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Catalog Number
2020.9.496Title
De Groot, AlbertDescription
Image of Holland MI resident Simon De Groot's record of service in the "Record of Service of Michigan Volunteers in the Civil War, Vol. 8"History
Simon De Groot was born in 1821. On September 11th, 1861, he enlisted in the 8th Michigan Infantry Co. D. Sadly, on July 26th, 1863, Simon died of disease in Milldale, Mississipi. He is interred in the Vicksburg National Cemetery in Vicksburg, Mississipi, and his name can be found on the Soldiers Monument in Pilgrim Home Cemetery.The 8th Michigan Infantry was organized on September 23rd, 1861. The regiment was engaged in the Second Battle of Bull Run from August 29th -30th, 1862. From there, the regiment was involved in the Maryland Campaign and fought at Antietam on September 17th. The regiment arrived in Vicksburg Mississipi on March 17th, 1863, where the regiment spent the next 6 months engaged in numerous battles. After a harrowing encounter with the Confederate General Longstreeet west of Knoxville TN, the regiment returned to Detroit and reorganized. The regiment rejoined the army in March 1864. The regiment was involved in the battle of the Wilderness on May 6th, 1864, where the regiment counted 99 killed, wounded, and missing, including the Colonel. Lastly, the regiment was engaged in the battle of Spotsylvania and the siege of Petersburg, and was one of the first Union regiments to enter the city when it fell.;Read More