Maryland Campaign

Battle of South Mountain

From the marker on South Mountain:

The fighting began around 9:00 a.m. just south of this site. Around noon a Confederate battery opened fire on the regiment, which was supporting Cook’s Massachusetts Battery. The 17th held its position for several hours. At 4:00 p.m. the command ws given for an assault along the entire Union line. The Confederates came out of the woods to meet the charge at a fence line in the middle of the field, then moved back to the stone walls along the crest of the hill. The 17th advanced and captured the stone walls. Of the 500 men of the “Stonewall Regiment” engaged in battle here, 27 were killed and 114 wounded, many mortally.

The Regiment was afterwards known as the “Stonewall Regiment” for its actions. Colonel Withington was breveted brigadier general for “conspicuous gallantry.”

Battle of Antietam

From the War Department marker for Christ’s Brigade along Rodman Avenue at Antietam:

On the morning of the 17th Christ’s Brigade was in reserve on the eastern slope of the ridge on the left bank of the Antietam, nearly opposite the Burnside Bridge.

About 2 P.M., after Sturgis’ Division had carried the bridge, the Brigade crossed and, following the stream and road to Sharpsburg, filed to the right where the course of the former diverged to the east and formed line on the narrow plateau at the foot of the bluff southeast of this point. After the formation of the Corps line, the Brigade advanced, under a heavy fire from Cemetery Hill and the high ground west of the road, to within a few yards of this point where it was checked. After a short delay the 79th New York advanced as skirmishers and compelled the Confederate Artillery to retire. The Brigade was about to move forward, when the attack of A.P. Hill on the left of the Corps obliged it to fall back to the Antietam, where it remained until the evening of the 18th, when it was relieved by Morell’s Division of the Fifth Corps.

Battle of Fredericksburg

Siege of Vicksburg

Siege of Jackson

Action at Blue Springs

Knoxville Campaign

Battle of Campbell’s Station

The regiment was in the rearguard of the corps for Burnside’s retreat toward Knoxville when it was attacked by advanced units of Longstreet’s army. After heavy fighting in which there were many casualties and three color bearers had been killed or wounded, the regiment was demoralized and about to break when the Confederates launched another charge. Lieutenant Colonel Frederick Swift seized the colors and rallied the regiment to him, then fired a volley which threw back the Confederate charge. The regiment lost 7 men killed, 19 wounded and 10 missing.

Two members of the regiment were awarded the Medal of Honor for their actions in the fight:

Private Joseph Brandle, “While color bearer of his regiment, having been twice wounded and had the sight of one eye destroyed, Brandle still held to the colors until ordered to the rear by his regimental commander.”

Lieutenant Colonel Frederick Swift “Gallantly seized the colors and rallied the regiment after three color bearers had been shot and the regiment, having become demoralized, was in imminent danger of capture.”

Siege of Knoxville

Three men were awarded the Medal of Honor for their actions on November 20:

Corporal John A. Falconer “conducted the “burning party” of his regiment at the time a charge was made on the enemy’s picket line, and burned the house which had sheltered the enemy’s sharpshooters, thus insuring success to a hazardous enterprise.”

Corporal Irwin Shepherd and Private Andrew John Kelley, both of Company E, “Having voluntarily accompanied a small party to destroy buildings within the enemy’s lines whence sharpshooters had been firing, Kelley disregarded an order to retire, remained, and completed the firing of the buildings, thus insuring their total destruction; this at the imminent risk of his life from the fire of the advancing enemy.”

Fort Saunders

Repulse of Longstreet’s assault

Campaign from the Rapidan to the James River

Battle of the Wilderness

The regiment began the campaign with 225 officers and enlisted men. It lost 7 men killed and 39 wounded.

Battle of Spotsylvania Court House

Assault on the Salient

From the monument to the 17th Michigan Infantry on the Spotsylvania battlefield:

At 2 p.m., May 12th, two Ninth Corps brigades were ordered to attack the Confederate works one-quarter mile southeast of this spot. The 17th Michigan was on the extreme left of the Federal line. As the regiment approached its objective, Brig. Gen. James Lane’s North Carolina Brigade emerged from the thick woods and struck it on the left flank. In the bloody hand-to-hand fighting that followed, the 17th Michigan lost its national  colors and 189 of the 225 men it carried into battle. Three soldiers later received the Medal of Honor for their brave but unsuccessful efforts to save the colors.

Private Frederick Alber of Company A  “Bravely rescued Lt. Charles H. Todd of his regiment who had been captured by a party of Confederates by shooting down one, knocking over another with the butt of his musket, and taking them both prisoners.”

Sergeant Daniel McFall “Captured Colonel Barker, commanding the Confederate brigade that charged the Union batteries; on the same day rescued Lieutenant George W. Harmon of his regiment from the enemy.”

Sergeant Charles Augustus Thompson “After the regiment was surrounded and all resistance seemed useless, fought singlehanded for the colors and refused to give them up until he had appealed to his superior officers.”

Surrounded by greatly superior forces, the regiment was forced to surrnder. Lieutenant Colonel Frederick Swift was captured along with the survivors of the regiment, which lost 23 men killed, 73 wounded and 93 taken prisoner

North Anna River

The badly understrength regiment was designated an engineer unit. It would retain that designation for the rest of the year.

Ox Ford

Totopotomoy

Battle of Cold Harbor

Bethesda Church

First Assault on Petersburg

Siege of Petersburg begins

Mine Explosion, Petersburg

Six Mile House, Weldon Railroad

Poplar Springs Church

Boydton Plank Road, Hatcher’s Run

Fort Stedman, Petersburg

Appomattox Campaign

Fall of Petersburg

Occupation of Petersburg