45th New York Volunteer Infantry Regiment The 45th New York Volunteer Infantry Regiment , also known as the 5th German Rifles , was an infantry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War . It was composed almost entirely of German immigrants . Formed approximately five months after the start of hostilities , the unit ' s service spanned almost the entirety of the war , and it saw action in several of the war ' s noteworthy battles , in both the Eastern and Western Theaters . Service . Muster and Deployment . The regiment was organized in New York City by Colonel George von Amsberg , a veteran Austrian cavalry officer and revolutionary in the Hungarian revolution of 1848 . The unit was mustered in for a three - year enlistment on September 9 , 1861 . On September 14 , 1861 it received its numerical unit designation from New York State . For the next month it encamped at the Landmann ' s Park section of Jones ' s Wood , at 3rd Avenue and 69th Street in Manhattan , and continued to recruit . Since 1991 this intersection on the east side of 3rd Avenue has been the location of Trump Palace Condominiums , but in the second half of the 1800s it was wooded , and a popular recreation area frequented by German immigrants . At the time of its State inspection for muster into United States service the regiment consisted of 743 troops , organized in 10 companies and a band . By October 1861 it numbered 860 , plus the accompanying band at 24 pieces . The regiment left New York for Washington DC on October 9 , 1861 . On October 12 , 1861 the 45th was assigned to 1st Brigade of Louis Blenker ' s division of German immigrants ( 5th Division , Army of the Potomac ) . It encamped for the winter at Hunter ' s Chapel , Virginia . This camp is believed to have been located in what is today Arlington , Virginia , at the intersection of Glebe Road and Columbia Pike , at that time the site of the Hunter ’ s Chapel Methodist Church . Eastern Theater . On December 2 , 1861 , while stationed in winter quarters at Hunter ' s Chapel , the regiment saw its first action of the war in a skirmish several miles to the south - west at Annandale , Virginia . Pickets of Company A were surprised by Confederate cavalry , who had been mistaken for Union forces . It was during this engagement that the regiment also received its first casualties , all from Company A , with private Carsten Huhnenberg killed in action and 12 others missing . In April 1862 Blenker ' s Division was transferred to the Mountain Department under Major General John C . Frémont , in response to the threat to Washington posed by Stonewall Jackson ' s Valley Campaign . The 45th Regiment arrived at Winchester , Virginia , on the Northern end of the Shenandoah Valley , on April 19 , 1862 . On May 1 , 1862 , the 45th left Winchester for Fremont ' s camp near Petersburg , approximately 70 miles west through mountainous terrain . It arrived in Petersburg between May 9 and 11 , 1862 . According to Fremont , much of Blenker ' s division arrived late , exhausted , exposed to hardship , and severely lacking in equipment , with particular need of shoes , blankets , and overcoats . One statement in his report illustrates both their state of supply and the heritage from which the troops were drawn ; " In the important matter of arms there was great deficiency , Belgian or Austrian muskets of old and indifferent patterns being carried by many of the regiments . " Despite the condition of Blenker ' s troops and the arrival of the last of them in Petersburg less than 24 hours prior , reaction to Jackson ' s movements prompted Fremont to immediately redeploy the division to Franklin , 30 miles to the south . At 4am on May 12 , 1862 the division forded the Shenandoah and started for Franklin . It arrived before noon on May 14 , 1862 , having camped only one night on the way . Provisions during this time were in short supply . On May 25 , 1862 Blenker ' s division was again on the march for Petersburg , arriving the next day , and on May 27 , 1862 proceeded through storms and night marches to Strasburg , 60 miles east . The troops were allowed one day ' s rest en route , as demanded by Fremont ' s medical director , allowing " hundreds of stragglers and broken down men from the Blenker division " to catch up . On June 8 , 1862 , it was engaged in the Battle of Cross Keys , in which it suffered a total of 19 casualties . During this battle the regiment took part in a three - hour assault on a Confederate position in the woods on the road to Port Republic , which included hand to hand fighting with Bayonets . It subsequently retired to Middletown , Virginia . At this time many of the men were on the sick list due to constant and severe marches with insufficient food during May and early June . On June 26 , 1862 , Abraham Lincoln created the Army of Virginia , commanded by Major General John Pope , and the Mountain Department was redesignated as I Corps of this army . The 45th was assigned to 1st Division ( under Brigadier General Robert C . Schenck ) , 1st Brigade ( Brigadier General Julius Stahel ) of this new corps . Fremont resigned rather than serve under Pope , and on June 29 , 1862 , Major General Franz Sigel , a commander politically calculated to be popular with German troops , assumed command of the corps . In July and August the regiment was ordered to Sperryville , Madison Court House , Gordonsville , Cuylersville , Cedar Mountain and White Sulphur Springs . The regiment was engaged in skirmishing at Freeman ' s Ford and White Sulphur Springs in what is collectively referred to as the First Battle of Rappahannock Station . At the end of August 1862 it was engaged in the Second Battle of Bull Run . During this battle the 45th was commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Wratislaw . In the course of Pope ' s campaign between August 16 , 1862 , through Second Bull Run the regiment suffered 47 casualties . From September 3 – 21 , 1862 , the regiment was encamped at Lewinsville , Virginia . It was then stationed at Centreville , Virginia through November 3 , 1862 . While the 45th was at Centreville , pursuant to General Orders No . 129 of September 12 , 1862 , the I Corps ' s designation was changed to XI Army Corps , and it was reassigned to the Army of the Potomac . In subsequent weeks 1st Division was successively posted at Thoroughfare Gap , Aldie and Chantilly . The 45th arrived at Falmouth on December 11 , 1862 , as part of General Sigel ' s reserves for the Battle of Fredricksburg , though it did not see action in that engagement . Subsequent to the battle it was withdrawn to Stafford Court House where it entered winter quarters . Maj . Gen Oliver Howard replaced Sigel in command of XI Corps , and , in the spring of 1863 , was in command during the Battle of Chancellorsville . Howard , despite having been ordered to do so , failed to take action to protect his flank . The 45th Regiment , under Colonel George von Amsberg , was assigned to 1st Division , General Charles Devens commanding . This division bore the brunt of a to the exposed Union right flank on May 2 , 1863 . Devons ' division collapsed under the onslaught of over 20 , 000 men under the command of Stonewall Jackson . The 45th suffered 76 casualties ( killed , wounded , and missing ) during the battle . In June 1863 the regiment , still with XI Corps under Howard , was assigned to 3rd Division , 1st Brigade , and was deployed to Gettysburg . On July 1 , 1863 , the first day of battle at Gettysburg , the 45th Regiment was among some of the earliest Union units to arrive on the field , XI Corps following shortly after I Corps . Sometime between 10 : 00 and 11 : 00 Maj . Gen . John F . Reynolds , in command of the left wing of the Army of the Potomac , was killed . This elevated XI Corps commander Howard to command of all Union forces on the field , which had a cascading effect on the command structure down to the 45th Regiment ; command of XI Corps devolved to division commander Carl Schurz , command of 1st Division fell to Brigadier General Alexander Schimmelfennig , regimental commander Col George von Amsberg assumed command of 1st Brigade , and Lieutenant Colonel Adolphus Dobke took command of the regiment . XI Corps arrived before noon , 1st Division leading . The division was sent north to deploy to Oak Ridge to the right of the I Corps . However , finding that the movement of Confederate forces prevented this action , they were forced to take position in a broad plain east of the ridge and north of the town . In order to cover the necessary territory with limited forces , the 45th deployed as skirmishers in this location at about 11 : 00 . They were immediately subject to heavy fire of grape , canister , solid shot , and shell from Confederate batteries on the hill . At 1 : 30 a Confederate movement on the extreme left of the 45th and right of I Corps exposed its flank to the 45th at very short range and was the target of a withering crossfire between the 45th and I Corps . This formation suffered heavy casualties , with survivors taken prisoner and sent rear . At 4 : 00 pm a weakening of the lines in this area precipitated an order for the 45th to retreat , and it fell back to the Seminary with orders to cover the retreat of I and XI Corps through the town . After they had passed the regiment was ordered to follow , and a running battle though the streets of Gettysburg ensued . Eventually the regiment turned down an alley and emerged into an enclosed square , the only exit of which had been blockaded by Confederate sharpshooters with the bodies of dead Union soldiers . Only about 100 men , one third of the regiment , escaped this situation to assemble behind a stone fence on Cemetery Hill . The rest were killed , captured , or missing . The regiment remained in relative quiet in this position until 4 : 00 pm the next day , when Confederate batteries opened a heavy fire on Cemetery Hill . The regiment was ordered to the relief of XII Corps on Culp ' s Hill that evening and returned to Cemetery Hill at daylight . On July 3 , 1863 , volunteer sharpshooters from the regiment were employed against Confederate artillery and assisted in repelling Pickett ' s charge . In total , the regiment suffered 224 casualties at Gettysburg . Captain Francis Irsch was awarded the for " Gallantry in flanking the enemy and capturing a number of prisoners and in holding a part of the town against heavy odds while the Army was rallying on Cemetery Hill " on July 1 . Western Theater . After Gettysburg , the remaining ranks of the 45th were gathered together and the XI ( and XII ) Corps of the Army of the Potomac , under the command of Major General Joseph Hooker , were moved to the Western Theater to reinforce the Army of the Cumberland around Chattanooga , Tennessee . To avoid consuming the limited rations available in Chattanooga , Hooker ' s troops were at first held to the railroad , where they could be supplied , and later staged at Bridgeport , Alabama , to await deployment . On October 26 , Hooker crossed the Tennessee River . As of this time 3rd Division was commanded by Major General Carl Schurz , and 1st Brigade by Brigadier General Hector Tyndale . From October 27 – 28 , 1863 , the regiment was engaged in the Battle of Wauhatchie , just outside Chattanooga to the west and north of Lookout Mountain . These actions were initiated to protect the " cracker line " – the recently established supply line by which Union troops , effectively under siege in and about Chattanooga , were supported . Subsequent movements were intended to reinforce Geary . The regiment suffered two casualties . After Wauhatchie and Lookout valley Schurz ' s Division ( 3rd ) was temporarily put under the command of William Tecumseh Sherman in support of his assault on the Confederate right on Missionary Ridge . The main movement of Hooker ' s XI Corps was to push across Lookout Mountain toward the south end of Missionary Ridge . 3rd Division played a supporting role on the Union left in the Battle of Missionary Ridge . It was not heavily engaged , however , and suffered no casualties . This ended major operations for the 45th for the 1863 season . On February 2 , 1864 , it was granted 30 days veteran furlough . In April 1864 the XI and XII Divisions were consolidated and designated XX Corps . The 45th was assigned to the 2d Brigade , 1st Division , 20th Corps , with which it served in the Atlanta Campaign through July 1864 . It was present for the battles of Dallas , Resaca , and Kennesaw Mountain , however , it did not perform a major role in these engagements . It suffered no casualties in the campaign . Post Duty and Muster Out . In July 1864 the 45th was attached to the Department of the Cumberland at Nashville , Tennessee . It remained there until the close of the war . Original members who did not reenlist were mustered out October 8 , 1864 . Enough reenlisted , however , that the unit was retained as a veteran regiment . It was present for the Battle of Nashville on December 15 – 16 , 1864 , as part of the Post of Nashville ( 2nd Brigade , 4th Division , XX Corps ) . On June 30 , 1865 , it was consolidated with the 58th Regiment New York Volunteer Infantry and with it mustered out of service on October 1 , 1865 . Casualties . Killed in action : 4 officers , 31 enlisted < BR > Died of wounds received in action : 1 officer , 17 enlisted < BR > Died of disease and other causes : 2 officers , 106 enlisted < BR > In aggregate 161 , of whom 3 officers , 19 enlisted men , died in the hands of the enemy .