85th New York
Volunteer
Infantry

History and Campaigns

This Regiment, Col. Uriah L. Davis, was organized at Elmira November 7, 1861, and mustered in the service of the United States for three years between August and December, 1861. April 20, 1864, the regiment was surrendered at Plymouth, N.C.; about the same time a number of the men of the 16th Cavalry were transferred to the remnant of the regiment, which, at the expiration of its term, was continued in service.
The companies were recruited principally: A at Olean; B at Canandaigua; C at Friendship; D at Little Genesee; E at Granger; F at Black Creek and Friendship; G at Geneva; H at Wellsville; I at Richburgh, and K at Hinsdale.
The regiment left the State December 3, 1861; served in the 3d Brigade, Casey's Division, Army of Potomac, from December, 1861; in Palmer's, 3d, Brigade, Casey's, 2d, Division, 4th Corps, Army of Potomac, from march 13, 1862; in 2d Brigade, 2d Division, 4th Corps, Army of Potomac, from June, 1862; at Newport News, Va., from August, 1862; in Wessell's Brigade at Suffolk, Va., from November 1, 1862; in 1st, Hunt's Brigade, 1st, Wessell's Division, at New Berne, Department North Carolina, from December, 1862; in 1st Brigade, 4th Division, 18th Corps, from January, 1863; in the Department of the South, from March, 1863; in the District of Albemarle, Department North Carolina, from May, 1863; at Plymouth, N.C., in the 3d Brigade, 1st Division, 18th Corps, from January, 1864; the remainder of the regiment at Roanoke Island, District of North Carolina, from April 20, 1864; in Carter's Division, Provisional Corps, from March, 1865; with 23d Corps, from April 2, 1865; and it was honorably discharged and mustered out, commanded by Col. W. W. Clark, June 27, 1865, at New Berne, N.C.
During its service the regiment lost by death, killed in action, 1 officer, 20 enlisted men; of wounds received in action, 15 enlisted men; of disease and other causes, 2 officers, 340 enlisted men; total 3 officers, 375 enlisted men; aggregate, 378; of whom 245 enlisted men died in the hands of the enemy; and it took part in the following engagements, etc.:

Officers of the Regiment

Co1one1s.

URIAH L. DAVIS, from November 25, 1861, to February 8, 1862.
JONATHAN S. BELKNAP, from February 9, 1862, to June 13, 1863.
ENRICO FARDELLA, from June 26, 1863, to May 15, 1865.

Lieutenant-Colonels.

JONATHAN S. BELKNAP, from November 7, 1861, to February 9, 1862.
ABIJAH J. WELLMAN, from February 9, 1862, to March 24, 1863.
WILLIAM W. CLARK, from May 1, 1863, to June 27, 1865.

Majors.

ABIJAH J. WELLMAN, from November 19, 1861, to February 9, 1862.
REUBEN V. KING, from March 12, 1862, to May 2, 1863.
WALTER C. CRANDALL, from May 3, 1863, to February 17, 1865.

Adjutants.

HORACE GOODRICH, from December 2, 1861, to January 28, 1862.
CHAUNCEY S. ALDRICH, from January 28, 1862, to August 21, 1863.
JOHN O. GOODRICH, from August 21, 1863, to May 15, 1865.

Quartermasters.

EDWARD CORNING, from December 2, 1861, to October 16, 1862.
ALFRED B. BRADLEY, from August 2, 1862, to May 3, 1865.

Surgeons.

WILLIAM MERWIN SMITH, from October 29, 1861, to June 17, 1863.
JOHN D. LEWIS, from September 2, 1863, to December 29, 1864.
THOMAS HELME, from April 5 Ťo June 27, 1865.

Assistant Surgeons.

JOHN D. LEWIS, from November 22, 1861, to September 2, 1863.
JOHN M. PALMER, from August 12, 1862, to September 5, 1864.

Chaplain.

DARWIN E. MAXSON, from December 2, 1861, to June 23, 1862.

Of Company A.

Captains:
REUBEN V. KING, from November 25, 1861, to March 12, 1862.
CHARLES KING, from February 9, 1862, to June 1, 1865.

First Lieutenants:
CHARLES KING, from December 2, 1861, to February 9, 1862.
RUSSELL M. WHITNEY, from February 9, 1862, to February 10, 1865.
MARTIN LINK, from February 18 to March 1, 1865.
JOSIAH E. TERWILLIGER, from February 18, to June 27, 1865.

Second Lieutensnts:
RUSSELL M. WHITNEY, from December 2, 1861, to February 9, 1862.
SAMUEL A. BROWN, from Aoril 9 to October 18, 1862.
JOHN C. WELCH, from December 25, 1862, to September 28, 1863.
MARTIN LINK, from December 19, 1864, to February 18, 1865.
ALANSON L. FAIRBANKS, from February 18, to June 27, 1865.

Of Company B.

Captains:
WILLIAM L. CLARK, from December 2, 1861, to May 1, 1863.
CHAUNCEY S. ALDRICH, from August 21, 1863, to December 16, 1864.
CHARLES McHENRY, from April 11 to June 27, 1865.

First Lieutenants:
CHAUNCEY S. ALDRICH, from December 2, 1861, to January 28 1862.
SPENCER MARTIN, from March 1, 1862, to August 17, 1863.
CHARLES McHENRY, from October 5, 1863, to April 11, 1865.

Second Lieutenants:
AMOS BRUNSON. from December 2, 1861, to May 24, 1862. Photo
CHARLES McHENRY, from May 25, 1862, to October 5, 1863.

Of Company C.

Captains:
ABIJAH J. WELLMAN, from Novermber 7 to 19, 1861.
HIRAM C. MILLER, from December 2, 1861, to December 8, 1862.
WALTER C. CRANDALL, from December 8, 1862, to May 3, 1863.
SAMUEL B. ADAMS, from May 3, 1863, to May 1, 1865.

First Lieutenants:
WALTER C. CRANDALL, from December 2, 1861, to December 8, 1862.
JAMES D. OUTWATER, from January 17, 1863, to January 5, 1865.
MARTIN LINK, from March 1 to June 27, 1865.

Second Lieutenants:
EDWARD F. DAVIS, from December 2, 1861, to April 10, 1862.
SAMUEL B. ADAMS, from July 13, 1862, to May 3, 1863.
JOHN C. WELCH, from September 28, 1863, to January 19, 1865.

Of Company D.

Captains:
LEVI H. KINNEY, from November 29, 1861, to January 17, 1863.
WILLIAM L. STARKWEATHER, from January 17, 1863, to April 7, 1865.

First Lieutenants:
AUGUSTUS H. SOUTHWORTH, from December 2, 1861, to March 25, 1862.
WILLIAM L. STARKWEATHER, from March 25, 1862, to January 17, 1863.
JOSIAH E. TERWILLIGER, from January 17, 1863, to February 18, 1865.

Second Lieutenants:
WILLIAM L. STARKWEATHER, from December 2, 1861, to March 25, 1862.
JOSIAH E. TERWILLIGER, from March 25, 1862, to January 17, 1863.
ALANSON T. KINNEY, from January 17 to June 5, 1863.
BENJAMIN F. JONES, from June 6, 1863, to December 19, 1864.

Of Company E.

Captains:
THOMAS J. THORPE, from November 29, 1861, to August 27, 1862.
DANIEL A LANGWORTHY, from August 26, 1862, to November 25, 1864.

First Lieutenants:
ANDREW W. SMITH, from December 2, 1861, to April 3, 1862.
DANIEL A. LANGWORTHY, from Aril 3 to August 26, 1862.
JAMES D. OUTWATER, from December 8, 1862, to January 17, 1863.
RALPH C. LANGWORTH, from December 8, 1862, to December 7, 1864.

Second Lieutenants:
NATHAN PLATT, from December 2, 1861, to July 29, 1862.
GIDION SEARLE, Jr., from December 14, 1862, to January 17, 1863.
GEORGE W. PITT, from January 17, 1863, to March 24, 1865.

Of Company F.

Captain:
SENECA ALLEN, from October 20, 1861, to April 7, 1865.
Photo, Bio, and Obit

First Lieutenant:
SYLVENUS A. FAY, from September 3, 1861, to January 20, 1865.

Second Lieutenants:
WILLIAM E. FISKE, from December 2, 1861, to April 3, 1862.
STEPHEN T. ANDREWS, from May 1, 1862, to April 8, 1865.

Of Company G.

Captains:
JOHN RAINES, from December 1, 1861, to June 30, 1863.
HIRAM C. COATES, from July 1, 1863, to December 30, 1864.

First Lieutenants:
GEORGE M. MUNGER, from December 2, 1861, to April 24, 1863.
JOHN O. GOODRICH, from July 5 to August 21, 1863.
JOHN A. LAFLER, from August 16, 1863, to March 21, 1865.

Second Lieutenants:
THOMAS ALSOP, from December 3, 1861, to March 2, 1862.
CHARLES H. HAYES, from April 14 to August 31, 1862.
JOHN A. LAFLER, from September 1, 1862, to August 3, 1863.

Of Company H.

Captain:
JOHN A. BROWN, from September 16, 1861, to May 29, 1862, and from August 12, 1862, to June 27, 1865.

First Lieutenants:
HIRAM A. COATS, from December 2, 1861, to July 1, 1863.
CHARLES W. FROST, from July 1, 1863, to March 11, 1865.

Second Lieutenants:
LUCIEN W. BRUNDAGE, from December 2, 1861, to June 13, 1862.
CHARLES W. FROST, from June 14, 1862, to July 1, 1863.

Of Company I.

Captains:
JOHN W. JORDON, from December 2, 1861, to January 24, 1862.
FREDERICK COCHEU, from March 29, 1862, to July 30, 1863.
ALPHONZO G. CARTWRIGHT, from November 10, 1863, to March 22, 1865.

First Lieutenants:
ALPHONZO G. CARTWRIGHT, from December 2, 1861, to November 10, 1863.
FELIX VINAY, from November 1, 1863, to May 13, 1865.

Second Lieutenants:
DELAZON S. JORDON, from December 2, 1861, to January 26, 1862.
WILLIAM F. DeKNIGHT, from April 15, 1862, to June 18, 1863.

Of Company K.

Captain:
NELSON CHAPIN, from December 3, 1861, to April 20, 1864.

First Lieutenants:
ELISHA CLINE, Jr., from December 2, 1861, to March 21, 1862.
LUCIEN A. BUTTS, from March 11, 1862, to Aoril 5, 1865.

Second Lieutenants:
LUCIEN A. BUTTS, from December 3, 1861, to March 11, 1862.
SPENCER S. PEAKE, from March 11, 1862, to March 12, 1865.

Officers who were Commissioned or Appointed, but did not Serve in the Grades Named.

CLARK, WILLIAM W., as Colonel.
VAN VALKENBURGH, ROBERT B., as Colonel.
ALLEN, SENECA, as Lieutenant-Colonel.
ALDRICH, CHANCEY S., as Major.
BRADLEY, ALFRED B., as Captain.
BUTTS, LUCIEN A., as Captain.
FAY, SYLVENIUS A., as Captain.
GOODRICH, JOHN O., as Captain.
TERWILLIGER, JOSEPH E., as Captain.
LANGWORTHY, GEORGE I., as First Lieutenant.
ROBINSON, JAMES B., as First Lieutenant.
HARRIS, CHARLES B., as Second Lieutenant.
LANGWORTHY, GEORGE I., as Second Lieutenant.
MARVIN, HIRAM LEONARD, as Second Lieutenant.
PIERSON, EDWIN C., as Second Lieutenant.

Company Rosters

I have not attempted to copy the entire regimental roster from The Annual Report of the Adjutant-General's Office, but one can find several company rosters online at the Allegany County USGenWeb site.

Andersonville

Most, if not all, of the enlisted men of the 85th who were captured at Plymouth in April, 1864, were sent to Andersonville. I have a CD with a database of Andersonville prisoners. Contact me if you need to have an ancestor looked up. Better yet, I have discovered that the complete Andersonville database is now online at www.montezuma-ga.org/chamber/plookup.htm

Sources

Links to Related Sites

In addition to the 85th New York Infantry, the following units had land forces on the Union side at the Battle of Plymouth, April 20, 1864:

Print Resources

  • The Plymouth Pilgims: A History of the Eighty-Fifth New York Infantry in the Civil War; Wayne Mahood; Edited by David G. Martin; Longstreet House, Highstown, NJ © 1991

Additional Information

On May 30, 2000, Edward Boots emailed to me the following data, which Ruth Fulton had located in National Archives Microfilm.

Soldiers Home, Dayton, OH - Central Branch
m1749

Roll # 47

28436
Ebenezer E. Wildey
Pvt Co. E, 85th NY
Mustered in 1 Sept `61 at Elmira NY. Discharged 20 Aug `62.
Health Concerns upon admission: 2 Gun shot wounds of right leg - neither disabling
Physical Description: Born in NY. Age 63. Height - 62 1/2". Dark complexion, hazel eyes & dark hair. Reads & writes. Protestant. Nurseryman.
Residence: Raisen, MI
Widower
Notify - Daughter Mrs. Ola McIntire, Holloway, MI.
Reported as died 17 Nov 1902 in Holloway, MI of unknown cause.

Roll # 48

29327
Daniel B. Starks
Pvt Co. A, 85th NY
Mustered in 22 Jan `64 at Olean, NY. Mustered out 27 June `65 at Elmira, NY.
Health concerns upon admission: Cardiac & Rheumatism.
Physical Description: Born in NY. Age 58. 5'6". Light complexion, gray eyes & gray hair. Reads & writes. Protestant. Brick Layer.
Residence: Marietta, OH.
Married: Margaret of Olean, NY.
Admitted 12 Dec 1903. Died 20 Oct 1905
Notified brother Steven B. Starks, 233 Adams St, Olean, NY & niece Mrs. Kate Hicks, 110 N. 4th St, Marietta, OH.
Buried in Section O, Row 1, Grave # 3.

To discuss the history of the NY 85th Volunteer Infantry, please address your email to John Ball, who is the historian of the regiment for the Civil War Plymouth Pilgrims Descendants Society. Questions concerning the content of this page should be addressed to Kenneth Wooster.

woosterk@cortland.edu
© Kenneth Jennings Wooster
All rights reserved.
27 Abdallah Avenue
Cortland, New York 13045-3302
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File modified: April 24, 1999; December 15, 1999; June 1, 2000; December 30, 2000; June 23, 2001; December 27, 2002; June 6, 2004; May 12,2014.

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