[First Posted at my blog4history website] The Eighth Regiment was organized at Camp Randall, Madison, and its muster into the United States service completed on the 13th of September, 1861, and on the 12th of October, it left the State for St. Louis. Arriving at St. Louis on the 14th of October, the regiment was soon after sent to Pilot Knob, on the Iron Mountain Railroad. On the 20th, the…

Charles J. LaRocca is a retired high school and college level history teacher who founded a student research and reenactment group based on the 124th New York. He has published articles and two books and lives in Montgomery, New York. His most recent work is The 124th New York State Volunteers in the Civil War: A History and Roster, which is really more than just a book for Mr. LaRocca,…

The 2d Wisconsin Infantry was primarily raised in Madison, Racine, Milwaukee, Oshkosh, and La Crosse and entered into Federal service on June 11, 1861. The regiment would have 1203 soldiers enroll into its ranks throughout its service with 238 killed or wounded in battle for a 19.7% rate.(1) Therefore, according to William F. Fox’s study, the 2nd Wisconsin suffered the highest rate of losses in battle. However, the figures of…

The Wisconsin Historical society has one of the best online digital archives available: Wisconsin in the Civil War. I am always impressed whenever I need to look something up on a Wisconsin regiment. Via their website (and a new version coming soon) anyone can look up not just demographic info, but also search through letters, diaries, newspaper clippings and memoirs. I know I have written about their excellent collections before,…

Civil War historian Eric Wittenberg over at his Rantings of a Civil War Historian blog described a treasure trove of documents he gathered up at the Ohio Historical Society back on the 23rd while doing research on another book. His find sounds amazing and I am very jealous, but pleased that yet more Civil War primary documents are coming to light. Among the items Wittenberg unearthed was a previously unknown…

Off and on for the last 6-7 years I have entertained the thought of writing an updated history of the 124th New York Volunteer Infantry. The reason being I am a descendent of Col. Charles H. Weygant who wrote the first and only book length history of the regiment and the regiment has an excellent history that needs updating. I never could wrap my head around the idea of doing…

E.B. Quiner was the Civil War historian for the State of Wisconsin during the Civil War. Quiner and two of his daughters (who served as nurses) collected newspaper clippings dealing with Wisconsin State Regiments. From 1860-1862, Quiner served as a private secretary to the governor, and after that dedicated much of his time to the collection of what has to be tens of thousands of newspaper clippings detailing the exploits…

I have read, looked over, examined, at least several hundred “original” regimental histories and this is possibly the best “Preface” to a regimental history I have yet to encounter. Those original “autobiographical” regimental histories are so important and can help us understand “memory” and the Civil War, especially with regard to the soldier. Lucien Wulsin, The story of the Fourth Regiment Ohio Veteran Volunteer Cavalry (1912): THE typical soldiers of…

Charles H. Weygant Journal printing house, 1877 To read this book for free. Lt. Col. Charles H. Weygant is an ancestor of mine (my g-g-g uncle) and at the conclusion of the Civil War he was in command of the 124th New York Regiment. Originally named “The American Guard” by the founding Colonel, A. Van Horne Ellis, Weygant helped to raise the regiment and enlist volunteers. Weygant would be promoted…