would not receive their horses until October 1864, after some of the fiercest fighting was already behind them.
The dismounted 24th New York Cavalry was assigned to a Provisional Brigade of the 9th Army Corps. That brigade was commanded by Colonel Elisha G. Marshall. The 9th Corps, in turn, was commanded by Major General Ambrose E. Burnside. Burnside reported directly to Lieutenant General Ulysses S. Grant until May 25, 1864, when the 9th Corps was placed under the Army of the Potomac, commanded by Major General George G. Meade. By late April the 9th Corps consisted of 42 infantry regiments and 14 batteries of light artillery. It contained 32,708 men.
On April 29, 1864 the regiment crossed the Potomac and started the long march south toward Petersburg. The march paralleled the Orange & Alexandria railroad line and took them through Fort Albany, Bailey's Crossroads, Fairfax Courthouse, Manassas Junction, Bristoe Station and Warrenton Junction. Cavalry boots proved unsuitable for long marches. On arriving at Warrenton Junction on May 3, the men could hardly walk. They still had no knapsacks for carrying provisions. It was a bad state of affairs. Nonetheless, they trudged on through Rappahannock Station and Brandy Station, fording the Rapidan River during the night of May 5-6. The march was not without some humor. As the regiment came alongside an artillery unit that had not been issued any cannon, an artillerist called over and asked what had become of their horses. The reply: "We have sent them to the rear to bring up your guns."
Between May 5 and 7 the regiment played a support role during the Battle of the Wilderness. There were some brief encounters with the enemy. One man was wounded on May 5. Major George G. Wanzer was taken prisoner on May 6, apparently the first to be captured. At 9:00 pm on May 7 the nearby rebels let up cheer. The regiment braced for a charge. The enemy apparently thought better or were bluffing.
The Wilderness Battle had a depressing effect on the 24th New York. The Union losses had been severe (about 18,000 men), and nothing seemed to have been accomplished. When orders came to move out during the night of May 7-8, the men assumed that a retreat was in progress. The next morning they still had no idea where they were marching. Captain Henry C. Meyer of Company “D” later wrote about an event that changed their mood: "We soon came to a house outside of which I saw a colored woman apparently dressed up, since it was Sunday. I called out to her and asked what road we were marching on. Upon hearing her reply, 'The road to Spottsylvania Court House,' a thrill of satisfaction instantly passed through every man in the column, since we realized that we at last had a general and that our movement was south and towards the rear of Lee's army. From that time until the end of my service I never had any misgivings as to Grant's capacity to lead us to final victory." Later that morning the regiment caught their first glimpse of Grant himself as he rode past the troops during a roadside rest break. He appeared "riding a small black horse with his feet not more than two feet from the ground." Meyer recalled that "[h]is unpretentious appearance excited the comment of all, and had we not been told who he was he would have attracted no more attention than an ordinary line officer." Rather than disturb the men, some of whom were sleeping on the road, Grant simply trotted into a field and around them. This was a man who inspired respect.
The regiment played a more active role in the Battle of Spottsylvania Courthouse. The May 8 march took them past the old Chancellorsville battleground, where many of the dead still lay on the field, half-buried. They arrived in the vicinity of the courthouse in the afternoon. According to Meyer, at least some portion of the regiment "held the line of works on the road to [Spottsylvania Courthouse]," and they were "under fire most of the day until, towards evening, the enemy retired." By May 10 the regiment was on picket near the front lines and was skirmishing with the Confederates. Around this time they drove a party of rebel sharpshooters from their trenches. Between May 11 and 21 the regiment engaged the enemy sporadically, pushing them back in places, repulsing some counterattacks, and building new breastworks as they moved. Seven men were wounded and at least one was captured.
From May 21 to 23, the regiment was on the march again, fending off a rebel attack as they trekked over twenty miles to the North Anna River. On May 24 the regiment crossed the North Anna in breast-deep water, holding their clothing, arms and ammunition above their heads. As they arrived on the opposite bank, the Confederates began shelling their position, but to no effect. The men built breastworks in anticipation of a rebel charge which did not occur. Between May 24 and 26 there were some clashes between regiment and rebel pickets. Swimming in the North Anna seems to have been a higher priority, however. One member of the regiment was wounded while on picket duty.
After re-crossing the North Anna on May 26 the regiment began another twenty-plus mile march, fording the Pamunkey River at Hanovertown on May 29. This time the men remained high and dry on pontoon bridges built for the crossing. After marching three more miles they put up breastworks. The Battle of Totopotomoy raged nearby. Amidst minor skirmishing, the regiment moved its position to the left by about one mile on May 31. The rebels attempted to drive in the regiment's pickets but failed. At this point the regiment was stationed near Bethesda Church, about three miles away from Cold Harbor.
The regiment’s first serious fighting took place between June 1 and 12 as part of the Battles of Bethesda Church and Cold Harbor. June 1 began quietly enough, with the men receiving their first batch of mail from home. A pitched battle soon erupted to the right of their position, however, and the pickets in front of them began exchanging fire. The men scrambled for the rifle pits but four were wounded. Captain Francis L. Brown of Company “L” was thought to have been killed but ultimately recovered and completed the war using crutches.
On June 2 the regiment marched about two miles, moving down the Mechanicsville Road toward Old Church, closer to the main scene of action around Cold Harbor. The rebels were waiting for them. The first regiment of the brigade to come under attack was the 14th New York Heavy Artillery, then functioning as an infantry unit. The 24th New York came to their aid, rushing across an open field under heavy fire from rebels positioned in the woods beyond. They beat the Confederates to an abandoned rifle pit, where they regrouped and began firing their carbines. The ensuing battle lasted about four hours. The Confederates were kept at bay at the cost of three killed and ten wounded. During the night of June 2-3 there was mass confusion on the picket line. In the darkness a group of men from the 24th New York got mixed up with an Alabama regiment. Over thirty were taken prisoner. One of them, Sergeant Daniel G. Kelley, later wrote about the circumstances of their capture and the horrors of Andersonville in his book “What I Saw and Suffered in Rebel Prisons.”
Heavy fighting continued on June 3, with the rebels attempting to take the rifle pits occupied by the 24th New York. Both sides began shelling each other with heavy guns. One man from the regiment was killed when a twenty pounder removed his head. Several more were wounded and captured. The regiment shifted its position during the night of June 3-4 as the rebels withdrew to the left. It appears that they marched about two miles, closer to Gaine’s Mill, where they made new breastworks. Between June 5 and 8 the two sides continued to exchange shells and there was skirmishing between the pickets. One man was captured and a few others were wounded.
On June 9 the regiment was transferred to the 2nd Brigade, 3rd Division, of the 9th Corps. At the time, the 2nd Brigade was commanded by Colonel Benjamin C. Christ. The 3rd Division was commanded by Brigadier General Orlando B. Willcox. The regiment marched a mile to join their new brigade, stationed in the vicinity of Drury’s Bluff. One man was captured in the process. A member of the regiment wrote home that day: “Everything looks nice down here. The corn is a foot high, the cherries are almost ripe and the berries are ripe, but everything is destroyed by the soldiers marching through.” After building breastworks at their new location, the regiment settled in for a three-day rest.
The 2nd Brigade left the breastworks at 8:00 pm on June 12 and marched through the night, halting at 4:00 am the next day for coffee. The march resumed at 8:00 am and continued until about 11:00 pm, when they arrived near the Chickahominy River. They had covered about twenty miles in a little over a day. At 4:30 am on June 14 they were on the move again, crossing the Chickahominy at Jones Landing around 6:00 am. By the evening of June 14 they were approaching the James River, where they halted for the night, having covered eleven more miles. June 15 was a day a rest. The march did not resume until 9:00 pm. Around midnight the brigade crossed the James on pontoon bridges near Wilcox’s Landing and Fort Powhattan. After completing the 700-yard trip over the river, the brigade continued on through the night, passing Old Prince George Court House and reaching the outskirts of Petersburg by about noon on June 16. As one man from the 24th New York recalled, "[o]ur march from the James River to Petersburg was a very hard one, since the roads were sandy and it seemed that at every two steps forward we would slip one backward." Another man wrote in his diary: “I was asleep half the time while marching.” The 2nd Brigade was now located east of Harrison Creek, between the Dunn House and the Shands House. Though exhausted, the regiment worked most of the night reinforcing the breastworks they had occupied. From their position they could see Confederate trains arriving with reinforcements to resist the coming Union assault.
The next two days were the bloodiest in the record of the regiment. In the morning of June 17 the 9th Corps launched a massive attack on the rebel works in front of Petersburg. The 24th New York participated in the charge along with the rest of the 2nd Brigade, starting from a position near the Norfolk Road. They rushed through a large cornfield that was punctuated by a series of ridges, under fire described by one man as like “a very hard storm with thunder.” When it was all over, no ground had been gained but eighteen were dead and sixty-four were wounded. Among the wounded were Captain Meyer, who was shot near the spine while attempting to carry Second Lieutenant James B.F. Randall of Company "B" off the battlefield. Meyer was later awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor. Also wounded was 2nd Lieutenant William Winer Cooke of Company “M,” who survived the ordeal only to be killed in 1876 fighting with Custer at the Battle of Little Big Horn. Benjamin Christ was knocked out of action as well and Colonel Raulston briefly took his place as commander of the 2nd Brigade. Command of the 24th New York devolved to Newberry, who had been promoted to Lieutenant Colonel. Raulston received his orders later that day: “You will collect all your men together, get them in the best position possible, and hold them in readiness to join in an attack to be made to-morrow morning at 4 o’clock.” Raulston replied that he would do his best but that it would be hard even to hold their ground, much less regroup the brigade and improve their position.
The second assault fared no better. The regiment made two main advances with the 2nd Brigade. In the first, they charged across Taylor’s Creek, through some woods, across a field, and to the base of an embankment for the Norfolk & Petersburg railroad tracks. While crossing the field members of the brigade “dropped like rain” as the rebels poured out “a galling cross-fire.” They regrouped at the embankment and took cover. Toward evening, they climbed over the top and made a second charge. The second charge led them up a hill toward the Confederate entrenchments. After holding a portion of the hill for twenty minutes and coming to within 150 yards of the enemy’s line, they were driven back. This time, eleven men of the regiment were killed and forty-seven were wounded. Third Division commander Orlando Willcox later reported that although the 24th New York was a new regiment, they “exhibited throughout the steadiness and bravery of old troops.” The top brass of the regiment – Raulston, Newberry and Major Melzar Richards – were all wounded. Richards's wounds required an extended leave of absence. Nine months passed before he rejoined the regiment.
Among the dead were Archibald Davis of Company “K” and James Dilley of Company “C.” Davis was “buried in a cornfield on the battlefield by his tentmates.” Private George Parks of Company “C” wrote home about Dilley’s demise: “Dear wife, I have melancholy news. Yesterday the Rebs met us at 2 o’clock. We had to advance against them and take possession of a very important railroad to cut off their supplies to Richmond. We took it and then we had to charge their entrenchments. While before them poor James Dilly while in the act of firing his piece, got a ball right through his head, dropped dead without moving a limb. He was so close to me, and not knowing when I might get another chance, I took the liberty to take his wallet, as he had begged of me if either of us should fall, and to let you know what happened. Please let poor Mrs. Dilly know in the easiest way you can, which will be a severe trial for both of you.” Captain Calvin P. Burch of Company “G” was also killed, shot through the lungs. His brother Nelson, also of Company “G,” tried to find an embalmer so that the body could be sent home. This could not be done so the body joined that of Davis, under the corn. Thus began the siege of Petersburg.
After a few days of recuperation in the rear the 24th New York was sent forward with the 2nd Brigade to the extreme front lines then occupied by the 9th Corps. By now the brigade was under the command of Colonel William Humphrey of the 2nd Michigan. Humphrey would remain in command for the next three months. The brigade’s position was just to left of Suffolk Road (also known as Baxter Road). Behind them was the Norfolk & Petersburg Railroad. In front of them was a little valley through which Taylor’s Creek ran. About two hundred yards distant lay Davidson’s Confederate Battery. The Union and Confederate pickets often came within point blank range of each other. As a contemporary historian noted, the whole 9th Corps was “very near the enemy’s works, and an incessant firing was kept up during the siege, resulting in a daily loss of men, killed or wounded. While there was a comparative quiet in front of the other corps positions, the men of the Ninth were subjected to the terrible strain of a constant watchfulness and deadly exposure. The enemy seemed to be excited to an undue activity by the presence of Ferrero’s Colored Division.” This was a reference to the black troops under the command of Brigadier General Edward Ferrero.
Until late July the regiment remained in this vicinity, constantly reinforcing their breastworks while losing men on almost a daily basis. In one month the regiment lost twelve killed and over thirty wounded. There were occasional pauses in the action. On July 1 some men from the regiment crossed the lines as part of an informal truce and exchanged newspapers with a group of Confederates, then referred to as “Johnnies.” July 4 was also calm except for an Independence Day artillery salute on the Union side. When the men formed for a drill on July 8, however, the rebels were inspired to fire a shell toward an inspecting General. The salvo missed the intended target but took off the leg of Sergeant Charles A. Martin of Company “H” and the hand of Lieutenant John Bannister of Company “M.” Bannister survived. Martin died the same day. On July 22 three solid shot landed in the midst of the regiment. One of them screamed into Raulston’s tent, through the wooden desk then occupied by his clerk, and on through the tent of Lieutenant Allen G.P. Brown of Company “C.” A shell splinter wounded Captain Norman W. Palmer of Company “B,” who was lying on his bed at the time.
On July 25 the 2nd Brigade was relieved of front-line duty and marched a short distance to the rear, where they camped in an open field near the Shands House. On July 27 they marched to the extreme left of the 9th Corp line, to an area near the Norfolk & Petersburg Railroad and the headwaters of Blackwater Creek. Sergeant Bodamer wrote in his diary: “The position we now occupy is a beautiful place. I hope they will let us remain here until Petersburg falls.” This was wishful thinking. Within two days the regiment was back in the area of its old position.
The 2nd Brigade returned to the front lines just in time for the infamous mine explosion. They were stationed in an area called the “horseshoe." The rebel line bowed out along that section as part of Elliot’s Salient. On top of the salient sat Pegram’s Confederate Battery. Taylor’s Creek ran between the Union and Confederate positions. Over the previous few weeks the 48th Pennsylvania had excavated a tunnel which began at the bank of the creek and traveled about five hundred feet, underneath the rebel works. At the end of the tunnel there were two smaller, lateral tunnels which stretched seventy-five feet in each direction. Four tons of gunpowder were packed inside.
The mine was detonated at 4:45 am on July 30. When the dust and debris settled, the 1st Division charged toward the rebel works. The 2nd Division followed at about 5:30 am. Ferrero’s Division of black troops joined the attack at about 7:30 am. By this time, the Confederates had recovered from the explosion and were pouring heavy musket and artillery fire into the area of the breach. The tide was turning. As soon as the last of the black troops had filed out the 2nd Brigade moved forward in two wings. The 24th New York was part of the left wing along with the 46th New York, the 50th Pennsylvania, and the 60th Ohio. The mission of the left wing was to “go over [the 9th Corps] breastwork at the left of the ‘horse-shoe’ and, wheeling to the left, assault and carry the two-gun battery on the Suffolk (or Baxter) road, and seize the rest of the rebel line from that road up to the point reached by the right wing.” That mission and the greater Union effort failed utterly. Many of the assaulting troops became scrambled in and around the crater as the Confederates mounted a series of successful counterattacks from an elevated position. It was a massacre. What became known as the "Battle of the Crater" ranks as one of greatest Union disasters of the war.
The black troops suffered particularly severe losses. According to Bodamer: “The niggers went in they went in splendid. But when the Johnnies charged them they ran like sheep. Then our Brigade undertook to make a charge but were repulsed. Our Regiment did not get over the works. The Johnnies charged and retook all they lost and we were drove back to our old position. This is another of Burnside’s splendid movements lost the day. I say put the niggers out of our Corps as I do not want to be in the Corps they are in.” Lieutenant Brown, by contrast, felt that the black troops had “excelled in bravery the best of the white troops.” This view was shared by Newberry, who was wounded in the charge. It appears to be the consensus of historians. Remarkably, the 24th New York lost only seven enlisted men and two officers wounded.
The day after the battle the rebels continued to pour concentrated fire over the area of the horseshoe as Union troops attempted to recover the wounded and bury the dead. Lieutenant Austin Gibbons of Company “C” was mortally wounded that day. The 2nd Brigade remained in the horseshoe, directly opposite the crater, until midnight on August 1. They then moved to a field west of the head of Harrison Creek, not far from General Willcox's headquarters. August 5 was set aside as a national day of fasting and prayer.
The regiment was back in the front lines on the left side of the horseshoe on August 14. Heavy shelling erupted on August 18. Sergeant Benjamin H. Tallman of Company “M” and Corporal Rufus D. Hicks of Company “B” were both killed. Lieutenant Brown was wounded and rendered almost totally deaf by an exploding shell. After the war, Brown went on to become a founder and President of an organization known as “Silent Army of Soldiers, Sailors and Marines,” which lobbied Congress to increase pension benefits for deaf veterans.
At about 3:30 am on August 19 the regiment withdrew from the trenches with Willcox’s 3rd Division and marched south to the Globe Tavern, also known as Yellow House. The 3rd Division’s orders were to support the 5th Corps, which was engaged in a battle to wrest control of the Weldon Railroad from the Confederates. They arrived at the tavern by noon and formed a line of battle in a nearby field, north and east of the tavern, in an area known as the Dunlap Farm. The position was just east of the railroad. By then the rebels had broken through a portion of the 5th Corps line and had taken some rifle pits that had been occupied by Crawford's Division of that corps. With the rest of the 2nd Brigade, the 24th New York rushed forward to meet the enemy, who were filtering out of the woods north of the tavern. They fired their carbines and drove the rebels back. In a second charge which took place toward evening, the brigade moved forward quickly without firing and overran the contested rifle pits, then occupied by the 47th Virginia. They captured that regiment’s colors and took over a hundred prisoners. The brigade then held the position as the Confederates made three attempts to retake it. Captain George W. Simons of Company “I” and another man were mortally wounded.
The regiment remained in the captured trenches on August 20. At about 8:00 am on August 21 the regiment replaced the 20th Michigan on picket duty. The Michiganders retired to the Globe Tavern. Soon after this changing of the guard a squad from Company “M” was gobbled up by the enemy. As Bodamer described it: “We hardly got on [picket when] the Johnnies made an attack on our right + left. The Johnnies came in on us in three lines of battle. Corporal Chapel, Sergt Reed, Almerine Chapel, Henry Manning, William Howard and myself were taken prisoner by the rebs.” Bodamer's diary describes in some detail the subsequent months they spent in various rebel prisons, including the one at Salisbury, North Carolina.
Between August 22 and 24 the 2nd Brigade performed reconnaissance near the Weldon Railroad, first in the area of Johnston House and next in the area of Aiken House, about a mile northeast of the Globe Tavern. On August 25 the brigade was marched at the double quick to support the 2nd Corps at the Battle of Reams Station, further south on the railroad. By the time they arrived that night, however, the 2nd Corps had been badly beaten. The brigade covered the withdrawal of the 2nd Corps troops until about midnight and then marched down the Jerusalem Plank Road to Williams House, where they rested for the night.
For the balance of August and most of September, the 2nd Brigade was camped not far from the Globe Tavern. They were in an area near Aiken House, on the extreme left of the Union line and about one mile east of the tavern. There, they dug entrenchments and made forts between Aiken House and the Jerusalem Plank Road. The Petersburg stalemate had clearly soured the regiment’s outlook on the war. George Parks wrote home about the approaching November elections: “The soldiers are unanimous in upholding peace. The soldiers are discontented and think the war has lasted long enough and if a peace man is nominated for the presidency he would have the strong support of the army. . . . I do not look upon Father Abraham in the same light as when home. My politics have undergone some changes and Abe and no more of his stripe gets my vote this fall.”
In mid-September the 3rd Division was renamed the 1st Division. The 24th New York remained part of the 2nd Brigade of that division. As a result of losses due to wounds, disease, death, and desertion, the regiment had been reduced to about one third of its former size.
On September 28 each man in the 2nd Brigade was given four day's rations and forty rounds of ammunition. On September 29 the brigade marched two miles in a southwesterly direction, to an area near the Gurley House, where they camped for the night.
Around 9:00 am on September 30 the brigade marched west across the Weldon Railroad toward Poplar Springs (or Poplar Grove) Church. The brigade passed by the church and arrived at Peebles Farm around 1 pm. Throughout the afternoon there was confusion over where they were needed, resulting in much marching back and forth. As evening approached the brigade formed a line of battle near Pegram House and Boisseau House. They faced west toward the rebel works, which were spread out on the crest of a hill. The hill was surrounded by swampy terrain that was thick with sorghum, brambles, and vines. As the brigade struggled through the dense growth they were on the extreme left of the Union lines and their left flank was exposed. The brigade's right flank also became exposed because they failed to make contact with the 2nd Division of the 9th Corps. As George Parks recalled, soon "the bullets was thick as flies." The Confederates charged in the front and on both sides of the brigade. With his regiment nearly enveloped, Raulston ordered a retreat, which was part of a more general withdrawal. As the men ran back they halted once, formed a line, and fired their carbines into the pursuing rebels. During the rearward scramble Raulston was captured near Boisseau House along with eight other men from the regiment including Captain Charles D. Seeley of Company “I” and Second Lieutenant Michael McGraw of Company “L.”
By midnight on September 30 the 2nd Brigade had regrouped and formed a new front line behind a fence near Pegram House. The 24th New York was put in charge of this position. The rest of the brigade withdrew to an area between Peebles Farm and Clements House, where they began building breastworks at 2:00 am. By the end of the action that day, over forty men from the regiment were captured or missing. Three were killed and twelve were wounded. Brigadier General J.F. Hartranft replaced Humphrey as commander of the 2nd Brigade.
At around 8:00 am on October 1, with the rain falling in torrents, the Confederates placed a cannon directly in front of the 24th New York and began blasting away. The regiment, now under the command of Newberry, abandoned its position and ran back toward Peebles Farm. A dozen more men were captured in the process, including Captain Albert Thomas of Company "K.” The regiment was placed on picket in front of the breastworks while other units of the 2nd Brigade redoubled their efforts to improve the works. As Hartranft wryly noted in a later report: "During this attack the erection of breast-works progressed very rapidly."
On October 2 the 2nd Brigade recovered some lost ground near Pegram House and Boisseau House. On October 3 the new position was reinforced by rows of slashed timber and the picket lines were extended forward.
Meanwhile, the men of the 24th New York were about to receive the long-awaited horses. On October 4 Brigadier General David McMurtrie Gregg, commander of the 2nd Division of the Cavalry Corps, wrote to Army of the Potomac headquarters requesting more men. Headquarters responded by offering him four dismounted cavalry regiments, including the 24th New York, with the proviso that he not send for them until he was prepared to equip them. Two days later a requisition was made for saddles and horses.
While these preparations were being made the regiment participated in one last conflict as an infantry unit. On October 8 they were sent with the 2nd Brigade on a reconnaissance mission down the Vaughan and Squirrel Level Roads, marching from an area near the Clements House to the Hawks House and from there to the Smith House. The enemy withdrew as the brigade occupied the Smith House. The 24th New York was sent out on picket to probe the Confederate position. The rebels counterattacked at this point and the regiment was driven back to the Smith House. One man was killed and another captured. From October 9 through 16 the 2nd Brigade was temporarily under the command of Newberry.
On October 18 the 24th New York left the 2nd Brigade and reported to the dismounted camp at City Point, Virginia. They received their horses on October 20. They were now part of the 1st Brigade, 2nd Division, Cavalry Corps, Army of the Potomac. At that time Lieutenant General Ulysses S. Grant commanded all United States armies in the field. Major General George G. Meade commanded the Army of the Potomac. Major General Philip H. Sheridan commanded the Cavalry Corps. Brigadier General Gregg commanded the 2nd Division of the Corps. Brigadier General Henry E. Davies commanded the 1st Brigade.
Between October 26 and 28 the regiment participated in their first cavalry action as part of the Battles of Boydton Plank Road and Hatcher’s Run. The 1st Brigade was assigned to support the 2nd Army Corps by keeping the rebel cavalry at bay during these battles. At 3:00 pm on October 26 the brigade moved west from their base on Jerusalem Plank Road and camped near Perkins House, south of the Globe Tavern on the Weldon Railroad. At 4:00 am the next day the brigade moved further west, to the left of the 2nd Corps on the Quaker Road. There, they skirmished with the Confederate cavalry and drove them back. Parks described the scene in a letter written a few days later (a letter written in his own hand, unlike the ones quoted thus far, which had been written by amanuenses):
All four Raulston brothers served in the war. In May 1861 James joined the 24th New York Infantry. He was killed at the Battle of Antietam. In September 1861 William and John joined the 81st New York Infantry. William entered as a Captain and rose to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel in less than a year. John remained with the regiment for most of the war and eventually became its commander. The youngest brother, George, joined the 24th New York Cavalry as a First Lieutenant in July 1864. He was promoted to Captain two months later.
William Raulston left the 81st to raise his own regiment. On August 25, 1863 he received authority to reorganize the 24th New York Infantry, which had completed its term of service. A month later the authority was modified so that the unit would be designated a cavalry regiment. By late September 1863 Raulston was busy organizing the new regiment from a base in Buffalo. By December 1863 the regiment was stationed at Camp Seward in the town of Auburn, Cayuga County. Then-Major Walter Cass Newberry was in charge of recruiting men. He was headquartered at the American Hotel in Auburn.
Newberry is a story in himself. He was born on December 23, 1835 in Sangerfield, Oneida County, the son of Colonel Amasa Stoughton Newberry and Cornelia Perry (Pangborn) Newberry. Newberry's uncle, Walter Loomis Newberry, was founder and benefactor of the Newberry Library of Chicago. When the war broke out Newberry enlisted as a lowly Private in the 81st New York Infantry, eventually rising to the rank of Captain. Newberry began as a Major in the 24th New York Cavalry and ultimately succeeded Raulston as commander of the regiment after Raulston was captured. By the war's end Newberry was brevetted as a Brigadier General. After the war he went on to hold several public posts, including Mayor of Petersburg, Virginia (1869-70), Postmaster of Chicago (1888-89), and U.S. Representative from Illinois (1891-93).
Newberry's recruitment efforts met with success. By mid-December about five hundred men had already joined the regiment, spurred on no doubt by the hefty bounties being offered ($677 for new recruits and $852 for veterans, with $300 cash down), by the lure of serving in the most dashing branch of the service, and by the threat of a looming draft. There was much to be said for cash, fancy cavalry gear, and an opportunity to see some action before the war ended. By late January 1864 the regiment was about 1,040 strong, making it two or three times the size of a typical regiment.
Oswego was the most represented county of the regiment. A substantial number of men came from Erie, Livingston, Monroe, Oneida, Onondaga, and Ontario counties. Other key contributors were Albany, Cayuga, Chemung, Jefferson, Herkimer, Madison, Otsego, and Wayne counties. The regiment continued to enlist new men right through the closing weeks of the war, however, and increasingly they came from other areas of New York including the New York city area.
Each company was associated with particular towns from which most of the men were recruited, as follows: A (Fulton and Phoenix); B (Utica, Auburn, and Springfield); C (Oswego, Buffalo, Ogdensburg, Auburn, and Volney); D (Buffalo, Southport, Baldwin, Orange, Elmira, and Catlin); E (Oswego, Scriba, Hastings, Hannibal, Orwell, and Parish); F (Buffalo, Taberg, Oswego, Rome, and Utica); G (Orwell, Sandy Creek, Amboy, Oswego, New Haven, and Lorraine); H (Rochester, Mt. Morris, and Canandaigua); I (Oswego, Fulton, Parish, Palermo, and Hastings); K (Syracuse, Onondaga, Oswego, and Buffalo); L (Canandaigua, Auburn, Rochester, Mt. Morris, Rome, and Utica); M (Buffalo, Auburn, Utica, Syracuse, and Onondaga).
Although enlisting men were told that the regiment would linger in New York until spring, that proved not to be the case. On February 23, 1864 the regiment left Auburn by train. They passed through Elmira, Harrisburg, and Baltimore, and arrived at the Baltimore & Ohio Station in Washington, DC, late at night on February 25. That same night the men crossed to the north side of the Potomac and pitched their tents at Camp Stoneman. March and April were occupied with drilling. The men were issued Starr Carbines, sabers and cavalry boots. Their horses, however, did not materialize. On April 26 they learned why: they were to serve dismounted, as a mere infantry unit. Raulston calmed the near mutiny that ensued by promising the men that they would retain their formal designation as a cavalry regiment and that they would be mounted within sixty days. In fact, they would not receive their horses until October 1864, after some of the fiercest fighting was already behind them.
The dismounted 24th New York Cavalry was assigned to a Provisional Brigade of the 9th Army Corps. That brigade was commanded by Colonel Elisha G. Marshall. The 9th Corps, in turn, was commanded by Major General Ambrose E. Burnside. Burnside reported directly to Lieutenant General Ulysses S. Grant until May 25, 1864, when the 9th Corps was placed under the Army of the Potomac, commanded by Major General George G. Meade. By late April the 9th Corps consisted of 42 infantry regiments and 14 batteries of light artillery. It contained 32,708 men.
On April 29, 1864 the regiment crossed the Potomac and started the long march south toward Petersburg. The march paralleled the Orange & Alexandria railroad line and took them through Fort Albany, Bailey's Crossroads, Fairfax Courthouse, Manassas Junction, Bristoe Station and Warrenton Junction. Cavalry boots proved unsuitable for long marches. On arriving at Warrenton Junction on May 3, the men could hardly walk. They still had no knapsacks for carrying provisions. It was a bad state of affairs. Nonetheless, they trudged on through Rappahannock Station and Brandy Station, fording the Rapidan River during the night of May 5-6. The march was not without some humor. As the regiment came alongside an artillery unit that had not been issued any cannon, an artillerist called over and asked what had become of their horses. The reply: "We have sent them to the rear to bring up your guns."
Between May 5 and 7 the regiment played a support role during the Battle of the Wilderness. There were some brief encounters with the enemy. One man was wounded on May 5. Major George G. Wanzer was taken prisoner on May 6, apparently the first to be captured. At 9:00 pm on May 7 the nearby rebels let up cheer. The regiment braced for a charge. The enemy apparently thought better or were bluffing.
The Wilderness Battle had a depressing effect on the 24th New York. The Union losses had been severe (about 18,000 men), and nothing seemed to have been accomplished. When orders came to move out during the night of May 7-8, the men assumed that a retreat was in progress. The next morning they still had no idea where they were marching. Captain Henry C. Meyer of Company “D” later wrote about an event that changed their mood: "We soon came to a house outside of which I saw a colored woman apparently dressed up, since it was Sunday. I called out to her and asked what road we were marching on. Upon hearing her reply, 'The road to Spottsylvania Court House,' a thrill of satisfaction instantly passed through every man in the column, since we realized that we at last had a general and that our movement was south and towards the rear of Lee's army. From that time until the end of my service I never had any misgivings as to Grant's capacity to lead us to final victory." Later that morning the regiment caught their first glimpse of Grant himself as he rode past the troops during a roadside rest break. He appeared "riding a small black horse with his feet not more than two feet from the ground." Meyer recalled that "[h]is unpretentious appearance excited the comment of all, and had we not been told who he was he would have attracted no more attention than an ordinary line officer." Rather than disturb the men, some of whom were sleeping on the road, Grant simply trotted into a field and around them. This was a man who inspired respect.
The regiment played a more active role in the Battle of Spottsylvania Courthouse. The May 8 march took them past the old Chancellorsville battleground, where many of the dead still lay on the field, half-buried. They arrived in the vicinity of the courthouse in the afternoon. According to Meyer, at least some portion of the regiment "held the line of works on the road to [Spottsylvania Courthouse]," and they were "under fire most of the day until, towards evening, the enemy retired." By May 10 the regiment was on picket near the front lines and was skirmishing with the Confederates. Around this time they drove a party of rebel sharpshooters from their trenches. Between May 11 and 21 the regiment engaged the enemy sporadically, pushing them back in places, repulsing some counterattacks, and building new breastworks as they moved. Seven men were wounded and at least one was captured.
From May 21 to 23, the regiment was on the march again, fending off a rebel attack as they trekked over twenty miles to the North Anna River. On May 24 the regiment crossed the North Anna in breast-deep water, holding their clothing, arms and ammunition above their heads. As they arrived on the opposite bank, the Confederates began shelling their position, but to no effect. The men built breastworks in anticipation of a rebel charge which did not occur. Between May 24 and 26 there were some clashes between regiment and rebel pickets. Swimming in the North Anna seems to have been a higher priority, however. One member of the regiment was wounded while on picket duty.
After re-crossing the North Anna on May 26 the regiment began another twenty-plus mile march, fording the Pamunkey River at Hanovertown on May 29. This time the men remained high and dry on pontoon bridges built for the crossing. After marching three more miles they put up breastworks. The Battle of Totopotomoy raged nearby. Amidst minor skirmishing, the regiment moved its position to the left by about one mile on May 31. The rebels attempted to drive in the regiment's pickets but failed. At this point the regiment was stationed near Bethesda Church, about three miles away from Cold Harbor.
The regiment’s first serious fighting took place between June 1 and 12 as part of the Battles of Bethesda Church and Cold Harbor. June 1 began quietly enough, with the men receiving their first batch of mail from home. A pitched battle soon erupted to the right of their position, however, and the pickets in front of them began exchanging fire. The men scrambled for the rifle pits but four were wounded. Captain Francis L. Brown of Company “L” was thought to have been killed but ultimately recovered and completed the war using crutches.
On June 2 the regiment marched about two miles, moving down the Mechanicsville Road toward Old Church, closer to the main scene of action around Cold Harbor. The rebels were waiting for them. The first regiment of the brigade to come under attack was the 14th New York Heavy Artillery, then functioning as an infantry unit. The 24th New York came to their aid, rushing across an open field under heavy fire from rebels positioned in the woods beyond. They beat the Confederates to an abandoned rifle pit, where they regrouped and began firing their carbines. The ensuing battle lasted about four hours. The Confederates were kept at bay at the cost of three killed and ten wounded. During the night of June 2-3 there was mass confusion on the picket line. In the darkness a group of men from the 24th New York got mixed up with an Alabama regiment. Over thirty were taken prisoner. One of them, Sergeant Daniel G. Kelley, later wrote about the circumstances of their capture and the horrors of Andersonville in his book “What I Saw and Suffered in Rebel Prisons.”
Heavy fighting continued on June 3, with the rebels attempting to take the rifle pits occupied by the 24th New York. Both sides began shelling each other with heavy guns. One man from the regiment was killed when a twenty pounder removed his head. Several more were wounded and captured. The regiment shifted its position during the night of June 3-4 as the rebels withdrew to the left. It appears that they marched about two miles, closer to Gaine’s Mill, where they made new breastworks. Between June 5 and 8 the two sides continued to exchange shells and there was skirmishing between the pickets. One man was captured and a few others were wounded.
On June 9 the regiment was transferred to the 2nd Brigade, 3rd Division, of the 9th Corps. At the time, the 2nd Brigade was commanded by Colonel Benjamin C. Christ. The 3rd Division was commanded by Brigadier General Orlando B. Willcox. The regiment marched a mile to join their new brigade, stationed in the vicinity of Drury’s Bluff. One man was captured in the process. A member of the regiment wrote home that day: “Everything looks nice down here. The corn is a foot high, the cherries are almost ripe and the berries are ripe, but everything is destroyed by the soldiers marching through.” After building breastworks at their new location, the regiment settled in for a three-day rest.
The 2nd Brigade left the breastworks at 8:00 pm on June 12 and marched through the night, halting at 4:00 am the next day for coffee. The march resumed at 8:00 am and continued until about 11:00 pm, when they arrived near the Chickahominy River. They had covered about twenty miles in a little over a day. At 4:30 am on June 14 they were on the move again, crossing the Chickahominy at Jones Landing around 6:00 am. By the evening of June 14 they were approaching the James River, where they halted for the night, having covered eleven more miles. June 15 was a day a rest. The march did not resume until 9:00 pm. Around midnight the brigade crossed the James on pontoon bridges near Wilcox’s Landing and Fort Powhattan. After completing the 700-yard trip over the river, the brigade continued on through the night, passing Old Prince George Court House and reaching the outskirts of Petersburg by about noon on June 16. As one man from the 24th New York recalled, "[o]ur march from the James River to Petersburg was a very hard one, since the roads were sandy and it seemed that at every two steps forward we would slip one backward." Another man wrote in his diary: “I was asleep half the time while marching.” The 2nd Brigade was now located east of Harrison Creek, between the Dunn House and the Shands House. Though exhausted, the regiment worked most of the night reinforcing the breastworks they had occupied. From their position they could see Confederate trains arriving with reinforcements to resist the coming Union assault.
The next two days were the bloodiest in the record of the regiment. In the morning of June 17 the 9th Corps launched a massive attack on the rebel works in front of Petersburg. The 24th New York participated in the charge along with the rest of the 2nd Brigade, starting from a position near the Norfolk Road. They rushed through a large cornfield that was punctuated by a series of ridges, under fire described by one man as like “a very hard storm with thunder.” When it was all over, no ground had been gained but eighteen were dead and sixty-four were wounded. Among the wounded were Captain Meyer, who was shot near the spine while attempting to carry Second Lieutenant James B.F. Randall of Company "B" off the battlefield. Meyer was later awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor. Also wounded was 2nd Lieutenant William Winer Cooke of Company “M,” who survived the ordeal only to be killed in 1876 fighting with Custer at the Battle of Little Big Horn. Benjamin Christ was knocked out of action as well and Colonel Raulston briefly took his place as commander of the 2nd Brigade. Command of the 24th New York devolved to Newberry, who had been promoted to Lieutenant Colonel. Raulston received his orders later that day: “You will collect all your men together, get them in the best position possible, and hold them in readiness to join in an attack to be made to-morrow morning at 4 o’clock.” Raulston replied that he would do his best but that it would be hard even to hold their ground, much less regroup the brigade and improve their position.
The second assault fared no better. The regiment made two main advances with the 2nd Brigade. In the first, they charged across Taylor’s Creek, through some woods, across a field, and to the base of an embankment for the Norfolk & Petersburg railroad tracks. While crossing the field members of the brigade “dropped like rain” as the rebels poured out “a galling cross-fire.” They regrouped at the embankment and took cover. Toward evening, they climbed over the top and made a second charge. The second charge led them up a hill toward the Confederate entrenchments. After holding a portion of the hill for twenty minutes and coming to within 150 yards of the enemy’s line, they were driven back. This time, eleven men of the regiment were killed and forty-seven were wounded. Third Division commander Orlando Willcox later reported that although the 24th New York was a new regiment, they “exhibited throughout the steadiness and bravery of old troops.” The top brass of the regiment – Raulston, Newberry and Major Melzar Richards – were all wounded. Richards's wounds required an extended leave of absence. Nine months passed before he rejoined the regiment.
Among the dead were Archibald Davis of Company “K” and James Dilley of Company “C.” Davis was “buried in a cornfield on the battlefield by his tentmates.” Private George Parks of Company “C” wrote home about Dilley’s demise: “Dear wife, I have melancholy news. Yesterday the Rebs met us at 2 o’clock. We had to advance against them and take possession of a very important railroad to cut off their supplies to Richmond. We took it and then we had to charge their entrenchments. While before them poor James Dilly while in the act of firing his piece, got a ball right through his head, dropped dead without moving a limb. He was so close to me, and not knowing when I might get another chance, I took the liberty to take his wallet, as he had begged of me if either of us should fall, and to let you know what happened. Please let poor Mrs. Dilly know in the easiest way you can, which will be a severe trial for both of you.” Captain Calvin P. Burch of Company “G” was also killed, shot through the lungs. His brother Nelson, also of Company “G,” tried to find an embalmer so that the body could be sent home. This could not be done so the body joined that of Davis, under the corn. Thus began the siege of Petersburg.
After a few days of recuperation in the rear the 24th New York was sent forward with the 2nd Brigade to the extreme front lines then occupied by the 9th Corps. By now the brigade was under the command of Colonel William Humphrey of the 2nd Michigan. Humphrey would remain in command for the next three months. The brigade’s position was just to left of Suffolk Road (also known as Baxter Road). Behind them was the Norfolk & Petersburg Railroad. In front of them was a little valley through which Taylor’s Creek ran. About two hundred yards distant lay Davidson’s Confederate Battery. The Union and Confederate pickets often came within point blank range of each other. As a contemporary historian noted, the whole 9th Corps was “very near the enemy’s works, and an incessant firing was kept up during the siege, resulting in a daily loss of men, killed or wounded. While there was a comparative quiet in front of the other corps positions, the men of the Ninth were subjected to the terrible strain of a constant watchfulness and deadly exposure. The enemy seemed to be excited to an undue activity by the presence of Ferrero’s Colored Division.” This was a reference to the black troops under the command of Brigadier General Edward Ferrero.
Until late July the regiment remained in this vicinity, constantly reinforcing their breastworks while losing men on almost a daily basis. In one month the regiment lost twelve killed and over thirty wounded. There were occasional pauses in the action. On July 1 some men from the regiment crossed the lines as part of an informal truce and exchanged newspapers with a group of Confederates, then referred to as “Johnnies.” July 4 was also calm except for an Independence Day artillery salute on the Union side. When the men formed for a drill on July 8, however, the rebels were inspired to fire a shell toward an inspecting General. The salvo missed the intended target but took off the leg of Sergeant Charles A. Martin of Company “H” and the hand of Lieutenant John Bannister of Company “M.” Bannister survived. Martin died the same day. On July 22 three solid shot landed in the midst of the regiment. One of them screamed into Raulston’s tent, through the wooden desk then occupied by his clerk, and on through the tent of Lieutenant Allen G.P. Brown of Company “C.” A shell splinter wounded Captain Norman W. Palmer of Company “B,” who was lying on his bed at the time.
On July 25 the 2nd Brigade was relieved of front-line duty and marched a short distance to the rear, where they camped in an open field near the Shands House. On July 27 they marched to the extreme left of the 9th Corp line, to an area near the Norfolk & Petersburg Railroad and the headwaters of Blackwater Creek. Sergeant Bodamer wrote in his diary: “The position we now occupy is a beautiful place. I hope they will let us remain here until Petersburg falls.” This was wishful thinking. Within two days the regiment was back in the area of its old position.
The 2nd Brigade returned to the front lines just in time for the infamous mine explosion. They were stationed in an area called the “horseshoe." The rebel line bowed out along that section as part of Elliot’s Salient. On top of the salient sat Pegram’s Confederate Battery. Taylor’s Creek ran between the Union and Confederate positions. Over the previous few weeks the 48th Pennsylvania had excavated a tunnel which began at the bank of the creek and traveled about five hundred feet, underneath the rebel works. At the end of the tunnel there were two smaller, lateral tunnels which stretched seventy-five feet in each direction. Four tons of gunpowder were packed inside.
The mine was detonated at 4:45 am on July 30. When the dust and debris settled, the 1st Division charged toward the rebel works. The 2nd Division followed at about 5:30 am. Ferrero’s Division of black troops joined the attack at about 7:30 am. By this time, the Confederates had recovered from the explosion and were pouring heavy musket and artillery fire into the area of the breach. The tide was turning. As soon as the last of the black troops had filed out the 2nd Brigade moved forward in two wings. The 24th New York was part of the left wing along with the 46th New York, the 50th Pennsylvania, and the 60th Ohio. The mission of the left wing was to “go over [the 9th Corps] breastwork at the left of the ‘horse-shoe’ and, wheeling to the left, assault and carry the two-gun battery on the Suffolk (or Baxter) road, and seize the rest of the rebel line from that road up to the point reached by the right wing.” That mission and the greater Union effort failed utterly. Many of the assaulting troops became scrambled in and around the crater as the Confederates mounted a series of successful counterattacks from an elevated position. It was a massacre. What became known as the "Battle of the Crater" ranks as one of greatest Union disasters of the war.
The black troops suffered particularly severe losses. According to Bodamer: “The niggers went in they went in splendid. But when the Johnnies charged them they ran like sheep. Then our Brigade undertook to make a charge but were repulsed. Our Regiment did not get over the works. The Johnnies charged and retook all they lost and we were drove back to our old position. This is another of Burnside’s splendid movements lost the day. I say put the niggers out of our Corps as I do not want to be in the Corps they are in.” Lieutenant Brown, by contrast, felt that the black troops had “excelled in bravery the best of the white troops.” This view was shared by Newberry, who was wounded in the charge. It appears to be the consensus of historians. Remarkably, the 24th New York lost only seven enlisted men and two officers wounded.
The day after the battle the rebels continued to pour concentrated fire over the area of the horseshoe as Union troops attempted to recover the wounded and bury the dead. Lieutenant Austin Gibbons of Company “C” was mortally wounded that day. The 2nd Brigade remained in the horseshoe, directly opposite the crater, until midnight on August 1. They then moved to a field west of the head of Harrison Creek, not far from General Willcox's headquarters. August 5 was set aside as a national day of fasting and prayer.
The regiment was back in the front lines on the left side of the horseshoe on August 14. Heavy shelling erupted on August 18. Sergeant Benjamin H. Tallman of Company “M” and Corporal Rufus D. Hicks of Company “B” were both killed. Lieutenant Brown was wounded and rendered almost totally deaf by an exploding shell. After the war, Brown went on to become a founder and President of an organization known as “Silent Army of Soldiers, Sailors and Marines,” which lobbied Congress to increase pension benefits for deaf veterans.
At about 3:30 am on August 19 the regiment withdrew from the trenches with Willcox’s 3rd Division and marched south to the Globe Tavern, also known as Yellow House. The 3rd Division’s orders were to support the 5th Corps, which was engaged in a battle to wrest control of the Weldon Railroad from the Confederates. They arrived at the tavern by noon and formed a line of battle in a nearby field, north and east of the tavern, in an area known as the Dunlap Farm. The position was just east of the railroad. By then the rebels had broken through a portion of the 5th Corps line and had taken some rifle pits that had been occupied by Crawford's Division of that corps. With the rest of the 2nd Brigade, the 24th New York rushed forward to meet the enemy, who were filtering out of the woods north of the tavern. They fired their carbines and drove the rebels back. In a second charge which took place toward evening, the brigade moved forward quickly without firing and overran the contested rifle pits, then occupied by the 47th Virginia. They captured that regiment’s colors and took over a hundred prisoners. The brigade then held the position as the Confederates made three attempts to retake it. Captain George W. Simons of Company “I” and another man were mortally wounded.
The regiment remained in the captured trenches on August 20. At about 8:00 am on August 21 the regiment replaced the 20th Michigan on picket duty. The Michiganders retired to the Globe Tavern. Soon after this changing of the guard a squad from Company “M” was gobbled up by the enemy. As Bodamer described it: “We hardly got on [picket when] the Johnnies made an attack on our right + left. The Johnnies came in on us in three lines of battle. Corporal Chapel, Sergt Reed, Almerine Chapel, Henry Manning, William Howard and myself were taken prisoner by the rebs.” Bodamer's diary describes in some detail the subsequent months they spent in various rebel prisons, including the one at Salisbury, North Carolina.
Between August 22 and 24 the 2nd Brigade performed reconnaissance near the Weldon Railroad, first in the area of Johnston House and next in the area of Aiken House, about a mile northeast of the Globe Tavern. On August 25 the brigade was marched at the double quick to support the 2nd Corps at the Battle of Reams Station, further south on the railroad. By the time they arrived that night, however, the 2nd Corps had been badly beaten. The brigade covered the withdrawal of the 2nd Corps troops until about midnight and then marched down the Jerusalem Plank Road to Williams House, where they rested for the night.
For the balance of August and most of September, the 2nd Brigade was camped not far from the Globe Tavern. They were in an area near Aiken House, on the extreme left of the Union line and about one mile east of the tavern. There, they dug entrenchments and made forts between Aiken House and the Jerusalem Plank Road. The Petersburg stalemate had clearly soured the regiment’s outlook on the war. George Parks wrote home about the approaching November elections: “The soldiers are unanimous in upholding peace. The soldiers are discontented and think the war has lasted long enough and if a peace man is nominated for the presidency he would have the strong support of the army. . . . I do not look upon Father Abraham in the same light as when home. My politics have undergone some changes and Abe and no more of his stripe gets my vote this fall.”
In mid-September the 3rd Division was renamed the 1st Division. The 24th New York remained part of the 2nd Brigade of that division. As a result of losses due to wounds, disease, death, and desertion, the regiment had been reduced to about one third of its former size.
On September 28 each man in the 2nd Brigade was given four day's rations and forty rounds of ammunition. On September 29 the brigade marched two miles in a southwesterly direction, to an area near the Gurley House, where they camped for the night.
Around 9:00 am on September 30 the brigade marched west across the Weldon Railroad toward Poplar Springs (or Poplar Grove) Church. The brigade passed by the church and arrived at Peebles Farm around 1 pm. Throughout the afternoon there was confusion over where they were needed, resulting in much marching back and forth. As evening approached the brigade formed a line of battle near Pegram House and Boisseau House. They faced west toward the rebel works, which were spread out on the crest of a hill. The hill was surrounded by swampy terrain that was thick with sorghum, brambles, and vines. As the brigade struggled through the dense growth they were on the extreme left of the Union lines and their left flank was exposed. The brigade's right flank also became exposed because they failed to make contact with the 2nd Division of the 9th Corps. As George Parks recalled, soon "the bullets was thick as flies." The Confederates charged in the front and on both sides of the brigade. With his regiment nearly enveloped, Raulston ordered a retreat, which was part of a more general withdrawal. As the men ran back they halted once, formed a line, and fired their carbines into the pursuing rebels. During the rearward scramble Raulston was captured near Boisseau House along with eight other men from the regiment including Captain Charles D. Seeley of Company “I” and Second Lieutenant Michael McGraw of Company “L.”
By midnight on September 30 the 2nd Brigade had regrouped and formed a new front line behind a fence near Pegram House. The 24th New York was put in charge of this position. The rest of the brigade withdrew to an area between Peebles Farm and Clements House, where they began building breastworks at 2:00 am. By the end of the action that day, over forty men from the regiment were captured or missing. Three were killed and twelve were wounded. Brigadier General J.F. Hartranft replaced Humphrey as commander of the 2nd Brigade.
At around 8:00 am on October 1, with the rain falling in torrents, the Confederates placed a cannon directly in front of the 24th New York and began blasting away. The regiment, now under the command of Newberry, abandoned its position and ran back toward Peebles Farm. A dozen more men were captured in the process, including Captain Albert Thomas of Company "K.” The regiment was placed on picket in front of the breastworks while other units of the 2nd Brigade redoubled their efforts to improve the works. As Hartranft wryly noted in a later report: "During this attack the erection of breast-works progressed very rapidly."
On October 2 the 2nd Brigade recovered some lost ground near Pegram House and Boisseau House. On October 3 the new position was reinforced by rows of slashed timber and the picket lines were extended forward.
Meanwhile, the men of the 24th New York were about to receive the long-awaited horses. On October 4 Brigadier General David McMurtrie Gregg, commander of the 2nd Division of the Cavalry Corps, wrote to Army of the Potomac headquarters requesting more men. Headquarters responded by offering him four dismounted cavalry regiments, including the 24th New York, with the proviso that he not send for them until he was prepared to equip them. Two days later a requisition was made for saddles and horses.
While these preparations were being made the regiment participated in one last conflict as an infantry unit. On October 8 they were sent with the 2nd Brigade on a reconnaissance mission down the Vaughan and Squirrel Level Roads, marching from an area near the Clements House to the Hawks House and from there to the Smith House. The enemy withdrew as the brigade occupied the Smith House. The 24th New York was sent out on picket to probe the Confederate position. The rebels counterattacked at this point and the regiment was driven back to the Smith House. One man was killed and another captured. From October 9 through 16 the 2nd Brigade was temporarily under the command of Newberry.
On October 18 the 24th New York left the 2nd Brigade and reported to the dismounted camp at City Point, Virginia. They received their horses on October 20. They were now part of the 1st Brigade, 2nd Division, Cavalry Corps, Army of the Potomac. At that time Lieutenant General Ulysses S. Grant commanded all United States armies in the field. Major General George G. Meade commanded the Army of the Potomac. Major General Philip H. Sheridan commanded the Cavalry Corps. Brigadier General Gregg commanded the 2nd Division of the Corps. Brigadier General Henry E. Davies commanded the 1st Brigade.
Between October 26 and 28 the regiment participated in their first cavalry action as part of the Battles of Boydton Plank Road and Hatcher’s Run. The 1st Brigade was assigned to support the 2nd Army Corps by keeping the rebel cavalry at bay during these battles. At 3:00 pm on October 26 the brigade moved west from their base on Jerusalem Plank Road and camped near Perkins House, south of the Globe Tavern on the Weldon Railroad. At 4:00 am the next day the brigade moved further west, to the left of the 2nd Corps on the Quaker Road. There, they skirmished with the Confederate cavalry and drove them back. Parks described the scene in a letter written a few days later (a letter written in his own hand, unlike the ones quoted thus far, which had been written by amanuenses):
we left our
camp ground at 4 o’clock . . . and started for the rebs. we did
not hav far to go. we drov them 8 mils and then we found them so
thick we could not driv them any further. we hald them thar til
the infantery came up. it was the second corps and som of the
ninth corps, the same part we was in befor we was mounted. but no
matter, they cam up and formed a lin of battle in front of the rebels
brest works, then charged. . . . it was a despret one. our men
drove them out of thar brest works but could not hold them. they
had a hevey force back. they came up and drove us back. our
men held ground till they was cut to peses. the rebs took five
peces artilery. it was by this time a bout dark. i was on
the left flank [and was able] to see most of it, we was keeping back
the rebel cavalry. the infantery fell back that night and had to
leve all the ded and wounded on the feld.
On October 28 the 1st Brigade returned with the rest of the 2nd Division to the base on Jerusalem Plank Road. On October 29 they moved to a position near McCann’s Station on the Norfolk & Petersburg Railroad, about five miles from Petersburg, where they remained until November 17. From McCann’s Station the brigade took part in small raids and scouting expeditions on almost a daily basis. One such mission proved deadly for three members of the 24th New York. On November 11 rebels hidden in the brush surprised a scouting party of sixteen men, killing Henry Disbro, James Bacon and William Wright, all of Company “C.” A fourth member of the regiment was briefly captured but managed to break free while the rebels were reloading their guns. He rejoined the regiment with several bullet holes in his coat. As Parks recalled of the three fallen men: “it was a hard sight to see for they was all good frends to me. we buried them and put up a head board with thar nams on it.”
On November 17 the 1st Brigade moved a quarter of a mile to the Westbrook House. From this new base it participated in the Battle of Prince George Courthouse. Company “E” of the 24th New York was put on picket duty near Calhoun House. On November 24 three members of the company, Joseph Blair, Benjamin Larock, and Solomon S. Harding, were killed by Confederate guerrillas operating in that area. The rebels also relieved the company of all their horses.
At 4:00 am on December 1 the 2nd Division broke camp and moved out toward Stony Creek Station on the Weldon Railroad. They traveled via the Jerusalem Plank Road and Lee’s Mill. The route took them across the Nottoway River. By noon the 2nd Brigade had destroyed Stony Creek Station and some adjacent mills, factories, shops and warehouses. The 1st Brigade protected their flank from a position near Duval’s Station. The 1st Brigade also took part in capturing a nearby fort, resulting in the surrender of the garrison and the recovery of some cannon. Toward the end of the day's action Hampton's Confederate cavalry division made a counterattack but were repulsed. The 1st Brigade then covered the rear as the division made its way back across the Nottoway, staving off further attacks and arriving back in camp at 10:00 pm.
Between December 7 and 12 the 2nd Division took part in a more involved action known as the Hicksford (or Hick's Ford) Raid. The mission of the division was apparently to keep the rebels occupied while army units in the 5th Corps destroyed sections of the Weldon Railroad. At 4:00 am on December 7 the 2nd Division left camp near Westbrook House and set out on the Jerusalem Plank Road in advance of the 5th Corps. The 1st Brigade fell in behind the 2nd Brigade and covered the rear. The 2nd Division crossed the Nottoway and bivouacked for the night near Sussex Courthouse. At daybreak on December 8 the 2nd Division marched to an area near Jarrett's (or Jarratt’s) Station on the Weldon Railroad, with the 1st Brigade in the advance. At Jarrett's Station "a small force of the enemy was met . . . [and] was easily defeated, and the station and water tanks were destroyed." Levi M. Turner of Company “F” was wounded that day. When the division broke camp at 4:00 am on December 9, the 1st Brigade was again in the advance, with the 10th New York in the extreme advance. The division took the Belfield (or Bellefield) Road to Three Creeks, and apparently participated in the destruction of railroad tracks along the way. At Three Creeks the 10th New York stumbled onto the Confederates, who were posted on the southwest bank of the river with two small artillery pieces. The 10th New York dismounted and ran toward the rebel position. The 1st New Jersey crossed the stream mounted, in support. The enemy ultimately retreated to breastworks in front of Belfield (or Bellefield), where there were more cannon, and began firing back at the 2nd Division. The 1st New Jersey dismounted and began firing on the Belfield trenches. They were joined by the 24th New York and 1st Pennsylvania, which had also dismounted. Nearby Belfield Station was burned to the ground. Skirmishing continued until dark, at which point the 1st Brigade retired, leaving the 24th New York on picket in front. The brigade made camp near Coman's Wells. At 4:00 am on December 10 the 2nd Division recrossed Three Creeks, with the 1st Brigade covering the rear. The rebels caught up with them at Jarrett’s Station but were driven back. Warren Sitts of the 24th New York was captured near Sussex Courthouse. On December 11 the 2nd Division returned to its camp near Westbrook House.
While the Hicksford Raid was in progress the 24th New York’s former commander, Colonel Raulston, was confined in an old tobacco warehouse in the Danville Prison complex. The warehouse held captured Union officers. Captains Seeley and Thomas, and Second Lieutenant McGraw, all of the 24th New York, were fellow inmates. Thomas, who later owned a studio in Syracuse, was a talented artist. While at Danville he sketched Raulston and other officers, including Lieutenant Alonzo Cooper of the 12th New York Cavalry. Cooper later described their warehouse existence in his book “In and Out of Rebel Prisons.” On December 10 Raulston and some others saw an opportunity for a break and overpowered two guards inside the warehouse. McGraw assisted in disarming them. The plot was quickly uncovered, however, and they gave up the attempt, surrendering the guns to the two guards. As the officers were heading back upstairs in the warehouse one of the rearmed guards shot Raulston through the bowels. Raulston calmly opened his overcoat to inspect the wound and announced “boys, I guess my goose is cooked.” The prognosis was accurate. He died five days later, but not before taking the blame for the whole incident in an attempt to protect the other men. Raulston is buried at Riverside Cemetery in Oswego.
After the Hicksford Raid General Gregg took a leave of absence. Davies temporarily assumed command of the 2nd Division and Newberry was put in charge of the 1st Brigade. The brigade continued to do picket and scouting duty for the balance of December, covering the line from Lee's Mill to the James River. It was one of the coldest winters in southern memory. As the weather turned nasty the men built winter quarters for themselves next to Westbrook House. Parks described his own accommodations as follows: “i have got me a log hut that is very comfortable. i bilt me a fir place and a chimney out of wood and clay and i have got a fir in it to night.” On Christmas Eve the 24th New York went out on a scouting mission around Lee’s Mill. John W. Sitser of Company “I” was killed and Charles Sontag of Company “M” was wounded.
January of 1865 was cold but quiet. The regiment ate well and did very little. Pork and hardtack were abundant. A veteran of the 1st Massachusetts Cavalry commented on the primacy of pork:
Should any one ask the writer to name
something peculiar to the South, he would say "pigs." The pig was
the most important contribution to the Southern food supply, and was
met with on every road and in every field. He was impartial, and
had apparently no Southern proclivities; he yielded his succulency as
freely to the Northern soldier as to his master during the years of the
war, and afforded much amusement in his taking off. It would make
one fall from his horse with laughter to see poor piggy's pursuit by a
band of hungry boys in blue, his squeals vexing the air. A pig
hunt was always in order, and at times the pig was the principal
commissary department of the cavalry.
Throughout January rebels drifted into the Union lines to surrender, sometimes in groups of hundreds. The men of the 24th New York began to sense that the war was winding down. As Parks put it to his wife: “this war is like our bed cord, it will brak when lest expected.”
There was more fighting to be done before the cord snapped. To overcome the paralysis in front of Petersburg Grant began to extend his lines out further to the left (or west), forcing the Confederates to thin their defenses to meet the challenge to their right flank. The 1st Brigade was positioned on the far left of the Union line. Between February 5 and 7 the brigade fought alongside the 5th Corps against the forces of Confederate General John B. Gordon at the Battles of Dabney’s Mill and Hatcher’s Run (also known as the Battles of Boydton Plank Road and Vaughan Road). On February 5 the 2nd Division rode to Dinwiddie Courthouse by way of Reams Station, pushing back the enemy's pickets and capturing a Confederate Colonel along the way. In the evening the division moved back to Rowanty Creek and camped there. During the night of February 5-6 the division moved out toward Hatcher's Run via Dinwiddie Courthouse. That morning Davies resumed command of the 1st Brigade after returning from a leave of absence. On reaching the Vaughan Road the division joined forces with the 5th Corps and formed a line of battle. They then made a charge against Gordon's Confederates. In his own inimitable style, Parks told the tale of the 24th New York's role in the charge:
our rigment was feeding ther horses wen
they came yeling out of the woods. our regiment had orders to
mount. we went a bout 20 rods and the rebels was on us. we
jumped out of our saddels and charged them. we commenced firing
and yeling and drove them back a gain. a jersey rigment came to
our ade. the jerseys lost ther curnal, ther lutenat curnal and 3
other oficers. we held them 3 ours. our rigment had 2 kiled
and several wonded. the rest of the calvary formed a line of
batel and mad a nother charge, tuck a bout 30 prisonrs and drove
them. our rigment was out of amanician and i was gad for i had
fired a bout 80 rounds. wile we was dong this the infatery was
getting redy. they formed aline of batel rid in a open
field. wen the rebs saw this they advanced with three lins of
batel rid in a open field. they fout for a hour and i did not no
wich wold gain the day, but ar men mad a charge and the rebels had to
fall back. then or men drive them over 2 miles of groud and three
of thar brest works. nether party had any artilery so it was a
far open field fight and we whiped them and gave them a one
two.
Several senior officers of the division were killed in the charge. Davies was severely wounded. Walter D. Milton of Company “B” of the 24th New York was killed. Reuben H. Halliday of Company “A” was wounded. The division withdrew during the night of February 7 and returned to camp on February 8. General Gregg resigned due to illness on February 12.
In March the regiment celebrated the return of Melzar Richards, known affectionately as “Old Melz” and “fighting Melz." Old Melz was by then a Lieutenant Colonel. Newberry gave a speech to the assembled men and asked for three cheers for the “old war horse of June 18.” The men gave enthusiastic cheers in response and then cheered Newberry. It appears that by this time Major General George Crook was commander of the 2nd Cavalry Division (replacing Gregg) and that Davies was back in command of the 1st Brigade. Newberry once again led the 24th New York. Old Melz was second in command and Major William A. Snyder was third in command.
What became known as the Appomattox Campaign opened with the Battle of Dinwiddie Courthouse, which took place between March 29 and 31. In the morning of March 29 the 1st Brigade broke camp and marched via Malone's Bridge to the courthouse, where they camped for the night on Boydton Plank Road. On March 30 they headed out on the road to Five Forks and camped near the Boisseau House, sending out pickets on their left flank. In the morning of March 31 reconnaissance revealed that Confederate forces under Generals Johnson and W.H.F. Lee were gathering in front and to the left of the brigade's position. Pickets of the brigade who were stationed at Chamberlain's Creek bore the brunt of the assault that followed. Most of a Confederate division was allowed to cross. The brigade fell back to the road leading from Dinwiddie Courthouse to Five Forks. There, they reformed their line so that they connected on the right with the 1st Division. The left flank of the 1st Brigade lost contact with the rest of the 2nd Division, however, and the rebels exploited the breach. Faced with an overwhelming enemy force, the brigade retreated to the Boydton Plank Road, with Confederate cavalry and infantry on their heels. The 1st Division ultimately secured that road, allowing the 1st Brigade to move back to the Dinwiddie Courthouse area later that night. Davies later reported that Colonel Newberry "fell severely wounded in the thickest of the fight near Dinwiddie Court-House, March 31, while leading his regiment in action, displaying signal courage." Newberry was breveted a Brigadier General in recognition. Ten other men were wounded, including Major James E. Doran, who died soon after. Three men were killed outright and one was captured.
On April 1 and 2 the 1st Brigade remained near Dinwiddie Courthouse guarding the 2nd Division's supply wagons. On April 2, the day Petersburg fell, the brigade moved in the night to the point where Claiborne Road crosses Hatcher's Run. The final chase of the Army of Northern Virginia was now in motion as Lee fell back toward the Appomattox Courthouse. On April 3 the brigade moved across Namozine Creek at Sutherland's Station and camped at Wilson's plantation. On April 4 they moved to Jetersville and prepared for the next day's engagement with the enemy.
On April 5 the 24th New York and the rest of the 1st Brigade took part in the Battles of Payne's (or Paine's) Crossroads and Amelia Springs. That morning the brigade passed through Amelia Springs and arrived at Painesville. There, they learned that Lee's wagon trains were about four miles away. The 1st Pennsylvania Cavalry sprinted ahead and caught up with the trains just as the rebels were setting up artillery to fend off an attack. The 1st Pennsylvania charged through a swamp and captured the battery. The 24th New York joined soon after, capturing scores of retreating Confederates and burning all the wagons in the train. Davies later reported with some pride that when the brigade headed back toward Jetersville that day they possessed "5 guns, 11 flags, 320 white prisoners, an equal number of colored teamsters, and over 400 animals, captured from the enemy, leaving behind me 200 blazing ammunition and headquarters wagons, caissons, and ambulances." The day was not yet over. As the brigade returned with their haul, rebel cavalry nipped at their rear and kept up a running fight all the way to Amelia Springs. With the 2nd Brigade holding back the pursuing rebel cavalry, the 1st Brigade advanced forward only to find rebels blocking their path at a crossroads where the road from Amelia Springs to Jetersville intersected with the road from Amelia Courthouse. The enemy were driven from the crossroads and the brigade made it to Jetersville. Three men from the 24th New York were killed. Old Melz was mortally wounded. Seven others were also wounded. George W. Schmal, blacksmith for Company "M," and Stephen E. Chandler of Company "A," later received Congressional Medals of Honor for their roles in the battle. Major Snyder temporarily took command of the regiment around this time.
The drama continued unabated on April 6, when the 1st Brigade took part in the Battle of Sailor's (or Saylor's) Creek. The battle actually consisted of four related engagements which occurred at Hillsman Farm, Lockett Farm, Harper Farm and Deatonville. The evidence suggests that the brigade did most of their work near Harper Farm and the Deatonsville Road. Along with the rest of the 2nd Division they made an attack on Confederate infantry guarding a supply train. The highlight of the attack was a cavalry charge in which Major Snyder led the 24th New York. Davies described the scene:
When the order to attack was given the
Twenty-fourth New York, Tenth New York, and First New Jersey charged in
line, mounted, and with great gallantry, under a heavy fire, followed
by the First Pennsylvania as support. The charging regiments behaved
admirably, keeping their line perfectly, and, leaping the breast-works,
drove the enemy in confusion, capturing many prisoners; then charging
right on up the hill they came upon the enemy's wagon train, which they
followed up for some distance, destroying many wagons and capturing
many prisoners. In this engagement 750 prisoners, 2 guns, and 2 flags
were captured and turned over to Captain Harper, division
provost-marshal. Some 300 prisoners were inadvertently turned over to
another command by the officer in charge, and two guns captured by the
Twenty-fourth New York, which they were unable to bring off at the
time, were taken by some other command.
One man from the regiment was killed and another was wounded. Samuel P. Kenyon of Company "B" was later awarded a Congressional Medal of Honor for capturing an enemy battle flag. The mass Confederate surrenders that day prompted Lee's despairing remark: "My God, has the army dissolved?" The battle has been described as the death knell of the Confederacy.
On April 7 the 1st Brigade followed the 2nd Brigade through Farmville and across the Appomattox River, at which point they formed a line and checked the advancing rebels. Patrick McCabe of Company "F" was killed. First Lieutenant Charles P. Williams of the same company was wounded. At night the brigade marched to Prospect Station on the Lynchburg Railroad. On April 8 they moved to a position near Pamplin Station in the vicinity of Appomattox Courthouse.
On April 9 the 1st Brigade moved around the Confederate right in a reconnaissance mission. On hearing that the remainder of the 2nd Division had just come under attack, they moved back in support and repulsed a contingent of rebel cavalry. The 1st Brigade then joined forces with the 2nd Brigade. The two brigades made a frontal assault on the enemy and were "driving them rapidly" when orders came down to cease all hostilities. Lee had capitulated. In the final battle James A. Riley of Company "G" was killed and Daniel W. Darbee of Company "C" was wounded. Martin Cleary of Company "E" managed to get captured but presumably spent little time in rebel custody. Captain Lynden J. Cole of Company "G" witnessed the formal surrender ceremonies from a position near the McClean House. Two days later Parks wrote home with the following news: "Dear wif, I am a live and well and thank the almighty God for it . . . we have wiped lees army and he as surrendered 30,000 trups. The wor is over. We ar on our way back. I will tell you all wen I get a chanc, no more from you ever lover George Parks. Do not forget to thank the Lord."
Although the war was over, the 24th New York remained on duty for over three more months. The regiment was based at the dismounted camp at City Point until mid-May. On May 21 they participated with other regiments in their brigade in the Grand Review in Washington, DC. After that they moved to a camp in the vicinity of Alexandria, apparently near Edsell Station and Clouds Mills. On June 17 they were consolidated with the 10th New York to form the 1st New York Provisional Cavalry. On July 9 Parks reported home from Clouds Mills: "Dear wife . . . if the lords spars me I think that I will be home by the forst of the next month. They are at work at the discharge papers. The wol rigment is to be discharged. I told you all about it in my last letter. I think ther can be no mistake about it this time. At last you may get reddy for me for I have no doubt of it. Our horses ar all turned in and our sadels and bridels and all of the things are turned over to the government and I think you can depend on my getting home by the forst of next month if the lord spars me my helth and stranth. Dear wife, I want you to keep a good hart and get redy for the grat day . . ." Ten days later the regiment was mustered out of service.
Between 1887 and at least 1907 the 24th New York had annual reunions. At the request of the men who attended the 1895 reunion, Newberry began to gather materials for a regimental history. As late as 1897 he was still at work on the project. Whether he ever succeeded in drafting anything remains a mystery. The author hopes to fill this gap one day with a complete history of the regiment. The present essay will have to do for now.
D. Lockhart
March 18, 2005
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