125th New York Volunteer Infantry Regiment The 125th New York Volunteer Infantry Regiment was a volunteer regiment from Rensselaer County , New York , during the American Civil War . Formed during the summer of 1862 , the unit was officially mustered into United States Service on 27 – 29 August 1862 , by Col . George L . Willard . He had seen previous service in the War of the Rebellion and in the Mexican War as well . Levin Crandall was commissioned lieutenant colonel , and James C . Bush major . The unit was mustered out on 5 June 1865 . Regimental history . Colonel John A . Griswold was authorized , 28 July 1862 , to raise this regiment in Rensselaer county ; on his resignation , Col . George L . Willard succeeded him 15 August 1862 ; the regiment was organized at Troy and there mustered in the service of the United States for three years 27 – 29 August 1862 . The men not entitled to be mustered out with the regiment were on 5 June 1865 , transferred to the 4th Artillery . The regiment left Troy , 30 August 1862 , and proceeded by rail to Martinsburg , Virginia , and a few days later it marched to and was engaged in the Battle of Harpers Ferry . A few of its number were killed and wounded during this battle , and the regiment together with the rest of the garrison , totaling over 11 , 500 men , surrendered to the Confederates on 15 September 1862 . With the other captured troops , the men were sent under parole to Camp Douglas , Chicago , to remain there while awaiting exchange , which was effected 22 November . The regiment was then ordered back to Virginia , where it was attached to Maj . Gen . Silas Casey ' s Division , in the defenses of Washington at Maryland Heights , and encamped at Centreville until 24 June 1863 , when it joined the Second Corps , Army of the Potomac , and marched away to Gettysburg . Gen . Alexander Hays , who commanded the brigade while at Centreville , was placed in command of the division , and Colonel George L . Willard took over command of the brigade , which was composed of four New York regiments — the 39th , 11th , 125th , and 126th . Under command of Colonel Crandall , the 125th fought at Gettysburg where it lost 139 killed and wounded . Colonel Willard was killed while in command of the brigade , and Crandall was promoted colonel . Maj . A . B . Myer was made lieutenant colonel , and Capt . S . C . Armstrong , major . The regiment was actively engaged at Auburn and Bristoe Station in October , losing 36 men in those battles . Capt . William H . Plumb was mortally wounded at Bristoe Station . Colonel Crandall was temporarily absent on recruiting service , and Lieut . Col . Aaron B . Myer was in command at the battle of the Wilderness . He was mortally wounded in this engagement , and the command devolved on Capt . George E . Lemon . Color Sergt . Harrison Clark carried his flag within ten feet of the enemy ' s line , where he fell with his leg shattered by a rifle ball . Colonel Myer , who at that time had not yet fallen , assisted in binding Clark ' s wound and promoted him to a lieutenancy on the field . As Clark fell the flag was seized by Philip Brady , of Company I , but he was soon killed while waving the colors in advance of the men . A few days later , at Spotsylvania , the regiment was in the thick of the fight , forming part of a storming column that moved against the enemy ' s works at daybreak on 12 May 1864 . Capt . E . P . Jones , commanding the regiment , was killed in this assault , and Lieutenants Clapp and Cleminshaw were mortally wounded . Michael Burke of Company D captured an enemy ' s battle flag , but was shot down in the act , falling with a bullet through his breast . In the two battles of the Wilderness and Spotsylvania , the 125th lost 118 in killed and wounded . On 26 May , Colonel Crandall returned from recruiting service and resumed command . The regiment was engaged at the Battle of North Anna , Battle of Totopotomoy Creek , and the Battle of Cold Harbor , with further losses in officers and men . Lieutenant Green was mortally wounded in the fight of 30 May at Totopotomoy . In the Battle of Petersburg on 16 June , the decimated ranks were thinned again . Forty - four men were casualties , one - third of whom were killed in action . Another color sergeant , A . B . Green , was killed during the battle . Colonel Crandall was wounded by a piece of shell that struck him in the face . Lieutenants Bryan and Coleman were fatally wounded . In the battle at the Weldon Railroad on 22 June , the regiment lost several men who were captured by the enemy , while three more officers — Adjutant Miller , and Lieutenants Hull and Barnes — died during a disastrous and badly led battle . In addition to the minor battles of Reams ' Station , Battle of Deep Bottom , Strawberry Plains , and Hatcher ' s Run , the regiment was daily engaged during the siege of Petersburg — from 16 July 1864 , to 1 April 1865 — on the picket line and in the trenches with frequent and continuous losses of men from wounds or by sickness caused by constant exposure . After the battle at Reams ' Station , Capt . Nelson Penfield was placed in command , the colonel having been placed previously in charge of the brigade . Colonel Crandall resigned 14 December 1864 , after a distinguished and honorable term of service . He was succeeded by Lieut . Col . Joseph Hyde , who had entered the regiment originally as a lieutenant in Company H . On 29 March 1865 , the men broke camp and , crossing Hatcher ' s Run , entered on their last campaign . The regiment was still in the Third Brigade ( Henry J . Madill ' s ) , First Division ( Miles ' s ) , Second Corps ( Humphreys ' ) . On April 2d , the regiment took part in the charge of Miles ' s Division on the Confederate works at Sutherland ' s Station , a bloody affair in which Capt . John Quay was killed . The brigade suffered severely in this attack , Colonel Madill being badly wounded . In the subsequent battles of the Second Corps prior to Lee ' s surrender at Appomattox , the regiment was present but suffered only a slight loss . After marching in the Grand Review at Washington it proceeded to Troy , N . Y . , where the men received their final payment and were mustered out on 15 June 1865 . Organization . Volunteers were recruited by town and the 11 companies of the regiment were organized by region : Campaigns . During the term of the unit ' s service in the Civil War , the 125th New York Volunteers saw the following service : Casualties . During its various campaigns and battles the 125th New York sustained a loss of 15 officers and 112 enlisted men , killed or mortally wounded ; 1 officer and 112 enlisted men who died of disease , accidents , or in Confederate prisons ; total deaths , 240 , out of a total enrollment of 1 , 248 . Of the 113 who died of disease , 58 died in the hands of the enemy . The total of killed and wounded in all its battles amounted to 464 . During its service the regiment lost by death , killed in action , 7 officers , 70 enlisted men ; of wounds received in action , 8 officers , 42 enlisted men ; of disease and other causes , 1 officer , 115 enlisted men ; total , 16 officers , 227 enlisted men ; aggregate , 243 ; of whom 3 officers , 61 enlisted men died in the hands of the enemy . Medal of Honor recipients . Michael E . Burk . Burk was born in Ireland and like many immigrants joined the army . He enlisted at Troy , Rensselaer County , NY . A Private in Company D , 125th New York Infantry , at Battle of Spotsylvania Court House on 12 May 1864 , he captured the enemy ' s flag while advancing over the enemy ' s works at Spotsylvania , Virginia , and sustained a bullet wound to the chest . His Medal of Honor was issued on 1 December 1864 . Harrison Clark . Harrison Clark , born 10 April 1842 at Chatham , New York , entered Federal service in the US Army at Chatham . He earned The Medal of Honor during the Civil War for heroism on 2 July 1863 at Gettysburg , Pennsylvania . " At the battle of the Wilderness , Color - Sergeant Clark displayed rare bravery and continued fighting , though shot in the leg . He was promoted lieutenant on the battlefield . " He died 18 April 1913 at the age of 71 . External links . " This article contains text from public domain sources . "