Sherman's Woodticks: The Adventures, Ordeals and Travels of the Eighth Minnesota Volunteer Infantry During the Civil War

During the last year of the Civil War, the Eighth Minnesota Volunteer Infantry Regiment traveled more miles and served under more extreme conditions than any other unit in the Union Army. From the Yellowstone River all the way to North Carolina, the soldiers endured dehydration, hunger, and exhausting marches, often while exposed to scorching heat or bitter cold. They fought against foes led by Sitting Bull and General Nathan Bedford Forest, but came away victorious each time. Drawn from among the first settlers of the newly-formed state of Minnesota, the soldiers from Company E, the focus of this book, were tough frontiersmen and also proud patriots who enlisted with the determination to be good soldiers in service of their country. Fiercely independent, the men had little patience for bureaucracy and despised injustice. When unfairly treated, they didn't just grin and bear it—they actively rebelled, sometimes with humorous results. Meticulously researched, Sherman's Woodticks for the first time brings together the full story of the men of the Eighth Minnesota Volunteers who gave up so much for their country, from their enlistment in 1862 until they mustered out in 1865.