Lake County in the War

From the Lake County Discovery Museum High Tech Civil War exhibit.

Lake County, at the very northeast corner of Illinois, bordering Lake Michigan and with Wisconsin to its north, sent over 1,900 men to war out of an 1860 population of 18,000. They were in 75 different military units.

The first Lake Countian to become a general was Eugene B. Payne of Fremont Township who formed a company called the Fremont Rifles who later became a part of the 37th Illinois Infantry.

Another regiment with large numbers from Lake County was the 96th Illinois.

Quite an Exhibit. --Old Secesh