17th Michigan Volunteer Infantry Regiment
Encyclopedia
The 17th Regiment Michigan Volunteer Infantry was an infantry
regiment
that served in the Union Army
during the American Civil War
.
, between August 8 and August 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
. They trained at Fort Wayne
under their first commander, Colonel William H. Withington, until August 27, when they left for Maryland
.
At the Battle of South Mountain
, 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
as part of the 1st Brigade, 1st Division, IX Corps.
The regiment was mustered out of service on June 3, 1865.
Eight men from the regiment were awarded the Medal of Honor
:
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
: George Atzerodt
, David Herold
, Lewis Powell
, and Mary Surratt
.
Infantry
Infantrymen are soldiers who are specifically trained for the role of fighting on foot to engage the enemy face to face and have historically borne the brunt of the casualties of combat in wars. As the oldest branch of combat arms, they are the backbone of armies...
regiment
Regiment
A regiment is a major tactical military unit, composed of variable numbers of batteries, squadrons or battalions, commanded by a colonel or lieutenant colonel...
that served in the Union Army
Union Army
The Union Army was the land force that fought for the Union during the American Civil War. It was also known as the Federal Army, the U.S. Army, the Northern Army and the National Army...
during the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
.
Service
The 17th Michigan Infantry was organized at Detroit, MichiganDetroit, Michigan
Detroit is the major city among the primary cultural, financial, and transportation centers in the Metro Detroit area, a region of 5.2 million people. As the seat of Wayne County, the city of Detroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and serves as a major port on the Detroit River...
, between August 8 and August 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
Eastern Michigan University is a comprehensive, co-educational public university located in Ypsilanti, Michigan. Ypsilanti is west of Detroit and eight miles east of Ann Arbor. The university was founded in 1849 as Michigan State Normal School...
. They trained at Fort Wayne
Fort Wayne (Detroit)
Fort Wayne is located in the city of Detroit, Michigan, at the foot of Livernois Avenue in the Delray neighborhood. The fort is situated on the Detroit River at a point where it is about a mile to the Canadian shore. The original 1848 limestone barracks still stands, as does the 1845 star...
under their first commander, Colonel William H. Withington, until August 27, when they left for Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
.
At the Battle of South Mountain
Battle of South Mountain
The Battle of South Mountain was fought September 14, 1862, as part of the Maryland Campaign of the American Civil War. Three pitched battles were fought for possession of three South Mountain passes: Crampton's, Turner's, and Fox's Gaps. Maj. Gen. George B...
, 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
Battle of Antietam
The Battle of Antietam , fought on September 17, 1862, near Sharpsburg, Maryland, and Antietam Creek, as part of the Maryland Campaign, was the first major battle in the American Civil War to take place on Northern soil. It was the bloodiest single-day battle in American history, with about 23,000...
as part of the 1st Brigade, 1st Division, IX Corps.
The regiment was mustered out of service on June 3, 1865.
Eight men from the regiment were awarded the Medal of Honor
Medal of Honor
The Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration awarded by the United States government. It is bestowed by the President, in the name of Congress, upon members of the United States Armed Forces who distinguish themselves through "conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his or her...
:
- Private Frederick Alber, Company A, Battle of Spotsylvania Court HouseBattle of Spotsylvania Court HouseThe Battle of Spotsylvania Court House, sometimes simply referred to as the Battle of Spotsylvania , was the second major battle in Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant's 1864 Overland Campaign of the American Civil War. Following the bloody but inconclusive Battle of the Wilderness, Grant's army disengaged...
, 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 Frederic W. Swift, Lenoire Station, Tennessee, November 16, 1863
- Sergeant Charles A. Thompson, Company D, Battle of Spotsylvania Court House, May 12, 1864
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
Abraham Lincoln assassination
The assassination of United States President Abraham Lincoln took place on Good Friday, April 14, 1865, as the American Civil War was drawing to a close. The assassination occurred five days after the commanding General of the Army of Northern Virginia, Robert E. Lee, and his battered Army of...
: George Atzerodt
George Atzerodt
George Andreas Atzerodt was a conspirator, with John Wilkes Booth, in the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. Assigned to assassinate Vice-President Andrew Johnson, he lost his nerve and did not make an attempt. He was executed along with three other conspirators by hanging.-Early life:Atzerodt...
, David Herold
David Herold
David Edgar Herold was an accomplice of John Wilkes Booth in the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. After guiding fellow conspirator Lewis Powell to the home of Secretary of State William H. Seward, whom Powell intended to kill, Herold fled and rendezvoused outside of Washington, D.C., with Booth...
, Lewis Powell
Lewis Powell (assassin)
Lewis Thornton Powell , also known as Lewis Paine or Payne, attempted unsuccessfully to assassinate United States Secretary of State William H...
, and Mary Surratt
Mary Surratt
Mary Elizabeth Jenkins Surratt was an American boarding house owner who was convicted of taking part in the conspiracy to assassinate Abraham Lincoln. Sentenced to death, she was hanged, becoming the first woman executed by the United States federal government. She was the mother of John H...
.