≡ Menu

50th New York Engineers

Editor’s Note: Do you have information on this unit’s role at the Siege of Petersburg?  Please contact us using the Contact button in the menu at the top of the screen.  We are happy to exchange information with other researchers.

Muster In: Organized at Washington, D.C., from 50th New York Infantry October 22, 1861.1
Muster Out: Mustered out at Washington, D.C., June 13, 1865.2

Commander(s):
Colonel William H. Pettes (never present)
WilliamHPettes50thNYEngv066p32613

Brevet Colonel Ira Spaulding
IraSpaulding50thNYEngv112p57764

Major Wesley Brainerd
Commander Image

Commander 4
Commander Image

First Offensive Order of Battle: Volunteer Engineer Brigade | Army of the Potomac | Union Army5,6

  • Commander:
  • Unit Strength:
  • Weapons:
  • Note: The 1st Battalion under Major Wesley Brainerd is listed as attached to the Second Corps, Army of the Potomac for June 1864.9
  • Note: The 2nd Battalion under Major Edmund O. Beers is listed as attached to the Sixth Corps, Army of the Potomac for June 1864.10
  • Note: The 50th New York Engineers had 5 companies during this time.11,12

Second Offensive Order of Battle: Volunteer Engineer Brigade | Army of the Potomac | Union Army13,14

  • Commander: Colonel William H. Pettes (not present, in Washington, D.C.) (June 30, 1864)15
  • Unit Strength:
  • Weapons:
  • Note: The 1st Battalion under Major Wesley Brainerd is listed as attached to the Second Corps, Army of the Potomac for June 1864.18
  • Note: The 2nd Battalion under Major Edmund O. Beers is listed as attached to the Sixth Corps, Army of the Potomac for June 1864.19
  • Note: The 50th New York Engineers had 5 companies during this time.20,21

Third Offensive Order of Battle:

Volunteer Engineer Brigade | Army of the Potomac | Union Army22,23

Engineers | Second Corps | Army of the Potomac | Union Army (1st Battalion)24,25

  • Commander: Major Wesley Brainerd (1st Battalion) (July 31, 1864)26
  • Unit Strength:
  • Weapons:
  • Note: The 50th New York Engineers had 9 companies during this time, with the “commanding detachment” at Washington, D. C.27,28

Fourth Offensive Order of Battle: Volunteer Engineer Brigade | Army of the Potomac | Union Army29

  • Commander: Colonel William H. Pettes (not present at the Siege of Petersburg)(August 31, 1864)30
  • Unit Strength:
  • Weapons:

Fifth Offensive Order of Battle: Volunteer Engineer Brigade | Army of the Potomac | Union Army31

  • Commander:
  • Unit Strength:
  • Weapons:
  • Note: Per Richard Sommers, half of Company A remained in Washington, D.C. throughout the Siege of Petersburg.  The other half of Company A and the other 11 companies of the 50th New York Engineers served in the field.34

Sixth Offensive Order of Battle: Engineer Brigade and Defenses of City Point | Army of the Potomac | Union Army35

  • Commander: ? (in the field)(October 31, 1864)36
  • Unit Strength:
  • Weapons:
  • Note: Half of Company A remained in Washington, D.C. under command of Colonel William H. Pettes throughout the Siege of Petersburg.  The other half of Company A and the other 11 companies of the 50th New York Engineers served in the field.37

Seventh Offensive Order of Battle: Volunteer Engineer Brigade | Army of the Potomac | Union Army38

  • Commander:
    • Colonel William H. Pettes (in Washington, D. C.) (December 31, 1864)39
    • ? (in the field) (December 31, 1864)40
  • Unit Strength:
  • Weapons:
  • Note: Half of Company A remained in Washington, D.C. under command of Colonel William H. Pettes throughout the Siege of Petersburg.  The other half of Company A and the other 11 companies of the 50th New York Engineers served in the field. 41

Eighth Offensive Order of Battle: Volunteer Engineer Brigade | Army of the Potomac | Union Army42,43

  • Commander: ? (January 31, 1865)44,45
  • Unit Strength:
  • Weapons:
  • Note: Half of Company A remained in Washington, D.C. under command of Colonel William H. Pettes throughout the Siege of Petersburg.  The other half of Company A and the other 11 companies of the 50th New York Engineers served in the field.46,47

Ninth Offensive Order of Battle: Volunteer Engineer Brigade | Army of the Potomac | Union Army48,49

  • Commander: Brevet Colonel Ira Spaulding (March 31, 1865)50
  • Unit Strength:
  • Weapons:
  • Note: Half of Company A remained in Washington, D.C. under command of Colonel William H. Pettes throughout the Siege of Petersburg.  The other half of Company A and the other 11 companies of the 50th New York Engineers served in the field.51

Dyer’s/Sifakis’ Compendium Info:
Siege of Petersburg Battles52:

Bibliography:

    Siege of Petersburg Documents Which Mention This Unit:

    Sources:

    1. A Compendium of the War of the Rebellion by Frederick H. Dyer (Part 3) ↩
    2. A Compendium of the War of the Rebellion by Frederick H. Dyer (Part 3) ↩
    3. William H. Pettes image.  MOLLUS-Mass Civil War Photograph Collection, Vol. 66, Page 3261.  United States Army Heritage and Education Center, Carlisle, PA. ↩
    4. Ira Spaulding image.  MOLLUS-Mass Civil War Photograph Collection, Vol. 112, Page 5776.  United States Army Heritage and Education Center, Carlisle, PA. ↩
    5. The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, Volume XL, Part 1 (Serial Number 80), page 219 ↩
    6. The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, Volume XL, Part 2 (Serial Number 81), page 542 ↩
    7. Volume 13 (Ordnance Returns for the Second Quarter, April-June, 1864); 50th New York Engineers Entry, Page 114; Summary Statements of Quarterly Returns of Ordnance and Ordnance Stores on Hand in Regular and Volunteer Army Organizations, 1862-1867, 1870-1876. (National Archives Microfilm Publication M1281, Roll 7); Records of the Office of the Chief of Ordnance, 1797-1969, Record Group 156; National Archives Building, Washington, D.C. ↩
    8. Volume 13 (Ordnance Returns for the Second Quarter, April-June, 1864); 50th New York Engineers Entry, Page 114; Summary Statements of Quarterly Returns of Ordnance and Ordnance Stores on Hand in Regular and Volunteer Army Organizations, 1862-1867, 1870-1876. (National Archives Microfilm Publication M1281, Roll 7); Records of the Office of the Chief of Ordnance, 1797-1969, Record Group 156; National Archives Building, Washington, D.C. ↩
    9. The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, Volume XL, Part 1 (Serial Number 80), p. 543: I can find no other information at the present.  More research is needed. ↩
    10. The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, Volume XL, Part 1 (Serial Number 80), p. 231: I can find no other information at the present.  More research is needed. ↩
    11. The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, Volume XL, Part 1 (Serial Number 80), page 219 ↩
    12. The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, Volume XL, Part 2 (Serial Number 81), page 542 ↩
    13. The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, Volume XL, Part 1 (Serial Number 80), page 219 ↩
    14. The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, Volume XL, Part 2 (Serial Number 81), page 542 ↩
    15. The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, Volume XL, Part 2 (Serial Number 81), page 542 ↩
    16. Volume 13 (Ordnance Returns for the Second Quarter, April-June, 1864); 50th New York Engineers Entry, Page 114; Summary Statements of Quarterly Returns of Ordnance and Ordnance Stores on Hand in Regular and Volunteer Army Organizations, 1862-1867, 1870-1876. (National Archives Microfilm Publication M1281, Roll 7); Records of the Office of the Chief of Ordnance, 1797-1969, Record Group 156; National Archives Building, Washington, D.C. ↩
    17. Volume 13 (Ordnance Returns for the Second Quarter, April-June, 1864); 50th New York Engineers Entry, Page 114; Summary Statements of Quarterly Returns of Ordnance and Ordnance Stores on Hand in Regular and Volunteer Army Organizations, 1862-1867, 1870-1876. (National Archives Microfilm Publication M1281, Roll 7); Records of the Office of the Chief of Ordnance, 1797-1969, Record Group 156; National Archives Building, Washington, D.C. ↩
    18. The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, Volume XL, Part 1 (Serial Number 80), p. 543: I can find no other information at the present.  More research is needed. ↩
    19. The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, Volume XL, Part 1 (Serial Number 80), p. 231: I can find no other information at the present.  More research is needed. ↩
    20. The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, Volume XL, Part 1 (Serial Number 80), page 219 ↩
    21. The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, Volume XL, Part 2 (Serial Number 81), page 542 ↩
    22. The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, Volume XL, Part 1 (Serial Number 80), page 251 ↩
    23. The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, Volume XL, Part 3 (Serial Number 82), page 729 ↩
    24. The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, Volume XL, Part 1 (Serial Number 80), page 251 ↩
    25. The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, Volume XL, Part 3 (Serial Number 82), page 729 ↩
    26. The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, Volume XL, Part 3 (Serial Number 82), page 729 ↩
    27. The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, Volume XL, Part 1 (Serial Number 80), page 251 ↩
    28. The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, Volume XL, Part 3 (Serial Number 82), page 729 ↩
    29. The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, Volume XLII, Part 2 (Serial Number 88), page 611: “Organization of the Army of the Potomac…August 31, 1864” ↩
    30. The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, Volume XLII, Part 2 (Serial Number 88), page 611: “Organization of the Army of the Potomac…August 31, 1864” ↩
    31. Sommers, Richard J. “Grant’s Fifth Offensive at Petersburg: A Study in Strategy, Tactics, and Generalship.  The Battle of Poplar Spring Church, the First Battle of the Darbytown Road, the Second Battle of the Squirrel Level Road, the Second Battle of the Darbytown Road (Ulysses S. Grant, Virginia).” Doctoral Thesis. Rice University, 1970. Print. p. 1297. ↩
    32. Volume 15 (Ordnance Returns for the Third Quarter, July-September, 1864); 50th New York Engineers Entry, Page 110; Summary Statements of Quarterly Returns of Ordnance and Ordnance Stores on Hand in Regular and Volunteer Army Organizations, 1862-1867, 1870-1876. (National Archives Microfilm Publication M1281, Roll 7); Records of the Office of the Chief of Ordnance, 1797-1969, Record Group 156; National Archives Building, Washington, D.C. ↩
    33. Volume 15 (Ordnance Returns for the Third Quarter, July-September, 1864); 50th New York Engineers Entry, Page 110; Summary Statements of Quarterly Returns of Ordnance and Ordnance Stores on Hand in Regular and Volunteer Army Organizations, 1862-1867, 1870-1876. (National Archives Microfilm Publication M1281, Roll 7); Records of the Office of the Chief of Ordnance, 1797-1969, Record Group 156; National Archives Building, Washington, D.C. ↩
    34. Sommers, Richard J. “Grant’s Fifth Offensive at Petersburg: A Study in Strategy, Tactics, and Generalship.  The Battle of Poplar Spring Church, the First Battle of the Darbytown Road, the Second Battle of the Squirrel Level Road, the Second Battle of the Darbytown Road (Ulysses S. Grant, Virginia).” Doctoral Thesis. Rice University, 1970. Print. p. 1297. ↩
    35. The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, Volume XLII, Part 3 (Serial Number 89), page 458: “Organization of the Union Forces” (October 31, 1864)” ↩
    36. The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, Volume XLII, Part 3 (Serial Number 89), page 458: “Organization of the Union Forces” (October 31, 1864)” ↩
    37. The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, Volume XLII, Part 3 (Serial Number 89), page 458: “Organization of the Union Forces” (October 31, 1864)” ↩
    38. The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, Volume XLII, Part 3 (Serial Number 89), page 1114: “Organization of the Union Forces” (December 31, 1864) ↩
    39. The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, Volume XLII, Part 3 (Serial Number 89), page 1114: “Organization of the Union Forces” (December 31, 1864) ↩
    40. The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, Volume XLII, Part 3 (Serial Number 89), page 1114: “Organization of the Union Forces” (December 31, 1864) ↩
    41. The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, Volume XLII, Part 3 (Serial Number 89), page 1114: “Organization of the Union Forces” (December 31, 1864) ↩
    42. The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, Volume XLVI, Part 2 (Serial Number 96), page 324: “Organization of the Union Forces” (January 31, 1865) ↩
    43. The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, Volume XLVI, Part 2 (Serial Number 96), page 738: “Organization of the Union Forces” (February 28, 1865) ↩
    44. The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, Volume XLVI, Part 2 (Serial Number 96), page 324: “Organization of the Union Forces” (January 31, 1865) ↩
    45. The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, Volume XLVI, Part 2 (Serial Number 96), page 738: “Organization of the Union Forces” (February 28, 1865) ↩
    46. The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, Volume XLVI, Part 2 (Serial Number 96), page 324: “Organization of the Union Forces” (January 31, 1865) ↩
    47. The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, Volume XLVI, Part 2 (Serial Number 96), page 738: “Organization of the Union Forces” (February 28, 1865) ↩
    48. The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, Volume XLVI, Part 1 (Serial Number 95), page 565: “Organization of the Union Forces” (March 31, 1865) ↩
    49. The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, Volume XLVI, Part 1 (Serial Number 95), page 581: “Return of casualties in the Union Forces commanded by Lieut. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant, March 29-April 9, 1865” ↩
    50. The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, Volume XLVI, Part 1 (Serial Number 95), page 565: “Organization of the Union Forces” (March 31, 1865) ↩
    51. The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, Volume XLVI, Part 1 (Serial Number 95), page 565: “Organization of the Union Forces” (March 31, 1865) ↩
    52. A Compendium of the War of the Rebellion by Frederick H. Dyer (Part 3) ↩

    Tagged as: , , , ,

    { 0 comments… add one }

    Leave a Reply

    Next post:

    Previous post:

    Search SOPO

    SOPO RSS Feed

    Subscribe to The Siege of Petersburg Online RSS Feed

    Links