The Thirty-third Regiment was recruited principally in Grant, Kenosha, Rock and Lafayette Counties.  Its organization was completed at Camp Utley, Racine, under the superintendence of Colonel Jonathan B. Moore.  The regiment was mustered into the United States service on October 18, 1862.  It left the State on November 12^th with the following roster:

    Moving by way of Chicago to Cairo, the regiment there embarked on transports and proceeded down the Mississippi River to Memphis where they arrived and disembarked on November 16^th.  There the regiment was assigned to a brigade in General Lauman's division of General Sherman's wing of the Army of the Tennessee.  Colonel Moore was placed in command of the brigade and Lieutenant Colonel Lovell assumed command of the regiment.  On November 26^th the regiment left Memphis to take part in General Grant's movement towards Jackson, Mississippi.   General Sherman's forces took the advance.  The carried ten days' rations and 100 rounds of ammunition per man.  The expedition proceeded slowly because the enemy destroyed the bridges and places obstacles in the road.  Eventually, the regiment reached Wyatt, Mississippi on the Tallahatchie River.  The enemy retired beyond the Tallahatchie to another position..  The advance of General Grant's army from Holly Springs rendered that Confederate position untenable, so they fled with little opposition.   After building a bridge across the Tallahatchie, General Sherman's forces encamped at Hurricane Creek.  Here General Sherman's force was ordered to return to Memphis.   He would proceed down river and attack Vicksburg, Mississippi from the river side.   The 33^rd Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry was transferred to the First Brigade of the Fourth Division, under the command of General Lauman.  They proceeded to Yocono Creek, south of Oxford, and joined the Fourth Division.  They remained there until news arrived of the disaster at Holly Springs, which compelled a retrograde march.  The Division fell back to the Tallahatchie, then to Holly Springs, and finally to Moscow, Tennessee.  There the regiment went into winter quarters, near the Memphis and Charleston Railroad.

    While stationed at Moscow, the division was transferred to the 16^th Army Corps, under the command of General Hurlburt.  The regiment engaged in guarding railroads and worked on fortifications.  On March 11^th the regiment proceeded to Memphis and went into camp.

    On April 18, 1863 the regiment formed a part of a force of infantry, cavalry, and artillery under command of Colonel Bryant of the 12^th Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry.  They marched towards Coldwater to act in conjunction with a force under General Smith from LaGrange.  The regiment reached Hernando after continuous skirmishing and the Confederates were encountered in force.  After a sharp fight the enemy retired.  They lost 15 killed and 75 prisoners.

    The enemy was pursued to the Coldwater River the next day.  The 33^rd took the advance with Companies A, D, and F acting as skirmishers.   The cavalry was engaged near the river, about two miles ahead, where the Confederates had made a stand.  The regiment was ordered to support of the cavalry and pushed forward at the double quick.  They arrived very opportunely and opened a brisk and destructive fire, which drove the Confederates across the stream in confusion.   Captain Joseph F. Linsley of Company H and First Lieutenant Henry Scriftof of Company E were killed.  Sergeant Bliss of Company B and Private John Green of Company C were wounded.

    The regiment returned to Hernando because the force of General Smith did not appear.  The regiment encamped for the night and the next day moved towards Memphis.  Near the town they met reinforcements with orders to return to the Coldwater River.  They returned to within three miles of the battleground.   General Smith did not show up again so the expedition returned to Memphis on April 24^th.

    On May 17^th the regiment proceeded down the river to join the army at Vicksburg.  Near Greenville guerrillas fired into the transports.   The 33^rd and two other regiments were landed and pursued the rebels for about five miles.  They could not overtake them so they returned to the transports and proceeded to Young's Point, Louisiana.  The continued on to Snyder's Bluff, on the Yazoo River.  The Confederates saw their approach and abandoned the fortifications, the guns, ammunition and stores there.  The Federals took position of this position in May 20^th and remained there for five days.  They then marched to the rear of Vicksburg and took position at the extreme left of the line investing the city, close to the Confederate works.  The regiment occupied this position until the city surrendered on July 4^th.

    On the night of June 4^th, Companies C and K, supported by an Iowa company, made an attack on the enemy's rifle pits near the Hall's Ferry Road.   The attack was led by Lieutenant Colonel Lovell.  Captain John E. Gurley led Company C and First Lieutenant Daniel E. Shea, with an impetuous charge, carried the rifle pits and the Confederates fled into their main works.  On June 30^th, Company F and two Illinois Companies as flankers, under a furious fire from the Confederates main works, took possession of the rifle pits immediately under one of their strong forts.  Soon after this, the Company charged and took the top of the hill, with the pits, and drove the enemy from their position.  The hill could not be held without entrenching and the pioneers failed to come forward.  The position was   exposed to an enfilading fire coming from the Confederate forts, which were only a short ways away. Because of this the position was abandoned and the Confederates reoccupied the position.  Colonel Moore obtained permission to retake the ground on the next evening.  Captains Warner and Carter, with eighty men from the regiment, advanced on the Confederate position.  An Illinois Regiment covered the flanks and picketed the ground as they advanced.  The 33^rd made a sudden charge and took the enemy by surprise.  The Confederates broke and fled, leaving the top of the hill and the rifle pits in the possession of the gallant boys of the 33^rd.  They successfully resisted the efforts of the Confederates to dislodge them.  On the night of the 21^st, Companies B, C, E, G, H, and K drove in the Confederate pickets and seized a position within 85 yards of a large fort.  They repulsed the efforts of the rebels to regain it.  The position was so close to the enemy's works that their guns could not be depressed enough to bear upon it.  After four hours of severe labor the rifle pits were completed and the regiment was thoroughly established in the position.  The position was relinquished to the enemy by another regiment who were surprised and forced to abandon it.  On June 24^th, Companies A, C, D, E, and H again charged the position and took the enemy by surprise.  They fled into their fort with a loss of four killed and seventeen wounded.  The regiment continued to occupy the rifle pits constantly up to the close of the siege.

    The casualties during the siege, which we find in the monthly reports, were:
Killed or died or wounds: Company B - Private Absalom Barger.  Company F - Private William Smith. Company K - Private Frederick B. Taylor.  - 3 total.
Wounded: Company A - Privates Calvin Randall and Lemuel A. Elam.  Company B - Privates Samuel Armstrong and Peter Fillmore. Company D - Private George H. Farman. Company E - Private Alonzo Miltimore.  Company F - Corporal Matthew Croll. Company H - Private William Dunbar. Company K - Private N. Peterson.  - 9 total.

    After the surrender the 4^th Division moved out of the entrenchment's and took part in the second attack on Jackson.  The 4^th Division advanced and drove in the Confederate left flank on the 11^th.  On the 12^th, they advanced again under a heavy fire of artillery.  During the fight on this day, General Lauman ordered the First Brigade to charge against the enemy's lines.  It was against a division of the enemy, behind the best of rifle pits and supported by twelve pieces of artillery.  Only three infantry regiments and a section of the 3^rd Ohio Light Artillery of the brigade were engaged.  The 33^rd was sent to the right to ascertain the position of the enemy and prevent any flank movement.  In doing so they came in contact with a heavy force of the rebels.   The Confederates did not perceive their advantage of numbers and permitted the regiment to escape destruction.  The 33^rd completed the reconnaissance and escaped without the loss of a man or the firing of a gun.  The other regiments of the brigade were not so lucky.  They bravely charged the overwhelming force of the enemy with such a fury that they compelled the rebels to limber their guns to the rear.   The Brigade's battle line was subsequently broken and they were compelled to fall back with a loss of more than half their number.  For giving this order to charge, General Lauman was relieved of the command of the division.  The division remained at Jackson till the 16^th, when the enemy abandoned the position.  They took part in the destruction of the railroads and other rebel property until the 20^th when they started for Vicksburg. They arrived and went into camp on the 23^rd.

    Here General Crocker was assigned to the command of the division, which was transferred to the 17^th Army Corps.  On August 18^th, the division moved down the river to Natchez where it arrived the next day.  They remained at this place, engaged in guard and provost duty, until December 1^st.   the regiment then proceeded up the Mississippi River to Vicksburg and encamped at Milldale, about 10 miles away.  Here they engaged in the usual routine of camp, guard and drill duty.  On January 31, 1864 they moved to Hebron, three miles away.  On February 3^rd the division accompanied the celebrated "Meridian Expedition" of General Sherman.  Their experiences and labors were similar to those of other regiments attached to the expedition.  They returned to Hebron on March 4^th, after 29 days and 370 miles of marching.

    On March 9^th they joined the Red River Expedition.   They were attached to the Provisional Division under General Kilby Smith and known as the "Red River Division."  They proceeded to the mouth of the Red River and ascended it to Simmsport on the Atchafalaya.  There they disembarked on the 13^th.   They took part in the capture of Fort DeRussy on the 15^th and remained there until the 18^th.  They then proceeded up the Red River, with the rest of the division, to Alexandria.  They encamped on the north side of the river until the 21^st, when they crossed to the south side.  On the 26^th they began marching to Bayou Cotile and arrived the next day.  On April 2^nd, they proceeded on a reconnaissance to Campti, twenty miles above Grand Ecore, and returned in the evening.

    At Grand Ecore the Red River Division embarked as guard to the transport fleet.  They proceeded to Campti.  No enemy was found so they proceeded twenty miles further where the 33^rd landed as a reserve to the Second Brigade, which was sent out to reconnoiter.  The fleet advanced up the river to Loggy Bayou, where they found a transport sunk across the channel which prevented further progress.  Here the Red River Division was landed and the 33^rd took the advance with Companies A, B and F deployed in the front as skirmishers for the purpose of joining the expeditionary forces at Springfield, six miles away.  Marching a short distance, a courier from General Banks informed the commanding officer of the disaster at Sabine Cross Roads on the 8^th and the subsequent retreat to Grand Ecore.   General Smith was ordered to return at once with the fleet.  After some difficulty in turning in the narrow stream the whole fleet headed down the river.

    When near Pleasant Hill the rebels, under General Green, attacked the fleet with 2,000 men and a battery of artillery.  The charges of the enemy were successfully repulsed by the troops and the foe retired.  They lost a large number of killed and wounded, among them General Green.  Special mention was made of Sergeant Ewbank of Company D.  His platoon was stationed very close to the enemy and rendered very effective service.

    The fleet arrived at Grand Ecore on the 14^th, where the Red River Division disembarked and encamped until the 20^th.  They marched to Natchitoches and to Cloutierville on the 23^rd.  They advanced from Cloutierville and the 33^rd occupied a position in the rear.  They had a severe skirmish with the enemy in which to men were wounded.  The rebel attack was repulsed and the regiment encamped at Cane River.  On the 24^th a severe engagement of two hours took place, in which the rebels were repulsed.   Corporal William Lenneman of Company C and Private Francis L. Tinkham of Company H were killed and eleven men were wounded.  The list of wounded was not published.

    After the battle, they marched to Bayou Cotile and arrived at Alexandria on the 26^th.  Near Alexandria they remained, without coming into contact with the enemy, until the afternoon of May 6^th.  They took part in the engagement on Governor Moore's plantation, in which the enemy was forced back six miles.  The regiment returned, after a march to Bayou Boeuf, and encamped on Governor Moore's plantation until the 14^th.  The retreat was resumed and the enemy was encountered on the 16^th at Marksville.  In the engagement the 33^rd had one man wounded.  On the 18^th they crossed Yellow Bayou, near Simmsport, where General Smith turned on the enemy.  He did this in order to cover the crossing of the advance of Banks' army over the Atchafalaya.  A battle took place in which Private Eugene M. Clayman of Company B was killed.

    Crossing the Atchafalaya at Simmsport, they moved to the mouth of the Red River, from whence they proceeded up the Mississippi to Vicksburg, where they arrived on the 24^th.  Colonel Moore was placed in command of the division.   Lieutenant Colonel Lovell was recruiting in Wisconsin, so Major Virgin was placed in command of the regiment during the Red River campaign.

    The regiment remained at Vicksburg a short time before marching to Memphis, where it remained in camp until the 22^nd.  Then the regiment, under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Lovell, accompanied the expedition of General A. J. Smith into the interior of Mississippi.  They first proceeded to LaGrange, Tennessee to obtain the necessary supplies.  Then they cut loose from all communication and left LaGrange on July 5^th.  On the 11^th they reached Pontotoc, Mississippi and the enemy's cavalry was encountered.  The infantry advanced in line through Pontotoc, a mile beyond the Tupelo road, and encamped on the Okolona road.  The enemy concentrated his forces on the Okolona road so the Federal infantry counter marched on the 13and proceeded down the Tupelo road.  About noon the Confederates attacked the train near Camargo Cross Roads.  A detachment of the 14^th Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry was guarding the rear of the train when the enemy, 1,500 strong, made a fierce attack.  The 14^th Wisconsin gallantly met the charge, but were overpowered by the Confederates superior numbers.  The 33^rd was marching in the rear of the supply train and was ordered forward.  They advanced through a cornfield to within a hundred yards of the enemy and commenced a severe fire.   this was continued until the Confederates were thrown into confusion and routed.   They left their dead, wounded and a stand of colors on the field.  The colors were picked up by Captain Mansfield of the 14^th Wisconsin and retained by the regiment as a trophy.  Another attack was repulsed.  The regiment marched to Harrisonburg and bivouacked.  The next day they drew up a line of battle before Tupelo.  The 33^rd held the extreme right of the front line.  Eight thousand Confederates advanced and drove in the skirmishers.  After a furious fire of an hours duration, they charged the Federal line.  he Confederates were met by a close and well directed fire, which broke the Confederate line and drove it back in disorder.  They reformed and tried again, but the result was the same.  They tried a third time and were again thrown into confusion.  The Federal line then counter attacked and drove the Confederates from the field.  The regiment bivouacked at Toupelo that night and the return march commenced the next day.  When the army neared Oldtown Creek they discovered the Confederate forces in position.  A vigorous attack across a long bridge and causeway drove the Confederates from their position with great loss.  The next day the army marched forward and reached LaGrange on the 21^st.   The next day the 33^rd went into camp at Memphis.

    In this expedition the following casualties were reported:
Killed or died or wounds: Company A -Corporals Freeman L. Vaughn and Isaial Wells.  Company F - Corporal Nathan R. Hoyt, Privates Silas M. Campbell and Charles Stern.  Company G - Private James Coleman.  Company H - Privates Stephen Colt and Charles McCoy.  Company K - Private Adam Smith.  - 8 total.
Wounded: Field Officer - Lieutenant Colonel Frederick S. Lovell.  Company A - Corporal William S. Parr and Private Daniel Lynch.  Company C - Privates George Hillary, Patrick Kelly and Mortimer Sullivan.  Company D - Corporals Lewis Billings, Ira W. Tracey, Privates Horace G. Atwood, Rufus J. Allen and George H. Farman.  Company E - Captain Pardon H. Swift and Corporal R. W. Clifford.  Company F - Privates F. Stulk, N. Bump and J. S. Barkhuff.  Company G - Privates W. W. Bruce and August Jacob. Company H - Privates William Fox, C.B. Mathews, D. B. Demmon, William Hodgson, H. Kostman and A. Gray.  Company I - Corporal I. Tymeson, Privates Thomas Jones, Thomas G. Button and Henry Darling.   Company K - Privates Lew Jains, James Shaw, David Jones, P. McDonough and Thomas Brown.  - 34 total.

    On August 3^rd, the 33^rd proceeded to St. Charles, Arkansas on the White River.  They engaged in guard duty and building fortification there until September 1^st when they proceeded up the river to Duval's Bluff, then to Brownsville.  They remained there until the 17^th.   They then accompanied the march of the division, which was attached to General Mower's command, in the pursuit of the rebel General Price who was then on his way to make a raid into Missouri.  The expedition proceeded in a northeasterly direction, crossing the White River near Batesville, then to Elgin on the Black River, through Pocahontas and Greenville, Missouri to Cape Girardeau.

    The regiment, with the other forces of General Mower, arrived at Cape Girardeau on October 5^th.  They were again ordered forward and embarked on transports on the 7^th.  They ascended the Mississippi River to St. Louis, where the men were supplied with clothing and equipment for a campaign up the Missouri River.  Without stopping they continued their course to Jefferson City, where they arrived on the 15^th.  On the 17^th they proceeded by rail to Lamoine Bridge, the termination of the Pacific Railroad at the time.  The regiment kept this place on October 22^nd and marched to Warrensburg, fifty miles away.  Here the regiment was employed in garrison and provost duty during the pursuit of General Price's forces by the army.

    General Price was driven into Arkansas and the regiment returned to St. Louis on November 1^st, having in their charge a body of rebel prisoners.   The regiment was quartered in Benton Barracks until November 23^rd.   After being reequipped for an active campaign they left St. Louis with the other forces of General A. J. Smith and proceeded up the Cumberland River to Nashville to reinforce General Thomas who was then threatened with an attack from General Hood.   The regiment arrived on the 30^th and they took a position three miles south of the city on the extreme right of the army.

    General Smith's command composed of two divisions of the16^th Army Corps, was reorganized and designated as the "Detachment of the Army of the Tennessee."  The forces of General Smith occupied the line of defense south of the city, which they were engaged in strengthening until December 15^th.

    The 33^rd was in the First Brigade of the Third Division.   They were held in reserve near the Hardin Pike.  At three in the afternoon the brigade moved forward to the support of the Second Division and charged a body of confederates that were posted on "Granny White's Pike."  The Confederates only made a slight resistance and 280 prisoners were captured, many of them with loaded arms.  The next day the division was ordered to the support of the 23^rd Army Corps, on the extreme right.  Here a general advance was made at about 3 PM which resulted in the complete rout of the enemy, who abandoned his position at all points.  The 33^rd took part in the pursuit which followed and the enemy was driven across the Tennessee River.  The men suffered great hardship from the cold weather and rough roads because many of them were barefoot.

    On January 2, 1865 the forces of General Smith reached Clifton, Tennessee and encamped.  From this point the command proceeded by transports to Eastport, Mississippi.  The 33^rd was detailed to guard the transportation train to Savannah, Tennessee.  The roads were in terrible condition and caused a great delay in marching forward.  Lieutenant Colonel Lovell, with six companies, succeeded in getting a portion of the train to Savannah and Major Virgin, with the other companies, took the balance of the train to Grand View.  At these two places they found transports and reached Eastport on January 14^th where they found the brigade and went into camp.  A reconnaissance to Corinth was made on the 18^th, in which the brigade of General Ross was severely handled.

    The command of General Smith was ordered to the Department of the Gulf.  They left Eastport on February 6^th and proceeded down the Tennessee, Ohio and Mississippi Rivers to Vicksburg.  They went into camp there on the 20^th and then continued down the river to New Orleans.  There they encamped at Chalmette, General Andrew Jackson's War of 1812 battlefield.  Here General Smith's command assumed its designation of the 16^th Army Corps.

    On March 11 they moved forward to Lake Pontchartrain and embarked for Dauphin Island, near Mobile.  they arrived there on the 14^th and on the 18^th proceeded to Cedar Point.  The next day they advanced along the west side of the bay.  Company A and part of B acted as skirmishers and drove the enemy across the Fowl River.  However, they returned and skirmished with the regiments rear as they slowly retired in the afternoon.

    On March 22^nd they crossed the Bay to the Fish River and ascended to Smith's Mills, where they joined the main body.  On the 25^th they moved towards Spanish Fort and on the 27^th  the regiment drove the enemy into his entrenchment's.  On the morning of the 28^th, Company C took possession of a hill about 200 yards from the fort.  This was gallantly done and the position was held by the company under a severe fire.  During the night the regiment threw up works and established a position within 150 yards of the fort.  This was subsequently diminished to 125 yards. This was the nearest approach made to the rebel works during the investment.  From this time the regiment was engaged in heavy fatigue and picket duty until April 8.  On that night Spanish fort was evacuated.   The next morning the 33^rd was the first regiment to enter the main fort.   They captured two 12 Pounder "Napoleon" cannons and a number of prisoners.

    The following casualties in the operations near Mobile were reported as follows:
Killed or died or wounds: Company A - Private L. A. Elam.   Company C - Private William H. Hughes. Company D - Corporal Merrit C. Pember.  Company F - Privates Henry Reed and Robert Carr.  Company I - Captain Carleton G. Stetson, Private William Newton. Company K - Privates James W. Tifft and John McGinnis.  - 9 total.
Wounded: Company A - Captain G. R. Frank, Corporal Charles Bingenhammer, Privates W. H. Bennett, Joseph Benton, Arnold Goode, Charles Reed, Thomas Barber and Daniel Lynch.  Company B - Private George Andrews.  Company C - Private Jasper Dunba and William Hughs.  Company D -Sergeants John Leighton, Jasper Delavan, Privates D. S. Barlow, John Martin and Richard Lander.  Company E - Privates A. C. Swift and James Smith.  Company F - Privates Ezra Whitmore and Peter Jennison.  Company H - Privates J. Henderson, W. Casteman and W. Blockridge.  - 23 total.

    On the 9^th they moved to Blakely and were held in reserve during the assault on and capture of that place.  After the capture of the forts and the surrender of the city of Mobile, the 33^rd moved to Montgomery, Alabama where they engaged in guard and picket duty.  They were then transferred to Tuskegee, where they remained on provost duty until July 19^th when they returned to Montgomery.  They were then ordered to proceed to Vicksburg for mustering out.   They embarked on the 23^rd and descended the Alabama River to Selma.   They proceeded by rail to Jackson, Mississippi and then moved to Vicksburg.   They arrived on July 31^st.  Here the regiment was mustered out of service on August 8^th and embarked for home.  They reached Madison, Wisconsin on August 14^th.  They were soon paid and formally disbanded.

    Colonel Moore was brevetted Brigadier General of Volunteers for meritorious services during the war.

    Regimental Statistics - Original strength, 892.  Gain - by recruits in 1864, 164; in 1865, 8; by substitutes, 2; total 1,066. Loss - by death, 196; missing, 4; deserted, 22; transferred, 37; discharged, 170; mustered out, 637.

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.