The 1st Michigan Regiment mustered at Campus Martius in Detroit on this date in 1861, called by Abraham Lincoln to protect the nation’s capital. After the regiment received its flags, made by the women of Detroit, they boarded a ship for Cleveland, then took the railroad to Washington, D.C. According to legend, President Lincoln said “thank God for Michigan” upon seeing the Michigan First arrive, the first troops arriving from the western states to reinforce the Capitol.
For the full article, see Scott Pohl, “MICHIGAN AND THE CIVIL WAR: 150th anniversary of the Michigan First”, WKAR News, May 11, 2011.