Wallick Soldiers of the American Civil War

27th Indiana Volunteer Infantry · Company B · Eastern & Western Theaters

"Daviess County" Michael Wallick

Corporal · Promoted to 1st Sergeant · Three Years of Service · 1861–1864

Regiment

27th Indiana Infantry, Co. B

Rank

Corporal → 1st Sergeant

Enlisted

Aug 10, 1861 · Daviess Co., IN

Mustered In

Sep 12, 1861 · Camp Morton, IN

Mustered Out

Sep 12, 1864 · Indianapolis, IN

Born

Mar 6, 1817 · Bedford Co., PA

Died

Feb 13, 1905 · Oden, Indiana

Buried

Raglesville Cemetery, Indiana

Physical Description

5′ 8″ · Black hair · Gray eyes · Occupation: Farmer

Prisoner of War

May 23 – Sep 18, 1862 · Buckton Station, VA · Belle Island & Libby Prison, Richmond

Family Lineage

"Daviess County" Michael · son of "Bunker Hill" Michael · son of "Bedford" Michael · son of Hans Michael and Esther Wallick

"Uncle Mike" — Farmer, Soldier, Prisoner of War

Michael Wallick, c. 1904 — Corporal/Sergeant, 27th Indiana Volunteer Infantry
Michael Wallick, c. 1904

On a warm August afternoon in 1861, Michael Wallick, age 44, left his wife, his five children (ages 6 to 18), and his Indiana farm to go into the little village of Raglesville and enlist in the Union Army. There he joined friends and neighbors from Daviess County and they all marched off to Camp Morton, Indianapolis, to help quell the southern rebellion. This group of men was to become Company B of the 27th Indiana Volunteer Infantry and Michael was, at the time, old enough to be a father to most of them.

Michael was born in Bedford County, Pennsylvania, on March 6, 1817, and by his lineage he could rightfully be called Michael IV. His great-grandfather, "Hans Michael" (1706–?), came to the New World from the Palatinate region of Germany in 1732 and settled in York, Pennsylvania. His grandfather, "Bedford County" Michael (1740–1823), helped settle the Upper Juniata Valley on the frontier (near present-day Altoona) and fought in our country's War of Independence. His father, "Bunker Hill" Michael (1775–1845), moved the family west in 1822 to Tuscarawas County, Ohio, where "Daviess County" Michael was born, raised and spent his young adulthood. There he became a farmer and in 1847 laid out 12 tracts of land that comprise the present-day village of Dundee, Ohio. In 1851 he moved his young family west to Daviess County, Indiana, and settled on a farm in Madison Township.

It is not too surprising that he joined to fight in "The War of the Southern Rebellion," given his staunch Republican sentiments. Also, as a young boy he undoubtedly heard his family tell of the adventures and hardships his grandfather, "Bedford County" Michael, endured during the American Revolution. "Daviess County" Michael (1817–1905) now joined a regiment that was destined to fight in some of the Civil War's most famous battles.

In this titanic national struggle, "Uncle Mike" (as he was called by his comrades) saw action in both the western and eastern theaters of the war. He and his regiment were part of the Union's effort to defeat Stonewall Jackson in the Shenandoah Valley. In the process, Michael was wounded and captured at Buckton Station and then experienced the hell of a Confederate prison for three months. While Michael was in prison his regimental brothers took part in the bloodiest day of battle in American history — the Battle of Antietam — where the regiment sustained heavy casualties in "The Cornfield."

Michael was released from prison in September of 1862 and helped the Union Army avoid disaster the following spring at the Battle of Chancellorsville. But perhaps the most glorious — and most tragic — day for the regiment was when they made their ill-fated charge in "The Swale" at the Battle of Gettysburg. Many men were needlessly sacrificed in the ill-advised attack. Michael then moved to the western theater of war where his regiment helped chase the Confederate Army out of northern Georgia and fought them all the way to Atlanta. During this campaign he was again wounded at the Battle of Resaca.

Journey of the 27th Indiana Infantry during the Civil War — map from A History of Daviess County
Journey of the 27th Indiana Infantry during the Civil War. (Map from A History of Daviess County)
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Eastern Theater · 1861–1863

Michael Wallick with the 27th Indiana Volunteer Infantry

Aug 10, 1861

Michael enlists as a corporal in what becomes Company B of the 27th Indiana Volunteer Infantry.
Lions Park in Raglesville, Indiana — Michael and the men of Company B assembled on this field in August 1861 before marching off to war
Michael and the men of Company B, 27th Indiana, assembled on this field in August of 1861 before marching off to war. The park is located on Co. Rd. 1000 N. in Raglesville.

Sep 12–Dec 1861

Company B is mustered into Federal service and departs from Camp Morton, Indianapolis, for operations around Camp Frederick, Maryland, and the upper Potomac River.

Jan–Feb 1862

The regiment continues to be active in northern Virginia and Maryland. They also help guard the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad and its junctions.

Mar–Jun 1862

Stonewall Jackson's Shenandoah Valley Campaign. The 27th Indiana is part of the Union force that pursues General Stonewall Jackson's Corps in the Shenandoah Valley. General Jackson is outnumbered by the Federals but he continually confounds the Union Army by quick maneuvers up and down the valley and by fighting when the Federal force has divided itself. His purpose is to keep as many Union soldiers as possible occupied in the valley while other operations are being conducted near Richmond, VA. He is tremendously successful.

On March 23, 1862, Michael and the 27th Indiana are near the hamlet of Kernstown, VA, where the opening battle of the campaign is fought. In this first engagement the 27th Indiana is near but not part of the action. Distant cousins Henry M. Wallick of the 67th Ohio and William F.M. Wallick of the 13th Indiana fight at the Battle of 1st Kernstown and are even in the same line of battle, but at opposite ends. All three Wallick regiments will be chasing General Jackson in the Shenandoah Valley for the next ten weeks.

May 23, 1862

Engagement at Buckton Station — Michael is wounded and becomes a POW. Michael's company and one company from the 3rd Wisconsin Infantry are sent to Buckton Station to prevent the Confederates from disrupting railroad and telegraph communications between Front Royal and Strasburg, VA. This action is part of Stonewall Jackson's attack on Front Royal during his Shenandoah Valley Campaign.

At 2:00 PM the Confederates make their first of two unsuccessful attacks on the railroad station. They are easily repulsed. However, in the course of this engagement — Michael's first of the war — he is wounded and taken prisoner by the Rebels.
The Manassas Gap Railroad crossing at Buckton Station as it appears today — Michael was captured near this spot on May 23, 1862
The Manassas Gap Railroad crossing at Buckton Station as it appears today. Michael was captured near this spot on May 23, 1862.

May 24–Sep 12, 1862

Prisoner of War — Lynchburg, Belle Island, and Libby Prison. Michael becomes a POW and is first taken to Lynchburg, VA. He is then transferred to Richmond, VA, placed in Belle Island Prison (located in the middle of the James River), and eventually held captive in Libby Prison. Distant cousin William Wallick will also be incarcerated at Libby Prison in 1863. Michael's oldest daughter, Sarah, gets married July 31st while he is a prisoner of war. One of the commanding officers of Libby Prison during Michael's incarceration is Henry Wirz, infamous commandant of the future Andersonville Prison. At the conclusion of the war, Wirz will be the only soldier from the Confederate Army executed for war crimes.

The following account is from Wilbur D. Jones's book, Giants in the Cornfield:

"Corporal Michael Wallick, sliced in the shoulder by a saber at Buckton, was never treated. He had 'a sponge and much cold water applications and kept down the pus and it healed all right.' Wallick, one of the few Hoosiers imprisoned at Lynchburg, Libby and Belle Isle (all in Virginia) also contracted rheumatism, sore eyes and a cataract which went untreated. Private Jones Davis remembered Wallick: 'We were badly exposed then and had insufficient food, great deal of sickness among the prisoners.'"

— Wilbur D. Jones, Giants in the Cornfield

"In one skirmish, Mike Wallick, Andrew J. Vest, and Bob Shears of the 27th regiment were captured. The 'Rebels' wanted to shoot Wallick because they said he had killed their general. (No general was involved in the engagement, however, two Confederate captains were killed during the fight. Michael may have killed one of them.) His fellow prisoners knew that he did it, for 'Uncle Mike' was a fine shot. After a long and heated argument they finally made the 'Rebels' believe that the man who did the killing had escaped. The three were imprisoned at Belle Isle. The food was bad, as in all other rebel prisons. Wallick and Vest said that while they sickened on the food, Bob Shears, who had been reared in the slums of Cincinnati, got fat. It was better than he had been accustomed to at home."

— James E. Garten, Clarksburg and Early Odon, Indiana

Sep 13, 1862

Michael is paroled at Aikens Landing, Virginia. On that same day, three of Michael's comrades from Company B find a copy of General Robert E. Lee's "Special Orders #191" wrapped around three cigars in an abandoned field outside of Frederick, MD. These lost orders from General Lee to his corps commanders tell General McClellan of the movements to be carried out by the Army of Northern Virginia for the next four days. This knowledge helps produce a great Federal victory at Antietam. It is considered the most grievous breach of security in the Civil War.

Sep 17, 1862

Battle of Antietam. While Michael is still a prisoner his regiment sees action in "The Cornfield" during the early morning hours. This engagement nearly destroys some companies in his regiment. Michael was fortunate to miss this battle. There were 440 men engaged and 209 were killed or wounded by the end of the day. Michael is in Richmond, VA, waiting to be exchanged.

Sep 18, 1862

Michael is finally exchanged and begins his return trip to his regiment.

Oct–Dec 1862

The 27th Regiment has guard duty from Harper's Ferry to Fredericksburg, VA.

Jan 20–24, 1863

"The Mud March." The regiment participates in General Burnside's disastrous "Mud March." In December the general had been humiliated by his defeat at Fredericksburg, VA. To right the reversal General Burnside plans a winter offensive (against the wishes of his subordinates) and will attack the rear of General Lee's army in order to destroy his supply line. Two days of unseasonably warm weather and heavy rains turn the Virginia dirt roads into a quagmire. The Army of the Potomac becomes paralyzed in knee-deep mud, making movement impossible. This is the last straw for President Lincoln and the bungling General Burnside is relieved of command.

Mar 13, 1863

Michael is promoted to 1st Sergeant.

May 2–3, 1863

Battle of Chancellorsville. Michael and the 27th Indiana bravely withstand a crushing evening attack made by General Jackson's Corps at the end of the first day of battle. This helps forestall a Federal panic and collapse. The repulse of this late-day charge, together with the next morning's counterattack, helps avoid a general rout of the Union Army. The counterattack on the second day is with fixed bayonets and Colonel Silas Colgrove, commanding officer of the 27th Regiment, reports that "the Rebels fled before us like sheep." Michael's regiment is engaged in hand-to-hand combat with soldiers from North Carolina and pushes them back into a tangled abatis.

Colonel Colgrove reports that the Rebels "became mixed up in a perfect jam, our men all the time pouring in the most deadly fire. I can safely say that I have never witnessed on any other occasion so perfect a slaughter." For the next three hours the 27th Indiana's brigade counters numerous Confederate attacks and only withdraws after they have exhausted their supply of ammunition. The numbers alone tell the story of the fierce fighting Michael's regiment sees at the Battle of Chancellorsville. On May 1st there are 300 men present for duty. Two days later 36 men have been killed and 114 wounded — a casualty rate of fifty percent.
Berry-Paxton Drive at Chancellorsville — where the 27th Indiana regiment fought on the night of May 2nd and morning of May 3rd, 1863
The field at Chancellorsville where the 27th Indiana fought on the night of May 2nd and morning of May 3rd, 1863.
Footstone marking the extreme left flank of the 27th Indiana at Chancellorsville
Footstone marking the extreme left flank of the 27th Indiana Infantry at Chancellorsville.
Monument to the 27th Indiana Infantry at Chancellorsville — located between the battlefields of Hazel Grove and Fairview
Monument to the 27th Indiana Infantry, located between the battlefields of Hazel Grove and Fairview. The regiment fought here on the night of May 2nd and the morning of May 3rd. Present for duty: 300. Killed: 36. Wounded: 114.
Looking from Fairview to Hazel Grove — where Michael and the 27th Indiana were deployed at Chancellorsville. Hazel Grove is approximately one mile in the distance.
Looking from Fairview to Hazel Grove where Michael and the 27th Indiana were deployed at Chancellorsville. Hazel Grove is approximately one mile in the distance.

Jul 1–3, 1863

Battle of Gettysburg. The 27th Indiana is involved in a controversial early morning attack at Gettysburg. The 27th Indiana has been marching all day from Littlestown and arrives at Gettysburg at about 4:00 PM. They spend the night near Wolf Hill and receive orders to form and entrench the next day at the base of Culp's Hill. Michael is ill at Wolf Hill and in the field hospital. His confinement to the infirmary prevents him from being involved in battle with his regiment... which very well may have saved his life!

Second Day: At 8:00 AM The 27th Regiment marches to Spangler's Spring at the base of Culp's Hill and they become the extreme right of the Union Army at Gettysburg. The regiment spends the day entrenching at their new position near Rock Creek. At 6:00 PM the regiment is ordered south toward Little Round Top to help bolster that position, which has been under heavy attack all day. After 45 minutes they are ordered to counter-march back to their original position at Culp's Hill. When they return they find that the Confederates have taken their old position and occupy the breastworks. The men are furious that the Rebels now benefit from their hard day's labor and want to retake the works immediately, but they must wait until the next morning.

Third Day: At 5:00 AM the 27th Indiana's brigade and regimental commander, Colonel Colgrove, receives orders to advance two regiments across the swale and retake the Union position that was lost the preceding day. What was actually ordered has been disputed and a controversy about the orders arose immediately after the battle. By not advancing skirmishers first (to test the strength of the Rebel works) the 27th Indiana and 2nd Massachusetts march into a suicide attack.

Lt. Colonel Charles Mudge of the 2nd Massachusetts Infantry, upon receiving his orders, asks: "Are you sure that is the order?" The orderly answers in the affirmative. Lt. Colonel Mudge then says: "Well, it is murder, but that's the order." He does not survive the charge. Colonel Colgrove, upon receiving his orders, is dismayed but cool. He pulls on his nose, which he does when pondering a difficult problem, and repeats: "It cannot be done; it cannot be done." Pausing and looking upward he then says: "If it can be done, the 2nd Massachusetts and the 27th Indiana can do it."

In the first 100 yards the 27th maneuvers down a slope thickly covered with oak and hickory saplings. They then pick up the pace as they enter the clearing of the swale. A Confederate volley decimates the men of the 27th but the survivors merely close ranks and continue. The fire grows more intense and the two regiments have to fall back and retreat to their own breastworks. The 27th Indiana and 2nd Massachusetts lose 38% of their men in the assault at "The Swale" of Spangler's Spring.
Confederate position at The Swale at Gettysburg — the Confederates fired at the 27th Indiana from behind breastworks which the Indianans had constructed the previous day
Confederate position at The Swale. The Confederates fired at the 27th Indiana from behind breastworks which the Indianans had constructed the previous day to use against the very enemy that now possessed them.
The Swale at Spangler's Spring, Gettysburg — three Indiana monuments visible. The 27th Indiana monument is to the left; the tall memorial is dedicated to all Indiana regiments at Gettysburg.
The Swale at Spangler's Spring — stop #13 on the Gettysburg National Park Battlefield Auto Tour. Three Indiana monuments are visible. The 27th Indiana monument is to the left; the tall memorial is dedicated to all Indiana regiments at Gettysburg.
27th Indiana marker showing the farthest advance made by the regiment in the attack at The Swale, Gettysburg
The monument indicating the farthest point advanced by the 27th Indiana in its attack at The Swale. The Rebels fired behind breastworks at the bottom of the tree line. Four color bearers were killed and four more wounded in the attack.
View of The Swale at Gettysburg from the Confederate perspective — the 27th Indiana advanced out of the left woods near the regimental monument and charged toward the camera
The Swale from the Confederate perspective. The Hoosiers advanced out of the left woods near the regimental monument and charged toward the camera.
Monument to the 27th Indiana Infantry at the base of Culp's Hill, Gettysburg National Military Park
Monument to the 27th Indiana Infantry at the base of Culp's Hill, Gettysburg National Military Park.

Aug 15–Sep 5, 1863

The 27th Indiana is posted in New York City during the summer draft riots of 1863 — the worst civil insurrection in American history, excluding the Civil War itself.

Oct 3–30, 1863

Michael is home on furlough most of the month and returns to duty November 1st.

Nov–Dec 1863

The 27th is moved to the western theater of the war and guards the Nashville & Chattanooga Railroad at Tullahoma, Tennessee.

Western Theater · 1864

The Atlanta Campaign — Wounded at Resaca

Jan–Apr 1864

Preparations for the Atlanta Campaign. Michael is transferred from Co. B to Co. F on February 13, by order of the colonel.

May 4, 1864

The 27th steps out of camp near Chattanooga, Tennessee, to begin its march to Atlanta, Georgia.

May 14–15, 1864

Battle of Resaca. Both "Daviess County" Michael and Charles F. Wallick are engaged in this battle. They are within a few hundred yards of each other and never know it. It is also very likely that they don't know of each other's existence due to the great distance in their family tree branches. Charles' regiment, the 87th Indiana, is placed at the center of the Union line with Michael's regiment cattycorner and behind them in support.

However, as the battle progresses, Michael and the 27th are moved to the far left of the Union line where they are engaged in combat and achieve a great victory. At 4:00 PM, Michael and his regiment are ordered by their colonel to lie on the backside of a knoll that is in the path of a Confederate advance. Being hidden from the oncoming enemy, the trap is set. When the Confederates are within 35 yards, the colonel gives his signal and the men of the 27th rise up to deliver a massive volley into the ranks of the 38th Alabama. The 27th captures not only the Alabamians' battle flag (a feat of great honor in the war), but also their colonel along with 35 prisoners.

This battle is where Michael receives his second wound of the war when a Confederate shell fragment creates a contusion on his left hip. Michael is admitted to Jefferson County General Hospital in Louisville, Kentucky, for treatment.
Resaca Battlefield — Michael and Charles F. Wallick were both on this field at the beginning of the Battle of Resaca. Later, the 27th Indiana was moved north to check a Rebel advance. In this battle Michael was wounded in the left hip by a cannon shell fragment.
Michael and Charles F. Wallick were both on this field at the beginning of the Battle of Resaca. Later, the 27th Indiana was moved north to check a Rebel advance. In this battle Michael was wounded in the left hip by a cannon shell fragment.

May 27, 1864

Sergeant Wallick is moved to Madison Medical Hospital in Madison, Indiana, for recuperation from his hip injury.

Jun 28–Aug 1864

Michael reports back for duty in the field. He has missed the final push to and siege of Atlanta with his regiment, but will be with them at the conclusion of the regiment's service.

Sep 1, 1864

Atlanta surrenders and the Confederate Army evacuates the city.

Sep 12, 1864

Michael is mustered out of Federal service at Camp Morton, Indianapolis, and returns to Daviess County, Indiana.

After the War — Farmer, G.A.R. Member, and Family Man

Headstone of Sergeant Michael Wallick of the 27th Indiana Infantry, 1817–1905, Raglesville Cemetery, Indiana
Sergeant Michael Wallick of the 27th Indiana Infantry, 1817–1905

Michael returned to Daviess County after being discharged from the 27th Indiana and two months later his eighteen-year-old son, William Hewit, enlisted in the army. Jane Wallick, Michael's wife, lost a husband for three years to the war then loaned a son to the conflict.

Michael became a charter member of his local G.A.R. Post #474 in Raglesville, Indiana. The G.A.R. (Grand Army of the Republic) was a fraternal organization of Union veterans that became a powerful political entity in the late nineteenth century. For forty years after the war, no Republican politician could win a presidential candidacy without the support of the G.A.R.

By 1900 Michael had retired from farming and was living in Oden, Indiana. He died on February 13, 1905, and is buried with his wife, Jane, in the Raglesville, Indiana, Cemetery.

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