CACrown ArchivesThe cinema collection
Menu
Research dossier · General Reference

102nd New York Infantry Regiment

military unit

Cross-disciplinary reference desk with index cards, atlas, dictionary and catalogue
General referenceInterpretive dossier study · Crown Archives visual atlas
Record originEnglish Wikipedia
Text licenseCC BY-SA 4.0
Source revisionMay 14, 2026
Entity authorityQ25025384 ↗
Source-derived summary

The 102nd New York Infantry Regiment ("Van Buren Light Infantry") was an infantry regiment in the Union Army during the American Civil War. The regiment played a prominent part in numerous key battles in both the Eastern and Western theaters of the war. It was noted for its holding the high ground at the center of the line at Antietam as part of Stainrook's 2nd Brigade, Greene's 2nd Division of Mansfield's XII Corps. It was further highly regarded for its actions at the Battle of Gettysburg, the Battle of Lookout Mountain, and the Atlanta campaign.

Service

The 102nd New York Infantry was organized at New York City beginning November 1, 1861 and mustered in for a three-year enlistment March 5, 1862 under the command of Colonel Thomas B. Van Buren.

The regiment was attached to:

Wadsworth's Command, Military District of Washington, to May 1862.

Cooper's 1st Brigade, Sigel's Division, Department of the Shenandoah, to June 1862.

1st Brigade, 2nd Division, II Corps, Pope's Army of Virginia, to August 1862.

2nd Brigade, 2nd Division, II Corps, Army of Virginia, to September 1862.

2nd Brigade, 2nd Division, XII Corps, Army of the Potomac, to October 1862.

Editorial summary

Begin with the source’s own compact description: “102nd New York Infantry Regiment” is military unit. The dossier treats that line as a proposition to test through 102nd, York and Infantry, not as a finished interpretation.

Editorial reviewA practical starting point whose main value is the path it opens into stronger specialist and primary sources. The current lead gives the account dated anchors—1861, 1862—that can be checked directly. The linked authority record independently contributes the date 1861-01-01. For this dossier, 102nd, York and Infantry is the immediate research focus.
Editorial analysis

Why this record matters

The phrase “military unit” supplies a clear boundary for inquiry. It also exposes the unanswered questions: who defined that boundary, when it became stable and which sources sit outside it.

Evidence profile

Vocabulary and entity names are the principal evidence signals here, because they determine the precision of every later search. The source revision retrieved here is dated May 14, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q25025384. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1861 and 1862.

Critical limits

Overview language is designed for orientation and should not be treated as a substitute for the evidence cited beneath it. The source lead contains qualifying language; that uncertainty should survive quotation, summary and reuse. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.

How to read it

Use the entry as an orientation point, then follow its citations and revision history. Names, dates and institutional relationships should be checked against the original record.

Best used for
  • Subject orientation
  • Search vocabulary
  • Locating named sources
Verify next

The closest primary source, responsible institution and strongest cited specialist reference.

Three-step research path

  1. Establish the record: confirm the title “102nd New York Infantry Regiment”, its source revision and the description used here.
  2. Expand the search: follow 102nd New York Infantry Regiment primary sources, 102nd New York Infantry Regiment archive and 102nd research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
  3. Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.

Questions for further research

  1. Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “102nd New York Infantry Regiment”?
  2. Which institution is responsible for the underlying evidence?
  3. Which cited source is closest to the event, object or claim?
Subject index

Search terms from this dossier

Source & attribution

This entry incorporates text from “102nd New York Infantry Regiment” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.