"The Civil War (1861-1865) was one of the bloodiest and most tragic, with over 600,000 soldiers killed. During its four long years, more than 90,000 Wisconsin soldiers fought for the Union cause.
To mark its sesquicentennial (150th anniversary), we created "Wisconsin in the Civil War," a digital collection containing more than 16,000 original documents."
If you had lived in the 1860s, would you have volunteered to serve in the Civil War?
Sixty military and civilian reenactors gather to represent the original "Oshkosh Volunteers." (Can you find Mr. Boesel?)
An excerpt from the Entire Written History of the 26th Wisconsin:
5/19/1864
[KK] "Morning at 6:00 we went on and we started right away to skirmish. Received orders to go to the right because we had no contact with other troops. Noon, our brigade had been cut off from the rest and we came upon a strong Rebel Corps, so that we had to fall back to a farm house on a hill where our battery took up position and started firing right away. We built a breastwork from some negro housing that we tore down, but the enemy did not attack us. Noon, we received reenforcement and advanced front-wards at 2:30 and pushed back the enemy. Our company were skirmishers and had to ford a creek and follow them to Caprille until the evening at 9:00 when we were put in reserve because we were very tired because we marched twenty-two miles, in which eight miles were in line. Very hot the whole day."
Field and Line Officers from the 21st Wisconsin
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