The 31st Regiment Illinois Volunteer Infantry, nicknamed the "Dirty-First," 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 31st Illinois Infantry was organized at

Jacksonville, Illinois Jacksonville is a city in Morgan County, Illinois, Morgan County, Illinois, United States. The population was 19,446 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Morgan County. It is home to Illinois College, Illinois School for the Deaf, and the ...

and mustered into Federal service at Cairo, Illinois, on September 18, 1861. Among the early officers was

Major Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...

Andrew J. Kuykendall Andrew Jackson Kuykendall (March 3, 1815 – May 11, 1891) was a U.S. Representative from Illinois. Biography Born in Gallatin County, Illinois, Kuykendall completed preparatory studies and later studied law. He was admitted to the bar in ...

, later a

U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they c ...

and Illinois State Senator. The regiment was mustered out on July 19, 1865, and discharged at

Springfield, Illinois Springfield is the capital of the U.S. state of Illinois and the county seat and largest city of Sangamon County. The city's population was 114,394 at the 2020 census, which makes it the state's seventh most-populous city, the second largest o ...

, on July 31, 1865.

Total strength and casualties

The regiment suffered 9 officers and 166 enlisted men who were killed in action or who died of their wounds and 1 officer and 293 enlisted men who died of disease, for a total of 471 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 ...

John A. Logan John Alexander Logan (February 9, 1826 – December 26, 1886) was an American soldier and politician. He served in the Mexican–American War and was a general in the Union Army in the American Civil War. He served the state of Illinois as a st ...

*Colonel Lindorf Osborn *Colonel Edwin S. McCook - Mustered out with the regiment.http://www.rootsweb.com/~ilcivilw/f&s/031-fs.htm Illinois in the Civil War website after Illinois Adjutant General's muster rolls

Notes

References

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 1865 {{AmericanCivilWar-unit-stub

Service

Total strength and casualties

Commanders

See also

Notes

References