Jacob Realy 20th MI WIA Horseshoe Bend KY Realy’s silver badge features a cannon and an anchor and reads,”Co. K Mich 20 Vol J Realy” Badge is roughly the size of a quarter.

The 20th Michigan Infantry Regiment, organized in Jackson, Michigan, from August 15–19, 1862, served in the Union Army’s Army of the Cumberland and later the Army of the Potomac. Mustered into Federal service in August 1862, it departed for Kentucky, engaging in skirmishes and pursuing Confederate forces under General Bragg. The regiment fought at Fredericksburg (1862), losing 11 wounded, and faced heavy losses at Horse Shoe Bend (1863) against General John Morgan’s raiders. It served as rear guard during the retreat to Knoxville, losing 33 men at Turkey Creek. In 1864, the 20th joined the Army of the Potomac, participating in the Siege of Petersburg, including the disastrous Battle of the Crater (July 30, 1864), where many were captured after being trapped. The regiment also fought at Fort Mahone and joined the Grand Review in Washington. Mustered out on May 30, 1865, it returned to Jackson by June 4. The 20th lost 13 officers and 111 enlisted men killed or mortally wounded, with 3 officers and 175 enlisted men dying of disease, totaling 302 fatalities.