William Alex Macey

  General Notes:

William Macey Enlistment Date: 26 Jul 1862 Enlistment Place: New York City, New York Side Served: Union State Served: New York Service Record: Enlisted as a Sergeant on 26 July 1862 at the age of 24.
Enlisted in Company E, 132nd Infantry Regiment New York on 4 Oct 1862.
Deserted from Company E, 132nd Infantry Regiment New York on 29 Sep 1864.



NEW YORK ONE HUNDRED AND THIRTY-SECOND INFANTRY
Regimental History (Three Years)

One Hundred and Thirty-second Infantry.-Col., Peter J. Claassen; Lieut.-Cols., Charles E. Prescott, George H. Hitchcock; Majs., George H. Hitchcock, John Waller, Jr., John B. Houstain, Thomas B. Green.

This regiment, known as the Hillhouse Light Guards, recruited in New York city, Brooklyn and the state at large, was organized at East New York and was mustered into the U. S. service for three years on Oct. 4, 1862, at Washington, D. C. The regiment left the state Sept. 27, 1862, about 900 strong, and spent nearly its entire term of service in North Carolina, engaged in outpost and garrison duty, part of the time unattached and part of the time attached to the 18th corps.

A portion of Co. D was composed of Allegany, Cattaraugus and Tuscarora Indians, the 1st lieutenant and 1st sergeant being full-blooded redskins. The regiment took part in the engagements at Pollockeville, Trenton, Young's cross-roads, New Berne, Blount's creek, Sandy ridge, Batchelder's creek, Southwest creek, Jackson's mill, Gardner's bridge, Foster's mills, Butler's bridge, and in the campaign of the Carolinas at Wise's forks, Snow hill, and Bennett's house.

The severest loss sustained by the regiment was at the battle of New Berne in Feb., 1864, when it lost 91 in killed, wounded and missing. During this battle, Cos. D, E and G defended the bridge on the Neuse river against three successive attacks of the enemy, but were finally forced to retire when the enemy was reinforced,
after 4 hours of hard fighting.

The 132nd is credited with saving New Berne from capture on this occasion. Lieut. Arnold Zenette, the only commissioned officer killed, fell in this action. At the battle of Wise's forks the regiment lost 24 in killed, wounded and missing. It was mustered out under Col. Claassen, June 29, 1865, at Salisbury, N. C., having lost by death during service, 1 officer and 13 enlisted men killed and mortally wounded; 1 officer and 159 enlisted men died of disease and other causes, a total of 174, of whom 71 died in the hands of the enemy.

Source: The Union Army, Vol. 2, p. 145


NEW YORK
ONE HUNDRED AND THIRTY-SECOND REGIMENT OF INFANTRY.
Second Regiment, Empire, Spinola's, Brigade; Hillhouse Light
Infantry. (Three Years)

July 23, 1862, Col. Peter J. Claassen received authority to raise this regiment, which was finally organized at East New York by consolidating with it the Thurlow Weed Guards, Col. William B. Olmsted, recruiting, as part of the Spinola Brigade, and nearly all the men recruited for the 53d N. Y. Volunteers, second organization; it was mustered in the service of the United States for three years October 4, 1862, at Washington, D. C.; June 15, 1865, the men not to be mustered out with the regiment were transferred to the 99th Infantry.

The companies were recruited principally: A at New York city, Brooklyn and Newtown; B, F, I and K at New York city, Brooklyn and Staten Island; C and E at New York city; D at Brooklyn, Buffalo, Lewiston and the reservations of the Allegany, Cattaraugus and Tuscarora Indians; G at Suspension Bridge, Buffalo, New York city and Brooklyn; and H at New York city, Harlem, Buffalo and Kingston.

The regiment left the State September 27, 1862; it served at and near Washington from September, 1862; at Norfolk, then Suffolk, Va., from October, 1862; in the 1st, Spinola, Brigade, 5th Division, 18th Corps, from December, 1862; in the 2d Brigade, 5th Division, 18th Corps, from March, 1863; unattached, on outpost duty, near New Berne, N. C., from May, 1863; in Palmer's Brigade, Peck's Division, 18th Corps, from January, 1864; in Department of Virginia and North Carolina, from April, 1864; in the Provisional Corps, North Carolina, from March 1, 1865; in the 1st Brigade 2d Division, 23d Corps, from April 2, 1865; at Salisbury, N. C., from May, 1865; and, commanded by Colonel Claassen, it was honorably discharged and mustered out, June 29, 1865, at Salisbury, N. C.

Source: Phisterer, p. 3,542

William married Living