As volunteer engineers for the Union army, the First Michigan
Engineers and Mechanics regiment was made up of skilled artisans,
craftsmen, railroad men, and engineers whose behind-the-scenes work
was crucial to the Union victory. Charged with maintaining the
Union supply line in the western theater, the engineers constructed
and repaired a staggering number of bridges, blockhouses,
fortifications, railroads, and telegraph lines to keep the Union
army functioning in the aftermath of battle. "My Brave Mechanics"
traces the history of this little-known unit, revealing their
substantial engineering accomplishments as well as their combat
experience. Although they were charged primarily with engineering
work, the regiment also saw substantial direct combat action.
Confederate guerillas and bushwackers bent on disrupting vital
communication and supply lines routinely disregarded the usual
rules of warfare to target the engineers. They struck quickly, and
sometimes at night, exploiting the isolation and vulnerability of
the workmen, who, unlike regular infantrymen, were almost never
dug-in and ready for an attack. Yet despite the odds against them,
the Michigan engineers are recognized for several key
accomplishments, including their work in keeping the railroad open
south from Union supply depots in Louisville, the relief of the
Union forces in Chattanooga, and destruction of rebel railroads
during Sherman's march through Georgia and the Carolinas. The
regiment's senior officers also held important posts within the
Union military organization in the west and were instrumental in
developing a coherent policy for the use of captured rebel
railroads and infrastructure. Historian Mark Hoffman offers readers
a detailed account of the Michigan engineers from a wealth of
sources, including letters, diaries, regimental papers,
communications and orders from the military establishment, period
newspapers, and postwar accounts. As little has been written about
Union volunteer engineers in the western theater, their unique
history will undoubtedly be fascinating reading for Civil War
buffs, local historians, and those interested in the history of
American military engineering.
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