The 8th New Jersey Volunteer Infantry was organized under the provisions of an act of Congress, approved July 22, 1861, and was fully organized, officered, and equipped by Sept. 14, at which time it was mustered into the service of the United States, for three years, at Camp Olden, Trenton. It left the state on Oct. 1, with 38 officers, 851 non-commissioned officers and privates, a total of 889. It was formed into a brigade with its brother regiments, the 5th, 6th, and 7th New Jersey.
The 8th's first major engagement was at the Battle of Williamsburg on May 5th 1862. A. St. John Chambre, Chaplain of the 8th NJ, wrote "The heaviest work of the battle of was by the New Jersey Brigade under its noble commander Patterson. And the hardest fighting of the Brigade was done by the 8th New Jersey Regiment, which occupied the left of the line, and met and turned back repeatedly the swelling force of the enemy that were thrown against it to turn its flank. Our killed and wounded number some 200".
By the time the regiment engages in the Battle of Chancellorsville a year later, they are down to only 242 men. On May 3rd 1863, the 8th again finds itself in absolute hell. They fight on the Plank Road at Chancellorsville in the thickest of the fight. The regiment took part in bravely recapturing some of the guns from Dimick's 1st US Artillery Battery H, but the 8th suffers heavy casualties along with most of the 3rd Corps. They go into the battle with 242 men and and leave with only 108. There are now only 108 left, 12% of the proud 889 that left New Jersey less than two years prior.
Only two months later the 8th finds itself in the Wheatfield at the Battle of Gettysburg. They take the field with officially a little less than 170 men (though morning reports from June 30th show that 34 of these were "unarmed or unequipped" bringing their fighting strength to only 136). The 8th fights detached from the majority of the brigade alongside the 115th Pennsylvania and faces the full brunt of an attack by the 8th and 9th Georgia. In just a short amount of time, they suffers 41 casualties in the field. On July 14th the regiment can only field 45 men.
The 8th would fight out the rest of the war, and like many Army of the Potomac units, watch their ranks "grow" with the newly instated draft. But many of these men desert en route to their units. The 8th would fight in nearly every engagement through 1865 including the Wilderness, Spotsylvania, Cold Harbor, Petersburg, Sailors Creek, and of course, Appomattox. The 8th New Jersey was mustered out on July 17th, 1865. Apx 284 men died in the service of their country under the 8th's colors. Hundreds of others would suffer long after the war's end from the wounds they received.
Today's 113th Regiment in the NJ Army National Guard directly traces their linage back to the 8th NJ.
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Adapted from https://8thnj.org/history
OFFICERS:
Colonels:
Adolphus J. Johnson - resigned March 19, 1863
John Ramsey
Lieut Colonels:
Thomas L. Martin, Joseph Trawin, William Ward, John Willian, Henry Hartford
Majors:
Peter M. Ryerson, William A. Henry, George Hoffman, Virgil M. Healey, Louis M. Morris.
Major Henry Hartford - commanded at the Battle of Hatcher's Run
Captain John Langton - commanded at the Battle of Gettysburg after Col Ramsey was wounded in action, July 2
ASSIGNMENTS:
Brigaded with the 5th, 6th, and 7th New Jersey.
Attached to the Third Brigade, Hooker's Division
Third Brigade, Second Division, Third Corps
First Brigade, Fourth Division, Second Corps
Third Brigade, Third Division, Second Corp
Provisional Corps, Army of the Potomac.
SERVICE:
Left New Jersey for Washington, D.C., October 1, 1861. At Meridian Hill until December 6, 1861. Expedition to lower Maryland November 3–11. Duty at Budd's Ferry, Md., until April 1862. Moved to the Virginia Peninsula April 5–8. Siege of Yorktown, Va., April 10-May 4. Battle of Williamsburg May 5. Battle of Seven Pines May 31-June 1. Duty near Seven Pines until June 25. Seven Days before Richmond June 25-July 1. Action at Oak Grove, near Seven Pines, June 25. Battles of Savage Station June 29, Glendale June 30, Malvern Hill July 1. At Harrison's Landing until August 15. Movement to Centreville August 15–26. Pope's Campaign in northern Virginia August 26-September 2. Action at Bristoe Station (or Kettle Run) August 27. Battles of Groveton August 29, Bull Run August 30, Chantilly September 1. Duty in the defenses of Washington, D.C., until November 1. Movement to Falmouth, Va., November 1–28. Duty near Falmouth, Va., November 28-December 11. Battle of Fredericksburg, Va., December 12–15. At Falmouth until April 27, 1863. "Mud March" January 20–24. Operations at Rappahannock Bridge and Grove Church February 5–7. Chancellorsville Campaign April 27-May 6. Battle of Chancellorsville May 1–5. Gettysburg Campaign June 11-July 24. Battle of Gettysburg July 1–3. Pursuit of Lee to Manassas Gap, Va., July 5–24. Wapping Heights, Va.. July 23. Duty near Warrenton, Va., until October. Bristoe Campaign October 9–22. McLean's Ford October 15. Advance to line of the Rappahannock November 7–8. Kelly's Ford November 7. Mine Run Campaign November 26-December 2. Payne's Farm November 27. Duty near Brandy Station until May 1864. Demonstration on the Rapidan February 6–7. Campaign from the Rapidan to the James May 3-June 15. Battles of the Wilderness May 5–7, Spotsylvania May 8–12, Spotsylvania Court House May 12–21. Assault on the Salient ("Bloody Angle") May 12. Harris Farm, or Fredericksburg Road, May 19. North Anna River May 23–26. Ox Ford May 23–24. On line of the Pamunkey May 26–28. Totopotomoy May 28–31. Cold Harbor June 1–12. Before Petersburg June 16–18. Siege of Petersburg June 16, 1864, to April 2. 1865. Jerusalem Plank Road June 22–23, 1864. Demonstration north of the James July 27–29. Deep Bottom July 27–28. Demonstration north of the James August 13–20. Strawberry Plains, Deep Bottom, August 14–18. Ream's Station August 25. Fort Sedgwick September 10. Poplar Springs Church September 29-October 2. Yellow House October 2–5. Boydton Plank Road, Hatcher's Run, October 27–28. Warren's Raid on Weldon Railroad December 7–12. Dabney's Mills, Hatcher's Run, February 5–7, 1865. Watkins' House March 25. Appomattox Campaign March 28-April 9. Boydton and White Oak Roads March 30–31. Crow's House March 31. Fall of Petersburg April 2. Pursuit of Lee April 3–9. Sailor's Creek April 6. High Bridge, Farmville, April 7. Appomattox Court House April 9. Surrender of Lee and his army. March to Washington. D.C., May 2–12. Grand Review of the Armies May 23. Duty at Washington until July.
ROSTERS:
The composite rosters of this unit contains the names of 4316 men.
BIBLIOGRAPHY:
HISTORICAL NOTES: