59th New York Volunteer Infantry Regiment

59th New York Volunteer Infantry
59th New York Monument at Gettysburg National Military Park
Active	August 2, 1861 - June 30, 1865
Country	United States
Allegiance	Union
Branch	United States Army
Nickname(s)	Union Guards
Engagements	Battle of Antietam Battle of Fredericksburg Battle of Chancellorsville Battle of Gettysburg Battle of the Wilderness Battle of Spotsylvania Battle of Cold Harbor Siege of Petersburg
Commanders
Notable Commanders	Max A. Thoman

The 59th New York Volunteer Infantry Regiment was a regiment in the Union Army during the American Civil War. As part of the Second Corps of the Army of the Potomac, it played a significant role in battles such as Antietam and Gettysburg.

The 59th New York included recruits mainly from the streets of New York City and its environs, from upstate New York, and also a prominent group from north central Ohio. The regiment was mustered in from August 2, 1861 to October 30, 1861 and first commanded by Colonel William L. Tidball. After training in New York, the men of the 59th were assigned to the defense of Washington, D.C., and then, in July 1862, to the Second Corps of the Army of the Potomac.

The 59th fought its first severe action at the Battle of Antietam, where it was part of the ill-fated advance of Maj. Gen. John Sedgwick’s division into the West Woods, near the Dunker Church. In the chaos of that battle, part of the regiment purportedly fired into the rear of the friendly 15th Massachusetts ahead of them. The 59th New York itself escaped the maelstrom after losing 224 men killed, wounded, and missing, including the loss of 8 officers. A monument at Antietam marks the spot where Lieutenant Colonel John L. Stetson fell mortally wounded.

The Union Guards were heavily engaged on both December 11 and December 13, 1862 at the Battle of Fredericksburg. During the Chancellorsville Campaign in early May 1863, the 59th supported Sedgwick's actions against Marye's Heights. In June, the command of the regiment changed dramatically after Colonel William Northedge resigned due to charges of corruption and drunkenness on duty. Lieutenant Colonel Max A. Thoman replaced Northedge as commander. Under Thoman's leadership, the small number of the 59th marched with the rest of Colonel Norman J. Hall's brigade of Brig. Gen. John Gibbon's division into Pennsylvania during the Gettysburg Campaign.