The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1907-05-09
THE 1G1ST n. Y.

Long Service in the Gulf Coast Country.
Editor National Tribune: In your
history of the 161st N. Y, given some
time ago, allow me to say that while
generally swear by The National Trib-
une, and say, "if you see it in The Ma
tional Tribune 1t is So" / must confess
that in this instance you are way off.
If / may begin hind end first, will say
that the 161st N. Y. did not go north
with the two divisions which went to
the Shenandoah Valley with our old
and loved commander, Gen. Emory. Re-
member, only two divisions went, not
the corps. Lieut.-Col. Richard B. Ir-
win, Assistant Adjutant-G General of the
corps, and perhaps better qualified to
write of the corps than any other man,
being with 1t from its inception to the
end, says, in speaking of this transfer
of troops, I'm this movement some of
the best regiments of the corps were
left behind, as well as all of the cavalry,
and the whole of the magnificent park
of field artillery. Among the troops
thus cut off were the 10th n. Y, 161St
N. Y, 18th VT, 9Th Mich, 4th Wis. and
list Ind. H. A, and LIST and I'd La. M'td
Inf" Shortly after the arrival of the
two divisions in the Shenandoah, think
they were constituted and designated as
the Nineteenth Corps in General Orders.
After muster-in to the U. S. service the
aCShhCht bCSdluc q part VI Tie DduhS
Expedition" and went to the extreme
South with Gen. Banks when he relieved
Gen. Butler at New Orleans in Deem
Der, 1862. After the two divisions un-
der Emory went north, Gen. Candy, who
succeeded Gen. Banks, reorganized the
forces in the department, and on June
10, 1854, the regiment was assigned to
the Engineer Brigade, Nineteenth
Corps: Aug. II, to Third Brigade, Sec
ond Division, Nineteenth Corps; Dec. S,
to Fourth Brigade, Reserve Division,
Military Division of West Mississippi;
Feb. Is, 1865, to Third Brigade, First
Division, Thirteenth Corps. Department
Of the Gulf; June 9Th, District Of West
Florida. From June 81, 1864, to Jan.
ii, 1865. the regiment was almost con-
stantly on the move, patrolling the Mis-
sissippi from the Gulf of Mexico to Pa
ducah, en- the Ohio River. During the
operations against Mobile, Maj. w. E.
Craig was in command Of the regiment,
Gen. Veach in command of the division,
and Maj.-Gen. Gordon Granger in COM
mand of the corps. After the surrender
of Mobile the regiment was relieved
from further field duty. and on May 20
ordered to Apalachicola, Fla, for garri- |
son duty. On the 26th of July ordered /
to Fort Jefferson, Dry Tortugas, where |
It had the care of the military pris-
oners confined there, among them
AZ nuuu anu MS dSsoCidtes, LOT coLu-
plicity in the assassination of President
Lincoln. The regiment participated in
all the engagements in the Department.
of the Gulf from the time 1t reached
New Orleans. in December, 1852, until
the close of the war. During its term
Of service 1t campaigned in Alabama,
Arkansas, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi
pi, Kentucky, Tennessee and Texas. II
can't understand where you got your
statistics. have been Historian of thel
regiment for many years, and gave all
my spare time for four years compilingi
q complete roster of the old regiment.
Have the muster rolls, in and out and
the manuscript of this roster has been
carefully gone over by all officers and
men and was considered correct. I was
did In 1902. The roster contains the
name Of every man ever on the rolls