Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Badger State Soldiers in Louisiana

Some of the twenty-three fighting regiments were in the trans-Mississippi for only a short time such as the 16th Wisconsin Infantry that served for a few months in Louisiana in 1863. Below is William Fox’s sketch of the unit from his Regimental Losses In The American Civil War, 1861-1865 (1898). At the end of Fox's history, I have included some links to additional materials about the fighting 16th.

“Force's Brigade — Leggett's Division--Seventeenth Corps.

1) Col. Benjamin Allen.

2) Col. Cassius Fairchild; Bvt. Brig.-Gen.

companies.

killed and died of wounds.

died of disease, accidents, in Prison, &c.

Total Enrollment.

Officers.

Men.

Total.

Officers.

Men.

Total.

Field and Staff




1

1

2

15

Company

A

2

16

18

1

25

26

208


B


14

14


19

19

175


C

1

12

13

1

26

27

220


D

1

7

8


14

14

149


E


23

23


39

39

241


F

1

13

14

1

21

22

166


G


13

13


22

22

217


H


15

15


26

26

178


I

1

14

15


28

28

203


K


14

14


27

27

172

Totals

6

141

147

4

248

252

1,944

Total of killed and wounded, 466; captured and missing 45.

battles.

K. & M. W.

battles.

K. & M. W.

Shiloh, Tenn.

79

Kenesaw Mountain, Ga.

3

Corinth, Miss.

14

Battle of Atlanta, Ga.

43

Goodrich, La. (Foraging)

1

Lovejoy's Station, Ga.

2

Guerrillas, Miss.

1

Siege of Atlanta, Ga.

3

Jackson, Tenn.

1



Present, also, at Siege of Corinth; Lumpkin's Mills, Miss; March to the Sea; The Carolinas; Brush Mountain, Ga.; Nickajack Creek, Ga.; Jonesboro, Ga.; Siege of Savannah; Pocotaligo, S. C.; Salkahatchie, S. C.; Orangeburg, S. C.; Columbia, S. C.; Bentonville, N. C.

notes.--Organized at Madison, Wis., and mustered into the United States service on January 31, 1862. After a few weeks of drill and discipline it left the State March 13, proceeding to St. Louis, and thence to Pittsburg Landing, Tenn., where General Grant''s Army was then encamped. It was assigned to Peabody's (1st) Brigade, Prentiss's (6th) Division, Army of the Tennessee, and was engaged soon after its arrival in the great battle of Shiloh. On the morning of that battle, April 6th, the pickets of the Sixteenth Wisconsin received the first fire of the enemy; the regiment was hotly engaged soon after, its losses at Shiloh amounting to 40 killed, 188 wounded, and 26 missing; total, 254. At the battle of Corinth, the Sixth Division was commended by General McKean for its efficiency; the regiment took an active and meritorious part in the fighting, losing there 7 killed, 28 wounded, and 10 missing. In November, 1862, the regiment was consolidated into a battalion of five companies,--A, C, E, G and I. The year 1863 was spent in Louisiana and Mississippi, encamped at various points, on duty with the Seventeenth Corps. During the spring and summer of 1863 the regiment was stationed near Lake Providence, La., proceeding in August to Vicksburg, in which vicinity it was encamped until the spring of 1864. In March, 1864, four new companies joined the regiment; the old battalion reenlisted, and in November, 1864, another new company joined, making ten companies again. On June 8, 1864, the regiment joined Sherman's Army at Ackworth, Ga., the army being then engaged on the Atlanta campaign. The Sixteenth was then in the First Brigade (Force's), Third Division (Leggett's,) Seventeenth Corps. It was prominently engaged at Atlanta, July 22, losing 25 killed 83 wounded, and 11 missing. The regiment marched with Sherman to the Sea and through the Carolinas" (Fox, p. 398).

Wisconsin Veterans Museum: link to photographs of battle flags of the 16th Wisconsin

Battle of Shiloh blog: 16th Wisconsin casualty list from the battle of Shiloh

Wisconsin Valley Library Service: history of the 16th Wisconsin with a focus on soldiers from Clark County

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