The 126th New York Infantry Regiment was a Union Army regiment from New York which was active from 22 August 1862 to 3 June 1865. The regiment was organized at Geneva, New York from the men of Ontario, Seneca, and Yates Counties; Companies A and B were raised in Yates County, C and I were raised in Seneca County, D and K in Ontario County, E at Geneva and Rushville, F in Ontario and Seneca Counties, and G in Ontario, Seneca, and Yates Counties. The regiment's cushy first posting as a garrison regiment in the quiet town of Harpers Ferry quickly turned into a ground of death as Confederate artillery first surrounded the town, and then began a terrible bombardment. The 126th was able to hold its own on the Maryland Heights against two brigades of Confederates, but after their Colonel Eliakim Sherrill was wounded along with a set of orders for a general retreat was given, the regiment was forced to give ground. After being paroled, the regiment went on to serve with distinction at several major battles for the rest of the war, including the Battle of Gettysburg, the Overland Campaign, the Siege of Petersburg, and the Appomattox Campaign.