 When the 23rd New Jersey's first commander, Colonel John S. Cox, resigned to prevent a court-martial for drunkenness in November 1862, the new commander, Col. Henry O. Ryerson (the former Lieutenant Colonel of the 2nd New Jersey Volunteer Infantry), reviewed the regiment, and disparagingly called them "Yahoos", due to their less than military demeanor and irreverence.The men of the regiment took to the sobriquet, emblazoning it on their regimental flag, and called themselves Yahoos for the rest of their lives.The regiment fought in two engagements–the December 1862 Battle of Fredericksburg, and the May 1863 Battle of Salem Church.