5th Michigan Infantry Regiment
| 5th Regiment Michigan Volunteer Infantry | |
|---|---|
 Michigan state flag | |
| Active | August 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 Regiment Michigan Volunteer Infantry was an infantry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War.
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 of 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 16 officers and 247 enlisted men who were killed in action or motally wounded and 3 officer and 188 enlisted men who died of disease, for a total of 454 fatalities.[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, and at Fair Oaks, the Wilderness, Spotsylvania, North Anna, and Petersburg."
Commanders
See also
Notes
- ^ 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.
- ^ http://www.michiganinthewar.org/infantry/5thinf.htm Michigan in the Civil War Website
- ^ 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.
- ^ Michigan in the Civil War Website
References
- The Civil War Archive
- Haley, Private John W., The Rebel Yell & the Yankee Hurrah: The Civil War Journal of a Maine Volunteer, Down East Books (Camden, Maine), 1985. This is a journal about the 17th Maine Volunteer Infantry Regiment. The 5th Michigan was in the same brigade and references are made regarding the whereabouts of the 5th.
- Crotty, Color Sergeant Daniel G., Four Years Campaigning in the Army of the Potomac, Dygert Bros. & Co. Printers and Binder (Grand Rapids, MI), 1874. Reprinted with new material in 1995 by Belle Grove Publishing Co. (Kearney, NJ). This is a journal of the 3rd Michigan Volunteer Infantry Regiment. The 5th Michigan was in the same brigade and references are made regarding the whereabouts of the 5th.
- De Trobriand, Regis, Brevet Major-General, U.S. Volunteers, Four Years with the Army of the Potomac, Ticknor and Company (Boston, MA), 1889. Translated from French by George K. Dauchy. Régis de Trobriand was the commanding officer of the Army of the Potomac, III Corps (Union Army), 1st Division, 3rd Brigade, of which the 5th Michigan was a part of during much of the American Civil War.
- Sneden, Private Robert Knox, Eye of the Storm: A Civil War Odyssey, The Free Press (New York), 2000. Private Sneden was a memeber of the 40th New York Volunteer Infantry Regiment. The 40th New York and 5th Michigan were members of the same brigade (Army of the Potomac, III Corps (Union Army), 1st Division, 3rd Brigade) and several mentions of the Michigan boys are included in the book.
- 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, pages 27 - 51."
  | This article about a specific military unit of the American Civil War is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |