Ordinary men became extraordinary soldiers.

The 11th Michigan Volunteer Infantry in the Civil War:

A History and Roster

The hard-fighting 11th Michigan Volunteer Infantry was recruited from sparsely settled southwest Michigan shortly after the Civil War broke out. Mainly composed of young farmers and tradesmen, the regiment rapidly evolved into one of the Army of the Cumberland's elite combat units, tenaciously fighting its way through some of the war's bloodiest engagements, including Stones River, Chickamauga, and Missionary Ridge.

This book—featuring a complete unit roster—chronicles the regiment through the words of its veterans, tracing their development from a rabble of idealists into a fine-tuned fighting machine that executed successful bayonet charges against superior numbers. The narrative continues into the postwar period, discussing the ex-soldiers' careers through Reconstruction and the Gilded Age. Photographs, maps, illustrations, and a statistical analysis round out the work.

Reviews

"An excellent standalone work…. Eric Faust achieves his goal: he has rescued the Eleventh Michigan from obscurity…. The … regimental history [is] presented in a captivating manner, serving as a testimonial to the fighting Wolverines[, and] properly honors the unit."—Civil War History

"Well written, with exceptional maps, this is a book I'm delighted to add to my library.... For those with an interest in Michigan regimentals or the Civil War in the West, I highly recommend this volume."—Civil War News

"Faust's narrative chronicles their service... with detailed treatments of Stones River, Chickamauga, and Chattanooga. The maps are good and the research appears to be more than adequate. In addition to a roster the author includes some nicely presented unit statistics in an appendix."—Civil War Books and Authors

"Eric R. Faust ... has provided a welcome history of the 11th Michigan Volunteer Infantry. The 11th was under-recognized for its heroism at Chickamauga ... and elsewhere. Faust helps to right that wrong in a well-researched account filled with photographs [and] useful maps."—Michigan Historical Review