127th Illinois Volunteer Infantry Regiment
Encyclopedia
The 125th Illinois Volunteer Infantry was an infantry
regiment
in the Union Army
during the American Civil War
.
in Chicago, Illinois and mustered in for three years service on September 6, 1862 under the command of Colonel
John Van Arman.
The regiment was attached to 4th Brigade, 5th Division, District of Memphis, XIII Corps, Department of the Tennessee, November 1862. 2nd Brigade, 2nd Division, XIII Corps, to December 1862. 2nd Brigade, 2nd Division, Sherman's Yazoo Expedition, to January 1863. 2nd Brigade, 2nd Division, XV Corps, Army of the Tennessee
, to September 1863. 1st Brigade, 2nd Division, XV Corps, to June 1865.
The 127th Illinois Infantry mustered out of service June 4, 1865 and was discharged at Chicago on June 17, 1865.
May 24.
Infantry
Infantrymen are soldiers who are specifically trained for the role of fighting on foot to engage the enemy face to face and have historically borne the brunt of the casualties of combat in wars. As the oldest branch of combat arms, they are the backbone of armies...
regiment
Regiment
A regiment is a major tactical military unit, composed of variable numbers of batteries, squadrons or battalions, commanded by a colonel or lieutenant colonel...
in the Union Army
Union Army
The Union Army was the land force that fought for the Union during the American Civil War. It was also known as the Federal Army, the U.S. Army, the Northern Army and the National Army...
during the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
.
Service
The 127th Illinois Infantry was organized at Camp DouglasCamp Douglas (Chicago)
Camp Douglas, in Chicago, Illinois, was a Union Army prisoner-of-war camp for Confederate soldiers taken prisoner during the American Civil War. It was also a training and detention camp for Union soldiers. The Union Army first used the camp in 1861 as an organizational and training camp for...
in Chicago, Illinois and mustered in for three years service on September 6, 1862 under the command of Colonel
Colonel (United States)
In the United States Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps, colonel is a senior field grade military officer rank just above the rank of lieutenant colonel and just below the rank of brigadier general...
John Van Arman.
The regiment was attached to 4th Brigade, 5th Division, District of Memphis, XIII Corps, Department of the Tennessee, November 1862. 2nd Brigade, 2nd Division, XIII Corps, to December 1862. 2nd Brigade, 2nd Division, Sherman's Yazoo Expedition, to January 1863. 2nd Brigade, 2nd Division, XV Corps, Army of the Tennessee
Army of the Tennessee
The Army of the Tennessee was a Union army in the Western Theater of the American Civil War, named for the Tennessee River. It should not be confused with the similarly named Army of Tennessee, a Confederate army named after the State of Tennessee....
, to September 1863. 1st Brigade, 2nd Division, XV Corps, to June 1865.
The 127th Illinois Infantry mustered out of service June 4, 1865 and was discharged at Chicago on June 17, 1865.
Detailed service
Moved to Memphis, Tenn., November 9-13, 1862. Duty at Camp Douglas, Ill., guarding prisoners, September 6 to November 9, 1862. Grant's Mississippi Central Campaign. "Tallahatchie March" November 26-December 13. Sherman's Yazoo Expedition December 20, 1862, to January 3 1863. Chickasaw Bayou December 26-28, 1862. Chickasaw Bluff December 29. McClernand's Expedition to Arkansas Post, Ark, January 3-10, 1863. Assault and capture of Fort Hindman, Arkansas Post, January 10-11. Moved to Young's Point, La., January 22, and duty there until March. Expedition to Rolling Fork, via Muddy. Steele's and Black Bayous and Deer Creek March 14-27. Deer Creek March 22. Demonstrations on Haines' and Drumgould's Bluffs April 29-May 2. Movement to Jackson, Miss., via Grand Gulf, May 2-14. Jackson May 14, Champion Hill May 16. Siege of Vicksburg, Miss., May 18-July 4. Assaults on Vicksburg May 19 and 22. Surrender of Vicksburg July 4. Advance on Jackson, Miss.. July 4-10. Siege of Jackson July 10-17. At Big Black until September 22. Moved to Memphis, Tenn.; then marched to Chattanooga, Tenn., September 22-November 20. Operations on Memphis & Charleston Railroad in Alabama October 20-29. Bear Creek, Tuscumbia, Ala., October 27. Chattanooga-Ringgold Campaign November 23-27. Foot of Missionary Ridge November 24. Tunnel Hill November 24-25. Missionary Ridge November 26. Pursuit to Graysville November 26-27. March to relief of Knoxville November 28-December 8. At Larkinsville, Ala., until May, 1864. Atlanta Campaign May to September. Demonstration on Resaca May 8-13. Battle of Resaca May 14-15. Movement on Dallas May 18-25. Operations on line of Pumpkin Vine Creek and battles about Dallas, New Hope Church, and Allatoona Hills May 25-June 5. Operations about Marietta and against Kennesaw Mountain June 10-July 2. Assault on Kennesaw June 27. Nickajack Creek July 2-5. Chattahoochie River July 6-17. Battle of Atlanta July 22. Siege of Atlanta July 22-August 25. Ezra Chapel, Hood's second sortie, July 28. Flank movement on Jonesboro August 25-30. Battle of Jonesboro August 31-September 1. Lovejoy's Station September 2-6. Operations against Hood in North Georgia and North Alabama September 29-November 3. March to the sea November 15-December 10. Clinton November 23. Siege of Savannah December 10-21. Assault and capture of Fort McAllister December 13. Campaign of the Carolinas January to April 1865. Salkehatchie Swamps, S.C., February 2-5. South Edisto River February 9. North Edisto River February 12-13. Columbia February 16-17. Battle of Bentonville, N.C., March 20-21. Occupation of Goldsboro March 24. Advance on Raleigh April 10-14. Occupation of Raleigh April 14. Bennett's House April 26. Surrender of Johnston and his army. March to Washington, D.C., via Richmond, Va., April 29-May 19. Grand Review of the ArmiesGrand Review of the Armies
The Grand Review of the Armies was a military procession and celebration in Washington, D.C., on May 23 and May 24, 1865, following the close of the American Civil War...
May 24.
Casualties
The regiment lost a total of 218 men during service; 2 officers and 47 enlisted men killed or mortally wounded, 1 officer and 168 enlisted men died of disease.Commanders
- Colonel John Van Arman - resigned February 23, 1863
- Colonel Hamilton N. Eldridge - resigned July 29, 1863
- Lieutenant ColonelLieutenant Colonel (United States)In the United States Army, United States Air Force, and United States Marine Corps, a lieutenant colonel is a field grade military officer rank just above the rank of major and just below the rank of colonel. It is equivalent to the naval rank of commander in the other uniformed services.The pay...
Frank S. Curtiss - commanded the regiment at rank until muster out
Notable members
- Private Emmer BowenEmmer BowenEmmer Bowen was a Union Army soldier during the American Civil War. He received the Medal of Honor for gallantry during the Siege of Vicksburg on May 22, 1863.-Union assault:...
, Company C - Medal of HonorMedal of HonorThe Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration awarded by the United States government. It is bestowed by the President, in the name of Congress, upon members of the United States Armed Forces who distinguish themselves through "conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his or her...
recipient for action at Vicksburg, May 22, 1863 - Private Andrew E. Goldsbery, Company E - Medal of Honor recipient for action at Vicksburg, May 22, 1863
- Corporal Joseph Lee HeywoodJoseph Lee HeywoodJoseph Lee Heywood was the acting cashier at the First National Bank of Northfield, Minnesota when the James-Younger Gang attempted to rob the bank...
, Company B - acting cashierCashierCashier is an occupation focused on the handling of cash money.- Retail :In a shop, a cashier is a person who scans the goods through a machine called a cash register that the consumer wishes to purchase at the retail store. After all of the goods have been scanned, the cashier then collects...
at the First National Bank of Northfield, Minnesota who successfully foiled the James-Younger GangJames-Younger gangThe James-Younger Gang was a notable 19th-century gang of American outlaws that included Jesse James.The gang was centered in the state of Missouri. Membership fluctuated from robbery to robbery, as the outlaws' raids were usually separated by many months...
's attempt to rob the bankBank robberyBank robbery is the crime of stealing from a bank during opening hours. According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Uniform Crime Reporting Program, robbery is "the taking or attempting to take anything of value from the care, custody, or control of a person or persons by force or threat of... - 1st Sergeant Theodore Hyatt, Company D - Medal of Honor recipient for action at Vicksburg, May 22, 1863
- Private Andrew McCornack, Company I - Medal of Honor recipient for action at Vicksburg, May 22, 1863
- Musician Robinson Barr Murphy, Company A - Medal of Honor recipient for action at Atlanta, July 28, 1864
- Sergeant William Toomer, Company G - Medal of Honor recipient for action at Vicksburg, May 22, 1863
See also
- List of Illinois Civil War units
- Illinois in the Civil War