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7th Regiment records

Call Number

MS 556

Date

1767-1983 (bulk, 1830-1947), inclusive

Creator

United States. Army. New York Infantry Regiment, 7th (Militia) (1806-1922)

Extent

90 Linear feet (97 boxes; 445 volumes)

Language of Materials

The documents in this collection are in English.

Abstract

This collection documents the history and administration of the 7th Regiment of New York. The bulk of the material pertains to regimental management, organization, and events, rather than its participation in combat and other military activities. Items include orders, correspondence, financial and legal records, reports, by-laws, enlistment records, and rosters from 7th Regiment headquarters and companies. Also included is material relating to the regiment's armories (especially the Park Ave. and 66th St. location), veterans' organizations, music, athletic clubs, recreational activities, and entertainment. The collection contains numerous scrapbooks, visual materials, publications, artifacts, and ephemera.

Selections from the 7th Regiment Records are digitized and available in the Shelby White and Leon Levy Digital Library.

Portions of the collection relating to the Civil War are available to on-site researchers and to users affiliated with subscribing institutions via EBSCOhost.

Chronology

1806 Organized in New York, in response to troubles with the British Navy, as four companies (A,B,C,D) of Artillery, assigned to the Battalion of Artillery, First Brigade.
1807-1808 Reorganized as 2d (Infantry) Battalion, 3d Regiment of Artillery, New York State Militia.
1812 Redesignated 2d Battalion, 11th Regiment of Artillery, N.Y.S.M.
1812/1814 Active duty in New York harbor forts.
1824 Adoption of name National Guards, in honor of Marquis de Lafayette (changed to National Guard in 1832).
Adoption of gray uniforms.
Declaration of intention to become a regiment.
1825/1826 Companies E,F,G, and H are added.
1826 May 6 Reorganized and redesignated as 27th Regiment of Artillery, N.Y.S.M.
1838 Co. I is formed of cavalry, designated "First Troop, National Guard."
1847 July 27 Redesignated 7th Regiment of Infantry (National Guard), N.Y.S.M.
1849 7th Regiment suppresses Astor Place riot, killing 30.
1852 7th Regiment Band is organized.
1855 Engineers Corps is organized, titled Co. K in 1860.
1857 The 7th quells two riots, one involving the Dead Rabbits and the Bowery Boys.
1861 April 26-June 3 Mustered into federal service.
1862 June 19-Sept. 5 Mustered into federal service in Baltimore.
1862 New York State Militia redesignated New York National Guard.
1863 June 17-July 21 Mustered into federal service in Baltimore and Frederick, MD. Regiment called to New York for suppression of Draft Riots in July.
1869 The 7th serves riot duty during Orange Riots.
1874 Rifle Club is formed, regiment secures Creedmoor rifle range on Long Island.
1880 7th Regiment Armory opens on Park Avenue and 66th Street.
[1882] Camp Smith, near Peekskill, N.Y., first used for field training.
1895 Regiment on duty during Brooklyn street car strike.
Hospital Corps/ Medical Detachment is formed.
1900 Regiment called to guard duty during Croton Reservoir labor trouble.
1905/1906 Rifle matches with Queen's Westminsters.
1908 Howitzer Company formed from members of Cos. F,I, and K.
1909 Company L is formed.
1909 and 1912 7th participates in Army-National Guard maneuvers in Mass. and Conn.
1915 Supply/Service Company is formed.
1916 June 26-Dec. 2 7th mustered into federal service to guard the Mexican Border. Stationed at McAllen, TX.
1917 Aug. 5 Drafted into federal service.
1917 Oct. 1 Redesignated 107th Infantry and assigned to the 27th Division.
1917-1919 7th Infantry, New York Guard serves as Depot (Home) Battalion.
1918 27th Division is transferred to the British 4th Army. 107th Infantry engages in battles in Belgium and France; participates in assault on Hindenburg Line.
1919 Apr. 2 107th Infantry demobilized at Camp Upton, N.Y.
1921-1922 Consolidates with 7th Infantry, N.Y.G. and reorganized and federalized as 107th Infantry.
1940 Aug. 1 107th redesignated 207th Coast Artillery Anti-Aircraft.
1940 7th Regiment, N.Y. (State) Guard formed.
1941 Feb. 19 207th C.A.A.A. departs for Camp Stewart, Ga. 7th Regiment N.Y.G. occupies Armory.
1942 207th C.A.A.A. assigned to duty at Newport, R.I.
1943 April 21 Regiment broken up, reorganized and redesignated:
HQ and HQ Battery becomes HQ and HQ Battery 207th Anti-Aircraft Artillery Group
1st Battalion becomes 771st Anti-Aircraft Artillery Gun Battalion
2d Battalion becomes 7th Anti-Aircraft Artillery Automatic Weapons Battalion
3d Battalion becomes 247th Anti-Aircraft Artillery Searchlight Battalion.
1944-1945 207th ships to England, takes part in Normandy invasion. Moves into France, Luxembourg, and Germany.
7th A.A.A. Battalion serves in Pacific, on Guam, Leyte, and in the Ryukyus.
771st A.A.A. Battalion serves in Pacific at Oahu, Eniwetok, Ulithi, and Guam.
247th A.A.A. remains in U.S.
1946-1947 Consolidated, reorganized and recognized as 107th Infantry, assigned to 107th Regimental Combat Team, with HQ in New York.
1957 Relieved from 107th Regimental Combat Team, assigned to 42d Infantry Division.
1959 Relieved from 42d Infantry Division, reorganized as 107th Infantry, parent regiment under the Combat Arms Regimental System.
1993 Creation of 107th Support Group.

Prominent colonels of the 7th Regiment:

1859-1864 Marshall Lefferts
1864-1889 Emmons Clark
1889-1916 Daniel Appleton

Arrangement

The 7th Regiment Records are organized in sixteen series:

Series I: Headquarters, 1767-1970
Series II: Companies, 1806-1949
Series III: Depot (Home) Battalion/Aqueduct Service, 1916-1929
Series IV: Francis D. Landon, 1908-1918
Series V: Robert M. Lester, 1942-1951
Series VI: Armory, 1860-1888
Series VII: Histories, 1831-1956
Series VIII: Scrapbooks, 1852-1946
Series IX: Ephemera, 1820-1976
Series X: Music, 1862-1952
Series XI: Recreational Activities, 1873-1950
Series XII: Library, 1860-1940
Series XIII: Publications, 1811-1976
Series XIV: Visual Materials, 1806-1983
Series XV: Maps, 1912-1948
Series XVI: Artifacts, 1806-1961

Scope and Contents

This collection documents the history and administration of the 7th Regiment of New York. The bulk of the material pertains to regimental management, organization, and events, rather than its participation in combat and other military activities. Items include orders, correspondence, financial and legal records, reports, by-laws, enlistment records, and rosters from 7th Regiment headquarters and companies. Also included is material relating to the regiment's armories (especially the Park Ave. and 66th St. location), veterans' organizations, music, athletic clubs, recreational activities, and entertainment. The collection contains numerous scrapbooks, visual materials, publications, artifacts, and ephemera.

Material documenting the regiment's military service includes reports and rosters from the Depot (Home) Battalion, 7th Infantry who defended the Pleasantville, NY aqueduct in 1917. Items relating to World War I can be found in Company F's files in Series II, including orders, memos, bulletins, and schedules. World War I Ephemera in Series IX contains instructional, promotional and recruitment material. In addition, numerous WWI posters are located in Visual Materials. The collection also contains correspondence, personnel, publications, clippings, visual materials, and a scrapbook pertaining to the 7th Regiment's service on the Mexican border, while stationed at McAllen, Texas in 1916.

Other military documentation includes a brief account of the regiment's participation in quelling the Astor Place Riots, scrapbooks relating to 1909 and 1912 war game maneuvers, and visual materials depicting camp life. Material on military training and instruction can be found in the headquarters and Francis Landon series. Civil War material includes enrollment lists found in Personnel (Series I), a number of photographs and photo albums in Visual Materials (Series XIV), and two diaries in Histories (Series VII): an anonymous diary describing training at Camp Scott on Staten Island in 1860, and a copy of Alexander Shaler's diary as a prisoner of war in 1864. There is little or no material regarding the 7th Regiment's participation in suppressing the 1863 Draft Riots.

Throughout its history, the 7th Regiment's military designation changed several times (see historical note). Folder titles reflect the various identities of the regiment, when applicable. The arrangement of the 7th Regiment Records partially follows military entities, particularly headquarters and company material. Items from military levels higher than regiment, such as division or brigade, can be found in the headquarters series.

Additional descriptive notes are included at the Series level.

Access Restrictions

Materials in this collection may be stored offsite. For more information on making arrangements to consult them, please visit www.nyhistory.org/library/visit.

Use Restrictions

Taking images of documents from the library collections for reference purposes by using hand-held cameras and in accordance with the library's photography guidelines is encouraged. As an alternative, patrons may request up to 20 images per day from staff.

Application to use images from this collection for publication should be made in writing to: Department of Rights and Reproductions, The New-York Historical Society, 170 Central Park West, New York, NY 10024-5194, rightsandrepro@nyhistory.org. Phone: (212) 873-3400 ext. 282.

Copyrights and other proprietary rights may subsist in individuals and entities other than the New-York Historical Society, in which case the patron is responsible for securing permission from those parties. For fuller information about rights and reproductions from N-YHS visit: https://www.nyhistory.org/about/rights-reproductions

Preferred Citation

This collection should be cited as the 7th Regiment Records, MS 556, The New-York Historical Society.

Location of Materials

Materials in this collection may be stored offsite. For more information on making arrangements to consult them, please visit www.nyhistory.org/library/visit.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Donation by the 7th Regiment, 1948. Subsequent donations include 1961, 1964, 1968, 1972, 1977.

Related Materials

The N-YHS Library's holdings include nearly 4,000 titles from the 7th Regiment Military Library, as well as numerous other items by or about the 7th Regiment.

Existence and Location of Copies

Selections from the 7th Regiment Records are digitized and available in the Shelby White and Leon Levy Digital Library.

Collection processed by

Maurita Baldock, Richard Fraser, Melissa Haley, Jan Hilley

About this Guide

This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on 2023-08-21 15:47:26 -0400.
Language: Description is in English.

Edition of this Guide

This version was derived from 7threg.xml

Repository

New-York Historical Society
New-York Historical Society
170 Central Park West
New York, NY 10024