Eleventh Michigan Infantry 1861-1864

The ELEVENTH MICHIGAN was raised in White Pigeon. My Great Grandfather, Marion Perry, age 96, right, was 21 at the time of his enlistment and lived in Hudson, Lenawee County, Michigan, where he grew to manhood. He enlisted as Pvt. Marion Perry in September 1861 at the nearby township of Wright, Hillsdale County. Pvt. Marion Perry is the soldier on the right in the "soldiers" photo. Marion Perry died at age 96 and is buried at the Rosalia, Kansas cemetery.

At full strength the ELEVENTH REGIMENT had about 1,000 men and basic training was at White Pigeon, Michigan. They shipped out by rail from Sturgis, Michigan on December 9, 1861, for the Western Theatre of the Civil War. The Eleventh arrived at winter quarters of the Union Army in Bardstown, Kentucky in mid December of 1861. There, they were frought with outbreaks of measles, dysentery, poor living conditions and worst of all boredom.

In the spring of 1862 the ELEVENTH MICHIGAN was involved with guarding the Louisville-Nashville Railroad against the Confederate General John Morgan and his 1,000 man cavalry also known as Morgan's Raiders. Many weeks were spent on a fruitless chase of Morgan all across central Kentucky. The ELEVENTH MICHIGAN never caught up with Morgan's Raiders in Kentucky but did have their first baptism under fire when part of Morgan's troops opened fire on the regiment at Gallatin, Tennessee, on August 13, 1862.
All engagements with Confederate troops were in Tennessee and Georgia.

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A Brief Chronology

Central Tennessee Campaign
1. Skirmish at Gallatin, Tn-August 13, 1862
Provost Duty-Nashville, Tn
2. Skirmish at Fort Riley, Tn-September 1, 1862
3. Battle of Stone's River at Murfreesboro, Tn-Dec. 29-31, 1862 and Jan. 2-3, 1863
4. Battle at Elk River Bridge, Tn-July 1, 1863
Camp at Dechard, Tn

Enter Chattanooga Campaign,
5. Engagement at Davis Cross-Roads, Ga-Sept. 11, 1863
6. Battle of Chickamauga, Ga-Sept. 19-20, 1863
7. Battle of Missionary Ridge, Tn-Nov. 25, 1863
8. Engagement at Greysville, Ga-Nov 26, 1863
Under Seige of Chattanooga

May 1864-Entered the Georgia Campaign
9. Buzzards Roost, Ga-May 10, 1864
10. Resaca, Ga-Engagement, May 14, 1864
11. Battle of New Hope Church, Ga-May 27, 1864
12. Battle of Kennesaw Mountain, Ga-June 22-27, 1864
13. Engagement at Ruff's Station, Ga-July 3-4, 1864
Crossed the Chattahoochie River-July 17, 1864

Entered the Atlanta Campaign
14. Battle of Peachtree Creek, Ga-July 20, 1864
15. Battle of Atlanta-Aug. 7, 1864
16. Siege of Atlanta-Aug. 22-27, 1864

The Regiment's three year term of Enlistment Expired Aug. 27, 1864 while the ELEVENTH was in the trenches before Atlanta
The Regiment was mustered out of service-Sept. 30, 1864 at Sturgis, Mi

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The ELEVENTH REGIMENT'S three year term of enlistment expired in September 1864 while the regiment was in the trenches just miles from the center of Atlanta with General Sherman's Army. They were then sent back to Chattanooga by train, then to Sturgis, Michigan, by train, where they were discharged and returned to their homes.

Nearly 50% of the original regiment did not return. They had either died from wounds and disease or were captured and sent to Andersonville Prison at Andersonville, Ga. There were also desertions and missing in action. Colonel William Stoughton lost a leg to a cannonball at the engagement at Ruff's Station.

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