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Broome County NY Civil War Units - 89th

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This is a very brief history of the 89th NY. It was involved in some of the major battles in NC and VA.

The 89th New York Volunteer Infantry was mustered into service Dec 4th through 6th, 1861 at Elmira, NY. The men who served in this regiment were from several central counties, including Broome.

The regiment travelled east by rail through Pennsylvania to Washington DC. Once there, they became part of the Army of the Potomac.

This unit fought in the Battles of South Mills, NC and South Mountain. They were also at Antietam, where they lost over 100 men.

Robert Taylor told me he is willing to act as a contact for information on the 89th. He has also been kind enough to supply me with a unit history that he wrote so I can turn into a web page Here it is.     He also supplied a roster of men who served in the 89th.

Both Bob and Paul Thurston   collect information on the 89th Infantry and it's "brother" unit, the 82nd. While both collect information on all units, Paul is particularly interested in Company G, commanded by a Colonel Rabies. He has also submitted several letters to the Letters from the Front page.

Pat Simpson  also researches the 89th. His interest comes through a relative named Lewis Simpson who lost his leg, and eventually his life due to complications from the wound. Lewis served in Company K, commanded by Frank Burt. A letter from Lewis to his sister in included in the Letters from the Front page.

Additional information on the 89th can be found in the following references:
(these works are available many places and in particular Carlisle Barracks)

Dyer,Frederick H. A Compendium of the War of the Rebellion. Vol. 2. Dayton,OH:Morningside,1979.Ref
        See p. 1440 (1 photocopied page) for a concise summary of the regiment's service.

New York (State). AGO. Annual Report...for the Year 1901. No.31. Albany,NY:J.B. Lyon, 1902 pp.883-1028. E523.2N6no31. (Alphabetical roster of the regiment).

Phisterer,Frederick,comp. New York in the War of the Rebellion, 1861-1865. Vol.4. Albany,NY: Weed and Parsons,1890. E523P582v4.         See pp.2992-3003 (12 photocopied pages) for a brief history of the regiment and a roster of officers.

The following pertinent personal papers are in the Institute's Manuscript Archive:

Beers, William L. - LeighColl Bk 10: 47 (Enlisted man's letter, Jan 1, 1862)
Draper, G. W. - NorwichCWRTColl (Enlisted man's letters, May 4, 1862-Jun 6, 1864)
Griggs, G. W. - NorwichCWRTColl (Sutler's memoirs, 1895)
Judd, Seymour L. - NorwichCWRTColl (Capt's letter, Dec 2, 1861)
Officers - NorwichCWRTColl (Officers' letter to SEN Daniel Dickinson, Apr 24, 1863)
Pearsall, T. H. - NorwichCWRTColl (Sgt's letters, Mar 6-Oct 17, 1862)

There are also books available on the battles the regiment was involved with:

Witt, Col. Jerry V., South Mills, April 19, 1862, A Nearly Forgotten Battle (42 pages),
    Family Research Society of Northeastern North Carolina,
    Belvidere, North Carolina, 1992.

This book documents the Battle of South Mills. In this battle, the 89th NY fought alongside the 9th NY, 21st Mass, 51st Pa, 6th Pa, 6th NH, and the 1st NY Marine Artillery against Confederate Forces led by Colonel Ambrose R. Wright: the 3rd Georgia Infantry, the NC Militia, an Artillery Battery, and the Southhampton Cavalry.

Priest, John Michael, Before Antietam: The Battle for South Mountain (433 pages),
    Oxford University Press, New York, 1992.

The Battle of South Mountain took place September 1862, in Maryland.

Substantial contributions to this page received from Robert Taylor ,   Paul Thurston   and   Pat Simpson.

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