The 23rd 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 ...

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 th ...

Service

The 23rd Wisconsin was organized 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 on August 30, 1862. The regiment was mustered out on July 4, 1865, at

Mobile, Alabama Mobile ( , ) is a city and the county seat of Mobile County, Alabama, United States. The population within the city limits was 187,041 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, down from 195,111 at the 2010 United States census, 2010 cens ...

Casualties

The 23rd Wisconsin suffered 1 officer and 40 enlisted men killed in action or who later died of their wounds, plus another 5 officers and 262 enlisted men who died of disease, for a total of 308 fatalities.

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 of ...

Joshua James Guppey Joshua James Guppey (August 27, 1820December 8, 1893) was an American lawyer, politician, and Wisconsin pioneer. He served as a Union Army officer in the American Civil War, and received an honorary brevet to the rank of brigadier general. Bio ...

(August 30, 1862July 4, 1865) was nominal commander through the entire life of the regiment, but was absent for the second half of 1863 and first half of 1864 due to illness and injury. By the time he was well enough to return, in July 1864, he was made an acting brigade commander. After the war he received an honorary brevet to brigadier general. ** Lt. Colonel

William Freeman Vilas William Freeman Vilas (July 9, 1840August 27, 1908) was an American lawyer, politician, and United States Senator. In the U.S. Senate, he represented the state of Wisconsin for one term, from 1891 to 1897. As a prominent Bourbon Democrat, he wa ...

(June 5, 1863August 25, 1863) mustered in as captain of Co. A, and was promoted to major then lieutenant colonel. He had command of the regiment in the summer of 1863 when Colonel Guppey was incapacitated by illness. He resigned his commission in August 1863. After the war he became a

United States senator The United States Senate is the Upper house, upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States House of Representatives, House of Representatives being the Lower house, lower chamber. Together they compose the national Bica ...

. ** Lt. Colonel Edgar P. Hill (August 25, 1863January 1864, June 1864January 1865) was originally captain of Co. C. He was acting commander of the regiment after the resignation of Lt. Colonel Vilas. ** Major Joseph E. Green (January 1864June 1864, January 1865June 1865) was originally captain of Co. D. He was acting commander of the regiment while Lt. Colonel Hill was on leave in Wisconsin.

Notable people

* John F. Appleby was a corporal in Co. E throughout the war. During the war, Appleby invented and patented a manual magazine feed

breech loading A breechloader is a firearm in which the user loads the ammunition (cartridge or shell) via the rear (breech) end of its barrel, as opposed to a muzzleloader, which loads ammunition via the front ( muzzle). Modern firearms are generally bre ...

needle gun A needle gun (or needle rifle for varieties with rifling) is a firearm that has a needle-like firing pin, which can pass through the paper cartridge case to strike a percussion cap at the bullet base. Types Pauly A diagram of a needle-gun ...

. After the war, he invented and patented several agricultural devices. * Joseph Bartholomew was an enlisted man in Co. H. He rose to the rank of sergeant with this company, and was then commissioned a 2nd lieutenant in the

49th Wisconsin Infantry Regiment The 49th Wisconsin Infantry Regiment was a volunteer infantry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. Service The 49th Wisconsin was organized at Camp Randall in Madison, Wisconsin, and mustered into federal service ...

. After the war he became chief justice of the

North Dakota Supreme Court The North Dakota Supreme Court is the highest court of law in the state of North Dakota. The Court rules on questions of law in appeals from the state's district courts. Each of the five justices are elected on a no-party ballot for ten year te ...

. *

Rockwell J. Flint Rockwell J. Flint (March 23, 1842June 23, 1933) was an American newspaper editor and Republican politician. He served in the Wisconsin State Senate and Assembly, representing Dunn and Pepin counties. He served as a quartermaster in the Union A ...

was a sergeant in Co. C, but transferred to the Signal Corps in 1863. After the war became a Wisconsin legislator and U.S. marshal. * Birney Maries Jarvis was enlisted in Co. A and served throughout the war. After the war he became a Wisconsin legislator. * Edmund Jüssen was lieutenant colonel until his resignation in March 1863. After the war served as an American diplomat. * William Seamonson was enlisted in Co. D and rose to the rank of sergeant, serving through the entire war. After the war he became a Wisconsin legislator. * John Starks, son of

Argalus Starks Argalus Waldo Starks (March 10, 1804June 28, 1870) was an American farmer, politician, and Wisconsin pioneer. He served as the 3rd Wisconsin Department of Corrections, State Prison Commissioner of Wisconsin and later served 6 years in the Wiscons ...

, was 1st lieutenant of Co. I. He was wounded in the trenches at the

Siege of Vicksburg The siege of Vicksburg (May 18 – July 4, 1863) was the final major military action in the Vicksburg campaign of the American Civil War. In a series of maneuvers, Union Maj. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant and his Army of the Tennessee crossed the Missis ...

and later died of his wound. He previously served as an enlisted man in the 6th Wisconsin Infantry Regiment. * Henry Vilas, son of William F. Vilas, was 2nd lieutenant of Co. E and later captain of Co. A.

Henry Vilas Zoo Henry Vilas Zoo is a public zoo in Madison, Wisconsin, United States, that is accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA). Owned by Dane County, the zoo charges no admission or parking fees. It receives over 750,000 visitors annua ...

, is named for him.

References

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External links