Persimmon regiment was a term used during the American Civil War to describe a regiment that, in its history, stopped marching for a brief while to consume persimmons, a type of fruit popular in the Southern United States. Three different regiments in the Union army acquired the nickname. [1]
The 73rd Illinois Volunteer Infantry Regiment gained the nickname in 1862. While marching from Crab Orchard, Kentucky, as the regiment progressed to Nashville, Tennessee, many of the troops would make the first act after making camp for the night to search for a persimmon grove and raid it, even before making coffee or setting tents. This practice also occurred around the Battle of Mill Springs. Colonel Bernard Laiboldt, after seeing this practice occur far too often for his taste, said that with the 73rd Illinois taste for persimmons and the 2nd Missouri's love of rails that he could capture the Confederate capital of Richmond, Virginia solely with those two regiments, if a pile of persimmon trees and rails were to be found on Richmond's public square. [2]
The 35th Ohio Infantry gained the nickname due to fifteen of their number being captured by the Confederate States Army in December 1861 in a skirmish where, instead of fighting the Confederacy, the Ohioans instead chose to find persimmons. [1]
The 100th Indiana Regiment gained the nickname while participating in General Ulysses S. Grant's Vicksburg campaign. On the first day of marching from Memphis, Tennessee to Vicksburg, Mississippi, the regiment disregarded their role as rear guards and, upon finding an orchard of ripe persimmons, took a long time harvesting the fruit, and were arrested as stragglers. [3] After the incident, Confederate forces successfully stopped Grant's forces from having their food resupplied, which caused the 100th Indiana to often have persimmons as their only food. At first the nickname was used "derisively", but after the 100th Indiana Regiment showed much battle courage, the nickname became a source of pride long after the war. [4]
The Hundred Days Men was the nickname applied to a series of regiments of United States Volunteers raised in 1864 for 100-day service in the Union Army during the height of the American Civil War. These short-term, lightly trained troops freed veteran units from routine duty to allow them to go to the front lines for combat purposes.
The Battle of Raymond was fought on May 12, 1863, near Raymond, Mississippi, during the Vicksburg campaign of the American Civil War. Initial Union attempts to capture the strategically important Mississippi River city of Vicksburg failed. Beginning in late April 1863, Union Major General Ulysses S. Grant led another try. After crossing the river into Mississippi and winning the Battle of Port Gibson, Grant began moving east, intending to turn back west and attack Vicksburg. A portion of Grant's army consisting of Major General James B. McPherson's 10,000 to 12,000-man XVII Corps moved northeast towards Raymond. The Confederate commander of Vicksburg, Lieutenant General John C. Pemberton, ordered Brigadier General John Gregg and his 3,000 to 4,000-strong brigade from Jackson to Raymond.
The 17th Wisconsin Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. It was popularly known as the Irish Brigade, due to its composition of mostly Irish American immigrants.
The 95th Regiment Illinois Volunteer Infantry was an infantry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War.
The 33rd Illinois Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment from Illinois that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. A number of the soldiers were college students and graduates, and for a time the regiment included a 17-piece band. The unit fought at Fredericktown in 1861, Cotton Plant in 1862, the Vicksburg campaign and Fort Esperanza in 1863, and at Spanish Fort in 1865. The original enlistees were mustered out in October 1864 while the veterans and recruits were mustered out in December 1865.
The 23rd Indiana Volunteer Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War.
William Plummer Benton was an American lawyer and soldier who served in both the Mexican–American War and the American Civil War, where he would rise to the rank of brigadier general and, in 1866, after his service had ended, would be awarded the brevet grade of major general.
The 100th Regiment, Indiana Volunteer Infantry, was an infantry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. It was one of three Union regiments referred to as the Persimmon regiment. Organized at Fort Wayne, Indiana, and mustered in September 10, 1862, the 100th participated in major campaigns and in 25 battles. The regiment was in the Grand Review of the Armies in Washington, D.C., on May 23–24, 1865, and mustered out on June 8, 1865. It lost during its service 58 officers and enlisted men killed in action or mortally wounded, and 176 by disease for a total of 234 fatalities.
The 74th Indiana Infantry Regiment, officially known as the 74th Regiment, Indiana Volunteer Infantry, was an infantry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War.
The 4th Kentucky Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment that served in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. It was part of the First Kentucky Brigade.
George Boardman Boomer was a Union Army general who served as a brigade commander between February 12, 1863, and May 22, 1863, during the American Civil War. His principal service was during the heavy engagement of his brigade on May 16, 1863, at the Battle of Champion Hill during the Vicksburg campaign and in the second assault on Vicksburg on May 22, 1863. Colonel Boomer was killed near the Railroad Redoubt on the second day of major assaults on the City of Vicksburg on May 22, 1863. He was commissioned Brigadier General around the time of his death.
The 12th Indiana Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment in the Union Army during the American Civil War.
The 46th Regiment Indiana Infantry was a regiment of the Union Army during the American Civil War.
The 113th Regiment Illinois Volunteer Infantry was an infantry regiment in the Union Army during the American Civil War.
The 83rd Indiana Infantry Regiment, sometimes called 83rd Indiana Volunteer Infantry Regiment, was an infantry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War.
The 9th Arkansas Infantry Regiment was a regiment of the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. It served in the Western Theater, seeing action in the Vicksburg, Tennessee and Georgia campaigns. Due to attrition; the 9th Arkansas was consolidated several times with other Arkansas regiments, finally merging in 1865 into the 1st Arkansas Consolidated Mounted Rifles.
Lyman Munson Ward was an American farmer, Republican politician, and Union Army colonel in the American Civil War. He served four years in the Michigan House of Representatives, and received an honorary brevet to brigadier general after his service in the war.
The 11th Regiment Illinois Volunteer Infantry was an infantry regiment from Illinois that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. In April 1861, it was formed as a three-month volunteer unit, and in July 1861 it was reorganized as a three-year unit, in which role it served until the end of the war. Two of its commanding officers were promoted to brigadier general and led major units during the war. In its first major action at Fort Donelson the regiment suffered terrible losses. The 11th Illinois also fought at Shiloh, Riggins Hill, Vicksburg, First Yazoo City, Second Yazoo City, and Fort Blakely. In April 1863, the 109th Illinois Infantry Regiment was disbanded and its enlisted men transferred into the 11th Illinois. The regiment was mustered out of service in July 1865.
The 9th Texas Infantry Regiment was a unit of Confederate States Army infantry volunteers organized in December 1861 that fought during the American Civil War. The regiment fought at Shiloh, Perryville, and Stones River in 1862, Chickamauga in 1863, the Atlanta Campaign, Allatoona, and Nashville in 1864, and Spanish Fort and Fort Blakeley in 1865. The remaining 87 officers and men surrendered to Federal forces in May 1865. Two of the regiment's commanding officers were promoted brigadier general.
The 3rd United States Colored Cavalry was a regiment in the United States Army organized as one of the units of the United States Colored Troops during the American Civil War. The regiment was originally formed in October 1863 at Vicksburg, Mississippi as the 1st Mississippi Cavalry Regiment. The unit soon began taking part in expeditions near Vicksburg. In February–March 1864, the regiment saw action at Yazoo City. After being renamed the 3rd U.S. Colored Cavalry in March 1864, the regiment continued to participate in raids, including the Yazoo City expedition in May. In December 1864, the unit took part in a successful raid led by Benjamin Grierson during which the Battle of Egypt Station and other actions were fought. The regiment operated near Memphis, Tennessee, until April 1865, after which it returned to Vicksburg for occupation duties. The soldiers were mustered out of federal service in January 1866.