History
of the Excelsior Brigade
The following oration was given by Colonel John N. Coyne on the occasion of the dedication of the
Excelsior
Brigade monument at Gettysburg, July 2, 1893.
ORATION OF LIEUT. COL. JOHN N. COYNE, OF THE FIRST EXCELSIOR.
COMRADES OF THE EXCELSIOR BRIGADE:
As we stand on this historic ground with a summer’s sun bathing in a golden light the peaceful landscape, and the soft air filled with the fragrance of the meadowland and the song of the birds,
“You would not dream that once this tranquil spot
Had felt the burning hail of the rifle shot;
Or heard the screaming of the deadly shell,
Or the wild echo of the Rebel yell.
“It should be haunted. Phantom hosts should rise
And cloud with battle-smoke the smiling skies.
The clash of meeting bayonets we should hear;
And booming cannon shock the listening ear.
“Hark! Is not that the marshalling of men?
Does not a war-like bugle wake the glen?
Is not the trampling of ten thousand feet
Heard, keeping rhythm to the drummer’s beat?
“No, not an infant in its mother’s arms
Breathes freer than this scene from war’s alarms.
The record of that awful day is writ
In human hearts. Here is no trace of it.”
How peaceful and lovely the scene as we stood here on the morning of the 2d of July, thirty years ago. The same golden sunlight and fragrance of wood and meadow grated us as we arose from our slumber that morn; but, ere darkness again covered the earth it was all changed. These fair fields were turned into a crimson tide of blood; these hills that had stood unshaken for ages, trembled with the shock of war, and the sun was darkened with the smoke of battle.
On that fair morning the Excelsior Brigade, numbering 1, 1701 sturdy forms, the survivors of Yorktown, Williamsburg, Fair Oaks, The Seven Day’s Battle, Bristoe Station, Bull Run, Fredericksburg and Chancellorsville, stood martial array ready to face the foe who had marched into this fair land in their treasonable design of invasion. On all these fields, hundreds of your comrades had given their lives in defence of the of the Union that these invaders had been battling to destroy; and now the Rebel host had entered this peaceful Northern State in a final effort to accomplish their purpose. But it was to be otherwise, and the waves of the Rebellion were to be dashed into fragments against the rocks of Round Top, and the soldiers of Longstreet, Hood, McLaws and Barksdale were to suffer annihilation in their efforts to break through the storm of fire at the Peach Orchard.
The banners of the Excelsior Brigade were in the heart of this volcano, and you won imperishable renown by your unflinching courage and heroism in the desperate struggle.
As the sun sank over the distance hills on that eventful day,
and the shades of night began to fall, your depleted ranks were withdrawn from
the ground you had so stubbornly contested.
For hours you had been battling over this very ground where now you
stand, and your dead lay in scores on the extreme front of the day’s
conflict. Your standards were still
unsullied, and history had to add another to tell of your valor.
I will now take up in chronological order or our battles and
losses, but in a paper of this kind, written to illustrate the deeds of our
brigade, and to briefly give an account of its heavy sacrifices, it will be
impossible for me to dwell upon the details of our campaigns.
On May 18, 1861, Hon. Daniel E. Sickles was the authorized by
President Lincoln to organize a brigade for service in the field. To this task he devoted all his energies,
and, after surmounting many difficulties, he completed the organization of five
regiments.
The first Regiment was organized with General Sickles as a
temporary colonel, he being succeeded by Col. Wm. Dwight, Jr.; the Second
Regiment, under Col. Geo. B. Hall and Lieut.
Col. H. L. Potter; the Third Regiment under Col. Nelson Taylor; the
Fourth Regiment under Col. James Fairman, who was succeeded by Col. Wm. R.
Brewster; and the Fifth Regiment under Col. Charles K. Graham. The regiments were organized independently
of all State authority and were known as Unites States volunteers until
December 5, 1861--long after they had been mustered into service --- when
orders were issued by the War Department for their incorporation in the
volunteer forces of the State of New York.
It was for this reason that their numerical designation became so high.
The first Regiment was mustered into the United States service
at Camp Scott, on Staten Island, June 20 and 22, 1861. The Second Regiment, originally the Jackson
Light Infantry, was mustered by companies at Camp Scott between June 20th
and July 18th. The Third
Regiment was mustered by companies at Camp Scott between June and October. The Fourth Regiment, which was recruited as
the Second Fire Zouaves, was mustered between July 8th, at Camp
Scott; and the Fifth Regiment was mustered at Camp Scott between June 30th
and October 6th.
When the Excelsior regiments reached Washington, they were
placed in camp in the vicinity of the Capitol.
Late in the fall, the brigade was sent to the Lower Potomac,
near Liverpool Point, where it did excellent service guarding the river. The regiments were regularly drilled in
marching, bayonet exercise, and musketry practice, and passed the winter in
perfecting themselves for the sterner duties that were to follow when the
spring should open.
You were now the Second Brigade of the Second Division, Third
Corps of the Army of the Potomac, or Sickles’ Brigade, Hooker’s Division,
Heintzelman’s Corps.
On
the 9th of April you were o transports on your way to the Peninsula,
and on that dark and bloody ground you were to prove that the motto on your
banners was well deserved.
You were soon before formidable works of Yorktown, where the
brigade was thrown well to the front, and was almost constantly engaged in
building redoubts and intrenchments, or on duty on the skirmish line. You were ever vigilant in the performance of
this duty, and always ready to take advantage of any carelessness of the
enemy. Your vigilance was rewarded, for
at early dawn on the morning of the 4th of May, after a night of
terrific artillery fire from the enemy, our enterprising comrades of the Fourth
Regiment, becoming suspicious of the unusual quiet-ness in their front, made up
their minds to find out the cause of it, and, pushing forward, were soon
climbing over the Rebel works, thus being among the first to announce their
evacuation.
The loss in the brigade during the siege of Yorktown was
slight, being 1 killed and 2 wounded.
Hooker’s Division is selected to lead in pursuit of the
retreating foe. Many of you remember
that March, -- the heavy roads, the driving rain as night descended, and the
comfortless bivouac in the woods, as weary and exhausted, we sank to rest.
Early the next morning, May 5th, you resume your
march, and you do not fail to notice that your commanding officers keep the
columns well closed up, and that they have an air of expectancy which does not
usually mark their faces.
The rain is still falling, and the roads and woods are dismal;
the air is heavy with moisture and seems like a pall. At last we are halted, and as the noise of jingling accoutrements
ceases, we hear peculiar sounds and reverberations. Our cheeks flush, and we begin to tighten our belts and inspect
our arms. We know what it means. Hooker, with the leading brigade, has
overtaken the enemy and he is contesting our advance, and the increasing noise
indicates that the resistance is becoming serious. We are on the eve of our first battle, my comrades, and our minds
wander to our far-off homes where our loved ones are, and as the vision comes
before us, a feeling heretofore unknown pervades our hearts, and the eye
becomes moist with the tender reflection.
The gentle breeze that brings to our ears the noise of conflict
unfolds our banners, and the motto upon them dispels the vision. Our lips become compressed and our brows
knit, and the light deepens in our eyes.
The sound of battle increases, and the atmosphere becomes heavy with its
smoke as we stand by the roadside awaiting orders.
Hooker’s advance has been severely contested all the
morning. Longstreet, who has the
command of the enemy’s forces on the field, has thrown into the contest
regiment after regiment, and is fighting desperately to hold the ground where
he has made his stand. The iron bolts
from Fort Magruder and the heavy musketry fire from masses of the enemy’s
infantry have decimated the ranks of the gallant New Jersey regiments, who have
been bearing the brunt of the battle up to his hour, and they feel that unless
succor comes they will have to abandon the ground covered with the bodies of
their comrades.
At
this critical moment, about 2 p. m., Hooker calls upon the Excelsior Brigade,
and soon the command, which now becomes a welcome one, is given and we move
forward.
Or arrival on the field is
opportune. Longstreet has been heavily
reinforced, and he has thrown forward several regiments into a dense woods on
our front and left, apparently with a view of cutting off the remnants of the
Jersey Brigade. At this moment we
confront him, and we have advanced so far that when his line emerges from the
edge of the woods we are within short range.
There is a moment’s hesitation, as if the Angel of Death shrank from the
harvest before him. But more than human
life is at stake—the fate of the battle is wavering in the balance, and the
duel is to be a bloody one.
The enemy now opens upon us along his whole line, and we return
his five with calm deliberation. The months
of drill and musketry practice on the Lower Potomac give you confidence and
firmness. There is no shrinking, no
wavering. You stand to your work, and
with your deadly buck-and-ball soon throw his lines into confusion, and they
are driven into the woods.
Again Longstreet throws forward fresh regiments, and the
contest is renewed. The musketry fire
is terrific, and Fort Magruder lends its thunder and hurls an iron hail into
our ranks. For hors you have held at
bay thrice your number; you begin to find your cartridge-boxes empty, and use
those of the comrades who have fallen around you. These soon become exhausted, and you slowly fall back, loth to
surrender the field; but your heroism and heavy sacrifices have not been in
vain—succor is at hand. Kearny comes to
the rescue, and the enemy soon give way before his enthusiastic and gallant
troops, and the victory is ours.
The story of the battle of Williamsburg is an interesting one
to the soldiers of Hooker’s Division, for upon them fell the brunt of the
fighting. The reports of that battle
did not do justice to our gallant leader.
They were brilliantly colored when referring to other parts of the
field, but here in front of Fort Magruder the vision of the author of the
report was obscured by the smoke of battle and the volcano of fire that whirled
around the vicinity.
Col. William F. Fox in his work on Regiment Losses” says: “The
battle of Williamsburg was fought almost entirely by the Third Corps. Of the 2,239 casualties on that field, 2,002
occurred within its ranks, and three-fourths of them in Hooker’s Division; the
brunt of the battle having fallen on the Excelsior Brigade and Jersey Brigade,
both in Hooker’s Division.”
Your proportion of the loss was enormous; the First Regiment losing
330 in killed, wounded and missing; the Third Regiment, 195; Fourth Regiment,
104; and the Fifth Regiment, 143; a total loss in the four regiments, in
killed, wounded and missing, of 772.
The brigade was commanded by Col. Nelson Taylor in this battle,
General Sickles’ nomination as brigadier general having failed of confirmation
in the United States Senate. This is no
time to criticise the gross injustice of that act, but we can remember the
bitter resentment we felt when our general was relieved of his command as we
were about embarking for the Peninsula; and it spoke well for your loyalty to
your country that you still remained true and faithful soldiers.
After
the battle of Williamsburg this act of injustice was repaired, and General
Sickles was confirmed as brigadier general, and he resumed command of the
brigade while we were encamped at Bailey’s Crossroads.
On the 31st of May, we were at Bottom’s Bridge
engaged in the usual routine of camp duty, and looking forward to a quiet
Sabbath on the morrow, when suddenly an aid from headquarters dashes up, and
soon the command to fall in is passed along.
The “assembly” is sounded, and the men hasten to form company. With your
usual promptness you are soon in line, and receive the first intimation of the
battle which has been raging across the Chickahominy, at Fair Oaks, and of the
disaster that has befallen Casey’s troops.
Leaving tents and knapsacks you are off on the double-quick, and do not
cease your rapid march until you reach the field. The shades of night have now descended, and the battle has
ceased, leaving the enemy is possession of Casey’s intrenchments, and confident
of success on the morrow.
At early dawn the battle is resumed, and the rattle of musketry
is heard all along the line. It
increases in violence on the Williamsburg Road, and the order comes for you to
move forward. General Sickles is now in
command and you bear yourselves proudly as his eye wanders along your
ranks. The Second Regiment, owing to a
detail which kept them near Yorktown, was not with us at Williamsburg, and are
now anxious to show of what mettle they are made. The opportunity soon comes, and in a gallant bayonet charge cover
themselves with glory and win the commendation of the commanding general of the
army for their gallantry. The other
regiments of the brigade press forward, and soon come in contact with the foe,
and the enemy is driven from the field.
Night finds you occupying Casey’s old intrenchments, and the commanding
general thinks you have done so well that he leaves you there for three or four
day, evidently believing that the men of the Excelsior Brigade are insensible
to fatigue and hunger, and that coffee, hardtack and bacon are luxuries that
they abhor. General Sickles, however,
loses his patience, so the story goes, and sends word to the rear that if they
want him to take Richmond alone, he will have to go to New York and raise
another brigade. The hint was
sufficient, for that afternoon the brigade was relieved from duty at the front.
Though closely engaged with the enemy two or three times during
this battle, our loss was not severe, the brigades only losing 74 in killed,
wounded and missing.
During the month that we remained on this field the brigade was
called upon to do almost constant picket duty, and the duty was arduous for us,
as the regiments we would relieve were frequently forced back by the enemy and
we had the line to retake. Thus it was,
that whenever we were seen going to the front, the comrades in other regiments
would commence to look to their arms, and grumble about Sickles’ men always
raising a fuss. Thus it became almost a
daily battleground for the Excelsior Brigade, and our losses were serious. The twin Houses would often be filled with
our wounded, and the rattle musketry as you pressed back the foe would echo
through the woods like a general engagement.
You lost in these brief but severe contests, which included the
engagement at Oak Grove and Peach Orchard, 322 killed, wounded, and missing.
I will not dwell on the Seven Day’s Battles
which followed; they are too full of blood and misery. All your heroism and your glorious deeds
which had shed so much lustre on our arms had been in vain. You looked upon your banners with Yorktown,
Williamsburg and Fair Oaks emblazoned upon them with a proud glance, but your
hears grew heavy as you gazed upon your depleted ranks and remembered the
hundreds of your comrades who were buried on those fields.
You were in action at Glendale, June 30th, and
rendered gallant service in the severe Battle of Malvern Hill on July 1st,
in which engagements your loss was 26.
On the 2nd of July, you were at Harrison’s Landing,
and on August 14th, on your way to Yorktown to embark for
Alexandria. On your arrival there you
were sent on to Warrenton Junction to reinforce Pope, and on August 27th,
were severely engaged at Bristoe Station with a superior force of the enemy
under Ewell, who was strongly posted along the railroad and in the woods. After a severe contest which lasted from
between 3 and 4 o’clock in the afternoon until dusk, you drove the enemy from
his position and across Broad Run, and were victors of the field, the enemy
leaving his dead and many of his wounded in your hands. This was a brilliant action and proved that
you were still capable of great deeds.
Your loss in this engagement was severe, numbering 307.
You were engaged at Groveton on the 19th; a Bull Run
on the 30th; and at Chantilly on September 1st. Your losses in these engagements, however, were
slight, only numbering 20.
After
this campaign you were stationed near Alexandria with the rest of the Third
Corps, and, owing to your depleted ranks, you were not called upon to
participate with the ret of the Army of the Potomac in its march into Maryland,
nor in the sanguinary battle of Antietam which followed. You were not idle, however, as you were
constantly employed in building intrenchments and in picket duty.
During the latter part of October, the enemy having made a
demonstration in the vicinity of Fairfax Court House, you were selected for the
hazardous duty of a reconnaissance, and on November 1st, broke camp
and marched for Manassas Junction. On
our arrival there the Third Regiment was thrown forward to Warrenton Junction;
the First and Fifth to Bristoe Station, and the Second and Fourth Regiments
remained at the Junction. You remained
in this vicinity some three weeks, when you took up your line of march with the
rest of the army for the Rappahannock.
This march was a severe test of your endurance. It began in a heavy rain, which continued
until we reached Wolf Run Shoals. Here
the sun came out, the roads dried up, and a sharp frost coming on, marching became
comparatively easy. A few days after
leaving this camp you were in front of Fredericksburg.
On the 13th of December you were across the
Rappahannock engaged in the campaign which resulted so disastrously to our
arms, but were not called upon to sustain a severe loss, only losing 16.
Burnside was soon relieved of the command of the Army of the
Potomac, Hooker superseding him. Under
this leader the army soon recovered from the effects of its recent defeat. With wonderful courage and elasticity it
responded to his efforts, and was soon in a condition equal to its palmiest
days.
On
May 1, 1863, you cross the Unites States Ford, on the Rappahannock,
to participate in the Chancellorsville campaign. With the rest of Hooker’s old division, you were held in reserve
near the Chancellor House, and rest quietly on your arms in the woods to the
left of the road that leads from the Unites States Ford. Fighting and skirmishing were going on
around you, and you wondered how it was that you were not called upon to lead
the advance and to bear the brunt of the storm of shot and shell that your
comrades were facing. But your
commander knew your value, and was reserving you for a much more serious duty
if the occasion should arise.
The 2nd of May dawned, and the splutter on the
skirmish-line was all that disturbed the tranquillity of the scene. As the early hours passed this gave place to
a heavy musketry fire on Hancock’s front, which soon involved Couch and Slocum.
It was now discovered that this attack was only intended to conceal the
movement of a large body of the enemy that was rapidly passing to our right,
and Sickles, to develop the intention of the enemy, threw forward Birney’s
Division, supported by Whipple’s.
This movement resulted in the capture of the Twenty-third
Georgia, and the discovery that Jackson, with a large force, was rapidly moving
in the direction of Howard’s position.
Howard was immediately advised of this and cautioned to be prepared for
an attack.
About 6 o’clock a crash of musketry was heard, and before we
had time to realize what was the cause of the uproar, word came to us to fall
in. We now knew that the emergency had
come, and that we were to be thrown into the breach. You will remember with what alacrity we seized our arms and
formed in the road in light marching order, and impatiently awaited the signal
to advance. The word came, and as we
started off on the double-quick evidences of disaster to our right flank
increased, and soon we were among the fleeing troops of the Eleventh Corps.
General Doubleday, in his work on the Chancellorsville
campaign, says: “The constantly increasing uproar and the wild rush of
fugitives past the Chancellor House told Hooker what had occurred. It was not easy to find an adequate force
for this emergency, for the whole line was now actively engaged. Fortunately, Berry’s Division was held in
reserve and was available.
“They were true and tried men, and went forward at once to the
rescue. Few people appreciate the
steadiness and courage required, when all around is flight and confusion, for a
force to make its way threw crowds of fugitives, advance steadily to the post
of danger in front, and meet the exulting enemy, while others are seeking
safety in the rear. Such men are
heroes, and far more worthy of honor than those who fight in the full blaze of
successful warfare.”
Through the superhuman exertions of Sickles and the gallant
Pleasanton the tide was turned, and, a sharp contest, Jackson’s forces sullenly
fell back.
As darkness fell upon the battlefield, the gentle moon shone
forth, lighting up with weird shadows the depths of the forest in which our
line is formed. Availing ourselves of
her soft light, we gathered logs and earth and strengthened our position as
best we could, knowing that the contest on the morrow would be a desperate one.
While
thus engaged, a heavy musketry and artillery fire opened on our left near the
Plank Road and involved the Forth Regiment of our brigade. In this storm of missiles Stonewall Jackson
was mortally wounded, and the South lost one of her greatest generals.
On the morning of the 3d the contest was
renewed, and the storm of fire ran along the whole line. The enemy worked around on our left flank,
and, the Third Maryland giving away, our position became untenable. We were forced, after desperate resistance,
to give around. We fell back to the
artillery reserve and formed in support, but were not allowed to remain, as our
commander, General Revere, notwithstanding our earnest protest, marched us to
the rear. It was the only instance in
our history of our having been marched from the field while under fire. As soon as this was discovered General
Revere was relieved, and Colonel Farnum of the First Regiment was placed in
command. Under this gallant soldier we
were marched back to the battleground, and remained at the front until the army
re-crossed the Rappahannock. Our losses
in this battle amounted to 250.
The enemy, flushed with his recent victory
and confident of his superiority, soon determined in a bold, aggressive
movement. Collecting his forces and
abandoning our front, he made a detour and marched rapidly towards the
Potomac. Hooker followed with energy,
and we were soon passing over our old battlefields of Bristoe, Groveton and
Manassas, and the enemy was allowed to cross the Potomac without molestation.
As we passed into Maryland and across the
Pennsylvania line, your eyes brightened and you marched as you never marched
before. The Pennsylvania boys in our
ranks had an air of confidence, and the seal of grim determination was upon
their faces. They were on their own
soil, and they held their lives of little value, if by their sacrifice they
could deal a deathblow to the invader.
It would be idle for me to dwell upon the
battle of Gettysburg. You, the
survivors of this field now its history.
The heroism of the Army of the Potomac, and the fruitless efforts of
Lee, Longstreet, and Pickett, are well known to you. These hills and woods and valleys are eloquent with the story of
your victory and the saving of a Nation.
This was the high tide of the Rebellion, and the hope of the Confederacy
was blotted out in the blood of the brave but mistaken soldiers who battled
against you on this field. Thirty years
have passed since the battle, and we have assembled here to dedicate to the
memory of our dead who fell in this field this beautiful monument, which stands
like a temple of fame on the front line of the second day’s contest.
They are sleeping in their soldiers’ graves, my comrades, but
they are not for-gotten, for we have in our hearts a tender love, a fond
undying remembrance of them.
The First Regiment carried into action on the 2d of July, 220
officers and 349 men, and lost 1 officer and 32 men, killed or died of wounds;
7 officers and 73 men, wounded, and 4 men missing; total, 117.
The
Second Regiment carried into action 13 officers and 320 men, and lost 1 officer
and 13 men, killed or died of wounds; 6 officers and 58 men, wounded, and 13
men, missing; total, 91.
The Third Regiment carried into action 22 officers and 283 men,
and lost 1 officer and 10 men, killed or died of wounds; 6 officers and 69 men,
wounded, and 28 men, missing; total, 114.
The Fourth Regiment carried into action 27 officers and 480
men, and lost 5 officers and 47 men, killed or died of wounds; 10 officers and
92 men, wounded, and 8 men, missing; total, 162.
The Fifth Regiment carried into action 17 officers and 258 men,
and lost 1 officer and 16 men, killed or died of wounds; 5 officers and 64 men,
wounded, and 3 men, missing; total, 89.
These figures make a total loss on the brigade of 573 killed,
wounded and missing.
The night of the 3d found Lee vanquished at all points, and his
decimated battalions soon retreated and re-crossed the Potomac, with the Union
army in close pursuit.
On the afternoon of July 23d we overtook the enemy at Manassas
Gap, where we found him strongly posted on Wapping Heights, supported by
artillery. General Meade determined to
dislodge this force if possible, push through the gap, and compel him to give
battle.
The Excelsior Brigade was selected for this duty, and you moved
forward, climbed the heights and charged the foe. General Spinola, commanding the brigade fell seriously wounded,
and the gallant Farnum took command.
You pressed on with determination, and drove the enemy from his
position, the cheers of the onlookers echoing form hill to hill as you planted
your colors on his defences.
This following morning the Fifth Regiment was thrown forward to
feel the enemy, but he had abandoned the Gap, leaving his dead unburied and
many of his wounded in your hands. The
brigade lost in this action 74 in killed and wounded.
You were soon resting in camp near Brandy station, and were not
brought in contact with the enemy again until November 27th, at
Locust Grove, during in Mine Run campaign, where the brigade lost 45 in killed
and wounded.
During the winter of 1863 and 1864 reorganization and
consolidation is the order of the day, and when the campaign opens in the
spring we were marching with the standards of the Second Corps,—all that was
left of the old Third Corps having been consolidated.
The fierce and sanguinary struggle in the wilderness began on
the 5th of May. As Lee would not leave his defences, we had to
attack him in his works, and the contest promised to be fierce and bloody.
For two days the struggle continued. The musketry fire exceeded in violence any
experienced before. In this vast jungle
the enemy was like a tiger in his lair and not easily driven forth; therefore,
the left flank movement, which was to be-come such a feature of this campaign,
was adopted. The brigade lost in this
battle 140 in killed, wounded and missing.
At Spotsylvania we found the enemy strongly fortified in an
almost impregnable position from which he could not be tempted, and after a
series of desperate en-counters, the Second Cops was called upon to assault his
works. On the morning of May 12th,
at the first light of dawn, you charged his intrenchments, and a hand-to-hand
struggle took place which had no parallel in the history of the two armies. The
enemy fought gallantly, but was driven from his position, which has become
known in history as the Bloody Angle, leaving 3,000 prisoners, several pieces
of artillery, and 30 battleflags in our hands.
Our loss in this battle in killed, wounded and missing was 148.
On May 23d, you were engaged at North Anna; on the 30th
you were under fire at Totopotomoy, and on the morning of June 3d, participated
in the assault at Cold Harbor. The loss
in the brigade in these engagements was 76.
In the movements upon Petersburg your marches were long and
exhaustive, and the James River as you approached it spread out invitingly like
an oasis in the desert to the weary Arab.
You were not allowed to halt, however, and refresh yourself in its
cooling waters. You crossed the river
and pushed on for Peters-burg, where you arrived on the night of the 15th,
and participated in the assault on the works around that city on the 16th,
in which action you lost 86.
The time had now come, my comrades, when the Excelsior Brigade
shall case to exist, your three years’ term of service having expired.
The First Regiment was withdrawn from the field on June 22d,
and honorably mustered out under Lieut. Col. Thomas Holt, July 1, 1864. The men not entitled to discharge were
transferred to the Eighty-sixth New York.
The Second Regiment was honorably mustered out under
Lieut. Col. Thomas Rafferty, July 30th,
1864, and the men not entitled to discharge were transferred on the One hundred
and twentieth New York.
The Third Regiment was honorably mustered out under Lieut. Col. John Leo-nard, June 19 and 20, 1864,
and the men not entitled to discharge were transferred to the One hundred and
twentieth New York.
The Fourth Regiment retained its organization, a sufficient
number of the men having re-enlisted, and it remained to fight on other fields
and to participate in the Grand Review on Washington on the cessation of
hostilities.
The Fifth Regiment was honorably mustered out under Lieut. Col. Wm. H. Lounsberry, from June 10th
to August 3d, and the men not entitled to discharge were assigned to the
Fortieth New York.
During your term of service the total enrollment in the brigade
was 6,442, divided as follows: The
First Regiment had 1,462; the Second Regiment, 1,170; the Third Regiment,
1,250; the Fourth Regiment, 1,350; and the Fifth Regiment, 1,210.
The brigade lost during its term of service, in which I include
the losses in the Fourth Regiment and among the veterans of the brigade who
were transferred to the Fortieth, Eighty-sixth and One hundred and twentieth
New York, after the brigade ceased to exist and in several minor affairs not
mentioned in this history, 3,028, which severe loss places you among the 300
fighting regiments in Colonel Fox’s valuable work, “Regimental Losses in the
Civil War.”
My task is done. I
have, as briefly as the remembrance of your glorious career would allow,
carried you along from the time of your first muster until you stacked arms
after your last battle.
As
you followed me in your history, many scenes not mentioned and of almost equal
interest have come before you; some personal deed of gallantry, some incident
of the march and camp, which would all go to make up a marvelous story, and
which should not perish.
And now for the years that remain to us let “the tie that
binds” be drawn closer. Let our motto be Fraternity, Charity and Loyalty to one
another, and let us so live that the honors gained while falling glorious
banners shall never be dimmed by an unworthy act, so that when the time comes
to lay down our arms and answer to the last roll-call can explain, “Excelsior!”
______
At the close of Colonel’s Coyne’s oration, Gen. Daniel E.
Sickles, President of the Excelsior Brigade Association, made a few
remarks. He said:
“Colonel Coyne in his admirable address has carried you
through all of your campaigns. He has
accomplished in thirty-five minutes what it took the Army of the Potomac four
years to do. This eloquent story of
your heroism and never-faltering courage shall not perish with the hour; it
shall be preserved in the annals of the State whose motto you bore upon your
banners, for future generations to read.”
Here followed a notable event.
Gen. Jos. B. Carr upon being called upon for an address, in few
felicitous words referred to the gallantry of the Excelsior Brigade, its
discipline and reliability in action, and turning to General Sickles, said:-
“I congratulate you, General Sickles, in having been the
creator of a brigade that carried its banners unsullied through all the
campaigns of the Army of the Potomac; and now, General Sickles, as a souvenir
of this day, and as a testimonial of the affection and loyalty of your comrades
of the Third Corps, I have been selected to present you with this gold medal,
which is made form the same die from which are struck the beautiful bronze
medals the State of New York has bestowed upon the veterans who represented the
State upon this field thirty years ago.”
General Sickles was so much overcome by this unexpected mark of
affection on the part of his comrades in arms, he could only briefly
respond. Among other things, he said that
he would preserve the medal as a priceless treasure and wear it near his heart
as long as he lived.
______
Excelsior
Brigade Medal of Honor Recipients