The 7th Illinois Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War.

Service

3 month enlistments

The regiment was created in response to

Battle of Fort Sumter The Battle of Fort Sumter (April 12–13, 1861) was the bombardment of Fort Sumter near Charleston, South Carolina by the South Carolina militia. It ended with the surrender by the United States Army, beginning the American Civil War. Follo ...

and President Abraham Lincoln's call for 75,000 volunteers to serve for 3 months (the longest time allowed by the Constitution without Congressional approval). At the very beginning of the war the only place for Illinoisans to enlist was the state capital at

Springfield Springfield may refer to: * Springfield (toponym), the place name in general Places and locations Australia * Springfield, New South Wales (Central Coast) * Springfield, New South Wales (Snowy Monaro Regional Council) * Springfield, Queenslan ...

. Because of this the majority of recruits were from Sangamon County. This included several militia companies that were already uniformed and partially trained; notably the "Springfield Grays" which made up Company I. The recruits were organized at Camp Yates on the outskirts of Springfield and mustered into Federal service by Captain John Pope on April 25th, 1861 for 90-days service. Camp Yates was located at the old Illinois State Fairgrounds site (currently the site of Dubois Elementary School). Throughout their training the men lived in the state fair's stables, which provided considerable comfort and relief from the elements. Despite being the first troops raised in Illinois, the regiment was numbered the 7th Illinois, paying homage to the six Illinois infantry volunteer regiments that were raised to fight in the Mexican–American War fourteen years earlier. During their service part of the regiment wore gray

zouave The Zouaves were a class of light infantry regiments of the French Army serving between 1830 and 1962 and linked to French North Africa; as well as some units of other countries modelled upon them. The zouaves were among the most decorated unit ...

uniforms with orange piping. Departing Camp Yates in May 1861, they went on duty at Alton, Cairo, and Mound City, Illinois and then at

St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the Greater St. Louis, ...

until July, 1861. Companies "E" and "G" formed part of an expedition from Cairo to the Little River in Missouri on June 22 and 23.

3 year enlistments

The original regiment was mustered out on July 25, 1861 at Cairo; some of the soldiers re-enlisted for 3 years, but most returned home and the new 7th Illinois barely resembled the original regiment.Dyer (1959), Volume 3 p. 1,046. With 3-year enlistees, the regiment saw service at the Battle of Fort Donelson, the

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 ...

, the

Battle of Allatoona The Battle of Allatoona, also known as the Battle of Allatoona Pass, was fought October 5, 1864, in Bartow County, Georgia, and was the first major engagement of the Franklin-Nashville Campaign of the American Civil War. A Confederate States A ...

, the March to the Sea and the Carolinas Campaign. The regiment mustered out of service on July 9, 1865.

Total strength and casualties

The regiment suffered 8 officers and 81 enlisted men who were killed in action or who died of their wounds and 3 officers and 174 enlisted men who died of disease, for a total of 266 fatalities.

Commanders

*Colonel

John Pope Cook John Pope Cook (June 12, 1825 – October 13, 1910) was an Illinois politician and a general in the Union Army during the American Civil War. He served in the Western Theater and played a prominent role in securing the Union victory at th ...

- Promoted to brigadier general March 21, 1862. *Colonel Andrew J. Babcock - resigned February 1865. *Colonel

Richard Rowett Richard Rowett (November 17, 1830 – July 13, 1887) was a leading political figure of nineteenth-century Illinois, a famous animal breeder and an officer in the Union Army during the American Civil War. He was born in East Looe, Cornwall in 1830 ...

- mustered out with regimentIllinois in the Civil War muster rolls
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References

Bibliography

* Dyer, Frederick H. (1959). ''A Compendium of the War of the Rebellion''. New York and London. Thomas Yoseloff, Publisher. . * Ambrose, D. Leib (1868). "History of the Seventh Regiment, Illinois Volunteer Infantry, From its First Muster into the U.S. Service, April 25, 1861, to its Final Muster out, July 9th, 1865." Springfield, IL. Illinois Journal Company.

External links

The Civil War Archive
{{DEFAULTSORT:007 Illinois Infantry Regiment 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