6th Battalion, New York Heavy Artillery (3rd Battalion Black River Heavy Artillery)

Brief History
The 6th Battalion, New York Heavy Artillery (3rd Battalion Black River Heavy Artillery) was organized at Sackett's Harbor, New York and given its numerical designation September 16, 1862. The battalion disbanded December 31, 1862, and the men transferred to the 5th Regiment, Heavy Artillery as Companies "I," "K," "L" and "M".

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.

The following are the companies for the 5th Regiment, formed from the 6th Battalion Heavy Artillery (3rd Battalion Black River Heavy Artillery):

Company I - recruited principally from New Bremen, Martinsburg, Lowville and Greig

Company K - recruited principally from Turin, Leyden, Highmarket, Greig and Theresa

Company L - recruited principally from Lowville, Watson, Denmark, Martinsburg, Diana and Montague

Company M - recruited principally from Denmark, Harrisburg, Pinckney, Montague, Champion, Croghan and Wilna.

The above information about the companies is from the New York State Military Museum and Veterans Research Center, 5th Heavy Artillery Regiment, Civil War.

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.


 * Atkins, Thomas Astley; Oliver, John Wise. Yonkers in the rebellion of 1861-1865 : including a history of the erection of the monument to honor the men of Yonkers who fought to save the Union. (Bethesda, Maryland : University Publications of America, c1992.)


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


 * 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,