2nd Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry Regiment

2nd Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry Regiment
Unit name	2nd Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry Regiment
Dates	1861–1865
Allegiance	Union
Branch	Infantry
Size	Regiment
Notable commanders	Edwin S. Lacey, John G. McMynn, Jesse S. Norton

2nd Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry Regiment was a volunteer infantry regiment raised in Wisconsin for service with the Union Army during the American Civil War. Organized in Madison and composed largely of volunteers from Milwaukee, Racine, and Dodge County, the regiment became a part of the famed Iron Brigade of the Army of the Potomac. The unit served in major Eastern Theater campaigns including the Battle of Antietam, the Gettysburg Campaign, and the Peninsula Campaign, earning a reputation for discipline and tenacity.

Formation and Organization

Raised in the spring of 1861 following President Abraham Lincoln's call for troops, the regiment mustered at Camp Randall near Madison and was formally organized under state authority by Governor Alexander Randall. Company rosters reflected recruitment centers in Milwaukee County, Racine County, Columbia County, Jefferson County, and Fond du Lac County. Early officers included militia leaders and educators with prior service or civic prominence drawn from University of Wisconsin–Madison alumni, state legislature veterans, and community notables. After training, the regiment entrained for the Eastern Theater, joining the I Corps and soon being assigned to the Iron Brigade alongside the 19th Indiana, 24th Michigan, and 6th Wisconsin.

Service History

From deployment to Washington, D.C. to final mustering out in 1865, the regiment operated under corps commanders such as George B. McClellan, Joseph Hooker, and George G. Meade. In 1861–1862 the regiment participated in the Peninsula Campaign and operations near Harrison's Landing. During 1862–1863 it fought in the Northern Virginia Campaign, the Maryland Campaign, and the Gettysburg Campaign, suffering heavy action and periods of reorganization. After Gettysburg the regiment served in the Overland Campaign under Ulysses S. Grant’s strategic direction and later joined operations around Petersburg and in the final Appomattox Campaign leading to the surrender at Appomattox Court House.

Engagements and Battles

The regiment saw sustained combat at engagements recognized in Civil War historiography, entering action at the Brawner's Farm and the Second Bull Run, where elements of the Iron Brigade were heavily engaged. At Antietam the regiment held positions near the Miller Farm and the Cornfield, participating in the bloodiest single-day fighting of the war. During the Battle of Fredericksburg the unit was involved in assaults and entrenchments near Marye's Heights. At Gettysburg the regiment fought on the western slopes of Cemetery Ridge and in the defense against assaults during July 2–3, confronting units from the Army of Northern Virginia under Robert E. Lee. In 1864 the regiment engaged in the Wilderness Campaign, Spotsylvania Court House, and at Cold Harbor before joining siege operations at Petersburg. The regiment’s actions intersected with campaigns and battles involving leaders such as James Longstreet, Richard S. Ewell, Ambrose Burnside, and Winfield Scott Hancock.

Commanders and Notable Personnel

Command leadership included colonels and field officers with backgrounds in state politics, law, and education. Prominent commanders and staff officers connected to the regiment’s history were John G. McMynn, who had educational leadership in Wisconsin; Edwin S. Lacey, a company officer elevated to regimental command; and Jesse S. Norton, who later engaged in veteran affairs. Notable enlisted men and subalterns included veterans who later served in the Wisconsin Legislature, participated in Grand Army of the Republic posts, or contributed to postwar remembrance efforts; among them are named veterans recorded in muster rolls and veteran association records. The regiment’s officers corresponded and coordinated with brigade commanders such as John Gibbon and division commanders like John C. Caldwell.

Casualties and Strength

Muster records indicate initial regimental strength consistent with Civil War volunteer regiments, varying through recruitment, reenlistment drives, and battlefield losses. Combat in the Cornfield, at Brawner's Farm, and during the Gettysburg Campaign produced significant battlefield casualties, while disease claimed additional lives during camps at Belle Plain and Falmouth. The regiment’s attrition mirrored that of the Iron Brigade units, necessitating consolidation, transfers, and recruitment of replacements. Survivor lists, pension files, and burial records link veterans to cemeteries such as Arlington National Cemetery, state veteran cemeteries in Madison, and local memorials across Jefferson County and Racine County.

Legacy and Commemoration

Postwar remembrance of the regiment entered Civil War memory through reunions, veterans’ organizations like the Grand Army of the Republic, monument dedications at battlefields including a memorial at Gettysburg and markers at Antietam, and histories published by veteran associations and state historical societies. The regiment figures in scholarly works on the Iron Brigade, biographies of commanders, and studies of infantry tactics in the Eastern Theater, appearing in collections at the Wisconsin Historical Society and archives at the Library of Congress. Modern commemoration includes battlefield preservation efforts by organizations such as the Civil War Trust and interpretive programs by the National Park Service, which contextualize the regiment’s service for public education and heritage tourism.

Category:Units and formations of the Union Army from Wisconsin Category:Iron Brigade