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The Recruits of Co. B 2nd USSS, February 1864-April 1865
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Author:  Bill Skillman [ Sat Oct 11, 2025 5:02 pm ]
Post subject:  The Recruits of Co. B 2nd USSS, February 1864-April 1865
In the last installment (HAL 2 and the history of Co. B 2nd USSS, Oct 1863-1864), Orderly Sargent Blanchard recorded when the Veteran Volunteers returned to Brandy Station in February 1864, they were accompanied by 45 new recruits.

I became curious about who these new Sharpshooters were. Unlike the patriotism infused Boys of 1861, the new recruits were fully aware of the hard fighting and ‘empty chairs’ among family, relatives, friends and community members serving in Michigan infantry, cavalry and sharpshooter regiments since First Bull Run. The Veterans Volunteers that mustered in during October 1861 had undergone six months of drill, discipline, and “army routine” to prepare them for the rigors and dangers of previous campaigns. The forty-four new recruits had barely three months before being plunged into the most intense and sustained combat the Army of Potomac experienced in its existence.

The influences that motivated the recruits to volunteer for the Sharpshooters has been lost to history. One recruit, Willam Goodrich was only 17 when he enlisted. Sixteen were 18, one was 20, four were 21; three were 22 and three, 23 years of age. At the opposite scale were older recruits, 46-year-old Almeron Daniels was the senior member, followed by Stephan Tyler (41), William Lane and Marcus Sabin (40).

The young men would have been 15-18 when the War began; likely they possessed the mixture of patriotism and adventure that inspired the first volunteers. Avoiding the draft was a powerful inducement. By volunteering, the recruits reasoned they had a better chance of surviving than being thrown in with strangers, conscripts and bounty jumpers from a Replacement Depot. Financial gain was another potent incentive. The U.S. government offered bounties for Veterans and recruits. The Michigan Red Book describes the financial sacrifices and inducements to obtain recruits and retain veterans: “During the war the State Legislature passed laws authorizing the payment of State bounties to soldiers as follows: Men enlisting from March 6, 1863, to November 10, 1863, in any Michigan regiment, company or battery…entitled to $50 State bounty. Men re-enlisting in their own regiments (after two years’ service), from November 11, 1863, to February 4, 1864…entitled to $50 State bounty**. Men enlisting or re-enlisting from February 5, 1864, to May 14, 1864…. if applied on 200000 call, and property credited to the sub-district in which they resided at time of enlistment, entitled to $100 state bounty.” The draft quota system had exhausted their supply of willing volunteers or draftees. However, they still had to fill a number of slots assigned to their county, community or district. Some offered additional monies as a way to attract men from other counties (or states) to meet their obligation. Unfortunately, a sizeable number of these 'recruits' or their sponsor, took the bounty but failed to show up at the recruiting office or Camp of Distribution.

** By re-enlisting, the original Company B sharpshooters received Federal and State bonuses, in addition to being recognized as Veteran Volunteers. Photographs taken of Michigan veterans on furlough show them proudly displaying a vertical strip (green) sewn onto the lower sleeve of their uniform coat, indicating their veteran status. The new Co. B recruits were entitled to the $100 State Bonus.

Forty-one recruits were mustered into service at Jackson, Michigan between February 19 & 29th. Two joined eight months later; Paine D. Annis (August for 3 years) and William Lawrence (Sept for 1 year).

The earliest recruits mustered into the Sharpshooters were residents from Clinton County’s newest platted township, of Bath, Michigan (1864).

Mustered at (date);
• Bath, MI: Richard Warfe (2/5/64) William H. Goodrich (2/8); Frederick M. Buell (2/8); John H. Thompson (2/13); Almeron Daniels (2/8)
• Ecorse, MI: Fisher, William (2/26)
• Delta, MI: Beach, Cyrus F. (2/26)
• Redford, MI: Lawrence, William (9/15/64-1 year)

Jackson, MI:
• Feb 19th: Thomas O. Piper
• Feb 22nd: Oscar A Baker (Sgt); Daniel Ellis; Hiram Ellison; Charles Morrow; James W. Parks; Chauncey G. Slaght; Myron Davis; Francis M Lyon; Jacob Stroble; Hiram Lane; Thomas C Roe; John H Althouse; Luther W Hawkins; Paine D Annis; Thomas J Hawkins; Marcus Sabin; William W Lane.
• Feb 26th: Conrad Helwig; Samuel, W. Willoughby.
• Feb 27th: William H Goodrich; Jefferson Hill; James Touse; Thomas Ellis; Judson Corey; John Bohnet; John Ellis; Jacob Wolf; Christian Wolf; Michael Fishell; William Willoughby; Stephen R Tyler.
• Feb 29th: Eugene Fassett
No date: Henry Curtis


Losses sustained by Co. B recruits: May 1864-February 1865

KIA (3): John H. Thompson (Petersburg-9/9/64); Richard Warfe (Spotsylvania-5/11/64); Stephen R Tyler (Spotsylvania 5/14/64)

DOW (4): William Fisher (Petersburg-7/30/64); Chauncey G. Slaght (Spotsylvania-6/19/64); John Bohnet (Spotslyvania-6/1/64); Thomas J Hawkins (Wilderness-5/6/64).

DOD (2): Daniel Ellis (9/27/64-New York); Myron Davis (10/29/64-Alexandria, Va)

POW (4): Judson Corey (Jerusalem Plank Rd/ Petersburg -6/21/64); John Ellis (Jerusalem Plank Rd/Petersburg-6/21/64); Hiram Lane, (Boydton Plank Rd-Petersburg-10/27/64); Thomas C Roe (Jerusalem Plank Rd/Petersburg-6/22/64)

DPOW (3): Judson Corey (Charleston, SC 7/24/64), John Ellis (Andersonville, Ga. Date unknown); Thomas C Roe (Andersonville, Ga. Date unknown).

WIA (7): William H Goodrich (Jerusalem Plank Rd/Petersburg, 6/23/64); Thomas O. Piper (Spotsylvania, 5/14/64); James Touse (Second Petersburg, 6/18/64); Francis M Lyon (Second Petersburg, 6/17/64); Henry Curtis (Wilderness, 5/6/64); Christian Wolf (Spotsylvania, 5/10/64); John R. Roe (Jerusalem Plank Rd, Petersburg-6/20/64; 10/20/64).

Discharged Disabled (4): Francis M Lyon (Detroit-1/28/65); Almeron Daniels (Detroit, Mi 5/31/65); Abram Van Wie (Beverly, N. J., 10/13/64), John R. Roe (New York 1/17/65).

Transfer (1): Jefferson Hill (VRC-4/28/65).

Transferred to Fifth Michigan Veteran Infantry, Feb. 18, 1865: (27/28): William H Goodrich, Oscar A Baker, William G. Bigelow, Frederick M. Buell, Daniel Ellis, Hiram Ellison, Eugene Fassett, Conrad Helwig, Jefferson Hill, Charles Morrow, James W. Parks, Thomas O. Piper, Thomas Ellis, Jacob Stroble, Jacob Wolf, John H. Althouse, Henry Curtis, Cyrus F. Beach, Luther W. Hawkins, Christian Wolf, Michael Fishell, William Willoughby, Samuel, W. Willoughby Marcus Sabin, William W Lane, Almeron Daniels, John Ellis (still POW); William Lawrence.

While 27 Sharpshooter recruits were transferred ‘on paper’ to the Fifth Michigan Infantry, twelve were not present for duty. Eleven were recovering from wounds or sickness at various U.S. General hospitals; and one, John Ellis, was already dead from disease and exposure at Andersonville.

Mustered out at Jeffersonville. Indiana. July 5, 1865: (20): William H Goodrich, Oscar A Baker, William G. Bigelow, Frederick M. Buell, Daniel Ellis, Hiram Ellison, Eugene Fassett, Conrad Helwig, Jefferson Hill, Charles Morrow, James W. Parks, Thomas O. Piper, Thomas Ellis, Jacob Stroble, Jacob Wolf, John H. Althouse, Henry Curtis, Cyrus F. Beach, Luther W. Hawkins, Christian Wolf, Michael Fishell, William Willoughby, Samuel, W. Willoughby

Discharged from Hospital (11): James Touse (Philadelphia, 5/18/65); Hiram Lane (Washington DC, 6/14/65); Jacob Wolf, (Washington DC, 6/7/65); John H Althouse, (Washington DC, 5/30/65); Paine D. Annis, (Jackson, Mi, 5/6/65); Michael Fishell (Washington, DC, 5/30/65); Marcus Sabin (Detroit, Mi, 6/22/65); William W Lane (Washington DC, 6/15/65); Almeron Daniels (Detroit, Mi, 5/65), Abram Van Wie (Beverly, NJ, 10/13/64); William Lawrence (Washington, DC, 6/1/65).

Recruits Promoted
Sergeant: Oscar A Baker
Corporal: Michael Fishell

Losses: Co. B Recruits/Company Total
KIA: 3/9 (33%)
DOW: 4/4 (100%)
WIA: 7/18 (39%)
POW: 4/6 (33%)
DPOW: 3/4 (75%)
DOD: 3/19 (16%)
Disch Dis: 4/37 (8%)

Particularly sobering is the fate of the five Co. B recruits from the little community of Bath, Michigan:
• Richard Warfe: Killed in action-Spotsylvania-5/11/64
• William H. Goodrich: Wounded-Jerusalem Plank Rd/Petersburg
• John H. Thompson: Killed in action at Petersburg (9/9/64)
• Almeron Daniels: Discharged Disabled at Detroit, Mi (5/65)
• Frederick M. Buell: Discharged at expiration of service

Of the 44 recruits who volunteered to serve with Company B, 2nd USSS in February 1864, by War’s end 41% had been killed, died of wounds, or as prisoners of war. While not recognized as such, by every measure they had become Veteran Volunteers.

On December 31, 1864, the First United States Sharpshooters was disbanded, and the remaining Michigan veterans, primarily Company I & K, (that mustered in March, 1862) were transferred to the 2nd U.S. Sharpshooters. The last action fought by the Sharpshooters was on February 5-7, 1865 at Hatcher’s Run.

On February 20, 1865, by order of the War Department, the same fate befell the Second United States Sharpshooters. The Michigan sharpshooters were transferred to the Fifth Michigan Veteran Volunteer Infantry Regiment (Second Brigade (DeTrobriand), Third Divison (Mott), 2nd Army Corps (Humphries) under the command of Colonel John Pulford. Instead of consolidating the sharpshooters as a single battalion, the men were split up and spread amongst the ten infantry companies. I have yet to find any surviving letters or newspaper articles on what the sharpshooters thought of this. Perhaps the parting words of their brigade commander, General Regis DeTrobriand sustained them: “..he feels assured that the different organizations to which they may belong severally, officers and men, will show themselves worthy of their old reputation. With them the past will answer for the future”.

The Fifth Michigan had earned the ‘nom de guerre’ as the “Fighting Fifth” since their baptism of fire at Williamsburg, Virginia. However, their reputation had cost them dearly in men killed and wounded; the second highest number of casualties of all the Michigan regiments, and fifth highest of all Federal regiments during the War.

According to James Genco, the Fifth Michigan Veteran Volunteers were armed with 76 “Sharps rifles with triangular bayonets”. I haven’t been able to confirm if these Sharps accompanied the Michigan Sharpshooters, or were new ones (New Model 1863 contract) issued after their arrival. The Michigan sharpshooters and their Fifth Infantry comrades participated in the 1865 Spring campaign, serving as the Second Brigade skirmish regiment. As April 9th dawned, the remaining Sharpshooters were on the skirmish line near Appomattox, Virginia, when they learned of the Army of Northern Virginia’s surrender.

Sources
Genco, James. Arming Michigan’s Regiments 1862-1865. (Master’s Thesis/Private publication) 1982.
Lanman, Charles. Red Book of Michigan; A Civil, Military and Biographical History. E.B. Smith & Company. Detroit, Michigan 1871.
Michigan Adjutant General’s Office. Michigan Volunteers 1861 to 1865 (Vol. 44) Berdan’s First and Second Sharpshooters

Bill Skillman
Berdan Sharpshooters Surviviors Association
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