13. 1st Michigan Volunteer Sharpshooters, Company K
Over the summer of 1863, the 1st Michigan Volunteer Sharpshooters were formed and trained near Dearborn, Michigan. Among the volunteers were a large number of members of the Ottawa, Ojibwa, Huron, Delaware, and Potawatomi tribes. They were formed into a single company, K company, one of the six which made up the regiment. After initial training, the regiment served briefly in Indiana and Chicago before joining the Army of the Potomac in time to take part in the Overland Campaign in 1864. They fought in the Battle of the Wilderness, where Company K covered their blue uniform blouses with camouflage made from mud and leaves as they acted as skirmishers and pickets.
From there they were an intrinsic part of the long slugging match over the summer of 1864, including the battles of Spotsylvania, Cold Harbor, and the Siege of Petersburg. They were among the units pinned down during the ill-advised bloodbath known as the Battle of the Crater. The survivors of that debacle were among the first to enter Richmond after Lee’s army fled the city in the spring of 1865. They joined the Union troops which pursued Lee to Appomattox and surrendered. Throughout their participation in the Overland Campaign, they drew high praise from officers of other units who observed their behavior under fire, for their skirmishing ability, accurate shooting, and coolness in battle.