1st Regiment, Illinois Cavalry

Brief History
Seven Companies, "A" to "G," organized at Alton, Illinois, and mustered in July 3, 1861. The Regiment mustered out July 14, 1862.

Companies "I," "H" and "K" were not mustered with Regiment and never served with it. These companies mustered out December 27, 1862.

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


 * The Civil War Archive section, 1st Regiment Cavalry, (accessed 13 June 2012).


 * The Wikipedia article, 1st Regiment Illinois Volunteer Cavalry, (accessed 14 June 2012).

Companies in this Regiment with the Counties 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.

Seven Companies, "A" to "G," organized at Alton, Madison County, Illinois, and mustered in July 3, 1861. Company "H" was organized at Alton, Madison County, Illinois, June 12, 1861. Company "I" organized at Alton, Madison County, Illinois, July 9, 1861. Company "K" organized at Alton, Madison County, Illinois, December 9, 1861. Men often enlisted in a company recruited in the counties where they lived.

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 McLean County - McLean County web site. Roster, vol. 7, pages 462-465.

Company B - many men from Gallatin County (Also Known as Gallatin County Cavalry) - Gallatin Countyweb site - Roster, vol. 7, pages 465-467.

Company C - many men from Coles County - Coles County website - Roster, vol. 7, pages 467-469.

Company D - many men from Knox County, Henry County, and Peoria County - Knox, Henry and Peoria county web sites - Roster, vol. 7, pages 469-471.

Company E - many men from Montgomery County - Montgomery County web site - Roster, vol. 7, pages 471-473.

Company F - many men from Adams County and Sangamon County - Adams and Sangamon county websites - Roster, vol. 7, pages 474-476.

Company G - many men from Warren County - Warren County web site - Roster, vol. 7, pages 476-478.

Company H - many men from many men from Marion and Grundy counties (Also Known as Centralia Cavalry) - Marion and Grundy county web sites - Roster, vol. 7, pages 478-480.

Company I - many men from White County (Also Known as White County Cavalry) - White County web site - Roster, vol. 7, pages 480-482.

Company K - many men from Winnebago County (Also Known as Light Dragoons, Steele's Guards, Huntley's Cavalry Company) Winnebago County web site - Roster, vol. 7, pages 482-483.

The Civil War Soldiers and Sailors database lists 1,854 men on its roster for this unit. Roster.

Other Source Material
WEB SITES


 * Illinois Civil War Rosters from the Adjutant General's Report, 1st Regiment, Illinois Cavalry (accessed 10 May 2011) includes rosters of all the regiments and information on the different companies in each regiment.


 * 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


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