21st Regiment, New York Infantry

Brief History
The 21st Regiment, New York Infantry was organized at Buffalo, N. Y., and mustered in for two years,' May 8, 1861. The regiment mustered out May 18, 1863,.

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


 * The Civil War Archive section, 21st Regiment Infantry "1st Buffalo Regiment", (accessed 8 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.

The men were recruited principally in the county of Erie; a few coming from the counties of Allegany, Chautauqua, Niagara, Orleans, Oswego and Wyoming.

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.


 * Bonnell, John C.Sabres in the Shenandoah : the 21st New York Cavalry, 1863-1866. (Shippensburg, Pennsylvania : Burd Street Press, c1996)


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


 * 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)


 * Mills, J. Harrison. Chronicles of the Twenty-First Regiment New York State Volunteers : embracing a full history of the regiment from the enrolling of the first volunteer in Buffalo, April 15, 1861, to the final mustering out, May 18, 1863, including a copy of muster out rolls of field and staff. (Bethesda, Maryland : University Publications of America, c1992),


 * 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,


 * Reed, Thomas J. (Thomas James). Tibbit's boys : a history of the 21st New York Cavalry. (New York, New York : University Press of America, c1997(


 * Strong, James C. (James Clark).Biographical sketch of James Clark Strong. (Bethesda, Maryland : University Publications of America, c1992)


 * 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,