The Twenty-first Regiment was organized at Oshkosh, and was composed of companies enlisted in Fond du Lac, Winnebago, Outagamie, Waupaca, Calumet and Manitowoc Counties.  Its organization was perfected under the supervision of Colonel Benjamin J. Sweet, and it was mustered into the United States service on September 5, 1862, with the following roster:

    Harrison C. Hobart, a Captain in the 4^th Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry, had been commissioned Lieutenant Colonel, but being, at the time, on duty at New Orleans, did not join the regiment at the time of its organization.  The regiment left the State on September 11, 1862, bound for Cincinnati.  Arriving there they crossed the river to Crovington, where they received their arms and were immediately assigned to duty in the trenches, where they suffered severely for the want of tents and camp equipment.  From this point they marched to the defense of Louisville, under Brigadier General Philip H. Sheridan.  Here the regiment first received their tents, became equipped for the field, and was assigned to the 28^th Brigade, in the division commanded by Brigadier General Rousseau, and marched with the Army of the Ohio into the Kentucky interior.  On the 8^th of October the regiment was engaged in the Battle of Perryville.  In this battle, Colonel Sweet was in command.   The regiment was placed, erroneously, about a hundred yards in front of the left of the main line in a position between the two armies and, in consequence, suffered from fire from both lines.  From this position the regiment was quickly driven back to the rear of our line with severe loss.  Major Frederick Schumacher, Captain Hiram M. Gibbs, Captain George Bently and Second Lieutenant David W. Mitchell were killed.  Colonel Benjamin J. Sweet, First Lieutenant Abner B. Smith, and First Lieutenant Ferdinand Ostenfeldt were wounded and Second Lieutenant Charles H. Morgan was taken prisoner.

    The casualties were reported as follows:
Killed or died or wounds: Field Officer - Major Frederick Schumacher.   Company A - Sergeant Henry W. Hubbell, Corporal Aaron Sherwood, Privates John Dunn, Edwin C. Washburne, James A. Bowles, Duncan McDonald, F. M. Craw, at Danville, Virginia and Thomas Smith.  Company B - Privates Loren Dudley, Elisha B. Showark and Sidney Raymond.  Company C - Second Lieutenant David W. Mitchell, Sergeant Henry D. Britton, Corporal Wellington H. Millard, Privates Ruben W. Baldwin, George W. Coulson, Nelson H. Ellsworth, William Owen, George W. Ralph, Thomas Williams, Alfred Bingham, Levi Lake and Thomas McCord.  Company D - Private Richard Baker.  Company E - Captain Hiram M. Gibbs, Sergeants Daniel Thurston and William Fowler, Corporals Charles H. Jenson and Elias L. Holt, Privates Henry Bandorf, John Flood, Charles Keeder, John W. Puffer, William Reader, Leander E. Wiggins, H. C. Johnson, and Bendix Kuhl.  Company F - Corporals Cornelius Tunison and Frederick Luckman.  Company G - Privates Myron Brighton, Amos D. Muger, Alvin S. Cartwright and Hans C. Hanson. Company H - Captain George Bently, First Sergeant Edward T. Kirkland, Privates John Fuzleberg, George A. Hilts and John Johnson.  Company I - Sergeant Cyrus Bradish, Jr., Corporal Josiah H. Dana, Privates Henry S. Dunn, Lutman W. Clinton, William W. Johnson, George Simpson, Christiam Winniman and Lemuel W. Webb.  Company K - Corporal Warren Mosier, Privates Joseph Boden, George Campbell, John Stallman, William Wright, Milo Willard, Manuel Loud and Jerome Pendleton - 65 total.
Wounded: Field Officer - Colonel Benjamin J. Sweet.  Company A - Sergeant L. F. Davis, Corporal H. S. Lee, Privates Samuel Hottaling, John Defor, A. J. Pelton, M. Lesselyoung, Joseph Grissey, O. Demsha and J. Bushaw.  Company B - Corporal M. C. Thompson, Privates Joseph D. Carpenter, Henry Hoffman, Nelson Rice, Francis Moon and Israel Welch.  Company C - Privates William C. Hubbard, Jacob B. Choate, H. T. Farrow, Christopher Coffey, Louis Antoine, William Stormmer, Benjamin Kinsley, Frederick Luck and John Lick.  Company D - First Sergeant Charles L. Fay, Sergeant Hamlin B. Williams, Corporal Richard Webb, Privates John Buholz, Charles W. Carr, Governeur Davis, Miles Haskins, Theodore W. Morse, Joel Prince, Robert Logan and S. W. Rexford.  Company E - First Lieutenant Ferdinand Ostenfeldt, Privates Christian Kruse, Peter Glasshoff, Benjamin Jackson, Benjamin Barnard, Joseph Bart, Henry Shelly, Luther O. Schooner, Thomas Winters, Isaac Acker, Almanazo Robinson and James Stone. Company F - Privates Solomon Bradford, John Cater, Edgar Dick, Franklin Everett, Jno. Gilchrist, Richard Palmer and James Yarnell. Company G - First Sergeant D. Manchester, Sergeantt J. C. Little, Corporal B. F. Hall, Privates E. Thompson, W. Chady, H. Warsdale, and Francis Conrad. Company H - Private J. A. Campbell.  Company I - First Lieutenant Abner B. Smith, Privates Louis W. Bell, Jerome Pendleton, Joseph M. Stiles, John Town, Barthold Schwander, Daniel J. Ryan, Frederick W. Zeim and Jacob Erb.  Company K - Corporals Charles W. Butler and Charles Whitcomb, Privates J. Johnson, Daniel H. Davis, Peter S. Weaver, Thomas Atridge, George Jones and Thomas H. Pierson - 80 total.

    Colonel Sweet was disabled by a ball that he received after the regiment had fallen back and did not assume command again.  Lieutenant Colonel Harrison C. Hobart joined the regiment at Lebanon, Kentucky.  Having left their camp and garrison equipage at Louisville the men suffered severely from exposure.  The regiment left Lebanon on October 29^th and arrived at Bowling Green on November 4^th.   Surgeon Samuel J. Carolin died at Bowling Green.  On November 10^th they marched to Mitchelville, a station on the railroad.  Here the 21^st was engaged in guarding the road and the supplies of the army.  The men suffered greatly from hardships, being exposed to severe weather without shelter.  Captain John Jewett, Jr. and several others died at this place.  On December 7^th the regiment marched toward Nashville and went into camp five miles south of that city on December 9^th and remained there until the morning of December 26^th, when the army under Major General Rosecrans moved upon the rebel army then lying at Murfreesboro, Tennessee.  The  21^st then belonged to the Third Brigade, First Division, 14^th Army Corp. of the Army of the Cumberland.   On December 30^th, the army met the enemy near Stone River and the Third Brigade, on the extreme left, was detached from the main line to cover what is known as the Jefferson Pike.  The brigade train was attacked here o the morning of December 30^th by Wheeler's rebel cavalry of 3,500 men while it was moving on the road.  The 21^st was nearest the point of attack.  It rapidly moved to the rear of the flying train and, forming a line of battle near a blockhouse, fought the enemy until they were routed.   The enemy lost over eighty men killed and wounded.  The next morning the regiment moved to its position in the line of battle of the 14^th Corps, and was actively engaged at the front throughout the battle of Stone River.  Brigadier General Rousseau, in his report of this battle, mentioned the 21^st Regiment and its commander, Lieutenant Colonel Harrison C. Hobart, for good conduct.  The losses in this engagement was not severe.  Benjamin D. Tuney, of Company D, died of wounds and First Lieutenant Abner B. Smith was wounded.  On January 5, 1863, the federal army entered Murfreesboro and the 21^st went into camp near the city.  From January 5^th until June 24^th, the 21^st lay at Murfreesboro, foraging, drilling, fortifying and skirmishing with the enemy.  The regiment then moved with the army upon the enemy who were encamped near Tullahoma.  On June 26^th, the 21^st was engaged in driving the rebels from a strong position at Hoover's Gap and afterwards followed the retreating enemy to the Tennessee River.

    On September 1^st, the 21^st crossed the Tennessee River at Bridgeport, Alabama.  The 21^st was with the army in crossing the two ranges of steep mountains below Chattanooga, and joined in the march to Dung Gap, where the enemy was found in great force.  The Union forces were withdrawn from this dangerous position with great difficulty, the 21^st forming the rear guard.  The rebel army, reinforced by Longstreet, had assumed the offensive.  On September 19^th, the Third Brigade was moved to a position near one of the gaps at Mission Ridge and in front of one of the fords of the Chickamauga River.  A large rebel force commenced crossing this ford early in the morning.  Early in the day commenced the terrible battle of Chickamauga.  The 21^st, with the rest of the Third Brigade commanded by General Starkweather, was moved into a line of battle and, during a severe engagement in the forenoon, held its position until the other regiments of the brigade were driven to the rear of them.  At this moment, the Fourth Indiana Battery was captured by the rebels and was retaken immediately by a part of the 21^st and other troops.  Heavy firing continued until late in the evening and the 21^st was under arms at the front until midnight.  On the morning of the 20^th, the brigade was placed in a line of battle.  It was a part of the ever memorable line of the 14^th Corps under Major General George H. Thomas.  The First Division was commanded by Brigadier General Baird.  At about 9 o'clock a.m. the rebel forces commenced a series of terrible charges, which were repeated until the close of that eventful day.  The First Division occupied the extreme left of the line, the 21^st being on the right of the Division, with a heavy battery in position at each flank.   That part of the line in which the 21^st was stationed never faltered during the day, even though the trees on the line were nearly all cut down by the fire of the enemy's batteries.  Near sundown General Thomas ordered a retreat because the right wing had been flanked by the enemy.  The 21^st did not receive the order and held their line fighting until they saw the other regiments suddenly moving to the rear.  Lieutenant Colonel Harrison C. Hobart then ordered the regiment to fall back to the second line of works, where, still fighting, the remained nearly surrounded by the enemy.  The regiment then attempted to cut its way to the rear, in which attempt Lieutenant Colonel Hobart, with about seventy officers and men, were captured.  The flag of the 21^st, last of the 14^th Corps, and its gallant Color Sergeant, remained in front until captured by the enemy.

    We find the following causalities in the records of the Adjutant General's office.  The list of wounded was as officially published as:
Killed or died or wounds: Company B - Privates James Pillot and George O. Worden.  Company C - Private Edward Mann.  Company F - Corporal Charles Edgerly and Private Alfred Parsons. Company G - Privates Charles R. Cass, James Gano and James Wikler. Company H - Sergeant Edward Thompson.   - 9 total.
Wounded: Company A - First Lieutenant A. M. Adams, Corporal W. Mars, Privates L. Richards and L. Washburn. Company B - First Lieutenant Hiram Russell.  Company C - Privates Benjamin Gould, William W. Smith, William Wrands and Michael Keenan. Company D - Corporal McKendry Rawson, Privates Micchael Hammond, Charles Buck and J. Schrockey.  Company E - Captain R. H. Weisbrod, Privates William Welch, George L. Baggs and E. Schooner.  Company F - Privates Gerry Lewis and Andrew Barr.&  Company G - Corporal H. S. Eldred, Privates J. W. Graves and A. C. Quimby. Company H - Private Frederick Rhoer.   Commpany I - Second Lieutenant Gus. Jaeger, Corporal F. Pearse, Privates J. Robinson, S. D. Roberts, H. W. Kellogg and William Williams.  Company K - Privates Albert Wright, Asahel F. Hane and Homer L. Bacon.  - 34 total.

   After this battle, the regiment, with what remained of the brigade, was retired to a line of defense near Mission Ridge.  On September 22^nd it fell back to Chattanooga where it remained with the shattered remnant of Rosecrans' army in the defense of that place.  During the winter of 1863-64, it held the outpost upon Lookout Mountain and remained in this position until May 2, 1864.  Lieutenant Colonel Harrison C. Hobart escaped from Libby Prison, after more that four months' of close confinement, and returned to the regiment at this place.  The health and discipline of the regiment was greatly improved at this post.

    On the morning of May 2, 1864 the regiment, 400 strong and in splendid condition, marched from the mountain to join in the advance upon Atlanta.   Here the 21^st was transferred to the First Brigade, First Division, 14^th Army Corps. commanded by Brigadier General Carlin.  The campaign opened at Rocky Face Ridge, near Dalton, on May 8^th, where the enemy were strongly posted.  The 21^st was in the flank movement made by General Sherman, through a gap called Snake Creek, which caused the enemy to fall back to Resaca, Georgia.  On May 14^th the First Brigade, with the 21^st in the front line, was ordered to assault the enemy's works.  This terrible and bloody assault was made in the early part of the day, and although not successful, the brigade held its position near the enemy's line until after dark, the 21^st being the last regiment to retire.

    The list of causalities is from the records of the Adjutant General's office.  The list of wounded was as officially published as:
Killed or died or wounds: Company A - Privates Harlow N. Hilton and Francis McKennan.  Company B - Privates Andrew Clauson and Monroe W. Jackman.  Company C - Private Thomas Mulaney.  Company D - Private Lewis H. Sykes. Company F - Privates Alfred E. Hobbs, Christopher Dougherty and Alonzo Smith. Company G - Privates Thomas Ginty, Charles H. Raney and William Stanfield.  Company I - Private Lewis N Bell. Company K - Privates Thomas Atridge, Gustav Keune, Thomas H. Pearson, John Smith and Hollis Kellogg.  - 18  total.
Wounded: Company B - Corporal Leonard J. Miller. Company C - Privates John K. Haywood and Walter W. Wright. Company D - Corporals George I. Rawson and August Perslee, and Private Andrew Jackson. Company F - Corporal Charles T. Susan, Privates Louis Potter and Jacob Shidell.  Company G - First Lieutenant Alfred A. Harding, Sergeant Alvah G. Dewey, Privates Daniel A. Barton, Harvey Boyden, William B. Constance, E. R. Haywood, Charles H. Noyes, Winchester Stratton, Scott Jamison and W. J. Miner.  Company H - First Lieutenant A. L. Fargo, Privates A. J. Hyde, James Black, John Cary and William R. Brown.  Company I - Privates Frederick Augustine, John W. Spear, Frederick Tippins and James H. Bradish.   Company K - Private Jeremiah Reardon.  - 31 total.

    The regiment continued in line of battle until the enemy retreated.   On May 27^th it went into position with the army on Pumpkin Vine Creek, near Dallas, the enemy being in force at this place.  Here Companies A and E gallantly drove the rebel skirmishers from a commanding ridge, which the regiment occupied and fortified.  At this place the men were under fire for more that six days without being relieved.  The skirmishers were constantly engaged.  On May 30th the enemy made an unsuccessful attack upon this part of the line and retired, leaving their dead and wounded.  Brigadier General Carlin send his compliments to the regiment, thanking them for their fortitude and gallantry.

    The casualties at Dallas were:
Killed or died or wounds: Company H - Privates William Peters and John Subra.  Company I - Private John Robinson. Company K - Privates George Leurville and John Smith.   - 5 total.
Wounded: Company A - Privates Martin P. V. Strong and Anthony De Marra.   Company B - Privates John Isquchpit, Charles Miller and Daniel Moscrip.   Company C - Private G. F. Cleveland.  Company E - Corporal William Welch, Privates Edmund Phillips, Peter Schwarts, Louis Grotto, H. W. Barnett and Simon Shelley.  Company F - Privates John Gilchrist and Jerry Bigford. Company H - Privates John Kreish and Frederick Smith. Company I - Privates Orison Beals, William H. Henderson and Charles S. O. Christenson.   - 19 total.

    The enemy again falling back were closely pursued by the First Brigade in line of battle.  On June 17^th, near Big Shanty, the skirmish line of the 21^st became engaged with the skirmish line of the enemy.  They charged through a stream waist deep, up a steep embankment and drove a North Carolina regiment from its position, capturing thirteen prisoners in the process.  The enemy again retiring, the regiment was moved into position in front of the memorable Kennesaw Mountain.  Here it sustained for days the most terrible fire from the rebel batteries, constantly shifting from left to right.  Private Timothy Kennedy of Company F and Private William H. Bates of Company G were reported as killed.   General Sherman drove the enemy from its position using a flanking movement.   On July 4^th, the regiment was deployed as skirmishers and followed the enemy a short distance south of Marietta, Georgia.  At this time Lieutenant Colonel Harrison C. Hobart was assigned to the command of three regiments of the First Brigade and Major Michael H. Fitch, the former Adjutant, took command of the regiment.

    On July 5^th the regiment was directed to find the forces under General McPherson.  Moving to the right, the regiment encountered the line of the rebel army.  Notwithstanding the dangerous position, and the severe skirmishing of the rebels, it held its place until relieved by other forces.  Private Amos O. Van Duzen or Company A was killed.  On July 20^th the regiment took part in the battle of Peach Tree Creek.  During this battle, a part of the front line of the 14^th Corps was driven back.  The position was retaken by a gallant charge by the 10^th and 21^st Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry Regiments under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Hobart.  The enemy vacated their position so quickly that they left their dead and wounded upon the field.

    In the siege of Atlanta, which followed the battle of Peach Tree Creek, the 21^st was constantly engaged.  On August 7th, the 21^st charged upon a line of skirmishers posted in extensive field works.  The regiment captured the works, a rebel Captain, and thirteen prisoners.

    The following casualties were reported:
Killed or died or wounds: Company A - Private Henry Fink.  Company D - Private Miles Haskins.  Company F - Sergeant R. C. Killips and Private Jocob Petrie.  Company G - Private Charles H. Noyes.    - 5 total.
Wounded: Company A - Private Edward Derusha. Company D - Captain Henry Turner and Private John Dey.  Company F - Privates Charles Gutermule and Wynn Eddwards. Company G - Sergeant George D. Ross and Private Goodman Aminson.  Company H - Privates John Page and John Chitterling.  Company K - Sergeant John B. Fenno, Privates Leonard Soapno and Charles W. Knapp.  - 13 total.

    After many days of severe skirmishing, the regiment joined in the great movement to flank the enemy out of Atlanta.  The 21^st deployed as skirmishers and drove the rebel cavalry about two miles along the railroad, which was completely destroyed by the troops in the rear.  After the battle of Jonesboro the Confederates evacuated Atlanta and the 21^st went into camp in the city on September 8^th.  After just four months from the opening of the campaign the regiment had fought their way for a distance of more than 135 miles.  The regiment suffered severely in this campaign with a loss of 112 killed and wounded and 110 disabled by disease and fatigue.  This left only about 1/3 of the arms-bearing men to enter Atlanta.

    In the pursuit of General Hood's army, the regiment was under the command of Major Charles H. Walker, the former Captain of Company K.  After this unsuccessful chase, the 21^st went into camp at Kingston, Georgia.  Here the regiment was filled with recruits from the 1^st and 10^th Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry Regiments.  Lieutenant Colonel Harrison C. Hobart was commissioned Colonel, Major Michael H. Fitch was commissioned Lieutenant Colonel, and Captain Charles H. Walker was commissioned Major.  Colonel Hobart was assigned to command the First Brigade and the regimental command fell to Lieutenant Colonel Fitch.   Private John F. Fitch of Company K was reported as having died of wounds on October 24, 1864.

    On November 12, 1864 the 14^th Corps, under the command of Major General Jefferson C. Davis, commenced the famous "March to the Sea."  The 21^st was now the only Wisconsin regiment in the corps, which was now in the Army of Georgia.  On November 4^th, the army passed through Marietta, Georgia, leaving the town in flames.  On November 15^th, the 21^st entered burning Atlanta.   The regiment, well equipped and clothed, with haversacks filled for the last time from the stores of the army, moved forward on the march.  There was no hospital, no base, and with rations and forage for only a few days.  On November 17^th the regiment reached the Oconee River.  Regular foraging parties were organized to obtain supplies for the men and animals.  On November 23^rd the 21^st  entered Milledgeville, thus far meeting no enemy except occasional scouts of rebel cavalry.Much of the time was employed in destroying railroads and bridges.  On December 6^th, the regiment reached the Savannah River, fifty miles from Savannah.  The rebel cavalry were brushed away as the army dashed along the banks of this river.  On December 11^th the regiment, in the pine forests a few miles from Savannah, heard the guns of the Federal Navy firing upon Fort Jackson.  The 21^st took an active part in the siege of Savannah until its evacuation.  On December 21^st the 21^st entered the city and went into camp.  At this place Colonel Hobart, by recommendation of General Sherman, was brevetted Brigadier General by a special order of the War Department and assigned to a command of that rank.  On January 20, 1865 the Carolina campaign commenced.  General Hobart still commanded the same brigade.  Lieutenant Colonel Fitch was detailed to the command of three regiments and Major Walker assumed command of the regiment.  The 21^st crossed the Savannah River with the 14^th Corps and shared actively in the campaign which "marked the earth with ruin."  The regiment marched with the column that passed north of Columbia, South Carolina and, after overcoming almost insurmountable difficulties, crossed the Catawba River.  The roads were almost impassable, and the men would never forget the many miles of corduroy which they constructed.  On March 4, 1865 the 21^st entered North Carolina.  At this point the burning ceased.  On March 11^th the regiment encamped at Fayetteville on the Cape Fear River.  Leaving Fayetteville, the regiment was in the advance brigade, which encountered the enemy, in force, near Bentonville on March 19^th.  The advance of the enemy was gallantly driven back to their main line by three regiments of the brigade immediately under the command of General Hobart.  In this sharp engagement, which was the last of Sherman's battles, the 21^st took an active part.

    The following casualties were officially reported:
Killed or died or wounds: Company D - Private Herman Harz.   Company E - Private William Dillet. Company H - First Lieutenant Edward T. Midgeley and Private Hans Savlerson. Company K - Private Noah A. McCorkle.  - 5 total.
Wounded: Company A - Corporal William Mars, Privates Thomas Gaffney, James E. King, Christian Meddlestandt and Peter Richster. Company C - Corporal Douglas E. Sloan and Private William Branson.  Company D - Private John Derby.  Company E - Privates Claus Shivers, William Cowan and John S. Cunliff. Company F - Corporal L. Sutliff, Privates William Nettleton and Robert Patton. Company G - Corporal Benjamin F. Shipley and Private W. F. Wiesborn. Company H - Privates Frederick Bahr, Harris Secklor, Owen Kennedy, Moses W. Cleveland and Joshua Miller.  Company I - Privates James M. Clarck, John Brady, Alfred A. Nugent and John Strong.  - 25 total.

    The enemy having retired, the regiment marched into Goldsboro on March 23^rd, thus closing the memorable campaign in the Carolinas.

    On April 10^th, having been rested and refitted, the 21^st joined the campaign to Raleigh, and on the 13^th, was in the first brigade of infantry to enter the city and the flag of the 21^st  was placed upon the Capitol, where it floated until the First Brigade left the city.  During the negotiations between Sherman and Johnson, the 21^st  formed the extreme left of Sherman's army, being posted near the Cape Fear River.  On April 28^th, the war was being announced as closed.  The 21^st, with its corps, commenced the march for home.  On May 2^nd it crossed the Virginia state line.  Six days after leaving Raleigh the regiment encamped on the banks of the James River at Richmond.   They marched at a rate of 31 miles per day.  On May 11^th, the regiment, in line with its corps, marched through Richmond for Washington, D.C. at which place it went into camp on the south side of the Potomac River.

    In the grand review of the armies at Washington, the 21^st was the second to last regiment in the column of Sherman's army.  No regiment in the 14^th Corps. commanded more attention for its soldierly bearing and fine appearance.   On June 10^th the regiment left Washington by rail for Milwaukee.  It passed through Pittsburgh, Cleveland, and Grand Haven.  On June 17, 1865 at Milwaukee, two years, nine months and twelve days after being mustered into the service of the United States, the officers and men were honorably discharged.  Of 960 men who left the state in the regiment, only 260 returned with it.

    Regimental Statistics - Original strength, 1,002.  Gain - by recruits in 1863, 2, in 1864, 152, in 1865, 15; total 1,171. Loss - by death, 288; deserted, 40; transferred, 99; discharged, 261; mustered out, 483.

All the information on this page was taken from The Military History of Wisconsin: A Record of the Civil and Military Patriotism of the State in the War for the Union, by E. B. Quiner, Esq.