The 12th Illinois Infantry Regiment, also known as the 1st Scotch Regiment, was an

infantry regiment 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 ...

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 ...

between May 2, 1861 and July 18, 1865, 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

Initial 3 month service

The infantry regiment was organized 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 ...

and mustered in on May 2, 1861 for a three-month service. The regiment was transferred to

Cairo, Illinois Cairo ( ) is the southernmost city in Illinois and the county seat of Alexander County. The city is located at the confluence of the Ohio and Mississippi rivers. Fort Defiance, a Civil War camp, was built here in 1862 by Union General Ulysses ...

, for garrison duty until August 1861. By the time the regiment was mustered out on August 1, 1861, they had lost four to disease.Dyer (1959), Volume 3 p. 1,049.

3 year service

The 12th Illinois Infantry was mustered into Federal service for a three-year enlistment on August 1, 1861, at Cairo, Illinois. The regiment was mustered out on July 18, 1865, at Camp Butler National Cemetery Camp Butler, Illinois.

Total strength and casualties

The regiment suffered 5 officers and 143 enlisted men killed in action or mortally wounded and 3 officers and 109 enlisted men who died of disease, for a total of 260 fatalities.

Commanders

*Colonel John McArthur – 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 May 1, 1862. *Colonel Augustus L. Chetlain – promoted to

on December 19, 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 ...

Henry Van Sellars – mustered out with the regiment.http://www.rootsweb.com/~ilcivilw/f&s/012-fs.htm Illinois in the Ci 65th Illinoia Volunteer Infantry: "The Second Scotch Regiment"vil war website after Illinois Adjutant General's muster rolls

References

Bibliography

* Dyer, Frederick H. (1959). ''A Compendium of the War of the Rebellion''. New York and London. Thomas Yoseloff, Publisher. {{LCCN, 5912963.

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 1865