6th Delaware Infantry Regiment

Content sourced from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

The 6th Delaware Infantry Regiment was a Union Army unit that served in the Civil War. It formed in Delaware in late 1862 as a 90-day regiment. Soldiers kept their civilian jobs and drilled twice a week, getting paid only when they were on active duty. The regiment finished forming on December 18, 1862, but did not enter active service until June 27, 1863, under Colonel Edwin Wilmer.

Company A began forming on October 25, with Wilmer as captain. Much of the organizational work was done by lawyer Jacob Moore. By December 18, the regiment’s ten companies (A–I and K) were ready, but they were soon separated from the 5th Delaware to form a separate regiment by order of Governor William Cannon.

On June 27, 1863, Wilmer became the new regiment’s colonel, with Jacob Moore as lieutenant colonel and Thomas P. Thurlow as major. A total of 877 men and 42 officers entered active service that day. The 6th Delaware was sent to Havre de Grace, Maryland, to guard the Philadelphia, Wilmington and Baltimore Railroad near the Susquehanna River. It served as part of the 8th Corps in the Middle Department and helped guard prisoners of war arriving at Fort Delaware.

In addition to Havre de Grace, the regiment guarded the railroad at the Bush and Back Rivers and in Maryland towns such as Gunpowder and Perrymansville. By August 23, 1863, all but Company I had been mustered out; Company I finished its service on September 5, 1863. During its service, 10 members of the regiment died of disease.

The formation came in response to President Abraham Lincoln’s call for 300,000 90-day volunteers in 1862, with the 5th and 6th Delaware organized to meet that need.