115th New York Infantry

The 115th New York, or "Iron Hearted Regiment", made up the remainder of Bartons' brigade. Composed of tough upstaters from the Mohawk Valley and its environs, the regiment suffered through an ignominious initiation into military service. Barely two weeks after its August 30, 1862, departure from New York, the regiment surrendered with the remainder of the 12,000 Union garrison of Harpers Ferry, Virginia

Following its parole and exchange, the 115th briefly served in the Washington defenses, before transfer to the Department of the South. In 1863 the Union participated in several small skirmishes along the coast, suffering no casualties. Included among the troops assigned to duty in Florida, the regiment was anxious to prove itself in battle, and erase the blemish of the Harpers Ferry debacle.

The 115th performed well at Olustee, but 296 New Yorkers fell during the battle. Later in the war the 115th campaigned against Richmond and Petersburg as part of the Tenth and Twenty-fourth Corps, and like the Forty-seventh and Forty-eighth New York it was part of the expedition against Fort Fisher.

The Iron Hearted Regiment: Being An Account of the Battles, Marches and Gallant Deeds Performed by the 115th Regiment N.Y. Vols. was written by James H. Clark in 1865. Clark was a 1st Lieutenant in Company H, 115th New York Volunteer Infantry. A copy of this book is available in the Florida Collection Room of the Library of the University of Florida.

History of the 115th New York Volunteer Infantry

115th New York Reenacting Units
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Co. A - South Florida

Union Order of Battle
Battle of Olustee Home Page
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