5th New Hampshire Infantry

Regimental History and Service Record

Organized at Concord, N. H., and mustered in October 22, 1861. Left State for Washington, D.C., October 29, 1861. Attached to Howard's Brigade, Sumner's Division, Army of the Potomac, to March, 1862. 1st Brigade, 1st Division, 2nd Army Corps, Army of the Potomac, to July, 1863. Concord, N.H., Dept. of the East, to November, 1863. Marston's Command, Point Lookout, Md., to May, 1864. 1st Brigade, 1st Division, 2nd Army Corps, Army of the Potomac, to June, 1865.

SERVICE.--

• Camp at Bladensburg, Defenses of Washington, D.C., until November 27, 1861.
• November 3-11, 1861 - Expedition into Lower Maryland
• At Camp California, near Alexandria, Va., until March 10, 1862.
• Scout to Burke's Station January 17, 1862 (Co. "A").
• Advance on Manassas, Va., March 10-15.
• Reconnaissance to Gainesville March 20, and to Rappahannock Station March 28-29.
• Warrenton Junction March 28.
• Moved to the Virginia Peninsula April 4.
• April 4-September 2, 1862 - The Peninsula Campaign
  • April 5-May 4, 1862 - Siege of Yorktown, Virginia
  • Temporarily attached to Woodbury's Engineer Brigade.
  • Construct Grapevine Bridge over Chickahominy May 28-30.
  • May 31-June 1, 1862 - Battle of Seven Pines, Virginia
  • June 25-July 1, 1862 - The Seven Days Battles before Richmond, Virginia
  • Orchard Station June 28.
  • June 29, 1862 - Battle of the Peach Orchard, Virginia
  • June 29, 1862 - Engagement at Savage's Station, Virginia
  • June 30, 1862 - Engagement at White Oak Swamp, Virginia
  • June 30, 1862 - Engagement at Glendale, Virginia
  • July 1, 1862 - Engagement at Malvern Hill, Virginia
• At Harrison's Landing until August 16.
• Movement to Fortress Monroe, thence to Alexandria and to Centreville, Va., August 16-30.
• Cover Pope's retreat from Bull Run.
• September 3-20, 1862 - The Maryland Campaign
  • Battle of South Mountain, Md., September 14 (Reserve).
  • Antietam Creek, near Keadysville, September 15
  • September 17, 1862 - Battle of Antietam, Maryland
• Duty at Harper's Ferry, W. Va., September 21 to October 29.
• Reconnaissance to Charlestown October 16-17.
• Advance up Loudon Valley and movement to Falmouth, Va., October 29-November 17.
• Battle of Fredericksburg, Va., December 12-15.
• Burnside's Second Campaign, "Mud March," January 20-24, 1863.
• Duty at Falmouth until April.
• April 27-May 6, 1863 - The Chancellorsville Campaign
  • May 1-5, 1863 - Battle of Chancellorsville, Virginia
• Reconnaissance to Rappahannock June 9.
• June 13-August 1, 1863 - The Gettysburg Campaign
  • July 1-3, 1863 - Battle of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania
• Moved to Concord, N.H., July 26-August 3.
• Duty at Draft Rendezvous, Concord, N.H., until November.
• Moved to Point Lookout, Md., November 8-13, and duty there guarding prisoners until May 27, 1864.
• Moved to Cold Harbor, Va., May 27-June 1, and join Army of the Potomac.
• June 1, 1864 - The Overland Campaign
  • June 1-12, 1864 - Battles of Cold Harbor, Virginia

Before Petersburg, Va., June 16-19. Siege of Petersburg June 16, 1864, to April 2, 1865. Jerusalem Plank Road June 22-23, 1865. Deep Bottom, north of James River, July 27-28. Mine Explosion, Petersburg, July 30 (Reserve). Demonstration north of James River August 13-20. Strawberry Plains August 14-18. Ream's Station August 25. Non-Veterans mustered out October 12, 1864. Reconnaissance to Hatcher's Run December 9-10. Dabney's Mills, Hatcher's Run, February 5-7, 1865. Watkins' House March 25. Appomattox Campaign March 28-April 9. On line of Hatcher's and Gravelly Runs March 29-30. Hatcher's Run or Boydton Road March 31. White Oak Road March 31. Sutherland Station April 2. Fall of Petersburg April 2. Saylor's Creek April 6. High Bridge and Farmville April 7. Appomattox Court House April 9. Surrender of Lee and his army. Moved to Washington, D.C., May 2-12 Grand Review May 23. Mustered out July 28, and discharged July 8, 1865.

Regimental Roster

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Regiment Statistical Information

Regiment Casualty Comparisons by Source

Source	Casualties	Remarks
Dyer	18 Officers and 277 enlisted men killed and mortally wounded 2 Officers and 176 enlisted men killed by disease Total 473	This Regiment sustained the greatest loss in battle of any Infantry or Cavalry Regiment in the Union Army. Total killed and wounded 1,051.
Fox	18 Officers and 277 enlisted men killed and mortally wounded Total 295 (Combat Losses) Fox lists this unit as 1st on the list of units "sustaining greatest loss in action" (Infantry units with over 200 casualties) Fox also notes that adjustment of War Department Rolls shows this unit as 3rd in this category	"The one regiment, in all the Union Armies, which sustained the greatest loss in battle, during the American Civil War, was the Fifth New Hampshire Infantry It lost 295 men, killed or mortally wounded in action, during its four years of service, from 1861 to 1865. ... Its loss includes eighteen officers killed, a number far in excess of the usual proportion, and indicates that the men were bravely led. Its percentage of killed is also very large, especially as based on the original enrollment. The exact percentage of the total enrollment cannot be definitely ascertained, as the rolls were loaded down in 1864 with the names of a large number of conscripts and bounty men who never joined the regiment."
WotRWiki Statistics	0 troops killed Includes 0 troops mortally wounded Includes 0 troops killed by disease All others are troops killed in action or under special circumstances	This feature is not yet available. Check back soon for updates!

Legacy

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Sources

• Dyer, Frederick H. A Compendium of the War of the Rebellion. The Dyer Publishing Company (Des Moine, 1908). (Pages 759, 761, 827, 901, 902, 903, 904, 905, 916, 932, 941, 1348-1349)
• Fox, William F. 1840-1909. Regimental Losses in the American Civil War, 1861-1865: A Treatise on the Extent and Nature of the Mortuary Losses in the Union Regiments, With Full and Exhaustive Statistics Compiled From the Official Records on File in the State Military Bureaus and at Washington. Albany: Albany Pub. Co., 1889. (Pages 2, 3, 4)