This is the story of the men who fought and died in the 72nd New York Volunteer Infantry during the Civil War. Part of Dan Sickles' famed Excelsior Brigade; the 72nd New York served in all the major actions associated with the III Corps; losing one-fourth or more of the regiment in three different engagements. The narrative of the war is told in the words of the men who were there. Drawing on soldier's letters; diaries; memoirs (many unpublished or obscure) and official reports; this work follows these men from the exciting beginnings of recruitment; the boredom and frustrations of life policing the secessionist countryside of Southern Maryland; through to the eventual disbanding of the regiment in July of 1864 after being bled white at Williamsburg; the Peninsula; Chancellorsville; Gettysburg and the Overland Campaign. A final chapter offers a brief account of many of the men's lives following the war. Included in the work are photographs; period illustrations; maps and an organizational chart. A complete roster is arranged by company with chronologies of officers' service.
#2754306 in Books McFarland 2012-10-05Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.90 x 1.10 x 7.00l; 1.54 #File Name: 0786466979406 pages
Review
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. The 124th New York State Volunteers in the Civil WarBy Bill McVeyA facinating story of common men at war in a century when patriotic sacrifice faced few doubts. This telling was obviously a labor of love for the author. The reading glides from page to page with anecdotal ease. Historians and others will in the future; refer to this volume citing the sacfifices of this valiant regiment from the small towns and farms of the New York's Mid-Hudson Valley.The author is a champion of the blue coated men of humble origins that faced a foe in many ways not unlike themselves.Thanks to the publisher for printing on acid free paper which always demonstrates a respect for scholarship Bill McVey2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. The 124th New York State Volunteers in the Civil War: A History and Roster;By Jeffrey AlbaneseCertainly one of the better regimental histories you can read this important work on one of the truly distinguished units to serve in the Army of the Potomac gives you a soldier's view of what it was like to serve on the front lines during the American Civil War. The author states in his acknowledgments that this work is based on many years of research and it certainly shows as primary sources abound primarily in letters written by the men who served in this storied unit to their families and in many cases to their local newspapers about their experiences during combat; on the march and in camp. The author skillfully provides you with the background for their engagements and movements while at the same time letting the actual participants fill in the details with their own words. The men of the 124th New York State Volunteers; the `Orange Blossoms" as they became known; served with distinction in the forefront of some of the most significant battles in the eastern theater of the Civil War. The author in preserving and detailing their history certainly does justice to these men and their unit who he so accurately describes in his Epilogue as a "Regiment of Heroes."1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Wonderful tribute to the Orange BlossomsBy Tavy UmheyWhat a masterful job and what a wonderful tribute to the men from Orange County who fought that our country might remain free and united. The numerous contemporaneous quotes bring the voices of average soldiers to us while the author's informative and insightful commentary puts them in context and gives us an overview of the Civil War from August;1863 when the unit assembled in Goshen until the surrender at Appomattox in April;1865.
