United States Regiments & Batteries > Michigan


The 24th Michigan Volunteer Infantry Regiment lost 12 officers and 177 enlisted men killed or mortally wounded and 3 officers and 136 enlisted men to disease during the Civil War. The regiment had 135 pairs of brothers. The regiment is honored by a monument at Gettysburg.

1862
August 15 Organized at Detroit, Michigan, and mustered in under Colonel Henry A. Morrow and Lieutenant Colonel Mark Flanigan.
August 29 Moved to Washington, D.C.; Attached to Defences of Washington, D.C.
September 4 Captain Henry W. Nall of the 7th Michigan Infantry was transferred to the 24th and appointed major.
October Attached to 1st Brigade, 1st Division, 1st Army Corps, Army of the Potomac
October 1 Moved to Frederick, Md.
October 6 To Sharpsburg, Md.
October 20-
November 6
To Warrenton, Va.
November Attached to 4th Brigade, 1st Division, 1st Army Corps
November 25-
December 6
Guard Richmond, Fredericksburg & Aquia Creek Railroad
December 6-11 Advance to Falmouth
December 12-15 Battle of Fredericksburg
December Major Nall left the field due to illness. Captain Edwin B. Wight was made acting major.
1863
January 20-24 “Mud March”
April 17 Major Nall was discharged due to chronic illness.
April 22-23 At Belle Plain until April. Expedition to Port Royal and Port Conway
April 27-May 6 Chancellorsville Campaign
April 29-May 2 Operations at Pollock’s Mill Creek
April 29-30 Fitzhugh’s Crossing
May 2-5
Battle of Chancellorsville
May 20-26 Operations on Northern Neck
June Attached to 1st Brigade, 1st Division, 1st Army Corps
June 11-July 24 Gettysburg Campaign
June 22 Acting Major Edwin Wight’s rank was made permanent.
July 1-3
Battle of Gettysburg

Colonel Morrow was wounded on July 1. Lieutenant Colonel Flanigan and Major Wight had also been wounded by this time, and Captain Albert M. Edwards then took command.

Of the regiment’s 25 officers only Captain Edwards and two lieutenants remained unhit at the end of July 1. Captains William Speed and Malachi O’Donnell and Lieutenants Gilbert Dickey, Newell Grace, Reuben Humphreville, Winfield Safford, Lucius Shattuck and Walter Wallace were killed.

From the monument:

July 1st 1863. Arriving upon the field to the south of these woods in the forenoon of July 1st, this regiment with others of the brigade (2nd and 7th Wisconsin and 19th Indiana) charged across the stream in front (Willoughby’s Run) to the crest beyond. Assisting in the capture of a large portion of Archer’s Tennessee Brigade, it was then withdrawn to this position where it fought until the time the line was outflanked and forced back.

Position July 2nd and 3rd on Culp’s Hill. 

Went into action with 496 officers and men. Killed and mortally wounded, 89; Otherwise wounded, 218; Captured, 56; Total casualties, 363. Five Color Bearers were killed and all the Color Guard were killed or wounded.

See Colonel Morrow’s Official Report of the battle of Gettysburg.

July 5-24 Pursuit of Lee to Manassas Gap, Virginia
October 9-22 Duty on line of the Rappahannock and Rapidan until October. Bristoe Campaign
October 19 Haymarket
November 7-8 Advance to line of the Rappahannock
November 16 Lieutenant Colonel Flanigan resigned due to having lost a leg at Gettysburg,
November 17 Major Edwin Wight was discharged due to having lost an eye at Gettysburg.
November 26-
December 2
Mine Run Campaign
1864
February 1 Captain William Wight (the older brother to Edwin) was promoted to lieutenant colonel. Captain Albert Edwards of Company F was promoted to major.
February 6-7 Demonstration on the Rapidan
March Attached to 1st Brigade, 4th Division, 5th Army Corps
May 4-June 15 Campaign from the Rapidan to the James River
May 5-7
Battle of the Wilderness
May 8-21
Battle of Spotsylvania Court House
May 8 Laurel Hill
May 12 Assault on the Salient
May 23-26 North Anna River
May 23 Jericho Mills
May 26-28 On line of the Pamunkey
May 28-31 Totopotomoy
June 1-12
Battle of Cold Harbor
June 9 Lieutenant Colonel Wight resigned due to his Gettysburg wound.
June 1-3 Bethesda Church
June 16-18 Before Petersburg
June 16 Siege of Petersburg begins
July 17 Major Albert Edwards was promoted to lieutenant colonel and Captain William Hutchinson of Company G was promoted to major.
July 19 Captain William Hutchinson was wounded.
August Attached to 3rd Brigade, 3rd Division, 5th Army Corps
August 18-21 Weldon Railroad
September Attached to 1st Brigade, 3rd Division, 5th Army Corps
October 27-28 Boydton Plank Road, Hatcher’s Run
December 7-12 Warren’s Raid on Weldon Railroad
1865
February Springfield, Ill., Northern Department
February 5-7
Battle of Dabney’s Mills (Hatcher’s Run)
February 11 Ordered to Baltimore, Md., for special duty
February 15 Moved to Springfield, Illinois, and assigned to garrison and guard duty there at Draft Rendezvous. Several hundred draftees were added to the regiment until the end of the war.
April The regiment was selected as escort at funeral of President Lincoln.
June 30 Mustered out