Benjamin F. Greene

Residence was not listed; 37 years old.

Enlisted on 4/25/1861 at Havana, NY as a Private.

On 5/14/1861 he mustered into "K" Co. NY 3rd Infantry
He Re-enlisted on 5/14/1863
He was discharged on 5/13/1865 at Raleigh, NC

Sources used by Historical Data Systems, Inc.:

- New York: Report of the Adjutant-General 1893-1906
(c) Historical Data Systems, Inc. @ www.civilwardata.com
.............................................................................................................

Report of Col. Frederick Townsend, Third New York Infantry.

HDQRS. THIRD REGIMENT N. Y. VOLUNTEERS,
June 12, 1861.
SIR: I have the honor to report, for the information of Brig.-Gen.
Pierce, that on the evening of Sunday, June 9, I received orders from him
to have my command in readiness, with one day's rations, to move that
night, to form part of a column composed of two regiments from Newport
News and Col. Duryea's and my own, intended to make a
reconnaissance in force towards Yorktown. In obedience to these orders,
with the concerted sing of a white badge upon our left arms, at midnight I
marched my regiment to Hampton, where the general met the command and
accompanied it.

On approaching a defile through a thick wood, about five or six miles from
Hampton, and well-sustained fire for canister and small-arms was
opened upon the regiment while it was marching in a narrow road upon the
flank, in route step, and wholly unsuspicious of an enemy, inasmuch as we
were ordered to re-enforce Col. Duryea, who had preceded us by some
two hours, and who had been ordered to throw out as he marched and
advance guard two and a half miles from his regiment and a sustaining force
half way between the advance and the regiment, therefore, had Col.
Duryea been obliged to retreat upon us before we reached his locality, we
should have heard instant firing or some of his regiment would have been
seen retreating. The force which fired upon us was subsequently ascertained
to be only the regiment of Col. Bendix, though a portion of the Vermont
and Fourth Massachusetts regiments were with it, having come down with
two 6-pounder field pieces from Newport News to join the column. These
regiments took up a masked position in the woods at the commencement of
the defile. The result of the fire upon us was, two mortally wounded (one
since dead), three dangerously, and four officers and twelve privates slightly,
making a total of twenty-one.

At the commencement of the fire the general, Capt. Chamberlain, his
aide-de-camp, and two mountain howitzers, were about two hundred and
fifty paces in advance of the regiment. The fire was opened upon them first
by a discharge from small-arms, and immediately followed
by a rapidly-sustained volley upon my regiment and the field pieces. My
men then generally discharged their pieces and jumped to the right and left
of the road, and recommenced loading and firing. In a few minutes the
regiment was reformed in the midst of this heavy fire, and by the general's
directions retired in a thoroughly military manner, in order to withdraw the
supposed enemy from his position.

On ascertaining that the enemy were our friends, and providing for the
wounded, we joined Col. Duryea and Col. Bendix, the former having
returned, and proceeded on the reconnaissance at Big Bethel. Some seven or
more miles on we found the enemy in force, well fortified, with a battery,
said to be of twenty guns, in position, some of them rifled cannon. The
information relative to the guns in position at the Bethel battery was given
to me on the ground by Col. Duryea who informed me that received it
from a reconnoitering officer who he had sent to the front to ascertain the
position of things. On arriving at this point, in order to feel the enemy,
battle was immediately given by the orders of the general. We were ordered
to take up a position in a field about eight hundred paces from the battery.
I was then directed by the general to advance to a position in a road at right
angles to the main road leading to the battery, and about two hundred paces
from it, on the left of Col. Duryea. I was then directed to send out
skirmishers to ascertain the strength of the enemy's right, for which purpose
I detailed Capts. John G. Butler and Edwin S. Jenny, with their companies,
to cross the field immediately in front of the right of the battery, and so to
skirmish as to draw the enemy's fire, which duty they gallantly performed.
The enemy's fire was delivered vigorously almost immediately upon these
companies entering the field. On crossing it myself, and considering that
there might be a possibility of our capturing the battery, I moved the
regiment up to the point where our skirmishers were engaged--a movement
which the regiment performed in line of battle as if on parade, in face of
a severe fire of artillery and small-arms, and in a manner entirely to my
satisfaction.

By the time the regiment had arrived at its position it became evident that the
right portion of the battery had been strongly re-enforced by men from the
enemy's left, and that an effort to take the battery then was useless; besides
a company of my regiment had been separated from the regiment by a
thickly-hedged ditch, and as the regiment moved forward toward the
skirmishers, this company marched din the adjoining field on a line with the
regiment.

This was not known to me until after the engagement. I supposed when the
regiment approached that it was the entire regiment. Consequently, upon
seeing among the breaks in the hedge the glistening of bayonets in the
adjoining field, I immediately concluded that the enemy were outflanking us,
and conceived it to be my duty immediately to retire and repel that advance.
I resumed, therefore, my original position on the left of Col. Duryea.
Shortly after all the forces were directed to retire, the design of the
reconnaissance having been accomplished.

I of course forbear speaking of the movements of other corps, excepting as
immediately connected with my regiment, and it were especially gratuitous,
inasmuch as the general was upon the field and directed the movements of
the various commands in person.

I am, very respectfully, your obedient servant,

FRED'K TOWNSEND,
Col. Third Regiment.

Maj. R. A. PIERCE, Brigade Inspector, &c.
R. A. PIERCE should read R. A. PEIRCE. Correction from General Index.

Source: Official Records
PAGE 86-2 OPERATIONS IN MD., PA., VA., AND W. VA. [CHAP. IX.
[Series I. Vol. 2. Serial No. 2.]