Starting on May 4, 1864, the 6th Regiment participated in Brigadier General Benjamin F. Butler's operations on the south side of the James River and against Petersburg and Richmond.
The unit participated in action at Bailor's Farm on June 15, 1864, before taking part in the Richmond–Petersburg Campaign until December 17.
In March 1865, the 6th Regiment was reassigned to the X Corps and took part in General William Tecumseh Sherman's Carolinas Campaign.
With the end of the war at hand, the men of the 6th witnessed the surrender of Confederate General Joseph E. Johnston and his army at Bennett Place, North Carolina, on April 26, 1865.
The three men's courage at New Market Heights is depicted in a painting, Three Medals of Honor by artist Don Troiani.