5th Michigan Infantry Regiment

Last updated
5th Michigan Infantry Regiment
Gettysburg PA 5th Michigan Infantry.jpg
5th Michigan Infantry monument at Gettysburg National Military Park
ActiveAugust 28, 1861, to June 5, 1865
Country United States
Allegiance Union
Branch Infantry
Engagements Peninsular Campaign
Second Battle of Bull Run
Battle of Chantilly
Battle of Antietam
Battle of Fredericksburg
Battle of Chancellorsville
Battle of Gettysburg
Battle of the Wilderness
Battle of Spotsylvania Court House
Battle of Cold Harbor
Siege of Petersburg
Appomattox Campaign

The 5th Michigan Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment from Michigan that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. The regiment was mustered into federal service in August 1861 and served in the Eastern Theater. It fought in all the major battles of the Army of the Potomac, including Seven Pines, the Seven Days Battles, Second Bull Run, Chantilly, Antietam, Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, the Wilderness, Spotsylvania, Cold Harbor, Petersburg, and Appomattox. The regiment was mustered out in June 1865.

Contents

Service

The 5th Michigan Infantry was organized at Detroit, Michigan and mustered into Federal service for a three-year enlistment on August 28, 1861.

In October 1862 the Army of the Potomac was reorganized. The 5th Michigan, along with the 17th Maine Volunteer Infantry Regiment, was placed in the 3rd Brigade, 1st Division, 3rd Corps. "Our regiment is assigned to the 3rd Brigade, 1st Division, III Corps (Union Army). This Brigade is commanded by General Berry of Maine (Hiram Gregory Berry), who is at this time sick at home. The division is commanded by General Birney of Pennsylvania (David B. Birney), the corps by Major General George Stoneman (George Stoneman). Colonel Poe of Michigan is in temporary command of our brigade." [1]

The regiment was mustered out on July 5, 1865, at Jeffersonville, Indiana.

Total Strength and Casualties

The regiment mustered a total of 1586 men during its existence. [2] It suffered 454 fatalities: 16 officers and 247 enlisted men were killed in action or mortally wounded, and 3 officers and 188 enlisted men died of disease. [3]

"When compared to other Michigan regiments that fought in the Civil War, the Fifth Michigan stands out. It had the second highest number of casualties of all Michigan infantry regiments in the war. Of all Union infantry regiments in the war, the Fifth Michigan ranked fifth in total number of casualties endured. A logical explanation for so many combat deaths and wounds is the fact that the Fighting Fifth played a key role in numerous charges against Confederate positions: twice at Williamsburg (Battle of Williamsburg), and at Fair Oaks (Battle of Seven Pines) the Wilderness (Battle of the Wilderness), Spotsylvania, North Anna, and Petersburg." [4]

Commanders

Timeline

The Regiment was commanded at Gettysburg by Lieutenant Colonel John Pulford, who was wounded on July 2 - the third of five times during the war.

From the Gettysburg monument: "Effective strength July 2nd 1863; present and detached service 21 officers and 262 men, total 283. Casualties: Killed 2 officers, 17 men; Wounded 8 officers 78 men; Missing 4 men; Total 109."

"The regiment fought here about 4:30 o'clock p.m., July 2, 1863, after it had been assembled from the skirmish line far in advance of this position. It moved to the support of the 2nd Corps in resisting Pickett's Charge, July 3."

See also

Notes

  1. Haley, Private John W., The Rebel Yell & the Yankee Hurrah: The Civil War Journal of a Maine Volunteer, Down East Books (Camden, Maine), 1985, page 38.
  2. http://www.michiganinthewar.org/infantry/5thinf.htm Archived 2007-08-21 at the Wayback Machine Michigan in the Civil War Website
  3. http://www.civilwararchive.com/Unreghst/unmiinf1.htm The Civil War Archive website after Dyer, Frederick Henry. A Compendium of the War of the Rebellion. 3 vols. New York: Thomas Yoseloff, 1959.
  4. Sebrell, Thomas E. II, The 'Fighting Fifth': The Fifth Michigan Infantry Regiment in the Civil War's Peninsula Campaign, The Michigan Historical Review, Volume 35 No. 2, Fall 2009, page 51."
  5. Michigan in the War, Michigan Adjutant General, W.S. George & Company, State Printers, 1882 - Michigan
  6. Michigan in the War, Michigan Adjutant General, W.S. George & Company, State Printers, 1882 - Michigan
  7. Michigan in the War, Michigan Adjutant General, W.S. George & Company, State Printers, 1882 - Michigan
  8. BATTLES AND LEADERS OF THE CIVIL WAR, VOL 2, 1887 The Century Company, New York, NY
  9. Michigan in the War, Michigan Adjutant General, W.S. George & Company, State Printers, 1882 - Michigan
  10. Michigan in the War, Michigan Adjutant General, W.S. George & Company, State Printers, 1882 - Michigan
  11. Michigan in the War, Michigan Adjutant General, W.S. George & Company, State Printers, 1882 - Michigan
  12. Michigan in the War, Michigan Adjutant General, W.S. George & Company, State Printers, 1882 - Michigan
  13. Michigan in the War, Michigan Adjutant General, W.S. George & Company, State Printers, 1882 - Michigan
  14. Michigan in the War, Michigan Adjutant General, W.S. George & Company, State Printers, 1882 - Michigan
  15. Michigan in the War, Michigan Adjutant General, W.S. George & Company, State Printers, 1882 - Michigan
  16. Michigan in the War, Michigan Adjutant General, W.S. George & Company, State Printers, 1882 - Michigan
  17. "OR XLII P1 #85: Report of Major Daniel S. Root, 5th MI, August 15-17, 1864". 5 December 2010.
  18. Michigan in the War, Michigan Adjutant General, W.S. George & Company, State Printers, 1882 - Michigan
  19. The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, Volume XLVI, Part 2 (Serial Number 96)
  20. Official Communications Between The War Department and Lieut. Colonel John Pulford U.S. Army, John Pulford, United States Adjutant General’s Office
  21. "5th Michigan".
  22. Official Communications Between The War Department and Lieut. Colonel John Pulford U.S. Army, John Pulford, United States Adjutant General’s Office

Related Research Articles

The 14th Indiana Infantry Regiment, later referred to as the Gallant Fourteenth, was an infantry regiment and part of the Union Army's celebrated "Gibraltar Brigade" of the Army of the Potomac during the American Civil War. Organized in May 1861 at Camp Vigo, near Terre Haute, Indiana, it was the state's first regiment organized for three years of service. The 14th Indiana served in major campaigns and battles in the Eastern Theater, mostly in West Virginia, Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Maryland. During its three years of service, the regiment had a total of 222 casualties.

The 6th New Jersey Infantry Regiment was regiment of infantry from New Jersey that served in the Army of the Potomac during the American Civil War.

The 5th Wisconsin Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">7th Michigan Infantry Regiment</span> Military unit

The 7th Michigan Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War.

The 23rd Illinois Volunteer Infantry Regiment, known as the "First Irish" or "Irish 'Brigade'", was an infantry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1st New York Infantry Regiment</span> Military unit

The 1st New York Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">39th New York Infantry Regiment</span> Military unit

The 39th New York Infantry Regiment, known as the "Garibaldi Guard" after the Italian revolutionary, Giuseppe Garibaldi, was an infantry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">5th New York Veteran Infantry Regiment</span> Military unit

The 5th New York Veteran Infantry Regiment was an Infantry Regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. The regiment was known as "Duryée‘s Zouaves." The regiment had two uniforms during its time. The first uniform consisted of a medium blue zouave jacket with red trimming, a grey shirt, a red sash with sky blue trimming, red chasseur trousers with yellow piping, a red fez with a yellow tassel, and a white turban. The second and official uniform consisted of a dark blue zouave jacket with red trimmings in the Hawkin Zouave design, a dark blue zouave vest with red trimming, baggy red trousers, a red sash with sky blue trimming,a red fez with a yellow tassel, and a white turban.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">9th New York Infantry Regiment</span> Military unit

The 9th New York Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. It was also known as the "Hawkins' Zouaves" or the "New York Zouaves."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">140th New York Infantry Regiment</span> Military unit

The 140th New York Infantry Regiment was a volunteer infantry regiment that was created on September 13, 1862, for the Union Army during the American Civil War. From January 1864 they wore a Zouave uniform.

The 10th Regiment Indiana Infantry was an infantry regiment in the Union Army during the American Civil War.

The 10th Missouri Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War.


The 13th Indiana Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment in the Union Army during the American Civil War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">13th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment</span> Infantry regiment in the Union Army during the American Civil War

The 13th Regiment Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry was an infantry regiment in the Union Army during the American Civil War. It was formed on July 16, 1861, at Fort Independence in Boston, Massachusetts. Its original commander was Colonel Samuel H. Leonard.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">67th New York Infantry Regiment</span> American infantry regiment

The 67th New York Infantry Regiment was a regiment of the Union Army, which was raised in the city of Brooklyn in 1861 at the beginning of the American Civil War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">6th New York Heavy Artillery Regiment</span> Military unit

The 6th Regiment New York Heavy Artillery, U.S. Volunteers, the "Anthony Wayne Guard", was an artillery regiment of the Union Army during the American Civil War. It was originally mustered in as the 135th New York Volunteer Infantry Regiment, and served as both artillery and infantry.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">66th New York Infantry Regiment</span> Military unit

The 66th New York Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment in the Union Army during the American Civil War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">93rd New York Infantry Regiment</span> Military unit

The 93rd New York Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment in the Union Army during the American Civil War.

The 5th Pennsylvania Reserve Regiment, also known as the 34th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, was an infantry regiment that served in the Union Army as part of the Pennsylvania Reserves infantry division during the American Civil War.

The 3rd Regiment Maryland Volunteer Infantry was an infantry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. It was noted for its holding the high ground at the center of the line at Antietam as part of Stainrook's 2nd Brigade, Greene's 2nd Division of Mansfield's XII Corps.

References