The 18th Wisconsin Infantry Regiment was a
volunteer
Volunteering is a voluntary act of an individual or group freely giving time and labor for community service. Many volunteers are specifically trained in the areas they work, such as medicine, education, or emergency rescue. Others serve ...
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 marine i ...
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 conscripted ...
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 (American Civil War), Union of the collective U.S. st ...
in the
western theater of 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 th ...
. A large portion of the regiment was captured in their first battle, at
Shiloh, but they went on to participate in the
Vicksburg Campaign
The Vicksburg campaign was a series of maneuvers and battles in the Western Theater of the American Civil War directed against Vicksburg, Mississippi, a fortress city that dominated the last Confederate-controlled section of the Mississippi Riv ...
, and Sherman's campaigns in Georgia and the Carolinas. For much of the war, the regiment was commanded by
Gabriel Bouck
Gabriel Bouck (December 16, 1828 – February 21, 1904) was an American lawyer, Democratic politician, and Wisconsin pioneer. He represented Wisconsin in the United States House of Representatives for two terms. He also served as Wisconsin's 6 ...
, who would later become a U.S. congressman and
speaker of the Wisconsin State Assembly
The Speaker of the Wisconsin State Assembly is the presiding officer of the Wisconsin State Assembly, the lower house of the Wisconsin Legislature. Article IV of the Constitution of Wisconsin, ratified in 1848, establishes the legislature and ...
.
Service
The 18th Wisconsin was organized at
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at th ...
, and mustered into Federal service March 15, 1862.
The regiment was mustered out on July 18, 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 ...
.
Casualties
The 18th Wisconsin suffered 4 officers and 52 enlisted men killed in action or who later died of their wounds, plus another 2 officers and 167 enlisted men who died of disease, for a total of 225 fatalitie
Commanders
*
Colonel (United States), Colonel James S. Alban (March 15, 1862April 7, 1862) was
killed at the
Battle of Shiloh
The Battle of Shiloh (also known as the Battle of Pittsburg Landing) was fought on April 6–7, 1862, in the American Civil War. The fighting took place in southwestern Tennessee, which was part of the war's Western Theater. The battlefield i ...
. Before the war he had been a Wisconsin state senator.
* Colonel
Gabriel Bouck
Gabriel Bouck (December 16, 1828 – February 21, 1904) was an American lawyer, Democratic politician, and Wisconsin pioneer. He represented Wisconsin in the United States House of Representatives for two terms. He also served as Wisconsin's 6 ...
(April 29, 1862January 4, 1864) was commissioned colonel after serving a year as captain of Co. E in the
2nd Wisconsin Infantry Regiment. He resigned in 1864. Before the war he had been the 6th
attorney general of Wisconsin
The Attorney General of Wisconsin is a constitutional officer in the executive branch of the government of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Forty-five individuals have held the office of Attorney General since statehood. The incumbent is Josh Kaul, ...
. After the war he became the 24th
speaker of the Wisconsin State Assembly
The Speaker of the Wisconsin State Assembly is the presiding officer of the Wisconsin State Assembly, the lower house of the Wisconsin Legislature. Article IV of the Constitution of Wisconsin, ratified in 1848, establishes the legislature and ...
, and served two years in the
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the Lower house, lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States Senate, Senate being ...
.
* Lt. Colonel Charles H. Jackson (January 4, 1864July 18, 1865) began the war as captain of Co. B, and was promoted to major in 1862 and lieutenant colonel in 1864. He was designated for promotion to colonel but never mustered into federal service at that rank. He was the younger brother of
Thomas A. Jackson, who was also an officer in this regiment.
Notable people
*
Jeremiah Wallace Baldock was enlisted in Co. K and rose to the rank of sergeant. He was captured at Shiloh and later designated for a commission as second lieutenant, but was never mustered into federal service at that rank. After the war he became a Wisconsin state legislator.
*
Samuel Beall
Samuel Wootton Beall (June 16, 1807September 26, 1868) was an American land speculator, lawyer, and Wisconsin pioneer. He was the second lieutenant governor of Wisconsin (1850–1852) and lost his leg at the Battle of Shiloh, as a Union Ar ...
was lieutenant colonel of the regiment. He was severely wounded at Shiloh and lost a leg. After leaving the regiment, he was commissioned as a major in the Veteran Reserve Corps and served as overseer of a prisoner of war camp. Before the war he had been Wisconsin's 2nd
lieutenant governor
A lieutenant governor, lieutenant-governor, or vice governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction. Often a lieutenant governor is the deputy, or lieutenant, to or ranked under a governor — a "second-in-comm ...
.
* Phineas A. Bennett, son of
Alden I. Bennett, was second lieutenant in Co. K, was wounded at Shiloh and discharged.
*
Edward Colman was first lieutenant of Co. A and later became adjutant of the regiment. He was wounded twice—at Shiloh and Champion Hill. After the war he became a Wisconsin state senator.
*
Ira Ford was first lieutenant and later captain of Co. I. He was wounded and taken prisoner at Shiloh. After the war he became a Wisconsin state legislator.
*
Thomas A. Jackson was first lieutenant and later captain of Co. B. He was captured at Shiloh but paroled after seven months captivity. After the war he became a Wisconsin state legislator.
*
Addison W. Merrill was enlisted in Co. H and rose to the rank of corporal. After the war he became a Wisconsin state legislator.
*
Fred Ties was enlisted in Co. B and rose to the rank of first sergeant. He was wounded and captured at Jackson, Mississippi, and later designated for a commission as second lieutenant, but was never mustered into federal service at that rank. After the war he became a Wisconsin state legislator.
See also
{{portal, American Civil War
*
List of Wisconsin Civil War units
The state of Wisconsin enrolled 91,327 men for service in the Union Army during the American Civil War, 77,375 in the infantry, 8,877 in the cavalry, and 5,075 in the artillery. Some 3,802 of these men were killed in action or mortally wounded, an ...
*
Wisconsin in the American Civil War
With the outbreak of the American Civil War, the northwestern state of Wisconsin raised 91,379 soldiers for the Union Army, organized into 53 infantry regiments, 4 cavalry regiments, a company of Berdan's sharpshooters, 13 light artillery batter ...
References
The Civil War Archive
Military units and formations established in 1862
Military units and formations disestablished in 1865
Units and formations of the Union Army from Wisconsin
1862 establishments in Wisconsin