Union Infantry Guide: Part 1
The following is a comprehensive list of all infantry units in the mod that are currently available to the Union. This guide is intended to not only show what units are available, but to also give players a quick reference to where those units can be recruited from in the mod, the weapons they are equipped with, as well as which generals they are assigned to.
This guide is organized according to the type of unit, their home state (in alphabetical order), and their designated number (if applicable).
Infantry
Illinois
12th Illinois Infantry "First Scotch"
Weapons: Springfield Model 1861 Rifle Musket, Springfield Model 1863 Rifle Musket, Pattern 1853 Enfield Rifle Musket, Springfield Model 1855 Rifle Musket, Lorenz Rifle Model 1854
Faction: Army of the Mississippi
Current Commander: Major General John A. Logan
Recruitment Locations: St. Louis, Cairo, Chicago, Madison WI, Lexington MO, Carbondale, Vandalia, Union City, Springfield, Collinsville, New Madrid, Prairie du Rocher, Champaign, Marion, Mount Vernon, Effingham, Mattoon
The 12th Illinois Infantry Regiment, also known as the "1st Scotch Regiment", was organized at Springfield, Illinois and mustered in on May 2nd, 1861 for three-month service. The regiment was transferred to Cairo, Illinois, for garrison duty until August 1861, when it was mustered into Federal service for a three-year enlistment. On September 5th, 1861, the 12th, along with the 9th Illinois Infantry, moved up to and occupied Paducah, Kentucky, being the first Union troops there. The 12th remained at Paducah until February 5th, 1862, during this time being engaged in the demonstration against Columbus, Kentucky during the Battle of Belmont, and a reconnaissance in force towards Fort Donelson, Tennessee in January.
The regiment endured the cold, snow, hunger and fatigue of the Fort Donelson battle, suffering terribly, but also fighting nobly on February 15th, losing 19 men killed, 58 wounded, and 10 missing. The 12th then took part in the terrible battle of Shiloh, being engaged nearly the entirety of the two days of fighting, losing 109 men killed and wounded, and 7 missing. On April 28th, the 12th Illinois moved with the army on Corinth and was engaged in the siege of the city, doing its share of picket and fatigue duty, extending saps, and so on. After the evacuation of the city, the regiment was sent with General Pope in pursuit of the Confederates, but returned to Corinth after six days, where it remained until the middle of September.
On October 3rd and 4th, the 12th Illinois was engaged in the Battle of Corinth. The 2nd division under General Davies, and the 6th division under General McArthur, fought nearly the whole Confederate army. The losses were very heavy, and the fighting most desperate. On the 4th, "Powell's Battery", which the 12th Illinois were supporting, was captured by the Confederates in a charge, but was almost immediately retaken. In this affair the 12th took a very conspicuous and brilliant part. Supported by a small part of the 50th and 52nd Illinois Infantry, they drove the Confederates from the works, capturing a stand of colors, and turned the guns of the battery on the enemy. The division lost more than half of the men that were lost during the day, with the 12th Illinois losing 17 killed, 80 wounded, and 15 missing. Captain Guy C. Ward, acting major, was killed, and brigade commander General Oglesby was severely wounded.
The 12th Illinois went on to participate in the Battle of Missionary Ridge, and on May 9th, embarked upon the Atlanta Campaign, where it was actively engaged nearly every day until the fall of Atlanta. November 11th began Sherman's "March to the Sea", and the regiment was put to work burning bridges and tearing up railroads. On April 10th, the regiment marched in pursuit of General Joseph E. Johnston's army, arriving in Morrisville on the 15th, where it remained until Johnston's surrender.
On July 10th, 1865, the 12th Illinois was mustered out at Louisville, Kentucky, and received final pay and discharge at Camp Butler, Illinois on July 18th. The regiment suffered 5 officers and 143 enlisted men killed in action or mortally wounded and 3 officers and 109 enlisted men who died of disease, for a total of 260 fatalities.
19th Illinois Infantry "Chicago Zouaves"
Weapons: Springfield Model 1855 Rifle Musket, Springfield Model 1861 Rifle Musket, Springfield Model 1863 Rifle Musket, Pattern 1853 Enfield Rifle Musket
Faction: Army of the Mississippi
Current Commander: Brigadier General Ivan Turchin
Recruitment Locations: St. Louis, Cairo, Chicago, Madison WI, Lexington MO, Carbondale, Vandalia, Union City, Springfield, Collinsville, New Madrid, Camp Randall, Prairie du Rocher, Champaign, De Pere, Marion, Mount Vernon, Effingham, Mattoon
On May 2nd, 1861, the Illinois State Legislature authorized the "acceptance for State service of ten regiments of infantry," one cavalry regiment and one light artillery battalion. The act provided that "one such regiments be raised out of volunteer companies then at Springfield, as the regiment from the state at large, and one regiment from each of the nine congressional districts." On May 4th, 1861, the regiment was first mustered into service at Camp Yates, and by June 3rd, it was ordered to Chicago where it became the core of the regiment. It was eventually mustered into United States service for three years and on June 17th, 1861, it became the 19th Illinois Volunteer Infantry Regiment.
Three companies, formerly with Colonel Elmer Ellsworth's Zouave Cadets, wore a zouave uniform consisting of a dark blue zouave jacket with red trimmings, red pants, leather gaiters, a sky blue shirt, red sash, and a red French styled kepi with a dark blue band. The jacket cuffs were trimmed in yellow-orange and red. Brass buttons went down both fronts of the jacket. The 19th Illinois has been revered as "a solid and expert Zouave regiment" which, until the battle of Chickamauga, was remembered for its charge at Stone's River. The regiment's first commander, Colonel John B. Turchin, was a former Colonel in the Russian Guards, and focused on the drill and discipline of the men. Aided by several officers and sergeants, who belonged before to the original company of Ellsworth Zouaves, Turchin utilized the first two weeks at Camp Long to the utmost, drilling his troops to the limit, to make the regiment as effective as possible for military service. He pursued his endeavors in that respect every time the regiment was not on the march, and was finally successful in making the 19th Illinois one of the finest drilled regiments in the Western armies.
On the 2nd of June, the regiment joined the expedition to Chattanooga under Brigadier General J. S. Negley, in order to cross the Cumberland Mountains by the shortest route, and cut off the Confederate's retreat. The regiment accomplished the march, came down the mountain opposite Chattanooga, driving in Confederate scouts and pickets and capturing some, while the main Union force was ten to fifteen miles from Chattanooga. The next day during the demonstration by Union forces and their cannonading, Companies A and G, deployed as skirmishers along the shore, supported by Companies E and D, and silenced the Confederate water battery on the opposite side of the river. The loss to the 19th Illinois was one mortally and two severely wounded.
During the march through Paint Rock Valley the advance guard of the 19th Illinois was fired upon by guerrillas from an ambush, in retaliation for which the regiment burned several houses in that neighborhood. Colonel Turchin was ordered under court martial by General Buell, on account of the disorder committed by his troops during their occupation of Athens, Alabama, but before the sentence of his dismissal from the army had been pronounced, he was commissioned by President Lincoln as Brigadier General, and left the army for Chicago to await orders. When the Confederate army under General Braxton Bragg moved from Chattanooga to invade Kentucky, and had struck at Buell's communication between Bowling Green and Franklin, the 19th Illinois was ordered to concentrate at Nashville with the rest of the brigade it was attached to. The 19th was one of the last regiments that were withdrawn from the front, during which it several times had to fight guerrillas and Confederate cavalry, and every time defeating them.
On the 26th of December, 1862, a general movement of the army took place towards Murfreesboro, occupied by the Confederate army under General Braxton Bragg. On the night of the 29th, the army approached the Confederate's position, Negley's Division being in the center of the line, and on the morning of the 30th, the 19th Illinois deployed as skirmishers, entered the cedars, and soon attacked the Confederates and drove them across Wilkinson Pike into the woods, except for a small group that occupied a brick kiln close to the pike, which Colonel Scott, along with the reserve of the regiment, attacked and drove back also. McCook's troops coming up, the 19th was withdrawn to its place in the line. On the morning of the 31st, the troops stood under arms, the division being ready to move, when disaster overtook McCook's Corps, who had been forming the right of the army, and thus Negley's right flank became exposed. The division partly changed front and checked the advance of the enemy, but was overpowered and fell back to the edge of the cedars. Here it tried to make a stand, but again was forced back. At this moment, the 19th Illinois showed its pluck and daring, performing an act of heroism which alone makes the name of the regiment shine in history.
When Sheridan's Division was displaced by the enemy and formed at an angle on the right of Negley, two brigades of Rosseau's Division were posted to the right and rear of Sheridan, and when Sheridan's Division fell back, broken and out of ammunition, the Confederates followed closely behind and got into the interval between Rosseau and Negley. Thomas ordered Rosseau to fall back out of the cedars and form a temporary line on the open ground in a depression, to provide an opportunity for Negley's Division to fall further back to the high ground and form a permanent line there. At this critical time, in order to check the Confederates, the 19th Illinois occupying the cedars not only remained there while a new line of Rosseau's troops were forming, but Colonel Scott boldly advanced and remained for over half an hour against the Confederates pressing him in the front and on the flanks. The regiment sustained a heavy loss in officers and men, being at one time entirely surrounded by the enemy, but fought its way out, passing over large numbers of Confederate dead in its heroic struggle to join the main line. The regiment helped Rosseau to form a new intermediate line, and then, with the whole of Negley's Division, fell back to the designated position on the high ground, where afterwards Rosseau's troops and reserves were formed, and where the Confederate army was finally stopped, turning the fortune of the battle in favor of the Union.
During the same battle, on January 2nd, 1863, anticipating an attack on the left, Negley's Division was moved back to the Stones river, and posted to the right and rear of Sam Beatty's troops that were beyond the river, while a battery of 58 guns was concentrated behind Negley, on the elevated ground. Confederate General John C. Breckenridge impetuously attacked the left, and routing Price's and Gryder's Brigades of the first line, drove them in a confused haste from the heights to the river and across it. When the Union guns opened fire, most of Miller's and Stanley's Brigades under Negley's Division, with the 19th Illinois leading, without orders, rushed to the river, and checked the Confederates. Then the 19th crossed the river, reformed on the opposite side, protected by the bank of the river, and charged on a Confederate battery. Eagerly followed by other troops, they drove the Confederates back to their original position, captured four guns and one of their flags, and defeated Braxton Bragg's plan to break the Union left. In this brilliant movement the 19th played a significant and honorable part, but again lost heavily in officers and men, losing also its commander, Colonel Scott, who was severely wounded, and later died from this wound on July 8th, 1863. After the fall of Scott, Lieutenant Colonel Alexander W. Raffen, a brave and efficient officer, assumed command of the 19th Illinois. During the three days of the Battle of Stones River, the regiment lost one officer and 13 enlisted men killed, and seven officers and 88 enlisted men wounded and missing.
During the first day of the battle of Chickamaugua, Negley's Division did not participate until late in the afternoon, when, moving from Widow Glen's house to the front, it met a portion of the Confederate force that broke between Davis and Van Cleve's Divisions, and drove them back, with the 19th participating in the fight. When Stanley's Brigade, which the 19th Illinois was a part of, reached the extreme left of General George H. Thomas' wing at about 10:00 A. M., it was just in time to meet the second Confederate assault in which they greatly overlapped the flank of Baird's Division. Stanley's Brigade checked the Confederate advance, and charging in turn, drove them in disorder through the woods for half a mile, capturing a considerable number of prisoners, among whom were Brigadier General Daniel W. Adams and his staff, who surrendered to Major J. V. Guthrie, of the 19th Illinois.
The Confederates being reinforced, the brigade fell back in order, taking all the prisoners and most of its wounded. The brigade was then ordered by General Thomas to support the Union forces on the famous "Horseshoe Ridge," on the extreme right of the army. Here, during a long hour between 2:00 and 3:00 P.M., all the assaults of the three divisions of Longstreet's Corps, supported by Preston's and Hindman's Divisions were repulsed in a slaughter by Union troops, including the 19th Illinois. However, when Hindman's Division was ready to take the Union position in a flanking attack, and the men were preparing to die, Steadman's Division arrived to support the Union line, and rolled back the Confederate wave. Here the 19th Illinois, like others, fought until night, and withdrew in the dark. The loss to the regiment in this battle was very great.
In the assault on Missionary Ridge in late November 1863, the 19th Illinois was on the right of the four Union divisions making the attack. When the signal was given and the troops cleared the open space and reached the Confederate rifle pits at the base of the ridge, the 19th Illinois did not halt at the pits, but leaped over them, and started to ascend the steep slope ahead of the other Union troops. The regiment went on to participate in the Atlanta campaign, under Major General William T. Sherman, and was engaged in the battle of Resaca. The regiment was mustered out of service at Chicago on July 9th, 1864, at the expiration of its enlistment. The 19th Illinois suffered 4 officers and 60 enlisted men who were killed in action or who died of their wounds, and 4 officers and 101 enlisted men who died of disease, for a total of 169 fatalities during their term of service in the war.
Indiana
10th Indiana Volunteer Infantry
Weapons: Springfield Model 1855 Rifle Musket, Springfield Model 1861 Rifle Musket, Springfield Model 1863 Rifle Musket
Faction: Army of the Mississippi
Current Commander: Major General Stephen A. Hurlbut
Recruitment Locations: Indianapolis, Fort Wayne, Evansville, Fort Duffield, Owensboro, Bloomington, New Harmony, Terre Haut, Hodgenville
The 10th Indiana Volunteer Infantry originally organized for three months service at Indianapolis, Indiana from April 22nd to the 25th, 1861 in response to President Lincoln's call for 75,000 volunteers. The regiment performed duty near Evansville, Indiana, until June 7th. It was then ordered to western Virginia June 7th and attached to Rosecrans' Brigade, McClellan's Army of West Virginia where it occupied Buckhannon on June 30th. The 10th Indiana Infantry participated in the Western Virginia Campaign from July 6th to the 17th, and fought at the Battle of Rich Mountain on July 11th, where they charged the Confederate's works, routing them and capturing their cannons. The men remained on duty at Beverly until July 24th and were mustered out of service on August 2nd, 1861. During the three month service, the regiment lost at total of 6 men, with 4 enlisted men killed or mortally wounded and 2 enlisted men who died of disease.
The 10th Indiana was reorganized at Indianapolis and mustered in for three years service on September 18th, 1861. It participated in the battle of Mill Springs, saving the day by its resistance to a desperate charge by Confederate forces under the command of Brigadier General Felix K. Zollicoffer, who was killed during the confused fighting in the driving rain, fog, and the smoke of battle over thickly wooded ground. The 10th Indiana joined Buell's army in its march to the Tennessee river, but reached Shiloh too late to take part in the battle. At the siege of Corinth, and until its evacuation, the regiment was present. It then joined in pursuit of Bragg through Kentucky, being engaged at the battle of Perryville. It was stationed in the country south of the Cumberland river and east of Nashville until the summer of 1863, and then accompanied the Army of the Cumberland to Chattanooga, participating in the battle of Chickamauga, where the regiment's commander, Colonel William B. Carroll was killed.
A portion of the regiment reenlisted as veterans, at Chattanooga on January 14th, 1864, and joined Sherman's forces in the advance on Atlanta, being engaged at Dallas, New Hope Church and Kennesaw Mountain. On September 8th, 1864, the veterans and recruits were transferred to the 58th Indiana Infantry Regiment and the others were mustered out on September 19th. The regiment lost a total of 186 men during service, with 3 officers and 64 enlisted men killed or mortally wounded, and 5 officers and 114 enlisted men who died of disease. 40 men deserted and 11 remain unaccounted for.
11th Indiana Infantry "Wallace's Zouaves"
Weapons: Springfield Model 1855 Rifle Musket, Springfield Model 1861 Rifle Musket, Springfield Model 1863 Rifle Musket
Faction: Army of the Mississippi
Current Commander: Major General Lewis Wallace
Recruitment Locations: Indianapolis, Fort Wayne, Evansville, Fort Duffield, Owensboro, Bloomington, New Harmony, Terre Haut, Hodgenville
The 11th Indiana was enlisted in Indianapolis, Indiana, to serve for 90 days, with Lew Wallace as its colonel and George McGinnis as lieutenant colonel. The regiment was sent to western Virginia and saw only minimal action during a raid on the town of Romney. It then returned to Indianapolis to be mustered out as its enlistment had expired, and was reorganized in Indianapolis for a 3 year term of enlistment, with Wallace and McGinnis returning as colonel and lieutenant colonel. The son of a former Indiana governor, Lew Wallace was a lawyer, a veteran of the Mexican war, and a statesman, and all of this long before he would be known as the author of Ben Hur. While living in Crawfordsville before the war, Wallace organized the Crawfordsville Guards Independent Militia, later called the Montgomery Guards, and during the winter of 1859–60, after reading about elite units of the French Army in Algeria, Wallace adopted the zouave uniform and their system of training for the group. The Montgomery Guards would later form the core of his first military command, the 11th Indiana Volunteer Infantry.
Wallace trained the 11th Indiana in zouave tactics and the regiment became known as Wallace's Zouaves. Their uniforms originally consisted of a grey jacket with red trimming, a grey kepi with red braiding, a dark blue zouave vest, and grey pantaloons, but later they received a new uniform consisting of a black zouave jacket with sky blue trimming, a red kepi with a dark blue band, and sky blue pantaloons. On May 8th, 1861, two stands of colors were given to the zouaves during a memorable ceremony. They were the gifts of the ladies of Indianapolis and Terre Haute. With much cheering and singing of patriotic songs, the banners were given to Colonel Wallace by a Mrs. Cady who had embroidered the eagle on the Regimental colors. After graciously accepting the flags and expressing his gratitude to the ladies, Colonel Wallace turned and dramatically presented the colors to this regiment. "Boys, then, will you ever desert the banners that have been presented to us today?" he asked. The splendidly clad zouaves responded with a deafening, "Never! Never!", and in one of the most dramatic scenes ever witnessed on the Statehouse Square, Colonel Wallace ordered his men to their knees to swear they would never desert the flag of their country or their regimental colors.
The regiment was sent to Paducah, Kentucky and from there joined Ulysses S. Grant's expedition against Fort Henry. Before they went into action, Wallace was promoted to brigadier general and McGinnis became the regiment's colonel. McGinnis led the regiment at Fort Henry and Fort Heiman. The assault began at 11:00 a.m. on February 6th, after traversing dense terrain and a hill top, the 11th Indiana moved into position against Fort Heiman. Despite the mud and the rain the regiment proceeded to its target, capturing Fort Heiman without resistance as the Confederates had evacuated. Environmental hazards from the river combined with weak Confederate fortifications left the engagements at Forts Heiman and Henry relatively light. Regardless, the regiment’s determination to advance in the face of adverse conditions shows how willing and able the zouaves were.
While little conflict occurred at the first two forts, the operation at Fort Donelson proved more difficult. Upon being reinforced by additional Confederate forces, the garrison kept a lively resistance to Grant’s army. Eventually, Lew Wallace’s brigade was ordered in position for operations against the fort, and requests from Wallace to Grant ended with the brigade gaining the 8th Missouri and 11th Indiana regiments from another unit. Wallace had effectively been handed his prized former unit back under his command. The reunification proved effective as the Union right flank against the besieged fort was assaulted by a Confederate breakout attempt on February 15th, with the zouave forces leading a counter attack later in the day. Ultimately, the operation was critical for keeping the Confederates inside the siege perimeter and at the mercy of Grant’s other forces. The 11th Indiana had taken part in a major battle and pushed the enemy back while securing the position for the Union. Wallace noted on the significance of the Fort Donelson experience stating:
"Thirteen thousand prisoners taken, possession of the Cumberland River acquired, making Nashville untenable by General Albert Sydney Johnston, and the military prestige of the South shattered beyond repair, were the results, material, and moral, of the fall of Fort Donelson."
In March 1862 the Union army was pressing Confederate forces from Tennessee and into Mississippi. With Pittsburg Landing as the main hub of Grant’s forces, the 11th Indiana was stationed at Crump’s Landing, a junction point 6 miles north. This position later proved dangerous as a Confederate counter offensive was directed at Pittsburg Landing in April, resulting in the Battle of Shiloh and leading the 11th into a bit of controversy. On April 6th, Confederate forces under General Albert Sidney Johnston launched attacks against the Union perimeter near Pittsburg Landing, and these attacks drove back startled Union troops while putting communications and direction into disorder. During the early stages of the offensive, Lew Wallace realized that fire coming from the Pittsburg Landing region was a sign of intense battle.
The regiment became lost trying to reach the fighting, and this diversion led to a seven hour delay in meeting up with Grant’s command, creating a controversy on the slow arrival of Wallace’s forces. In spite of the strange coincidences that led to the 11th being left out of the first day of fighting, the regiment quickly fought to preserve Indiana honor on the second. Facing off against Confederate forces on the right flank of the Union defensive line, the 11th was tasked with pushing Confederate forces back. By the end of April 7th, the 11th Indiana had achieved victory at the cost of losing 11 men killed and 52 wounded. The dedication of the 11th was noted by many including Lew Wallace, who stated in his report:
"Not one man, officer or soldier, flinched, and Ohio, Indiana, Missouri, and Nebraska will be proud of the steadfast Third Division, and so am I."
After Shiloh, McGinnis was promoted to brigadier general and Daniel Macauley became regimental colonel. Macauley led the regiment during the Vicksburg Campaign and the subsequent siege of Vicksburg. The necessity to capture Vicksburg constituted a major offensive by General Grant’s forces in mid-1863, with the 11th Indiana becoming involved in two crucial attacks against Port Gibson and Champion’s Hill. While the 11th Indiana had captured Confederate positions at Port Gibson, the confusion in the operations against Champion’s Hill left both armies in slight disarray. Heavy fighting ensued as a pivotal point in Grant’s offensive was held up against Confederate counter attacks.
The 11th experienced heavy fighting during this time in which Confederate forces were unable to continue their advance away from the Vicksburg fortifications. In all, the unit suffered around 150 casualties from the fighting. A gradual retreat led to the concentration of Union forces in the area, consolidating the beginning of the siege of Vicksburg. After reorganizing the front lines against the fortifications against Vicksburg, the strategic position favored Union forces as the Confederates no longer had an exit strategy. Despite the resistance, the Confederate position proved too difficult to continue holding, resulting in the surrender of Confederate forces by July 4th.
After the fall of Vicksburg, the 11th Indiana was transferred for duty in the Department of the Gulf, where around this time the regiment was recovering from an apparent smallpox outbreak that had infected the regiment’s camp in early 1864. In July, 1864 the regiment was ordered to Washington, and joined Philip Sheridan's Army of the Shenandoah. In his orders to Sheridan, Grant specified the importance of the region and how the operation was to be carried out stating:
"Give the enemy no rest. Do all the damage to railroads and crops you can. If the war is to last another year, we want the Shenandoah Valley to remain a barren waste."
This style of total war was different from other actions by the 11th. Instead of operating against enemy formations, they were now tasked with rooting out Confederate forces and removing their ability to make war as well. A strategically isolated portion of the Eastern Theatre, the valley was typically only 10 to 20 miles in width, surrounded on each side by rugged terrain, which provided the Confederacy with substantial cover from Union troops while also supplying vast resources in terms of food and transportation routes. To counter these obstacles, General Sheridan influenced his troops to follow a scorched earth approach to removing Confederate installations and resources from the valley. These actions led to the overwhelming destruction of Confederate infrastructure in the entire region.
Although a majority of the scorched earth tactics were employed by Sheridan’s cavalry, the 11th Indiana was involved in a series of decisive operations in late 1864 that helped to secure the valley against Confederate defenses. Against substantial losses, around 125 casualties over the course of the three major battles, the 11th Indiana had played a conspicuous role in supporting Sheridan’s operations. The results of the Shenandoah campaign were outstanding; the operations at Cedar Creek had effectively removed Confederate forces as a threat to Union expansion while putting the Confederate forces that remained in dire conditions.
The men of the 11th Indiana Volunteer Infantry were transferred to Baltimore, Maryland on January 7th, 1865 and remained on station there until being mustered out by the end of the war on July 26th. Major General Wallace had the honor and responsibility of presenting the battle flags of Indiana's regiments to the State of Indiana for safekeeping. His words on that occasion to Governor Morton were:
"...I have the honor to give you back their flags, with the request that measures be taken by the next General Assembly to preserve them immemorially. ...Put them away tenderly."
35th Indiana Infantry "First Irish"
Weapons: Pattern 1853 Enfield Rifle Musket
Faction: Army of the Mississippi
Current Commander: Major General Frank P. Blair Jr
Recruitment Locations: Indianapolis, Fort Wayne, Evansville, Fort Duffield, Owensboro, Bloomington, New Harmony, Terre Haut, Hodgenville
The 35th Indiana Infantry was organized on December 11th, 1861 at Indianapolis, and was known as the "First Irish" as it was an exclusively Irish unit. They were issued a green kepi to denote their heritage, as well as blue trouser with a green stripe down the outside seam.
The regiment participated in multiple major battles over the course of their service in the war, including the Battles of Perryville and Stones River, which were some of the deadliest of the entire war. The regiment also participated in the Tullahoma Campaign and the Chattanooga Campaign. At the Battle of Chickamauga, the 35th Indiana was heavily engaged and suffered over 200 casualties. The regiment went on to take part in the Atlanta campaign, and at Kennesaw mountain, the 35th was in the front line and received a fierce and unexpected attack. Rallying from a momentary confusion, they fought hand-to-hand with clubbed muskets and bayonets until finally, with the assistance of another regiment, the Confederates were driven back.
At the Battle of Marietta, although two other regiments were repulsed, the 35th Indiana captured the Confederate rifle pits along with 28 prisoners. The regiment continued to fight on at Jonesboro, and then entered Atlanta on September 9th. They later marched in pursuit of Hood's army into Tennessee, and after being reinforced by 400 drafted men and substitutes, the 35th was placed in the front line at Franklin and helped repulse the Confederate charge on the works. It took a conspicuous part at the battle of Nashville, and participated in the pursuit of the Confederate forces as far as Duck River.
After the war, the 35th Indiana Infantry returned home and received a warm welcome, being celebrated as heroes in their communities. The regiment was mustered out of service on August 12th, 1865. The regiment's total original strength was 871 men, and an extra 806 men were gained by recruits over the course of the war, as well as 192 from reenlistments. 244 had been killed or died of disease, 269 were lost to desertion, and 51 were missing and unaccounted for.
Maine
20th Maine Volunteer Infantry
Weapons: Pattern 1853 Enfield Rifle Musket
Faction: Army of the Potomac
Current Commander: Brigadier General Adelbert Ames
Recruitment Locations: Boston, Montpelier, New London, Portsmouth, Providence, Concord, Hartford, Portland, Burlington, Bennington
The 20th Maine Volunteer Infantry Regiment was most famous for its defense of Little Round Top at the Battle of Gettysburg. Prior to their notable actions in that battle in July 1863, the regiment was held in reserve at Antietam in September 1862, and was among those forced to remain overnight within sight of the Confederate lines at Fredericksburg in December 1862, forcing the regiment's Lieutenant Colonel Joshua Chamberlain to shield himself with a dead man. The unit was unable to participate in the Battle of Chancellorsville in April - May 1863, due to a quarantine prompted by a tainted smallpox vaccine that had been issued to the unit's soldiers.
The most notable battle was the regiment's decisive role on July 2nd, 1863, in the Battle of Gettysburg, where it was stationed on Little Round Top hill at the extreme left of the Union line. When the regiment came under heavy attack from the Confederate 15th and 47th Alabama regiments, the 20th Maine ran low on ammunition after one and a half hours of continuous fighting; it responded to the sight of rebel infantry forming again for yet another push up the slope at them by instead suddenly charging downhill with fixed bayonets, surprising and scattering the Confederates, thus ending the attack on the hill and the attempt to flank the hill position. The 20th Maine and the adjacent 83rd Pennsylvania together captured many men from both Alabama regiments (including Lt. Col. Michael Bulger, commander of the 47th), as well as several other men of the 4th Alabama and 4th and 5th Texas regiments of the same division.
Later actions in which the regiment participated included Second Rappahannock Station, Mine Run, The Wilderness, Spotsylvania Court House, the Siege of Petersburg, Peeble's Farm, Lewis' Farm/Quaker Road, White Oak Road, Five Forks, and Appomattox Court House. The 20th Maine marched from Appomattox, Virginia, on May 2nd, reaching the national capital at Washington D.C., on May 12th, where the remaining original members were mustered out of service on June 4th, 1865, with the remainder of the regiment leaving the Federal service on July 16th.
Massachusetts
20th Massachusetts Infantry "Harvard Regiment"
Weapons: Springfield Model 1861 Rifle Musket, Springfield Model 1863 Rifle Musket
Faction: Army of the Potomac
Current Commander: Major General Winfield S. Hancock
Recruitment Locations: Boston, Montpelier, New London, Portsmouth, Providence, Concord, Hartford, Portland, Burlington, Bennington, Stamford, Bridgeport
The 20th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry was organized August 29th to September 4th, 1861 at Camp Meigs in Readville, a neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts. The regiment was nicknamed the "Harvard Regiment" because 17 of its 36 officers were young Harvard graduates, and some, but not all, of the private soldiers had also attended Harvard. Among the regiment's Harvard graduates was Major Paul J. Revere, grandson of the famous patriot Paul Revere of the American Revolution, who was described as "brave, even among the bravest," and a man with "coolness, and sound sense, and a sentiment of honor that never failed."
The Harvard Regiment was not present for the Battle of First Bull Run, but instead saw their first foray into combat at the Battle of Balls Bluff on October 21st, 1861, which was inevitably a major Union defeat. The regiment reportedly suffered 281 casualties, and Revere survived but was taken prisoner, as was the regiment's commander, Colonel William R. Lee. The Harvard Regiment was left depleted and demoralized after this battle, enduring a tumultuous course with leadership changing hands many times, and infighting growing within the ranks. By the end of the Civil War, the Harvard Regiment participated in all of the major battles and many of the smaller battles fought by the Army of the Potomac, suffering through the carnage of Antietam where Edward Hutchinson Revere, another of Paul Revere's grandsons was killed, and assisting in the repulse of Pickett's Charge at Gettysburg. Paul J. Revere, who was by then a colonel in the 20th Massachusetts, was mortally wounded on the second day of the battle, and died two days later.
The regiment continued to fight on at the Wilderness, Spotsylvania Court House, the Siege of Petersburg, and ultimately helped ensure the final Union victory in the Appomattox Campaign. The Harvard Regiment returned to Boston in 1865, shortly after the Confederate surrender, having incurred more casualties than any other regiment from Massachusetts, and all but four regiments from across the Union. Today, the 20th Massachusetts is honored at Harvard University by Memorial Hall, constructed in 1877 as "a symbol of Boston's commitment to the Unionist cause and the abolitionist movement in America."
Michigan
4th Michigan Infantry "Dexter Union Guard"
Weapons: Springfield Model 1861 Rifle Musket, Springfield Model 1855 Rifle Musket, Springfield Model 1842 Smoothbore Musket
Faction: Army of the Mississippi
Current Commander: Major General Fitz John Porter
Recruitment Locations: Chicago, Detroit, Fort Wayne, Grand Rapids, Toledo, Fremont, Huntington, Champaign, Lansing, Kalamazoo
The 4th Michigan Infantry was organized at Adrian, Michigan and mustered into Federal service for a three-year enlistment on June 20th, 1861, with 1,025 men including officers. The 4th Michigan wore a very Americanized zouave uniform, consisting of a Federal dark blue sack coat, dark blue chasseur trousers, gaiters, and a maroon zouave fez with a light blue tassel. The 4th Michigan earned the nickname, "Dexter Union Guard", due to a significant number of it's recruits coming from Dexter, Michigan. The town's name became associated with the regiment, leading to the adoption of the nickname.
The regiment was sent to the seat of war near Washington to join up with the Army of the Potomac, where the men of the 4th saw extensive action during the Peninsula campaign in 1862, suffering 263 casualties. In the fall of 1862 the 4th was held in reserve during the battle of Antietam and was part of the V Corps that went in pursuit of the Army of Northern Virginia. Here they fought at Shepherdstown Ford, crossing it several times and successfully capturing four Confederate artillery pieces and driving the opposing Confederate infantry back. The 4th Michigan would once again see fighting at Fredericksburg and take another 14 casualties, however this was a small price compared to the Irish Brigade fighting on their right, who they witnessed suffer a two-thirds loss.
In May of 1863, the regiment was involved in the fighting at Chancellorsville, taking about 30 casualties, and not long after, they began moving north with the rest of the Army towards their fate at Gettysburg. On July 2nd, the 4th Michigan went into the Wheatfield at a time when the Union forces under Brigadier General Samuel K. Zook were overrun, leaving the 4th’s flank unprotected. The regiment became surrounded, and in the retreat, Colonel Harrison Jeffords rallied the men to save their flag, which was being captured. As Jeffords attempted to reclaim the flag, he was bayoneted by Confederate soldiers. The next day the colonel died of his wounds at the age of 26, being the only field officer stabbed with a bayonet on either side during the war. Sadly, his efforts were not successful, as the flag was lost in the close combat that took place in the Wheatfield, however, the attack was able to slow the Confederate advance across the area. The 4th Michigan suffered a terrible loss of 165 men killed, wounded, and missing during the horrific three-day battle.
In early 1864, 150 men from the regiment chose not to reenlist as they felt they had done their duty and it was someone else’s time to serve. However, almost an equal number of the regiment's veterans did reenlist, and by the end of April the army was getting ready to march towards one of its toughest campaigns yet under the direction of General Ulysses S. Grant. The Battle of the Wilderness was a costly one for the regiment. By it's end, they had fewer then 200 men still standing, but there was no time for rest as the battle at Spotsylvania Courthouse was just a few days later. By May 8th, the most senior officer still with the regiment was Captain David Marshall who took command of what was left of the unit. They received reinforcements on May 15th that brought them back up to about 200 men present for duty. The fighting carried on into June with Cold Harbor, and eventually the Confederate army was driven into the defenses around Petersburg. What was left of the 4th was not enough to be an effective unit any longer because of the casualties they sustained in May and June, so they were combined with the 1st Michigan Infantry, essentially bringing an end to the 4th Michigan as it had existed for the last three years.
Major Jarius Hall, now a Colonel, started to recruit for a reorganized 4th Michigan back home in the summer and fall of 1864, however, this new regiment would be sent west instead of east. During the rest of the year, the old 4th Michigan that had been combined with the 1st Michigan continued to stay outside Petersburg in trenches. They would see action again at Five Forks before being at Appomattox Courthouse for the surrender of Robert E. Lee in April 1865.
Minnesota
1st Minnesota Infantry "Lincoln Guards"
Weapons: (Buck & ball/rifle mix) Springfield Model 1842 Smoothbore Musket, Springfield Model 1861 Rifle Musket
Upgrades to: (Buck & ball/rifle mix) Springfield Model 1861 Rifle Musket, Springfield Model 1863 Rifle Musket, Springfield Model 1842 Smoothbore Musket
Faction: Army of the Potomac
Current Commander: Brigadier General Joseph K. Mansfield
Recruitment Locations: Washington, Madison WI, Lexington MO, Sharpsburg, Fort Snelling, Monocacy, Des Moines, Camp Randall, Harper's Ferry, Frederick, Jefferson City, Alexandria, De Pere, St. Paul
On April 14th, 1861, Minnesota's Governor Alexander Ramsey happened to be in Washington, D.C. when the first fighting of the Civil War broke out, and he went straight to the White House, offering 1,000 men to Abraham Lincoln immediately upon learning of the attack on Fort Sumter. Word of the Governor's offer spread and communities back in Minnesota quickly raised groups of volunteers in support of Ramsey. The abandoned Fort Snelling, at the confluence of the Mississippi and Minnesota rivers, was reactivated, and the men raised by the communities were sent there and mustered into the 1st Minnesota Infantry Regiment on April 29th. They were the first troops offered by any state to meet Abraham Lincoln's call for 75,000 volunteers to assist the Federal Government in dealing with the secession of the Southern states. On May 10th the volunteers were re-mustered "officially" for three years service, and from Fort Snelling they boarded river boats to go South to a rail line so they could head east.
On July 21st, 1861, near Manassas, Virginia, the regiment fought in the first major battle of the Civil War: the First Battle of Bull Run. While straddling Rickett's Battery in support, it saw heavy fighting on Henry House Hill in close proximity to the enemy. The 1st Minnesota was one of the last regiments to leave the battlefield and suffered among the highest casualties of any Union regiment, with 49 killed, 107 wounded and 34 missing. During the 1st Minnesota Infantry's initiation to combat, its honorable conduct was readily distinguishable from that of the other regiments in its brigade, as reported by Colonel William B. Franklin of the 12th U.S. Infantry, commanding First Brigade, Third Division:
"The First Minnesota Regiment moved from its position on the left of the field to the support of Ricketts' battery, and gallantly engaged the enemy at that point. It was so near the enemy's lines that friends and foes were for a time confounded. The regiment behaved exceedingly well, and finally retired from the field in good order. The other two regiments of the brigade retired in confusion, and no efforts of myself or staff were successful in rallying them. I respectfully refer you to Colonel Gorman's report for the account of his regiment's behavior and of the good conduct of his officers and men."
At the Battle of Antietam, the regiment suffered significant casualties during General John Sedgwick's ill-fated assault on the West Woods, as Union forces were routed on that part of the field. One officer from the 1st Minnesota was killed, and three wounded. 15 enlisted men were killed in action, 79 were wounded, and 24 missing, for at total of 28% of the 435 men engaged. The brigade commander noted, "The First Minnesota Regiment fired with so much coolness and accuracy that they brought down [three times one] of the enemy's flags, and finally cut the flag staff in two."
July 2nd, 1863 is the day the 1st Minnesota is most remembered for. During the second day's fighting at Gettysburg, Major General Winfield S. Hancock, commander of II Corps, could see two brigades of Confederates commanded by Brigadier General Cadmus M. Wilcox breaching the line in front of one of his batteries. He quickly rode up to the troops guarding the battery and asked Colonel William Colvill, "What unit is this?" Colonel Colvill responded, "the 1st Minnesota. General Hancock responded, "Attack that line". With their bayonets leveled, the Minnesotans broke the first lines of the Confederates, and the intensity of their charge impeded their advance for some time. With the regiment nearly encircled, support arrived in time for the men of the 1st Minnesota to fight their way back to security.
Their selfless charge bought the Union the time needed for reinforcements to be brought up. During the charge, 215 of the 262 men who made the charge became casualties within five minutes. That included the regiment's commander, Colonel William Colvill, and all but three of his captains. The 1st Minnesota's flag lost five men carrying it, and every time it fell, another man dropped his weapon to carry it on. The 47 survivors rallied back to General Hancock under the command of their senior surviving officer, Captain Nathan S. Messick. The 82% casualty rate stands as the largest loss ever sustained by any surviving U.S. military unit in a single day's engagement in history. The actions of the 1st Minnesota saved the position and probably also the battle.
Carrying on from the heavy losses of the previous day, the remaining men of the 1st Minnesota were reinforced by detached Companies F and L. The reunited regiment was moved a bit north of the previous days fight to one of the few places where Union lines were breached during Pickett's Charge. They again had to charge into advancing Confederate troops with more losses. Captain Messick was killed and Captain W. B. Farrell mortally wounded, leaving Captain Henry C. Coates to take command. During this charge, Private Marshall Sherman of Company C captured the colors of the 28th Virginia Infantry and received the Medal of Honor for this exploit. The Confederate flag was taken back to Minnesota as a war trophy, where the State retains possession of it to this day, with the Minnesota Historical Society ensuring its proper preservation. Corporal Henry D. O'Brien was also awarded the Medal of Honor for his heroism. After being knocked out by a bullet to the head and later shot in the hand, Corporal O'Brien repeatedly picked up the fallen colors of the 1st Minnesota and carried a wounded comrade back to the Union lines.
The 1st Minnesota continued to serve in the Army of the Potomac, participating later in 1863 in the Bristoe and Mine Run Campaigns. It was mustered out of service upon completion of its enlistment on April 29th, 1864, at Fort Snelling. Enough of the regiment's veterans reenlisted to form the nucleus of the 1st Minnesota Volunteer Infantry Battalion, which returned to Virginia and served through the end of the war. Other veterans provided officers for the 1st Minnesota Heavy Artillery Regiment. Today, the 2nd Battalion, 135th Infantry Regiment, 34th Infantry Division (Minnesota Army National Guard) can trace its roots back to the historic 1st Minnesota Volunteers.
Missouri
8th Missouri Infantry "American Zouaves"
Weapons: Springfield Model 1855 Rifle Musket, Springfield Model 1861 Rifle Musket, Springfield Model 1863 Rifle Musket
Faction: Army of the Mississippi
Current Commander: Major General James B. McPherson
Recruitment Locations: St. Louis, Cairo, Lexington MO, Evansville, Carbondale, Vandalia, Owensboro, Union City, Des Moines, Springfield, Collinsville, New Madrid, New Harmony, Prairie du Rocher, Jefferson City, Marion, Mount Vernon, Effingham, Mattoon
The 8th Missouri Infantry Regiment was formed in St. Louis, Missouri, in the early summer of 1861. The regiment was a special project supported by General Nathaniel Lyon. Most of the volunteers in Missouri's early regiments were German immigrants, and Lyon supported the creation of a regiment of "native-born Americans" to demonstrate that the Union cause in Missouri had support beyond the German-American community. Ironically, the 8th Missouri ended up with a high percentage of immigrants, with many of its members being Irish-Americans who had worked on the Mississippi River docks prior to the war, giving the regiment a distinct Celtic personality. In addition to its St. Louis recruits, several of the regiment's companies were actually raised in Illinois and Minnesota, whose volunteers joined the 8th Missouri because their home state's quota for enlistments was full. The 8th Missouri wore a distinctive uniform patterned after those of the French-North African Zouave units. While most of the Zouave uniform elements were abandoned as the war progressed, the 8th Missouri apparently continued to wear their short, brightly decorated Zouave jackets throughout the war. Private William H. Bates of Company H stated that he wore his Zouave jacket though the end of his enlistment in 1864, and provided a description of the regiment's Zouave uniform in a letter to his daughter:
"The zouave jacket was dark blue with trimming of red braid (blue braid could not be secured early in 1861); the shirt of coarse gray wool; the pants light blue wool (the regiment voted unanimously against the red, baggy zouave pants), and the cap of dark blue."
The regiment's first commander was Colonel Morgan Lewis Smith, a New Yorker who had moved west to Missouri after serving as an enlisted man in the Regular Army. Under his firm hand, the 8th Missouri would become one of the finest units to serve in the Army of the Tennessee. Morgan L. Smith's brother, Giles Alexander Smith, also served in the regiment. Morgan L. Smith was later promoted to Brigadier General and Giles A. Smith to Major General. The 8th Missouri saw extensive service during the first three years of the war in the Trans-Mississippi Theater and Western Theater, and built for itself an enviable reputation on the battlefield.
In February 1862, the regiment fought its first major battle at Fort Donelson, and later that spring, it was heavily engaged in the second day's fighting at the Battle of Shiloh. After a two month long campaign, it was the first regiment to enter the strategic rail center of Corinth, Mississippi, following the Confederate evacuation in May 1862, and in late December, it took part in the Battle of Chickasaw Bayou. In January 1863, it stormed the breastworks of Fort Hindman to capture Arkansas Post. The 8th Missouri saw considerable service in the Battle of Vicksburg, where 11 men of the regiment won the Medal of Honor in a single day during the assault on Stockade Redan on May 22nd, 1863. General Ulysses S. Grant's son, Frederick Dent Grant, also wrote about slipping into the Battle of Vicksburg at the age of 13 with the 8th Missouri. During the battle, Frederick rode off onto the battlefield and was shot in the leg by a Confederate sniper. Normally his wound would have called for amputation; however, possibly due to his military aspirations or his father’s rank, this did not occur. Despite a painful infection, doctors were able to save his leg. However, in his weakened state, Frederick fell victim to typhoid fever, which was common in Union camps during the war, but was able to make a full recovery.
The regiment marched on to participate in the Battle of Jackson, the Battle of Chattanooga, and the opening phases of the Atlanta Campaign. On June 25th, 1864, the three-year enlistments of most of the regiment's members expired and they returned to their homes. Those who remained on active duty were consolidated into a battalion of two companies, and as such participated in the rest of the Atlanta Campaign and Sherman's March to the Sea. In February 1865, the remaining veterans of the 8th Missouri were attached as an extra company to the 6th Missouri Infantry, and in this capacity, they took part in the Carolinas Campaign. The regiment participated in the Grand Review of the Armies in Washington D.C., before being mustered out of service in June 1865.
New Jersey
33rd New Jersey Volunteer Infantry
Weapons: Springfield Model 1863 Rifle Musket
Faction: Army of the Mississippi
Current Commander: Major General Henry W. Slocum
Recruitment Locations: Monticello, Trenton, Newark, Princeton, Millville
The 33rd New Jersey Infantry Regiment was organized at Newark, New Jersey for three years service under an authorization issued to Colonel George W. Mindil, formerly of the 27th New Jersey, being the first veteran regiment raised in conformity to the conditions of the new system, permitting the recruiting of "veteran volunteers." Fully three-fourths of the men of the regiment were represented by the counties of Essex, Morris, Passaic and Hudson. Liberal bounties being offered at this time, the work of recruiting made rapid progress, and the regiment mustered into the service of the United States on September 3rd, 1863, only 55 days after the rendezvous at Newark was opened. The command was in all respects a superior one, seven-eighths of the officers and three-fourths of the men having already seen service in the field. Lieutenant Colonel Fourat had participated in all the battles of the 1st New Jersey Brigade; the adjutant had served acceptably with the 27th; while the entire field and staff, and most of the officers of the line, had previously held commands equal in importance and responsibility to those they now filled. The regiment was uniformed in the zouave dress and armed with the best Springfield rifles.
On September 8th, under orders from the war department, the 33rd broke camp and the next morning embarked on transports lying in the Passaic for Washington, crossing on the 13th into Virginia and two days afterward marching for Warrenton, taking with them a train of 30 wagons loaded with supplies and ammunition. Being transferred to the Army of the Cumberland it fought its first battle at Chattanooga, Tennessee in November, 1863, at which time the aggregate loss of the regiment, considering the work accomplished, was not large, amounting to one officer killed and two wounded, and one enlisted man killed and 12 wounded. The regiment also took a prominent part in the following two days' heavy fighting at the Battle of Chattanooga, where the men of the regiment who had little experience acquitted themselves with the bravery and tenacity of their older, veteran comrades.
Entering upon Sherman's Atlanta campaign, the 33rd New Jersey performed valiant service at Mill Creek Gap, losing two officers and four enlisted men killed, and two officers and 23 enlisted men wounded, with several of the wounded subsequently dying. At Resaca the loss to the regiment was three men killed, one officer and 24 enlisted men wounded. In the eight days' fighting at New Hope Church the 33rd lost one officer and five enlisted men killed and 27 wounded, and it lost in the battle of Pine Knob one officer and 13 men killed, and one officer and 43 men wounded, the total casualties of the regiment during the campaign thus far being 8 officers and 139 enlisted men. After this engagement the 33rd participated in the skirmishes of Nancy's Creek and Muddy Creek, and in protecting the flank of the assaulting columns of the IV Corps at Kennesaw Mountain. At the battle of Peachtree Creek the loss to the regiment was over 70 in killed and wounded, Lieutenants Downes, Aspen and Warren being taken prisoners by the Confederates, and Aspen being badly wounded. Heavy works were now constructed and the 33rd New Jersey was under constant fire for over a month, performing the heavy duty of the trenches and the dangerous one of picket. The regiment left Chattanooga with over 500 men, and entered Atlanta with a few over 100, having lost 300 in killed or wounded. The small remnant marched to the sea with Sherman, participating in the siege of Savannah, and then after a month's rest continued the march up through the Carolinas.
At Averasboro, North Carolina, a few divisions of the Confederate army engaged the 1st and 3rd Divisions of the XX Corps, but after a brilliant fight were compelled to retire, when the army was advanced cautiously on near and parallel roads and the trains heavily guarded. The regiment participated in the battle of Bentonville and Johnston's surrender followed in due time, after which the homeward march commenced by way of Weldon, Five Forks, Richmond and Fredericksburg, the regiment reaching Washington in time to participate in the Grand Review of the Armies of the Republic. The 33rd New Jersey was retained in service until August 2nd, staying near Alexandria, and was then mustered out and proceeded to Newark. The total strength of the regiment was 2,184, and it lost a total of 163 men during service; 6 officers and 72 enlisted men were killed or mortally wounded, and 85 enlisted men died of disease. 582 men were lost to desertion, 2 were dismissed , 59 were discharged, 12 resigned, 223 transferred out of the regiment, 41 were promoted and served with other units, and 79 remain unaccounted for.
