Booknotes: The 6th Michigan Volunteer Infantry in the Civil War

New Arrival:
• The 6th Michigan Volunteer Infantry in the Civil War: A History and Roster by Eric R. Faust (McFarland, 2020).

Partly by chance and partly by selection, there's been an increase in Gulf Department-related regimental history coverage recently on the site. The latest is Eric Faust's The 6th Michigan Volunteer Infantry in the Civil War, which was a March release from McFarland.

From the description: "The 6th Michigan Volunteer Infantry first deployed to Baltimore, where the soldiers' exemplary demeanor charmed a mainly secessionist population. Their subsequent service along the Mississippi River was a perfect storm of epidemic disease, logistical failures, guerrilla warfare, profiteering, martinet West Pointers and scheming field officers, along with the doldrums of camp life punctuated by bloody battles. The Michiganders responded with alcoholism, insubordination and depredations. Yet they saved the Union right flank at Baton Rouge and executed suicidal charges at Port Hudson. This first modern history of the controversial regiment objectively recounts its travails and includes a statistical analysis, a roster, and a brief summary of the unit's service following conversion to heavy artillery."

It sounds like yet another interesting regiment that primarily fought on secondary fronts in the West. I'm in the middle of putting together an interview with author, so we'll hear more about the 6th Michigan very soon.