On April 9, 1865, just hours after Robert E. Lee surrendered to Ulysses S. Grant and for all practical purposes ended the Civil War, the Eleventh Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry Regiment charged across a hellish field of abatis, snarled debris, and ravines loaded with landmines. Their target was Fort Blakely, Alabama. A needless assault (20,000 against less than 2,000) that took only minutes to complete, cost the Eleventh Wisconsin 61 casualties, and ordered by a general trying to save face for numerous failings.
When the Eleventh Wisconsin was formed in the fall of 1861 outside of Madison at Camp Randall, it would have been hard for any of those Boys of 61’ to imagine that three and a half years later they would take part in the last significant land battle of the war.
Leading up to the assault on Fort Blakely, the Eleventh Wisconsin had traveled some 9,000 miles all along the Trans-Mississippi region, to as far away as Texas and the Gulf of Mexico. It was an odyssey of epic proportions for the farm boys of Wisconsin who dominate the regiment’s ranks; many had never left their county, let alone their state.
The Eleventh Wisconsin was made up primarily of wheat farmers (around 72 percent) from south central Wisconsin, with a strong showing from Dane County and Madison, where their beloved Colonel, Charles L. Harris, resided. Their journey had been a hard one in more ways than simply distance: long and exhausting marches across an often desolate, hot and humid landscape that was unforgiving. Many died of exposure, exhaustion, and, of course, disease. They also saw hard combat, especially during Grant’s Mississippi Campaign where the regiment suffered high causality rates during the siege of Vicksburg.
Henry Twining was a member of the 11th Wisconsin and served in Company C. Standing nearly 6 feet tall he was nineteen years old when he enlisted as a Corporal on September 14th, 1861, three weeks after his brother John joined up. It would take almost eight weeks for the final Twining brother, Aaron, to follow rank and enlist. All three were placed in the Eleventh Wisconsin and in Company C. We have recently entered in 6 of Henry’s letters that have survived dated from September 29th, 1861 to August 27th, 1862 and most addressed to a Miss Harriet “Hattie” Perkins.
Click here for Twining’s letters.
]]>Roster of the 11th Wisconsin Infantry, Co. C
The “Waterloo Rifles”
Abbreviations
M.O.= Mustered Out.
Cpl = Corporal
Sgt = Sergeant
Lt = Lieutenant
Prom = Promoted
Disch = Discharged
Trans = Transferred
Officers
| Name | Rank | Residence | Date(Rank From) | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Charles Perry | Captain | Waterloo | Aug 8, 1861 | Res. Mar 8, 1863. |
| James Lang | Captain | Waterloo | Mar 18, 1863 | Vet.; 1st Lt., Aug 8, 1861; M.O. Sept 4, 1865 |
| Mart V.B. Hutchinson | 1st Lt | Waterloo | Mar 18, 1863 | Enl. Aug 26, 1861; Sgt., 1st Sgt.; 2nd Lt, Jul 8, 1862; res. Jun 12, 1863. |
| Azel Grover | 1st Lt | Beaver Dam | Jun 12, 1863 | Enl. Sept 6, 1861; Cpl., Sgt.; Res. Feb 6, 1864. |
| John Sewright | 1st Lt | Whitewater | Apr 13, 1864 | Enl. Sept 2, 1861; Vet., 1st Sgt.; M.O. Sept 4, 1863. |
| Oscar F. Mattice | 2nd Lt | Waterloo | Aug 17, 1861 | Res. Jul 8, 1862 |
| Hiram E. Smith | 2nd Lt | Waterloo | Mar 18, 1863 | Enl Sept 6, 1862; Sgt.; Killded Mar 22, 1863, Vicksburg, Miss. |
Enlisted Men
| Name | Residence | Enlisted | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alexander, William | Cold Spring | Aug 26, 1861 | Vet., Cpl.; Wnd. Blakely; right arm amp.; M.O. Aug 22, 1865. |
| Alexander, Obediah T | Cold Spring | Aug 26, 1861 | Disch. Aug 24, 1863, disability. |
| Aden, Philander | Cold Spring | Aug 26, 1861 | Cpl.; disch. Oct 30, 1862, disability. |
| Andrus, Florence E | Albany | Jan 27, 1864 | Musician; M.O. Sept 4, 1863 |
| Anderson, John | Kroghville | Aug 26, 1861 | Wnd. Black River Bridge; died Jul 18, 1864, Brashear City, La., disease. |
| Armes, John D | Cottage Grove | Sept 16, 1861 | Disch. Oct 17, 1862, disability. |
| Babcock, Azariah | Portland | Sept 2, 1861 | Disch. Aug 13, 1863, disability. |
| Bashford, George W | Hanchetville | Sept 7, 1861 | Disch. Jun 14, 1864 |
| Beattie, William | Portage | Dec 13, 1864 | Drafted; M.O. Sept 4, 1865. |
| Beam, William | Ellington | Mar 20, 1865 | Drafted; died Aug 22, 1865, Mobile, Ala., disease. |
| Bottleson, Andrew M | Kroghville | Aug 26, 1861 | Disch. Feb 9, 1863, disability. |
| Bowman, Elijah A | Edgerton | Nov 6, 1861 | Deserted Jan 1862. |
| Brink, John | Milford | Aug 26, 1861 | Sgt.; wnd. Vickburg; disch. Oct 3, 1863, disability. |
| Brink, Henry | Milford | Aug 26, 1861 | Vet., Cpl.; Wnd Vicksburg; M.O. Sept 4, 1865. |
| Brown, Lindsey S | Waterloo | Aug 26, 1861 | Cpl., Sgt.; disch. Jun 9, 1863, disability. |
| Bump, Loren E | Koshkonong | Sept 27, 1861 | Vet.; M.O. Sept 4, 1865. |
| Burnett, Jonathan A | Stoughton | Sept 9, 1861 | Died Jul 8, 1862, Bayou Devieu, disease. |
| Case, Scott | Johnsons Creek | Aug 26, 1861 | Wnd. Vicksburg; disch. Aug 19, 1863, disability. |
| Coleman, Friend F | Eolia | Sept 12, 1861 | Disch. Aug 23, 1862, disability. |
| Conroy, John C | Lowell, Mass | Nov 5, 1861 | Vet.; M.O. Sept 4, 1865. |
| Connoly, John | Green Bay | Aug 5, 1864 | M.O. Sept 1, 1865. |
| Connoly, John A | Brookfield | Mar 15, 1865. | M.O. Sept 1, 1865. |
| Connant, James B | Jefferson | Oct 29, 1861 | Deserted Apr 10, 1862. |
| Cooley, Major | Johnson Creek | Sept 12, 1861 | Disch. Feb 23, 1863, disability. |
| Cook, James H. | Hanchetville | Sept 16, 1861 | Disch. Nov 18, 1862, by order. |
| Cornish, Adrian | Hortonia | Mar 22, 1865. | Drafted; M.O. Sept 4, 1865. |
| Dietrich, George | Morrison | Mar 20, 1865. | Drafed; M.O. Sept 4, 1865. |
| Desmond, Patrick | Waterloo | Died Nov 29, 1862; Ironton, Mo, disease. | |
| Doen, George | Barton | Oct 12, 1864 | Drafed; M.O. Sept 1, 1865. |
| Drager, August | Waterloo | Sept 9, 1861 | Trans. to V.R.C. , Feb 10, 1864; M.O. Oct 14, 1864. |
| Dunbar, James | Shullsburg | Jan 26, 1864 | From 33rd Wis. Inf; M.O. Sept 4, 1865. |
| Eddy, Norman A | Herman | Mar 3, 1865. | M.O. Sept 1, 1865. |
| Folendorf, William | Eldorado | Sept 23, 1861 | Vet.; wnd. Black River Bridge; M.O. Sept 4, 1863. |
| Frank, Solmon S. | Lima | Mar 16, 1865. | M.O. Sept 4, 1865. |
| Fryer, Henry | Whitewater | Aug 26, 1861 | Died Jul 5, 1862, Augusta, Ark., disease. |
| Fuller, James H | Hebron | Aug 26, 1861 | Musician; disch. Nov 30, 1863. |
| Fuller, Ephriam H | Hanchervile | Sept 14, 1861 | Disch. Apr 19, 1863, disability. |
| Goldschmidt, Christian | New Denmark | Mar 2, 1865. | Drafted; M.O. Sept 1, 1865. |
| Gould, Charles | Preble | Mar 2, 1865 | Drafted; M.O. Sept 4, 1865. |
| Graham, John | Bristol | Mar 25, 1864 | M.O. Sept 4, 1865. |
| Griffith, Owen | Waterloo | Oct 29, 1861 | Died Jul 6, 1862, Cache River, Ark., disease. |
| Griffin Z.T. | Caledonia | Dec 16, 1864 | M.O. Sept 4, 1865 |
| Grindle, Daniel | Johnsons Creek | Oct 29, 1861 | Vet.; M.O. Sept 4, 1865. |
| Huckbert, Frederick | Eldorado | Sept 23, 1861 | Died Nov 9, 1863, New Orleans, La. |
| Hamilton, Henry W | Rockton, Ill | Sept 24, 1861 | Trans to V.R.C., Jul 15, 1863. |
| Hartman, Daniel | Newbury, Pa | Sept 15, 1861 | Vet., Cpl.; M.O. Sept 3, 1865. |
| Hascall, Geroge D | Waterloo | Sept 12, 1861 | Disch. Nov 18, 1862, disability |
| Hitchcock, William | |||
| Lake Mills | Aug 26, 1861 | Die Nov 14, 1862, St. Louis, Mo., disease. | |
| Hoyt, William | Sun Prairie | Apr 23,1864 | M.O. Sept 1, 1865. |
| Huff, Charles | Farmington | Dec 18, 1863 | Died Jun 15, 1864, New Orleans, La., disease. |
| Huff, John | Johnsons Creek | Aug 26, 1861 | M.O. Dec 14, 1864. term exp. |
| Huntley, Seldon | Whitewater | Jan 4, 1864 | Musician; M.O. Jul 9, 1865. |
| Huntley, Frank A | Whitewater | Sept 26, 1861 | Musician; M.O. Dec 14, 1864, term exp. |
| Hurd, Frank H | Beloit | Aug 8, 1864 | M.O. Jun 6, 1865. |
| Hurd, Lovinus S | Ironton | Oct 25, 1861 | Vet., Cpl., Sgt.; M.O. Sept 4, 1865. |
| Hutchinson, Albert G | Packwaukee | Oct 20, 1862 | Vet.; M.O. Sept 4, 1865. |
| Hyer, Nelson C | Portland | Sept 12, 1861 | Wnd. Vicksburg; Died 64, New Orleans, La. |
| Ingamells, Charles | Waterloo | Sept 7, 1861 | Wnd. Vicksburg; died Jun 16, 1863, Memphis, Tenn., wnds. |
| Ingamells, George R | Waterloo | Sept 7, 1861 | Vet., Cpl.; Killed Apr 9, 1865, Blakely, Ala. |
| Johnson, Andreas | Madison | Nov 1, 1864 | M.O. Sept 4, 1865. |
| Jones, Franklin J | Packwaukee | Oct 20, 1862 | Vet., Cpl.; M.O. Jul 25, 1865. |
| Jorgenson, Gjert | Madison | Nov 1, 1864 | M.O. May 22, 1865. |
| Judge, Patrick | Waterloo | Sept 7, 1861 | Vet.; M.O. Sept 4, 1865. |
| Kelly, Alfred H | Springvale, Me | Sept 16, 1861 | Disch Sept 1, 1862 |
| Kimber, Jesse | Nasewaunee | Mar 30, 1865 | Drafted; M.O. Sept 4, 1865. |
| King, William C | Hancherville | Sept 16, 1861 | Died Nov 29, 1862. Ironton, Mo., disease. |
| Klose, Gustav | Two Rivers | Mar 16, 1865 | Drafted; M.O. Sept 4, 1865. |
| Knapp, Henry P | Waterloo | Sept 9, 1861 | Vet., 1st Sgt.; died Aug 14, 1864, Brashear City, La., disease. |
| Kolters, Michael | Perry | Mar 6, 1865 | Drafted; M.O. Sept 1, 1865. |
| Krause, Nicholas | Greenville | Mar 22, 1865 | Drafted; M.O. Sept 4, 1865 |
| Krough, Bernard J | Kroughville | Aug 26, 1861 | Vet., Cpl.; M.O. Sept 4, 1865. |
| Kuder, Frederick | Aztalan | Sept 18, 1861 | Trans. To V.R.C., Feb 10, 1864. |
| Lafferty, John | Madison | Oct 28, 1861 | Vet., Cpl.; M.O. Setp 4, 1865. |
| Lang, Clark | Waterloo | Oct 3, 1862 | Vet.; M.O. Jul 9, 1865. |
| Lee, Leviras A | Milwaukee | Mar 29, 1865 | M.O. Sept 4, 1865. |
| Lehman, Frederick | Watertown | Sept 17, 1861 | Vet.; M.O. Sept 4, 1865. |
| Leland, Henry C | Reeseville | Sept 17, 1861 | Wnd. Port Gibson; disch. Sept 29, 1864, disability. |
| Liefbroer, Peter | Holland | Mar 13, 1865 | Drafted; M.O. Sept 4, 1865. |
| Linderman, John W | Beloit | Sept 14, 1861 | Disch. Oct 25, 1861 |
| Lusted, John | Lake Mills | Aug 26, 1861 | Died Sept 15, 1861, Brashear City, La., disease. |
| Mason, William | Oxford | Oct 28, 1861 | Disch. Mar 31, 1862, disability. |
| Mattice, Albert F | Waterloo | Setp 16, 1861 | Vet., Cpl.; Prom. 1st Lt. Co. H, 1st Wis, H. Art., Sept 7, 1864. |
| McCaskel, Daniel | Brookfield | Mar 21, 1865 | M.O. Sept 4, 1865. |
| McNulty, John | Fond Du Lac | Feb 14, 1865 | Drafted; M.O. Sept 2, 1865. |
| Merserman, Peter D | Milwaukee | Mar 30, 1865 | M.O. Sept 4, 1865. |
| Meracle, Alonzo | Whitewater | Sept 16, 1861 | Vet.; M.O. Sept 4, 1865 |
| Meyer, Lawrence | Eolia | Sept 16, 1861 | Vet.; M.O. Sept 4, 1865. |
| Mullen, William | Shullsburg | Jan 13, 1864 | From 33rd Wis. Inf.; M.O. Sept 4, 1865. |
| Muzzy, Austin L | |||
| Hanchetville | Sept 16, 1861 | Vet., Sgt.; M.O. Sept 4, 1865. | |
| Packard, William Nelson | Waterloo | Aug 26, 1861 | M.O. Dec 14,, 1864, term exp. |
| Peckham, George F | Milford | Setp 24, 1861 | Vet., Wagoner; M.O. Sept 4, 1865. |
| Peterson Lars | Shullsburg | Dec 10, 1863 | From 33rd Wis. Inf.; M.O. Sept 4, 1865. |
| Peterson, George | Madison | Nov 1, 1864 | M.O. Sept 4, 1865. |
| Pierce, Edgar E | Waterloo | Jan 4, 1864 | Vet. Recuit; M.O. Sept 4, 1865. |
| Pixley, Benjamin F | Cold Spring | Aug 26, 1861 | Vet., Cpl.; Died Dec 6, 1864, Brashear City, La., disease. |
| Polhman, Frederick | Aztalan | Setp 23, 1861 | Wnd. Vickburg; trans. to V.R.C., Dec 15, 1863; M.O. Setp 26, 1864, term exp. |
| Prame, Reuben | Waterloo | Aug 26, 1861 | Disch. Feb 26, 1863, disability. |
| Ranney Warren E | York | Sept 6, 1861 | Cpl.; trans to Miss. M. Brigade, Jan 3, 1863. |
| Rawson, John G | York | Setp 7, 1861 | Vet., Cpl.; M.O. Sept 5, 1865. |
| Reynolds, John W | Johnsons Creek | Sept 21, 1861 | Disch. Aug 11, 1864. |
| Rhod, Melegor | Eolia | Sept 9, 1861 | Disch. Mar 20, 1863, disability. |
| Rhodes, Phillip E | Herman | Mar 22, 1865 | M.O. Jul 9, 1865. |
| Riley, Charles S | Irving | Oct 19, 1864 | M.O. Sept 4, 1865. |
| Roach, Nelson | Waterloo | Aug 26, 1861 | Vet., Cpl; died Jul 22, 1865, Montgomery, Ala., disease. |
| Roach, William R | Waterloo | Sept 7, 1861 | Vet.; M.O. Sept 4, 1865. |
| Roach, James B | Milford | Sept 7, 1861 | Sgt.; 2nd Lt., May 22, 1863, not mustered; disch. |
| Robinson, George | Reeseville | Oct 29, 1861 | Died Apr 27, 1862, Ironton, Mo., disease. |
| Robinson, John | Brookfield | Mar 10, 1865 | M.O. Sept 1, 1865. |
| Robinson, Samuel | Portland | Aug 26, 1861 | Vet.; Cpl.; M.O. Sept 4, 1865; Killed in R.R. accident en route home. |
| Rost, Moritz | Little Suamica | Mar 22, 1865 | Drafed; M.O. Sept 4, 1865. |
| Sander, John F | Medina | Aug 31, 1864 | M.O. Jun 6, 1865. |
| Sanfried, Phillip | Oconomowoc | Sept 22,1864 | Drafted; M.O. Jun 6, 1865. |
| Semple, Charles | Bloomfield | Mar 13, 1865 | Drafted; M.O. Sept 4, 1865. |
| Sharp, James | Rochester, NY | Sept 17, 1861 | Vet.; wnd Blakely; M.O. Sept 4, 1865. |
| Sherman, Taber A | Eolia | Sept 16, 1861 | Wnd. Vicksburg; disach. Oct 10, 1863, wnds. |
| Sickles, William H | Waterloo | Jan 4, 1864 | Died May 12, 1865, Waterloo, Wis., disease. |
| Simm, Nicholas | Nasewaupee | Mar 21, 1865 | Drafted; M.O. Sept 4, 1865. |
| Smith, William | Johnsons Creek | Sept 6, 1861 | Died Dec 29, 1862, St. Louis, MO. |
| Stonebraker, John H | Shullsburg | Jan 9, 1864 | From 33rd Wis. Inf.; M.O. Sept 4, 1865. |
| Swift, Patrick H | Edgerton | Aug 26, 1861 | Sgt.; Prom 2nd Lt. Co. E, 33rd Wis. Inf, Aug 30, 1862. |
| Terryberry, Edward | Shullsburg | Jan 5, 1864 | From 33rd, Wis. Inf.; M.O. Sept 4, 1865. |
| Tessin, John | Whitewater | Aug 26, 1861 | Trans to V.R.C. Jul 1, 1863. |
| Thayer, Alpheus M | Waterloo | Sept 17, 1861 | Vet.; Cpl.; Wnd Vicksburg; M.O. Sept 4, 1865. |
| Thompson, Martin V | Columbus | Sept 6, 1861 | Died Jan 8, 1863, St. Louis, Mo., disease. |
| Tolliver, Henry | Hubbard | Mar 29, 1865 | M.O. Sept 4, 1865. |
| Tripp, William H | Waterloo | Dec 30, 1863 | M.O. Sept 4, 1865 |
| Tropp, Andrew | York | Sept 6, 1861 | Disch. Mar 26, 1863, disability. |
| Trussel, Jay E | Deansville | Aug 12, 1861 | Prom. Hospital Steward. Nov 23, 1863. |
| Twining, Henry H | Waterloo | Sept 11, 1861 | Vet., Cpl., Sgt.; Absent sick at M.O. of regt. |
| Twining, John Q | Waterloo | Aug 26, 1861 | Died Mar 21, 1862, Pilot Knob, Mo., disease. |
| Twining, Aaron | Hanchetville | Nov 1, 1861 | Died Aug 25, 1862, Oldtown, Ark., diesease. |
| Unger, Conarad A | Hanchetville | Sept 7, 1861 | Vet., Sgt., 1st Sgt.; wnd. Blakely, Ala; M.O. Sept 4, 1865. |
| Weed, Alphonso | Waterloo | Aug 26, 1861 | Disch. disability. |
| Weed, Theodore | Waterloo | Sept 2, 1861 | Vet., Cpl., Sgt.; died Nov 25, 1864, Cairo, Ill., disease. |
| Wittcho, William | Aztalan | Sept 23, 1861 | Died Feb 15, 1863, Jacks Fork, Ark., disease. |
| Wilcox, George | Reeseville | Sept 2, 1861 | Vet., Cpl.; M.O. Sept 4, 1865. |
| Wilcox, Edmond | Reeseville | Sept 9, 1861 | Wnd. Port Gibson; died Jun 25, 1863, Memphis, Tenn., wnds. |
| Wilcox, Lester C | Reeseville | Sept 9, 1861 | Trans to V.R.C., Dec 15, 1863 |
| Wilber, Philander | Whitewater | Sept 16,1861 | Vet., Cpl., Sgt.; died Apr 11, 1865, Blakely, Ala., wnds. |
| Williams, Thomas A | Sun Prairie | Sept 11, 1861 | Vet., Cpl., Sgt.; M.O. Sept 4, 1865. |
| Wilson, Darwin | Waterloo | Sept 10, 1861 | Disch. Oct 25, 1864., disability. |
| Winslow, Joseph R | Eolia | Setp 19, 1861 | Vet., Cpl.; M.O. Sept 4, 1865. |
| Wise, Theodore | Onalaska | Sept 2, 1861 | Deid Jan 6, 1862, Camp Curtis., disease. |
| Wood, Ira A, | York | Sept 9,1861 | Died Jun 29, 1862, Battesville, Ark., disease. |
| Wooden, Albert | Johnsons Creek | Aug 26,1862 | Cpl.; disch. Feb 23, 1863, disability. |
| Wright, William H | Racine | Nov 3, 1862 | From 33rd, Wis. Inf.; M.O. Sept 4, 1862. |
| Wright, George | Farmington | Mar 27, 1864 | Died Aug 2, 1864, Brashear City, La., disease. |
Any omissions or errors are unintentional.