Existing comment:
42nd New York Infantry
The 42nd New York ("Tammany Regiment") was commanded by Col. Milton Cogswell, the only West Point-trained officer among the senior Union commanders at Ball's Bluff. Five companies of the 42nd participated in the battle.
With the death of Colonel Baker between 4:30-5:00, Colonel Cogswell assumed command of the Federal force. He attempted to organize a breakout and move downriver toward the other Union troops at Edward's Ferry. The attempt fell apart almost before it started. Cogswell then formed a heavy defensive line along the bluff to buy time to get the wounded safely across the river.
With the climactic Confederate advance, however, the Federal resistance finally collapsed. The men fled in panic down the slope toward the river. Many of them were shot while trying to swim across. Many others hid at the base of the bluff until dark, then surrendered. Cogswell himself was slightly wounded and captured, spending several months as a prisoner of war in Richmond. |