Federal Regiment

4th New York Infantry

"First Scott Life Guard"
Organized: New York City, NY; mustered in 5/2/1861
Disbanded/Mustered out: New York Ciity, NY 5/25/1863

Commanding Officer on the Antietam Campaign:
LCol. John D. MacGregor

This Regiment's Chain of Command:
  Army - Army of the Potomac
  Corps - Second Army Corps
  Division - 3rd Division, 2nd Corps
  Brigade - 3rd Brigade, 3rd Division, 2nd Corps

Unit history

The Fourth was one of the first units organized at the outset of the Civil War. Most of the men were recruited in New York City proper, except for Company E, from Brooklyn. The 4th were nicknamed the First Scott Life Guard in honor of hero-General Winfield Scott, and began their Federal service in early May 1861 for a term of two years.

The regiment was on rear-echelon duty at Newport News (Va - June and July 1861), around Baltimore (Md - to June 1862), and at Suffolk (Va - to September) before seeing their first action on the Maryland Campaign.

On the Antietam Campaign

The Fourth was at the left front of the Brigade as they first struck the strong Confederate position in the Sunken Road about 9am on 17 September.

Statistics

Initial Strength: 540; Killed in Action (KIA): 44; Wounded (WIA): 142; Missing in Action (MIA): 1;
Losses, % of Initial Strength: 34.6%

Maps Showing this Unit

Detail Map #6: French's Division Hits the Sunken Road (9-10 am)
Detail Map #9: Richardson's Division Attacks the Sunken Road (10-11 am)

Battlefield Tablets for this Unit

Tablet #35: Second Army Corps - 15 Sep, 7 AM to 15 Sep, 8 PM
Tablet #115: Second Army Corps - 15 Sep, 9 AM to 17 Sep, 7 AM
Tablet #40: French's Division, Second Army Corps - 17 Sep, 8 AM to 17 Sep, 2 PM
Tablet #121: Army of the Potomac - 17 Sep, 8 AM to 17 Sep, 6 PM
Tablet #43: Weber's Brigade, French's Division - 17 Sep, 9 AM to 17 Sep, 12 PM
Tablet #116, cont: Second Army Corps - 17 Sep, 9 AM to 17 Sep, 12 PM

After the Antietam Campaign

They were in combat again at Fredericksburg in December, and were present, though not engaged, at Chancellorsville in May 1863.

The troops mustered out and were honorably discharged May 25, 1863 at New York City at the end of their agreed-upon term of service.

References & Notes

Fundamental unit history from Phisterer.1 His service from the Adjutant General. His gravesite is on Findagrave.

We have 76 individuals in the AotW database who were on the Maryland Campaign with this unit:

Co.	Rank	Name	Casualty?
A	Sgt	Biering, Adolph	KIA 09/17
A	Pvt	Byrne, John	KIA 09/17
A	Pvt	Cochran, John	KIA 09/17
A	Pvt	Culver, Frederick	WIA 09/17
A	Pvt	McCall, Thomas	MWIA 09/17
A	Pvt	McManus, William	KIA 09/17
B	Pvt	Boyle, Edward	WIA 09/17
B	Pvt	Buckham, Henry	KIA 09/17
B	Corp	Burtch, Nathaniel B.	WIA 09/17
B	Corp	Byrne, John	WIA 09/17
B	Pvt	Carroll, Michael	WIA 09/17
B	Pvt	Carroll, Owen	WIA 09/17
B	Capt	Downs, John S.	KIA 09/17
B	Pvt	Jones, Charles	KIA 09/17
B	Pvt	McDonald, John	KIA 09/17
B	Pvt	Norris, William L.	KIA 09/17
B	Sgt	Pinkham, Henry	KIA 09/17
B	Pvt	Wren, Peter	KIA 09/17
C	Pvt	Barr, Charles	WIA 09/17
C	Lt	Chapman, Henry K.	MWIA 09/17
C	Pvt	Howard, John	MWIA 09/17
C	Pvt	Kidder, Ellis Usher	Died (d) 09/22
C	Pvt	McCormic, Patrick	MWIA 09/17
C	Pvt	Meehan, Thomas	MWIA 09/17
C	Pvt	Price, James	KIA 09/17
C	Corp	Wolfe, Henry	KIA 09/17
D	Pvt	Barzer, John	WIA 09/17
D	Pvt	Becker, Nicholas	MWIA 09/17
D	Pvt	Deede, Louis	MWIA 09/17
D	Pvt	Diehl, Philip	KIA 09/17
D	Pvt	Fischer, Louis	KIA 09/17
D	Pvt	Frederick, George	KIA 09/17
D	Pvt	Hausman, Frederick	KIA 09/17
D	Pvt	Hoch, William	MWIA 09/17
D	Capt	Kruger, Charles William	WIA 09/17
D	Pvt	Leas, Peter	KIA 09/17
D	Pvt	Wilburt, John	KIA 09/17
E	Pvt	Baker, Timothy	WIA 09/17
E	Pvt	Farrell, Kiernans	KIA 09/17
E	Pvt	Furlong, Patrick	MWIA 09/17
E	Pvt	Hickey, Thomas	KIA 09/17
E	Pvt	McKnight, William	KIA 09/17
E	Pvt	Mingo, Murry	MWIA 09/17
E	Pvt	Terry, Benjamin F.	MWIA 09/17
F	Pvt	Barker, William	WIA 09/17
F	Pvt	Fites, Samuel	MWIA 09/17
F	Pvt	Herman, Frederick	KIA 09/17
G	Corp	Agenton, Robert	KIA 09/17
G	Pvt	Becker, Charles	WIA 09/17
G	Sgt	Carpenter, Van Buren	KIA 09/17
G	Pvt	Francis, Joseph	KIA 09/17
G	Pvt	Hines, Michael	KIA 09/17
G	Corp	Howard, John T.	WIA 09/17
G	Pvt	Hoye, Patrick	MWIA 09/17
G	Pvt	Stewart, James	KIA 09/17
G	Pvt	Whales, William H.	MWIA 09/17
G	Pvt	Willman, Michael	KIA 09/17
G	Pvt	Wolf, Charles	KIA 09/17
I	Pvt	Bartlett, Gordon	KIA 09/17
I	Pvt	Blumenshien, John	MWIA 09/17
I	Corp	Flagg, Elliot Jerome	KIA 09/17
I	Pvt	Hunt, James	KIA 09/17
I	Pvt	McConnell, Patrick	MWIA 09/17
I	Pvt	Riley, Patrick	KIA 09/17
I	Pvt	Ruddin, Phillip	KIA 09/17
K	Pvt	Boyd, Harrison D.	WIA 09/17
K	Pvt	Dougherty, Peter	MWIA 09/17
K	Pvt	Hughes, John	KIA 09/17
K	Pvt	Hughes, Patrick	WIA 09/17
K	Pvt	Leake, Samuel	MIA (n) 09/17
K	Pvt	McCabe, James	WIA 09/17
K	Pvt	Sharrock, James S.	KIA 09/17
K	Pvt	Smith, Joshua	KIA 09/17
K	Corp	Willette, Samel T.	MWIA 09/17
F&S	Surg	Lovejoy, George Washington
F&S	LCol	MacGregor, John Dunn

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