I came across an article detailing the demographics of the 8th Wisconsin Regiment and noticed that they had a soldier nicknamed “Infant.” Though he was no infant in height, standing 6 feet 8 1/4 inches. I knew that he was not the tallest soldier in the Union, but could not remember who is considered to be the tallest? (Note: the 8th claimed to have an average height of 5’10″, which is well above average.)
According to what I could find, the 27th Indiana Regiment had the tallest soldier. David C. Van Buskirk of Company F was 6’10.5″ tall and was probably the tallest soldier in the war. (This would be about 7’4″ inches today by comparison.) He was called the ‘Biggest Yankee in the World’ by the Southern press. When captured at Winchester on 25 May, 1862, David went to the infamous Libby Prison in Richmond and attracted the attention of Confederate President Jefferson Davis. He was ultimately paroled on September of 1862. Astonishingly, Company F boasted 35 men over six feet. Incredibly, as tall of a target as David was, he survived the war and was never wounded. (Source: http://www.geocities.com/pentagon/barracks/3627/facts.html)
