37th Wisconsin Infantry Regiment

United States Regiments & Batteries > Wisconsin > 37th Wisconsin Infantry Regiment

The 37th Wisconsin Infantry Regiment originally mustered 708 men. Additional recruits and drafts brought the total to 1,144 for the entire American Civil War. It lost 7 officers and 149 enlisted men killed or mortally wounded and 2 officers and 89 enlisted men to disease.

1864
March The 37th Wisconsin Infantry Regiment was organized at Madison, Wisconsin
Organization of the Regiment
  • Company A – Captain Samuel Stevens
  • Company B – Captain Robert C. Eden
  • Company C – Captain John Green
  • Company D – Captain Alvah Nash
  • Company E – Captain Frank A. Cole
  • Company F – Captain Ellsworth Burnett
  • Company G – Captain Martin W. Heller
  • Company H – Captain Frank T. Hobbs
  • Company I – Captain George A. Beck
  • Company K – Captain Allen A. Burnett
April 9 Mustered into Federal service under the command of Colonel Samuel Harriman, Lieutenant Colonel Anson O. Doolittle and Major William J. Kershaw.
April 28 Companies A-F left Wisconsin for Washington, D.C. under the command of Major William J. Kershaw while Colonel Samuel Harriman remained in Madison to complete the recruitment of the remaining four companies.
April 30 Second Lieutenant Webster C. Pope of Company D died of disease in Mansfield, Ohio.
May 1 Companies A-F arrived at Washington and went into camp on Arlington Heights near the Long Bridge. Lieutenant Colonel Anson Doolittle had joined the companies at Chicago and took command.
May 17 Companies H and I joined the regiment.
May 18 Duty at Washington, D.C. Attached to Casey’s Brigade, 22nd Army Corps
May 30-June 1 Embarked at Alexandria and moved to White House, Virginia.
June 2-9 Guarded prisoners and picketed the line of the Richmond Railroad.
June 10 Guarded supply train to Cold Harbor
June 11 Attached to 1st Brigade, 3rd Division, 9th Corps, Army of the Potomac
June 12-15 Posted in the first line of earthworks, then moved across the James River to Petersburg, Virginia.
June 16-18

Grant’s First Assault on Petersburg

After a march of 22 miles the regiment supported the charge of the 4th Division, occupying the Confederate works that they had taken. The next afternoon they took part in an unsuccessful charge against a strong Confederate line. On the 18th they advanced again, finding the enemy’s works abandoned, and continued to advance until reaching the deep cut of the Norfolk & Petersburg Railtoad line. Two attempts to charge beyond the cut were driven back, and the regiment took shelter in the cut until they were relieved after dark.

Casualties were heavy, with 65 men killed or mortally wounded and 93 men wounded.

  • Second Lieutenants Freeman B. Riddle of Company C and David Prutzman of Company D were killed.
  • Captains Samuel Stevens of Company A and Allen A. Burnett of Company K and Lieutenant William H. Earl of Company B were mortally wounded.
  • Major William Kershaw was shot through both legs.
  • Captains John Greene of Company C and Frank T. Hobbs of Company H and Second Lieutenants Daniel Lowber of Company A and N.S. Davison of Company B were wounded.

Color Sergeant William H. Green was so badly wounded that he was forced to drag himself off the battlefield with his hands, having rolled the colors around the staff and clenching them in his teeth. He would die of his wounds a few weeks later.
June 16 to April 2

Siege of Petersburg
June 22 to July 10 The regiment returned to its old position along the railroad and engaged in picket and fatigue duty. Company G joined the regiment.
June 28 Secpnd Lieutenant David Prutsman of Company D was killed.
July 23 Company K joined the regiment, completing its organization, and Colonel Samuel Harriman was allowed to assume command.
July 30

Mine Explosion (The Crater)

Colonel Samuel Harriman led the regiment in the assault into the Crater. They occupied the ground under a heavy fire until afternoon, when they were forced to return to Union lines.

Casualties were again heavy. Of 250 men who made the assault only 95 remained in the ranks at the end of the day: 57 men were killed or mortally wounded, and 53 were wounded.

  • Captains Allen A. Burnett of Company A and Frank A. Cole of Company E were mortally wounded.
  • First Lieutenants William P. Atwell of Company G, Munger of Company D, Lewis U. Beall of Company E, and George G. McDill of Company K were badly wounded, Atwell losing his leg.
  • First Lieutenant Frank J. Munger of Company D and Second Lieutenant Adirom J. Holmes of Company G were taken prisoner.
August 1-18 The regiment was withdrawn to the rear, where it built Fort Schenk along Jerusalem Plank Road.
August 19-21

Weldon Railroad

The regiment lost 4 men killed and 12 wounded.
August 28 First Lieutenant Sanford Jones of Company A died of disease in Washington D.C.
August 29 The regiment was transferred to the 1st Brigade, 1st Division, 9th Corps, and Colonel Samuel Harriman took command of the Brigade as senior colonel. Major William Kershaw recovered enough from his wounds to return to duty and take command of the regiment.
September 7 Lieutenant Colonel Anson O. Doolittle resigned. Major Kershaw was made acting Lieutenant Colonel but was not mustered in at that rank.
September 27 First Lieutenant Daniel Lowber was promoted to Captain of Company A.
September 29-October 2

Poplar Grove Church (Peeble’s Farm)

The regiment was posted as the reserve when the 2nd Brigade attacked enemy positions along the Southside Railroad. The assault was thrown back in great confusion by a Confederate counterattack. The 37th and 38th Wisconsin fell back to a fence line and halted the enemy with heavy rifle fire until reinforcements arrived to restore the position.

The regiment lost three men killed and five wounded in September.
October 18 Major William Kershaw resigned. Captain John Green of Company C was promoted to Major.
October 27-28

Boydton Plank Road, Hatcher’s Run

Two men were wounded.
November The 37th Wisconsin was posted to a position in the trenches across from the Crater.
November 18 First Lieutenant William P. Atwell was promoted to Captain of Company G.
December 10 Marched to Hawkins’ Tavern on the Nottoway River, then went into winter camp on the Baxter Road, where they would stay until Spring.
December 15 Major John Green was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel. Captain Robert C. Eden of Company B was promoted to Major.
December 22 Captain William P. Atwell of Company G was discharged.
December 29
  • First Lieutenant Henry W. Belden of Company A was promoted to Captain of Company C
  • First Lieutenant James C. Spencer of Company F was promoted to Captain of Company G.
  • First Lieutenant James W. Hitchcock was promoted to Captain of Company K.
1865
March 25

Fort Stedman

The regiment was not engaged, but covered the flank and rear of the forces that halted the Confederate attack and threw it back.
March 28-April 9

Appomattox Campaign
April 2

Fall of Petersburg

The brigade formed in line of battle in Fort Sedgwick and at dawn stormed Confederate Fort Mahone. The fort was overrun, and several Confederate counterattacks were thrown back during the day. The regiment lost 15 men killed and 15 men wounded.

  • First Lieutenant Meredith M. Whitt of Company K was killed.
  • Captain Daniel Lowber of Company A and Second Lieutenant Stephen M. Skeel were wounded.
  • Captain Alvah Nash of Company D was wounded and captured.
April 3
Occupation of Petersburg

Dawn revealed that the Confederate forces had withdrawn during the night, and the brigade quickly advanced into Petersburg.
April 3-9 Pursuit of Lee, which proceeded as far as Burkesville until halted by news of Lee’s surrender.
April 21-26 Marched to City Point, the moved by water to Washington, D.C., where they went into camp at Tenallytown.
May 12 First Lieutenant Lorenzo D. Harmon was promoted to Captain of Company B.
May 23-24 Grand Review
June Provost duty at Washington and Alexandria
June 17 Second Lieutenant William W. Buck was promoted to Captain of Company E.
July 17 Colonel Samuel Harriman mustered out.
July 26 The 37th Wisconsin Infantry Regiment mustered out under the command of Lieutenant Colonel John Green and Major Robert C. Eden, then left by train for Wisconsin.
July 31 Arrived in Madison, Wisconsin and were given a 15 day furlough until they could be paid off and disbanded.

A great deal of this material was referenced from E.B. Quiner’s Military History of Wisconsin, Clarke & Company, Chicago, 1866, found in the archives of the Wisconsin Historical Society.