The 2nd NH fought from First Bull Run until the occupation of Richmond approximately four years later.
The 2nd New Hampshire initially wore gray uniforms with "spiketail" dress coats trimmed in red cord, and "jaunty forage caps" with "2NH" on the crown.
The 2nd New Hampshire is notable for being the only Union infantry regiment which made extensive use of the Gardiner exploding bullets, being issued these rounds in June 1863 for their Sharps rifles.
These bullets were designed to explode one to three seconds after firing, and while primarily used to destroy wagons and other equipment they could have gruesome effect when used against other soldiers.
Between July 1 and October 1 the regiment fired 4,000 Gardiner rounds in target practice and 10,000 in battle.