17th Regiment, Wisconsin Infantry

Brief History
The 17th Regiment, Wisconsin Infantry was organized at Madison, Wisconsin, and it was mustered in March 15, 1862. It moved to Louisville, Kentucky, June, and it mustered out there July 14, 1865.

For more information on the history of this unit, see:


 * The Civil War Archive section, 17th Regiment Infantry, (accessed 16 November 2012).
 * The Wikipedia Article, 17th Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry Regiment, (accessed 16 November 2012).

Companies in this Regiment with the Counties of Origin
Men often enlisted in a company recruited in the counties where they lived though not always. After many battles, companies might be combined because so many men were killed or wounded. However if you are unsure which company your ancestor was in, try the company recruited in his county first.

The Civil War Soldiers and Sailors database lists 3,684 men on its roster for this unit. Roster.

The following company links are to rosters taken from Roster of Wisconsin Volunteers, found on the Internet Archives web site. The rosters show the men who served in each regiment, their residences, dates of enlistment and mustering out, and other remarks.

Company A - Roster page 50.

Company B - Roster page 53.

Company C - Roster page 56.

Company D - Roster page 59.

Company E - Roster page 62.

Company F - Roster page 65.

Company G - Roster page 68.

Company H - Roster page 71.

Company I - Roster page 74.

Company K - Roster page 77.

Unassigned Recruits - Roster page 80.

Wisconsin 11th Battery, Light Artillery or "Oconto Guards"

The Oconto Guards were first organized to be part of the 17th Wisconsin Infantry. But, the 17th was full so the group was taken by Capt. Rourke to Chicago to be part of the battery to Mulligan's Irish Brigade. They were temporarily attached and then became Battery L of the 1st Illinois Light Artillery.

The Roster of Wisconsin Volunteers, found on theInternet Archives web site, shows this battery as the 11th Battery, Wisconsin, Light Artillery. The men who served in this battery, their residences, dates of enlistment and mustering out, and other remarks.

11th Battery, Light Artillery - Roster page 244.

Regimental History and Roster

 * Wisconsin Volunteers, War of the Rebellion, 1861-1865, Arranged Alphabetically, by Wisconsin. Adjutant-general's Office, Publisher Madison, Wis., Democrat Printing Co., 1914, Online at:[Internet Archive]

Other Sources

 * Beginning United States Civil War Research gives steps for finding information about a Civil War soldier or sailor. It covers the major records that should be used. Additional records are described in 'Wisconsin in the Civil War' and 'United States Civil War, 1861 to 1865' (see below).


 * National Park Service, The Civil War Soldiers and Sailors System, is searchable by soldier's name and state. It contains basic facts about soldiers on both sides of the Civil War, a list of regiments, descriptions of significant battles, sources of the information, and suggestions for where to find additional information.


 * Wisconsin in the Civil War describes many Confederate and Union sources, specifically for Wisconsin, and how to find them.. These include compiled service records, pension records, rosters, cemetery records, Internet databases, published books, etc.


 * United States Civil War, 1861 to 1865 describes and explains United States and Confederate States records, rather than state records, and how to find them. These include veterans’ censuses, compiled service records, pension records, rosters, cemetery records, Internet databases, published books, etc.