42nd New York Infantry

The 42nd New York, known as the Tammany Regiment, was commanded by Colonel Milton Cogswell, the only West Point-trained officer among the senior Union commanders at Ball’s Bluff. Five companies of the regiment took part in the battle. After Colonel Baker was killed between 4:30 and 5:00, Cogswell assumed command of the Federal force. He tried to organize a breakout and move downriver toward the other Union troops at Edward’s Ferry, but the attempt collapsed almost immediately. He then formed a heavy defensive line along the bluff to buy time to get the wounded safely across the river. With the climactic Confederate advance, the Federal resistance finally broke apart. The men fled in panic down the slope toward the river, and many were shot while trying to swim across. Many others hid at the base of the bluff until dark and then surrendered. Cogswell was slightly wounded and captured, and he spent several months as a prisoner of war in Richmond.

Leesburg, Virginia · United States