1st Michigan Light Artillery

           

1860 to 1866

The allocation of volunteer artillery to the State of Michigan for Federal Service was 1 Regiment consisting of 12 Batteries. The designation for the Regiment furnished was the 1st Michigan Artillery, consisting of Batteries "A" thru "I", and "K","L", "M".

There were 14 Batteries raised, so they were designated the 13th and 14th. During the war the Batteries were given numerical designation, instead of alphabetical, by newsmen of the time, although they were officially, the opposite.

The Regiment of the Michigan Light Artillery was composed of twelve six gun batteries. They were commanded by Colonel C.O. Loomis, but from the character of the that arm of the service, the batteries were never brought together as a unified Regiment, as a rresult, no definitive history could be written as a whole. I have therefore thought it best to separate the histories by Barrtey.

During its term of Federal service it carried on its rolls 3333 officers and men, while 265 had re-enlisted as veteran volunteers in specific batteries.

The batteries composing the Regiment served in all principal armies, and some of them bore conspicuous parts in the most important battles of the war, in which western armies the were engaged, while some served in the extreme South.

Their services in battle were credible wherever an opportunity offered, but, like all other batteries in the war, they failed in getting a proportionate notoriety or reputation with that of the Cavalry or Infantry arm of the service, owing to a less amount of correspondence with the public press of the country.