The 14th Brooklyn Regiment in the Civil War

Most Civil War regiments came from rural areas of the country but the 14th Brooklyn was taken from the city of Brooklyn, New York. Having been a militia unit until the outbreak of the war, they were quickly mobilized and they served in most of the major battles in the East. Their bravery in battle was noted by both friends and enemies and certainly by the military leadership on both sides.
The book tells of the military and the personal side of fighting; the soldiers’ letters home show their homesickness as well as their willingness to endure whatever was necessary to preserve what they believed was right. It shows the relationship between the men of the regiment and the people of Brooklyn, who rather than the Federal government, provided some of their supplies. This was particularly true of their distinctive uniforms modeled after the French chasseur uniforms with bright red pants. The 14th kept these uniforms even after the Federal government standardized the Union uniform to the blue with which we are all familiar.

Retired educator Frank Callenda helped the Brooklyn Public Library System in their establishment of the Civil War website. He lives on Staten Island, New York.

Frank Callenda
Format: softcover (6 x 9)
Pages: 328
Bibliographic Info: 17 maps, notes, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2013
pISBN: 978-0-7864-4899-9
Imprint: McFarland

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments ix
Introduction 1
Part I: A History
1. The Beginning 5
2. Going South 12
3. Battle of Bull Run 23
4. The Colonel and the Private 36
5. After Bull Run 41
6. Out of Winter Quarters—1862 53
7. Gainesville, Groveton, Second Bull Run 62
8. South Mountain 78
9. Antietam 87
10. Back in Brooklyn 96
11. Battle of Fredericksburg 101
12. Chancellorsville Campaign 111
13. The Road to Gettysburg 126
14. Gettysburg: Day One 134
15. Gettysburg: Day Two 152
16. Gettysburg: Day Three 160
17. Mine Run Campaign 165
18. The Wilderness 172
19. Battle of Spotsylvania Court House 179
20. Coming Home 187
Part II: A Roster 191
Chapter Notes 299
Bibliography 310
Index 315

“Callenda’s offering has done justice to all the men by including a complete annotated roster in addition to describing their service as a regiment in those battles…comprehensive, detailed and polished”—Civil War News; “a solid, readable, regimental history”—The NYMAS Review.