Illinois in the Civil War

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Introduction
Over 250,000 Illinois men served in the Union Army, the fourth most of any northern state. Illinois supplied 150 infantry regiments, 17 cavalry regiments, and 2 light artillery regiments. Most served in the Western Theater, Illinois also was a major source of military supplies, food, and clothing. A number of national cemeteries were established in Illinois.

Illinois Military Units
Most units were numbered, however, some were named. See the table below for lists of the regiments, battalions, batteries, and unassigned companies.

The information in the lists of Illinois Military Units comes from the Civil War Soldiers and Sailors web site. This web site can also be searched by the name of a soldier. Illinois Units by Number or by Name Union Units 1st-26th 27th-76th 77th-126th 127th-156th A to Z

Illinois Units by Type of Unit Union Units Infantry Cavalry Artillery Militia Colored Troops Unassigned Units

Service Records
At the Family History Library you may use indexes to federal service and pension records of Union Army soldiers. The pension indexes are cited in United States Civil War, 1861 to 1865. The index to the service records is:

United States. Adjutant General’s Office. Index to Compiled Service Records of Volunteer Union Soldiers Who Served in Organizations From the State of Illinois. National Archives Microfilm Publications, M0539. Washington, D.C.: National Archives, 1964. (Family History Library films –721) The original federal service records and pensions are available only at the National Archives.

See also volumes 1–8 of the Report of the Adjutant General of the State of Illinois, which is described earlier in this section under the subheading entitled "Records Covering More than One War."

Identifying Military Units
Relatives and neighbors may have been in different military units even though they enlisted from the same county. A source that tells which companies were raised from each county is:

Illinois Military Units in the Civil War. Springfield, Illinois: Civil War Centennial Commission of Illinois, 1962. (Family History Library book ; fiche ). The first section is arranged by county. The rest of the book is arranged by the name of the military unit, naming the counties where each company was raised.

Navy
Illinois men who served in the Navy during the war are identified in:

Roster of Men From Illinois Who Served in the United States Navy During the War of the Rebellion, 1861–1866. Salt Lake City, Utah: Genealogical Society of Utah, 1974, 1975. (Family History Library film, item 2 [index], and , item1 [roster of men]).

Militia
Muster Rolls, Militia Lists and Military Censuses. The Illinois State Archives has a considerable collection of original muster rolls, militia lists, and military censuses for the Civil War (Record Series 301.29). Militia lists were of two types: volunteer militias and lists of males subject to military service. Volunteer lists include the each member’s name, residence, age, birthplace, occupation, and date and term of enlistment in the militia. During the war, entire units of volunteer militias were called into service, although some members enlisted individually.

Militia lists of men between the ages of 18 and 45 who were subject to military service were created by Illinois county assessors from 1861 through 1863 as a form of draft registration. These lists usually contain only the names and not their ages. Many of those listed may not have actually served.

Militia lists of both types are in:

Illinois. Assessors. Militia Rolls, 1862–1863. Salt Lake City, Utah: Genealogical Society of Utah, 1977. (Family History Library films –24). These are arranged by county and town and list the names of men in rough alphabetical order.

The military census of 1862 taken by the federal government is also at the Illinois State Archives and lists men subject to military service. It gives each person’s name, age, birthplace, and occupation, and remarks about military assignments or exemptions. This collection often includes lists of volunteers and enlistment certificates.

Pension Records
Civil War Pension Index Cards - A free Internet index to pension applications of veterans who served in the US Army between 1861-1917 is available on FamilySearch Record Search. Each card gives the soldier’s name, application and certificate numbers, state of enlistment, and might include rank and death information. Other wars, of that time period, may be included.

Regimental Histories
The Illinois State Historical Library has a sizable collection of regimental histories. Two bibliographies published in 1994 are:

Tubbs, William B., comp. ''A Bibliography of Illinois Civil War Regimental Sources in the Illinois State Historical Library. Part I, Published and Printed Sources''. Illinois Historical Journal. (Springfield, Illinois: Illinois State Historical Society) vol. 87, no.3 (Spring 1994): 185–232. (Family History Library book ). This is arranged by the name of the military unit and cites unit histories, reunion literature, and other published materials.

Part II, Manuscripts. Volume 87, no.4 (Winter 1994): 277–324. Manuscripts cited include such items as letters, diaries, personal papers of regimental officers and official correspondence.

Biographies
Biographical data on Union officers from Illinois are in:

Wilson, James Grant. Biographical Sketches of Illinois Officers Engaged in the War Against the Rebellion of 1861. Chicago, Illinois: J. Barnet, 1862. (Family History Library book ; fiche [set of 5]).

Confederate Prisoners
Confederate prisoners were held in Illinois at Camp Douglas, Camp Butler, Rock Island, and Alton. Lists of both Union and Confederate soldiers buried at various camps are at the Illinois State Archives, Record Group 301.61. Some published records can be found in the Family History Library Catalog by using a Place Search under:

ILLINOIS, MADISON, ALTON- MILITARY RECORDS

ILLINOIS, ROCK ISLAND, ROCK ISLAND- MILITARY RECORDS

Veterans Organizations
By 1890, about 40 percent of the Civil War veterans were members of the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR). The descriptive books of each GAR post usually indicate the member’s name, age, rank, birthplace, residence, occupation, and enlistment and discharge information. A manuscript of members of GAR posts for the Department of Illinois, 1880 to 1930, and of other veterans organizations are at the Illinois State Historical Library. See the "Archives and Libraries" section for the address. Scattered records may be found in various libraries and archives throughout Illinois. Many GAR posts are identified in:

Hutchison, Florence. 800 Posts of the Grand Army of the Republic, Department of Illinois. Salt Lake City, Utah: Genealogical Society of Utah, 1978. (Family History Library film, item 6). This is a microfilm of an original typescript (10 leaves) written in 1974. This tells where each post was located.