5th Michigan Infantry Monument - Gettysburg, PA
Posted by: Groundspeak Regular Member Math Teacher
N 39° 47.831 W 077° 14.696
18S E 307798 N 4407657
This sculpture represents 1 of 9 monuments in the Park honoring Michigan soldiers present at Gettysburg and marks the position held by the regiment about 4:30 pm on July 2, 1863.
Waymark Code: WMHMTB
Location: Pennsylvania, United States
Date Posted: 07/24/2013
Published By:Groundspeak Premium Member iconions
Views: 4

At Gettysburg, the 5th Michigan Infantry served as a member of De Trobriand’s Brigade in Birney’s Division of the Third Corps, Army of the Potomac, a Fighting 300 Regiment. The 5th Michigan Infantry was organized at Detroit, Michigan and mustered into Federal service for a three year enlistment on August 28, 1861. The regiment was mustered out on July 5, 1865 at Jeffersonville, Indiana. The regiment mustered a total of 1586 men during its existence. It suffered 16 officers and 247 enlisted men who were killed in action or motally wounded and 3 officer and 188 enlisted men who died of disease, for a total of 454 fatalities. It had the second highest number of casualties of all Michigan infantry regiments in the war. Of all Union infantry regiments in the war, the Fifth Michigan ranked fifth in total number of casualties endured.

The infantry was commanded by Lieutenant Colonel John Pulford (July 4, 1837- July 11, 1896), an eventual hotel owner in Detroit. When the Civil War broke out, he was a foreman of a Fire Engine Company before his commission as First Lieutenant of the 5th Michigan Infantry. Rising to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel of the 5th Michigan, he participated in the battles of Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville and here at Gettysburg where he was wounded. At the Battle of the Wilderness, he was severely wounded and was removed from the field. Pulford was promoted Colonel in July 1864, and participated in the movements of the Army of the Potomac until the end of the war. For meritorious service, he was brevetted Brigadier General, US Volunteers on March 13, 1865. He remained in the Regular Army, served in the West and engaged in General Hancock's expedition across the Plains against hostile Indians until April, 1867. He retired from active service as a Colonel on December 15, 1870. Under Pulford's command the 5th brought 283 men to the Gettysburg Battlefield and among them 19 were killed , 86 were wounded and 4 went missing.

The 5th Michigan Infantry Monument is located on the right or north side of Sickles Avenue while traveling northwest. The monument is just before the beginning of The Loop. aptly named considering the road looks like a teardrop. The Irish Brigade Monument (MN156-A) is directly across the road. This area is heavily wooded. There is a tremendous amount of monuments here as well. Parking is available along the side of the road at intermittently enlarged shoulders. ake care to park in the white lines or on asphalt widened shoulders and not park on anything remotely green looking as Park Police will happily ticket you. I visited this site on Monday, July 1, 2013 on the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg @ 5:30 PM, EDT & @ an altitude of 546 feet, ASL. As always, I used my trusty and oft abused Canon PowerShot 14.1 Megapixel, SX210 IS digital camera for the photos.

The Draw the Sword site helped out by the NPS narrative and the SIRIS site offers the following description: Granite monument with relief of an infantryman holding his musket on the front, and bronze state shield below. Monument is a 4×2.7 foot hammered and smooth granite shaft set on a 6.3×4.11 foot rough hewn base resting on a boulder. The shaft has a sculpted relief of an infantryman loading his musket and a bronze state seal on the south side. A historical inscription is incised on the north face.

The 5th Michigan Infantry Monument was installed on November 27, 1888 and formally dedicated on June 12, 1889 by the State of Michigan. The monument is completely composed of granite with a bronze state shied adornment. Overall, the sculpture is approximately 10 feet 6 inches x 6 feet 3 inches x 4 feet 11 inches. The monument was fabricated by the Ryegate Granite Company out of Vermont. There are inscriptions on the front and back which read:

(Front):
5th. Mich. Inf.
Third Brigade
First Division
Third Corps

(Back):
Effective strength
July 2nd 1863
Present and on detached service
21 officers and 262 men
Total 283.
- Casualties -
Killed
2 officers 17 men,
Wounded
8 officers 78 men
Missing
4 men.
Total 109
The Regiment fought here about
4:00 o'clock p.m. July 2nd 1863
after it had been assembled
from the skirmish - line far in
advance of this position. It
moved to the support of the
2nd Corps in resisting Pickett's
charge July 3rd.

Mustered in U.S. service at Detroit Mich, August 28, 1861.
Mustered out at Jeffersonville Ind. July 5, 1865.
Total enrollment 1850 officers and men.
Killed in action: Officers 10 Men 14:
died of wounds: Officers 6 Men 75:
Died of disease: Officers 3 Men 163:
Total:398.
Engaged in 47 battles and skirmishes from Pohick Church Va. Jan. 9. 1862 to Appomattox Va. April 9, 1865.


The 5th Michigan Infantry Monument is a contributing feature to the Gettysburg National Military Park Historic District which is nationally significant under NR Criteria A, B, C & D. Areas of Significance: Military, Politics/Government, Landscape Architecture, Conservation, Archeology-Historic. Period of Significance: 1863-1938. The original National Register Nomination was approved by the Keeper March 19, 1975. An update to this nomination was approved by the Keeper on January 23, 2004. The monument is identified as structure number MN154.

From the Nomination Form:
1 of 9 mns in Park honoring Michigan soldiers at Gettsyburg. Marks position held by regiment about 4:30 pm on July 2, 1863. Located on N side of Sickles Ave near Loop and Wheatfield.

Short Physical Description:
Rough-hewn base 6'3"x4'11" set on boulder. Hammered & smooth granite shaft, 4'x2'7" w/sculpted relief of infantryman loading his musket & bronze state seal adorns S side, historical inscription incised on N side. All 10'6"H.

Long Physical Description:
Monument is a 4x2.7 foot hammered and smooth granite shaft set on a 6.3x4.11 foot rough hewn base resting on a boulder. The shaft has a sculpted relief of an infantryman loading his musket and a bronze state seal on the south side. A historical inscription is incised on the north face. Located on the north side of Sickles Avenue near the Loop and Wheatfield.


My Sources
1. NRHP Nomination Form
2. SIRIS
3. Stone Sentinels
4. Virtual Gettysburg
5. Draw the Sword
6. Historical Marker Database
7. Wikipedia
8. FInd a Grave

Website pertaining to the memorial: [Web Link]

List if there are any visiting hours:
8:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M.- November 1 through March 31 8:00 A.M. to 6:00 P.M.- April 1 to October 31


Entrance fees (if it applies): 0

Type of memorial: Monument

Visit Instructions:

*(1.)* Please submit a photo(s) taken by you of your visit to the location (non-copyrighted photos only). GPS photos are also accepted with the location in the background, and old vacation photos are accepted. If you are not able to provide a photo, then please describe your visit or give a story about the visit.
*(2.)* If you have additional information about the memorial which is not listed in the waymark description, please notify the waymark owner to have it added, and please post the information in your visit log.
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