New York's Legislature Moved Quickly to Answer Lincoln's Call for Troops on April 16 1861

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The Seventh Regiment Departing New York by Thomas Nast ( NYS Military Museum)

• Members of the 69th Regiment, New York State Militiam, attend mass in 1861 ( NYS Military History Musem)

LATHAM, NY (04/13/2011)(readMedia)-- New York's Legislature is not normally known for acting quickly. But as the Civil War got underway 150 years ago, it did; committing New York into President Abraham Lincoln's crusade to save the Union.

On April 15, the day after Fort Sumter surrendered to Confederate forces in Charleston, South Carolina, Lincoln issued a proclamation calling for the state's to provide 75,000 militia Soldiers for three months service to end the rebellion against the Federal Government.

New York, which had the largest organized militia in the northern states, was asked to provide 13,280 officers and men in seventeen infantry regiments.

The militia then was the equivalent of today's National Guard; part-time Soldiers under the control of the state governor for state emergencies, who also have a responsibility to the federal government.

In January of 1861, New York had a militia force of 19,189 Soldiers, commanded by 36 general officers organized into 77 regiments, 28 brigades and eight divisions. The New York militia was larger than the United States Army. (Today the New York National Guard, comprised of the New York Army and New York Air National Guard has just over 16,000 Soldiers and Airmen).

Around this time, New York was also starting to call its militia the New York State National Guard.

On April 15 the Legislature created a State Military Board to oversee the mobilization of troops to respond to the President's call. The board was composed of the governor, the lieutenant governor, the secretary of state, the comptroller, the state engineer, and the state treasurer.

On April 16 the New York Legislature passed "an Act to Authorize the Embodying and Equipment of a Volunteer Militia and to Provide for the Public Defense." The bill called for mobilizing 11 regiments and 7,334 Officers and men as a first increment in answering Lincoln's call for troops.

But while the paper strength of the state militia was high, it disguised the fact that different militia units were at different levels of readiness.

The Seventh Regiment, known as the "Silk Stocking Regiment" and composed of Soldiers from socially prominent New York City families, was fully equipped and manned, as was the 5th Regiment. In contrast, the 69th Infantry Regiment, composed mainly of working class Irish immigrants, had only 380 uniforms for it's more than 1,000 Soldiers.

Even the Seventh Regiment was lacking equipment and 31 Wall Street businessmen chipped in $100 each to help buy equipment. The New York Stock Exchange kicked in another $1,000.

The Seventh Regiment was the first unit to leave New York, heading out on April 19 for the ferry to Jersey City as New Yorkers turned out to cheer. Each man was directed to have his gray fatigue uniform, sky-blue greatcoat, and knapsack with one rolled blanket. Each soldier carried suitable underwear, an extra pair of ankle boots, mess utensils, waist belt and cap pouch.

A famous painting by cartoonist Thomas Nast memorializes the event.

One-by-one, other New York Militia units-- Varians Light Artillery Battery; the Sixth Regiment (the Governor's Guards); the 71st Regiment; the Eighth Regiment (the Washington Greys); the 13th Regiment and the 69th Regiment ; the Fifth Regiment; and the 28th Regiment-left New York City for Washington. Upstate the 25th Regiment left Albany and the 74th Regiment departed Buffalo in answer to the call for troops for 90 days.

The lineage of some of these regiments is carried by today's New York Army National Guard Units. The 53rd Army Liaison Team traces its history to the Seventh Regiment, while the 1st Battalion 258th Field Artillery is the successor to the Eighth Regiment. The 69th Regiment survives today as the 1st Battalion 69th Infantry. Soldiers from all of these units have served in Iraq and Afghanistan today.

These Citizens Soldiers would provide the initial defense of the federal capital from a Confederate attack and eventually see combat at the First Battle of Bull Run.

When their 90 days of service was up they came home.

But many of the Soldiers also enlisted in volunteer units New York was organizing for three years of service. Almost all members of the 69th New York Militia, for example, joined the newly formed 69th New York Volunteer Infantry which went on to become famous as the "Fighting 69th" of the Irish Brigade.

More than 500,000 New Yorkers enlisted in the Army and Navy during the four years of the Civil War and 53,114 New Yorkers died. Throughout the period of the Civil War Sesquicentennial observance, the New York State Division of Military and Naval Affairs will be producing short articles about New York's Civil War experience researched by the New York State Military Museum in Saratoga Springs.

For more information go the NewYork State Miltiary Museum Civil War Timeline Website at http://dmna.state.ny.us/civilwar