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Descendants of William and George Phelps
Actions of 121st New York Volunteers at New Baltimore
The 121st New York Volunteers were present at New Baltimore on the farm of Julia Claggett for several weeks during the Civil War. General Joseph Jackson Bartlett's name is mentioned several times by witnesses who testified that his troops requisitioned farm supplies, crops, and animals. After the war, she requested compensation.
Upon the first call for troops, Bartlett enlisted at Elmira, New York on May 21, 1861, after the outbreak of the Civil War. He was elected to Captain of one of the companies organized into the 27th New York Volunteer Infantry. When the regiment chose its field officers, Henry W. Slocum (later a Corps and Army Commander) was elected Colonel and Joseph Jackson Bartlett, Major.
The 27th New York received only a few weeks of training before it was sent onto the field at the First Battle of Bull Run. Bartlett was a calm presence on the battlefield, and composure in crisis became his trademark. His aggressive actions to guard the rear during the subsequent retreat were noticed.
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| Joseph Jackson Bartlett passed his bar examination in 1858 and established his practice in Binghamton, New York before moving it to Elmira shortly before the Civil War erupted in 1861. |
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| The New York 12th Volunteer Regiment in formation at Franklin Square, Washington, D.C on June 11, 1861. |
When Col. Henry W. Slocum was wounded, Bartlett became commander of the regiment. He began moving his unit from the field in an organized fashion; instead of attacking the enemy position, as he had been ordered. While retreating, Bartlett's troops helped keep the Confederates at bay, which brought him to the attention of Maj. Gen. Irvin McDowell and earned Bartlett a promotion to colonel.
The 121st regiment left New York for Washington D.C. on July 10 and served in 1st Brigade 2d Division Army of Northeastern Virginia from July 16, 1861. It was quartered at Franklin Square until July 17, 1861 and on that day advanced toward Manassas, assigned to the 1st brigade, 2nd division, and received its baptism of fire in the First Battle of Bull Run, where 130 members were killed, wounded or missing, Col, Slocum being among the wounded.
When Colonel Slocum was promoted to Brigadier General in September of that year, Joseph Bartlett was advanced to Colonel and commander of the unit. He had led the 27th New York in the open actions of the Spring 1862 Peninsular Campaign, but assumed command of the 2nd Brigade, 1st Division of the Army of the Potomac’s VI Corps on May 18,1862. He commanded the brigade in the subsequent Battles of the Seven Days, during which they were under fire every day. At the Second Battle of Bull Run, Aug. 30, 1862, they were thrown to the front to stop the advance of the enemy and to cover the retreat of Gen. Pope's army—only one man wounded (where it was not engaged), South Mountain (where it fought heavily at Crampton’s Gap) and Antietam (where it was lightly engaged in the East Woods area).
As part of the Army of the Potomac, Bartlett fought in almost every battle (he is believed to have taken part in every battle fought by Army of Potomac from Manassas to Appomattox, except for the campaign of Second Manassas where VI Corps was not engaged), including Gaines' Mill, Crampton's Gap and the Antietam Campaign. On October 4, 1862, he was commissioned as Brigadier General, US Volunteers, but his commission was not confirmed by the US Senate, and it expired by law on March 4, 1863. However, due to the fact that he had been repeatedly commended by superior officers during his service, he was re-appointed Brigadier General on March 30, and his commission was then confirmed. He would alternate between Brigade and Division command though the rest of the War.
At the Battle of Gettysburg in July 1863, he led his own brigade as well as that of another were held in reserve in defensive positions north of Little Round Top, and saw no fighting. The day after the Battle he assumed command of the VI Corps' Third Division, and led it through the Summer. In the Fall 1863 Mine Run Campaign, he was almost captured by General Jeb Stuart’s Cavalry at New Baltimore, Virginia, having to flee wearing only bed clothing. He would go on to fight in the 1864 Overland Campaign and the Siege of Petersburg.
First Battle of Bull Run / Manassas July 21–24, 1861.
Second Battle of Bull Run / Manassas August 28–30, 1862.
In 1862 some 40,000 were camped there until they got their supplies from Gaines Mille depot. There were probably two divisions. Were there two army corps there. [Franklin was colonel of the 12th US Infantry on June 18, 1861; He commanded a brigade at Bull Run July 21–24, 1861 and afterwards became a division commander in the newly created Army of the Potomac.]
Franklin commanded the Left Grand Division, which consisted of the 1st and 6th Army Corps, at Battle of Fredericksburg December 11–15, 1862. He resigned when Hooker replaced Burnside at President Lincoln's orders on January 26, 1863
General William Franklin was one and I forget the
other commanders name. Gen Franklin's division was camped on in that by the large body of woods. Franklin's
command in the winter of 1862 & 3
Franklin commanded a brigade at Bull Run a
The second brigade commanded by Gen. Bartlett was encamped on the Claggett farm from July 31, 1863 through September 15, 1863.
In April 1865, when the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia surrendered at Appomattox Court House, he, in his capacity as the closest division commander, received the stacked arms of the Confederates’ during their surrender. He continued to serve until his muster out in January 1866, having received the brevet of Major General,