5th Regiment, Illinois Cavalry

Brief History
The 5th Regiment, Illinois Cavalry was organized at Camp Butler, Illinois, August 31 to December 30, 1861. It was mustered out October 27, 1865.

For more information on the history of this unit, see:


 * The Civil War Archive section, 5th Regiment Cavalry, (accessed 13 June 2012).
 * The Wikipedia article, 5th Regiment Illinois Volunteer Cavalry (accessed 15 June 2012).

Companies in this Regiment with County of Origin
Men often enlisted in a company recruited in the counties where they lived though not always. After many battles, companies might be combined because so many men were killed or wounded. However if you are unsure which company your ancestor was in, try the company recruited in his county first.

The following counties of origin are taken from the Adjutant General's Report, found on the Illinois Civil War Rosters web site. Roster pages are from the same report found on the Internet Archives web site. The rosters show the men who served in each regiment, their residences, dates of enlistment and mustering out, and other remarks.


 * Company A - many men from Cumberland County - Cumberland County web site -


 * Company B - many men from Coles County - Coles County web site -


 * Company C - many men from McLean County - McLean County web site -


 * Company D - many men from Wayne County - Wayne County web site -


 * Company E - many men from Coles County - Coles County web site -


 * Company F - many men from Crawford County and Richland County - Crawford and Richland county web sites -


 * Company G - many men from Shelby County and Pike County - Shelby and Pike county web sites -


 * Company H - many men from Washington County and St. Clair County - Washington and St. Clair county web sites -


 * Company I - many men from Cumberland County - Cumberland County web site -


 * Company K - many men from Randolph County - Randolph County web site -


 * Company L - many men from Effingham County - Effingham County web site -


 * Company M - many men from Wayne County - Wayne County web site -

The Civil War Soldiers and Sailors database lists 3,247 men on its roster for this unit. Roster.

Other Sources
WEBSITES


 * Illinois Civil War Rosters from the Adjutant General's Report, 5th Regiment, Illinois Cavalry (accessed 10 May 2011) includes rosters of all the regiments and information on the different companies in each regiment.


 * Genealogy Trails History Group. Muster Roll of the 5th Illinois Cavalry, Company A. Includes residences (accessed 2 Jun 2011).


 * Beginning United States Civil War Research gives steps for finding information about a Civil War soldier. It covers the major records that should be used. Additional records are described in ‘Illinois in the Civil War’ and ‘United States Civil War, 1861 to 1865’ (see below).


 * National Park Service, The Civil War Soldiers and Sailors System, is searchable by soldier's name and state. It contains basic facts about soldiers on both sides of the Civil War, a list of regiments, descriptions of significant battles, sources of the information, and suggestions for where to find additional information.


 * Illinois in the Civil War describes many Confederate and Union sources, specifically for Illinois, and how to find them.. These include compiled service records, pension records, rosters, cemetery records, Internet databases, published books, etc.


 * United States Civil War, 1861 to 1865 describes and explains United States and Confederate States records, rather than state records, and how to find them. These include veterans’ censuses, compiled service records, pension records, rosters, cemetery records, Internet databases, published books, etc.

BOOKS AND FILMS

Rhonda M. Kohl. The Praire Boys go to War: The Fifth Illinois Cavalry 1861-1865. Carbondale, IL:;Southern Illinois University Press, 2010 (fall).

Kohl, Rhonda. “The Hard Lessons of War: The Fifth Illinois Cavalry at Helena, Arkansas,” Journal of the Illinois State Historical Society 99 (Fall-Winter 2006-07): 185-210.

— — “Raising Thunder with the Secesh: Powell Clayton’s Federal Cavalry at Taylor’s Creek and Mount Vernon, May 11, 1863,” Arkansas Historical Quarterly 44 (Summer 2005): 146-170.

— — “This God-Forsaken Town: Death and Disease at Helena, Arkansas 1862,” Civil War History 50 (June 2004): 109-177.

-- -- -- “On Grant’s Front Line: The Fifth Illinois Cavalry in Mississippi,” Illinois Historical Journal 91 (Spring 1998): 41-56.


 * United States. War Department. Record and Pension Office. ILLINOIS 1st-6th Cavalry. (Washington, District of Columbia : The National Archives, 1964),.