122nd New York Volunteer Infantry

The 122nd New York Volunteer Infantry known as the "Onondagas", was an infantry regiment in the Union Army during the American Civil War.

122nd Regiment, New York Volunteer Infantry
122nd NY Vol. Regiment Reunion, Aug.28, 1891. From the Leo J. Titus Jr. collection.
Active	July 22, 1862, to June 23, 1865
Country	United States
Allegiance	Union
Type	Volunteer Infantry
Size	Regiment
Nickname(s)	Onondagas
Engagements	American Civil War Battle of Antietam Battle of Gettysburg Battle of the Wilderness Battle of Spotsylvania Battle of Cold Harbor Second Battle of Petersburg Battle of Opequon Battle of Cedar Creek Appomattox Campaign Battle of Sayler's Creek
Commanders
Official Commander	Colonel Silas Titus
Acting Commander	Lieutenant Colonel Augustus Wade Dwight
Final Commander	Captain Horace Hall Wapole

Augustus Wade Dwight

The monument to the 122nd N.Y. Volunteer Infantry at Gettysburg

History

A year into the American Civil War, additional troops were being raised in Onondaga County, New York. The county was named for the Onondaga people who lived in the area. It was the third regiment to be raised from the county.

The regiment was put under Colonel Silas Titus, and was sent immediately into combat action as part of the Army of the Potomac as part of the VI Corps.[1]

In its first engagement, the Battle of Antietam, they were kept in reserve and there were no losses. After a few other skirmishes, they saw heavy fighting at the Battle of Gettysburg in July 1863. Sickness also took its toll on the regiment. Several times Col. Titus was ill and Lieutenant Colonel Augustus Wade Dwight had led the troops until he died March 25, 1865. Titus was also called away to serve as Provost Marshal. Other times, both officers were unable to lead and command passed to Captain Horace Hall Wapole, who was later promoted to lead the regiment.

Awards and legacy

Around April 1863, regiment Lieutenant William G. Tracy (born April 7, 1843) was assigned as aide-de-camp of Major General Henry Warner Slocum. On May 2 at the Battle of Chancellorsville, Tracy was sent with an urgent message to General Alpheus S. Williams about the attack by Stonewall Jackson. Finding himself behind enemy lines, he kept is nerve and made it through to Union lines despite being wounded. He was awarded the Medal of Honor for this action.[2]

In 1888, speeches were given to dedicate a monument for the regiment in at the Gettysburg Battlefield.[3]

William Eugene Ruggles (1844–1907) enlisted as a private in the regiment. He collected a series of drawings depicting the regiment that appear to be the work of engraver Philip M. Ostrander (a private in another Syracuse-based regiment). The drawings were bequeathed to the University of Dundee in 1958 by Ruggles' daughter, and formed the basis of a book by Professor David Swinfen published in 1982.[4][5]

Organization

The companies were recruited principally from these towns and organized by region:[6]

• A Company: Baldwinsville
• B Company: Syracuse
• C Company: Fayetteville, and Farmersville
• D Company: Syracuse, Onondaga, Spafford and Amber
• E Company: Syracuse
• F Company: Marcellus and Syracuse
• G Company: Elbridge
• H Company: Camillus and Syracuse
• I Company: Syracuse
• K Company: Syracuse, New York, Skaneateles and Cicero

See also

• List of New York Civil War regiments
• 12th New York Volunteer Infantry - the first Onondaga regiment

References

1. Documents of the Assembly of the State of New York. 5. New York State legislature. 1896. p. 250.
2. Walter Frederick Beyer; Oscar Frederick, eds. (1901). Deeds of valor: from records in the archives of the United States government: how American heroes won the medal of honor. Perrien-Keydel Company. pp. 164–165.
3. Lieut. Colonel O. V. Tracy (June 13, 1888). "Dedication of Monument: 122d Regiment Infantry". Final report on the battlefield of Gettysburg. New York (State). Monuments Commission for the Battlefields of Gettysburg and Chattanooga. p. 847.
4. "Ruggles Bequest". Dundee University Archive. Archives Hub. Archived from the original on September 29, 2011. Retrieved February 8, 2011.
5. "MS 29 Ruggles Bequest". Archive Services Online Catalogue. University of Dundee. Retrieved June 11, 2019.
6. Frederick Phisterer (1890). "One Hundred and Twenty-second Regiment of Infantry: Onondagas". New York in the war of the rebellion, 1861 to 1865. Weed, Parsons and company. pp. 471–472.

Further reading

• David B. Swinfen (1982). Ruggles' regiment: the 122nd New York Volunteers in the American Civil War. University Press of New England. ISBN 978-0-87451-230-4.

External links

• Kenneth Jennings Wooster. "122nd New York Volunteer Infantry". Archived from the original on May 24, 2011. Retrieved February 8, 2011..
• Kathy Crowell (1998). ""The Onondagas" A History of the 122d Regiment, New York Volunteers". Retrieved February 8, 2011..
• "122nd Regiment, New York Volunteers, Inc". Archived from the original on July 7, 2011. Retrieved February 8, 2011. Reenactment group.
• Steve Hawks. "122nd New York Infantry Regiment "Third Onondaga Regiment"". Gettysburg Stone Sentinels. Retrieved February 8, 2011. Photo of Gettysburg monument to the unit.