The 17th Michigan Infantry Regiment was an

infantry Infantry, or infantryman are a type of soldier who specialize in ground combat, typically fighting dismounted. Historically the term was used to describe foot soldiers, i.e. those who march and fight on foot. In modern usage, the term broadl ...

regiment A regiment is a military unit. Its role and size varies markedly, depending on the country, military service, service, or administrative corps, specialisation. In Middle Ages, Medieval Europe, the term "regiment" denoted any large body of l ...

that served in the Union Army during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

Service

The 17th Michigan Infantry was organized at

Detroit Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...

Michigan Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...

, between August 8 and 22, 1862. Most of the soldiers in the regiment were from south-central Michigan, and Company E was composed largely of students from Michigan State Normal College, today known as

Eastern Michigan University Eastern Michigan University (EMU, EMich, Eastern Michigan or simply Eastern) is a public university, public research university in Ypsilanti, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1849 as the Michigan State Normal School, it was the fourth normal ...

. Due to the large number of students in its ranks, Company E acquired the nickname "Normal Company". They trained at

Fort Wayne Fort Wayne is a city in Allen County, Indiana, United States, and its county seat. Located in northeastern Indiana, the city is west of the Ohio border and south of the Michigan border. The city's population was 263,886 at the 2020 United S ...

under their first commander, Colonel William H. Withington, until August 27 when they left for

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It borders the states of Virginia to its south, West Virginia to its west, Pennsylvania to its north, and Delaware to its east ...

. At the

Battle of South Mountain The Battle of South Mountain, known in several early Southern United States, Southern accounts as the Battle of Boonsboro Gap, was fought on September 14, 1862, as part of the Maryland campaign of the American Civil War. Three pitched battles ...

, Maryland, on September 14, 1862, the regiment saw its first major action. Although they took heavy casualties, the 17th performed well for an untried unit and earned the nickname "Stonewall Regiment". Three days later, they participated in the

Battle of Antietam The Battle of Antietam ( ), also called the Battle of Sharpsburg, particularly in the Southern United States, took place during the American Civil War on September 17, 1862, between Confederate General Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virgi ...

as part of the 1st Brigade, 1st Division,

IX Corps 9 Corps, 9th Corps, Ninth Corps, or IX Corps may refer to: France * 9th Army Corps (France) * IX Corps (Grande Armée), a unit of the Imperial French Army during the Napoleonic Wars Germany * IX Corps (German Empire), a unit of the Imperial German ...

. After the battle, the regiment left with its command and returned to

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...

. In October 1863, the regiment was assigned to the

Army of the Tennessee The Army of the Tennessee was a Union Army, Union army in the Western Theater of the American Civil War, named for the Tennessee River. A 2005 study of the army states that it "was present at most of the great battles that became turning points ...

. On October 14, 1863, the regiment, then attached to the 3rd Brigade, 1st Division, IX Corps, marched from

Knoxville Knoxville is a city in Knox County, Tennessee, United States, and its county seat. It is located on the Tennessee River and had a population of 190,740 at the 2020 United States census. It is the largest city in the East Tennessee Grand Division ...

Loudon, Tennessee Loudon is a city in and the county seat of Loudon County, Tennessee, United States. Its population was 6,001 at the 2020 census. It is included in the Knoxville, Tennessee Metropolitan Statistical Area. The city is located in East Tennessee, so ...

, to oppose the advance of the Confederate General

James Longstreet James Longstreet (January 8, 1821January 2, 1904) was a General officers in the Confederate States Army, Confederate general during the American Civil War and was the principal subordinate to General Robert E. Lee, who called him his "Old War Ho ...

. It lay under its arms during the night, and on the following morning commenced falling back closely followed by the Confederates. It continued to retreat, acting as a rear guard for the rest of the corps. While crossing Turkey Creek, Longstreet's men attacked in force, causing a severe engagement to occur. In this action, the regiment lost 7 men killed, 19 wounded and 10 missing. During the retreat to Knoxville and during the

siege A siege () . is a military blockade of a city, or fortress, with the intent of conquering by attrition, or by well-prepared assault. Siege warfare (also called siegecrafts or poliorcetics) is a form of constant, low-intensity conflict charact ...

the men suffered greatly, especially while being besieged from the want of proper and sufficient rations. When the siege was lifted by the retreating Confederates, the 17th was ordered to

Annapolis, Maryland Annapolis ( ) is the capital of the U.S. state of Maryland. It is the county seat of Anne Arundel County and its only incorporated city. Situated on the Chesapeake Bay at the mouth of the Severn River, south of Baltimore and about east ...

, where 200 new recruits were incorporated into its ranks. From Annapolis, the regiment set out with

Ulysses S. Grant Ulysses S. Grant (born Hiram Ulysses Grant; April 27, 1822July 23, 1885) was the 18th president of the United States, serving from 1869 to 1877. In 1865, as Commanding General of the United States Army, commanding general, Grant led the Uni ...

's campaign of 1864; when in May of that year it lost 7 men killed, and 39 wounded in the

Battle of the Wilderness The Battle of the Wilderness was fought on May 5–7, 1864, during the American Civil War. It was the first battle of Lieutenant general (United States), Lieutenant General Ulysses S. Grant's 1864 Virginia Overland Campaign against General (C ...

. On May 12, 1864, the 17th Michigan was actively engaged in the

Battle of Spotsylvania Court House The Battle of Spotsylvania Court House, sometimes more simply referred to as the Battle of Spotsylvania (or the 19th-century spelling Spottsylvania), was the second major battle in Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant and Maj. Gen. George G. Meade's 18 ...

, and charged the southern Confederate works at Spotsylvania Court House. In this charge the regiment lost 23 killed, 73 wounded and 93 taken prisoner. The loss in prisoners was owing to the regiment being surrounded by a greatly superior force under the command of Longstreet. On May 16, 1864, the regiment was designated as an engineer unit, and served in that capacity the remainder of the year. It moved with its corps from the North Anna River, thence to Cold Harbor, across the Chickahominy and the James Rivers to the

Siege of Petersburg The Richmond–Petersburg campaign was a series of battles around Petersburg, Virginia, fought from June 9, 1864, to March 25, 1865, during the American Civil War. Although it is more popularly known as the siege of Petersburg, it was not a c ...

, where it remained until the city fell. From the time it arrived in front of Petersburg until its fall, the Regiment was actively building and reconstructing fortifications, all the while being held in reserve, if needed as infantry. After Lee's surrender at Appomattox Court House, the regiment proceeded to Washington, D.C. to participate in the Grand Review, remaining there until June 3, 1865, when it was mustered out of service and started for Detroit, arriving there on June 7, 1865, to be paid off and disbanded.

Recognition and honors

Eight men from the regiment were awarded the

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest Awards and decorations of the United States Armed Forces, military decoration and is awarded to recognize American United States Army, soldiers, United States Navy, sailors, Un ...

: * Private Frederick Alber, Company A,

, May 12, 1864 * Private Joseph E. Brandle, Company C, Lenoire Station, Tennessee, November 16, 1863 * Corporal John A. Falconer, Company A, Fort Sanders, Knoxville, Tennessee, November 20, 1863 * Private Andrew J. Kelley, Company E, Knoxville, Tennessee, November 20, 1863 * Sergeant Daniel McFall, Company E, Battle of Spotsylvania Court House, May 12, 1864 * Corporal Irwin Shepard, Company E, Knoxville, Tennessee, November 20, 1863 * Lieutenant Colonel

Frederick W. Swift Frederick William Swift (January 30, 1831 – January 30, 1916) was a Colonel of the United States Army who was awarded the Medal of Honor for gallantry in the American Civil War. He was awarded the medal on February 15, 1897, for actions perform ...

, Lenoire Station, Tennessee, November 16, 1863 * Sergeant Charles A. Thompson, Company D, Battle of Spotsylvania Court House, May 12, 1864

Execution of Lincoln assassination convicts

Captain Christian Rath of the 17th Michigan acted as the executioner at the hanging of four people convicted of involvement in the

assassination of President Lincoln On April 14, 1865, Abraham Lincoln, the 16th president of the United States, was shot by John Wilkes Booth while attending the play '' Our American Cousin'' at Ford's Theatre in Washington, D.C. Shot in the head as he watched the play, Li ...

George Atzerodt George Andrew Atzerodt (June 12, 1835 – July 7, 1865) was a German American repairman, Confederate sympathizer, and conspirator in the assassination of U.S. President Abraham Lincoln. He was assigned to assassinate Vice President And ...

David Herold David Edgar Herold (June 16, 1842 – July 7, 1865) was an American pharmacist's assistant and accomplice of John Wilkes Booth in the assassination of Abraham Lincoln on April 14, 1865. After the shooting, Herold accompanied Booth to the home o ...

, Lewis Powell, and

Mary Surratt Mary Elizabeth Surratt (; 1820 or May 1823 – July 7, 1865) was an American boarding house owner in Washington, D.C., who was convicted of taking part in the conspiracy which led to the assassination of U.S. President Abraham Lincoln in 18 ...

Total strength and casualties

The regiment had an initial enlistment of 1,079 officers and enlisted men. The regiment suffered 7 officers and 128 enlisted men who were killed in action or mortally wounded and 154 enlisted men who died of disease, for a total of 289 fatalities, or just over one-quarter (25.8%) of its initial strength.

Commanders

* Colonel William H. Withington * Colonel Constant Luce * Colonel Frederick W. Swift

Notes

References

17th MI Unit History

* {{refend Units and formations of the Union army from Michigan 1865 disestablishments in Michigan 1862 establishments in Michigan Military units and formations established in 1862 Military units and formations disestablished in 1865