Known fortheir distinctive name and uniform, the 39th New York Infantry served with
the Army of the Potomac, in the Shenandoah and in the defenses of Washington. The 39th was initially comprised of mostly immigrants, primarily from what is now Germany and Hungary, although companies were raised representing New Yorkers who had emigrated from France, Italy, Spain and many other nations. As such they were a unique regiment, dubbed "Lincoln's Foreign Legion." The average age of the regiment in 1861 was somewhat higher than average for the Union Army, as the Regiment specifically recruited men who had served with Guiseppi Garibaldi and with other revolutionary armies in Europe.
Various nationalities were represented by the early war uniform: The coat, Hungarian.
The hat and shirt: Italian. The trousers: French. From mid to late war, the appearance of the unit was largely indistinguishable from the rest of the Army of the Potomac, except for a few, rather dilapidated Bersaglieri hats amongst the surviving veterans. |
