178th Regiment, New York Infantry

Brief History
The 178th Regiment, New York Infantry was organized at Staten Island, N. Y., June 18, 1863. It was organized by the consolidation of the Blair Rifles, the Pratt Guards, the Seymour Light Infantry, the Burnside Rifles, the Westchester Light Infantry and the Defenders into one regiment, under Col. Edward Wehler, and its organization was completed October 14, 1863. They marched to Montgomery April 13-25,1866, and mustered out April 20, 1866.

For more information on the history of this unit, see:


 * The Civil War Archive section, 178th Regiment Infantry, (accessed 22 August 2012).

For additional history, see 178th Infantry Regiment, Civil War.

Companies in this Regiment with the Counties of Origin
Men often enlisted in a company recruited in the counties where they lived though not always. After many battles, companies might be combined because so many men were killed or wounded. However if you are unsure which company your ancestor was in, try the company recruited in his county first.

See the Regiment Roster, for listing of individuals, their company and their involvement.

Company A - principally organized in Rochester, Monroe County; Buffalo, Erie County; Niagara, Niagara County and Kingston, Ulster County.

Company B - principally organized in New York City, "Burnside Rifles"

Company C - principally organized in New York City, "Burnside Rifles"

Company D - principally organized in New York City

Company E - principally organized in New York City

Company F - principally organized in New York City

Company G - principally organized in New York City, Company A, 7th Infantry

Company H - principally organized in New York City, Company A, 8th Infantry

Company I - principally organized in New York City, Company B, 8th Infantry

Company K - principally organized in New York City

Other Sources

 * Phisterer, Frederick. New York in the War of the Rebellion, 1861 to 1865. Albany, New York : J.B. Lyon, 1912. Google Books, other libraries with this book,


 * The Union Army: a History of Military Affairs in the Loyal States, 1861-65, Records of the Regiments in the Union Army, Cyclopedia of Battles, Memoirs of Commanders and Soldiers, Reprint of original published: Madison, WI.: Federal Pub. Co., 1908. Other libraries with this book,


 * Frederick Henry Dyer, A Compendium of the War of the Rebellion, (Des Moines, Iowa: Dyer Publishing Co., 1908), as cited at Civil War Soldiers; Sailors System (accessed March 2011)


 * New York State Division of Military and Naval Affairs. "Unit History Project: New York State Military Museum and Veterans Research Center citing Frederick Phisterer, New York in the War of the Rebellion, 3rd ed. (Albany, N.Y.: J. B. Lyon Company, 1912). (accessed May 2011)


 * Hawks, Steve. The Civil War in the East. Database. (accessed May 2011)


 * Beginning United States Civil War Research gives steps for finding information about a Civil War soldier. It covers the major records that should be used. Additional records are described in ‘New York in the Civil War’ and ‘United States Civil War, 1861 to 1865’ (see below).


 * National Park Service, The Civil War Soldiers and Sailors System, is searchable by soldier's name and state. It contains basic facts about soldiers on both sides of the Civil War, a list of regiments, descriptions of significant battles, sources of the information, and suggestions for where to find additional information.


 * New York in the Civil War describes many Confederate and Union sources, specifically for New York, and how to find them.. These include compiled service records, pension records, rosters, cemetery records, Internet databases, published books, etc.


 * United States Civil War, 1861 to 1865 describes and explains United States and Confederate States records, rather than state records, and how to find them. These include veterans’ censuses, compiled service records, pension records, rosters, cemetery records, Internet databases, published books, etc.


 * "178th New York Volunteer Infantry Regiment" websitehas a brief overview and timeline of the history of the regiment.


 * New York. Adjutant General's Office. Annual report of the Adjutant General of the State of New York for the year 1905, FHL US/CAN Fiche #6083551 contains the register for the 178th New York Infantry.