74th Regiment, New York Infantry

Brief History
The 74th Regiment, New York Infantry organized under authority of the War Department at Camp Scott, Staten Island, N. Y., as 5th Regiment, Sickles' Brigade, August 20, 1861. It was assigned at various times to various places and companies. The regiment mustered out before Petersburg, Va., by Companies as follows: Company "D" June 19, Company "A" June 21, Company "B" June 26, Company "G" June 25, Company "C" July 6, Companies "E," "F," "H," "I" and "K" August 3, 1864. Veterans and Recruits transferred to 40th Regiment New York Infantry August 3 as Companies "G" and "H."

For more on the history of this unit, see:


 * The Civil War Archive section, 74th Regiment Infantry "5th Excelsior", (accessed 9 August 2012).

Batteries in this Battalion 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.

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.


 * Burns, James R. Battle of Williamsburgh : with reminiscences of the campaign, hospital experiences, debates, etc. (Bethesda, Maryland : University Publications of America, c1992)


 * 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.


 * 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).


 * New York (State). National Guard. Regiment, 74th. Company B. Constitution and by-laws of "B" Co., Spaulding Guards, 74th Regiment N. G. S. N. Y : organized August 12th 1854. (Bethesda, Maryland : University Publications of America, c1992)


 * 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,