The 77th 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

77th Regiment Illinois 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 on September 3, 1862. Serving under Maj. Gen.

Gordon Granger Gordon Granger (November 6, 1821 – January 10, 1876) was a career U.S. Army officer and a Union general during the American Civil War, where he distinguished himself at the Battle of Chickamauga. Granger is best remembered for his part in the ...

, the 77th Illinois Volunteers participated in the bloody initial phase of the

Vicksburg Campaign The Vicksburg campaign was a series of maneuvers and battles in the Western Theater of the American Civil War directed against Vicksburg, Mississippi, a fortress city that dominated the last Confederate-controlled section of the Mississippi Riv ...

, during which several days of futile Union attacks were launched before a protracted siege was made and won.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. 126. After participating in the first Vicksburg battles, the 77th was part of the group of Union troops marched to the east, where on May 14, 1863, they took part in the

Battle of Jackson, Mississippi The Battle of Jackson was fought on May 14, 1863, in Jackson, Mississippi, as part of the Vicksburg campaign during the American Civil War. After entering the state of Mississippi in late April 1863, Major General Ulysses S. Grant of the Union ...

, leading to the fall of that city. This success was followed the next spring by a catastrophe, however. In April 1864, having marched into Louisiana towards

Alexandria Alexandria ( or ; ar, ٱلْإِسْكَنْدَرِيَّةُ ; grc-gre, Αλεξάνδρεια, Alexándria) is the second largest city in Egypt, and the largest city on the Mediterranean coast. Founded in by Alexander the Great, Alexandria ...

, the unit was isolated and crushed in a cavalry support operation at the Battle of Sabine Cross-roads. Some 176 officers and men of the 77th Illinois were killed, wounded, or captured, leaving only 125 members of the regiment fit for duty. The regiment was discharged from service on July 10, 1865, having participated in 16 battles.

Total strength and casualties

The regiment suffered 2 officers and 66 enlisted men who were killed in action or mortally wounded and 1 officer and 137 enlisted men who died of disease, for a total of 206 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 ...

Charles Ballance - Declined commission. * Colonel David Perkins Grier - Mustered out with the regiment.http://www.rootsweb.com/~ilcivilw/f&s/077-fs.htm Illinois in the Civil War website after Illinois Adjutant General's muster rolls

References

{{reflist

External links

The Civil War Archive"History of the 77th Illinois Volunteer Infantry" by William H. Bentley, posted to the Internet Archive.
Units and formations of the Union Army from Illinois 1862 establishments in Illinois Military units and formations established in 1862 Military units and formations disestablished in 1865

Service

Total strength and casualties

Commanders

See also

References

External links