United States Army 5th New York Volunteers, Company F Record Books An inventory of the collection at Syracuse University

The 5th New York Volunteers was a Civil War regiment of the Union Army raised in the spring of 1861 in response to President Lincoln's calls for volunteers to put down the rebellion in the South. Company F, from the New York City area, was engaged in combat in Virginia at the battles of Gaines Mills and Manassas Junction. Collection contains two volumes. The 'Company descriptive book' (Apr. 1861-Sept. 1862) contains each volunteer's name, physical description, place of birth, and occupation, and lists of officers, registers of transfers and discharges, and registers of deaths and desertions. The second volume, 'Company morning reports' (May 1861-Apr. 1863), includes a monthly account of the number of men present and absent, as well as a remarks section for each month.

Language:

English

Repository:

Special Collections Research Center,
Syracuse University Libraries
222 Waverly Avenue
Syracuse, NY 13244-2010
https://library.syracuse.edu/special-collections-research-center

Biographical History

The 5th New York Volunteers was a regiment of the Union Army raised in the spring of 1861 in response to President Lincoln's calls in April and May for volunteers to put down the rebellious Southern states. One of the most decorated and respected units of the American Civil War, they were known as "Duryée's Zouaves" for their first commander, Colonel Abram Duryée, and their distinctive uniforms. The regiment served as infantry and heavy artillery and were known for their effectiveness in combat and steadiness under fire; nine of its soldiers attained the rank of general.

Company F, formed of men from the New York City area, saw combat in Virginia at the battles of Gaines Mills, Manassas Junction (Second Bull Run), and Fredericksburg in 1862 and at Chancellorsville in 1863.

[Portions of this biographical sketch adapted from the website of the Fifth New York Volunteer Infantry at http://www.zouave.org, and from information available on the website of the New York State Military Museum and Veteran's Research Center.]

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Scope and Contents of the Collection

The United States Army 5th New York Volunteers, Company F Record Books consist of two volumes. The first volume, "Company Descriptive Book," dates from April 1861 to September 1862 and includes lists of officers, registers of men transferred and discharged, and registers of deaths and desertions. The largest part of the book is a descriptive roll of the company, which gives each man's name, physical description, place of birth, and occupation. Company F included a number of European immigrants and its membership worked at a wide variety of occupations. The roll included a butcher, a sailor, a student, a carpenter, a lawyer, a teamster, and many others.

The second volume, "Company Morning Reports," covers May 1861 to April 1863 and includes a monthly account of the number of men present and absent as well as a "Remarks" section for each month. There is mention of the company's participation in the battles of Gaines Mills (Virginia) on June 17, 1862, and in the Battle of Manassas Junction (Second Bull Run) on August 30 of the same year, in which the company sustained heavy losses.

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Arrangement of the Collection

Two bound volumes.

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Restrictions

Access Restrictions

The majority of our archival and manuscript collections are housed offsite and require advanced notice for retrieval. Researchers are encouraged to contact us in advance concerning the collection material they wish to access for their research.

Use Restrictions

Written permission must be obtained from SCRC and all relevant rights holders before publishing quotations, excerpts or images from any materials in this collection.

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Related Material

Special Collections Research Center has a considerable amount of material relating to the Civil War. Please refer to the SCRC Subject Index under "U.S. Civil War" for a complete listing of manuscript collections, and search the Classic Catalog for items in the circulating collection and in Rare Books.

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