71st New York State Militia

At 11:00 a.m. on July 21, 1861, the 71st New York State Militia, part of the 2nd Brigade under Burnside and the 2nd Division under Hunter in the Army of Northeastern Virginia, U.S.A., was commanded by Col. Henry P. Martin. According to regimental historian Augustus T. Francis, the 4th Alabama, which had earlier expressed in print a desire to meet the 71st New York, deployed from a wood. Recognizing them, the 71st answered with a shout, sprang forward, fired a volley of musketry, and charged down the hill with the intention of taking them with the bayonet. After a volley and a short pause, the Alabamians withdrew to cover, leaving their dead on the field.

Virginia · United States