History of Oakland County Michigan a narrative account of its historic progress, its people, its principal interests / compiled from the official records of the county, the newspapers and data of personal interviews, under the editorial supervision of Thaddeus D. Seeley.

HISTORY OF OAKLAND COUNTY

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his efforts and personal influence that it was raised. His command left
the state of Kentucky September 4, I862, and Colonel Wisner died of
typhoid fever at Lexington, Kentucky, January 5, I863. It is thought
that his unremitting labors in the raising, organization and drilling of the
regiment brought about such a nervous condition as to make him an easy
victim to the disease which caused his death.
GOVERNOR MOSES WISNER
Governor Wisner was an able lawyer and a broad minded public man,
and as he was a thorough disciplinarian and deeply read in military
tactics his friends and the public at large looked confidently to see him
make a splendid reputation as a soldier. He not only possessed the true
temperament for a military leader, but he inherited the ambition to be
such from his father (also Moses), who was a colonel in the War of
1812 and brave and masterly in battle. Colonel Wisner was buried in
Oak Hill cemetery on January 9, 1863, without military display, but as
unostentatiously as he had lived. The legislature, the supreme court of
the state and the bar of Oakland county all adopted resolutions of respect
and affection, and, as expressed by a local publication, "the resolutions
passed by his own regiment were like the wailings of orphans for a dead
father."
The deceased was succeeded in the command by Colonel Heber LeFavour, who first led the regiment against the enemy at Danville, Kentucky, March 24, I863. At Chickamauga, on September 9th, it formed
part of Whittaker's brigade, and played a leading part in coming to the
rescue of Thomas' imperiled line. The Twenty-second lost on that
day 372 in killed, wounded and missing, and among those mortally
wounded were Captains W. A. Smith and Elijah Snell. Most of the
missing were taken prisoners, including Colonel LeFavour. The regiment also participated in the battle of Missionary Ridge, November 26,
1863, its last action being before Atlanta, Georgia, July 22 and 23, 1864.
Elijah Snell, captain of Company D, died of wounds received at Chickamauga, September 20, I863. Altogether sixteen officers of the regiment
hailed from Oakland county.
TWENTY-NINTH INFANTRY
Over one hundred men were recruited in Oakland county for the
Twenty-ninth regiment, one of the latest to enter the service. Under
command of Colonel Thomas M. Taylor'it arrived at Nashville, October
3, 1864, and, although "new at the game of war," when it met the enemy
at Decatur, under Hood, on the 26th of the month, it behaved with great
coolness. The regiment moved out from the breastworks behind which it
was sheltered and, in the face of a hot fire of musketry and artillery took
possession of a line of rifle pits. Colonel Doolittle, who was in charge of
the Union force, had but five hundred men but with them he successfully
resisted five thousand Confederates-Waltham's division of Stewart's
corps. The Twenty-second was mustered out of the service September
6, I865.