87th Regiment, New York Infantry

Brief History
The 87th Regiment, New York Infantry was organized at Brooklyn, N. Y., and mustered in November 20, 1861. It consolidated with 40th Regiment New York Infantry September 6, 1862. Company "B" transferred to 173rd New York Infantry September 11, 1862.

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


 * The Civil War Archive section, 87th Regiment Infantry "13th Brooklyn", (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 - principally recruited at (Dresden), Yates County, (Whitehall), Washington County, New York City

Company B - principally recruited at (Brooklyn and Williamsburg), Kings County

Company C - principally recruited at (Brooklyn and Williamsburg), Kings County

Company D - principally recruited at (Brooklyn), Kings County and New York City

Company E - principally recruited at New York City

Company F - principally recruited at (Brooklyn), Kings County and (Poughkeepsie), Dutchess County

Company G - principally recruited at (Brooklyn), Kings County, New York City and (Poughkeepsie), Dutchess County

Company H - principally recruited at (Brooklyn), Kings County

Company I - principally recruited at (Williamsburg), Kings County, and New York City

Company K - principally recruited at (Williamsburg), Kings County, and New York City

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.


 * 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 (database on-line).


 * 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).


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