Camp #1881, SUVCW "Galvanized Yankees" (United States Volunteer Infantry) Project ARE YOU A DESCENDANT OF A "GALVANIZED YANKEE?" IF SO, WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU! The 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th & 6th United States Volunteer Infantry Regiments were made up of former Confederate soldiers who, while prisoners of war, were given the opportunity to leave POW camps in the event they would serve in the United States Army. There was a very difficult process in making this transition from Confederate POW to the ranks of the Union army as a "Galvanized Yankee." As can be expected, the men knew that by volunteering for the Union army, they would be shunned by their former comrades and, as a matter of fact, after the war, they were frequently shunned by Union and Confederate Veterans alike and were not granted pensions from the US Government. However, these men endured trials and tribulations well beyond the prisons and their exploits in the American Territories out west were trying in themselves and, in the end, many of these men did good and loyal service in the name of the United States on its frontier. This particular project is to reach out to the descendants of these men and encourage them to join our camp as members or associate members of the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War. If you are a descendant of one of these men, please contact us in the event you might be interested in joining Camp #1881. Information about the 1st - 5th United States Volunteers as abstracted from Dyer's Compendium. 1st REGIMENT INFANTRY Organized at Point Lookout, Md., January 21 to April 22, 1864. Moved to Norfolk, Va., and provost duty there and at Portsmouth, Va., District of Eastern Virginia, Dept. of Virginia and North Carolina, to August, 1864. Ordered to Milwaukee, Wis., thence to St. Louis, Mo., arriving there August 22. (4 Cos. remained in Wisconsin till September, then ordered to Minnesota.) Six Companies moved from St. Louis to Fort Rice, Dakota Territory, arriving there October 17, and garrison duty there; at Fort Berthold and at Fort Union, mouth of the Yellowstone, till October, 1865. Moved to St. Louis, Mo., and mustered out November 27, 1865. Four Companies on duty in District of Minnesota till May, 1866. Mustered out May 21, 1866. 2nd REGIMENT INFANTRY Organized at Rock Island, Ill., October, 1864. Ordered to Dept. of Missouri and assigned to duty in District of Upper Arkansas along the Santa Fe Road from Little Arkansas River to Fort Dodge and Cimaron Crossing. Stationed by Companies at Fort Riley, Salem, Fort Ellsworth, Fort Learned, Fort Zarah and Fort Scott, Kansas, on guard duty and operating against Indians till November, 1865. Mustered out November 7, 1865. 3rd REGIMENT INFANTRY Organized at Rock Island, Ill., October, 1864. Ordered to Dept. of Missouri, arriving at Fort Kearney, Neb., April 9, 1865, and assigned to duty in the District of Nebraska and Colorado. Stationed by Companies. "A" and "B" at Fort Kearney, "E" and "F" at Fort Rankin, "G" and "H" at Julesburg Junction, Colo., and "C" and "D" at Cottonwood protecting overland mail routes from.Indian attacks. Skirmish at Elm Creek May 20, 1865. Mustered out November 29, 1865. 4th REGIMENT INFANTRY Organized at Point Lookout, Md., October 31, 1864. Duty at Portsmouth, Va., District of Eastern Virginia, Dept. of Virginia and North Carolina, and in District of the Northwest, Dept. of Missouri, till July, 1866. Mustered out July 2, 1866. 5th REGIMENT INFANTRY Organized at Alton and Camp Douglas, Ill., March to May, 1865. Ordered to Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, May 3, 1865. Assigned to duty in District of Upper Arkansas from Little Arkansas River to Fort Dodge and Cimaron Crossing. Duty in Districts of Nebraska, Colorado and Utah and the Plains till November, 1866. Mustered out November 13, 1866. 6th REGIMENT INFANTRY Organized at Columbus, Ohio, Camp Morton, Ind., and Camp Douglas, Ill., April 2, 1865. Ordered to Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, May, 1865, arriving there May 11. Moved to Fort Kearney, Neb., May 14; thence to Julesburg, Colo. Duty in District of the Plains and Utah till November, 1866. Mustered out November 3, 1866. RETURN TO THE HOME PAGE OF THE LURAY-CARLISLE REUNION CAMP #1881, SUVCW For membership information, contact the Camp Commander, Robert H. Moore, II Robert H. Moore, II Copyright © 2006.