The 126th Illinois Volunteer Infantry was an

infantry Infantry is a military specialization which engages in ground combat on foot. Infantry generally consists of light infantry, mountain infantry, motorized infantry & mechanized infantry, airborne infantry, air assault infantry, and marine i ...

regiment A regiment is a military unit. Its role and size varies markedly, depending on the country, service and/or a specialisation. In Medieval Europe, the term "regiment" denoted any large body of front-line soldiers, recruited or conscripted ...

in the

Union Army During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union (American Civil War), Union of the collective U.S. st ...

during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

Service

The 126th Illinois Infantry was raised in response to President

Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln ( ; February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln led the nation thro ...

's call for 300,000 volunteers in the late summer of 1862. The recruits were all from Moultrie, Shelby, Montgomery, Mercer, and Rock Island Counties. It was organized in

Alton Alton may refer to: People *Alton (given name) *Alton (surname) Places Australia *Alton National Park, Queensland * Alton, Queensland, a town in the Shire of Balonne Canada * Alton, Ontario *Alton, Nova Scotia New Zealand * Alton, New Zealand, ...

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...

beginning on September 2, 1862 and mustered in for three years service on September 4 under the command of

Colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...

Jonathan Richmond. The regiment took the field on November 20, 1862, manning the fortifications along the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the second-longest river and chief river of the second-largest drainage system in North America, second only to the Hudson Bay drainage system. From its traditional source of Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota, it f ...

Columbus Columbus is a Latinized version of the Italian surname "''Colombo''". It most commonly refers to: * Christopher Columbus (1451-1506), the Italian explorer * Columbus, Ohio, capital of the U.S. state of Ohio Columbus may also refer to: Places ...

for a week before joining

Ulysses S. Grant Ulysses S. Grant (born Hiram Ulysses Grant ; April 27, 1822July 23, 1885) was an American military officer and politician who served as the 18th president of the United States from 1869 to 1877. As Commanding General, he led the Union Ar ...

's army at LaGrange, and being attached to the XIII Corps. They spent the winter guarding supply lines and railroads around

Jackson Jackson may refer to: People and fictional characters * Jackson (name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the surname or given name Places Australia * Jackson, Queensland, a town in the Maranoa Region * Jackson North, Qu ...

and Humboldt. Staying behind while the main force advanced down the Mississippi River and against

, the regiment eventually joined in the

Siege of Vicksburg The siege of Vicksburg (May 18 – July 4, 1863) was the final major military action in the Vicksburg campaign of the American Civil War. In a series of maneuvers, Union Maj. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant and his Army of the Tennessee crossed the Missis ...

on May 28, 1863. They were present for the Confederate surrender on July 4 and were then assigned to duty in Helena. From August 1 to early September 1863 they joined General

Frederick Steele Frederick Steele (January 14, 1819 – January 12, 1868) was a career military officer in the United States Army, serving as a major general in the Union Army during the American Civil War. He was most noted for retaking much of secessionist Arka ...

and his expedition against

Little Rock ( The "Little Rock") , government_type = Council-manager , leader_title = Mayor , leader_name = Frank Scott Jr. , leader_party = D , leader_title2 = Council , leader_name2 ...

. There they saw action at the

Battle of Bayou Fourche The Battle of Bayou Fourche, also known as the Battle of Little Rock and the Engagement at Bayou Fourche, took place on September 10, 1863, in Pulaski County, Arkansas, and was the final battle of the Little Rock campaign, Little Rock Campaign, ...

where the Confederate forces under General

Sterling Price Major-General Sterling "Old Pap" Price (September 14, 1809 – September 29, 1867) was a senior officer of the Confederate States Army who commanded infantry in the Western and Trans-Mississippi theaters of the American Civil War. Prior to ...

were defeated and Union forces exercised control over most of

Arkansas Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the South Central United States. It is bordered by Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, and Texas and Oklahoma to the west. Its name is from the Osage ...

. After the Little Rock expedition, the 126th was stationed at DeValls until August 1864. During this time they saw little combat and simply endured the monotony of daily life in the army. The lone action was some light skirmishing that occurred on June 25–26, 1864 at the tiny settlement of Clinton. The regiment spent the rest of the war in the vicinity of Pine Bluff in central Arkansas. After spending almost their entire service serving in a rear echelon role the 126th Illinois was mustered out of service on July 12, 1865 at Pine Bluff.

Detailed service

Frederick H. Dyer in his ''Compendium of the War of the Rebellion'' wrote of the 126th Illinois: Duty at LaGrange, Tenn., till January, 1863. (6 Companies moved to Jackson, Tenn., December 19, 1862; thence moved to Humboldt, Tenn. R.R. crossing at Fork Deer River December 20. Action at Humboldt December 21.) 4 Companies on duty at Jackson, Tenn., and 6 Companies at Humboldt, Tenn., January to March 25; then at Jackson till May 25, 1863. Moved to Vicksburg, Miss., May 25–28. Siege of Vicksburg May 28 - July 4. Moved to Helena. Ark., July 24. Expedition against Little Rock, Ark., August 1 - September 10. Bayou Fourche and capture of Little Rock September 10. Moved to Duvall's Bluff October 24, and duty there till August 19, 1864. Action at Clinton June 25–26. Moved to Pine Bluff, Ark., August 19, and duty there till February 12, 1865. Scouts from Pine Bluff toward Camden and Monticello January 26–31. At mouth of White River, Ark., till June 12, and at Pine Bluff till July 12.

Casualties

The regiment lost 6 men killed or mortally wounded, 4 officers and 192 enlisted men dying of disease for a total of 202 fatalities.

Commanders

* Colonel Jonathan Richmond—resigned March 3, 1864 * Colonel Lucius W. Beal—mustered out with the regiment on July 12, 1865

References

* Dyer, Frederick H. ''A Compendium of the War of the Rebellion'' (Des Moines, IA: Dyer Pub. Co.), 1908. ; Attribution * {{CWR Military units and formations established in 1862 Military units and formations disestablished in 1865 Units and formations of the Union Army from Illinois 1862 establishments in Illinois 1865 disestablishments in Illinois

Service

Detailed service

Casualties

Commanders

See also

References