FRENCH VOLUNTEERS IN THE NY 40^TH

The vast majority of European immigrants that arrived at the beginning of the 19th century opposed slavery. Leaders of immigrant organizations such as Carl Schurz (Germany),Tufve Nilsson Hasselquist (Sweden) and Hans Christian Heg (Norway) became involved in the struggle for abolition. ⁽¹⁾

The French community was keen to show its support of the Union. The Lafayette Guards was an entirely French company,  led by Colonel Regis de Trobriand. ⁽¹⁾

The Lafayette Guard, or "Garde de Lafayette" as they would have preferred, began life as a French-American militia company in New York City in the 1840s. By 1857 the company had sufficient recruits to form a new regiment of six "French" companies and four "American." By 1859, this new regiment, numbered the 55th New York State Militia, had reorganized: the "Americans" transferred to different regiments and the Lafayette Guard was now an entire regiment of Gallic descent. The regiment retained the Guard's original French infantry uniform of shako, dark blue frock coats with red trim and epaulettes and "dark crimson pants." At some point they added to the regiment a zouave company in full uniform from fez to gaiters. ⁽²⁾

Philipe Regis de Trobriand,  took command on July 21, 1861. Within four weeks de Trobriand recruited more than four hundred men, and on August 31 st his regiment left for Washington, D.C. as the 55th Regiment, New York Volunteer Infantry, to serve three years in federal service. ⁽²⁾

Never a large regiment, the losses the 55th suffered in the Peninsula Campaign devastated it, and the regiment was never able to recuperate. In September of 1862 it was consolidated into a four company battalion. A few months later these survivors became companies G, H, 1, and K of the 38th New York. In June of 1863 these companies of three-year men were again transferred when the two-year 38th Regiment was mustered out of service. The Frenchmen became companies A, E and H of the 40th New York, and as such served until war's end.  ⁽²⁾

References:

(1) http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/USAcivilwarE.htm

(2) http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3905/is_199809/ai_n8827403