The 16th Regiment Illinois Volunteer Cavalry was a

cavalry Historically, cavalry (from the French word ''cavalerie'', itself derived from "cheval" meaning "horse") are soldiers or warriors who fight mounted on horseback. Cavalry were the most mobile of the combat arms, operating as light cavalry ...

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 16th Illinois Cavalry was organized at

Camp Butler, Illinois Camp Butler National Cemetery is a United States National Cemetery located a few miles northeast of Springfield and a few miles southwest of Riverton, a small town nearby to Springfield, in Sangamon County, Illinois. It was named for the Illi ...

, between January and April 1863 from numerous independent companies of Illinois cavalry. The regiment mustered out on August 19, 1865 .

Total strength and casualties

The regiment suffered 3 officers and 30 enlisted men who were killed in action or who died of their wounds and 1 officer and 228 enlisted men who died of disease, for a total of 262 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 ...

Christian Thielemann - discharged August 9, 1864.http://www.rootsweb.com/~ilcivilw/f&s/cav016-fs.htm Illinois in the Civil War website after Illinois Adjutant General's muster rolls * Colonel Robert Wilson Smith

Notable members

* George P. McLain (1847–1930), Los Angeles, California, City Council member at the turn of the 19th-20th centuries * Sgt Paul Vandervoort, Company M - 11th Commander-in-Chief of the

Grand Army of the Republic The Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) was a fraternal organization composed of veterans of the Union Army (United States Army), Union Navy (U.S. Navy), and the Marines who served in the American Civil War. It was founded in 1866 in Decatur, Il ...

, 1882-1883

Notes

References