The colors of the 37th NY Volunteer Infantry Regiment flag.
|
The colors of the 37th NY Volunteer Infantry Regiment flag. |
The Thirty-seventh regiment infantry, N. Y. S. V., or "Irish Rifles," was recruited during the months of April and May, 1861. As its synonym indicates, it was principally composed of Irish American citizens, with the exception of two companies from Cattaraugus county, a majority of whom were American born. When the books of the regiment were opened, says Surgeon O'Meagher, "more than two thousand members were enrolled, but could not be retained, in consequence, as well of the prescribed limits affixed to the military organizations, as of the difficulties experienced by the recruiting officers in obtaining the requisite authority from the State officials. Nine-tenths of the men and officers might be classed as clerks, mechanics, laborers and farmers' sons. The re-mainder --two Companies -- were mostly American born, from Cattaraugus County, with a slight sprinkling of Irish and German citizens. They were all American citizens and harmonized very well." from the 3rd Annual Report Of The Bureau Of Military Statistics
The Cattaraugus County Museum in Machias, N.Y. has one of the presentation flags of the 37th regiment. It was captured by the Confederate army at the battle of Chancellorsville and recovered during the capture of Richmond. A major restoration was performed on the flag by Katya Zinsli and Nhat Nhuyen, students in the Buffalo State University's Art Conservation program. This video tells the story of the flag.
37th NYVI members found on this site:
Sources:
New York State Military History Museum