Camp Sigel, Ionia, MI
An unusual memorial, it commemorates the spot where many men that did not return left their loved ones behind.
The camping ground of the
21st Michigan Infantry
This tablet is erected in honor of the regiment's gallant service in the Civil War, on the 50th anniversary of its departure for the south, by the citizens of Ionia and surviving members of the regiment.
September 12, 1912 "
Michigan's 21st Infantry mustered 1,000 men into service from the western side of the lower peninsula and during the next three years another 515 joined its ranks as casualties were replaced. They joined Sherman's march to the sea and participated in at least 12 major battles, losing 36 percent of the regiment to death in action, wounds, and disease. A few were captured and died in southern prison camps.
Local cemeteries are filled with the veterans of this regiment, and their grave stones appropriately marked, but this may be the only formal commemoration of the regiment itself.
