Kearney's Own: The History of the First New Jersey Brigade in the Civil War
by Bradley Gottfried
Rutgers University Press, 2005 Cloth: 978-0-8135-3661-3 | eISBN: 978-0-8135-3760-3 Library of Congress Classification E521.4.G68 2005 Dewey Decimal Classification 973.7449
ABOUT THIS BOOK | AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY | REVIEWS | TOC
ABOUT THIS BOOK
From the first battle at Bull Run to the surrender of Lee's army at Appomattox four years later, only one federal infantry brigade experienced the entire Civil War as a cohesive unit. While most units were composed of regiments from different states that were disbanded after three years, the First New Jersey Brigade was the enduring exception.
Despite the group's remarkable coherency, it started as many military units did during the early stages of the war-a disorganized ragtag outfit that was poorly trained and ill-prepared for battle. This quickly changed, however, with the appointment of General Philip Kearny in the fall of 1861. Kearny transformed the troops, making them among the most disciplined and effective commands in the Army of the Potomac. A series of notable victories earned the soldiers an impressive reputation and, with it, thousands of others voluntarily came forward to enlist. Even when they suffered heavy losses, the New Jersey regiments fought exceptionally well and served key roles in dozens of battles, including the Peninsula, Seven Days, Second Bull Run, Antietam, Chancellorsville, Wilderness, Spotsylvania, Cold Harbor, Early's Valley, and the Petersburg Campaigns.
In Kearny's Own, Bradley M. Gottfried weaves together compelling accounts of battles fought with a wealth of letters and diaries to tell the story of this famous brigade from a uniquely personal perspective. The hopes, fears, and sorrows of the men come through vividly as accounts reveal how civilians were physically and emotionally transformed into soldiers. Primary sources also provide insight to what the war meant to the men who fought for the Union.
Fourteen maps illustrate the battles and marches, while detailed appendices include statistical breakdowns of losses and outline the fates of the men whose letters and diaries are used as sources. In this first book published on the subject, Gottfried not only provides a long-overdue history of the First New Jersey Brigade, he offers a human window into the turbulent and trying experiences of war.
AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY
Bradley M. Gottfried is the president of Sussex County Community College in New Jersey. He is the author of Brigades of Gettysburg , The Roads to Gettysburg, Stopping Pickett: The History of the Philadelphia Brigade , and The Battle of Gettysburg: A Guided Tour . He has also written two forthcoming books, The Artillery of Gettysburg and The Maps of Gettysburg .
REVIEWS
This modern and comprehensive history of the famed First New Jersey Brigade should be on the bookshelf of everyone interested in the history of New Jersey and the Civil War.
— Joseph G. Bilby, author of Remember You Are Jerseymen: a Military History of New Jersey's Troops
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Contents
Illustrations_____________________..IX
Maps________________________.XI
Preface_________________________XIII
Chapter 1- Forming the First New Jersey Brigade_________..1
Chapter 2- Into Virginia___________________..19
Chapter 3- On To Richmond!.....................................................................19
Chapter 4- The Summer and Fall of 1862____________..82
Chapter 5- Fredericksburg, Terrible Weather, and Sickness_____..110
Chapter 6- Chancellorsville and Gettysburg, 1863_________142
Chapter 7- The Fall Campaign of 1863 and Winter of 1863-4____..178
Chapter 8- The Wilderness and Spotsylvania___________.211
Chapter 9- To Petersburg___________________241
Chapter 10- Washington and the Shenandoah Valley________260
Chapter 11- Defeating Early_________________..279
Chapter 12- Back to Petersburg________________.303
Appendix A- Regimental Losses Through The First Half of the War 327
Appendix B- Regimental Losses Through The Last Half of the War 329
Appendix C- Numbers and Losses of the First New Jersey Brigade__331
Appendix D- The Fate of the Men Who Wrote Diaries/Letters____333
Endnotes_________________________.336
Index___________________________.
Illustrations
1. William Montgomery___________________________..7
2. Robert McAllister____________________________..16
3. Philip Kearny______________________________.30
4. George Taylor______________________________59
5. James Simpson_____________________________..72
6. Alfred Torbert______________________________88
7. Samuel Fowler_____________________________.99
8. Henry Brown_____________________________..142
9. William Penrose____________________________..181
10. Henry Ryerson_____________________________207
11. Ellis Hamilton_____________________________.219
12. Paul Kuhl_______________________________230
13. Benjamin Hough____________________________.235
14. Flags of the Second and Third NJV_____________________244
15. Oscar Westlake____________________________...254
16. Edward Campbell___________________________...274
17. Dayton Flint_____________________________...304
18. Edmund Halsey____________________________.309
Maps
1. Environs around Washington D. C. ____________________..22
2. Battle of Gaines' Mill (June 27, 1862)___________________..67
3. Battle of Crampton's Gap (September 14, 1862)___________.................93
4. Battle of Fredericksburg (December 13, 1862)_______________...120
5. Map of Virginia____________________________132
6. Battle of Salem Church (May 3, 1863)___________________148
7. Map of Maryland and Pennsylvania____________________.164
8. Battle of Gettysburg (July 2-3, 1863)___________________..170
9. Battle of the Wilderness (May 5, 1864)__________________...214
10. Battle of Spotsylvania (May 12, 1864)___________________231
11. Battle of Cold Harbor (June 1, 1864)___________________...246
12. Third Battle of Winchester (September 19, 1864)_______________280
13. Battle of Fisher's Hill (September 22, 1864)_________________285
14. Battle of Cedar Creek (October 19, 1864)__________________.294
Kearney's Own: The History of the First New Jersey Brigade in the Civil War
by Bradley Gottfried
Rutgers University Press, 2005 Cloth: 978-0-8135-3661-3 eISBN: 978-0-8135-3760-3
From the first battle at Bull Run to the surrender of Lee's army at Appomattox four years later, only one federal infantry brigade experienced the entire Civil War as a cohesive unit. While most units were composed of regiments from different states that were disbanded after three years, the First New Jersey Brigade was the enduring exception.
Despite the group's remarkable coherency, it started as many military units did during the early stages of the war-a disorganized ragtag outfit that was poorly trained and ill-prepared for battle. This quickly changed, however, with the appointment of General Philip Kearny in the fall of 1861. Kearny transformed the troops, making them among the most disciplined and effective commands in the Army of the Potomac. A series of notable victories earned the soldiers an impressive reputation and, with it, thousands of others voluntarily came forward to enlist. Even when they suffered heavy losses, the New Jersey regiments fought exceptionally well and served key roles in dozens of battles, including the Peninsula, Seven Days, Second Bull Run, Antietam, Chancellorsville, Wilderness, Spotsylvania, Cold Harbor, Early's Valley, and the Petersburg Campaigns.
In Kearny's Own, Bradley M. Gottfried weaves together compelling accounts of battles fought with a wealth of letters and diaries to tell the story of this famous brigade from a uniquely personal perspective. The hopes, fears, and sorrows of the men come through vividly as accounts reveal how civilians were physically and emotionally transformed into soldiers. Primary sources also provide insight to what the war meant to the men who fought for the Union.
Fourteen maps illustrate the battles and marches, while detailed appendices include statistical breakdowns of losses and outline the fates of the men whose letters and diaries are used as sources. In this first book published on the subject, Gottfried not only provides a long-overdue history of the First New Jersey Brigade, he offers a human window into the turbulent and trying experiences of war.
AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY
Bradley M. Gottfried is the president of Sussex County Community College in New Jersey. He is the author of Brigades of Gettysburg , The Roads to Gettysburg, Stopping Pickett: The History of the Philadelphia Brigade , and The Battle of Gettysburg: A Guided Tour . He has also written two forthcoming books, The Artillery of Gettysburg and The Maps of Gettysburg .
REVIEWS
This modern and comprehensive history of the famed First New Jersey Brigade should be on the bookshelf of everyone interested in the history of New Jersey and the Civil War.
— Joseph G. Bilby, author of Remember You Are Jerseymen: a Military History of New Jersey's Troops
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Contents
Illustrations_____________________..IX
Maps________________________.XI
Preface_________________________XIII
Chapter 1- Forming the First New Jersey Brigade_________..1
Chapter 2- Into Virginia___________________..19
Chapter 3- On To Richmond!.....................................................................19
Chapter 4- The Summer and Fall of 1862____________..82
Chapter 5- Fredericksburg, Terrible Weather, and Sickness_____..110
Chapter 6- Chancellorsville and Gettysburg, 1863_________142
Chapter 7- The Fall Campaign of 1863 and Winter of 1863-4____..178
Chapter 8- The Wilderness and Spotsylvania___________.211
Chapter 9- To Petersburg___________________241
Chapter 10- Washington and the Shenandoah Valley________260
Chapter 11- Defeating Early_________________..279
Chapter 12- Back to Petersburg________________.303
Appendix A- Regimental Losses Through The First Half of the War 327
Appendix B- Regimental Losses Through The Last Half of the War 329
Appendix C- Numbers and Losses of the First New Jersey Brigade__331
Appendix D- The Fate of the Men Who Wrote Diaries/Letters____333
Endnotes_________________________.336
Index___________________________.
Illustrations
1. William Montgomery___________________________..7
2. Robert McAllister____________________________..16
3. Philip Kearny______________________________.30
4. George Taylor______________________________59
5. James Simpson_____________________________..72
6. Alfred Torbert______________________________88
7. Samuel Fowler_____________________________.99
8. Henry Brown_____________________________..142
9. William Penrose____________________________..181
10. Henry Ryerson_____________________________207
11. Ellis Hamilton_____________________________.219
12. Paul Kuhl_______________________________230
13. Benjamin Hough____________________________.235
14. Flags of the Second and Third NJV_____________________244
15. Oscar Westlake____________________________...254
16. Edward Campbell___________________________...274
17. Dayton Flint_____________________________...304
18. Edmund Halsey____________________________.309
Maps
1. Environs around Washington D. C. ____________________..22
2. Battle of Gaines' Mill (June 27, 1862)___________________..67
3. Battle of Crampton's Gap (September 14, 1862)___________.................93
4. Battle of Fredericksburg (December 13, 1862)_______________...120
5. Map of Virginia____________________________132
6. Battle of Salem Church (May 3, 1863)___________________148
7. Map of Maryland and Pennsylvania____________________.164
8. Battle of Gettysburg (July 2-3, 1863)___________________..170
9. Battle of the Wilderness (May 5, 1864)__________________...214
10. Battle of Spotsylvania (May 12, 1864)___________________231
11. Battle of Cold Harbor (June 1, 1864)___________________...246
12. Third Battle of Winchester (September 19, 1864)_______________280
13. Battle of Fisher's Hill (September 22, 1864)_________________285
14. Battle of Cedar Creek (October 19, 1864)__________________.294
ABOUT THIS BOOK | AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY | REVIEWS | TOC