Unit

Federal Regiment

29th Massachusetts Infantry

Organized: Newport News, VA; mustered in 12/1861
Disbanded/Mustered out: Alexandria, VA 7/29/1865

Commanding Officer:
LCol. Joseph H. Barnes

Members of Interest:
Pvt Samuel C Wright, Co. E [ Medal of Honor ]

Arms:
   Enfield Rifle

Map Showing this Unit:
   Detail Map #7: Richardson's Division Attacks the Sunken Road

Battlefield Tablets for this Unit:
   Tablet #35: Second Army Corps - 15 Sep, 7 AM to 15 Sep, 8 PM
   Tablet #34: Richardson's Division, Second Army Corps - 15 Sep, 8 PM to 17 Sep, 7 AM
   Tablet #115: Second Army Corps - 15 Sep, 9 AM to 17 Sep, 7 AM
   Tablet #46: Meagher's Brigade, Richardson's Division - 17 Sep, 10 AM to 17 Sep, 2 PM
   Tablet #121: Army of the Potomac - 17 Sep, 8 AM to 17 Sep, 6 PM
   Tablet #116, cont: Second Army Corps - 17 Sep, 9 AM to 17 Sep, 12 PM
   Tablet #44: Richardson's Division, Second Army Corps - 17 Sep, 9 AM to 17 Sep, 2 PM

This Regiment's Chain of Command:
  Army - Army of the Potomac
  Corps - Second (II) Army Corps
  Division - 1st Division, II Corps
  Brigade - 2nd Brigade, 1st Division, II Corps

History of the Unit:
The Regiment was organized at Newport News, Virginia in, December 1861, from the 1st Battalion Massachusetts Infantry (7 Companies) and 3 new companies ("F," "G" and "H") organized 13-17 December, which joined the regiment at Newport News, Va., 17 January 1862.

[In mid-June, 1862 the Irish Brigade] ìreceived a reinforcement ó a whole new regiment, the 29th Massachusetts, Colonel Ebenezer Pierce, reported to General Meagher. The 29th was uncompromisingly old Yankee, a mustering of names that would have sounded familiar in the forecastle or on the quarterdeck of the Mayflower. It was an unlikely matching with their ancient political foes the Irish, but the introduction turned out well, each side discovering hidden virtues in the other."
(from Jones)

In the Antietam Campaign:
The 29th was the non-Irish regiment of the Irish Briagade at Antietam. They fought in line between the 63rd and 69th New York regiments in the assault on the Confederate positions in the Sunken Road. Their losses were somewhat less severe than the other regiments in the Brigade becasue they were somewhat sheltered by a slight dip in the ground at their position overlooking the Road.

The remainder of the War:
The unit was replaced in the Irish Brigade with the (Irish) 28th Massachusetts, and transferred to the IX Corps, in December 1862. It campaigned in that organization for the remainder of the War.

More on the Web:
See a fine piece about the 29th at the 140th Anniversary reenactment of the battle (2002) - from Kevin O'Beirne reporting for the Wild Geese Today.

References, Sources, and other Notes:
Sources: Dyer, Frederick H., A Compendium of the War of the Rebellion, Part 3, Des Moines, Iowa: The Dyer Publishing Co., 1908; and
Jones, Paul, The Irish Brigade, reprinted, Gaithersburg (MD): Olde Soldier Books, 1996 - portions quoted by Kevin O'Beirne online at www.columbiarifles.org

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