The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1912-08-30
History Of 18th Mich. Volunteer ins
fantry.
Our countersign, God Bless you.
"COu1ta doc and Tad;as.

Our countersign, God Bless you. ;
Comrades and Ladies:-
when the guns of Sumpter am
nounced to the country and world /.
the beginning of the civil war, was
Just past sixteen years of age and livy
Ing in the little village of Owosso,
now the beautiful city that is today
giving you all honor and a loving wei
come.
1T was here on the night of ApriI
IL, 1861, mass meeting was held In
Gould's hall, and call made for vol,
untcers to help put down the wicked
rebellion. At that meeting enough
men volunteered to form the nucleus
of company, which was christened;
The Ingersoll Rifles" organized In
the three months since President
Lincoln's call for $4,000 troops. i
was one of the first to respond to the
call and was accepted as a drummer.
1T was through no fault Of any Of
ficer or member of the Ingersol,
Rifles. that they then were not az
cepted for service, the company havy
ing kept up its organization and drill
ed until August following when 1t was
accepted and mustered into service "a
Company H, 9Th Michigan Infantry
and subsequently rendered valiant
service throughout the war. This
G. A. r. Post was named for the first
captain of that company, Louis B.
Quackenbush, who gave up his life at
Fair Oaks, Va, May 81, 1862. A.
Late in July, 1861, fearing the war
would close before ] could get to the
front and having suspicion that my
mother might interfere with my ar
dent wishes, left the Rifles and went
to Flint, where on August 1st, 1861.
| enlisted rs drummer of Captain
Carr's Company c, which some OF my
comrades here present, will remem7
ber AS drummer | proved com,
plete failure, so after we arrived al
Holly Hill, Va, little Mike ScannlaD
was imported to succeed me and 1
was given the privilege of muster
ing in as private or being discharg7
ed. l chose the alternative and hence
forth carried a musket.
Sixteenth Infantry
"The Sixteenth was organized at
Detroit and was originally known as
'Stockton's Independent Regiment as
it was organized by Col. Thomas B,
w. Stockton of Flint But it was af>
terward given the numerical number
of the Sixteenth. 1t was mustered
into service Sept. g., 1861, with an
enrolment of 761 officers and men,
The regiment left Detroit Sept
16, 1861, for Washington, d. c., tc
join the Army of the Potomac. II
went into camp at Halls Hill, Va.
for the winter of 1S61-2.
''ln February, 1862, company
was recruited at Detroit known as
'Dygert's Sharpshooters,' as it was or,
ganized by Captain X. S. Dygert On
the records of the Adjutant Generals
office the company is designated az
the first independent company o.
sharpshooters attached to the Six
Itthtu dnu Jut NODipduy
served with the regiment until the
close of the war.
The Sixteenth took part in the
Peninsular campaign under General
Mcclellan and formed a part of the
Third Brigade, First Division, Fifth
Corps, then commanded by Fitz J John
Porter, and remained a part of the
corps during it's term of service.St@ p
"The regiment was at the siege OF
Yorktown, in April, 1862, and par.
ticipated in the engagement at Han.
over Court House, Va, May 27 June"
9th it fought in one of the most
desperate battles of the war at Gaines
Mills, Va. where it gallantly contest
ed with the enemy for the possessioy
of the field. re trC
THE stubborn resistance by the
Sixteenth is forcibly illustrated by the
casualties as the regiment lost three
officers and forty-six men kill, six o.