60th Infantry Regiment
& Dr. James Gale, Surgeon
Civil War
First St. Lawrence Regiment; Ogdensburg Regiment
(The following are the personal edited research
notes of Michael Echols, the source of which may or
may not be completely documented)
Fauquier Sulphur Springs, Va.
Aug. 17, 1862. Dr. Rauch,
Medical Director Maj.-Gen. Augur's
Division. Dear Doctor: The sickness in our regiment is on the increase,
both in number of cases and severity.
It was ardently hoped that the rest
and conveniences afforded at this place would have a beneficial effect
upon the spirits of the men, and perhaps tend to a more speedy recovery.
Thus far this anticipation has been
disappointed, and our patients are daily growing worse. In the past five
days we have lost six cases, and three more will doubtless soon die.
Humanity prompts me to ask and urge a
removal farther north —as far north as our Government has military duty
to do. My own health is very poor, having been confined to my room for
the past four days.
Very Respectfully,
JAMES S. GALE,
Surgeon 60th Regt. N. Y. S. V.
THE SHENANDOAH VALLEY
On
Monday, June 2d, Major-General Franz Sigel arrived at Harper's Ferry,
and took command of the forces, Gen. Saxton returning to Washington. The
previous night had been quiet, the men were rested, in good health and
spirits, and enthusiastic on receipt of the order designating 4 P. M. as
the hour to commence a march up the Valley.
Shortly after daylight we pushed on. The sudden
and severe exposure had deranged all my physical functions, and made me
very weak. Dr. Gale
administered a powerful astringent in a strong stimulant, and temporary
relief followed, but we had hardly gone a mile, before, at a temporary
halt tinder a covered bridge, I had premonition of fainting, and pushing
out into the rain, would have fallen from my horse, had not the troops
standing about caught me. A draught from Capt. Godard's camphor-bottle
set me to rights.
MANASSAS
On
our reaching Manassas, we found that all our teams excepting the one
loaded with Headquarters' and Field and Staff property, had been
unloaded, and were drawing ammunition to the battle-field, some three
miles distant. Hospital stores, officers' trunks, sick men's guns and
knapsacks, all lay in a pile together. Whitford and E. A. Church
remained with .them, expecting the return of the teams, but before they
got back, the rebels came in sight, and the command was given to set
fire to them. For awhile there was a great deal of feeling among those
who lost property, that the fire was kindled without proper authority;
but, something more than a month after, one of the commissary officers
was sick at Maryland Heights, and in conversation with
Dr. Gale, remarked
that he had the original order in his possession, and gave the Doctor
the following copy, certifying to its correctness:
Seven
O'clock, Sept. 1, 1862.
Capt. Piper : Destroy all the public property by
fire, and withdraw the troops at once.
By order of General Pope. N. P. BANKS, M. G.
C.
This
order was afterwards of invaluable service to us, as all the officers'
papers and books being thus destroyed, we had no data for settlement
with the Government, for medical supplies, men's clothing, etc., and
this squared all the books and balanced the accounts. For personal
losses there has been, as yet, no redress. That was simply our
misfortune. I flattered myself on exemption from loss this time, but
soon learned that I, too, was among the unlucky. Thinking it possible
that our baggage train might be cut off, I had opened my trunk at
Bealton, and taking out a change of clothing and some valuable papers,
had put them in a valise belonging to Dr. Chambers, which he intended
should be carried in the ambulance; but not long after, it became
necessary to lighten that vehicle, and the valise was put on board the
hospital wagon. I saved my trunk, but lost the valuables!
MARYLAND
CAMPAIGN
Dr.
Gale arrived at the Ferry that night, having been home on twenty days'
leave of absence, on account of sickness. General Greene also returned.
On
the 17th, we were ordered to be in readiness to march at daylight the
next morning. Dr. Gale having resigned on surgeon's certificate of
disability, his discharge at headquarters dates from this day, although
he did not receive it till several days after.* At midnight our marching
orders were countermanded, and we busied ourselves the next day in
putting up a shelter for our horses, and in otherwise preparing for a
permanent stay.
* In
a final settlement with a discharged officer, payment is made up to the
time of his receiving his papers from the Regimental Adjutant, without
reference to the date from General Headquarters.
Having had occasion to write to Dr. Gale
while arranging the preceding pages, I requested his opinion of the
cause of the fever wHich so decimated our ranks in July and August,
1862, and he has sent me the following:
"My
theory, based on my observation and experience, as well as on the
observation and experience of medical officers who inspected and
examined our sick from time to time, is, that the cause of the fever
that spread to such an extent in our regiment last summer was
acclimation. We were inclined to think, at first, that the cause was
from hard marching, sleeping without cover, and a poor diet; but when
the four companies rejoined us at Little Washington, Va., and having
done no marching, of consequence, but quartered in comfortable barracks,
had been having a good diet, became in ten days equally sick with the
six companies which were suffering with the fever when the others joined
us, the cause was then attributed to acclimation."
In
confirmation of this opinion I would refer the reader to what I have
quoted from the Sanitary Commission Report, in Chapter VI.
History of the Sixtieth Regiment New York State Volunteers, By
Richard Eddy
The following is taken from
New York in the War of the Rebellion, 3rd ed. Frederick Phisterer.
Albany: J. B. Lyon Company, 1912.
Mustered in: October 30, 1861
Mustered out: July 17, 1865.
Colonel Charles R. Brundage, 33d State Militia,
received authority, July 5, 1861, to organize a regiment of infantry, of which
his regiment of militia should and did form the nucleus. The regiment was
organized at Ogdensburg October 25, 1861; it received its numerical designation;
and, October 30, 1861, Col. Wm. B. Hayward having succeeded Colonel Brundage, it
was mustered in the service of the United States for three years. At the
expiration of its term of service, the men entitled thereto were discharged and
the. regiment retained in service. In June, 1865, the enlisted men of the 107th,
136th and 150th Infantries, not mustered out with their regiment, joined this by
transfer.
The companies were recruited principally: A at Canton,
Hermon, Potsdam, Russell, Madrid, Colton, Parishville and Gouverneur; B at
Gouverneur, Macomb and DePeyster; C at Hammond, Morristown, Oswegatchie,
Edwards, Rossie, Russell and Fowler; D at Russell, Edwards, Pierrepont and
Canton; E at Malone, Bangor and Brandon; F at Ogdensburg and Heuvelton; G at
Madrid, Waddington, Louisville, Massena and Norfolk; H at Champlain, Mooers,
Ellenburgh, Altona, Chazy, Saranac and Lisbon; I at Lawrence, Stockholm and
Brasher; and K at Stockholm and Richville.
The regiment left the State November 4, 1861; served
between Baltimore, Md., and Washington, D. C., from November, 1861; under
General Dix in the so-called Railroad Brigade, at Baltimore and Relay House,
Md., from March, 1862; in 2d Brigade, Sigel's Division, Department of
Shenandoah, from June, 1862; in 3d Brigade, 2d Division, 2d Corps, Army of
Virginia, from June 26, 1862; in same brigade and division, 12th Corps, Army of
the Potomac, from September 12, 1862; in 2d Brigade, 2d Division, 12th Corps,
Army of the Potomac, from October, 1862; in 3d Brigade, 2d Division, I2th Corps,
Army of the Potomac, from April, 1863; on veteran furlough in December, 1863,
and January, 1864; in 3d Brigade, 2d Division, 20th Corps, from April, 1864; in
3d Brigade, Bartlett's Division, 22d Corps, from June, 1865; and, commanded by
Col. Lester S. Willson, it was honorably discharged and mustered out, July 17,
1865, at Alexandria, Va.
During its service the regiment lost by death, killed
in action, 2 officers, 37 enlisted men; of wounds received in action, 1 officer,
27 enlisted men; of disease and other causes, 5 officers, 96 enlisted men;
total, 8 officers, 160 enlisted men; aggregate, 168; of whom 3 enlisted men died
in the hands of the enemy.
Further reading
Cubbison, Douglas R. ""A Badge of Honor": the
Twelfth Corps Badge of Teamster Charles A. Severance." Military Collector and
Historian. V47 N2 (Summer 1995) pp. 90-92.
Eddy, Richard. History of the Sixtieth
regiment, New York state volunteers, from the commencement of its organization
in July, 1861, to its public reception at Ogdensburg as a veteran command,
January 7th, 1864. Philadelphia: [Crissy & Markley, printers], 1864.
Jones, Jesse H. "The breastworks at Culp's hill."
BandL III 316-17.
Meritt, Edwin Atkins. Recollections, 1828-1911.
Albany: J. B. Lyon co., printers, 1911.
Whittier, Edward, "The
Left Attack (Ewell's), Gettysburg." by Brevet Captain
Edward N. Whittier, U.S.V. Fifth Maine Battery. A Paper Prepared and Read before
the Massachusetts Commandery of the Military Order of the Loyal Legion of
the United States, (MOLLUS) February 10, 1891.
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