The Wilderness - Numbers for Union brigades/regiments involved

VI Corps ARTILLERY BRIGADE
Col. CHARLES H. TOMPKINS​

Maine Light, 4th Battery (D), 6 x 3” Rifles
Lt. Melville C. Kimball.

Massachusetts Light, 1st Battery (A), 6 x 12pdr Napoleons
Capt. William H. McCartney.

New York Light, 1st Battery, 6 x 3” Rifles
Capt. Andrew Cowan.

New York Light, 3rd Battery, 6 x 12pdr Napoleons
Capt. William A. Harn.

1st Rhode Island Light. Battery C, 6 x 10pdr Parrotts
Capt. Richard Waterman.

1st Rhode Island Light, Battery E, 6 x 12pdr Napoleons
Capt. William B. Rhodes.

1st Rhode Island Light, Battery G, 6 x 3” Rifles
Capt. George W. Adams.

5th United States, Battery M, 6 x 12pdr Napoleons
Capt. James McKnight.

Total 48 artillery pieces
 
VI Corps Summary

First Division
Estimated Number
Casualties
Casualty Rate %
1st Brigade
2,739​
364​
13.3​
2nd Brigade
1,610​
111​
6.9​
3rd Brigade
2,027​
278​
13.7​
4th Brigade
1,088​
275​
25.3​
Total
7,464
1,028
13.8
Second Division
Estimated Number
Casualties
Casualty Rate %
1st Brigade
2,178​
635​
29.2​
2nd Brigade
2,730​
1,269​
46.5​
3rd Brigade
2,249​
619​
27.5​
4th Brigade
1,937​
468​
24.2​
Total
9,094
2,994
32.9
Third Division
Estimated Number
Casualties
Casualty Rate %
1st Brigade
2,793​
72​
2.6​
2nd Brigade
3,174​
919​
29.0​
Total
5,967
991
16.6
Artillery Brigade
(22)
Grand Total
22,525
5,013
22.3

pfd equipped: 1,003 officers and 21,581 men = 22,584 men (this is only a 59 difference!)

artillery: 43 officers and 1,536 men

Grand Total for VI Corps = 1.048 officers and 23,165 men

This is only a difference of 59 from the O.R. record. Dare I suggest that this Order of Battle is probably as close as we can reasonably obtain for numbers involved in VI Corps for the battle of the Wilderness, May 4th-8th 1864.
 
When I started this methodology for determining numbers for the Army of the Potomac at the Wilderness battle, I never for one moment thought that it would produce such a close result to the numbers reported in the O.R. Whilst we cannot still be certain about these values and will perhaps never know the actual numbers involved, they probably give us a 'best estimate' and if not the actual values for individual regiments are correct, they definitely give us an insight into the relative number of combatants in each of the brigades and divisions of the Union Army fighting between 4th May and 7th May 1864 in the Wilderness.
 
Update for V Corps
FIRST DIVISION: Brig. Gen. CHARLES GRIFFIN
First Brigade: Brig. Gen. ROMEYN B. AYRES
The numbers I used for U.S. Regulars came from James Arnold's 'Armies of U.S. Grant' p.183 but contained no reference. The two Pennsylvania regiments were estimated and the two New York regiments were from Rhea, however there was no reference for the numbers, however I have found the same number (529) used by Trudeau in 'Bloody Roads South' for 140th New York.
I now have a copy of the Return for Ayres’ brigade dated April 30th, 1864. It makes for interesting reading. The numbers quoted are:
140th New York: [627 as opposed to 529, Rhea]
146th New York: [589 as opposed to 556, Rhea]
91st Pennsylvania: [401 compared to 304 est]
155th Pennsylvania: [488 compared to 389 est]
2nd United States [173 as opposed to 191, Arnold]
11th United States [277 as opposed to 200, Arnold]
12th United States [394 as opposed to 450 combined, Arnold]
14th United States [448 as opposed to 530, Arnold]
17th United States [242 as opposed to 690 combined, Arnold]

Where did the 529 come from for 140th New York? Did Rhea just repeat Trudeau's figure?
Where have the figures quoted by Arnold come from?
The estimates are a little on the low side but this may partly be due to the difference between pfd figure and the estimate which is more likely to be closer to effective or engaged strength. The greatest discrepancy though is for the U.S. regiments with a difference near to 500. They both cannot be correct so I have considered the combined frontages when in combat.
Priest has Ayres brigade advance in three lines:
First line frontage of 260 yards consisting of 140th NY and 11th U.S. which totals 627 + 277 = 904 i.e. 3.5 men/yard
Second line frontage of 400 yards: 12th US, 14th US, 2nd US, 17th US = 394 + 448 + 173 + 242 = 1,257 i.e. 3.1 men/yard
Third line frontage of 470 yards: 146th NY, 155th Penn, 91st Penn = 589 + 488 + 401 = 1,478 i.e. 3.1 men/yard
These seem reasonable figures so I think the 30th April return is the more reliable.
The overall impact though is quite small as the new total for the brigade is only 200 lower but this actually moves the total for the Corps closer to the number reported as pfd equipped.

Total for V Corps, First Division, 1st Brigade is now 3,639
The new casualty figures are:

First Division
Estimated Number
Casualties
Casualty Rate %
1st Brigade
3,639​
936​
25.7​
2nd Brigade
2,086​
301​
14.4​
3rd Brigade
2,605​
511​
19.6​
Total
8,330
1,748
21.0
The overall number for the V Corps falls by 200 to 24,367 which is now only 242 difference with the number for pfd equipped.
The casualty rate goes up slightly to 21.6%.
 
Really excellent work, Hannover. Do you have any plans to estimate the strengths/casualties of the other Federal corps?
Thanks for your kind comments jlanef and Luke Freet. You will be pleased to know that I am presently working on the numbers of Hancock's II Corps and Burnside's IX Corps and hope to have something to post within the next month. I have to say that II Corps numbers are quite a problem....
 
Let us start with totals for IX Corps.
IX Corps Maj. Gen. AMBROSE E. BURNSIDE
Rhea in 'The Battle of the Wilderness' reports a total of 19,331 men 'ready for battle' on page 34 with a reference of O.R. volume 33 part 1, page 1036 Apr 30 1864 Return. However, the table for IX Corps does not start until p. 1045 in volume 33 and is the return for the 'month of April' as the 30th April return is not given until volume 36 part 1, page 915. It is unclear how Rhea arrived at this number as the tables below presents the information from both of the O.R. sources:

O.R. volume 33 part 1 page 1036 Return for the month of April
Present for duty​
Present for duty​
Aggregate​
Aggregate present​
Command​
Officers​
Men​
Totals Pfd​
present​
and absent​
Staff and Infantry
742​
16,266​
17,008​
18,916​
24,187​
Cavalry
69​
1,199​
1,268​
1,422​
2,169​
Artillery
31​
943​
974​
1,019​
1,131​
Total
842
18,408
19,250
21,357
27,487

O.R. volume 36 part 1, page 915 Return of IX Corps Apr 30 1864
Present for duty​
Present for duty​
Aggregate​
Aggregate present​
Command​
Officers​
Men​
Totals Pfd​
present​
and absent​
General & Staff
14​
14​
14​
1st Division
Stevenson
111​
2,559​
2,670​
3,066​
3,874​
2nd Division
Griffin
242​
5,508​
5,750​
6,346​
8,627​
3rd Division
Willcox
262​
6,110​
6,372​
7,009​
8,799​
4th Division
Ferrero
142​
2,953​
3,095​
3,423​
3,875​
Cavalry
69​
1,199​
1,268​
1,418​
2,169​
Reserve Artillery
2​
79​
81​
87​
126​
Total
842
18,408
19,250
21,363
27,470

Thankfully these numbers are quite consistent and as with the previous posts I will deal with IX Corps by Division.
However there are some anomlies,first of all the Reserve Artillery total is only enough for one battery, despite there being up to 6 batteries listed in many orders of battle. More of this in a later post that will look solely at IX Corps artillery.
I will also present the casualty rates based on the numbers engaged and not the totals. This gives a more realistic value and allows comparison between brigades and regiments based on the different types combat they experienced.
One thing is already apparent from just a cursory look at the figures is that the fractured Union command structure resulted in very little of the IX Corps actually becoming engaged.
Forgive me but I will deal in the next post with the easiest part first - IX Corps Cavalry.

 
All the numbers I publish in [ ] brackets are pfd figures printed in 'Victory without Triumph' by Priest taken from Record Group 94 Office of the Adjutant General (OAG) Boxes 9, 19, 22, 24, and 126 National Archives.
As promised, the easy bit first....

4th CAVALRY DIVISION [2,517]
3rd New Jersey: Col. Andrew J. Morrison [852]
22nd New York: Col. Samuel J. Crooks [unknown] estimated 522 (see below)
2nd Ohio: Lt. Col. George A. Purington [621]
13th Pennsylvania: Maj. Michael Kerwin [522]

Whilst these four regiments are often listed in orders of battle for the campaign 22nd New York and 2nd Ohio are not listed in Apr return, omitting these regiments gives a cavalry total of 1,374 pretty close to the 1,268 pfd figure in O.R. (106 difference).
Totalling the pfd of the 3 known regiments gives 1,995, meaning 22nd New York numbered around 522.
2nd Ohio and 13th Pennsylvania were veteran regiments raised at the start of the war.
22nd New York and 3rd New Jersey were raised Dec 1863 to Mar 1864 and were each of 12 companies.
3rd New Jersey were known as the 'Butterflies' with their distinctive Austrian inspired hussar uniform of dark blue with yellow braid.
This cavalry division lists only 13 casualties in O.R. at the Wilderness.
 
FIRST DIVISION
Brig. Gen. THOMAS G. STEVENSON

First Division was directed to report to Maj. Gen. Hancock (II Corps).

First Brigade
Col. Sumner Carruth (sunstruck, 6th May)
Col. Jacob P. Gould (59th Mass.)
[2,464] 2,200 engaged​

35th Massachusetts: Maj. Nathaniel Wales [253] was not engaged

56th Massachusetts: Col. Charles E. Griswold [609]
Ordnance totals give a slightly higher estimate of 767
57th Massachusetts: Col. William Francis Bartlett (w) [559]
Lt. Col. Charles L. Chandler (Priest p.112)
Fox reports 545, but perhaps the best estimate is from Wilkinson 'Mother, May You Never See The Sights I Have Seen' gives a strength of 548 but also states that Company K (55 men) were detached as guard acting alongside 35th Massachusetts. This would mean 493 engaged.
59th Massachusetts: Col. Jacob Parker Gould [550]

4th United States: Capt. Charles H. Brightly [293]
Ordnance totals give a similar value of 305.
10th United States: Maj. Samuel B. Hayman [200]
Ordnance totals give a slightly higher number of 233.

4th and 10th U.S. are not listed on 30 Apr return but are present on 31 May return [O.R. volume 36 pt.1 p. 198].
Neither are they mentioned in Lt-Col. Barnes' report for the brigade but this was written on 16th Aug [O.R. volume 36 pt.1 p. 919] so I think this is an oversight.
In Brig. Gen. Ledlie's report [O.R. volume 36 pt.1 p. 917] he states that the 4th and 10th U.S. were 'few in number' which confirms the numbers given.

Stevenson's division marched down the Germanna Road and onto the Brock Road with Carruth's brigade to the fore in the following order: 4th & 10th Regulars, 57th Massachusetts, 56th Massachusetts, 59th Massachusetts.
They turned onto the Orange Plank Road past the two 12 pounder brass Napoleons of 6th Maine Artillery with Maj. Gen. Hancock sitting upright in the saddle. This was 8.45am according to Lt-Col. Stephen Weld's watch. They retained the same order of regiments as they moved into the woods North of the Orange Plank Road. This would give them 4 lines of similar length of about 200 yards with the 56th Massachusetts being slightly longer.

Second Brigade
Col. Daniel Leasure
[1,147]​

3rd Maryland: Col. Joseph M, Sudsburg [227]

21st Massachusetts: Lt-Col. George P. Hawkes [270]

100th Pennsylvania: Lt-Col. Matthew M. Dawson [650]

3rd Maryland not listed on 30 Apr return present on 31 May return [O.R. volume 36 pt.1 p. 198]. This is not surprising as they still retained their XII Corps patches.
Leasure's brigade moved North in front of the Union works with their left near to Poplar Run.
21st Massachusetts held the left of the line, 100th Pennsylvania on the right, with the right flank on the works.
3rd Maryland fell in behind these two regiments. The brigade wheeled so that the 100th Pennsylvania ended the move in the heavily timbered ground north of the Orange Plank Road. From there they retreated into the Union breastworks. They took casualties from Confederates lined along Poplar Run, presumably from Wofford's and Mahone's brigades.
This gives 920 men in the front line at apprioximately 3 per yard frontage gives a value of 300 yards. This corresponds to the distance between the Union works and Poplar Run and as Company H 21st Massachusetts was sent forward as skirmishers, this confirms that these pfd figures are an accurate estimate of the total for the brigade.
 
First Division Artillery – 12 pieces estimate 252​

Maine Light, 2nd Battery (B): Capt. Albert F. Thomas, 6 x 3" Rifles
O.R. Vol.36 Pt.1 p.922 Thomas' report not engaged. Estimate 120

Massachusetts Light, 14th Battery: Capt. Joseph W. B. Wright, 6 x 3" Rifles (see below)
Artillery pieces not listed in Ordnance return. [132]
Organised at Readville, Massachusetts, 27 Feb 1864. The Rappahannock River was reached April 30 and was crossed May 4 when the IX Corps started for the Wilderness. The Rapidan was crossed by the battery May 5.
O.R. Vol.36 Pt.1 p.922 Joseph B. Wright's report: battery numbers 132 men, 120 horses, 6 x 3" Parrott Rifles.
It is not surprising that both batteries remained in reserve during the battle of the Wilderness, it being impossible to use much artillery owing to the wooded character of the country.

As no separate numbers were given for the artillery in O.R., one has to assume that they were incorporated into the figures for each division, this would add about 252 to the divisional total.
 
Priest unfortunately prints an incorrect total for the Stevenson's 1st Division and it is difficult to see how this arose other than a misprint. The number present for 35th Massachusetts is written as 2,53. The total he therefore gives for the 1st Brigade of 5,254 is incorrect when the numbers of those present add up to only 2,464. The error is exacerbated by adding this incorrect total to 2nd Brigade numbers to obtain a divisional total of 6,411! The correct totals are 2,464 (1st Brigade) plus 1,147 (2nd Brigade) equalling 3,611 (an error of 2,800!).
The problem is that this total is 1,000 greater than the pfd figure of 2,670 and also excludes the total of artillerymen, possibly another 252. I think that this means some regiments were not included in the 30 Apr return but ended up in the order of battle. Candidates are 4th and 10th U.S. Infantry (possibly 500 men) and 3rd Maryland transferred from XII Corps (a further 250 men). All 3 regiments were not listed on the 30 Apr return so presumably are not included in the 30 Apr totals.
Can there be 1,000 troops missing, adding the 3 regiments (750) plus artillery attached to the division (250) and we probbably find the missing 1,000.
To summarise:
IX Corps
First Division
pfd April
1st Brigade
2,464​
2nd Brigade
1,147​
Artillery
252​
Total
3,863
 
Last edited:
Casualties for Stevenson's Division.
The two brigades ended up fighting in different locations, Carruth's 1st Brigade North of the Orange Plank Road and Leasure's 2nd Brigade advancing between Poplar Run and the Union breastworks in a sweep taking them eventually into the more heavily timbered ground north of the Orange Plank Road.

Carruth's brigade formed into four lines in order front to back of: 4th & 10th Regulars, 57th Massachusetts, 56th Massachusetts, 59th Massachusetts. The numbers would give these four lines a similar length.
4th and 10th Regulars went to ground next to the Plank Road about 200 yards behind Webb's brigade and refused to go any further, yet do not appear to have been admonished for this, although they sustained almost 100 casualties from about 500 engaged.
Col. William Bartlett was wounded in the head by a spent minie ball as he was about to lead his 57th Massachusetts forward. The 57th marched over the Regulars meeting Perrin's Alabama brigade and at this point their inexperience in combat showed as they started to take considerable casualties (the highest in the brigade of 245 in O.R. or an even higher 262 according to Wilkinson), they wavered and then broke. Therefore a considerably higher casualty rate for this brigade would be expected in comparison to Leasure's brigade.

Leasure's brigade moved North in front of the Union works with their left near to Poplar Run.
21st Massachusetts held the left of the line, 100th Pennsylvania on the right, with the right flank on the works.
3rd Maryland (still had their XII Corps badges) fell in behind these two regiments. The brigade wheeled so that the 100th Pennsylvania ended the move in the more heavily timbered ground north of the Orange Plank Road. From there they retreated into the Union breastworks. They took casualties from Confederates along Poplar Run, presumably largely from Wofford's and Mahone's brigades.
The numbers for these regiments give a line 270 + 650 = 920 with a 3 men per yard frontage = 300 yards. This corresponds favourably to the distance between the Union works and Poplar Run as Company H of 21st Massachusetts were sent forward as skirmishers in front of this line.

The numbers therefore stand up to their locations and the number of casualties each regiment took. The final totals are:
IX Corps
First Division
pfd April
Estimate
engaged
Casualties
Casualty Rate
% engaged
1st Brigade
2,464​
2,200​
471​
21.4​
2nd Brigade
1,147​
1,147​
77​
6.7​
Artillery
252​
0​
0​
0​
Total
3,863
3,347
548
16.4
 
SECOND DIVISION
Brig. Gen. ROBERT B. POTTER

First Brigade

Col. Zenas R. Bliss (sunstruck, 6th May)
Col. John I. Curtin
[3,301]​

36th Massachusetts: Maj. William F. Draper [496]
Ordnance returns give a lower estimate 356

58th Massachusetts: Lt-Col. John C. Whiton [unknown] 660 estimate
There were only 8 companies mustered, ordnance returns gives an average company size of 80 rifles.
8 companies would be 640 plus 20 officers gives us an estimate of 660.

51st New York: Col. Charles W. LeGendre [373]

45th Pennsylvania: Col. John I. Curtin [701]

48th Pennsylvania: Lt-Col. Henry Pleasants [790]

7th Rhode Island: Capt. Theodore Winn [281]
not engaged, the regiment reached the Rapidan at 9.00am on 6th May. The regiment was not involved in the fighting.
[from 'The Seventh regiment Rhode Island volunteers in the Civil War, 1862-1865' by Hopkins, William Palmer, 1845-published 1903).


The only regiment with no pfd figure is 58th Massachusetts. The regiment was organized 25 April 1864 at Reedville under Colonel Silas P. Richmond and Lieutenant Colonel John C. Whiton. History of the regiment states only 8 companies were mustered on 25 April 1864 plus the regiment never achieved the required numbers to qualify to have a colonel (therefore probably less than 800), so Colonel Richmond stepped down, leaving Lieutenant Colonel John C. Whiton in command.The regiment is also not listed in 30 Apr return.
Both 45th and 48th Pennsylvania were veteran regiments and look rather large with 700 each.
What we do know is that 45th Pennsylvania reported having 300 men at Cold Harbor with losses of 143 at the Wilderness, 76 at Spotsylvania Court House so working backwards we arrive at an estimate of only 519 men. This would make it still larger than any other regiment in the brigade so this figure may not be too far out. Records also show that in January 1864, a relatively large number of 426 men reenlisted.

Second Brigade
Col. Simon G. Griffin
[2,811]​

31st Maine: Lt-Col. Thomas Hight [540]

32nd Maine: Maj. Arthur Deering [349]
Were involved in cleaning up a train accident and did not take part in the battle.

6th New Hampshire: Lt-Col. Henry H. Pearson [434]
Ordnance return shows the regiment was armed with Austrian Rifles.

9th New Hampshire: Lt-Col. John W. Babbitt [596]
Were involved in cleaning up a train accident and did not take part in the battle.

11th New Hampshire: Col. Walter Harriman [449]

17th Vermont: Lt-Col. Charles Cummings [443]

Taking the two regiments who were not involved in the battle means that the number actually engaged was only 1,866.
 
Second Division Artillery – 12 pieces 250 estimated​

Massachusetts Light, 11th Battery: Capt. Edward J. Jones, 6 x 3" Rifles
Organised at Readville, Massachusetts, 27 Feb 1864, at the same time as 14th Battery which was armed with 6 x 3" Rifles so therefore I have assumed they were similarly armed.

New York Light, 19th Battery: Capt. Edward W. Rogers, 6 x 12pdr Napoleons

Neither battery was involved in the fighting.
 
To summarise:
IX Corps
Second Division
pfd April
1st Brigade
3,301​
2nd Brigade
2,811​
Artillery
250​
Total
6,362

5,750 pfd total from the 30 Apr return plus an additional 660 from 58th Massachusetts which was unlisted gives total of 6,410 pfd for the Division, a difference of less than 50.
 
Casualties for Potter's Division
On 6th May Potter began his flanking movement around 11.00am. Bliss' brigade led the division. Cutting through the undergrowth the brigades lost their bearings. It took until 2.00pm to reach the easternmost trail which ran into the Tapp Farm from the North.
Gottfried states that Bliss' brigade advanced in two lines each of three regiments but there were only 5 regiments from this brigade present with the 7th Rhode Island absent. Rhea gives three regiments in the front line, two in the second line (p.383).
Bliss' brigade advanced in the following order left to right:

51st New York [373]​

36th Massachusetts [496]​

45th Pennsylvania [701]​
This front line would have a frontage of about 520 yards (1,570 men).
The 58th Massachusetts [660] and 48th Pennsylvania [790] formed the second line of 1,450 men of around 500 yards frontage.
As can be seen from above this would mean two similar sized lines.
The difficulties of advancing in any sort of regular order in the Wilderness terrain can be seen from the advance of this brigade.
The centre and right of the front line reached the Confederate works first, leapt over the works and severe hand to hand fighting (one of only a few instances in the civil war) ensued with McGowan's Confederates. Both sides recoiled from this melee, the 51st New York broke and streamed to the rear.
Looking at the casualties suffered highlights the severity of the fighting and also suggests that the second line must have been probably several hundred yards behind the front line. The second line did not reach the Confederate works and so was not involved in any melee and it could be argued was sheltered from rifle fire by the dense foilage.
Front line 295 casualties from 1,570 = 18.8% Second line 58 casualties from 1,450 = 4.0%


Griffin's brigade lay to the left of Bliss' brigade but behind Hartranft's brigade (Third Division). As the front line of Bliss' brigade broke Burnside rode into Griffin's brigade ordering him to attack. Griffin organised three regiments in line east to west to advance over the top of Hartranft's two rear lines


6th New Hampshire [434]​

11th New Hampshire [449]​

17th Vermont [333]​
1,216 men = 400 yard frontage​
The whereabouts of 31st Maine is unclear, I think they were in reserve behind these 3 regiments. Evidenced by the much lower casualty rate for this regiment. Enter '31st Maine' on Google and there are many references to 'heavy losses' in the Wilderness, however only 31 are recorded in O.R. giving a low casualty rate of just 5.7%. Why there is this discrepancy, I do not know.

The front line of Griffin's brigade was less fortunate suffering probably 150+ casualties, a rate close to 15%. The 6th New Hampshire were also severely affected by the breaking of 8th Michigan in front of them. Lt-Col. Pearson steadied them by slipping off his horse, grabbing one of the regimental colours and urged them forward with a cry of 'Come on, Sixth New Hampshire! Forward!' The regiment overwhelmed 15th Alabama and Perry's small Florida brigade eventually capturing over 100 men.
6th and 11th New Hampshire advanced so far in front that their flanks were now exposed and were countered by Stone's brigade to their left and Harris' brigade to their right. It was Harris' counter attack that forced the 36th Massachusetts (from Bliss' Brigade) to retire having mounted over the Confederate works.

Priest (p.152) curiously states that Potter's men lost the field at a cost of 969 officers and men. Yet the O.R. casualty figures for the brigade are only 562, so I do not know how Priest arrived at this figure.

You may also notice that I have changed the numbers for 17th Vermont as I have been sent a report stating that due to an outbreak of measles there were only 313 muskets and circa 20 officers that took part inthe Wilderness battle.

To summarise:

IX Corps
Second Division

pfd April

Estimate
engaged

Casualties

Casualty Rate
% engaged
1st Brigade

3,301​

3,020​

353​

11.7​
2nd Brigade

2,701​

1,756​

208​

11.8​
Artillery

250​

0​

0​

0​
Total

6,252

4,776

562

11.8

These two brigades therefore show similar casualty rates when considering the numbers engaged. Fighting relatively close to each other and with similar battlefield experiences gives a consistency which is not apparent if one just considers the casualty rate using the pfd figures alone.
 
THIRD DIVISION
Brig. Gen. ORLANDO B. WILLCOX

[6,147]

First Brigade
Col. John F. Hartranft
[3,580]​


2nd Michigan: Col. William Humphrey [301]

8th Michigan: Col. Frank Graves (k. 6 May) [517]
Number confirmed by Ordnance totals giving a strength of circa 504.
17th Michigan: Col. Constant Luce [413]

27th Michigan: Maj. Samuel Moody [838]

109th New York: Col. Benjamin F. Tracy [878]

51st Pennsylvania: Lt-Col. Edwin Schall [633]
Ordnance totals suggest a much smaller strength of circa 300 (see below).

27th Michigan had 1st and 2nd Companies Michigan Sharpshooters attached.

27th Michigan was recruited in early 1863, had been involved in the siege of Vicksburg and the Knoxville campaign as part of IX Corps so had spent a relatively quiet year. This may account for their relatively large strength.
109th New York was mustered into service August 1862. It had spent most of its time in the defences of Washington finally arriving in IX Corps in March 1864. This may explain the relatively high strength of this regiment.
Hartranft was the original commander of 51st Pennsylvania from late 1861. It was involved in the battles of Second Manassas, South Mountain and assaulting Burnside's Bridge at Antietam suffering 120 casualties from about 340 combatants. After Fredericksburg they had a quieter 1863 as part of IX Corps alongside 27th Michigan yet a strength in excess of 600 is difficult to fathom.

Second Brigade
Col. Benjamin C. Christ
[2,567]
[1,711 engaged]​

1st Michigan Sharpshooters: Col. Charles V. De Land [682]
Company K was composed primarily of Native Americans of the United States, especially members of the Ojibwa, Odawa, and Potawatomi nations.

20th Michigan: Lt-Col. Byron M. Cutcheon [419]

79th New York: Col. David Morrison [273]
Not present – detached at Warrenton.
The 9th Corps had only one regiment have their term expire, the 79th New York Highlanders. They generally re-enlisted, and on 11th June discharged the 17 men who had not re-enlisted. Note: in the history it also states that a detachment of 100 men of the regiment were to return from New York City, likely recovered convalescents in exchange for 17 who mustered out. This was part of some additional reinforcements to the AoP in June that are not included nor enumerated in Halleck's statements.

60th Ohio: Lt-Col. James N. McElroy [583]
This regiment had only been recruited 3 weeks before – so was green. No entry in Ordnance Store list. Consisted of 8 companies only. Detached at Warrenton.
The 60th Ohio Infantry was reorganized in Cleveland and Columbus, Ohio February through April 1864 under the command of Lt. Col. James N. McElroy. Several of the companies were mustered into federal service by Medal of Honor winner, Rufus King Jr. It did not reach a strength of ten companies until February 1865.
Company A to F (6 companies) organised through April 1864, Company I was not mustered in until 20 May 1864
[Official Roster of the soldiers of the state of Ohio in the War of the Rebellion 1861-1866 volume V pub. 1887].

50th Pennsylvania: Lt-Col. Edward Overton, Jr. [610]
Coy K (17) armed with Austrian Rifles. Ordnance totals suggest a much lower strength of 200-300.
 
Third Division Artillery – 12 pieces 250 estimated​

Maine Light, 7th Battery (G): Capt. Adelbert B. Twitchell, 6 x 12pdr Napoleons

New York Light. 34th Battery: Capt. Jacob Roemer, unreported however the battery was reduced at the end of May 1864 to 4 x 3" Rifles therefore it is logical to assume they were armed with 6 x 3" Rifles.
O.R. Vol. 36 pt.1 Artillery breakdown by Hunt each Corps p.289
The Union Ordnance return for March 31, 1864 lists this unit but shows that no return was ever officially submitted.
New York Light Battery L, 2nd regiment of artillery designated 34th independent battery had been mustered in on November 19,1863.

As with all IX Corps Artillery attached to the 3 Divisions they took no part in the battle.
 
Casualties for Willcox's Division
Hartranft's brigade entered the battlefield by marching along the middle trail which meandered down to the Tapp Farm.

Hartranft's brigade was advancing behind 51st New York (Bliss' brigade) and was uncovered when this regiment broke and ran eventually reforming at right angles (refused) to the rest of Bliss' brigade. The brigade was advancing as follows front to back:

27th Michigan [838] casualty rate 9.3%​
109th New York [878] casualty rate 8.7%​
51st Pennsylvania [633] casualty rate 10.7%​
8th Michigan [517] casualty rate 20.3%​

This would give a frontage of 280 yards.
How did the regiment at the back suffer disproportionate losses compared to the three regiments in front of it?

27th Michigan came under severe flanking fire from Oates' Alabamians and broke disorganising 109th New York and 51st Pennsylvania. Col. Frank Graves (8th Michigan) ordered his men to open ranks to allow these regiments to pass through.
2nd and 17th Michigan moved from the right flank and reserve to stem the rout. The 8th Michigan continued their advance only to suffer further volleys and it was here that Col. Graves fell dead and close to 50 men were also lost at this point. The 8th Michigan turned and fled ploughing into the advancing 6th New Hampshire. These movements probably account for the higher casualty rate.
Hartranft's regiments fell back and reformed in their original alignments. At around 5.00pm Grant directed Burnside to pull any spare regiments for example from Christ's brigade (20th Michigan, 50th Pennsylvania with some of 1st Michigan Sharpshooters) and use them to support Potter's Division.
The net result was 27th Michigan was to lead the attack followed by 2nd Michigan, 51st Pennsylvania and 17th Michigan. The 8th Michigan would not participate due to its mauling earlier on. The 109th New York was also omitted as it had run out of ammunition.

Christ's brigade took the same trail that Wadsworth's Division had taken to flank Higgerson's during the previous day.
Christ arrived at the Jones' Field, the regiments coming into line in the woods at the Northern end of the field.
1st Michigan Sharpshooters deployed to the west to connect with the V Corps. 20th Michigan and 50th Pennsylvania where first lined up in the woods to support the Sharpshooters. They ended up in line across the trail where it entered the field and were ordered to dig in.

At about 5.00pm Christ was ordered to assault the Confederate line with his 3 regiments.
50th Pennsylvania took the right of the line with 8 companies of 20th Michigan on the left. Preceding this line were the remaining 2 companies from 20th Michigan and 4 companies 1st Michigan Sharpshooters used as skirmishers.
This advance ran headlong into 9th Alabama which gave way. 20th Michigan is thought to have attempted a right wheel, took friendly fire and went prone effectively leaving 50th Pennsylvania alone.
With the 20th Michigan likely to be flanked to their left, 11th New Hampshire (Griffin's brigade) was sent forward to prevent this. What must have been a cacophony of noise in the darkening forest in front of them prompted the 27th Michigan to begin fortifying their position. The attack petered out and the battle ended with pickets exchanging fire.

To summarise:
IX Corps
Third Division
pfd April
Estimate
engaged
Casualties
Casualty Rate
% engaged
1st Brigade
3,580​
3,580​
407​
11.4​
2nd Brigade
2,567​
1,711​
107​
6.3​
Artillery
250​
0​
0​
0​
Total
6,397
5,291
519
9.8
 
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