8th Illinois Infantry Regiment

8th Illinois Infantry Regiment
8th Illinois Infantry Regiment
	Illinois flag
Active	April 25, 1861, to May 4, 1866
Country	United States
Allegiance	Union
Branch	United States Army; Union Army;
Type	Infantry
Engagements	Battle of Fort Henry; Battle of Fort Donelson; Battle of Shiloh; Siege of Corinth; Battle of Thompson's Station; Battle of Port Gibson; Battle of Raymond; Battle of Champion Hill; Siege of Vicksburg;
Commanders
Notable; commanders	Col. Richard J. Oglesby
Insignia
3rd Division, XVII Corps
2nd Division, XIX Corps

The 8th Illinois Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War.

Service

Initial 3-month service

The infantry regiment was organized at Springfield, Illinois, and mustered in on April 25, 1861, for a three-month service. The regiment was transferred to Cairo, Illinois, for duty until July 1861. Companies' "B" and "C" formed part of an expedition from Cairo to Little River on June 22 and 23rd. By the time the regiment was mustered out on July 25, 1861, they had lost three to disease.^[1]

3-year enlistments

The regiment was reorganized with 3-year enlistees at Cairo, Illinois, on July 25, 1861. The 8th Illinois saw action at the Battle of Fort Henry, the Battle of Fort Donelson, the Battle of Shiloh, the Siege of Corinth, the Vicksburg Campaign, and the Mobile Campaign.

The regiment was mustered out of service on May 4, 1866, at Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Among the notables that served in the regiment was Major Hermann Lieb, who later commanded the Union forces at the Battle of Milliken's Bend.

Affiliations, battle honors, detailed service, and casualties

Organizational affiliation

The three-month 7th Illinois Volunteer Infantry Regiment was organized at Springfield, IL and served in the Department of the Missouri.^[1] The three-year 7th Illinois Volunteer Infantry Regiment was organized at Cairo, IL and served with the following organizations:^[1]

District of Cairo to October, 1861
1st Brigade, 1st Division, District of Cairo, to February, 1862
1st Brigade, 1st Division, District of West Tennessee, and Army of the Tennessee (AoT), to July, 1862
1st Brigade, 1st Division, District of Jackson, Department of the Tennessee (DoT), to September, 1862
4th Brigade, 1st Division, District of Jackson, to November, 1862
4th Brigade, 3rd Division, Right Wing, XIII Corps (Old), DoT, to December, 1862
3rd Brigade, 3rd Division, XVII Corps, AoT, to April, 1864
Maltby's Brigade, District of Vicksburg, MS, to August, 1864
1st Brigade, 2nd Division, XIX Corps, Department of the Gulf, to December, 1864
2nd Brigade, Reserve Division, Military Division "West Mississippi (MDWM), to February, 1865
2nd Brigade, 1st Division Reserve Corps, MDWM, February, 1865
2nd Brigade, 1st Division, XIII Corps (New), MDWM, to June, 1865
Department of Louisiana to May, 1866

Battles

The 7th Illinois fought in the following battles:^[1]

Detailed service

The regiment's detailed service and locations are as follows:^[2]

1861

Duty at Cairo, IL, till July - 3 mos. regt.
Expedition from Cairo to Little River June 22-23 (Cos. "B" and "C") - 3 mos. regt.
Mustered out July 25, 1861, expiration of term - 3 mos. regt.
Moved to Cairo, IL, till October, 1861 - 3 yr. regt. from here
Moved to Bird's Point, MO, and duty there till February 1862
Expedition against Thompson's forces November 2-12
Expeditions toward Columbus, KY, January 13-20, 1862.

1862

Advance on Fort Henry, Tenn., February 2-6
Investment and capture of Fort Donelson, TN, February 12-16
Moved to Pittsburg Landing, TN, March 6-13
Battle of Shiloh April 6-7
Advance on and siege of Corinth, MS, April 29-May 30
Moved to Bethel June 4-6
Thence to Jackson June 15
Duty there and guard duty at Toone's and Medon Stations till October
Grant's Central Mississippi Campaign October 31, 1862, to January 10, 1863
Ordered to Lagrange November, 1862
Reconnoissance from Lagrange November 8-9

1863

March to Grand Junction January 4-9,
To Memphis, Tenn., January 12-19
Moved to Lake Providence, LA, February 22
Duty there till April
Moved to Milliken's Bend, LA, April 12
Movement on Bruinsburg and turning Grand Gulf April 25-30
Battles of Thompson's Hill, Port Gibson, May 1
South Fork Bayou Pierrie May 2
Raymond May 12. Jackson, MS, May 14
Champion's Hill May 16
Siege of Vicksburg, MS, May 18-July 4
Assaults on Vicksburg May 19 and 22
Surrender of Vicksburg July 4
Garrison duty at Vicksburg till July, 1864
Stevenson's Expedition from Vicksburg to Monroe, LA, August 20-September 2
Expedition to Canton, October 14-20
Bogue Chitto Creek October 17

1864

Meridian Campaign February 3-March 5
Regiment Veteranize March 24
Expedition to Pearl River, MS, July 2-10
Jackson July 7
Expedition to Morganza, LA, July 29-September 3
Moved to mouth of White River September 3-8
Duty there till October 18
Movement to Memphis, TN, and return October 18-30
Moved to Duvall's Bluff November 9
Thence to Memphis, Tenn., November 28
March to Moscow and return December 29-31

1865

Moved to New Orleans, LA, January 1-4
Campaign against Mobile and its defences February to April
Siege of Spanish Fort and Fort Blakely March 26-April 8
Assault and capture of Fort Blakely April 9
Occupation of Mobile April 12
Duty at Mobile till May 27
Moved to New Orleans, LA, thence to Shreveport May 27-June 9
Moved to Marshall, Texas, and duty there till September
At Alexandria, La., till April, 1866

1866====

Mustered out at Baton Rouge May 4
Discharged at Springfield, IL, May 13, 1866.

Total strength and casualties

The regiment suffered 6 officers and 160 enlisted men killed in action or died of wounds and 155 enlisted men who died of disease, for a total of 321 fatalities.^[3]

Commanders

Colonel Richard J. Oglesby - promoted to brigadier general April 1, 1862
Colonel Frank L. Rhoades - resigned October 7, 1862
Colonel John P. Post - resigned September 28, 1863
Colonel Josiah A. Sheetz - mustered out with the regiment^[4]

References

Citations

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Dyer (1908), p. 1046.
^ Dyer (1908), pp. 1046–1047.
^ Dyer (1908), p. 1047.
^ http://www.rootsweb.com/~ilcivilw/f&s/008-fs.htm Illinois in the Civil war website after Illinois Adjutant General's muster rolls

Sources

Dyer, Frederick H. (1908). A Compendium of the War of the Rebellion (pdf). Des Moines, IA: Dyer Publishing Company. pp. 1046–1047. hdl:2027/mdp.39015026937642. LCCN 09005239. OCLC 1403309. Retrieved October 25, 2024. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
Federal Publishing Company (1908). Military Affairs and Regimental Histories of New York, Maryland, West Virginia, And Ohio (PDF). The Union Army: A History of Military Affairs in the Loyal States, 1861–65 – Records of the Regiments in the Union army – Cyclopedia of battles – Memoirs of Commanders and Soldiers. Vol. II. Madison, WI: Federal Publishing Company. p. 360. hdl:2027/uva.x001496379. LCCN 09005239. OCLC 1086145633. Retrieved July 11, 2024. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
"8th Regiment, Illinois Infantry". The Civil War Archive. 2016. Retrieved December 17, 2020.
"Battle Unit Details, 8th Regiment, Illinois Infantry". nps.gov. U.S. National Park Service. January 19, 2007. Retrieved May 13, 2024. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.