Revisiting the American Civil War—Thomas Green

Thomas M. Green, 1830-1910

Thomas Green served as a private in Company C of the 13th Michigan Infantry. He enlisted in North Plains Township, Ionia County, Michigan on 29 February 1864 and mustered in at Corunna. Service records state that he was 34 years old at the time of enlistment and that he had been born in Wyoming County, New York.

Thomas Green was wounded at the Battle of Bentonville in North Carolina and mustered out of service on 6 June 1865.

Thomas Green is buried with his first wife, Amanda R. Brown, in the Forest Hill Cemetery, Stanton, Michigan. They were my great-great grandparents.

About these documents and pictures:

• The picture of Thomas Green was taken from a portrait of Thomas and his wife Amanda at the residence of Burgess Case in Titus, Michigan.
• The enlistment paper and service cards are from copies of Thomas Green’s service records obtained from the National Archives and Records Administration.
• The photo of the military marker in the Forest Hill Cemetery in Stanton was taken by Ron Springsteen.

Thomas Green’s Service

The 13th Michigan Infantry regiment was organized at Kalamazoo on January 17, 1862. In January 1864, those who reenlisted in the regiment returned to Kalamazoo on furlough. The regiment returned to Chattanooga on April 20 with many new recruits, including Thomas M. Green.

As noted in the regimental history of the 13th Michigan Infantry, the regiment worked on construction of military hospitals and participated in pursuit of General Nathan Bedford Forest before joining General William Tecumseh Sherman’s march through northern Georgia to the sea. After the surrender of Savannah, Sherman’s army moved north through the Carolinas, engaging in battle with General Joseph Johnston’s army at Bentonville, North Carolina on March 19, 1865. This was the last substantial battle for Sherman’s army before the end of the war. The 13th Michigan Infantry sustained heavy losses, including an injury that removed Thomas Green from active duty with his unit. His brigade continued with Sherman to capture Goldsboro and occupy Raleigh before Sherman’s meeting with Johnston at Bennett Place in Durham to accept the largest surrender of Confederate forces at the end of the Civil War.

Thomas Green was admitted to Foster General Hospital in New Bern, North Carolina on April 5 with a gunshot wound. He was transferred to DeCamp General Hospital on David’s Island in New York Harbor on April 12. He was discharged from the army at David’s Island on June 6, 1865.

13th Michigan Infantry

This summary and service record of the 13th Michigan Infantry is found in the Regimental Histories on page 1287 of A Compendium of the War of the Rebellion. The unit summary indicates the federal army components to which the regiment was attached during the Civil War. The service record outlines the regiment’s deployment in the campaigns of the war.

Organized at Kalamazoo, Mich., and mustered In January 17, 1862. Left State for Nashville, Tenn., February 12. Attached to 15th Brigade, 4th Division, Army of the Ohio, to March, 1862. 20th Brigade, 6th Division, Army of the Ohio, to September, 1862. 20th Brigade, 6th Division, 2nd Corps, Army of the Ohio, to November, 1862. 3rd Brigade, 1st Division, Left Wing 14th Army Corps, Army of the Cumberland, to January, 1863. 3rd Brigade, 1st Division, 21st Army Corps, to April, 1863. 1st Brigade, 1st Division, 21st Army Corps, to October, 1863. 2nd Brigade, 2nd Division, 4th Army Corps, Army of the Cumberland, to November, 1863. Engineer Brigade, Dept. of the Cumberland, to October, 1864. 2nd Brigade, 1st Division, 14th Army Corps, Army of the Cumberland, to July, 1865.

SERVICE.— March from Nashville, Tenn., to Savannah, Tenn., to reinforce Army of the Tennessee, March 29-April 7, 1862. Battle of Shiloh April 7. Advance on and siege of Corinth, Miss., April 29-May 30. Pursuit to Booneville June 1-12. Buell’s operations In Northern Alabama and Middle Tennessee on line of the Memphis & Charleston Railroad June to August. Duty at Stevenson, Ala., July 18 to August 31, building forts and stockades and guarding the railroad. March to Louisville, Ky., in pursuit of Bragg August 31-September 26. Pursuit of Bragg to Wild Cat. Ky., October 1- 16. Nelson’s Cross Roads October 18. March to Nashville, Tenn., October 22-November 7. Duty at Nashville, Tenn., till December 26. Advance on Murfreesboro December 26-30. Battle of Stone’s River December 30- 31, 1862, and January 1-3, 1863. Duty at Murfreesboro till June. Middle Tennessee or Tullahoma Campaign June 23-July 7. At Hillsboro, Tenn., till August 16. Passage of the Cumberland Mountains and Tennessee River and Chickamauga (Ga.) Campaign August 16-September 22. Expedition from Tracy City to Tennessee River August 22-24 (Detachment). Occupation of Chattanooga September 9. Lee and Gordon’s Mills September 17-18. Battle of Chickamauga, Ga., September 19-20. Siege of Chattanooga September 24-November 23. Chattanooga-Ringgold Campaign November 23-27. Battles of Chattanooga November 23-25. Stationed on the Chickamauga; engaged in picket duty and cutting timber for warehouses in Chattanooga till February 17, 1864. Engineer duty at Chattanooga and stationed at Lookout Mountain constructing military hospitals till September, 1864. Relieved from Engineer duty and pursuit of Forest into Northern Alabama September 25-October 17. Joined Sherman’s army at Kingston, Ga., November 7. March to the sea November 15- December 10. Skirmishes at Dalton, Ga., November 30 and December 5 (Detachments). Siege of Savannah December 10-21. Campaign of the Carolinas January to April, 1865. Averysboro, N. C, March 16. Battle of Bentonville March 19-21. Occupation of Goldsboro March 24. Advance on Raleigh April 10-14. Occupation of Raleigh April 14. Bennett’s House April 26. Surrender of Johnston and his army. March to Washington, D. C, via Richmond, Va., April 29-May 19. Grand Review May 24. Moved to Louisville, Ky., June 9-15. Mustered out July 25, 1865.

Regiment lost during services 4 Officers and 68 Enlisted men killed and mortally wounded and 2 Officers and 314 Enlisted men by disease. Total 388.