1st Michigan Engineers and Mechanics Regiment

January 2025 1st Michigan Engineers and Mechanics Regiment Flag of Michigan.svg Michigan state flag October 29, 1861, to September 22, 1865 United States Union Engineer Battle of Mill Springs (Companies D, F, G)Siege of CorinthBattle of PerryvilleBattle of Stones RiverChattanooga campaignAtlanta campaignMarch to the SeaBattle of Bentonville The 1st Michigan Engineers and Mechanics Regiment was an engineer regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. There were only ten other similar regiments in the Union Army. The Michigan unit was one of three engineering regiments raised in 1861, the other two being Missouri (August 1861) and New York (September 1861). Engineering regiments are often left off of many Order of Battles, but their contribution to campaigns were vital from a logistics point of view; repairing/building railroads, bridges and blockhouses; and destroying enemy communication lines, railroads and bridges. Engineering units like the First Michigan were often caught up in attacks from enemy guerrillas and cavalry skirmishes. Service thumb|Engineers and infantry busy at the Elk River Bridge, Tennessee, providing rail passage for the Union troops The 1st Michigan Engineers was organized at Marshall, Michigan and mustered into service on October 29, 1861. They rendezvoused at Camp Owen on the Calhoun County fairgrounds in early October. The regiment was mustered out on September 22, 1865. Total strength and casualties Over its existence, the regiment carried a total of 2962 men on its muster rolls.http://www.michiganinthewar.org/rosters.htm Michigan Regimental Rosters 2007-07-04 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20070704205245/http://www.michiganinthewar.org/rosters.htm 2007-07-04 Michigan in the Civil War website, retrieved July 4, 2007 The regiment lost 1 officer and 12 enlisted men killed in action or mortally wounded, and 351 enlisted men who died of disease, for a total of 364 fatalities.History - Michigan Artillery https://www.civilwararchive.com/Unreghst/unmiarty.htm 2025-07-17 www.civilwararchive.com At the Battle of Perryville (October 1862), the First Michigan had at least ten wounded and one missing. At Lavergne, Tennessee; just prior to the Battle of Murfreesboro, the First Michigan had one killed, five wounded, four POWs and one missing. The 1st Michigan saw two men killed, nine wounded, and two missing at the Battle of Murfreesboro (early January 1863). The unit was active all over middle Tennessee, including Columbia, Spring Hill, Franklin, Brentwood and Nashville from 1862 - 1864, building and repairing railroads, bridges, blockhouses, etc. The Franklin-Nashville Campaign was costly to the First Michigan Engineers, losing over 30 men as POWs. The unit also participated in Sherman's March to the Sea and at the Battle of Bentonville.August 2026 Under Sherman's orders, the unit destroyed the Fayetteville Arsenal.Barrett 2017 313 Commanders Colonel William Power Innes, September 12, 1861, to October 26, 18641st Michigan Engineers and Mechanics www.michiganinthewar.org http://www.michiganinthewar.org/engineers/1enga.htm 2025-07-18 July 21, 2007 https://web.archive.org/web/20070721075539/http://www.michiganinthewar.org/engineers/1enga.htm dead Colonel John B. Yates, November 3, 1864, to September 22, 1865Record of Service of Michigan Volunteers in the Civil War, 1904, vol. 43, p. 230 Commemoration thumb|Front of Monument with Capitol building visible in background A monument honoring the 1st Michigan Engineers and Mechanics Regiment was dedicated on October 12, 1912, in Lansing, Michigan.Capitol Square Michigan State Capitol https://capitol.michigan.gov/history/capitol-square 2025-07-14 capitol.michigan.gov en Located near the Michigan State Capitol building on the corner of North Capitol Avenue and Ottawa Street, the monument is made of granite with a concrete base and stands about 10 feet tall. It was funded by surviving members of the regiment, their friends and family, and the city of Lansing. There are four plaques (one on each side of the monument) that list important dates, locations, and the names of those who served. See also List of Michigan Civil War Units Michigan in the American Civil War List of Engineer Regiments of the Union Army Notes References Barrett John G. The Civil War in North Carolina The University of North Carolina Press 2017 Chapel Hill https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_Civil_War_in_North_Carolina/sX45DwAAQBAJ 978-1-46-963966-6 Hoffmann Mark My Brave Mechanics: The First Michigan Engineers and Their Civil War 2007 Wayne State University Press Detroit, Michigan 9780814332924 Union Regiments American Civil War Archive https://www.civilwararchive.com/unionmi.htm 2025-07-18 Engineers Category:1865 disestablishments in Michigan Category:1861 establishments in Michigan Category:Military units and formations established in 1861 Category:Military units and formations disestablished in 1865 Category:Engineer units and formations of the Union army