48th Regiment NYS Volunteers

In The War For The Union
1861-1865

by Abraham J. Palmer, D.D.
written in 1881-1885

CHAPTER X
(Part 1)
Sketches of the Companies A, B, C

. Company A
by Geo. W. Brush

    Company A, Forty-eighth Regiment, N.Y. S. Vols., was the first company of that regiment organized. Recruiting for it began on the 9th day of July, 1861. On that day Mr. B. R. Corwin of Brooklyn, who afterwards became the First Lieutenant of the company, opened an office in Atlantic Street at his own expense. These were not the days of thousand-dollar bounties, and the young men who signed the roll of the organization were actuated by no other motive than that of patriotic love of their country and a firm resolve to stand by the old flag. with this standing view the obtained the promise from Colonel Perry that they should be the color company. Some of the first to join were originally from Huntington, Long Island, and vicinity, and their old friends at home, hearing of their enlistment, came down and cast in their a lot with them, until about one-quarter of the whole number were Huntington "boys".
    Recruiting became so lively, and those already in were so active, that more than the required 100 men were obtained, and about 50 men were assigned to other companies who were originally and listed for what the Company A.
    By the middle of August as fine a set of men as any officer could wish to command answered to the reveille roll-call at "Camp Wyman", near Fort Hamilton, and after that the speed of the the drill during the day, and the "left," " left" "left of the drill sergeant was over, as night came on, songs and earnest prayers might be heard in some of the tents, evincing the fact that these men, like Cromwell's , were soldiers of the cross. The blood of some of the best families of Brooklyn and vicinities was here, and proved itself in the work which the company did in the field afterward.
   Louis H Lent, the former member of the Seventh regiment of New York, was appointed Captain of the Company. this position was first offered to Mr. Corwin, but he declined, with the request that Mr. Let should take it on account of his experience in the Seventh regiment, Mr. Corwin accepting the first Lieutenancy, and Mr. A. H. Ferguson the Second Lieutenancy.
   The following is the roll of non-commissioned officers as mustered into the service:

J. G. Hamil, First Sergeant
Chas. Fox, Second Sergeant
Robt. F. Mackellar, Third Sergeant
William A. Corwin, Fourth Sergeant
E. B. Spooner, Fifth Sergeant
William H. Conklin, First Corporal
George W Brush, Second Corporal
T. Jarvis Carman, Third Corporal
Geo. S.D. Vredenberg, Fourth Corporal
Elliot B. Dupree Fifth Corporal
George D. Hunter, Sixth Corporal
William A. Powleson, Seventh Corporal
James Himrod, Eighth Corporal

   The company was mustered into the service Aug. 19, 1861.
   The first death was that a Solomon W. Price, at Hilton Head, who succumbed to a disease induced by the change of climate. The next was that out Corporal De Witt C. Dutcher who walked overboard in his sleep from the deck of the steamer Winfield Scott when the Regiment was on the way to Dawfuskie Island, and was drowned. John Brush died at Dawfuskie Island, S.C., in April, 1862. Never strong, he fell a victim to consumption, his death hastened by hardships endured while building the batteries upon Jones's Island. After this there was a lull in the death- call. The company did service in Fort Pulaski after its capture, and upon Tybee Island. Many of the boys who survive will remember the raid of some 20 of the company upon Dawfuskie Island for sweet potatoes and eggs, on New Year's Day, 1863, when these delicacies, purchased from the darkies", formed the principal portion of the bill of fare. Rosebuds and choice flowers from the adjoining garden adorned the table, while tin plates and cups from Uncle Sam's crockery store filled out the picture, and a set of school Boys on a lark never enjoyed a day more. On our way home we got into the surf on the bar, came near to being swamped, but beyond a great fright and a thorough wetting none were harmed.
     Others will remember the "coon-hunt" on Tybee Island, and the "non-coms" coon-stew afterwards, relished as no dinner at Delmonico's has been since; the performances of the Jam Club, who sang often thought of "The Girl I Left Behind Me:" these all helped to soften the sterner realities of camp life. In the latter part of June the regiment was ordered to Folly Island, S. C., to aid in the siege of Charleston. Then the angel of death began to call his roll again. On the morning of July 10th ,Captain Lent was mortally wounded while leading his company in the first assault on Morris Ireland, was shot in instantly killed. Andrew Foss and William H. Ferguson were also killed. On the 18th came the fearful and bloody assault on Fort Wagner; and here Lieutenant Fox, who had assumed command on the death of Captain Lent,   was mortally wounded while leading the charge. Jesse G. Smith, T. J. Carman, and many others fell in this charge or were taken prisoners. On Sunday morning, on July in 19th., the day after the battle, only seventeen men (some of these men being wounded), in the commander sergeant Robert F. Mackellar, answered reveille roll-call, the others being either killed, wounded, or taken prisoners.
    The company had previous to this time furnished a number of commissioned officers for the new regiments formed under Father Abraham's call for "300,000 more." Two or three had been commissioned in the colored regiments organized by General Hunter, so that now the company ranks were sadly thinned.
     Of the original number who went out from Camp Wyman and 1861 there are now (1883) some fifteen survivors, and mostly settled in Brooklyn, and they look back with pride and pleasure upon the record of the company, and forward to the time when they shall join their comrades and answer the roll-call in the last grand muster, when Great Captain shall say, "Well Done."
   The following is a list of the names of those promoted from the company:

B. R. Corwin, Major Thirty-fourth U.S.C.T.
A. H. Ferguson, Captain Forty-eighth N.Y.V.
John G. Hamel, Captain Thirty-fourth U.S.C.T.
Charles Fox, Second Lieutenant Forty-eighth N.Y.V.
Robt. F. Mackellar, First Lieutenant Forty-eighth N.Y.V.
James Himrod, First Lieutenant Forty-eighth N.Y.V.
William H. Conant, Captain One Hundred and Twenty-seventh N.Y.V.
George W. Brush, Captain Thirty-fourth U.S.C.T.
D. B. Fletcher, Captain Forty-eighth N.Y.V.
Jos. M. Williams, Second Lieutenant Forty-eighth N.Y.V.
E. J. Barney, Second Lieutenant Forty-eighth N.Y.V.
G. K. Doughty, Second Lieutenant Forty-eighth N.Y.V.
William H. Conklin, Second Lieutenant Forty-eighth N.Y.V.

COMPANY B
By James A. Barrett

Company B was musteredd into the service a Camp Wyman, near Fort Hamilton, N.Y., September 5, 1861, with the following officers:

Captain - Edmund R. Travis of Peekskill, N.Y.
First Lieutenant - Nere A. Elfwing of Sweden
Second Lieutenant - Theo. C. Vidal of N. Y.

Captain Travis kept a country store in thePeekskill before the war, and belonged to the "Jefferson Guards" of that place. He recruited about twenty men from Peekskill and vicinity, and as many or more while in Camp Wyman. When the regiment left the state, Company B had only about forty men, while several other companies had over one hundred. At Annapolis, Md., all the companies were equalized and Company B was filled up. Captain Travis served with credit with his company until Aug. 30, 1862, when he resigned to accept the position as Major and the Sixth Regiment New York Heavy Artillery. He was afterwards promoted to Lieutenant Colonel of that regiment.
First Lieutenant Nere A. Elfwing had seen service in his native country, and to his energy, discipline, and through military training the company was largely indebted for its future grand record, of which every Company B man has a right to be proud. Lieutenant Elfwing was skilled in the sword exercise, and spent many an hour in teaching it to the officers of the regiment. He was promoted to Captain, Major, and Lieutenant-Colonel.
Second Lieutenant T. C. Vidal was detailed as Signal Officer, and rendered valuable service in that position, and was formally transferred to the Signal Corps in June, 1864. He was promoted to First Lieutenant and Captain in the regiment, but declined the latter position, preferring that of First Lieutenant in the Signal Corps.

Company C
By Henry Acker

     Company C, Forty-eighth Regiment N. Y. S. Vol.,, was organized and recruited by Captain James Farrell of Brooklyn; First Lieutenant George Macardle, Brooklyn; Second Lieutenant Townsend L. Hatfield,New York; Orderly Sergeant Henry Acker, Sargents Harman C. Schultz, Sanford H. Frankenberg, John Vanderbilt, and Corporal Lorenzo Bond; and was mustered into the U.S. service at Camp Wyman on the 10th day of September, 1861, and participated in every engagement of the Regiment. The company suffered the most severe loss at the assault on Fort Wagner, July 18, 1863, in which the brave and gallant Captain James Ferrell and First Lieutenant Robert S. Edwards were killed while heroically leading the company in that terrible conflict. The Company also lost heavily at the battle of Olustee. Captain Moser was killed in action at Drewery's Bluff, and Lieutenant Ingraham at Cold Harbor.
     Captain Joseph R. Taylor succeeded Captain Moser in command of the Company, and after his discharge on account of wounds, Captain A. H. Ferguson, formerly a company I, and who had been recommissioned, was assigned to Company C, and remained with it until after he was mustered out of the service.
     The casualties in Company C were larger than in any other company of the regiment. This fact speaks volumes for the gallantry and service rendered by it.
Six enlisted men becme commissioned as follows:
Henry Acker, First Lieutenant Forty-eighth N.Y.V.
Harman C. Schultz, First Lieutenant Forty-eighth N.Y.V.
Henry Lang, Captain Forty-eighth N.Y.V.
Jeremiah O'Brien, First Lieutenant Forty-eighth N.Y.V.
Sidney A. Groser, Second Lieutenant One Hundred and Fortieth N.Y.V.
John P. Welch, Assistant Engineer U.S. Navy