Civil War Regiments
Hundreds of Livingston County Residents Served in the Civil War
Although there were multiple regional regiments of infantry, cavalry, artillery, and engineers that Livingston County men joined between 1861-1865, three regiments were organized in Livingston County. The 104th Infantry, 136th Infantry, and the 1st New York Dragoons were mustered in here and were heavily comprised of Livingston County residents and their neighbors, particularly from Wyoming and Allegany counties.
104th Infantry Regiment, NY Volunteers, "Wadsworth Guards"
Organized at Geneseo during the fall and winter of 1861-1862, this regiment was named after Brig. Gen. James S. Wadsworth (1807-1864), who believed that Livingston County should raise its own complete regiment for the war effort. Col. John Rorbach of Geneseo organized a regimental camp called Camp Union on North Street in the village of Geneseo, and the companies were raised from men of the immediate vicinity. Companies A through G were recruited primarily at Nunda, Springwater, Geneseo, Groveland, and Fowlerville (York), and the regiment rounded out with three more companies of men mainly from Troy, Rochester, and towns in Allegany County. The Livingston County contingent left Geneseo on February 25, 1862.
The Wadsworth Guards’ major battles and campaigns included Pope’s Virginia campaign (of which Bull Run was a part), South Mountain, Antietam, Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, and Gettysburg. At the Battle of the Wilderness, Brig. Gen. James S. Wadsworth was killed. The regiment continued in Spotsylvania, where there were heavy losses, North Anna River, Petersburg, and Weldon Railroad. From August 1864 until mustering out on July 17, 1865, it served on provost guard duty and through the final battles of the war.
The regiment's silk Tiffany Co. regimental flag has been conserved and is held by the Livingston County Historical Society in Geneseo.
136th Infantry Regiment, NY Volunteers
The 136th Infantry Regiment was organized at Portage and mustered in September 25, 1862, for three years of service. The regiment was heavily comprised of Livingston County men, with the majority of towns in the county represented. Companies A through C were recruited mainly from Portage, North Dansville, Ossian, Springwater, Livonia, Geneseo, and Leicester, while companies F, G, and I also included men from Conesus, Sparta, Nunda, Avon, York, and Mt. Morris. Five more regiments were recruited from Wyoming and Allegany counties.
The regiment trained at Camp Williams in Portage, near the Portage High Bridge. The area is now called the Parade Grounds and is located in Letchworth State Park. The camp was first used by the 130th Infantry Regiment, which trained there just one month before the 136th. The assembled men of the 136th left Portage by train on October 2, 1862, and spent the winter in Virginia.
The regiment’s first battle was at Chancellorsville, and it went on to engage heavily on the first two days of the Battle of Gettysburg. The 136th also participated in a Tennessee campaign in 1863, and the following year was active in the Atlanta Campaign, including the battles of Rocky Face Ridge, Resaca, Cassville, Dallas, Kennesaw Mountain, and the siege of Atlanta. After the fall of Atlanta, the regiment remained there until November, when it marched with Sherman to the sea, engaged in the siege of Savannah, and closed its active service with the Campaign through the Carolinas, in which it was engaged at Fayetteville, Averasboro, Bentonville, Raleigh, and Bennett's House.
Finally, at the close of the war, the 136th marched to Washington and was mustered out on June 13, 1865. During its significant period of service, the 136th Regiment lost 168 men.
A monument to the 136th was erected at Gettysburg.
The Portage Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) Post #343 was named after William C. Hall of Portage, who served in the 136th Regiment and died in May 1864. Inside the Memorial Hall in Hunt, plaques display the names of Portage men who died in service in the Civil War.
Right: One of the 136th Infantry Regiment’s two silk swallowtail guidons that are held in the NYS Battle Flag Collection. This guidon, or military pennant designating a regiment or unit, follows to the “stars and stripes” pattern prescribed in General Order No. 4 of 1862. The 34 gold painted stars in the canton are formed in the typical concentric circle pattern. Image courtesy of the New York State Military Museum and Veterans Research Center.
130th Infantry Regiment and 1st Dragoons Regiment
The 130th Infantry Regiment, which later became the 1st New York Dragoons, was organized at Portage in September 1862. The men were recruited from Livingston, Allegany, and Wyoming counties and signed up for a three-year tour of service.
In the summer of 1863, the infantry regiment was converted to a cavalry regiment and briefly designated as the 19th Cavalry Regiment before being designated the 1st Dragoons Regiment. “Dragoons” were historically soldiers trained to ride to battle on horses and then dismount to engage as infantry with firearms, making them versatile and agile. Traditional cavalry soldiers generally were trained to fight from horseback and were equipped with sabers.
Companies B, G, I, and K recruited in the Livingston County towns of Portage, North Dansville, Mt. Morris, Nunda, Groveland, Sparta, Leicester, Lima, Conesus, Livonia, and Springwater. The rest of the companies were primarily raised from nearby Allegany and Wyoming counties.
The new recruits trained at Camp Williams, also known as Camp Portage, near the Portage High Bridge. The area is now known as the Parade Grounds and is located on the east side of Letchworth State Park. After only four days at Camp Williams, the regiment boarded a train for the fighting front. Just a month later, the second regiment to muster in at Portage, the 136th Infantry Regiment, also trained briefly at Camp Williams.
The 130th Infantry Regiment served at Suffolk, Virginia, and in Keyes’ Corps on the Peninsula before it was reorganized as the 1st Dragoons. After the soldiers were drilled on their new duties as a mounted regiment, its first clash was at Manassas Junction in October 1863. In Grant’s Campaign of 1864, it fought at the Battle of the Wilderness (Todd’s Tavern), where it sustained the heaviest losses of any cavalry regiment in any one action during the war, with 91 killed, wounded, or missing.
The other major battles and campaigns in which the 1st Dragoons participated included Gen. Sheridan’s Raid to the James River, Cold Harbor, Trevilian Station, Shenandoah Valley, and the final Appomattox Campaign. Despite its devastating casualties, the regiment was highly respected for discipline and efficiency, and was mustered out in June 1865. Over the approximately 65 battles and skirmishes they fought in, the 1st Dragoons lost about 274 officers and enlisted men, one of the highest counts among all cavalry regiments during the war.
Right: The silk standard for the 130th Infantry and 1st Dragoons includes “Semper Paratus,” or “Always Ready,” painted on a scroll in the eagle’s beak. Extensive additional lettering commemorating the regiment's battle honors was painted on the flag. Image courtesy of the New York State Military Museum and Veterans Research Center.
Digital Resources
NYS Military Museum and Veteran’s Research Center - read summaries of units here, with links to Adjutant General’s Reports, muster rolls, photographs, and more.
Smith, James M. History of Livingston County, NY. 1881. p.134-154 - more information about local regiments and men who served is discussed in this excellent resource.