40th New Jersey Volunteer Infantry - Organization

Organization

The first company of the unit was organized on October 23rd 1864, but since the low enlistments numbers the companies were individually sent to the front, and were temporarily attached to the 4th New Jersey Volunteer Infantry in the First New Jersey Brigade. It was officially organized and mustered in as a whole on March 10, 1865, when the last company was sent to the front. Owing largely to high bounties paid out and a smaller pool of available men of age since the war was in its later days, the unit suffered heavy desertion rates - the highest of any New Jersey infantry regiment. Its commander, Colonel Stephen Rose Gilkyson, had previously commanded the 6th New Jersey Volunteer Infantry as a Lieutenant Colonel, and had several years of combat field service under his belt. Likewise, most of the 40th's officer corps were combat veterans from previous New Jersey regiments. Due to the hapazard way the unit was organized, many officers served in their duty in the field long before they were officially mustered in.