156th Infantry Regiment
Nickname: Mountain Legion
Mustered in: November 17, 1862
Mustered out: October 23, 1863
The following is taken from New York in the War of the Rebellion, 3rd ed. Frederick Phisterer. Albany: J. B. Lyon Company, 1912.
Colonel Erastus Cooke received authority, August 23, 1862, to recruit this regiment in the then 10th Senatorial District of the State; it was organized at Kingston, where It was mustered in the service of the United States for three years, November 17, 1862. The New Palts Volunteers formed part of the regiment, and three companies of the men recruited by Col. Minthorn Tompkins for his regiment were, to complete its organization, attached to it as Companies H, I and K.
The companies were recruited principally: A at Plattekill, New Paltz, Gardiner and Shawangunk; B at Kingston, Woodstock, Lloyd, Olive and Marbletown; C at Durham, Kingston, Wawarsing, Esopus, Hurley, Saugerties, Cairo and Rosendale; D at Wawar-sing, Marbletown, Kingston and Shawangunk; E at Plattekill, Rosendale, Shawangunk, Gardiner and New Paltz; F at Kingston, Saugerties, Hurley, Rochester, Marbletown and Olive; G at Esopus, Marlborough and Kingston; H at Rochester, Southfields, Middle-town, Newtown, Greenville, Castleton, New York city, Westfield, Northfield, Hillsdale and Baltimore; I at Castleton, Northfield, Westfield, Hillsdale, Southfields and Greenville; and K at Castleton, Middletown, Newtown, Northfiel'd and Hillsdale.
The regiment left the State December 4, 1862; it served in Sherman's Division, Department of the Gulf, from December 25, 1862; in the 3d Brigade, 3d Division, Department of the Gulf, from January, 1863; in the same, 19th Corps, from February, 1863; in the 2d Brigade, 1st Division, 19th Corps, from July, 1863; in the 3d Brigade, 2d Division, 19th Corps, from February, 1864; in the Provisional Corps in North Carolina, from March, 1865; in the 3d Brigade, 1st Division, 10th Corps, from April 2, 1865; in the Department of Georgia, from June, 1865; and, commanded by Col. Jacob Sharpe, it was honorably discharged and mustered out October 23, 1865, at Augusta, Ga.
During its service the regiment lost by death, killed in action, 2 officers, 40 enlisted men; of wounds received in action, 2 officers, 20 enlisted men; of disease and other causes, 4 officers, 163 enlisted men; total, 8 officers, 223 enlisted men; aggregate, 231; of whom 17 enlisted men died in the hands of the enemy.
The following is taken from The Union army: a history of military affairs in the loyal states, 1861-65 -- records of the regiments in the Union army -- cyclopedia of battles -- memoirs of commanders and soldiers. Madison, WI: Federal Pub. Co., 1908. volume II.
One Hundred and Fifty-sixth Infantry.—Cols., Erastus Cooke, Jacob Sharpe; Lieut.-Cols., Jacob Sharpe, Thomas Fowler, Alfred Neafie; Majs., Louis Schaffner, Thomas Fowler, William Van Wa-genen, Matthias S. Ewan. This regiment, known as the "Mountain Legion," was recruited in the counties of Ulster, Greene and Richmond and was organized at Kingston, where it was mustered into the U. S. service for three years on Nov. 17, 1862. The New Paltz volunteers formed part of the regiment, as did three companies recruited by Col. Minthorn Thompson. It left the state on Dec. 4, 1862, and sailed for New Orleans, where it was assigned to the 3d brigade, 3d (Emory's) division, 19th corps, with which it participated in its first battle at Fort Bisland, losing 22 killed and wounded. It took an active part in the long siege of Port Hudson, including the assault of June 14, when Lieut.-Col. Fowler was mortally wounded while leading the regiment in a charge. The total loss of the regiment during the siege was 30 killed and wounded. After the fall of Port Hudson it spent the ensuing 9 months in post and garrison duties, with occasional reconnoissances into the enemy's country. On March 15, 1864, in Grover's (2nd) division, it moved on Banks' Red River expedition and was engaged at Pleasant Hill, Alexandria and Mansura, but sustained slight loss. In July, 1864, when the first two divisions of the corps were ordered to Virginia, the 156th embarked for Washington and after marching through Maryland engaged in Sheridan's famous Shenandoah campaign against Early. At the battle of the Opequan the regiment lost 20 killed and 91 wounded, a total of 111. Col. Sharpe had been promoted to brevet brigadier-general for gallantry and was in command of the brigade at Winchester, while Lieut-Col. Neafie gallantly commanded the regiment. The 156th was also in the fights at Fisher's hill, and Cedar creek, losing in the latter action 92 killed, wounded and missing. In this fight, when several of the color-guard had fallen, the regimental colors were narrowly saved from capture by the bravery of Capt. Alfred Cooley, who stripped the colors from the staff and brought them safely off the field. The fighting in the valley had now ended and in Jan., 1865, the regiment proceeded with Grover's division to Savannah, Ga. Gen. H. W. Birge was now given command of the division, which joined in the final campaign in the Carolinas, temporarily attached to the 10th corps as the 1st division. In 'May it returned to Savannah, and the regiment continued to serve in that vicinity until finally mustered out under Col. Sharpe, at Augusta, Ga., Oct. 23, 1865. It lost during its term of service 4 officers and 60 men killed in action and mortally wounded; 4 officers and 163 men died of disease and other causes; total deaths, 231.