85th Regiment, New York Infantry

Brief History
The 85th Regiment, New York Infantry was organized at Elmira, N. Y., and mustered in December 2, 1861. The regiment mustered out June 27, 1865.

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


 * The Civil War Archive section, 85th Regiment Infantry, (accessed 10 August 2012).

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.

Company A - recruited principally at (Olean), Cattaraugus County

Company B - recruited principally at (Canandaigua), Ontario County

Company C - principally at (Friend-ship), Allegany County

Company D - recruited principally at (Little Genesee), Allegany County

Company E - recruited principally at (Granger), Allegany County

Company F - recruited principally at (Black Creek and Friendship), Allegany County

Company G - recruited principally at (Geneva), Ontario County and Seneca County

Company H - recruited principally at (Wellsville), Allegany County

Company I - recruited principally at (Richburgh, Allegany County

Company K - recruited principally at (Hinsdale), Cattaraugus County

Other Sources

 * 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.


 * Dickey, Luther S. (Luther Samuel). History of the Eighty-fifth regiment, Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, 1861-1865 : comprising an authentic narrative of Casey's Division at the Battle of Seven Pines. (Salt Lake City, Utah : Filmed by the Genealogical Society of Utah, 1993)


 * Dickey, Luther S. (Luther Samuel).History of the Eighty-fifth regiment, Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, 1861-1865 : comprising an authentic narrative of Casey's Division at the Battle of Seven Pines. (Salt Lake City, Utah : Filmed by the Genealogical Society of Utah, 1993)


 * 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(database on-line).


 * Hawks, Steve, The Civil War in the East. Database.


 * Langworthy, Daniel Avery. Reminiscences of a prisoner of war and his escape. (Bethesda, Maryland : University Publications of America, c1992)


 * Mahood, Mary A.The Plymouth Pilgrims, a history of the eighty-fifth New York Infantry in the Civil War (Hightstown, New Jersey : Longstreet House, c1989) and


 * 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).


 * 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,