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178th Regiment, NY Volunteer Infantry
Civil War Newspaper Clippings
LES ENFANTS PERDUS.
We learn that this regiment, formerly stationed at Camp Washington, Staten
Island, has changed its location, and now occupies Central Park Hotel as
a camp. The corps is filling up fast. Colonel Confort left for Washington
last night on important military business, and will return next Friday. The
headquarters are at No. 64 White street.
"WELCOME HOME TO THE BRAVE."—The Seymour Light Infantry, Colonel
Henry P. Libenau, have made quite a beautiful display in front of their headquarters
491 Broadway, to receive the war worn veterans. This
Regiment is in a fair way of completion.
First Regiment Seymour Light Infantry, New York Volunteers.
This regiment, one of the very best now organizing, is composed of men from
the various militia regiments of the State. The officers are gentlemen carefully
selected for the various positions. Those who wish to join this gallant regiment
must apply at once at headquarters, 491 Broadway. The Colonel is Henry F.
Liebenau.
General Burnett's Brigade.
General Ward B. Burnett has established his headquarters at No. 483 Broadway,
and proposes to commence a vigorous recruiting service in order to fill up
his brigade. The One Hundred and Seventy-eighth, Eleventh and Thirty-seventh
regiments of the state volunteers comprise a part of his command. The highest
bounties are offered and trill be promptly paid. The officers associated
with General Burnett have all seen service in the field; and promotions from
the ranks are assured to all whose merits deserve recognition.
Consolidation of Troops on Staten Island.
Col. H. S. Lansing, Commanding New York State Troops, on Wednesday evening
last, received a telegram from Gov. Seymour, directing him to consolidate
the Tompkins, H. Seymour and Davies' Cavalry, and the Blair Rifles, Seymour
Light Infantry, Defenders, Burnside Rifles, Pratt Guard, and the Westchester
Light Infantry.
In forty-eight hours Col. Lansing had completed the consolidation, and mustered
the whole into the United States service, enabling Adjutant General Sprague
to tender by telegraph to the Secretary of War the command as ready for the
field, and they leave to-day for Washington.
The infantry goes out as the One Hundred and Seventy-Eighth Regiment New York
Volunteers, commanded by Lieut. Col. Chas. F. Smith.
Col. Edward Wehler and Major Seldon Heitzell remain to fill up the Regiment.
The cavalry as the Thirteenth Regiment, under the command of Lieut. Col. H.
S. Gansevoort and Major Nathan Coles, leaving Major Douglas Frazer to fill
up the Regiment.
Thirteenth Regiment Cavalry, when complete will have the following field and
staff:
Colonel, H. S. Gansevoort; Lieutenant Colonel, Nathaniel Coles; Majors, Douglas
Fraser, Kirkwood, Green ; Adjutant, Frank C. Brown; Quartermaster, G. T. Ferguson.
The field and staff of the One hundred and seventy-eighth are as follows:
Colonel, Edward Wehler; Lieutenant Colonel, Charles F. Smith; Major, Selden
Heitzell; Adjutant, Charles Carples; Quartermaster, A. H. Jocelyn.
In addition Colonel Lansing will send a full battery to Port Lyon, near Alexandria.
Virginia, to the Third Battalion of New York Volunteers.
Colonel Lansing will also send this week a portion of the Twelfth Company to
Nee Orleans and one company of Les Enfans Perdus to Newbern, North Carolina.
The State Paymaster has paid the men thus consolidated $10 of the State bounty
and left for Washington last evening with $75,000 to pay the balance, 65 each,
to them. The regiments will probably embark this afternoon at Vanderbilt's
Landing, Staten Island.
Defence of Brave Invalids.
The following communication from Lieut. Doolittle will put to rout and shame
an anonymous correspondent who has attacked the invalids under his command
and charged them with cowardice. They did their duty and showed their courage,
while their assailant was eating government pap at Washington:
FAIRFAX: SEMINARY, VA., July 17, 1863.
MESSRS. EDITORS: Having noticed in your evening cotemporary a communication
from one of its Washington correspondents concerning a great scare at Fairfax
Seminary Hospital, I beg leave to say a word about the affair, I being one
of the parties interested.
In the first place be it known that I command a detachment of 60 men who have
been through the war, and, like myself, have come out at the diminutive extremity
of the horn. Their duty is to maintain order on the hospital grounds, but they
are not expected to do picket duty.
About two o'clock Sunday morning, June 28th, two officers of the Signal Corps,
with an escort of about twenty cavalry, came to the hospital on a keen run,
and without saying who or what they were, demanded to see the commanding officer.
The corporal of the guard conducted one of the officers to my quarters, and
I was informed that several hundred rebel cavalry under command of the notorious
Mosby, had met this detachment, and after a desperate fight, in which nobody
was killed or wounded on either side, had succeeded in driving them some eight
miles, and the whole rebel horde might be expected here in ten or fifteen minutes.
Then the modest request was made of me that I should take my 60 cripples and
hold the guerrillas at bay until the aforesaid officers could signal to Washington
and make good their escape. Well, in about ten minutes my detachment, with
the aid of crutches and canes, were marching to the front, and in half an hour
had established a picket line in a commanding position nearly a mile from the
hospital.
The rebels did not come to time, probably because they were frightened by our
military appearance. After three days we were relieved by a company from the
178th N. Y. V. From the time we left our quarters until we returned, although
all were complaining of the ungentlemanliness of the rebels in disturbing them,
not one showed a particle of the fear accredited to them. The correspondent
of the Express seems to have been gotten up on the "great cry and little
wool" principle, and although one would infer from his article that he
was at Fairfax Seminary on the eventful occasion, I have every reason to believe
that he was safely in bed in Washington. I am informed that he believing the
pen to be mightier then the sword, boldly shouldered his quill in the hour
of his country's peril, and obtained a lucrative clerkship in one of the departments
at Washington. It hardly becomes such a person to slander soldiers that are
doing their duty.
Yours, &c., ISAAC DOOLITTLE,
Lieut. Comd'g Invalid Detachment,
Fairfax Seminary.
Back to 178th Regiment During the Civil War
New York State Division of Military and Naval Affairs: Military History
Last modified:
May 19, 2006
URL: http://www.dmna.state.ny.us/historic/reghist/civil/infantry/178thInf/178thInfCWN.htm
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