The 17th Regiment 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 ...

that served 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 17th Illinois Infantry was organized at

Peoria, Illinois Peoria ( ) is the county seat of Peoria County, Illinois, United States, and the largest city on the Illinois River. As of the United States Census, 2020, 2020 census, the city had a population of 113,150. It is the principal city of the Peoria ...

, and mustered into Federal service at

, on May 24, 1861, for three years service.Roy L. Moore
''History of Woodford County: A Concise History of the Settlement and Growth of Woodford County.''
Eureka, IL: Woodford County Republican, 1910; pg. 124. The 17th Illinois Volunteers fought at the bloody

Battle of Shiloh The Battle of Shiloh (also known as the Battle of Pittsburg Landing) was fought on April 6–7, 1862, in the American Civil War. The fighting took place in southwestern Tennessee, which was part of the war's Western Theater. The battlefield i ...

Hardin County, Tennessee Hardin County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 census, the population was 26,831. The county seat is Savannah. Hardin County is located north of and along the borders of Mississippi and Alabama. The county was ...

, in April 1862, with 130 members of the regiment killed and wounded in the two-day battle. This unit also participated in the last phase of the 1863

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 ...

Warren County, Mississippi Warren County is a county located in the U.S. state of Mississippi. As of the 2010 census, the population was 48,773. Its county seat is Vicksburg. Created by legislative act of December 22, 1809, Warren County is named for American Revolution ...

, a protracted battle which ultimately led to the surrender of over 29,000 Confederate troops. The regiment was mustered out of service on June 4, 1864, upon expiration of its term of enlistment and its recruits and veterans were transferred to the 8th Illinois.

Total strength and casualties

The regiment suffered 3 officers and 71 enlisted men who were killed in action or who died of their wounds and 1 officer and 71 enlisted men who died of disease, for a total of 146 fatalities.

Commanders

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 ...

Leonard Fulton Ross Leonard Fulton Ross (July 18, 1823 – January 17, 1901) was an American lawyer, probate judge, and stock raiser who served as a first lieutenant in the Mexican-American War and as a brigadier general during the American Civil War. Early lif ...

- promoted to

brigadier general Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...

on April 25, 1862. * Colonel Addison S. Norton - resigned July 9, 1863. *

Lieutenant Colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colone ...

Enos P. Wood - commanded regiment then brigade at Shiloh, resigned 19 April 1862 *Lieutenant Colonel Francis Smith - http://www.rootsweb.com/~ilcivilw/f&s/017-fs.htm Illinois in the Civil War website after Illinois Adjutant General's muster rolls

Footnotes

{{reflist, 2

External links

The Civil War Archive
Units and formations of the Union Army from Illinois 1861 establishments in Illinois Military units and formations established in 1861 Military units and formations disestablished in 1864

Service

Total strength and casualties

Commanders

See also

Footnotes

External links