SIXTH REGIMENT OF MARYLAND INFANTRY

DESCENDANTS ASSOCIATION

 

An Informal Association of Descendants

Dedicated to Preserving The 6th Regiment's Memory and History

 

Monument To The 6th Maryland Infantry

Dedicated On April 2, 2011 At Pamplin Historical Park

(Please click the blue dot for more photos and details )

Dewitt Clinton Henneberger - Great Great Grandfather of Bo Hitchcock

Bo Hitchcock - A Mover & Shaker in the 6th Maryland Infantry Descendants Association

 

I received a message from Duane Francis several months ago that had attached an 1861 photograph of Dewitt Clinton Henneberger in militia uniform (shown above). Thereafter, Private Henneberger would further distinguish himsef by becoming a soldier in Company H of the 6th Maryland Infantry Regiment and the great great grandfather of Bo Hitchcock.

Duane noted in his message that the family had only recently discovered this photograph and lamented the fact that his Uncle Bo had passed away before the photograph was found. There's no doubt in my mind that Bo would have loved to have seen this picture as he was so supportive of our effort to memorialize the gallantry and service of the 6th Maryland Infantry.

Not only his generous financial support, but more importantly his enthusiasm and optimism was critical to the success of our 6th Maryland Infantry Descendants Association campaign to dedicate a fine monument at Pamplin Historical Park marking the location where the "Boys From Old Maryland" were among the very first Union regiments to breech the Confederate lines on April 2, 1865.

I'm proud to call Bo Hitchcock my friend and proudly proclaim that he is among the finest gentlemen I have ever known in my life. I'm delighted that a photograph of his ancestor now adorns the pages of our association website.

David H. Jones

Every descendant's family dream . . . to find a "likeness" of their Civil War ancestor in uniform.

This came true recently for the descendants of Sergeant B.W. Buckley of Company E.

Here's another fortunate family with a photo of their ancestor in uniform.

Harry Coggins, Captain, mustered May 27, 1862, mustered out Jan. 10, 1865; Entered the service as Second Lieutenant Company F; promoted First Lieutenant, Company E, May 1, 1863; Captain, September 2, 1864; wounded in action, October 19, 1864 at Cedar Creek.

The Final Resting Place

Photos of 6th Maryland Soldier Burial Sites

 

Other News . . .

A novel by David H. Jones, Two Brothers: One North, One South, closely follows the 6th Maryland Infantry Regiment throughout the entire war and presents many accurate details about battles, events and soldiers of the regiment. Two Brothers is based on the story of Major Clifton Prentiss of the 6th Maryland and his brother William, a soldier in the Confederate 1st and 2nd Maryland Battalions. For more detailed information, please visit the author's website by clicking on the blue dot below.

 

Welcome to our web site . . . we hope that you will enjoy the history and stories that we have assembled about the 6th Maryland Infantry Regiment and its gallant soldiers.

If you are a descendant or family member of one of these soldiers, you are cordially invited to join our association and be listed on the Roll Call of Descendants.

Most importantly, we request that you share any information that you may have about the brave men who served in the regiment. That is the primary purpose of our association . . . to join with others who are interested and gather material that will shed greater light on the significant contributions of the "Fighting Sixth Maryland" to the Union Army.

Please visit the Muster Rolls of The 6th Maryland to view the data compiled thus far on each soldier.

 

Excerpt From

History & Roster of Md. Vols. War of 1861-1865:

 

Over three decades had passed since the close of the greatest Civil War in history. The Archives of the State of Md. failed to show the muster rolls of her sons, or even a brief record of their splendid achievements. The Committee on Legislation of the Dept. of Md., GAR for the year 1895 carefully examined the muster rolls of the Adjutant - General of Md. and were surprised at the incompleteness and paucity thereof. Not a single regiment was complete and entire regiments were missing. In 1896 a committee of the GAR appeared before the Senate and House of Delegates of the State of Md.. This was especially backed by Col. John R. Rouzer, of the House of Delegates, a gallant soldier and veteran of the 6th. Md. Vol. Infantry.

A bill drafted by the GAR (Chapter 134, Acts of 1896) was approved April 2, 1896 to provide for the completion of the records of the Soldiers, Sailors and Marines accredited to the State of Md., in the late Civil War, and to publish the same, and to make a suitable appropriation therefore. Three commissioners were appointed to this monumental task. After a lapse of so many years, the death of so many veterans and so many missing and inaccurate muster rolls it was impossible to do complete justice to this work. After two years of research using every available source, they compiled two volumes containing the collective records of 62,959 names. These were approved, published and paid for by the State of Md. in 1898.

The committee's own critique says it all. While this work may not be as complete as some would wish, while it may be thought that a more particular account of individual accounts should have been given, it must be remembered that the primary object of this publication is to preserve a faithful, true and impartial record of the names and length of service of those Marylanders who served their country in the late conflict, to be held in reverence not only by the survivors and descendants of their departed comrades in this day and generation, but by every patriotic Marylander for generations to come. These men demonstrated why the Md. State Motto is "Womanly Words, Manly Deeds".

 

Now we carry the work forward . . .

 

As co-founder of the Sixth Regiment of Maryland Infantry Descendant's Association, I pledge to uphold these principles and contribute any material that I discover in my research to further our collective understanding and appreciation of these gallant veterans who risked all for their country.

The Commission appointed in 1896 did not have access to many pension records, letters and veteran articles that modern day researchers may discover. Here is a grand opportunity for us to show our pride in the Sixth Regiment of Maryland Infantry as history has not revealed the full story of their valuable contribution to the Union victory.

In my very limited research, I have been greatly disappointed by the omission of facts about the Sixth Regiment in what are considered to be the best histories of the Civil War. Our Sixth Maryland veterans didn't boast about their achievements; in fact, just the opposite. Sgt. Buffington was greatly embarrassed and chagrined years later when his comrades presented his M.O.H. that he knew he had been awarded, but had never even applied for.

These men of the Sixth Maryland Volunteers had spearheaded many of the greatest battles in the eastern theater, never lost a flag, belonged to the most famous corps of the Civil War (the sturdy Sixth Corps) and were classed as one of the Three Hundred Combat Units of the Union Army. Losing heavily, they made a large contribution on many bloody battlefields of the war. The Sixth Regiment returned home with but three hundred survivors for the final muster. Their duties in the field prevented them from participating in the Grand Review; however, upon their return, they were reviewed by President Johnson on a hot, humid summer day in 1865. Some of our foot sore, exhausted veterans died in this final effort practically within sight of home and family.

We are justly proud of them and will not let them or their gallant deeds be forgotten. Please help us in this endeavor. Much of their history is in private papers, remaining unknown to the world. Preserve and honor their history before it is lost forever.

Jim Fisher

 

Lantern Tour Of The Breakthrough Battlefield On April 2, 2006	Tintype - Captain Bradshaw & Company I
Photo of the McClain Brothers of Company D In uniform going off to war	John Petri's Visit To Petersburg On The 140th Anniversary Of The Historic Breakthrough
The Empty Chair An 1871 photo of the family of Sergt. Adam Shank of Co. H	Likenesses (Photos) of Soldiers of the Sixth Maryland Infantry Regiment
Letters & Incidents Regarding Lt. James Touchstone, Quarter Master	Two Brothers, One South, One North by Walt Whitman Memoranda During The War
Pvt. John Henry Shields Lost his arm at Spottsylvania	The 6th Maryland Volunteers Mustered Out At War's End
George W. Gans New Testament	Company H Descriptive Book
Anecdotes About The Regiment	God Bless The Old Sixth Corps
Documents of Pvt. Henneberger	C.C. McCullough at Gettysburg Reunion
Documents of 2nd Lt. Thompson	Pvt. Henry C. Cohee Death Notice

 

A Brief Retrospect of the History of Maryland's Representatives

in the Army, Navy of the United States Durng the Great Civil War

A. D. 1861 TO 1865

 

Rudyard Kipling

 

Roll Call Of Descendants

Muster Rolls Of The Sixth Maryland

Battles & Skirmishes Of The Sixth Maryland

Memorial To Casualties Of The Sixth Maryland

Compendium of the War of the Rebellion by Frederick Dyer

Soldier's Notes

 

If you are a descendent or family member of a soldier who served in the Sixth Maryland and wish to be listed on the Roll Call, send an e-mail by clicking the mail icon below. Please Type “6^th MD” in the subject line.