James Gallin enlisted at the age of 19 on May 1, 1861 in Brooklyn to serve three years and mustered in as a corporal of Co. I on June 20, 1861. Gallin returned to the ranks as a private on December 4, 1861 and was later wounded in action at the Battle of Malvern Hill on July 1, 1862. Gallin eventually transferred into the Veteran Reserve Corps on July 27,1863, perhaps due to the injuries he had sustained at Malvern Hill the previous year.
