The 25th Wisconsin Infantry Regiment was a volunteer infantry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. During their service, they first participated in the Dakota War of 1862, then spent most of the rest of the war in the western theater.

Service

The 25th Wisconsin was organized at La Crosse, Wisconsin, and mustered into Federal service September 14, 1862. The Regiment was immediately sent west to help Minnesota deal with the Sioux uprising. Wisconsin was part of the Army's newly formed Department of Dakota that had been created to deal with the problem. The Department was Headquartered at St. Paul under the command of Major General John Pope. The Regiment arrived at Fort Snelling on the 22nd of September. General Pope wanted to create a line of outposts from Fairmount to Alexandria with the 25th: Hq- New Ulm, A Co- Fairmount, B Co-Alexandria, C Co- Sauk Center, D, F, & I- Mankato, G Co- Richmond, E & H Co Paynesville and K Co- Winnebago. Colonel Montgomery later moved the Hq to Mankato. In November Company F was tasked with burying the dead at Lake Shetek. They reported only finding skeletal remains, some of which had been burnt by prairie fires. In a January 1863 letter to his sister, Union soldier Chauncey H. Cooke, a private from the regiment's Company G, gave his reasons for fighting for the Union in the war, stating that "I have no heart in this war if the slaves cannot go free." The regiment was mustered out on June 7, 1865.

Casualties

The 25th Wisconsin suffered 3 officers and 46 enlisted men killed in action or who later died of their wounds, plus another 7 officers and 402 enlisted men who died of disease, for a total of 460 fatalities.

Commanders

Notable officers and personnel