site logo
P.J. Parisen

P.J. Parisen

Federal (USV)

Lieutenant Colonel

Philip John Parisen

(1824 - 1862)

Home State: New York

Command Billet: Commanding Regiment

Branch of Service: Infantry

Unit: 57th New York Infantry

Before Antietam

Owner of a store in South Amboy, New Jersey (1851-57), he enrolled at age 37 in the Fifty-Seventh Infantry in New York City on 27 September 1861, and mustered as Major on 11 November. He was promoted Lieutenant Colonel on 18 July 1862 (ranking from February) to replace J.A. Page, who resigned - perhaps having never served with his unit.

On the Campaign

He was in command of the regiment in Maryland, Colonel Zook being absent, ill.

This regiment and the Sixty-sixth Regiment received orders to march on the enemy, who were at that time drawn up in a deep ditch at the foot of the hill on which we were, and from whence they were pouring a galling fire into our ranks. Animated by the presence of both their brigade and division commanders, the regiment moved forward with a determined enthusiasm I have never seen excelled. In a few minutes we had cleared the ditch of every living enemy, and were driving them in great disorder through the corn field beyond. It was during this period of the action that we lost our noble and gallant Lieutenant-Colonel Parisen and several valuable line officers ...

References & notes

The New Jersey connection is from the 9 April 1937 edition of the South Amboy Citizen newspaper [pdf]. Service dates from Phisterer1. The quote above from Major Chapman, who relieved Parisen in command, in his official report. His gravesite is on Findagrave. The photo here from Favill's Diary2, courtesy of John Hoptak.

Birth

05/07/1824; Manhattan, NY

Death

09/17/1862; Sharpsburg, MD; burial in Green-Wood Cemetery, Brooklyn, NY

Notes

1   Phisterer, Frederick, New York in the War of the Rebellion, 6 volumes, Albany: J. B. Lyon Company, 1909-12, Vol. 3, pg. 2500  [AotW citation 1067]

2   Favill, Josiah Marshall, The Diary of a Young Officer, Chicago: R.R. Donnelley & Sons Company, 1909, opp. pg. 192  [AotW citation 1068]