WASHINGTON, DC – Congressman Scott Fitzgerald (WI-05) introduced legislation to authorize Wisconsin memorials at Antietam National Battlefield and Manassas National Battlefield Park to recognize the service and sacrifice of the Second, Third, Fifth, Sixth, and Seventh Wisconsin Infantry Regiments during the Civil War.
“Wisconsin’s regiments stood firm in some of the fiercest fighting of the Civil War. Their bravery deserves more than a footnote in history. It deserves lasting recognition,” said Congressman Scott Fitzgerald. “By establishing these monuments, we are fulfilling a long-overdue commitment to honor their sacrifice and preserve their story for generations to come.”
BACKGROUND: In August 1862, General Stonewall Jackson and Confederate forces surrounded Union General John Pope and his men on their return to Washington. Among the Union units were the Second, Sixth, and Seventh Wisconsin Infantry Regiments. As the Union troops advanced toward Gainesville, Wisconsin’s Second Regiment was brought under fire by an enemy artillery battery. Despite being severely outnumbered, the Second regiment charged the Confederate troops before later being supported by the Seventh and Sixth regiments. After hours of fighting and standing firm, Union leaders ordered the men back. Devastatingly, 515 men from Wisconsin who entered the fight had been killed, wounded, or remained missing.
Later, on September 17, 1862, the Battle of Antietam stopped the Confederate Army’s first invasion of the North and helped give President Lincoln confidence to issue the Emancipation Proclamation mere days after the battle. Among the brave soldiers who fought in the deadliest one-day battle in American military history were officers and enlisted men from the Second, Third, Fifth, Sixth, and Seventh Wisconsin Infantry Regiments. Four of these regiments fought in the cornfield at Antietam, while the Fifth regiment was held in reserve to support artillery efforts. Together, men from these regiments paid the ultimate price and suffered great loss, with over 500 killed, wounded, or missing after the battle.
To honor the bravery and sacrifice of these men, the Wisconsin Legislature authorized a monument commission in 1913 to explore constructing a monument at the Antietam and Manassas Battlefields. Unfortunately, this effort never came to fruition. Over a century after the effort began to honor these men, it’s time to make this unkept promise a reality.
COSPONSORS: Congressman Bryan Steil (WI-01), Congressman Derrick Van Orden (WI-03), Congressman Glenn Grothman (WI-06), Congressman Tom Tiffany (WI-07), and Congressman Tony Wied (WI-08).
Read the bill text here.
