The 39th 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 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 ...

. It was among scores of regiments that were raised in the summer of 1864 as

Hundred Days Men The Hundred Days Men was the nickname applied to a series of regiments of United States Volunteers raised in 1864 for 100-day service in the Union Army during the height of the American Civil War. These short-term, lightly trained troops freed veter ...

, an effort to augment existing manpower for an all-out push to end the war within 100 days.

Service

The 39th Wisconsin was organized at

Milwaukee 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. With a population of 577,222 at the 2020 census, Milwaukee is ...

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

, and mustered into Federal service on June 3, 1864. The 39th Wisconsin, along with the 40th and 41st, were ordered to the vicinity of

Memphis, Tennessee Memphis is a city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the seat of Shelby County in the southwest part of the state; it is situated along the Mississippi River. With a population of 633,104 at the 2020 U.S. census, Memphis is the second-mos ...

, where they engaged in picket and guard duty, relieving veteran regiments which were sent to the front for the Atlanta campaign. Their only combat occurred on August 21, 1864, when, in the early morning hours, a detachment of cavalry under

Nathan Bedford Forrest Nathan Bedford Forrest (July 13, 1821October 29, 1877) was a prominent Confederate Army general during the American Civil War and the first Grand Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan from 1867 to 1869. Before the war, Forrest amassed substantial wealt ...

raided Memphis, attempting—unsuccessfully—to capture the Union commanders stationed there in what is referred to as the

Second Battle of Memphis The Second Battle of Memphis was a battle of the American Civil War occurring on August 21, 1864, in Shelby County, Tennessee. Battle At 4:00 a.m. on August 21, 1864, Maj. Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest made a daring raid on Union-held M ...

. The regiment was mustered out on September 22, 1864.

Casualties

The 39th Wisconsin suffered 3 enlisted men killed or fatally wounded in action, and 1 officer and 27 enlisted men who died of disease, for a total of 31 fatalities.The Civil War Archive
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Commanders

* Edwin L. Buttrick (June 3, 1864September 22, 1864) mustered out with the regiment.

Notable people

George Clay Ginty George Clay Ginty (February 14, 1840December 9, 1890) was a Canadian American immigrant, politician, and journalist. A Republican, he was elected to one term each in the Wisconsin State Senate and Assembly and was founder of the ''Green Bay Gaze ...

was major of the regiment and later colonel of the

47th Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry Regiment The 47th Wisconsin Infantry Regiment was a volunteer infantry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. Service The 47th Wisconsin was organized at Madison, Wisconsin, and mustered into Federal service on February 27, ...

. He earned an honorary brevet to brigadier general. After the war he served as a Wisconsin legislator and

U.S. Marshall The United States Marshals Service (USMS) is a federal law enforcement agency in the United States. The USMS is a bureau within the U.S. Department of Justice, operating under the direction of the Attorney General, but serves as the enforceme ...

. * Robert Graham was captain of Co. C. After the war he was

Superintendent of Public Instruction of Wisconsin The Superintendent of Public Instruction, sometimes referred to as the State Superintendent of Schools, is a constitutional officer within the executive branch of the Wisconsin state government, and acts as the executive head of the Department of ...

. * Charles Hall was a private in Co. H. After the war, he served as a Wisconsin legislator. * Frederic A. Morgan was a private in Co. I. After the war, he served as a Wisconsin legislator. *

Joseph V. Quarles Joseph Very Quarles, Jr., (December 16, 1843October 7, 1911) was an American lawyer, politician, and Wisconsin pioneer. He served as a United States senator from Wisconsin and a United States district judge for the Eastern District of Wisconsi ...

was 1st Lieutenant in Co. C. After the war, he was mayor of Kenosha, Wisconsin,

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 ...

, and a

United States federal judge In the United States, federal judges are judges who serve on courts established under Article Three of the U.S. Constitution. They include the chief justice and the associate justices of the U.S. Supreme Court, the circuit judges of the U.S. Cou ...

. * Augustus Stinchfield was a private in Co. F. After the war, he was co-founder of the

Mayo Clinic The Mayo Clinic () is a nonprofit American academic medical center focused on integrated health care, education, and research. It employs over 4,500 physicians and scientists, along with another 58,400 administrative and allied health staff, ...

References

Military units and formations established in 1864 Military units and formations disestablished in 1864 Units and formations of the Union Army from Wisconsin 1864 establishments in Wisconsin {{AmericanCivilWar-unit-stub

Service

Casualties

Commanders

Notable people

See also

Further reading

References