16th Artillery Regiment
Civil War

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

Mustered in by companies: September 1863 to February 2, 1864.
Mustered out: August 21,1865.

Colonel Joseph J. Morrison received authority, June 19, 1863, to recruit this regiment. It was organized at New York city. The men enlisted for the Forster's Artillery formed part of it, and those enlisted for the 35th Battery were transferred to it as Company A, September 25, 1863. The surplus men recruited were ordered transferred to the 6th N. Y. Volunteer Artillery in April, 1864, and in May, 1864, a large number of men were transferred to the 81st and 148th N. Y. Volunteer Infantry and 270 to the 1st Mounted Rifles. The companies were mustered in the service of the United States for three years; at Albany, A and B September 28; C and D October 21 and December 7, 1863, respectively; at Biker's island, E and G December 16, 1863, and January 9, 1864, respectively; at Elmira, F, H, I and K January 19, February 8, January 28 and February 2, 1864, respectively; at Auburn L and M January 26, 1864. In July, 1864, a number of unassigned men were formed into a company designated N, but were gradually absorbed by Companies A, B, C, F, G and K, the battalion serving in the field with the 10th Corps under Majs. Thomas J. Strong and Fred'k W. Prince.

They were recruited principally: A at Utica, New York city, Albany, Watertown, Ogdensburg, Albion and Rouse's Point; B at Albany,. Little Falls, Poughkeepsie and New York city; C at Utica, Albany, Auburn, Rome, Watertown, Little Falls, Syracuse and Schenectady; D at Auburn, Utica, Canandaigua, Little Falls, Oswego, Schenectady, New York city, Elmira, Herkimer, Bath, Rome, Oswego and Buffalo; E at New York city, Brooklyn, Albany, Malone, Stuyvesant and Rome; F at Watertown, Canajoharie, Little Falls, Schenectady, Herkimer, Richfield, Norway, St. Johnsville, Troy, Albany and Buffalo; G at New York city; H at Fort Edward, Syracuse, Canandaigua, Oppenheim, Schenectady, Canajoharie, Troy, St. Johnsville, Minden, Scott, Troy, Argyle and Kingsbury; I at Kingsbury, Granville, White Creek, Fort Ann, Fort Edward, Greenwich, Johnsburg, Hampton, Hebron, Easton and Utica; K at Poughkeepsie, Salem, Petersburg, White Creek, Cambridge, Hoosick, Easton, Stuyvesant, Greenwich, Troy, Pittstown, Chester and Weston; L at Fayette, Ira, Cato, Marcellus, Victory, Mentz, Elbridge, Skaneateles, Montezuma, Sterling, Covert, Auburn, Junius, Brutus, Romulus, Aurelius and Varick; and M at Auburn, Brutus, Victory, Sterling, Conquest, Fayette, Niles, Lodi, Cato, Sennett, Skaneateles, Montezuma and Elbridge.

The regiment left the State by detachments: Companies A and B, October 14; Company C, October 22; Companies D and E, December 8 and 16, 1863, respectively; Company G, January 13, and the remaining companies later in January, 1864; it served as heavy artillery and infantry at Fort Monroe, Yorktown and Gloucester Point, Va.; Companies E and H in 1st Brigade, 3d Division, 10th Corps in July, 1864; Companies A, B, C, F, G, K and N in 2d Brigade, 1st Division, 10th Corps, from July 27, 1864; Company L, also from October, 1864; Companies A, B, C, F, G and K, in 2d Brigade, 1st Division, 24th Corps, and a detachment in the Artillery Brigade, 24th Corps, from December, 1864; Companies E and H in the Separate Brigade, Army of the James, at Fort Pocahontas, Va., from December, 1864; Companies A, B, C, F, G and K again in 2d Brigade, 1st Division, 10th Corps, from April. 2, 1865. When General Butler called for volunteers to commence the Dutch Gap canal, Companies A, B, C, F, G and K volunteered, and 600 men were selected from them for the work, and commenced it on the 9th of August, 1864; they were withdrawn August 19, 1864, but Major Strong continued in charge of the work, and Major Prince in command of the battalion.

In July, 1865, the regiment was united; and, commanded by Colonel Morrison, it was honorably discharged and mustered out August 21, 1865, at Washington, D. C.; having lost by death, killed in action, 19 enlisted men; of wounds received in action, 24 enlisted men; of disease and other causes, 2 officers, 284 enlisted men; total, 2 officers, 327 enlisted men; aggregate, 329; of whom 4 enlisted men died in the hands of the enemy.

Battles and Casualties Table from Phisterer

Civil War Newspaper Clippings

Unit Roster

Further reading

The expedition against Fort Fisher, by Major Charles E. Pearce. Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States, Missouri I 354-81.

Beach, Alvah and Enos Beach. Beach Family papers letters, 1861-1864. Abstract: Consists chiefly of letters written by Alvah and Enos Beach of Russell, N.Y., while they were in the Union Army during the Civil War. Also includes two photos of Alvah Beach and some material relating to David Robinson, brother-in-law of the Beach brothers.
Located at Saint Lawrence University.

Higley, Albert E., and Joan F. Aldous, Joan F. The Civil War letters of Albert E. Higley. [New York?] : J.F. Aldous, 1986.

Kenyon, Norman S. Voucher, 1865 March 31. 1865
Abstract: Voucher, 31 March 1865 to Norman S. Kenyon, First Lieutenant, 16th Reg., New York Artillery for additional pay.
Located at the New York State Library.

Lawall, George. The George Lawall papers, 1864-1865.
Abstract: Contains the following type of materials: correspondence / letters.
Contains information pertaining to the following war: Civil War -- Eastern Theater.
Contains information pertaining to the following military unit: 16th New York Heavy Artillery Regiment.
General description of the collection: The George Lawall papers include copies of four letters (April 18, June 24, July 26, and August 12, 1864) written by a Union soldier serving on the eastern part of the Peninsula of Virginia. Also included is a copy of an anonymous letter from a friend to Lawall's mother (March 29, 1865) describing Lawall's service in North Carolina in the first part of that year.
Located at the US Army Military Heritage Institute.

Mathews, Horace P., King S. Hammond, King S. and Kenneth A. Perry. "We are in a fight today" : the Civil War diaries of Horace P. Mathews & King S. Hammond. Bowie, MD: Heritage Books, 2000.

Re-union of the Sixteenth Regiment, New York Heavy Artillery.
Located at the New York State Library.

Rose, Edwin. Papers, 1830-1862.
Abstract: Photograph of Colonel Edwin Rose; appointment as Second Lieutenant in the Regular Artillery, signed by Andrew Jackson, 1830; appointment as Colonel of the 16th Regiment, 6th Brigade, 2nd Division of the New York State Volunteers, 1861; and appointment as Colonel of the 81st Regiment, New York State Volunteers.

Turner, Henry E. To arms : The Lowville Light Artillery. 1861
1 broadside ; 30 x 36 cm.
Located at the New York State Library.

Turner, Henry E. Memorial Day address, delivered at Lowville, N.Y., May 31, 1891. [Lowville? N.Y.] : Guilford D. Bailey Post, No. 200, Dept. N.Y., G.A.R., 1891.
Located at the New York State Library.

United States. Army. New York Heavy Artillery Regiment 16th (1863-1865). Re-union of the Sixteenth Regiment, New York Heavy Artillery. New York?: s.n., 1893.

West, Lenox T. Letters, 1863-1864.
Abstract: The collection is comprised of letters, 1863-1864, written by Lenox T. West, while in service during the Civil War. Recipients were his wife, Sophia; mother, Amanda; and sister Letesia. Lenox served in the 16th New York Artillery, Company K. He enlisted in Minerva, N.Y. on December 17, 1863. West died of dysentery on December 13, 1864 at Yorktown Virginia. The letters discuss camp life, family events and West's battle experiences.

Items the museum owns are in bold.

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