61st Regiment, Illinois Infantry

Brief History
The 61st Regiment, Illinois Infantry was organized at Carrollton, Illinois, and mustered in on February 5, 1862. The regiment mustered out at Nashville, Tennessee, September 8 and was discharged at Camp Butler, Illinois on September 27, 1865

For more information on the history of the 60th Regiment, Illinois Infantry, see the following:

• Wikipedia, (accessed 30 Dec 2010) article on the 61st Illinois Volunteer Infantry Regiment.

• The Civil War Archive. (accessed 30 Dec 2010) Brief history of the 61st 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 website. Roster pages are from the same report found on the Internet Archives website. 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 Greene and Carroll counties - Greene and Carroll county web sites - Roster, vol. 4, pages 210-213.

Company B - many men from Carroll County - Carroll County web site - Roster, vol. 4, pages 213-216.

Company C - many men from Jersey County - Jersey County web site - Roster, vol. 4, pages 216-219.

Company D - many men from Jersey County - Jersey County web site - Roster, vol. 4, pages 219-222.

Company E - many men from Cass and Greene counties - Cass and Greene county web sites - Roster, vol. 4, pages 222-225.

Company F - many men from Scott County - Scott County web site - Roster, vol. 4, pages 225-228.

Company G - many men from Greene County - Greene County web site - Roster, vol. 4, pages 228-231.

Company H - many men from Lawrence County - Lawrence County web site - Roster, vol. 4, pages 231-234.

Company I - many men from Cook and Warren counties - Cook and Warren county web sites - Roster, vol. 4, pages 234-237.

Company K - many men from Lawrence and Wayne counties - Lawrence and Wayne county web sites - Roster, vol. 4, pages 237-239.

Unassigned Recruits - Roster, vol. 4, pages 239-240.

The Civil War Soldiers and Sailors database lists 2,366 men on its roster for this unit. Roster.

Other Sources
WEBSITES


 * 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, 61st Regiment (accessed 18 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 military units by county, infantry, cavalry, and artillery regiments, including independent artillery.


 * 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). 59th-64th Infantry FS Library US/CAN Film 1488476. Other libraries with this microfilm. View online at Internet Archives.


 * 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 1670784. Other libraries with this book. View online at Internet Archives. Rosters of officers, enlisted men, and historical memorandum of the regiments.


 * Dukett, Drew D. and United States. Army. Illinois Infantry Regiment, 61st (1862-1865). Glimpses of Glory the Regimental History of the 61st Illinois Volunteers with Regimental Roster. (Bowie, Maryland : Heritage Books, c1999). Includes index. US/CAN Book 977.3 M2dd. Other libraries with this book.


 * Stillwell, Leander and United States. Army. Illinois Infantry Regiment, 61st (1862-1865). The Story of a Common Soldier of Army Life in the Civil War. (Bethesda, Maryland : University Publications of America, c1993). The author was a member of the 61st Illinois Infantry Regiment which served during the U.S. Civil War.US/CAN Fiche 6084262.


 * Stillwell, Leander. The Story of a Common Soldier of Army Life in the Civil War.([Alexandria, Va.?] : Time-Life Books, 1983). Other libraries with this book.


 * Stillwell, Leander. The Story of a Common Soldier of Army Life in the Civil War. ([Erie? Kan.] Franklin Hudson Publishing Co.1920). View online at Internet Archives.