7th Regiment New York Volunteer Infantry | |
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Active | April 23, 1861 to May 8, 1863 |
Country | United States |
Allegiance | Union |
Branch | Infantry |
Engagements | Battle of Big Bethel Peninsula Campaign Seven Days Battles Battle of Antietam Battle of Fredericksburg Battle of Chancellorsville Battle of Gettysburg |
The 7th New York Volunteer Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. It is also known as the Steuben Guard or the Steuben Regiment.
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The regiment was organized in New York City and was mustered in for a two year enlistment on April 23, 1861. Early in its training, it was so poorly equipped that a civilian who visited the troops wrote a letter to the editor of The New York Times (published May 16, 1861) complaining that tailors within the regiment had to resew the uniforms and put buttons on them, and that some of the soldiers were wearing "flip-flaps". The letter-writer was impressed (spelling and punctuation as in the original):
With "one or two exceptions" almost every officer then in the regiment had experience in European armies, and six out of eight of the soldiers had seen service, often in battle. "The only arms they have as yet are a few old muskets bought by the officers themselves."[1]
The regiment was mustered out of service on May 8, 1863.
The regiment suffered 102 deaths from wounds and 47 from other causes, for a total of 149 fatalities.