Regiments of the American Civil War

                   Morale could not have been any higher among the boys of the 1 st Michigan Infantry then it was as the final year of the war kicked off. The feeling was one of great responsibility, eagerness, and mindfulness that the war was nearing a close. In late December of 1864, the men learned of Sherman capturing Savannah, Georgia, and of General George Thomas defeating John Bell Hood at Nashville, whom they were well familiar. Then-Major Lockley also commented in his diary that the Confederate supply situation around Richmond was weak and reduced to one route, the Danville Road.             The first major engagement of the new year came in early February when Grant decided to extend his flank left. He sent Warren off towards Dinwiddie Court House, via Ream’s Station, which is about 7 miles southwest of Petersburg. On the 5 th of February t...

       1864 dawned cold and rainy for the 1 st Michigan Infantry, who were in winter quarters at Beverly Ford on the Rappahannock River, just northeast of Brandy Station, Virginia. The three-year veterans’ enlistments were up in 1864, and for any man that would re-enlist in a veteran unit, they would be granted a 30-day furlough. For that furlough to be granted, the regiment had to meet a certain number of re-enlistees. 212 men re-enlisted and were able to visit their homes for 30 days. They returned to camp at Beverly Ford in early April, where they were to prepare for the nearing campaign season. A shift in Army command moved General Ulysses S. Grant was placed in overall command of all Union Armies. General Meade commanded the Army of the Potomac, General Gouverneur K. Warren replaced Sykes as commander of V Corps, and divisions were combined, further restructuring the army. Charles Griffin commanded the 1 st Division, and Joseph Bartlett commanded the 3 rd Bri...

       At the Battle of Chancellorsville, the 1 st Michigan was placed on the River Road along with the rest of Griffin’s Division. According to Colonel Lockley, leading up to the battle the men were feeling quite excited. Many of the men had been on furlough and had returned home for a few days to Michigan, including Colonels Lockley, Abbott, and Whilttsey. During much of the battle the 1 st Michigan served as pickets and skirmishers for the V Corps, who was commanded by General George Meade. This means that they were detached and sent out in a loose formation in front of the main ranks of the army for the purpose of finding the enemy and judging their positions. In the case of Chancellorsville, the 1 st was sent in front of the defensive lines of breastworks built by the men during the night of May 2 nd . On the 3 rd , the men of the 1 st were deployed in the woods below Ely Ford Road and the Chancellor House. Throughout the morning they were engaged with BG He...

       Hi everyone, just I just wanted to post an update. The first post in the Regimental series should be up by Sunday, September 6th.      I will be covering the 1st Michigan Infantry, both briefly the 3 months regiment and more in depth with the 3 year regiment. It will be followed by the 1st Virginia Infantry.     Classes have started for me and I am working to better my employment situation, which means that this has been just a small portion of a busy fall schedule. The research that is going into this project is extensive, perhaps more extensive than it should be, but I do believe it's important to get the facts straight and to understand the topic that I'm writing about as fully as possible. As such, I will plan on a schedule of posting every Sunday for the foreseeable future.     I appreciate immensely everyone who reads this and plans on reading this series in the future. I have no idea where this will go; it really is a ...