Colonel George Washington Mindil's 27th New Jersey Volunteer Infantry regiment had originally set up camp on East Capitol Hill in Washington, District of Columbia in October 1862. Mindil had ordered all his officers, without exception, to attend schools of instruction in tactics and the practical duties of soldiers . Mindil wanted to make sure his officers could lead their men into battle and keep as many alive as possible.Mindil had seen the effects of good and bad leadership during the battles at Williamsburg, Fair Oaks and at Manassas during the second battle of Bull Run.
On October 29, 1862, the Regiment set up camp near Fort Albany, Virginia. After a few days of rest the Regiment was ordered to march to Alexandria, Virginia. A camp was set up on a hillside outside of the town. Mindil named his new encampment site Camp Philip Kearney in honor of the first commanding general of the First New Jersey Brigade.
Mindil drilled and trained his men at Camp Philip Kearney. The regiment would remain in Alexandria until December 1, 1862, when the regiment was ordered to march to Fredericksburg, Virginia to join the 25th NJ Regiment, the 13th New Hampshire Regiment, and the 15th Connecticut Regiment as part of the 2nd Brigade, 1st Division of the 9th Army Corps. The troops were sent to reinforce General Ambrose Burnside's Army of the Potomac for the attack on Fredericksburg.
Copyright 1999-2012: Jay C. Richards
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