Michigan Patriotism in the Civil War

In 1861, newly elected Michigan Governor Austin Blair affirmed Michigan loyalty “to the Union, the Constitution, to the Laws and [we] will defend them to the uttermost.”

Sentiment to abolish slavery expanded for decades before the outbreak of the Civil War, and throughout the years, Michigan led the way. Residents supported the abolitionists; they played roles in the Underground Railroad, a network that covertly helped slaves escape north to freedom.

Then at 3 a.m., April 12, 1861, Confederate forces launched volleys of cannon fire on the Union-held Fort Sumpter. As the Charleston Harbor, S. Carolina fort fell to the southern forces, 11 southern states seceded from the Union. The Confederacy formed, and the Civil War had begun.

Three days later, President Lincoln called on “loyal” states to help put down the rebellion, and he asked for 75,000 volunteers to serve for three months. 

April 16, just one day after receiving the War Department’s telegram requesting Michigan’s quota for one regiment of about 1,000 men, newly elected Governor Austin Blair called for volunteers. 

Wildly enthusiastic rallies and mass meetings arose throughout the state, and Blair affirmed Michigan loyalty “to the Union, the Constitution, to the Laws and will defend them to the uttermost.” Michigan’s entire military power was at the president’s disposal, Blair assured Lincoln.

The next day, the Detroit Daily Advertiser quoted Blair as saying, “It is confidently expected that the patriotic citizen soldiery of Michigan will promptly come forward to enlist in the cause of the Union, against which an extensive rebellion in arms exists, threatening the integrity and perpetuity of the government.”

Within 12 days, ten companies of volunteer militia formed the First Michigan Volunteer Infantry Regiment at Fort Wayne in Detroit, and they arrived in Washington D.C. exactly one month and one day after Lincoln’s request for troops. The cheers of loyal thousands and President Lincoln personally greeted the new recruits. 

The 1st Michigan Volunteer Infantry Regiment

Lincoln is reported to have proclaimed, “Thank God for Michigan.”

Unlike other political leaders of the North who underestimated the determination of the southern states, Gov. Blair predicted the war would be a protracted and bloody conflict, stating to legislators, “I do not under-estimate the gallantry of southern men.”

Almost 90,000 Michigan men, approximately 23 percent of the state’s male population, served in the Union Army and Navy, including some 1,600 free blacks and 168 Indians from northern Michigan. 

These loyal Michiganders served in all theaters of the war and fought in more than 800 battles and skirmishes. Total losses during the conflict numbered 14,753, and in the years to come, thousands more would succumb from their war-related wounds, injuries and sickness.

To learn more about Michigan in the Civil War, plan to attend “Blacksmiths-Soldiers and Log Cabin Weekend, June 23-24, at the Waterloo Farm Museum. Historians and re-enactors will be present with authentic encampments and demonstrations. Check out the website: www.waterloofarmmuseum.org

The information above was compiled from the “Civil War State by State,” “Michigan, Visions of Our Past,” and various historical documents.