The 9th Illinois Infantry Regiment 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 mar ...

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 conscript ...

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 of the collective states. It proved essential to th ...

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 ...

History

Initial 3 month service

Shortly after the Battle of Fort Sumter,

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called for 75,000 volunteers.Marion Morrison, ''A History of the Ninth Regiment Illinois Volunteer Infantry, with the Regimental Roster '' (Carbondale: Southern Illinois University Press, 1997), p. 7 They were to serve for three months. The

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put out a call to form units. Six

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came from St. Clair County. Madison County sent three companies. Montgomery county sent one company. All nine companies met at Springfield, Illinois, on 23 April 1861. There they were mustered in by Captain John Pope on April 26th, 1861 and formed into the 9th Regiment, Illinois, volunteer infantry. There were rumors that the Confederates intended to invade at Cairo, Illinois. In response, orders were issued for the 9th Infantry to occupy Cairo. The regiment was moved to Cairo for garrison duty near the

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until July, 1861. They arrived and set up camp on 1 May 1861.Marion Morrison, ''A History of the Ninth Regiment Illinois Volunteer Infantry, with the Regimental Roster '' (Carbondale: Southern Illinois University Press, 1997), p. 9 It was then attached to Prentiss' Brigade. Companies "C" and "H" formed part of an expedition from Cairo to Little River on June 22nd and 23rd. By the time the regiment was mustered out on July 26th, 1861, they had lost nine to disease.Dyer (1959), Volume 3 p. 1,047.

3 year service

Most of the men reenlisted for three years. In September the regiment moved to

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. There they did little more than drill practice.Peter E. Cozzens, "My Poor Little Ninth": The Ninth Illinois at Shiloh, ''Illinois Historical Journal'', Vol. 83, No. 1 (Spring, 1990), p. 34 On 15 February 1862 they joined the fighting at the

Battle of Fort Donelson The Battle of Fort Donelson was fought from February 11–16, 1862, in the Western Theater of the American Civil War. The Union capture of the Confederate fort near the Tennessee–Kentucky border opened the Cumberland River, an important ave ...

. Their losses included 36 killed and 165 wounded, out of a total strength of 600. After the Confederates surrendered, they were transported by

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s up the

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. They left the boats at

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and camped nearby.Peter E. Cozzens, "My Poor Little Ninth": The Ninth Illinois at Shiloh, ''Illinois Historical Journal'', Vol. 83, No. 1 (Spring, 1990), pp. 36–42 On 6 April 1862 they woke up to the sound of

cannon A cannon is a large- caliber gun classified as a type of artillery, which usually launches a projectile using explosive chemical propellant. Gunpowder ("black powder") was the primary propellant before the invention of smokeless powder ...

s. While they were waiting to join the battle, new orders were given. They were ordered to exchange their

gray Grey (more common in British English) or gray (more common in American English) is an intermediate color between black and white. It is a neutral or achromatic color, meaning literally that it is "without color", because it can be composed o ...

coats for Union

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. This way they would not be mistaken for Confederate troops. They then joined the battle of Shiloh. They fought most of the day. At Shiloh the 9th Illinois had the highest casualties of any Illinois unit. They lost 366 of their

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They also fought at the

Second Battle of Corinth The second Battle of Corinth (which, in the context of the American Civil War, is usually referred to as the Battle of Corinth, to differentiate it from the siege of Corinth earlier the same year) was fought October 3–4, 1862, in Corinth, ...

. The regiment was changed to the 9th Illinois Mounted Infantry Regiment on March 15, 1863. The regiment fought in the Battle of Athens in 1864. On 9 July 1865 the 9th Illinois Infantry was mustered out (released from

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) at

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Total strength and casualties

The regiment suffered 5 officers and 211 recruited men killed in action or mortally wounded. 1 officer and 200 enlisted men died of disease. In total there were 417

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(persons killed or wounded).

Uniforms

The 9th Illinois volunteers, along with the 8th, 11th, and 12th, all wore gray coats trimmed in blue.Ron Field, Robin Smith, ''Uniforms of the Civil War: An Illustrated Guide for Historians, Collectors, and Reenactors'' (Guilford, CT: Lyon's Press, 2005), p. 122 They also wore Zouave caps. In 1862, they were fitted with the standard Union blue uniforms. Most of the Illinois infantry regiments were issued the

Springfield Model 1861 The Springfield Model 1861 was a Minié-type rifled musket used by the United States Army and Marine Corps during the American Civil War. Commonly referred to as the "Springfield" (after its original place of production, Springfield, Massachus ...

muskets.

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 o ...

Augustus Mersy - Mustered out with the regiment.Awarded rank of Brevet Brigadier General of Volunteers

Notes

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