139th Illinois Volunteer Infantry Regiment
Encyclopedia
The 139th Regiment Illinois Volunteer Infantry was an infantry
regiment
that served in the Union Army
during the American Civil War
. It was among scores of regiments that were raised in the summer of 1864 as Hundred Days Men
, an effort to augment existing manpower for an all-out push to end the war within 100 days.
, and mustered into Federal service on June 1, 1864, for a one-hundred-day enlistment. The 139th garrisoned Cairo, Illinois
, and then Saint Louis, Missouri.
The regiment was mustered out of service on October 25, 1864.
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...
that served 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...
. It was among scores of regiments that were raised in the summer of 1864 as Hundred Days Men
Hundred Days Men
The Hundred Days Men was the nickname applied to a series of volunteer regiments raised in 1864 for 100-days service in the Union Army during the height of the American Civil War...
, an effort to augment existing manpower for an all-out push to end the war within 100 days.
Service
The 139th Illinois Infantry was organized at Peoria, IllinoisPeoria, Illinois
Peoria is the largest city on the Illinois River and the county seat of Peoria County, Illinois, in the United States. It is named after the Peoria tribe. As of the 2010 census, the city was the seventh-most populated in Illinois, with a population of 115,007, and is the third-most populated...
, and mustered into Federal service on June 1, 1864, for a one-hundred-day enlistment. The 139th garrisoned Cairo, Illinois
Cairo, Illinois
Cairo is the southernmost city in the U.S. state of Illinois. It is the county seat of Alexander County. Cairo is located at the confluence of the Mississippi and Ohio rivers. The rivers converge at Fort Defiance State Park, an American Civil War fort that was commanded by General Ulysses S. Grant...
, and then Saint Louis, Missouri.
The regiment was mustered out of service on October 25, 1864.