115th New York Infantry

The 115th New York, or "Iron Hearted Regiment", made up the remainder of Bartons' brigade. Composed of tough upstaters from the Mohawk Valley and its environs, the regiment was mustered in the service of the United States for three years on August 26, 1862, under the command of Colonel Simeon Sammons. The regiment suffered an ignominious initiation into military service. Barely two weeks after its August 30, 1862, departure from New York, the regiment surrendered with the remainder of the 12,000 Union garrison of Harpers Ferry, Virginia.

Following its parole and exchange, the 115th briefly served in the Washington defenses, before transfer to the Department of the South. In early 1863, the regiment transferred to the Department of the South, and was stationed at Port Royal, Hilton Head, and Beaufort, South Carolina, where it participated in several small skirmishes along the coast, suffering no casualties.

In December 1863, the regiment was transferred to Barton's Brigade for General Seymour's Florida Expedition. The regiment was anxious to prove itself in battle, and erase the blemish of the Harpers Ferry debacle. The 115th performed well at Olustee, but 296 New Yorkers were killed and wounded during the battle.

In April, 1864 the regiment was assigned to the Army of the James and campaigned against Richmond and Petersburg as part of the Tenth and Twenty-fourth Corps, and like the Forty-seventh and Forty-eighth New York it was part of the expedition against Fort Fisher.

While under the command of Colonel Nathan J. Johnson, previously its Lt. Colonel, the regiment was mustered out at Raleigh, North Carolina, on June 17, 1865, with a number of the enlisted men (301) and a few officers transferred to the 47th Infantry.

letter from Lt. Nicholas DeGroff, Company D

The Iron Hearted Regiment: Being An Account of the Battles, Marches and Gallant Deeds Performed by the 115th Regiment N.Y. Vols. was written by James H. Clark in 1865. Clark was a 1st Lieutenant in Company H, 115th New York Volunteer Infantry.

A copy of this book is available in the Florida Collection Room of the Library of the University of Florida. The full text of the book is available on the New York State and Military Museum Web site. The account of the regiment's actions at the Battle of Olustee is contained in Chapter IV.

External Web sites related to the Battle of Olustee
Regimental History

115th New York Reenacting Units
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Union Order of Battle
Battle of Olustee Home Page
http://battleofolustee.org/