The Civil War in the Land of Lincoln

From the April 14th Chicago Sun-Times "Remembering the Civil War in the Land of Lincoln" by Lori Rackl.

For those of you who think there wasn't any things that happened in Illinois during the war. Sure, there were no major battles, but only New York, Pennsylvania and Ohio sent more soldiers to the Union than Illinois' 259,092. Also, the state gave Lincoln and Grant to the effort.

Here are some Illinois towns and their Civil War connection:

SPRINGFIELD-- The Abraham Lincoln Museum and Library. The old state capitol, Lincoln's home and tomb.

GALENA-- U.S. Grant's rental home and tomb.

JACKSONVILLE-- Col. Benjamin Grierson's home. Led the raid that allowed Grant to capture Vicksburg.

CAIRO-- Confluence of the Ohio and Mississippi rivers. Massive military camp at Fort defiance. Mound City National Cemetery.

ALTON-- The Lincoln and Civil War Legacy Walk. Lincoln-Douglas Debate. Confederate prison. Local resident Senator Lyman Trumbull authored the 13th Amendment prohibiting slavery.

ROCK ISLAND-- Confederate prison.

So, There Is a Civil War Connection in Illinois. --Old B-R'er