53rd Regiment, Illinois Infantry

Brief History
The 53rd Regiment, Illinois Infantry was organized at Ottawa, Illinois on January 1862. It mustered out on July 22, 1865 at Louisville, Kentucky.

For more information on the history of the 53rd Regiment, Illinois Infantry, see the following:


 * Wikipedia, (accessed 23 Dec 2010) article on the 53rd Illinois Volunteer Infantry Regiment.


 * The Civil War Archive. (accessed 23 Dec 2010) Brief history of the 53rd Regiment Infantry.

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 LaSalle County (Also known as Cogswell's Battery, Ford's Cavalry Company) - LaSalle County web site - Roster, vol. 3, pages 619-622.

Company B - many men from LaSalle and Grundy counties-LaSalle and Grundy county web sites - Roster, vol. 3, pages 622-625.

Company C - many men from LaSalle County - LaSalle County web site - Roster, vol. 3, pages 625-628.

Company D - many men from LaSalle County - LaSalle County web site - Roster, vol. 3, pages 628-631.

Company E - many men from Kankakee and Mason counties - Kankakeeand Mason county web sites -Roster, vol. 3, pages 631-634.

Company F - many men from LaSalle County- LaSalle County web site - Roster, vol. 3, pages 634-637.

Company G - many men from Livingston and Shelby counties- Livingston and Shelby county web sites - Roster, vol. 3, pages 637-640.

Company H - many men fromMarshall and Peoria counties -Marshall and Peoria county web sites - Roster, vol. 3, pages 640-643.

Company I - many men from LaSalle County- LaSalle County web site - Roster, vol. 3, pages 643-646.

New Company I - many men from LaSalle County- LaSalle County web site

Company K - many men from LaSalle County- LaSalle County web site - Roster, vol. 3, pages 646-649.

Unassigned Regiments - Roster, vol. 3, pages 649-652.

The Civil War Soldiers and Sailors database lists 2,831 men on its roster for this unit. Roster.

Other Sources
WEB SITES


 * 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.


 * Illinois Civil War Rosters from the Adjutant General's Report, 53rd Regiment (accessed 19 Feb. 2011) includes rosters of all the regiments and information on the different companies in each.


 * Illinois State Archives - Illinois Civil War Muster and Descriptive Rolls Database (accessed 14 June 2011). Search by residence, unit, regiment, company or soldier.


 * The ILGenWeb Civil War Scrapbook, (accessed 9 Aug 2011) contains links to various documents such as personal letters, military papers, articles, histories, obituaries, biographies, etc. Documents are listed by regiment, then by the soldier and his company.

BOOKS AND FILMS


 * Civil War Centennial Commission of Illinois. Illinois Military Units in the Civil War. (Springfield, [Ill.]:Civil War Centennial Commission of Illinois, c1962)..FS Library US/CAN Book 977.3 M2im and FS Library US/CAN FIlm 6334558. Other libraries with this book. Includes millitary units by county, infantry, cavalry, and artillery regiments, including independent artillery.


 * Randstead, H. E. and United States. Army. Illinois Infantry Regiment, 53rd. A True Story and History of the Fifty-Third Regiment, Illinois Veteran Volunteer Infantry its Campaigns and Marches, Incidents that Occurred on Marches and in Camp. What Happened to Some of its Members and What Became of Others. Short Stories of Marches and How the Army Lived.(Bethesda, Maryland : University Publications of America, c1993). FS Library US/CAN Fiche 6084252. Other libraries with this book. Google Books.


 * United States. Army. Illinois Infantry Regiment, 53rd. Cogswell Battery Artillery (1861-1865). Semi-centennial Roster, 1865-1915, Cushman's Brigade Souvenir Mustered Out at Louisville, Ky., July 22, 1865 : Fifty Years Afterward. (Bethesda, Maryland : University Publications of America, c1993). FS Library US/CAN Fiche 6084250. Other libraries with this book. View online at Internet Archive.


 * United States. War Department. Record and Pension Office. Compiled Records Showing Service of Military Units in Volunteer Union Organizations. (Washington, District of Columbia : The National Archives, c1964). FS Library US/CAN Film 1488453-1488677.


 * Hewett, Janet B and United States. War Department. Supplement to the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies. (Wilmington, North Carolina : Broadfoot Pub. Co., c1994-2001). Part II v. 12 (Union Infantry 50th-60th). FS Library US/CAN Book 973 M29u ser. 1 supp. pt. 2 v. 12. Other libraries with this book.


 * Illinois. Infantry Regiment, 53rd. Consolidated Morning Report, 1863-1863. World Cat Library Catalog. Morning report gives number of commissioned, non commissioned and enlisted me, those on duty, sick, on arrest or on confinement, from March 1862 to February 1863.


 * United States. War Department. Record and Pension Office. Compiled Records Showing Service of Military Units in Volunteer Union Organizations. (Washington, District of Columbia : The National Archives, c1964). 48th-53rd Infantry FS Library US/CAN Film 1488474 . Other libraries with this microfilm. View online at Internet Archives.


 * Wood, John and Illinois. Quartermaster General's Dept.; Illinois. General Assembly. Abstracts of Issues to Fifty-third, Fifty-fourth, Fifty-sixth, Fifty-seventh, Fifty-eighth, Sixtieth, Sixty-fourth and Sixty-fifth Regiments of Infantry. (Springfield, Ill. : Baker & Phillips, Printers, c1865.) Other libraries with this book. Report of the Quartermaster General of the State of Illinois.


 * Vance, Joseph W and Illinois. Adjutant General's Office. Report of the Adjutant General of the State of Illinois, 1861-1866 .(Salt Lake City, Utah : Filmed by the Genealogical Society of Utah, 1957, 1980). FS Library US/CAN Film 7692. Other libraries with this book. View online at Internet Archives.Rosters of officers and enlisted men and historical memoranda of the regiments.