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117th New York Infantry

Editor’s Note: Do you have information on this regiment’s role at the Siege of Petersburg?  Please contact us using the Contact button in the menu at the top of the screen.  We are happy to exchange information with other researchers.

Muster In: August 8, 18621
Muster Out: June 8, 18652

Commander(s):
Colonel Alvin White
AlvinWhite117thNY3

Colonel Rufus Daggett
RufusDaggett117thNY4

Lieutenant Colonel Francis X. Meyer
Image of Lieutenant Colonel Francis Meyer 117th NY5

Major Egbert Bagg
EgbertBagg117thNY6

Commander 5
Commander Image Needed

First Offensive Order of Battle: First Brigade | Second Division | X Corps | Army of the James | Union Army7,8

Second Offensive Order of Battle: First Brigade | Second Division | X Corps | Army of the James | Union Army12,13

Third Offensive Order of Battle: First Brigade | Second Division | X Corps | Army of the James | Union Army17,18

  • Commander:
    • Colonel Alvin White (July 1-July 18, 1864)19
    • Major Egbert Bagg (at least July 18 and 30, 1864)20
    • Lieutenant Colonel Rufus Daggett (July 31, 1864)21
  • Unit Strength:
  • Weapons:

Fourth Offensive Order of Battle: First Brigade | Second Division | X Corps | Army of the James | Union Army22

  • Commander: Colonel Rufus Daggett (August 31, 1864)23
  • Unit Strength:
  • Weapons:

Fifth Offensive Order of Battle: First Brigade | Second Division | X Corps | Army of the James | Union Army24,25

  • Commander:
    • Lieutenant Colonel Francis X. Meyer (at least September 28-29, 1864) (badly wounded near Fort Gilmer on September 29, 1864)26
    • Major Egbert Bagg (at least September 29 and October 7, 1864) (assumed command after Meyer’s wounding)27,28
  • Unit Strength: At least 275 officers and men PFD (September 29, 1864)29
  • Weapons: Springfield Rifles (.58 caliber) (September 30, 1864)30

Sixth Offensive Order of Battle: First Brigade | Second Division | X Corps | Army of the James | Union Army31,32

  • Commander: Major Egbert Bagg (October 27 & 31, 1864)33,34,35
  • Unit Strength:
  • Weapons:

Seventh Offensive Order of Battle:

First Brigade | Second Division | X Corps | Army of the James | Union Army (November 1-December 3, 1864)36

First Brigade | Second Division | XXIV Corps | Army of the James | Union Army (December 3-7, 1864)37

  • Commander: Colonel Rufus Daggett (at least December 8 & 31, 1864)38,39
  • Unit Strength:
  • Weapons:
  • Note: On December 3, 1864, the X Corps and XVIII Corps of the Army of the James were reorganized into the XXIV Corps and the XXV Corps.
  • Note: In trenches before Richmond until December 7. Left to participate in the First Fort Fisher Expedition. The 117th New York arrived back at Deep Bottom on December 30, 1864, and moved back north of  the James River until they again departed on the Second Fort Fisher Expedition in early January 1865, never to return to the Siege of Petersburg.40,41

Eighth Offensive Order of Battle:

  • No longer present at the Siege of Petersburg.42
  • Note: The 117th New York left the Siege of Petersburg for good on the morning of January 4, 1865, leaving from Bermuda Landing aboard the steamer Georgia.43

Ninth Offensive Order of Battle:

  • No longer present at the Siege of Petersburg.44

Dyer’s/Sifakis’ Compendium Info:
Siege of Petersburg Battles45:

  • Before Petersburg June 15-18.
  • Siege operations against Petersburg and Richmond June 16 to December 7, 1864.
  • Duty in trenches before Petersburg and on the Bermuda Hundred front until September 27.
  • Skirmish Near Ware Bottom Church on the Bermuda Hundred Line, August 25, 186446
  • Battle of Chaffin’s Farm, New Market Heights, September 28-30.
  • Battle of Darbytown and New Market Roads (Reserve) October 7, 186447
  • Battle of Fair Oaks October 27-28.
  • Duty in trenches before Richmond until December 7.

 

Bibliography:

Siege of Petersburg Documents Which Mention This Unit:

Sources:

  1. A Compendium of the War of the Rebellion by Frederick H. Dyer (Part 3) ↩
  2. A Compendium of the War of the Rebellion by Frederick H. Dyer (Part 3) ↩
  3. This image was provided by Dr. James S. Pula.  Jim is the author of The 117th New York Infantry in the Civil War: A History and Roster and grew up in Oneida, NY where the regiment was largely raised. This image comes from a postwar collage of regimental officers, and Jim believes the original is housed in the Oneida Historical Society in Utica, NY.  If you know the exact citation I should be using here please contact me. I’d like to thank Jim for his generosity, and keep an eye out lower on this unit page for updates on his book. ↩
  4. This image was provided by Dr. James S. Pula.  Jim is the author of The 117th New York Infantry in the Civil War: A History and Roster and grew up in Oneida, NY where the regiment was largely raised. This image comes from a postwar collage of regimental officers, and Jim believes the original is housed in the Oneida Historical Society in Utica, NY.  If you know the exact citation I should be using here please contact me. I’d like to thank Jim for his generosity, and keep an eye out lower on this unit page for updates on his book. ↩
  5. This image was provided by Dr. James S. Pula.  Jim is writing a history of the 117th New York and grew up in Oneida, NY where the regiment was largely raised. This image comes from the US Army history and education facility in Carlisle Barracks, PA. I’d like to thank Jim for his generosity, and keep an eye out lower on this unit page for updates on his book. ↩
  6. This image was provided by Dr. James S. Pula.  Jim is the author of The 117th New York Infantry in the Civil War: A History and Roster and grew up in Oneida, NY where the regiment was largely raised. This image comes from the US Army history and education facility in Carlisle Barracks, PA. I’d like to thank Jim for his generosity, and keep an eye out lower on this unit page for updates on his book. ↩
  7. The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, Volume XL, Part 1 (Serial Number 80), p. 234 ↩
  8. The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, Volume XL, Part 2 (Serial Number 81), p. 553 ↩
  9. Col. White was apparently at the head of the regiment from the beginning of the siege until sometime in early July 1864, at which point he fell sick. (“It was here that Col. White’s remarkable powers of endurance failed. He had scarcely been relieved from duty a day for several months, and here he was at the front constantly, enduring the deprivations and perils of that position. He refused to retire from the command, till assured by his friends and the surgeons, that, in his condition, it was imprudent for him to remain.”). Mowris, J.A., A History of the One Hundred and Seventeenth Regiment, N.Y. Volunteers. Hartford, Case, Lockwood, & Co., 1866, p. 120 ↩
  10. Pula, James S. (2023). The 117th New York Infantry in the Civil War: A History and Roster. McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers, pp. 96-98 ↩
  11. Volume 13 (Ordnance Returns for the Second Quarter, April-June, 1864); 117th New York Entry, Page 124; Summary Statements of Quarterly Returns of Ordnance and Ordnance Stores on Hand in Regular and Volunteer Army Organizations, 1862-1867, 1870-1876. (National Archives Microfilm Publication M1281, Roll 7); Records of the Office of the Chief of Ordnance, 1797-1969, Record Group 156; National Archives Building, Washington, D.C. ↩
  12. The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, Volume XL, Part 1 (Serial Number 80), p. 234 ↩
  13. The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, Volume XL, Part 2 (Serial Number 81), p. 553 ↩
  14. Col. White was apparently at the head of the regiment from the beginning of the siege until sometime in early July 1864, at which point he fell sick. (“It was here that Col. White’s remarkable powers of endurance failed. He had scarcely been relieved from duty a day for several months, and here he was at the front constantly, enduring the deprivations and perils of that position. He refused to retire from the command, till assured by his friends and the surgeons, that, in his condition, it was imprudent for him to remain.”). Mowris, J.A., A History of the One Hundred and Seventeenth Regiment, N.Y. Volunteers. Hartford, Case, Lockwood, & Co., 1866, p. 120 ↩
  15. The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, Volume XL, Part 2 (Serial Number 81), p. 553 ↩
  16. Volume 13 (Ordnance Returns for the Second Quarter, April-June, 1864); 117th New York Entry, Page 124; Summary Statements of Quarterly Returns of Ordnance and Ordnance Stores on Hand in Regular and Volunteer Army Organizations, 1862-1867, 1870-1876. (National Archives Microfilm Publication M1281, Roll 7); Records of the Office of the Chief of Ordnance, 1797-1969, Record Group 156; National Archives Building, Washington, D.C. ↩
  17. The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, Volume XL, Part 1 (Serial Number 80), page 264 ↩
  18. The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, Volume XL, Part 3 (Serial Number 82), page 738 ↩
  19. Col. White was apparently at the head of the regiment from the beginning of the siege until sometime in early July 1864, at which point he fell sick. (“It was here that Col. White’s remarkable powers of endurance failed. He had scarcely been relieved from duty a day for several months, and here he was at the front constantly, enduring the deprivations and perils of that position. He refused to retire from the command, till assured by his friends and the surgeons, that, in his condition, it was imprudent for him to remain.”). Mowris, J.A., A History of the One Hundred and Seventeenth Regiment, N.Y. Volunteers. Hartford, Case, Lockwood, & Co., 1866, p. 120 ↩
  20. Major Bagg apparently took over for Colonel White on July 18, 1864, which is the date his promotion to Major was post-dated to.  He was in command on July 30, 1864 at the Battle of the Crater. Mowris, J.A., A History of the One Hundred and Seventeenth Regiment, N.Y. Volunteers. Hartford, Case, Lockwood, & Co., 1866, pp. 126, 231 ↩
  21. The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, Volume XL, Part 3 (Serial Number 82), page 738 ↩
  22. The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, Volume XLII, Part 2 (Serial Number 88), page 620: “Organization of the Army of the Potomac…August 31, 1864” ↩
  23. The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, Volume XLII, Part 2 (Serial Number 88), page 620: “Organization of the Army of the Potomac…August 31, 1864” ↩
  24. Sommers, Richard J. “Grant’s Fifth Offensive at Petersburg: A Study in Strategy, Tactics, and Generalship.  The Battle of Poplar Spring Church, the First Battle of the Darbytown Road, the Second Battle of the Squirrel Level Road, the Second Battle of the Darbytown Road (Ulysses S. Grant, Virginia).” Doctoral Thesis. Rice University, 1970. Print. p. 1303. ↩
  25. The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, Volume XLII, Part 1 (Serial Number 87), page 133: “Return of Casualties in the Union Forces (September-October 1864)” ↩
  26. Pula, James S. (2023). The 117th New York Infantry in the Civil War: A History and Roster. McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers, pp. 130, 132, 137 ↩
  27. Major Bagg was in command at the Battle of Fort Harrison on September 29, 1864 and the the Battle of New Market Road on October 7, 1864. Mowris, J.A., A History of the One Hundred and Seventeenth Regiment, N.Y. Volunteers. Hartford, Case, Lockwood, & Co., 1866, p. 232 ↩
  28. Pula, James S. (2023). The 117th New York Infantry in the Civil War: A History and Roster. McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers, pp. 139 ↩
  29. Pula, James S. (2023). The 117th New York Infantry in the Civil War: A History and Roster. McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers, pp. 140: The 117th NY lost “over 120, killed, wounded and missing” in the assaults on September 29. ↩
  30. Volume 15 (Ordnance Returns for the Third Quarter, July-September, 1864); 117th New York Entry, Page 119; Summary Statements of Quarterly Returns of Ordnance and Ordnance Stores on Hand in Regular and Volunteer Army Organizations, 1862-1867, 1870-1876. (National Archives Microfilm Publication M1281, Roll 7); Records of the Office of the Chief of Ordnance, 1797-1969, Record Group 156; National Archives Building, Washington, D.C. ↩
  31. The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, Volume XLII, Part 3 (Serial Number 89), page 465: “Organization of the Union Forces” (October 31, 1864)” ↩
  32. The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, Volume XLII, Part 1 (Serial Number 87), page 149: “Return of Casualties in the Union Forces…Fair Oaks and Darbytown Road, Va., October 27-28, 1864” ↩
  33. Major Bagg commanded the 117th NY at the Second Battle of Fair Oaks on October 27, 1864. Mowris, J.A., A History of the One Hundred and Seventeenth Regiment, N.Y. Volunteers. Hartford, Case, Lockwood, & Co., 1866, p. 143 ↩
  34. The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, Volume XLII, Part 3 (Serial Number 89), page 465: “Organization of the Union Forces” (October 31, 1864)” ↩
  35. Pula, James S. (2023). The 117th New York Infantry in the Civil War: A History and Roster. McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers, p. 144 ↩
  36.  A Compendium of the War of the Rebellion by Frederick H. Dyer (Part 3) ↩
  37. The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, Volume XLII, Part 3 (Serial Number 89), page 1124: “Organization of the Union Forces” (December 31, 1864) ↩
  38. The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, Volume XLII, Part 3 (Serial Number 89), page 1124: “Organization of the Union Forces” (December 31, 1864) ↩
  39. Pula, James S. (2023). The 117th New York Infantry in the Civil War: A History and Roster. McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers, p. 152 ↩
  40. A Compendium of the War of the Rebellion by Frederick H. Dyer (Part 3) ↩
  41. Pula, James S. (2023). The 117th New York Infantry in the Civil War: A History and Roster. McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers, pp. 163-164 ↩
  42. A Compendium of the War of the Rebellion by Frederick H. Dyer (Part 3) ↩
  43. Pula, James S. (2023). The 117th New York Infantry in the Civil War: A History and Roster. McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers, p. 168 ↩
  44. A Compendium of the War of the Rebellion by Frederick H. Dyer (Part 3) ↩
  45. A Compendium of the War of the Rebellion by Frederick H. Dyer (Part 3) ↩
  46. Mowris, J.A., A History of the One Hundred and Seventeenth Regiment, N.Y. Volunteers. Hartford, Case, Lockwood, & Co., 1866, p. 130: “In a skirmish on the Bermuda Hundred line on August 25, 1864 the 117th NY lost some men as prisoners.” ↩
  47. Mowris, J.A., A History of the One Hundred and Seventeenth Regiment, N.Y. Volunteers. Hartford, Case, Lockwood, & Co., 1866, p. 140: The 117th was in reserve during a Confederate attack on October 7, 1864. ↩

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