VORTEX OF HELL
TheHistory of the 5th New York Volunteer Infantry, 1861-1863
By Brian C. Pohanka, Foreword by Thomas Clemens, and Preface by Patrick A.Schroeder
HardCover with Dust Jacket, 664 pages, 150 photographs, illustrations and maps,indexed.
“Where the Regiment stood that day was the very vortex ofHell,”
~AndrewCoats, Private, 5th NYVI, remembering the Battle of Second Manassas.
On April 12th, 1861, a groupof military enthusiasts gathered in Manhattan to form a two-year volunteerregiment in support of the Union cause. Their unanimous choice for commanderwas Colonel Abram Duryée, a wealthy mahogany importer with three decades ofmilitia experience. At Duryée's suggestion the new unit was outfitted in acolorful variation of the Zouave uniform, described by one reporter as a “wildSaracenic costume.” The flashy attire and Duryée’s reputation attractedhundreds of eager volunteers for the Fifth New York Volunteer Infantry.
Nicknamed “Duryée's Zouaves,” the Fifthwas one of the most renowned fighting regiments of the American Civil War.Their colorful Zouave uniform, precise maneuvers, effectiveness in combat, andsteady bearing under fire won them universal respect and recognition. Manyobservers considered the Fifth New York to be the best-drilled volunteer unitin the Federal Army. After suffering the heaviest casualties in the firstengagement of the Civil War at Big Bethel, the regiment was posted to Baltimorebefore joining McClellan’s Army of the Potomac for the PeninsularCampaign. The Zouaves proved theirfighting prowess at the battle of Gaines’ Mill inflicting the highest number ofConfederate casualties on the 1st South Carolina Rifles thatday. Just over two months later theFifth suffered a similar fate in a vain attempt to stop General Longstreet’sassault at Second Manassas. Despitelosing 330 men that day, the Fifth soldiered on with an influx of new recruitsat the battles of Antietam, Fredericksburg and Chancellorsville beforemustering out of service in May 1863. Nine of its soldiers attained the rank of general.
Drawing from periodsources such as regimental records and soldier letters and recollections, Vortexof Hell recounts their journey from citizens to soldiers, in camp and inbattle, and beyond.