The 12th Wisconsin Infantry Regiment was an

infantry Infantry is a military specialization which engages in ground combat on foot. Infantry generally consists of light infantry, mountain infantry, motorized infantry & mechanized infantry, airborne infantry, air assault infantry, and mar ...

regiment A regiment is a military unit. Its role and size varies markedly, depending on the country, service and/or a specialisation. In Medieval Europe, the term "regiment" denoted any large body of front-line soldiers, recruited or conscript ...

that served in the

Union Army During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union of the collective states. It proved essential to th ...

during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states ...

Service

The 12th Wisconsin was raised at

Madison, Wisconsin Madison is the county seat of Dane County and the capital city of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census the population was 269,840, making it the second-largest city in Wisconsin by population, after Milwaukee, and the 80th-lar ...

, and mustered into Federal service October 18, 1861. The regiment was mustered out on July 20, 1865, at

Louisville, Kentucky Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border ...

Total enlistment and casualties

The 12th Wisconsin lost 3 officers and 93 enlisted men killed in action or who later died of their wounds, plus another 3 officers and 224 enlisted men who died of disease, for a total of 323 fatalities.Civil War Archive
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Commanders

Colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge o ...

George E. Bryant * Colonel James Kerr Proudfit

Notable people

* Van S. Bennett was captain of Co. I. After the war he served as a Wisconsin state senator. * Harlan P. Bird was enlisted in Co. F and was then promoted to sergeant major of the regiment. In 1863 he was commissioned 2nd lieutenant of Co. G and was later promoted to 1st lieutenant. He was wounded at Vicksburg and was subsequently detailed as an adjutant for the brigade, quartermaster for XVII Corps, and ordinance officer for the division. After the war he served as a Wisconsin state senator. *

Ephraim Blakeslee Ephraim Blakeslee (May 12, 1838 – February 22, 1911) was a member of the Wisconsin State Assembly in the 1880s. Biography Blakeslee was born on May 12, 1838, in Fenner, New York. While he was a young child his family moved to Wisconsin, where t ...

was 1st sergeant of Co. B for one year, and was then commissioned 2nd lieutenant of Co. H, rising to the rank of captain near the end of the war. After the war he served as a Wisconsin legislator. * Michael J. Cantwell was 1st lieutenant in Co. C and acting quartermaster. After the war he served as a Wisconsin legislator. * Luther H. Cary was surgeon of the regiment for the first two years and was appointed medical inspector for XVI Corps. After the war he served in the Wisconsin and California state legislatures. * John Gillespie was captain of Co. E. He was wounded and captured at the

Battle of Atlanta The Battle of Atlanta was a battle of the Atlanta Campaign fought during the American Civil War on July 22, 1864, just southeast of Atlanta, Georgia. Continuing their summer campaign to seize the important rail and supply hub of Atlanta, Un ...

and remained a prisoner for the last year of the war. After the war he served as a Wisconsin legislator. * Michael Griffin was a sergeant in Co. E and was wounded at Atlanta. He was commissioned 2nd lieutenant shortly before the end of the war. After the war he served as a U.S. congressman. * James Lennon was a sergeant in Co. H and was commissioned 2nd lieutenant near the end of the war. After the war he served as a Wisconsin legislator and sheriff. * Daniel Robbins Sylvester was captain of Co. K through most of the war. After the war he served as a Wisconsin legislator. * Charles M. Webb was 1st lieutenant of Co. G for the first year of the war. After the war he served as a Wisconsin legislator and circuit judge, and was a U.S. attorney under presidents Grant and Hayes.

Notes

References

The Civil War Archive

External links

*http://www.secondwi.com/wisconsinregiments/12th.htm - Transcription of the 12th Wisconsin entry in Quiner's ''Military History of Wisconsin'', 1866 * Military units and formations established in 1861 Military units and formations disestablished in 1865 Units and formations of the Union Army from Wisconsin 1861 establishments in Wisconsin {{AmericanCivilWar-unit-stub