140th New York State Vols - Wilderness, VA
N 38° 19.050 W 077° 45.447
18S E 258929 N 4244641
The 140th NY was the first regiment to advance against the Confederates at Saunders Field on the Wilderness Battlefield on May 5, 1864.
Waymark Code: WM4C61
Location: Virginia, United States
Date Posted: 08/04/2008
Views: 53
The monument to the 140th NY State Volunteers stands at Saunders Field off a graded path not far from the Wilderness Battlefield Exhibit Shelter.
The first head-to-head confrontation between Generals Robert E. Lee and Ulysses S. Grant occurred in the dense forest known as the Wilderness. Fighting began about noon of May 5. The Confederates held a position bordering the western edge of Saunders Field. Union forces attacked across Saunders Field with the 140th being the first to advance. Under intense Confederate fire, 529 New Yorkers ran into the woods and managed to hang on for about 30 minutes, but half their men were shot or captured and they were forced to retreat.
The inscription on the monument reads:
140th New York State Vols
First Brigade First Division Fifth Corps
Number engaged 529
Casualties
23 killed 118 wounded
114 missing
May 5, 1864
For a more detailed history of the 140th NY, click here for their website.