The Civil War: Lisbon Township- Regimental Service Accounts
The Wisconsin regimentalhistories listed below are for those men from Sussex/Lisbon who fought inthem. Also be aware that many Wisconsinvolunteers and draftees may have been in other state (not Wisconsin) regiments to begin with orassigned to other regiments due to later reorganization during the war.
The Volunteers and Draftees of Lisbon Township – The Wisconsin Regiments thatmen from Sussex/Lisbon fought in are listed along with biographicalinformation for some of the individual soldiers (click on soldier’s namehyperlink). Note: Some of the men listed below have not been identified as beingfrom the Sussex/Lisbon area, and there are others not yet identified as being amember of a particular regiment and company. Also be aware that many Wisconsinvolunteers and draftees may have been in other state regiments to begin with orassigned to other regiments due to later reorganization during the war.
Throughout the War, death fromdisease, often took a greater toll in the Wisconsin Regiments than diddeath caused by wounds received in battle. Many soldier died of an unspecifieddisease.
Wisconsin 5th RegimentVolunteer Infantry
Thisregiment was organized at Camp Randall, Madison and was mustered into the UnitedStates service on July 13, 1861. It left the state on July 26th for Washington.
The command advanced opposite the enemy’sfortifications, on the Warwick River near Lee’s Mills, which was the center ofthe enemy’s line of works. An attack was made on a strong fort of the rebels onthe 16th, in which the regiment took no part, but afterwards took a position inthe rear of a battery which had been posted opposite the fort. On the 24th,Private Charles L. Fourt, of Company K, was wounded while on picket. On the30th, Commissary Sergeant Burton Millard was mortally wounded and died that sameday.
On May 3rd, the rebels evacuated theirworks around Yorktown and retreated towards Williamsburg. With the rest of theArmy, the regiment marched in pursuit of the enemy. The roads were almostimpassable, from the swampy character of the ground. At night, they bivouackednear Whittaker’s plantation, three miles from Williamsburg. At 8 AM the nextday, General Hooker commenced the Battle of Williamsburg, on the left. At 10 AM,the brigade was sent to the right to make an attack on the enemy’s left. Withthe regiment in the advance, the brigade reached Queen’s Creek and found anearthwork on the opposite side. The regiment was ordered to cross and occupy thework, which was done. A second earthwork about 800 yards from the first was alsofound to be abandoned. These works proved to be within range of three similarworks, which were filled with the enemy’s infantry and sharpshooters. TheConfederates opened a galling fire on the skirmishers thrown out by ColonelCobb, which consisted of Companies A, E, and G, under the command of CaptainBugh. Pursuant to orders, Colonel Cobb advanced four hundred yards from the mainline and sent forward Companies D and K as support for his skirmish line, underLieutenant Colonel Emery. A Federal battery took position near some farmbuildings and opened on the Confederate works. Colonel Cobb, with the rest ofthe regiment, acted as support. They were covered by a slight elevation and hismen lied down to avoid the enemy’s shots. At about 4:30 PM, the enemy openedfire on his skirmish line and soon advanced, the skirmishers slowly retiring.The battery immediately limbered up and passed to the rear. The skirmisherschecked the cavalry advance and Colonel Cobb formed a line of battle with hisfive companies and opened fire on the advancing infantry. Colonel Cobb receivedorders of “fall back fighting,” so he gradually withdrew from theshelter of the buildings and became fully exposed to the enemy’s fire. Theskirmishers rejoined the regiment and they fell back slowly and deliberately,fighting all the while, with as much coolness as if on ordinary duty. Havingjoined the main line of the brigade, General Hancock gave the order to fire andcharge, which was followed by such a volley and rush that the enemy were checkedand fled from the field in the wildest confusion, leaving one of their battleflags. For the coolness and bravery displayed, Colonel Cobb and the regimentwere complimented by their superior officers. On the 7th, General McClellanaddressed the regiment as follows:
“My lads, I have come to thank you forthe bravery and discipline which you displayed the other day. On that day, youwon laurels of which you may be proud – not only you, but the army, the Stateand the country to which you belong. Though you we won the day, and’Williamsburg’ shall be inscribed upon your banner. I cannot thank you too much,and I am sure the reputation your gallantry has already achieved, will always bemaintained.”
Captain Bugh, of Company G, was dangerouslywounded in the thigh, and lay on the field till the enemy was driven back. Hiswound disabled him from further military service. The rebel force engaged wasEwell’s crack brigade, of which the 5th North Carolina Volunteer Infantry wasnearly annihilated.
The rebels evacuated Williamsburg on thenight of May 5th. General Smith’s division marched to Cumberland Landing on the9th, and was assigned to General Franklin’s VI Corps. They then marched to theChickahominy and encamped on May 24th, near Gaines’ Mill. Here the regiment wasengaged in building roads, bridges, etc. until the end of June. On the 26th,Porter was driven back by the enemy. The next evening, the pickets of the 5thWisconsin were driven in. Hancock’s brigade held a strong position, veryannoying to the enemy. This was an attempt to drive him from it. The brigadesoon formed a line of battle, just below the crest of a hill, on which they laydown. When the enemy appeared on the hill, they poured in a staggering fire atthe same time that the artillery opened. the fight lasted about an hour, whenthe rebels were routed. This is known as the Battle of Golden’s Farm. HereCaptain William Evans, of Company K, was mortally wounded.
The next day, McClellan began his famous”change of base,” in which General Smith’s division formed the rearguard of the grand army. They came under fire at Savage Station and theregiment, with Hancock’s Brigade, was among the last to cross the White OakSwamp bridge, where five of Company F were taken prisoner. The brigade was alsounder fire at the battle of Malvern Hill, but suffered no loss. They then wentinto camp near Harrison’s Landing, where they remained until the finalevacuation of the Peninsula on August 16th. The regiment arrived at Alexandriaon the 29th, and the Corps marched toward Manassas, but did not reach GeneralPope in time to afford any assistance. They then returned to Alexandria, wherethey remained until September 6th. Major Larrabee resigned on July 25th, andCaptain Behrens was appointed Major.
In the movement to check the progress ofGeneral Lee in Maryland, the regiment was in the reserve when Slocum’s divisiondrove the enemy from Crampton’s Gap on the 14th. They were present at the Battleof Antietam, Franklin’s Corps reinforcing Generals Hooker and Sumner. GeneralSmith’s Division being in support of artillery, the regiment lay on the groundnearly all day, under the terrible fire of the enemy, with little loss. ColonelCobb was in command of the brigade. After a fruitless attempt to interceptStewart’s cavalry on his celebrated raid around McClellan’s army, they rejoinedthe army at Falmouth. The participated in the Battle of Fredericksburg onDecember 12-15, 1862, though not much exposed. Here Corporal H. Pigg, of CompanyB, and Corporals Amos W. Miller and John Duncam, of Company H were wounded.Private William Lyon, of Company D, was killed. The regiment went into winterquarters at White Oak Church, near Belle Plain. Colonel Cobb being elected toCongress, resigned his position and Lieutenant Colonel Thomas S. Allen of the2nd Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry was appointed Colonel of the 5th Wisconsin. Onthe death of Lieutenant Colonel Emery in October, Captain Theodore B. Catlin, ofCompany D, was appointed Lieutenant Colonel. Major Behrens resigned on December26th, and Captain H. M. Wheeler was appointed Major. Colonel Allen reported forduty on January 26, 1863.
The “Light Division” wasorganized from the VI Corps in February by General Pratt. The regiment wasincluded in this division, which was intended to march and be ready to undertakereconnaissance’s and movements which required great activity, unencumbered bythe usual impediments. This “Light Division” remained in camp at BellePlain until April 28th, when it moved to the Rappahannock River, crossed onpontoons, and took position before the enemy below Fredericksburg. On May 2nd,First Lieutenant John McMurtry, of Company H, was mortally wounded by rebelsharpshooters, while skirmishing. Moving up to the city, the VI Corps tookposition in front of the enemy’s fortifications on the heights.
On May 3rd, the Light Division was orderedto storm the enemy’s position on Marye’s Heights, where General Burnside lost5,000 men in a similar attempt in December. That attempt gave the place the nameof “the Slaughter Pen.” The Light Division, commanded by ColonelBurnham, of the 6th Maine Volunteer Infantry, moved to obey orders. The rightwing of the 5th Wisconsin, Companies A, B, F, H, and I were to lead the stormingparty under Colonel Allen. The 6th Maine Volunteer Infantry and the 31st NewYork Volunteer Infantry were placed in the rear of the right wing of the 5thWisconsin and the left wing of the 5th Wisconsin was placed in the rear of the31st New York. The plan of the charge and arrangement of the troops was made byColonel Allen. The enemy’s works consisted of a battery in front on the heightsabove, with a battery on the left and two other batteries on the right, whichcould pour a terrible cross fire into the attacking force. In front of the rightwing was a gentle slope, on ascending which, the force became fully exposed tothe fire of the enemy. At about 450 yards in front of their starting point was astone wall or fence forming one side of a cross road, behind which the enemy hadplaced a regiment or two of sharpshooters. Beyond the wall, the hill rose verysteep, on top of which was the battery and rifle-pits which the Light Divisionwas ordered to take. Two regiments were to advance up a road to the right, inorder to draw the fire of the enemy while the charge was being made.
Forming in line, as arranged, the rightwing of the regiment lay for three hours, protected by the slope of the ground,before orders were received to charge. The men were rather serious, for theyfelt it to be an almost hopeless task, where so many had failed before. ColonelAllen, to change the current of feeling, addressed his men, saying, “Boys!You see those heights? You have to take them! You think you cannot do it, butyou can! You will do it! When the order ‘Forward” is given, you will startat the double quick – you will not fire a gun – you will not stop until you areordered to halt! You will never get that order!” At last came the command”Forward,” and every man advanced with undaunted bravery up thatsheltering slope and into the deadly fire which met them about 100 yards fromthe stone wall or fence. Then it came with terrible fury and effect frommusketry behind the wall and rifle-pits above, in front, from the batteries onall the crests of the hills, and from the rifles in houses and rifle-pits on theright flank. Shot, shell and canister tore through the ranks of the gallantstorming party, but without stopping to return a shot, the band of heroes rushedon. They surmounted the stone wall, where they bayoneted some of the foe andscattered the others like chaff. They clambered up the steep pitch and into theenemy’s works at the top. They were soon in possession of the famous WashingtonArtillery of New Orleans, whose commander surrendered his sword to ColonelAllen, while complimenting him for his daring and the bravery of his men. Thecolumn which was to charge the batteries on the right failed to reach them andthe Light Division proceeded to secure them. They captured nine cannons, severalhundred prisoners and many small arms. The battery on the left was taken by aVermont brigade.
Without rest, refreshments, or going backto care for the killed and wounded, the Light Division was ordered to march withthe VI Corps at once to Chancellorsville. During the evening, the enemy retookpossession of the Heights so dearly won, and followed up the VI Corps which, atSalem Church, had Lee’s army in their front and Jackson and Longstreet on theirflank and rear. The enemy’s fire slackened against Hooker, during the 3rd and4th, his attention being devoted to Sedgwick’s VI Corps, who were fighting threetimes their number. No relief came, and nothing was left but to cross the river.In order to do this, the 5th Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry and the 61stPennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, under Colonel Allen, moved to the right andwent to the assistance of Brooks’ and Howe’s divisions, who were fighting toopen a way to Banks’ Ford. They succeeded, the regiment losing several men in afew minutes. Arriving at the Ford, the regiment was detailed as a rear guard andthe VI Corps crossed in safety on the 5th. The Light Division returned to theirold camp and was soon after broken up, the 5th Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry andthe 6th Maine Volunteer Infantry being assigned to the Third Brigade underBrigadier General David A. Russell, of the First Division, VI Army Corps.
It having been ascertained that General Leewas moving towards Pennsylvania, the VI Corps was again put in motion, andmarched rapidly through Virginia, reaching Gettysburg on July 2nd, havingmarched all the previous night. Here they were placed as a reserve in the rearof the left of General Meade’s line of battle, where they remained withoutbecoming actually engaged, although exposed to the artillery fire on the 3rd.The regiment sustained not loss. The corps went in pursuit of the enemy andskirmished with his rear guard, but he escaped. The regiment proceeded with thearmy to Warrenton.
A few days later the regiment was orderedto New York City to aid the United States Provost Marshal in executing thedraft. They were quartered at Governor’s Island and performed duty in the cityfor four days. They were then stationed in detached companies at Albany andother places up the river. On October 17th, the regiment was reunited atGovernor’s Island. They left New York and arrived at Fairfax Station on the20th, where they rejoined their brigade.
On November 7th, they took a prominent partin the charge on the enemy’s works at Rappahannock Station. When General Leereturned from the pursuit of Meade in October, he left a strong outpost atRappahannock Station and Kelly’s Ford. On the morning of the 7th, the VI Corpsmarched to Rappahannock Station, and one examination of the enemy’s works,General Russell remarked that he “had two regiments in his brigade thatcould take those works!” He received permission to make the attempt. Atonce ordering up the 5th Wisconsin and the 6th Maine, he deployed the whole ofthe latter regiment as skirmishers at short intervals and ordered the 5thWisconsin to support the line closely and take the works in front. They advancedat the double quick, with orders to rely entirely on the bayonet until the workswere reached. With a yell they rushed forward over smooth rolling ground andthen across a low flat in front of the works, covered with stumps and crossed bydeep ravines and ditches filled with water. Onward they went, while the rebelshell, canister and musketry cut through their ranks. When the 5th Wisconsinarrived at the works it was about dark and very difficult to distinguish betweenfriend and foe. The right of the line was driven back, but soon regained thelost ground. Getting possession of the center redoubt, the regiments turnedtheir fire towards the flanks, which cleared the way for the whole line to takepossession. The first man in the redoubt was Sergeant Goodwin, of Company A, whowith assistance turned a gun upon the enemy and when he was about to fire wasshot through the heart. Just as the men were going over into the center redoubtand taking possession, Colonel Allen was struck by a bullet which shattered hisleft hand so badly as to render him unfit for duty. The enemy attempted toescape by a pontoon bridge, but they were met by such a concentrated fire thatthey gladly surrendered. Eight regiments were captured, with their colors andarms, and seven pieces of artillery. The day was won, but at a severe loss tothe regiment.
On the death of Major Wheeler, CaptainEnoch Totten, of Company F, was appointed Major.
The enemy was pursued as far as BrandyStation, where the regiment went into camp until November 24th, when they tookpart in the fruitless expedition to Mine Run, being in the engagement at LocustGrove, where they had two men wounded. they then returned to winter quarters atBrandy Station and engaged in camp and drill duty. They also participated in afew reconnaissance’s and short expeditions, but mostly they waited for theopening of the 1864 campaign season.
During the winter, 204 veterans reenlisted.this was not a sufficient number to make the 5th Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry aveteran regiment. The reenlisted veterans came home on furlough and returned intime for the spring campaign.
On May 4th, the regiment left camp, underthe command of Lieutenant Colonel Catlin, to take part in the Wildernesscampaign. Colonel Allen was on detached duty at Washington at this time. Theregiment crossed the Rapidan at Germania Ford and marched 18 miles to thebivouac site. The correspondence in regard to the operations of the regiment inthe Battles of the Wilderness is very meager, and we avail ourselves to thereport of the Adjutant General as affording the best information of itsmovements. The regiment followed the movements of the VI Corps. On the morningof the 5th, the regiment formed into a line of battle, with the rest of thedivision. The right wing was deployed as skirmishers, under Major Totten, to theright of the line, and the engagement soon became general. A heavy force of theenemy forced back a portion of the line on the left of the regiment. In doingso, the rebel flank was exposed. This was taken advantage of by Companies D andG, who attacked and captured the entire 25th Virginia Volunteer Infantryregiment, with its colors. The right was heavily engaged in skirmishing all day,while the left wing fought in the brigade line, the whole regiment losingheavily. The fight was continued the next day, with a loss of 38 causalities. Atone time during the night, the enemy turned the right flank of the VI Corps andwas forcing back a portion of the Third Brigade, when the 5th Wisconsin, nowunder Major Totten, came to the rescue. In a gallant manner, they checked therebels and held a position until the division came up. On the 7th, a new line ofbattle was formed to the left, about four miles from Chancellorsville, andawaited an enemy attack that never came. On the 8th, the regiment advanced to SpotsylvaniaCourt House and fought in rifle pits all afternoon. This continued until thenext day. On the 10th, the regiment was engaged on the skirmish line and in therifle pits, but were unsupported by the rear line. They were compelled to fallback under a flank fire, and the regiment suffered heavy causalities. On the11th, the regiment was under the command of Captain Kempf, of Company C, becauseLieutenant Colonel Catlin was disabled and off duty, and Major Totten waswounded.
Accompanying the movements of the VI Corps,the regiment took an active part in the operations of the campaign. Afterleaving the vicinity of Spottsylvania, they engaged in destroying the VirginiaCentral Railroad, with occasional skirmishing as they advanced, and arrived atCold Harbor about June 1st. They were somewhat exhausted from the hardships ofthe campaign and suffered for clothing and other supplies. This did not deterthem from joining in a charge on the enemy works at Cold Harbor, and capturingthe entrenchment’s with a number of prisoners. They remained at this place,constantly exposed to the enemy’s fire, until June 12th, when the Corps marchedto their position in the trenches of Petersburg. They participated in the chargeof the 22nd, where they captured a portion of the enemy’s works. On the 29th,they moved to Reams’ Station, on the Welden Railroad, ten miles south ofPetersburg. Here they were in fatigue and picket duty until July 11th.
The regiment accompanied the movement ofthe VI Corps to Washington, to assist in the defense of that city. They arrivedon the 12th, the same that that the three years term of the non-veteransexpired. Even though their enlistment’s were up, they still volunteered for thedefense of the Capitol. Once the danger passed, they left Washington on the 16thfor Wisconsin. They arrived at Madison on the 22nd. They received a heartywelcome from the State authorities and were finally mustered out on August 3rd.Thus ended the service of the original regiment.
The reenlisted veterans and recruits wereorganized into an “Independent Battalion” of three companies, underthe command of Captain Charles W. Kempf, of Company A. Company B was commandedby Captain Jacob H. Cook and Company C was commanded by Captain M. L.Butterfield. On July 13th they moved with the VI Corps to the Shenandoah Valley.The battalion participated in the engagement at Snicker’s Gap on the 18th andreturned to Washington on the 26th. The battalion then proceeded to Harper’sFerry and rejoined the VI Corps. One man was wounded when the battalionparticipated in the action at Charleston. They remained in Charleston andperformed picket and guard duty until September 19th, when they moved forward.They took part in the battle of Cedar Creek, losing four killed and 11 wounded.Afterwards, their brigade moved to Winchester and performed garrison duty.
Wisconsin 5th Regiment, Volunteer Infantry (Reorganized)
On the muster out of service of the “Old Fifth,”Governor Lewis authorized its reorganization, and recommissioned Colonel Allento lead it. Under his supervision, seven companies were rapidly recruited,organized, and mustered into the United States service. They left the state onOctober 2, 1864 to join the rest of the regiment at Winchester.
The seven companies arrived atWashington, received arms, and were sent to Alexandria, where they remained,doing provost guard duty. On October 20th, they proceeded by way of Martinsburgand Winchester to Cedar Creek, where they joined the battalion and the forcesunder General Sheridan. The regiment remained at that place until December 1stand Colonel Allen was placed in command of the brigade. With the VI Corps, theyrejoined the forces of General Grant in the trenches of Petersburg on December4th. They remained there until February 5, 1865, when they took part in theextension of the lines at Dabney’s Mills, on Hatcher’s Run. The regimentsuffered little loss in that engagement, because they were held in reserve.Charles Berringer of Company C and Riley C. Tryon of Company G were wounded
On March 25th, the regimentparticipated in the general skirmish along the whole line and succeeded indriving in the rebel outpost then in front. Here Sergeant William Hall ofCompany C and Private Edward Martin of Company G were killed. Also, PrivatesJohn Morrison and H. S. Otis of Company D, Corporal James D. Splain of CompanyG, and Charles O. Foot of Company K were wounded.
In the charge on the enemy’sworks at Petersburg on April 2nd, the 5th Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry and the37th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry, both lead by Colonel Allen, were in theextreme front. They were supported by two lines in the rear. At 4 AM, the signalfor the charge was given and the colors of the 5th Wisconsin Volunteer Infantrywere the first planted on the enemy’s works. The 5th Wisconsin VolunteerInfantry was the first regiment to enter the captured works of Petersburg.Colonel Allen led a portion of the regiment two miles through the abandonedlines of the enemy to the South Side Railroad. By 8 AM, the troops werereassembled and marched six miles to the left inside the late rebel works. Theycaptured many prisoners. The regiment returned to the right, where they wereengaged in skirmishing until night.
The loss of the regiment was aboutone-tenth of that suffered by the whole corps, consisting of 50 regiments.
On the afternoon of April 3rd, the regimentjoined in the pursuit of Lee, marching with great rapidity by day and night. TheVI Corps encountered General Ewell’s forces at Little Sailors’ Creek on the 7th.The lines were hurriedly formed and they pushed forward at a double quick. Theregiment marched with an unbroken line through a swamp waist deep and under thefire of the enemy’s musketry. They moved to the brow of a hill, where the enemywas discovered but a few paces distant, admirably posted, and fighting with theenergy of despair. The regiment was in an extremely hazardous position, beingsubjected to a severe flank and cross fire. Colonel Allen rode in advance of theline as calmly as through danger was unknown. Companies C and G were deployed asskirmishers. Lieutenant General Ewell and staff surrendered to six men of theskirmishers, under command of Sergeant Cameron, of Company A, who was promotedto Second Lieutenant on the field for his gallantry. The action of the regimentelicited high encomiums from the corps, division, and brigade commanders.
The pursuit was continued until April 9th,when General Lee surrendered. On the 10th, the regiment commenced its return,and reached Burke’s Station on the evening of the 13th. Here they encamped untilthe 23rd, and marched to Danville, arriving there on the 27th. They leftDanville on May 3rd, and arrived at Wilson’s Station by rain on the 4th. On May18th, they marched for Richmond. They arrived on the 20th and left four dayslater for Washington, where they arrived on June 2nd, after a long and tediousmarch. The regiment left Washington on June 16th, and arrived at Madison fourdays later. The regiment was soon mustered out, thus closing the record of the”Fighting Fifth.”
Colonel Allen was brevetted BrigadierGeneral for gallant and meritorious services during the war.
Regimental Statistics – Original strength, 1,058. Gain – byrecruits in 1863, 210, in 1864, 684, in 1865, 25; by substitutes, 50; by draftin 1865, 25; by veteran reenlistments, 204; total, 2,256. Loss – by death, 285;missing, 4; deserted, 105; transferred, 33; discharged, 405; mustered out,1,424.
All the information on this page was taken from TheMilitary History of Wisconsin: A Record of the Civil and Military Patriotism ofthe State in the War for the Union, by E. B. Quiner, Esq.
Books about Wisconsin in the Civil War
An Irishman in the Iron Brigade : The Civil War Memoirs of James P. Sullivan, Sergt., Company K, 6th Wisconsin Volunteers (Irish in the Civil War, No) by James P. Sullivan, et al (Hardcover – September 1993)
The Sigel Regiment : A History of the Twenty-Sixth Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry, 1862-1865 by James S. Pula (Hardcover – August 1998) A Woman’s Civil War : A Diary, With Reminiscences of the War, from March 1862 (Wisconsin Studies in American Autobiography) by Cornelia Peake McDonald, Minrose C. Gwin (Editor) (Paperback – June 1992) A Wisconsin Boy in Dixie : Civil War Letters of James K. Newton by Stephen E. Ambrose (Editor), James K. Newton (Paperback) With the 3rd Wisconsin Badgers : The Living Experience of the Civil War Through the Journals of Van R. Willard
by Van R. Willard, Steven S. Raab (Editor) (Hardcover – July 1999) Fire Within : A Civil War Narrative from Wisconsin
by Kerry A. Trask (Paperback – March 1998) A Full Blown Yankee of the Iron Brigade : Service With the Sixth Wisconsin Volunteers
by Rufus R. Dawes, Alan T. Nolan (Introduction) (Paperback – March 1999) History of Wisconsin : The Civil War Era, 1848-1873 by Richard N. Current, Alice E. Smith (Hardcover – May 1997) Heg by Steve Fortney (Paperback – August 1998) Wisconsin in the Civil War : The Home Front and the Battle Front, 1861-1865
by Frank L. Klement (Hardcover – September 1997) The Grandmothers : A Family Portrait by Glenway Wescott, Sargent, Jr Bush (Introduction) (Hardcover) Coburn’s Brigade : 85th Indiana, 33rd Indiana, 19th Michigan, and 22nd Wisconsin in the Western Civil War
by Larry Ligget, Frank, J. Welcher (Hardcover – September 1999) The Grandmothers : A Family Portrait by Glenway Wescott, Sargent Bush (Introduction) (Paperback) An Irishman in the Iron Brigade : The Civil War Memoirs of James P. Sullivan, Sergeant, 6th Wisconsin Volunteers (Irish in the Civil War Ser. 3) by James P. Sullivan, Lance J. Herdegen (Editor) (Hardcover – October 1993) Old Abe the War Eagle by Richard Zeitlin (Paperback – February 1986) Four Years in the Iron Brigade: The Civil War Journal of William Ray, Seventh Wisconsin Volunteers
by Lance Herdigan, et al (Hardcover – June 2001) Uncommon Soldiers : Harvey Reid and the 22nd Wisconsin March With Sherman (Voices of the Civil War Series.)
by Harvey Reid, Frank L. Byrne (Hardcover – October 2001) Fire Within : A Civil War Narrative from Wisconsin
by Kerry A. Trask Custer in Texas : an interrupted narrative : including narratives of the First Iowa Cavalry, the Seventh Indiana Cavalry, the Fifth Illinois Cavalry, the Second Wisconsin Cavalry, and the military mutiny in Custer’s command while in Louisiana Economic History of Wisconsin During the Civil War Decade (Publications of the State Historical Society of Wisconsin)
by Frederick Merk
Civil War in the Northwest Nebraska, Wisconsin, Io by Jones Rh
The Grandmothers : A Family Portrait (Contemporary Americana) by Glenway Wescott Civil War Veterans of Winnebago County, Wisconsin : A – H by David A. Langkau Sixty days by Harry L. Forsyth Civil War veterans of Winnebago County, Wisconsin by David A. Langkau Story of Old Abe Wisconsin’s Civil War Hero by MacOlm Rosholt Sacrifice at Vicksburg : Letters from the Front by Susan T. Puck (Editor) Letters to my wife : a Civil War diary from the western front by J. Harvey Greene A Woman’s Civil War : A Diary With Reminiscences of the War from March 1862 (Wisconsin Studies in American Autobiography)
by Cornelia Peake McDonald, Minrose Gwin (Editor)
More to come…
Resources specific to Wisconsin (Source:WisconsinStories: The Civil War at Home)
Richard Current, The History of Wisconsin, Volume II: The Civil War Era,1848-1873. Madison: State Historical Society of Wisconsin, 1976. The SHSWhas produced a multi-volume history of Wisconsin. In Volume II, the Civil War isthe central story, but much about the era is also discussed.
John O. Holzhueter, ed. Madison During the Civil War Era: A Portfolio ofRare Photographs by John S. Fuller, 1860-1863. Madison: State HistoricalSociety of Wisconsin, 1997. Based on an article in the Wisconsin Magazine ofHistory, this collection of wartime photographs offer a glimpse intoMadison’s past.
Frank L. Klement, Wisconsin in the Civil War: The Home Front and BattleFront, 1861-1865. Madison: State Historical Society of Wisconsin, 1997.Offers an introduction to Wisconsin’s role in the war.
Carolyn J. Mattern, Soldiers When They Go: The Story of Camp Randall,1861-1865. Madison: State Historical Society of Wisconsin, 1981. An accountof Camp Randall and Madison during the war.
Frederick Merk, Economic History of Wisconsin During the Civil War Decade.Madison: State Historical Society of Wisconsin, 1916, reprinted 1971. This olderstudy offers a bounty of detail about economic life in Wisconsin.
Wisconsin’s military effort
Edwin B. Quiner, The Military History of Wisconsin. Chicago: Clarke &Co., 1866, reprinted 2000. A massive study of Wisconsin’s militaryorganizations. It also includes some information about the Wisconsin home front.
Rufus Dawes, A Full Blown Yankee of the Iron Brigade: Service with theSixth Wisconsin Volunteers. Marietta, Ohio: 1890, reprinted Madison, 1962.An account of the experience of war, written by a Wisconsin officer in the IronBrigade.
Alan T. Nolan, The Iron Brigade: A Military History. New York:Macmillan, 1961, reprinted Madison, 1975. An account of Wisconsin’s best-knowncontribution to the Union army.
Online resources
WisconsinGoes to War This website uses original documents to explore many themes,including Wisconsin’s contributions to the war effort, and “Women and theHome Front.”
Roster ofWisconsin Civil War Soldiers Scanned from the original printed rosters andindex, every Wisconsin soldier is listed, along with his hometown and servicerecord.
LessonPlan for Wisconsin in the Civil War Created by the SHSW Office of SchoolServices, this site allows students and adults to explore the home front inWisconsin through letters, photos, and other original materials.
WisconsinElectric Reader This Web site provides more information on Camp Randall andits history.
SelectedCivil War Photographs A collection of over 1,100 photographs from theLibrary of Congress. The following two sites provide links to thousands of otherWeb sites related to the Civil War.
The American CivilWar Homepage
WisconsinCivil War Camps
WisconsinHomefront
Wisconsin in the Civil War
The Slagg Family ofWisconsin in the Civil War
Source: The History of Waukesha County,1880;
Lisbon in the Civil War
by Fred H. Keller
Living Sussex Sun, Posted: Dec. 15, 2009
TheTown of Lisbon (Sussex included – was un unincorporated crossroads village in the Town) had its share of soldiers and camp volunteers during the momentous four-year (1861-1865) war between states known in the Union North as the Civil War. There are a lot of notations on who, how mnay and who else might be involved. Despite these lists, no record is ever complete but this feature about Lisbon’s involvement will try to list them. During the Civil War, thepopulation of Wisconsin was 775,881 (1860 Census)Wisconsin had an estimated 96,000 soldiers in the ranks of the Northern Union forces. That works out to 12.4 percent of thestate population, or one out of eight. State soldiers who died in the Civil War was 12,218 or 12.3 percent of the 96,000 serving.This death rate works out for Wisconsin as 1.6 percent of the estimated Wisconsin population died in the armed forces. By comparison,World War I saw Wisconsin with a population of 3,157.587 of which 375,000 served in the armed forces against Germany and Japan; 2.1 percent of Wisconsin soldiers died inWorld War II (7,980 or one if 50 of the soldiers from Wisconsin involved.) Today the cemeteries in Lisbon and Sussex bury some of the killed inCivil War service, but many more who served were discharged and died after the war. Many of the graves are marked with “GAR” metal medallions however, many of the medallions have been stolen. Many are buried under the white marble U.S. government-issued markers. The following is a roster of Lisbon soldiers taken from page 516 in the “1880 History ofWaukesha County” augmented by an additional roster from the 1989 “Weaver Civil War Diary.” This has particular emphasis on the Waukesha Regiment, the celebrated Wisconsin 28th Volunteer Infantry Regiment. First Infantry: B. Daniel, H. Henshaw, James and Amos Greenago.Fifth Infantry: Andrew J. Smith, Thomas Larkin, Samuel Gower, James Botsford, Joseph Gray, Hiram Hine and Robert Powrie.10th Infantry: Andrew Howitt.17th Infantry:John McKenna.38th Infantry: F. Fish. Regiment unknown: Frank Hine, Thompson Richmond, Elisha Pearl and H. Howard.First Cavalry: George Boyce,Patrick Murphy,Thomas Dixon, William H. Thomas.Now the Lisbon soldiers in the 28th Infantry were the biggest group from Lisbon in one unit according to the Weaver diary. They are: Company A Privates Edmond Wilkins,James Burton, Thomas H. Gower,George Jeffery (died March 6, 1863), Charles Luce (died Aug. 28, 1864), Henry G. Mead and Corp. Charles W. Wildish (died Aug. 21, 1863). Company B: Privates Wallace B. Ellsworth, Frederick S. Weaver, Lucius Weaver and Sgt. Alfred Weaver. Company F: Privates Gottlieb Bohrmann, Thomas Butler, Benjamin Campbell, Amasa Carpenter, Samuel Crouch (deserted), George Dingledein,John Field, George Fielder (died Oct. 30, 1863), Charles McGill (died Sept. 2, 1864), Levi Palmer,John Taylor (died Sept. 3, 1863), Corp.James Moyes, William Rankin, John Watson, Regiment 1st Sgt. Alexander Rodgers, Second Lt. George Higgins and Capt. Jeremiah Noon (died Aug. 10, 1863). Company G: Private Edward H. Dougherty andSecond Lt. Andrew McKee.Company H: Andrew Ennis, Louis Gebmann (died Sept. 6, 1864), Patrick Hanley (deserted), Thomas Lannon, Amost Rosier, Second Lt. John A. Hurtgen and Company K private George A. Mason. James Templeton is credited with being part of the 28th and did serve but he is not on the regiment’s roster. James A. Elliot served as a teamster with the 28th. Notable among the men was John Moyes whose land today is theSussex Village Park plus the fire department. Corp. John Watson became the Lisbon Town Chairman in 1871-72, earlier Thompson Richmond was Town Chairman from 1883-84. The lone son of the deceased Charles McGill, William D. McGill, became a long term Town Chairman serving from 1889-90 and then again from 1904-07 and 1922-24. He started the Sussex Associated Bank. His father, Charles McGill is buried in Pine Bluff, Ark. Thompson Richmond and James Templeton have schools in Lisbon named after them.