So Rudely Sepulchered: The 48th New York Volunteer Infantry Regiment During the Campaign for Charleston, July 1863

• Main Author: Evans, Luis M.
• Other Authors: ARMY COMMAND AND GENERAL STAFF COLL FORT LEAVENWORTH KS
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: 2000
• Subjects: Humanities and History; Military Operations; Strategy and Tactics; *WARFARE; *INFANTRY; *SOUTH CAROLINA; *REGIMENT LEVEL ORGANIZATIONS; STRATEGY; THESES; ARMY; AMERICAN CIVIL WAR; 48TH NEW YORK INFANTRY REGIMENT; CHARLESTON CAMPAIGN 1863; FORT WAGNER(SOUTH CAROLINA); MORRIS ISLAND(SOUTH CAROLINA); FOLLY ISLAND(SOUTH CAROLINA); FORT PULASKI(GEORGIA); Morris Island; Folly Island
• Online Access: http://www.dtic.mil/docs/citations/ADA384227; http://oai.dtic.mil/oai/oai?&verb=getRecord&metadataPrefix=html&identifier=ADA384227

The 48th New York was a Union infantry regiment that served in the Department of the South when it attempted to capture Charleston, South Carolina during the summer of 1863. Recognized for its political, strategic and maritime value, Charleston was targeted by the North early in the war. The Union Army's Department of the South and the navy's South Atlantic Blockading Squadron were tasked with its capture. Despite their respective attempts to seize the city in mid-1862 and early 1863, Charleston remained firmly in Confederate hands. In June of 1863, Brigadier General Quincy Gilmore was assigned command of the Department of the South. The new commander believed that in order to capture Charleston, he first had to seize Confederate-held Fort Wagner on the northern end of Morris Island. He claimed that he and his men could take Wagner in less than a week. It would ultimately take them two deadly months. This thesis details the history of the 48th New York, and its contributions and exploits during this campaign. It also analyzes the profound effect this campaign had upon the spirit and character of the regiment for the remainder of the war.