Veterans of the Twelfth pose at the
monument in 1887.
New Hampshire's most battle
scarred unit was the 12th New Hampshire (known as the
12th New Hampshire Mountaineers). The unit was raised
in the Pittsfield, Meredith, Laconia area during the summer
of 1862 and served with honor until the end of the war,
a period of 33 months.
In a database consisting of all types of regiments (infantry,
artillery, Calvary, etc.) and all enlistment terms (90
days, 3 years, etc.) and containing 2362 listing for the
Union army, the 12th NH ranks 27th based upon percentage
of its ranks killed or mortally wounded in battle (12.30%).
Counting just the original members of the regiment the
percentage increases to 14.1% (the average percentage
for the entire Union army is 3.79%). Deaths from all causes
increase that number to 22.3% (or 26.3% for the original
members of the regiment). Whereas the overall NH statistics
and the statistics for the Union army generally show about
twice as many men dying from disease vs. battle related
deaths, in the 12th NH, battle deaths exceeded disease
related deaths.
Organized at Concord and mustered
in September 10, 1862. Left State for Washington, D. C.,
September 27, 1862. Attached to Casey's Division, Military
District of Washington, to December, 1862. 2nd Brigade,
3rd Division, 3rd Army Corps, Army of the Potomac, to
June, 1863. 1st Brigade, 2nd Division, 3rd Army Corps,
Army of the Potomac, to July, 1863. Marston's Command,
Point Lookout, Md., District of St. Mary's to April, 1864.
2nd Brigade, 2d Division, 18th Army Corps, Dept. of Virginia
and North Carolina, to December, 1864. 2nd Brigade, 3rd
Division, 24th Army Corps, Dept. of Virginia, to June,
1865.
SERVICE - Duty in the Defences
of Washington till October, 1862. Moved to Point of Rocks,
Md., October 18; thence to Pleasant Valley October 19.
Movement to Warrenton, Va., October 24-November 16, and
to Falmouth November 18-24. Battle of Fredericksburg December
12-15. Burnside's 2nd Campaign ("Mud March")
January 20-24, 1863. Duty at Falmouth till April. Chancellorsville
Campaign April 27-May 6. Battle of Chancellorsville May
1-5. Gettysburg (Pa.) Campaign June 11-July 24. Battle
of Gettysburg July 1-3. Ordered to Point Lookout, Md.,
July 26, and duty there guarding prisoners till April
7, 1864. Moved to Yorktown April 7, thence to Williamsburg.
Butler's operations on south side of the James River and
against Petersburg and Richmond May 4-28. Swift Creek
(or Arrowfield Church) May 9-10. Operations against Fort
Darling May 12-16. Battle of Drewry's Bluff May 14-16.
Bermuda Hundred May 16-27. Moved to White House, thence
to Cold Harbor, May 27-31. Battles about Cold Harbor June
1-12. Before Petersburg June 15-19. Siege of Petersburg
and Richmond June 16, 1864, to April 2, 1865. Mine Explosion,
Petersburg, July 30, 1864 (Reserve). Duty on the Bermuda
Front August 26 to December, and in trenches before Richmond
till April, 1865. Occupation of Richmond April 3. Guard
and Provost duty at Manchester till June. Mustered out
June 21, 1865.
Regiment
lost during service 11 Officers and 170 Enlisted men killed
and mortally wounded and 1 Officer and 138 Enlisted men
by disease. Total 320.