With the attack on Fort Sumter in April 1861, the national crisis which occurred with the secession of the Southern states following the election of President Abraham Lincoln, finally escalated into armed conflict. A rampant fervor spread throughout the North as President Lincoln called for 75,000 volunteers to be mustered in order to put down the Southern rebellion. New regiments of infantry, artillery and cavalry were formed throughout the United States as men from all backgrounds answered the call, rushing to join this new adventure that many believed would be over in just a few short months.
Organization to create one such battalion of infantry volunteers started out of Plymouth Church in Brooklyn, New York in May 1861. As was the case with many New York regiments raised during the Civil War, this new unit had men join from different regions of the state. Companies A, B, E, F, G, I and K were all recruited primarily out of Brooklyn, which was a city unto itself at this point in history and made up the northern half of Kings County, with the region still referred to at the time as Long Island. These companies also included men from New York City, Westchester, Queens, and Suffolk counties (Nassau County did not exist until 1899 and the area in the 1860’s formed the eastern half of Queens County). Company C was raised out of Scio in Allegany County, Company D in Clyde in Wayne County and Company H at Rochester, New York. With seven out of the ten companies of the regiment principally from Brooklyn, the regiment took on the title of The Brooklyn Phalanx.
Companies A, B and E included the first men to be organized, forming the core of the new regiment. These were the men that had been raised directly out of Plymouth Church in Brookyln and were recruited with the aid of the Reverand Henry Ward Beecher, a prominent and nationally recognized abolitionist and the brother of Harriet Beecher Stowe, the author of Uncle Tom’s Cabin. These three companies were dubbed Beecher’s Pets by the local press, and it is unknown where this term originated and whether or not it was meant in jest, as a large portion of New York City remained anti-abolition, anti-war and pro-south during the duration of the conflict.
Commanded by Colonel Julius Adams (a civil works engineer from Massachusetts) and Lt. Colonel Nelson Cross (a practicing lawyer from Ohio), recruitment continued in earnest as attempts were made to maintain the regiment’s overall strength while encamped on South Brother Island located in the East River of New York City. However, extensive delays in getting the unit equipped with even the most basic items such as clothing resulted in difficulties attracting recruits in addition to causing high desertion rates for those who had signed up throughout the first spring and summer of the battalion’s existence. Despite these numerous setbacks, authorization was granted by the War Department officially mustering 901 men into federal service for three-year terms of enlistment on June 20 and 24, 1861. That July, the regiment was moved to Fort Schuyler in the Bronx, yet attempts to make up for the many desertions and various discharges already sustained to the battalion’s muster rolls failed to gain any traction as news of the regiment’s poor appearance and lack of trained officers with any military experience whatsoever had already circulated throughout the local press. In an endeavor to distance themselves from this negative reputation, the leaders of the Brooklyn Phalanx decided in early August to change the name of the battalion to the The First Long Island Regiment which would, in turn, be concurrently referred to throughout the war as The First Long Island Volunteers.
While stationed at Fort Schuyler, the regiment finally received their long-delayed shipment of new uniforms and shortly thereafter, on August 19th, the battalion was officially designated as the 67th New York Volunteer Infantry Regiment. The First Long Island was then re-located once again, this time to Fort Hamilton, where they were documented as being fully armed with old smoothbore “altered” muskets (converted from flintlock to percussion cap ignition) upon their departure from New York to Washington D.C. (or Washington City as the nation’s capital was referred to at the time) on August 21st. On their journey down to the nation’s capital, the 67th NY spent one night in the city of Baltimore, Maryland where they were ordered to load and ready their muskets as a precautionary measure since it was feared that the large pro-secessionist population living there might be planning to riot again like they had just a few months earlier in April.
After departing Baltimore and arriving at Washington D.C. on August 24th, the First Long Island was moved around to several different military encampments which had been set up around the nation’s capital, eventually settling in at one called Camp Proctor. It was during this period that the men of the First Long Island Volunteers were trained and drilled relentlessly in marching and maneuvers. That January, the regiment was ordered to turn in their old, antiquated smoothbore conversion muskets for brand new 1861 Springfield rifle muskets and received instruction and weekly practice in firing at marks set at varying distances, something that was not universally taught to the Union volunteer battalions throughout the Civil War.
The First Long Island was assigned to the 2nd brigade, 1st division of the 4th Corps and left Camp Proctor on March 25, 1862 traveling by steamboat the following day down the Potomac River to Fortress Monroe on the eastern most portion of the Yorktown Peninsula in order to join the rest of the Union forces deployed there. The regiment was present at the Siege of Yorktown that April and was later held in reserve at the Battle of Williamsburg on May 5th. The 67th New York’s first major action occurred on May 31st at the Battle of Seven Pines, also referred to at the time, but less commonly today as Fair Oaks. The First Long Island’s initial engagement ended up becoming their most costly of the entire war with 170 out of the 560 men of the 67th NY brought into battle recorded as killed, wounded, or missing in action. The First Long Island was later commended by officers on both sides for the stubborn defense the regiment made during the battle, though, amongst the 67th’s numerous casualties was Colonel Julius Adams, who was wounded while directing the regiment. Adams eventually recovered from his injuries but never returned to lead the First Long Island and command of the 67th New York therefore immediately passed along to Lt. Colonel Nelson Cross.
Following the Battle of Seven Pines, the First Long Island was sent to the rear to re-supply and re-equip and returned to the front where the regiment’s next significant action occurred just a few weeks later, at the Battle of Malvern Hill on July 1st. It was here that the 67th NY fought a sharp delaying action alongside the 61st Pennsylvania regiment in the early part of the engagement, expending nearly all of their ammunition in the process, until being relieved by re-enforcements from the 4th Corps. With the Peninsula Campaign ending in failure, the First Long Island and the 4th Corps were transferred back north to Washington D.C. The 67th NY was fortunate enough to not be present with the Union forces that took part in the disaster at the Battle of Second Manassas that August and the following month, was held far back in reserve at the Battle of Antietam. Following Antietam, the 67th NY skirmished with Confederate forces at Williamsport, Maryland on September 19th and a few weeks later was transferred, with the rest of their brigade, into the 3rd Division of the 6th Corps.
In December, the 67th NY was spared from the fighting at the Battle of Fredericksburg, once again being held in reserve. Following Fredericksburg, the regiment was sent into winter quarters near Falmouth, Virgina, though this stay was briefly interrupted when the 67th NY participated in General Burnside’s futile Mud March from January 20-24, 1863. Settling back into their winter quarters, the 67th’s next significant action came during the Chancellorsville Campaign where the battalion fought at the Second Battle of Fredericksburg, also known as the Battle of Marye’s Heights on May 3rd. At this particular engagement, the First Long Island, along with the other regiments of their brigade, now under the command of Brigadier General Alexander Shaler, attacked and successfully carried the Confederate positions overlooking the town, which included the infamous stone wall which had been the site of such terrible losses for the Union Army during the first Battle of Fredericksburg in December 1862. For his actions here, General Shaler was later awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor and the 67th New York was accredited with capturing two Confederate field pieces of the Washington Battery of artillery including several rebel prisoners. That same day, following the action at Fredericksburg, the 67th NY and the 6th corps went on to press the retreating rebel forces westwards, until it halted near the vicinity of Salem Church. With their position determined to be untenable, the 6th Corps was ordered to retreat across Bank’s Ford the next morning.
Throughout the following month of June, the first Long Island and the Army of the Potomac pursued Robert E. Lee as he led the rebel army up north into central Pennsylvania where battle was joined around the small town of Gettysburg on July 1st. The 6th Corps, including the 67th New York, was the last Union army corps to arrive at Gettysburg, reaching the Union positions south of the town late in the day on July 2nd but only after enduring a grueling 38-mile forced march which had started the previous night. On the morning of July 3rd, the First Long Island was moved onto the southern slopes of Culp’s Hill to occupy a section of the hastily constructed Union defensive works there. It was here that the battalion took part in a brief action, where they helped repulse an assault by the Confederates and took several rebels prisoner in the process. The 67th NY then spent the rest of the battle in reserve, with their overall participation at Gettysburg resulting in just one casualty – a man listed as missing in action who was later found and returned to the ranks.
The First Long Island and the 6th corps were given virtually no opportunity to rest as they were ordered to begin pursuit of the retreating Confederate forces on July 4th. After chasing Lee’s army back into Virginia that summer, Meade attempted to maneuver the 6th Corps into favorable positions to attack Lee’s strong defensive lines spread throughout north eastern Virigina. This continued into the autumn of 1863 and, thankfully for the men of the 67th NY, the call for their regiment to attack Lee’s very well defended positions head-long never came. The regiment was sent forward as skirmishers at the Second Battle of Rappahannock Station on November 7th but incurred no casualties. Their participation in the actions of 1863 concluded with a handful of long marches during the Mine Run Campaign in late November and early December and from there, 67th NY entered winter quarters at Brandy Station, Virginia.
During the first week of January 1864, the First Long Island’s stay in their winter encampment was cut short with orders to head north to Sandusky, Ohio where the regiment spent three fridged months guarding Confederate prisoners being held at Johnson’s Island on Lake Erie. That April, the 67th New York returned to the Army of the Potomac where they, and the rest of the regiments of Shaler’s brigade, were re-designated as the 4th Brigade and transferred into the 1st division of the 6th Corps. Early on the morning of May 6th, the second day of the Battle of the Wilderness, the First Long Island was ordered to the front lines and was sent in around 9am to help support a limited (albeit unproductive) counter attack along the enemy lines directly in front of the 6th Corps. In the span of just 20 minutes, the 67th NY lost 93 out of the 270 men taken into action, making this the second most costly action experienced by the regiment during the war. The 67th New York, along with the entirety of Shaler’s Brigade, which had been left unsupported at the very edge of the 6th Corps right flank, was later hit hard by the full force of the Confederate assault upon their position led by General Ewell shortly before 6pm that evening. During this surprise onslaught, Brigadier General Shaler was surrounded by the rebel attackers and taken prisoner. With Shaler gone, Colonel Cross of the 67th New York was selected to take command of the brigade, and the leadership of the First Long Island Regiment passed to Lt. Colonel Henry Van Ness.
Just a few days following the fighting at the Wilderness, the First Long Island was engaged again, this time at the Battle of Spotsylvania Courthouse. On May 10th, the 67th NY and the entire division they were assigned to took part in Colonel Emory Upton’s assault on the portion of the rebel earthworks nicknamed the Mule Shoe Salient and on May 12th the 67th NY was sent forward with the rest of their brigade in the much larger assault upon the rebel positions at the “Bloody Angle” sustaining an additional 48 casualties in the latter action. As the seemingly relentless fighting continued that spring, the 67th NY was called into action once again, this time at the Battle of Cold Harbor, where the 67th NY was placed with their division on the extreme right of the Union lines, taking part in the 6th Corps attack upon the Confederate entrenchments late in the day on June 1st, enduring a further 20 casualties in the assault.
On June 17th, the First Long Island Volunteers finally arrived with the rest of the 6th Corps at the Union siege lines surrounding city of Petersburg, Virginia. It was at this time, however, that the three-year enlistments were ending for the men that had joined the regiment when it was originally formed during the Spring and Summer of 1861. Of those who had managed to endure up to this point in the war, two-thirds of this total had opted to re-enlist for another term of service. The remaining one-third, who had chosen not to stay on with the battalion therefore left the regiment at the conclusion of their 3-year enlistments on June 20, 1864 and arrived back in New York City on June 24th where they were formally mustered out of service on July 4th.
As both regiment’s remaining senior officers had opted not to re-enlist and returned home, one of the junior officers, Captain Henry Fisk of Company C, was selected to take command of what was left of the 67th New York and the battalion consolidated their remaining numbers down to five companies A-E. Later in July, the 67th NY was sent from Petersburg, with the rest of the 6th Corps, to quickly return to the defense of Washington D.C. to counter the move by the Confederates under General Early hoping to attack the nation’s capital directly. The 6th Corps was successful in their mission and drove the rebel forces away, though the 67th New York was not engaged at any point during this operation. On August 1st, the 6th Corps, including the 67th New York, was then transferred into the Army of the Shenandoah, under the command of Major General Philip Sheridan and on September 1, 1864 the remnants of the 67th New York were merged into the ranks of the 65th New York “1st U.S. Chasseurs” volunteer infantry regiment, a battalion which the First Long Island had been brigaded with and fought alongside since the Spring of 1862.
These men from the 67th NY formed four companies (A,B, D and E) in the newly re-organized 1st U.S. Chasseurs and, as the 65th New York, went on to fight at the battles of Third Winchester and Fishers Hill in September and saw considerable action at the Battle of Cedar Creek on October 19th , including the crucial counter attack of the 6th Corps towards the end of the day which turned the tide of that battle, resulting in a spectacular victory for the Union Army. In early 1865, the 65th joined in the pursuit of Lee’s army one last time and were present at the Battle of Saylor’s Creek on April 6th and Lee’s surrender at Appomattox Courthouse on April 9th. After taking part in the 6th Corps parade through Washington D.C. on June 8th, the 1st U.S. Chasseurs eventually returned to New York City, where all the remaining men of the regiment were mustered out of service on July 17, 1865.
A grand total of 1,567 men and boys were documented to have enlisted in the ranks of the 67th New York from May 1861 to June 1864. The oldest man known to have joined the regiment was 50 years old upon entering into service in June 1861 and the youngest members of the First Long Island were two 12-year-old boys, both of whom who signed up with the regiment that same year. The median age of the total number of soldiers in First Long Island (at the time of their enlistment) was approximately 23 years old. Of those who served with the First Long Island, 7 officers and 105 enlisted men were killed in action or had later died from their wounds received in battle. A further 2 officers and 75 men were recorded as dying on account of disease and other causes which included 9 enlisted men who died as prisoners of war for a total of 189 documented to have died during their service. Eight officers and 259 enlisted men were listed as wounded but recovered. Two officers and 47 enlisted men were recorded as missing in action, bringing the total of killed, wounded, missing and died of disease and of other causes to 505 (or 32.22% of the total number enlisted in the regiment).
A total of 356 men (22.7% of the grand total enlisted in the 67th New York) were recorded as deserting the regiment over the course of its three-year history. At least two of these men were documented to have deserted a second time after being apprehended and returned to the regiment. Three hundred and one men (19.20%) were also discharged before the end of their 3-year enlistments had expired. This could have been for any one of numerous reasons which included, but were not limited to, officers resigning their commissions, disciplinary actions, from medical complications due to wounds received in action, a medical disability not caused by being wounded in battle and even receiving a transfer out of the regiment for assignment elsewhere in the Union Army. It must be noted that these figures only account for the men of the regiment up to the very end of August 1864 as they do not reflect the statistics of the 65th New York, which absorbed the veterans of the First Long Island Volunteers at the start of September 1864.
Following the conclusion of the Civil War, the surviving veterans of the First Long Island Regiment began meeting for an annual family picnic in Brooklyn, the first of which being held in the summer of 1865. Many of the men later became active in the decades that followed with several different veteran soldiers’ societies such as the Grand Army of the Republic. The last such reunion of the veterans of the First Long Island occurred in early June 1911 for the 50th anniversary of the founding of the regiment and from there, the 67th New York regiment faded into memory.
Perhaps having the foresight to leave behind some sort of physical, lasting legacy for future generations telling of the regiment’s roll in the American Civil War, at least two monuments are known to have been erected to honor the First Long Island regiment and still exist today. One is the monument at Culp’s Hill at Gettysburg which was commissioned by the veterans of the First Long Island and dedicated to the regiment, with several veterans of the 67th New York in attendance, at the 25th anniversary of the battle in 1888. The other memorial to the regiment is the “Dermody Triangle” a very small park in the middle of a residential neighborhood in Bayside, Queens, New York which features a non-descript stone monument in the center commemorating the American Civil War. The park is dedicated to Captain William Dermody from Company B of the 67th New York who was killed in action at the Battle of Spotsylvania Courthouse on May 12, 1864. The small parcel of land the park sits on was set aside in 1866 in memory of Dermody by members of his family who originally owned the property there and, at the time of this writing in 2025, was undergoing a full renovation by the New York City Parks Department. These memorials along with the dedication and efforts of the 67th New York Historical Association, will continue to honor and ensure the preservation of the memory of this remarkable battalion from the American Civil War for many years to come.
