8th Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry Regiment
The 8th Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. The 8th Wisconsin's mascot was Old Abe, a bald eagle that accompanied the regiment into battle.
| 8th Regiment Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry | |
|---|---|
 Wisconsin flag | |
| Active | September 13, 1861, to September 5, 1865 |
| Country | United States |
| Allegiance | Union |
| Branch | Infantry |
| Engagements | Battle of Iuka Battle of Corinth Siege of Vicksburg Red River Campaign Battle of Nashville |
Old Abe, the live war eagle of Wisconsin, 1876. From the Liljenquist Family Collection of Civil War Photographs, Prints and Photographs Division, Library of Congress
Service
The 8th Wisconsin was raised at Madison, Wisconsin, and mustered into Federal service September 13, 1861.
The regiment was mustered out on September 5, 1865, at Demopolis, Alabama.
Total enlistments and casualties
The 8th Wisconsin initially mustered 870 men and later recruited an additional 333 men, for a total of 1,203 men.[1] The regiment lost 2 officers and 53 enlisted men killed in action or who later died of their wounds, plus another 2 officers and 219 enlisted men who died of disease, for a total of 280 fatalities.[2]
Jerome Case chose the eagle mascot as the trademark of Case Corporation
Commanders
- Colonel Robert C. Murphy
- Colonel George W. Robbins
- Colonel John W. Jefferson
- Colonel William B. Britton
Battles
The 8th Wisconsin Infantry along with their mascot Old Abe The War Eagle attended numerous battles and lesser engagements during the war:[3]
- Fredericktown, Missouri - 21 October 1861
- New Madrid and *Island #10 - March & April 1862 Union General John Pope captures Point Pleasant, Missouri, and provokes Confederates to evacuate New Madrid. The Confederates abandon arms and provisions, valued at one million dollars, during their escape across the Mississippi River to the eastern bank and to Island No. 10.[4]
- Point Pleasant, Missouri - 20 March 1862
- Farmington, Mississippi. - 9 May 1862
- Corinth, Mississippi. - 28 May 1862
- Iuka, Mississippi. - 12 September 1862
- Burnsville, Mississippi. - 13 September 1862
- Iuka, Mississippi. - 16–18 September 1862
- Corinth, Mississippi. - 3–4 October 1862
- Tallahatchie, Mississippi. - 2 December 1862
- Mississippi Springs, Mississippi. - 13 May 1863
- Jackson, Mississippi. - 14 May 1863
- Assault on Vicksburg, Mississippi. - 22 May 1863
- Mechanicsburg, Mississippi. - 4 June 1863
- Richmond, Louisiana. - 15 June 1863
- Vicksburg, Mississippi. - 24 June 1863
- Surrender of Vicksburg- 4 July 1863
- Brownsville, Mississippi. - 14 October 1863
- Fort Scurry, Louisiana. - 13 March 1864
- Fort De Russey, Louisiana. - 15 March 1864
- Henderson's Hill, Louisiana. - 21 March 1864
- Grand Ecore, Louisiana. - 2 April 1864
- Pleasant Hill, Louisiana. - 8–9 April 1864
- Natchitoches, Louisiana. - 20 April 1864
- Kane River, Louisiana. - 22 April 1864
- Clouterville and Crane Hill, Louisiana. - 23 April 1864
- Bayou Rapids, Louisiana. - 2 May 1864
- Bayou La Monre, Louisiana. - 3 May 1864
- Bayou Roberts, Louisiana. - 4–6 May 1864
- Moore's Plantation, Louisiana. - 8–12 May 1864
- Mansura, Louisiana. - 16 May 1864
- Battle of Maysville, Louisiana. - 17 May 1864
- Calhoun's Plantation, Louisiana. - 18 May 1864
- Bayou De Glaise, Louisiana. - 18 May 1864
- Lake Chicot, Arkansas. - 6 June 1864
- Hurricane Creek, Mississippi. - 13 August 1864
- Pursuit of Price, Jackass Cavalry September - October 1864
- Nashville, Tennessee. - 15–16 December 1864
- The Mobile Campaign March - April 1865
Notable members
- Pvt Thomas J. Bowles – member of the Wisconsin State Assembly
- Sgt Maj Augustus G. Weissert – 21st Commander-in-Chief of the Grand Army of the Republic, 1892–1893
- Maj William P. Lyon – brevet Brigadier General, Speaker of the Wisconsin State Assembly, Chief Justice of the Wisconsin Supreme Court
References
- 8th Wisconsin Archived March 26, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
- Civil war Archive
- "Old Abe the Civil War Eagle, Eau Claire County in the Civil War". Archived from the original on 2008-05-09. Retrieved 2008-03-30.
- Cyrus F. Jenkins Civil War Diary, 1861–1862: Civil War Timeline: June 30, 1861–1862
Further reading
- Armitage, Ambrose, and Alden R. Carter. Brother to the Eagle: The Civil War Journal of Sgt. Ambrose Armitage, 8th Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry. [Bangor, ME]: Booklocker.com, Inc, 2006. ISBN 1-60145-042-7 OCLC 123916234
- Barrett, J. O. History of "Old Abe," The Live War Eagle of the Eighth Regiment Wisconsin Volunteers. Chicago: O.L. Sewell, 1865. OCLC 8593499
- Driggs, George W. Opening of the Mississippi: Or Two Years' Campaigning in the South-West. A Record of the Campaigns, Sieges, Actions and Marches in Which the 8th Wisconsin Volunteers Have Participated. Madison, Wis: W.J. Park & Co., printers, 1864. OCLC 1706997
- Shumway, Francis, Ronald William Harris, and Rhonda Harris. Francis #3138: The Civil War Letters of Francis (Frank) Shumway, Company F, Eighth Regiment, Wisconsin Volunteers, 1861–1862. La Crosse, WI : R.W. Harris, 1995. OCLC 37682547
- Williams, J. M. The Eagle Regiment, 8th Wis. Inf'ty. Vols. A Sketch of Its Marches, Battles and Campaigns, from 1861 to 1865 ; with a Complete Regimental and Company Roster, and a Few Portraits and Sketches of Its Officers and Commanders. Belleville, Wis: Recorder Print, 1890. OCLC 38307788
External links
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