120th Regiment, New York Infantry

120th New York Regiment Monument, Gettysburg

Brief History

The 120th Regiment was organized at Kingston, Ulster County, New York, and mustered in August 22, 1862.[1] They were mustered in under Colonel George H. Sharpe, Lieutenant Colonel Cornelius D. Westbrook and Major John R. Tappen.[2] They were moved to Washington, D. C., May 2-12, 1865 and mustered out June 3, 1865 under Lieutenant Colonel Lockwood. Veterans and Recruits transferred to 73rd New York Infantry.[3]

For more information on the history of this unit, see:

Companies in this Regiment with the Counties of Origin

Men often enlisted in a company recruited in the counties where they lived, though not always. After many battles, companies might be combined because so many men were killed or wounded. If you are unsure which company your ancestor was in, try the company recruited in his county first.

See the Regiment Roster, for listing of individuals, their company and their involvement.

Company A - principally recruited from Kingston, Hurley, Olive, Wawarsing and Marlborough, all of Ulster County

Company B - principally recruited from Kingston and Shandaken of Ulster County

Company C - principally recruited from Kingston, Marbletown, Rochester, Rosendale and Gardiner, all of Ulster County

Company D - principally recruited from Kingston, Ulster County; Coxsackie, Ashland, Prattsville, and New Baltimore, all of Greene County

Company E - principally recruited from Ellenville, Denning, Wawarsing and Kingston, all of Ulster County

Company F - principally recruited from Catskill, Jewett,. Lexington, Hunter, all of Greene County; Shandaken and Kingston of Ulster County

Company G - principally recruited from Saugerties, Lloyd and Kingston, all of Ulster County

Company H - principally recruited from Rondout, Ulster County

Company I - principally recruited from Kingston, Ulster County

Company K - principally recruited from Cairo, Ashland, Durham, Greenville and Windham, all of Greene County

Regimental History and Roster

  • The One Hundred and Twentieth Regiment New York State Volunteers : . By Cornelius Van Santvoord. Roundout, N.Y. : Press of the Kingston Freeman, 1894. Online at: Internet Archive
  • Regiment Roster at New York State Military Museum and Veterans Research Center

Source Material

  • Beginning United States Civil War Research gives steps for finding information about a Civil War soldier. It covers the major records that should be used. Additional records are described in ‘New York in the Civil War’ and ‘United States Civil War, 1861 to 1865’ (see below).
  • National Park Service, The Civil War Soldiers and Sailors System, is searchable by soldier's name and state. It contains basic facts about soldiers on both sides of the Civil War, a list of regiments, descriptions of significant battles, sources of the information, and suggestions for where to find additional information.
  • New York in the Civil War describes many Confederate and Union sources, specifically for New York, and how to find them.. These include compiled service records, pension records, rosters, cemetery records, Internet databases, published books, etc.
  • United States Civil War, 1861 to 1865 describes and explains United States and Confederate States records, rather than state records, and how to find them. These include veterans’ censuses, compiled service records, pension records, rosters, cemetery records, Internet databases, published books, etc.
  • 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. Reprint of original published: Madison, WI.: Federal Pub. Co., 1908. Other libraries with this book,FS Catalog Collection FS Library book 973 M2ua
  • United States. Army. New York Infantry Regiment, 120th (1862-1865). Fiftieth anniversary of the muster into service of the One Hundred and Twentieth Regiment, N. Y. V. in the war for the Union : celebrated at Kingston, New York, August 22nd, 1912. (Bethesda, Maryland : University Publications of America, c1992) FS Library Fiche 6083811
  • Sharpe, George H. and Theodore B. Gates. Addresses delivered at Music Hall, Kingston, at the seventh annual meeting of the 120th regimental union, Bethesda, Maryland : University Publications of America, 1992 (original published: Kingston, N. Y. : Daily Freeman Steam Print. House, 1875). Other libraries with this book FS Catalog 660570and FS Library fiche 6083812

Footnotes

  1. Frederick Henry Dyer, A Compendium of the War of the Rebellion, (Des Moines, Iowa: Dyer Publishing Co., 1908), as cited at Civil War Soldiers Sailors System (database on-line) at https://www.nps.gov/civilwar/soldiers-and-sailors-database.htm (accessed 2010).
  2. New York State Division of Military and Naval Affairs. "Unit History Project : 120th Infantry Regiment” in New York State Military Museum and Veterans Research Center at http://dmna.state.ny.us/historic/reghist/civil/infantry/120thInf/120thInfMain.htm (accessed 8 December 2010) citing Frederick Phisterer, New York in the War of the Rebellion, 3rd ed. (Albany, N.Y.: J. B. Lyon Company, 1912).
  3. Hawks, Steve.The Civil War in the East. Database. http://www.civilwarintheeast.com/USA/NY/NY120.php (accessed 8 December 2010)