"Favourite Unit/Regiment?" Topic

I did a quick Google search and nothing came up. I was wondering what everyone's favourite unit in the Civil War was, north or south. I'm really interested in regimental stories and I would love to hear some and how they have incorporated them into their wargaming.

I don't have a favourite unit myself but I did recently discover that the 140th New York, who helped reinforce Chamberlains position at Little Round Top, were raised locally to where I live now, and I think I'll be featuring them in my wargames fairly soon.

115th NY
I used to belong to group that reenacted them. We participated in the annual Olustee (FL) reenactment.

A bit of a hard luck regiment – surrendered at Harper's Ferry, involved in Union failures at Olustee, the Crater, and Bermuda Hundred.

link

Hood's Texas Brigade.

24th Michigan and 1st U.S. Sharpshooters. Had ancestors in both.

Hood's Texas Brigade. My Great Grandfather (Elisha T. Kindred) and four of his brothers served in the 4th Texas, with a cousin serving in the 5th Texas. Same last name as me.

Also, MaHone's Virginia brigade, especially the 41st Va.

On the federal side, pretty much the whole 3rd Corps. I had them all in 15mm scale at 20:1 many years back. Among them, the 3rd Maine infantry. I'm about 3/4 of the way through writing their regimental history.

I do admit having some admiration as well for the 6th Corps, and again, especially for the 5th, 6th, and 7th Maine who were also, in June of '64, merged to form the 1st Maine Veteran Volunteers. Their Colonel Thomas Wentworth Hyde, was from my hometown, and was a MOH recipient for his actions with the 7th Maine at Antietam, engaged at the Piper Farm.

9th Corps, the 100th PA in particular. 5th Corps, the 134th PA. I have ancestors in both regiments. I also have a relative in the 76th PA(Keystone Zouaves), I have yet to run a battle incorporating them, as they served on the coast, mainly in SC. I have run a Burnside's Bridge scenario with Fire and Fury, which uses 9th and part of 5th corps. It's hard to choose just one.

@Dances with Clydesdales,

Watch your toes!

1. My favorite Confederate unit: 16th Missouri Infantry. Why? Because my great grandfather, John Edwin Herndon served in it, and because it was part of the last Confederate Army to surrender, which was several weeks after Lee's surrender at Appomattox.

2. My favorite Union unit: the 14th Pennsylvania Cavalry because another great grandfather, Jonas Colestock Gilmore served in it, and was wounded in a fight with some of Mosby's Partisan Rangers.

Union: The Vermont Brigade. Had relatives in it. The first and one of the few Northern brigades to have all regiments from the same state.

Confederate: 1st Virginia Cavalry. John Carter was a captain in that regiment.

The Iron Brigade.

Aptly named.

69th New York – Tribal connection.

23rd Pennsylvania. That was where my great x4 Grandfather served.

20th Tennessee. My great grandfather's unit. He taught my grandmother the Rebel Yell, and she used to voice it for me. Troiani did a print of the 20th.

Wilder's Lightning Brigade. Arguably the most effective Brigade on either side of rhe war.

As a kid enjoyed a book Boys in Battle which led to a love of military history. In that book was the story of New Market and the VMI cadets. One of the first units I put on the table .

69th New York.

72nd Indiana Mounted Infantry, part of Wilder's Brigade. Benjamin Magee wrote what I consider to be the best regimental level history written by a participant. Blue Acorn has reprinted it twice but think it is now out-of-print.

Iron Brigade of course, but others a bit more off the beaten path:

9th Ohio – German regiment from Cincinnati. Commands were given in German and the regiment was trained in a Prussian style. Three successful bayonet charges during the war (two at Chickamauga, one at Mill Springs).

10th Ohio – Irish regiment from Cincinnati (two companies were German). Fought very well at Perryville.

35th Ohio – From Butler County, Ohio (my home county). Fought well at Chickamauga (check out their prominent monument on Snodgrass Hill), and brigaded with the 9th Ohio much of the war.

21st Ohio – Really untested until Chickamauga, then used their Colt Repeating Rifles to good effect (about 80% of the regiment carried Colts).

Vandever's Brigade – Made up of the 9th and 35th Ohio, 2nd Minnesota, and 87th Indiana. The 2nd Minnesota had a grand day at Mill Springs, and the brigade fought very well both days at Chickamauga and Missionary Ridge.

MY Favorite Union Brigades Irish Brigade & Iron Brigade

My favorite regiment is the 1st Colorado.

MY favorite rebels are Hampton Legion and Sibley's Texas Brigade

The 79thPA, of course. I also have a soft spot for the US Regulars.

5th Texas of Hood's Brigade

@attilathepun47

That's why I wear steel toed boots.;)

14th CT, my Dad did research on them as being one of only two Regiments in the Army of the Potomac at Gettysburg to have a Chinese soldier in the ranks, Joseph Pierce.

8th Wisconsin, how can you not love a unit that had a live eagle as a mascot?

3rd US Cavalry, I used to give Staff Rides of Valverde in NM.

1st Special Battalion Louisiana Volunteers, Wheats Tiger Rifles. I'm 1st Sgt. in my unit right now. TIG

The Army of the Tennessee.

I don't have a favourite unit myself but I did recently discover that the 140th New York, who helped reinforce Chamberlains position at Little Round Top, were raised locally to where I live now, and I think I'll be featuring them in my wargames fairly soon.

Actually the 140th NY came in on the other end of Vincent's line just as the 16th Michigan was starting to collapse. They had been brought there by Warren who, not knowing that Vincent was taking up positions on LRT, had gone desperately in search of Infantry and happened on Paddy O"Rorke in temporary command (the commander was off scouting where they were supposed to go in the Wheatfield) of Warren's former brigade. Warren rode up and cried out "Paddy, can spare me a regiment?" O'Rorke said that the Brigade was detailed elsewhere but that he would come with the 140th. The 140th doubletimed it over the crest of the hill, loading as they ran by banging the butts of their muskets on the ground, the first two companies charged into what had been the 16th MI's position, paused and delivered a volley. A few moments later Col. O'Rorke fell and a cry went up through the 140th's line, "That big Reb there, he did it!" Now no one knows who actually did it but "that big Reb" was found after the fight, dead with about a dozen wounds.

Just a few quibbles, the 140th was on the western face of LRT, Chamberlain and the 20th ME were on the Southern Face so these two Regiments weren't in supporting distance of one another. In fact the 20th was separated from it's neighboring Regiment, the 83rd PA by a small ravine which was filled in when they placed Chamberlain Ave. The 140th NY however did play a key role in keeping Vincent's line from collapsing. Shortly thereafter the rest of Weed's Brigade, of which the 140th NY was a part, came up, their orders having been changed. In addition to O'Rorke, Weed would be killed as well as Vincent. The action at LRT is a lot more involved than just the 20th ME.

This is a photo of the Monument to the 140th NY and O'Rorke on top of LRT. People have gotten it into their heads that rubbing his nose is good luck but doing that it slowly destroying that part of the monument as it rubs off the protective patina so if you go please don't.

theminiaturespage.com�

�"TMP link

Oh and how could I forget the 1st MINN? And I'll always have a soft spot for the boys of the 20th ME.

theminiaturespage.com

"TMP link

Custer's Michigan Cavalry Brigade.

Tom

Jowady, thank you for that information! I love posting here because of the wealth of information you guys have.

For brigades it's the Irish and Gibraltar Bde. of the 2nd Corp (4th, &8th Ohio, 14th In. &7th WV )

And then the 94th Ohio

20th Maine.

Union-5th Corps under Porter
Confederate-Light Division

JJ Archers Tenn./Ala Brigade.

Archer was sick as a dog and still "snubed" Abner Doubleday when the met on the first day at Gettysburg.

Regiment
21st Ohio
1st Texas

Brigade
Iron Brigade
Liddell/Govan's Brigade

Division
Doubleday/Wadsworth's First Corps Division
Cleburne's Division

Corps
Union Twelfth/Twentieth Corps
Confederate Hardee's Corps

1st Battalion Virginia Reserves

The 36th Mississippi Infantry, the regiment in which my great-grandfather served.

Jim

1st Connecticut Heavy Artillery, 16th Connecticut Infantry, and 20th Veteran's Reserve Corps. My G-G-Grandfather served in all three regiments.

The 14th New Jersey. My Great Great Grandfather from Maryland volunteered for the unit. Was killed at Cold Harbor.

1st Minnesota Volunteer Light Artillery Battery.

The 54th PA, it was raised in my home town. They served in the valley. In fact the reenactment of New Market was this past weekend.

42nd Penn. Bucktails
Orphan Brigade
Irish Brigade
Texas Brigade
Most all Zouves and Chasseurs, just for the uniforms.
6th Miss.

2nd U.S. Cavalry: Originally a Dragoon unit out west. Two squadrons were commanded by R.E. Lee. They kept their orange dragoon colors for as long as they could.

link

4th Alabama

B

My favorites are the Irish Brigade and the Excelsior Brigade. John Miller

Wilder's Lightning Brigade.

My GG Grandfather was in the 151st NY, fought at the Battle of Monocacy.

Fond of the Iron Bde in the East (the way that a regular officer dealt with Volunteer Soldiers), and Wilders Bde in the West (buy your own gun to join this unit and we will kick butt).

The Stonewall Bde in the East (I went to VMI, enough said), the Orphan Bde in the West (My wife is from Kentucky)

Rockbridge Artillery – always outgunned, never out fought.

28th Massachusetts – 4th regiment of the Irish Brigade. I just happen to reenact that unit.

I suppose I should put in a good word for the 2nd Arkansas Cavalry (US) due to a family connection. It's just they never really did much of anything.

My great-grandfather was a private in the 20th Kentucky (Union) and fought at Shiloh the second day. Later almost the entire regiment was captured by Morgan at Lebanon KY near the beginning of his raid beyond the Ohio. Later my GGF was a 1st Lt. in the 48th KY Mounted Infantry, which spent the War chasing guerillas in its home state.

20th Maine (Union)
Richmond Howitzers (Confederate) And I am a Gunner myself so,…

Wingo's Infantry Regt. Missouri State Guard / 8th Missouri Infantry C.S. (Great-Great Grandfather).

Col. Coleman's Mo. Partisan Rangers (Great-Great Grandfather).

45 NY(5th german rifles), 11th Corps first day, did a fantastic job on Blackfords Sharpshooters and helped repulse ONeals brigade, taking alot of prisoners.

119th NY, great grandpa was standard bearer and a hard man to kill. At a reunion of the local company the other veterans say they saw him fall 3 times from rebel fire, and 3 times he got back up. They called him "Big John". Died in his 70s digging a well.
Unit had an interesting history, 11th Corps, Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, transfers south for Sherman's March and thus missed the summer'64 bloodbath in the east.