Warwick and the Civil War


Many of the Warwick Valley's young men enlisted in the Civil War. The main regiment mustered from the volunteers of the area was the 124th Regiment, also known as "The Orange Blossoms." Most of the Warwick recruits were in Companies D, also known as "The Warwick Boys". Other units with men from Warwick were Company B (124th NYSV) Company M (15th Heavy Artillery) and Company C (176th NYSV). Their actions and hardships are recorded in Weygant's history, see notes page.


The "Warwick Boys"

The names of those mustered into Company D:

Source: Weygant's History of the 124th NYSV, p. 21
Name....................Wounded or Casualty....................Battle

A

Charles Acker..........Discharged due to disability..........prior to Chancellorsville
J.H. Ackerman
Corp. Edmund F. Allen
Cornelius Allison..........Died..........Illness prior to Chancellorsville
Joseph Ashley

B

Corp. E. Morris Bahrman..........Disabled.........Prior to Richmond
William L. Becraft/Becroft..........Wounded..........Chancellorsville
.........." " ..........also Disabled..........prior to Richmond Corp. F. A. Benedict..........Killed..........Chancellorsville
Capt. James W. Benedict..........Wounded..........Spottsylvania Court House
Wells Benjamin
Gilliam Bertholf
James Bertholf..........Died..........Illness prior to Chancellorsville
Edward Blake
Joseph Brooks..........Killed..........Chancellorsville

C

William H. Callister..........Disabled..........Prior to Richmond
James H. Clark..........Wounded..........Battles of the Wilderness
John K. Clark..........Wounded..........Chancellorsville
Robert Connelly
Sergt. John Cowdrey, Jr.
David Currey..........Wounded..........Gettysburg

D

Charles W. Davis
George W. Decker..........Wounded..........Chancellorsville & the Wilderness
1st Sargt. John Degraw
John C. Degraw..........Wounded..........Gettysburg & Battles of the Wilderness
Norman L. Dill..........Wounded..........Chancellorsville
.........." " ..........also Disabled...........Prior to Richmond
William H. Dill..........Wounded..........Battles of the Wilderness
.........." " ........Transferred, Promoted to Lieutenant of Colored Troops
Jesseniah Dolson..........Wounded..........Chancellorsville & Battles of the Wilderness
William Dolson..........Discharged due to disability..........prior to Chancellorsville
Daniel P. Dugan..........Wounded..........Chancellorsville
.........." " ..........transfer to Veteran's Reserve..........prior to March '65

E

John Edwards..........Wounded..........Mine Run & Battles of the Wilderness

F

Abram C. Forshee..........Disabled..........Prior to Richmond

G

John Gannin..........Wounded..........Gettysburg
.........." " ..........also Disabled..........Prior to Richmond
Isaac Garrison..........Died..........Illness prior to Chancellorsville
John M. Garrison..........Wounded..........Chancellorsville
Stephen W. Garrison..........Disabled..........Prior to Richmond & Wounded at Battles of the Wilderness Benjamin Gray..........Wounded..........Battles of the Wilderness
John S. Gray..........Died..........Fever in Hospital

H

John Hall..........Died..........Illness after Gettysburg
Corp. Hiram G. Herrick
Carl G. Hoffman..........Wounded..........Chancellorsville
Cornelius H. Holbert..........Transfer to Reserve (Disabled?)..........Betw. May '64 & March '65
Corp. Ebenezer Holbert..........Wounded..........Battles of the Wilderness & Boydton Road
2nd Lieut. John W. Houston..........Wounded..........Spottsylvania Courthouse
Gilbert S. Howard..........Discharged due to disability..........prior to Chancellorsville
Olander Humphrey..........Wounded..........Chancellorsville
.........." " ..........also Disabled..........prior to Richmond
Nathan Hunt..........Disabled..........Prior to Richmond
Ezra Hyatt..........Wounded..........Gettysburg
.........." " ..........also Disabled..........Prior to Richmond
Corp. Henry H. Hyatt
Corp. Thomas M. Hyatt..........Wounded..........Gettysburg
Sergt. William E. Hyatt..........Killed..........Spottsylvania Court House

I

Sergt. James G. Irwin

K

George B. Kinney..........Wounded..........Gettysburg
Samuel Kniffen..........Discharged due to disability..........prior to Gettysburg

L

R. s. Lamerous
John W. Leeper..........Killed..........Gettysburg
Robert C. Leeper..........Discharged due to illness..........prior to Gettysburg

M

Sergt. Thomas Mabee
William Mann
Joel McCann..........Wounded..........Chancellorsville
William McGarrah..........Wounded..........Chancellorsville
" " ..........also Disabled..........prior to Richmond
William J. Miles..........Wounded..........Cold Harbor
Coleman Morris..........Wounded..........Chancellorsville
Martin Mulvehill

P

Gideon H. Pelton..........Wounded..........Gettysburg
.........." " ........Transfer to Veteran's Reserve........prior to March '65
James Pembleton..........Killed..........Gettysburg
Thomas P. Powell..........Wounded..........Petersburg
.........." " ..........Died..........Small Pox in Hospital

Q

H. S. Quackenbush
Jonas F. Quackenbush..........Wounded..........Chancellorsville
.........." " ..........also Disabled..........prior to Richmond
Richard Quackenbush..........Disabled..........prior to Richmond
William F. Quackenbush

R

Joseph B. Ray..........Disabled..........prior to Richmond
David F. Raymond..........Wounded..........Spottsylvania
John Raymond..........Wounded..........Battles of the Wilderness
Richard Romine..........Discharged due to disability..........prior to Chancellorsville
John N. Rose..........Discharged due to disability..........prior to Chancellorsville
Edward Royce

S

1st Lieut. Daniel Sayer..........Wounded..........Chancellorsville
A. P. Sherman
Norman A. Sly..........Transferred.......... promoted to Lieutenant in 152nd NYSV
John W. Smith..........Disabled..........prior to Richmond
Nelson Speer..........Discharged due to disability..........prior to Chancellorsville
Daniel Stephens..........Transfer to Veteran Reserve (Disabled?)..........prior to March '65
Thomas S. Storms..........Wounded..........Gettysburg
.........." " ..........also Disabled..........prior to Richmond
.

T

William H. Tomer..........Wounded..........Chancellorsville
.........." " ..........also Disabled..........prior to Richmond

V

Sergt. William B. Van Houten

W

F. M. Wemer..........Discharged due to disability..........prior to Chancellorsville
John B. Weymer..........Captured..........Locust Grove
Zopher Wilson..........Killed..........Chancellorsville
Joseph Wood
William Wright*
William Wright*

*Identical names listed by Weygant



In addition, we can identify a few others of Company D who marched elsewhere in the regiment, but were mustered that day (see Weygant, p. 18 & 29):
George W. Dimmick -- Fife
Alfred Gray -- Wagon Master..........Discharged due to disability..........prior to Chancellorsville
W. Johnston -- Drums..........Discharged due to disability.......... prior to Chancellorsville
James H. McElroy -- Drums..........Discharged due to disability..........prior to Chancellorsville
Samuel M. Weeden -- Drums


There were also "about 10" from Warwick who joined Company B, but are not identified in Weygant.

Of the 40 names on the Memorial Urn (see below) placed to remember Warwick men of the Union forces whose remains were not returned home, 27 are not listed in Weygant as being in Company D in its original muster. They are marked in that list with an asterisk. In all probability these men were in other units, had volunteered prior to Lincoln's call for 3 year volunteers, were regular Army prior to the war, or were brought in as reinforcements.

Weygant's History of the 124th NYSV includes two lists soldiers that were added to the ranks to replace those fallen in battle or disabled. New members of of Company D were taken from new recruits and seasoned soldiers who were drawn from other regiments and units. However, as recruiting at this point in the war was difficult, it is unclear from Weygant's account whether the companies were able to fill in the ranks from recruits raised in Warwick, and so the additions to the ranks are not included here.

For detailed descriptions of the battles, movements, and life of "The Warwick Boys" and their regiment see Charles Wegant's History of the 124th NYSV; we have given some details and quotes online. See:
Notes from "The History of the 124th NYSV"


Memorial Urn
Excerpted from an article by Florence Tate, Warwick Valley Dispatch May 22, 1996

The memorial urn or vase stands in Warwick Cemetary on a simple base inscribed "To the Unreturned, '61-'65." Dedicated in 1887, it became the gathering place for the ritual of the Grand Army of the Republic on Decoration Day in the following years. Decoration Day, or Memorial Day as we now know it, is a time to visit the graves of veterans and leave flowers or small flags in commemoration of their service. No names are inscribed on the urn, but it was not meant to represent a group of unknown men. It was placed to honor 40 individuals whose names were known and were read each Decoration Day as part of the ceremonies. In the list that follows, 19 of the men were in the 124th Regiment, New York State Volunteers, Co. D., which was titled, "The Warwick Boys", and five were in the 124th Co. B., which was formed in Goshen but had members from Warwick and Florida as well. Others of the 40 had served in other regiments. Some of the men had been killed in battle at Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, Spottsylvania Court House, Deep Bottom, Williamsburg, and Cold Harbor. One or two died at Andersonville Prison, and two had "died in rebel hands." Some were casualties of typhoid, wounds, and other illnesses rampant during the terrible conditions of war. The names are only a portion of the men from the Town of Warwick who lost their lives in the Civil War. Others were returned home for burial or died of wounds after their return.

The 40

  • Ashley, Lewis*
  • Ackerman, Martin*
  • Allison, Cornelius
  • Benedict, F.A.
  • Barrett, D.D.*
  • Benjamin, E.B.*
  • Babcock, Jerome*
  • Bertholf, James
  • Bertholf, Sidney*
  • Brooks, Joseph
  • Brown, Abram*
  • Brown, Joel*
  • Cole, Joel*
  • Dolson, Jesseniah
  • Edwards, John
  • Farrell, Thomas*
  • Gardner, Robert*
  • Garrison, Isaac
  • Gaul, Thomas*
  • Gray, John S.
  • Griffiths, Thomas*
  • Hyatt, Wm. E.
  • Hall, John
  • Luckey, James*
  • Lewis, Oliver*
  • Mason, Isaac*
  • McGuffee, Robert*
  • McMorris, M.*
  • Pembleton, J.L.
  • Powell, Thomas
  • Riley, George*
  • Ryerson, Jame*
  • Ryerson, Robert*
  • Roy, Joseph B.*
  • Storms, James*
  • Shawcross, George*
  • Storms, Harrison*
  • Travis, John*
  • Wilson, Zopher
  • Yeomans, Alfred*
* asterisk indicates men who served with units other than the 124th NYSV as listed by Weygant. See
The Warwick Boys. Those without asterisks are listed in Company D.

Books about the Civil War and local soldiers:

LaRocca, Charles J. This Regiment of Heroes: A compilation of primary materials pertaining to the 124th New York State Volunteers. Montgomery, NY: Charles LaRocca, 1991.

Weygant, Charles H., Capt. The History of the 124th New York State Volunteers.

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