So after 12 years since the original hardcover publication McFarland has decided to release a paperback edition as it as sold well. This is very exciting.
]]>This volume details the Civil War experiences of the 11th Wisconsin Volunteers as they traveled more than 9000 miles in the service of their country. The book looks at the attitude prevalent in Wisconsin at the start of the war and discusses the background of the men who comprised the regiment, 72 percent of whom were farmers. Compiled primarily from the letters and diaries of the men who served in the 11th Wisconsin, the work focuses on the firsthand day-to-day experiences of the common soldier, including rations (or lack thereof), clothing, disease, and, at times, the simple act of waiting. The 11th Wisconsin lost more men to disease than to battle, so their story presents an accurate picture not only of the heroic but also the sometimes humdrum yet perilous existence of the soldier. Appendices provide a list of occupations practiced by the men, dates of muster into service for the regiment’s companies and a copy of a sermon delivered by George Wells after Lee’s surrender in 1865.
I wish I had found this article before my book was published. I was going through The Quiner Papers on my iPad and while looking through Vol. 2 I found a newspaper clipping that was apparently misplaced under the 8th Wisconsin Regiment. Anyway, the article was a breakdown of the data offered in the regiment’s “descriptive books,” which I have and broke down some of this data myself. Here’s what this Janesville Newspaper article came up with:
The Average weight of the regiment while at Camp Randall in 1861: 151 pounds. The heaviest being Company A at 157LBS.
The Average height: 5’8 1/2″. The tallest being Company B at 5′ 9 1/2″
The tallest man at 6’6″ tall and I meed to find out who that is I’m pretty sure I have it written down somewhere.
603 men listed themselves as “farmers” out of 1038, or 58%.
Another interesting piece of data, the Quartermaster at Camp Randall reported that during the previous 4 months he has but one soldier who could not read.
Anyway, that’s it!
]]>Reunion of the 11th Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry veterans. The building is probably the old Milwaukee County courthouse, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, c. 1895. (click to enlarge)
When I was trying to come up with a guesstimate for how far the 11th Wisconsin traveled I got as high as 12,000, but as I had no source other than my calculation, I was not confident claiming that the regiment perhaps traveled that far. All the trips up and down the Mississippi – 4 from top to bottom, made it plausible that they could have traveled 12,000 miles or more. The regiment historian in 1864 claimed they had “marched over 3000” miles with their tally around 8000.
In my book I had them around 9000 total, with 3500 or so on the march. Then this past week, I came across this newspaper article stating that as of March 1864, they were at 10000 miles total with 3000 having consisted of marching.
I have checked all the documents I can find in the Wisconsin Archives, National Archives, ect. I have not found an official total. I was probably wrong to say 9000, it might have well been close to 12000 total miles covered by the regiment.
]]>Please consider getting your copy today! The 11th Wisconsin in the Civil War: A Regimental History.
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