1860 - 1866
The allocation of volunteer artillery to the State of Michigan for Federal
Service was 1 Regiment consisting of 12 Batteries. The designation for the
Regiment furnished was the 1st Michigan Artillery, consisting of Batteries "A"
thru "I", and "K","L", "M".
There were 14 Batteries raised, so they were designated the 13th and 14th.
During the war the Batteries were given numerical designation, instead of
alphabetical, by newsmen of the time, although they were officially, the
opposite.
The Regiment of the Michigan Light Artillery was composed of twelve six gun
batteries. They were commanded by Colonel C.O. Loomis, but from the character of
the that arm of the service, the batteries were never brought together as a
unified Regiment, as a rresult, no definitive history could be written as a
whole.
During its term of Federal service it carried on its rolls 3333 officers and
men, while 265 had re-enlisted as veteran volunteers in specific batteries.
The batteries composing the Regiment served in all principal armies, and some of
them bore conspicuous parts in the most important battles of the war, in which
western armies the were engaged, while some served in the extreme South.
Their services in battle were credible wherever an opportunity offered, but,
like all other batteries in the war, they failed in getting a proportionate
notoriety or reputation with that of the Cavalry or Infantry arm of the service,
owing to a less amount of correspondence with the public press of the country.
Information Retrieved from:
http://hometown.aol.com/dlharvey/artily.htm
This flag belonged to Battery E of the First Michigan Light Artillery. Battery E was made up of soldiers from the Marshall, Michigan, area. It fought most of its battles in Tennessee and Alabama. No soldiers from Battery E died in battle, but 29 soldiers died from disease and one drowned.