Class Year
2018
Document Type
Blog Post
Publication Date
10-10-2016
Department 1
Civil War Institute
Abstract
“The Harpers Ferry Cowards” is not an enviable nickname, but it is the one with which the 126th New York Infantry was stuck after September 15, 1862, the date that saw the largest capture of United States troops until the Battle of Bataan roughly 70 years later. The regiment, which had been active for a mere 21 days, was stationed on Maryland Heights and had been successful in fending off Joseph Kershaw’s brigade on September 12 and 13, but when the 126th observed their colonel, Eliakim Sherrill, being carried from the field after receiving a wound to the face, a few companies lost all bearings and fled. After the surrender on September 15, the 126th was paroled at Camp Douglas in Chicago until November.
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Copyright Note
This is the author's version of the work. This publication appears in Gettysburg College's institutional repository by permission of the copyright owner for personal use, not for redistribution.
Recommended Citation
Jensen, Anika N., "Remember Harpers Ferry: Masculinity and the 126th New York" (2016). The Gettysburg Compiler: On the Front Lines of History. 174.
https://cupola.gettysburg.edu/compiler/174
Included in
Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Commons, Military History Commons, Public History Commons, United States History Commons
Comments
This blog post originally appeared in The Gettysburg Compiler and was created by students at Gettysburg College.