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Meet the undisciplined soldiers you would never want to face on a battlefield.
The 6th Michigan Volunteer Infantry in the Civil War:
The 6th Michigan Volunteer Infantry in the Civil War:
A History and Roster
A History and Roster
The 6th Michigan Volunteer Infantry first deployed to Baltimore, where the soldiers' exemplary demeanor charmed a mainly secessionist population. Their subsequent service along the Mississippi River was a perfect storm of epidemic disease, logistical failures, guerrilla warfare, profiteering, martinet West Pointers and scheming field officers, along with the doldrums of camp life punctuated by bloody battles. The Michiganders responded with alcoholism, insubordination, and depredations.
Yet they saved the Union right flank at Baton Rouge and executed suicidal charges at Port Hudson. This first modern history of the controversial regiment objectively recounts its travails and includes a statistical analysis, a roster, and a brief summary of the unit's service following its conversion to heavy artillery.
Reviews
Reviews
"Faust's richly detailed narrative ... is profoundly enhanced by the author's seamless integration of the great number of firsthand accounts obtained through archival research. [His] meticulous recounting of the regiment's part in the fighting at the Baton Rouge battle ... and Port Hudson siege ... will be highly useful to future scholars.... In addition, Faust's detailed coverage significantly enhances our knowledge of Lower Gulf guerrilla warfare.... The 6th Michigan Volunteer Infantry in the Civil War is a model regimental history.... Highly recommended reading."—Civil War Books and Authors (read the full review here)
"Eric Faust does an excellent job of presenting a ... fair and objective account of both the heroic service and numerous depredations characteristic of the 6th Michigan.... This book is well written, historically accurate, and treats the good and the bad in a balanced fashion. The addition, as an appendix, of a complete roster is an invaluable reference for any scholar wishing to further examine the contributions of this unit. Thus, it is easy to highly recommend this book for anyone interested in Michigan units during the Civil War."—Civil War News (read the full review here)
"A painstakingly detailed account.... Faust’s work is an excellently written history of a Michigan Civil War regiment [and] helps to humanize the men who fought with the Sixth.... An interested reader will not find glorified tales of combat, but a history of military life during desperate times. Readers and scholars who are interested in the Civil War or the history of Michigan and its people will appreciate Faust’s clear and unbiased narrative."—Michigan Historical Review (read the full review here—partner academic or library login required)
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