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7th New Jersey Infantry

Regimental History
Seventh Infantry.— Cols., Joseph W. Revere, Louis R. Francine, Francis Price, Jr.; Lieut. -Cols., Ezra A. Carman, Daniel Hart; Majs., J. Dallas Mcintosh, Frederick Cooper, Charles H. Fosselman. This regiment was organized under the provisions of an act of Congress, approved July 22, 1861, and was fully organized, officered and equipped by Sept. 3, when, although the strength of the regiment was below the maximum as required, it was mustered into the U. S. service at Camp Olden, Trenton, for three years. At the urgent request of the government that the regiment be forwarded to the seat of war, seven companies were despatched to Washington on Sept. 19, and reported for duty the following day. The remaining three companies were recruited up to the number required and left the state on Oct. 3, joining the regiment at Washington. The strength of the regiment then was 38 officers, 882 non-commissioned officers and privates, a total of 920. Upon arrival at Washington the regiment went into camp at Meridian hill, and remained there until the early part of Dec, 1861, when it was ordered to report to Gen. Joseph Hooker, near Budd's ferry, Md., where it was brigaded with the 5th, 6th and 8th N. J. and designated the 3d brigade of Hooker's division. The regiment was one of the four that composed what was generally known as the 2d New Jersey brigade. At the battle of Williamsburg, Va., the 6th, 7th and 8th regiments were sent into the left of the road, occupying a wood in front of the enemy's works. Lieut.- Col. Carman was wounded in this action. Gen. Hooker, in his report of the battle of Fair Oaks spoke in most emphatic terms of the gallantry of the brigade and added that the service assigned to the 7th and 8th N. J. was performed to his entire satisfaction, in the engagement at Seven Pines, the loss of the regiment was 1 killed, 5 wounded and 1 missing. In the engagement at Bristoe Station Capt. Abbott was killed and a considerable number wounded. In the series of engagements ending on Sept. 1, 1862, the total loss of the regiment was 36. While lying at Fairfax Station, on the morning of Nov. 22, Gen. Patterson, commanding the brigade, died suddenly in his tent and Col. Revere of the 7th succeeded to the command. In the Chancellorsville campaign in the spring of 1863, the New Jersey brigade, under command of Gen. Mott, crossed the Rappahannock on Friday, May 1, and in the action which followed the 7th lost 6 killed, 43 wounded and 4 missing. At Gettysburg, on July 2, in the face of a murderous fire, the New Jersey troops held their position for a time, but were ultimately compelled to fall back. Col. Francine and Lieut.-Col. Price, with many other officers, sustaining serious injuries. The total losses of the regiment during the months of May and June, 1864, amounted to 13 killed, 86 wounded and 59 missing. Among the wounded in the charge at Fort Morton, in front of Petersburg, were 2 privates of the 7th. At Hatcher's run Gen. McAllister directed the 7th, which was the third regiment from the left of his line, formed at a different angle so as to enable it to enfilade the enemy's columns, to oblique its fire, which aided materially in driving the enemy from his position. At the Armstrong house, the 7th and 8th N. J. regiments were ordered to the right of the division, where later in the day, when Lieut.-Col. Schoonover's command was attacked and driven from the works occupied in the morning, the two regiments went to his help, with the result that his line was reestablished and securely held. On June 25, 1863, a large number of the regiment reenlisted in the field for three years or during the war. Those who did not reenlist and whose term of service had expired reported by order at Trenton, N. J., and were mustered out on Oct. 7, 1864. Those who remained were consolidated into the 7th battalion and so remained until Nov. 6, 1864, at which time the 5th battalion was joined to it by transfer. The command then resumed its regimental organization, which it continued until the close of the war, being finally mustered out near Washington, D. C, July 17, 1865. The total strength of the regiment was 2,906, and it lost, by resignation 30, by discharge 374, by promotion 73, by transfer 415, by death 260, by desertion 656, by dismissal 7, not accounted for 70, mustered out 1,021.

Footnotes:
Regimental history taken from "The Union Army" by Federal Publishing Company, 1908 - Volume 3

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