Seven Illinois Civil War Round Tables Listed

The Civil War.com site lists seven CWRTs in Illinois:

Champaign County CWRT

Chicago CWRT

Decatur CWRT

Joliet Area CWRT

McHenry County CWRT

Northern Illinois CWRT

Salt Creek CWRT

There is also a Rock River Valley CWRT

--Old Secesh

The Illinois Department of Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War-- Part 2: Camps

Continuing with Illinois camps:

E. F. Dutton Camp 49, Sycamore

Colonel John C. Bryner Camp 67, Peoria

Colonel Friedrich K. Hecker Camp 443, Belleville

U.S. Grant Camp 1863, Schaumburg

Old Glory Camp 6165, Chicago

Hard to believe there are so few camps in Illinois.  At one time there were eight Sons of Confederate Veterans camps in Illinois.  

--Old Secesh

The Illinois Department Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War

This all started when I posted about the Sycamore Camp of Sons of Union veterans of the Civil War (SUVCW) working on the DeKalb County Civil War Memorial in Sycamore.

There are eleven SUVCW camps in Illinois according to the department website:

**  General George A. Custer Camp 1, Wilmette

**  General Philip H. Sheridan Camp 2, Aurora

**  General John A. McClernand Camp 4,Springfield

**  Captain Frank Reed Camp 24, Tuscola

**  John A. Logan Camp 26, Rockford

**  Private Henry M. Hardenbergh Camp 39, Tinley Park

--Old Secesh

Sgt. Henry H. Taylor, Medal of Honor Recipient from Galena's 45th Illinois Infantry

I wrote about him back on April 13.  He will be having a bust dedicated in Galena this Saturday.

From Wikipedia.

Received the country's highest military honor for action at Vicksburg, Mississippi, on June 25, 1863.  Received the Medal of Honor on 1 September 1893.

He was born in Galena, Illinois, on July 4, 1841, and enlisted in Company C of the 45th Illinois Volunteer Infantry in Galena.  He died on May 3, 1909 and is buried  in Clay Center, Kansas.

MEDAL OF HONOR CITATION:

"Was the first to plant the Union colors upon the enemy's works."

--Old Secesh

Galena's 45th Illinois Infantry-- Part 1: 'Washburne Leadmine Regiment

Quite a few of the things I have been writing about recently have had to do with this regiment, including Edward Kittoe, his son and T.D. Connor in the last post.

From Report of the Adjutant General

Called the Washburne Leadmine Regiment in honor of Elihu B. Washburne, member of Congress from the Galena district.  (His home is still standing and open for tours on certain days.)  It was organized by John  E. Smith of Galena, Illinois who was commissioned Colonel of Volunteers for it July 23, 1861.

During its organization, the regiment rendezvoused at the Jo Davies County fairgrounds, near Galena, which was renamed Camp Washburne, in in his honor.  Seven companies were organized here and they organized fully and were equipped with the short Enfield rifle.  (This fair started in 1860 and is considered the oldest continually running county fair in the state.  Today it is in Warren, Illinois.)

November 22, 1861, Camp Washburne was broken up and the regiment ordered to Camp Douglas in Chicago.  Here they reached full complement of ten companies and mustered into service of the United States on December 25, 1861.

A short time later, on January 12, 1862, they left for Cairo, Illinois.

--Old Secesh

The Galena Nine

Nope, not a baseball team.

For most communities, having one person reaching the rank of general during wartime is something to be proud of.  However, a city in the northwestern corner of Illinois, Galena, had not just one (and, he was then biggest of all generals) but nine.

Here is a list of the nine in case you were wondering who they might be from the last post:

Augustus Louis Chetlain

John Oliver Duer

Ulysses Simpson Grant

Jasper  Adalmorn Maltby

Ely Samuel  Parker

John Aaron Rawlins 

William Rueben Rowley

John Corson  Smith

John Eugene Smith

Grant?  Who?  --Old Secesh

MCCWRT Sept. 2022 Meeting-- Part 1: 'Gen. John E. Smith: Galena's Forgotten General'

The McHenry County (Illinois) Civil War Round Table September 2022 meeting was held at the Woodstock Library.

The presentation was on a Union general I had never heard of, John E. Smith, described as one of the most important people of the Civil War that you've never heard of.  He was from Galena, now sometimes called the City That Time Forgot, but in the early 1800s it was a very important town and busy port.  

From 1827 to 1850, some 85% of lead mined in the U.S. came from the Galena area.  Galena was the largest river port north of St. Louis.

And, when the Civil War came, Galena supplied nine generals to the Union cause, the best-known being one U.S. Grant.   As a matter of fact, the U.S. Highway that runs through Galena, US-20, is called the U.S. Grant Highway.

--Old Secesh

Civil War Days in Hainesville, Illinois, This Weekend

This weekend, a Civil War Encampment and Battle will be held at the Northbrook Sports Club in Hainesville, Illinois.

It will be Saturday, Oct. 15 from 10 am to 4 pm and Sunday, Oct. 16, from 9 am to 3 pm.

Admission and on-site parking is free.

Event highlights include:

**  Narrated military battles with infantry, cavalry and artillery  (They will be doing the Battle of Shiloh.)

**  Military and civilian bivoaucs and encampments

**  Period-dressed military, civilian & presenters

**  Special guests:  Mr. and Mrs. Abraham Lincoln,  Elijah Haines (founder of Hainesville), General Grant,  William Irving Kirk & Thomas Morris Chester.

**  There will be food and souvenir vendors on site.

See You at the War.  --Old Secesh

Graves Decorated of Other Illinois Regiments in Woodstock 1903

Earlier this month I posted about Union veteran graves decorated in 1903 for Decoration Day in Woodstock, Illinois, of the 15th and 95th regiments, two units made up of many McHenry County residents.

I did not write down the names of the men in other Illinois units whose graves were also decorated  because of lack of time, but made a quick list of the unit numbers.

Here they are  (all units Illinois):

5th Artillery  (4 men)

153rd

36th (two men)

Dragoons

137th

124th (two men)

5th Battalion

92nd

53rd

1st Artillery

9th Cavalry

88th

8th Cavalry

17th Cavalry

--Old Secesh

So, Should Sherman's Army Have Been Called the Army of the Illinois?

From the McHenry County Civil War Round Table (Illinois) discussion group for February 26, 2022.

I went through Sherman's Union Order of Battle for his march through the Carolinas and counted the number of Illinois units.  I came up with 41.  That is a huge number of regiments and one battalion.  Now, granted, that late in the war, none or very few of these had the predetermined 1,000 soldiers considered a regiment at full strength.  But, even so, that was a lot of troops.

Here are the Illinois regiments:

7, 10, 12, 16, 20, 26, 30, 31, 32, 34, 40, 45, 48, 50, 52, 53, 55, 56, 57, 60, 63, 64, 65, 78, 82, 85, 86, 90, 93, 101, 102, 104,  105, 111, 112, 116, 125, 127, 129

Also, there was a 14/15 Battalion.

That's sure a lot of Illinois boys.

Army of the Illinois since Union Armies named after rivers.

--Old Secesh

RoadTrippin'-- Part 2: What Is RoadTrippin' Thru History?

I got the term "Roadtrippin' " from Liz and my love of traveling down this country's old roads.  You start the trip on one of these with no real idea where you are going to go or what you're going to see around the next bend or curve or town.  It is like a trip back home.

Illinois is lucky to have probably the three most famous of the old roads:  one from the early 1800s, the first transcontinental road and arguably the most famous of the numbered roads, here in Illinois.  That would be the National Road, Lincoln Highway and Route 66.

In 2006, when we retired, Liz and I drove from one end of Route 66 in Chicago to the other end in Santa Monica, California.  We also drove a big section of it in 2017 when we both turned 66 (you know, Route 66 when you're 66).  I have driven the Lincoln Highway from east Ohio out to Nebraska and also the whole National Road.

When we drive these old roads, we don't have a set time table because you never know what you'll find of interest along the way.

When I apply this to history, I start off with a story and really don't know where it is going to take me.

And this particular "RoadTrip" took me all over."

In the next post, I will give you an itinerary to know where you'll be going.

--Old Secesh

The Hainesville Civil War Encampment and Battle-- Part 1

This took place on Saturday and Sunday, October 16 and 17, in Hainesville, Illinois.

I have been to this several times before.  Of course, it was not held last year because of you-know-what.  So, it was good to have it again.  I actually did not know it was going to be held until just a few weeks before it.

I always find it nice to get together with like-minded folks nd those just there to find out more about the war.

I went on Saturday and it was a blustery day, but not too bad as long as you stayed in the sun.  Shade was not a friend today at all.  I figured the re-enactors weren't too bad off in those wool uniforms on a day like this.

It cost $10 to park, but no other admission charge and was hosted by the Northbrook Sports Club at 200 S. Hainesville Road.

Let's just say I parked in the high grass and walked along a crushed asphalt walkway to where the action was.

As usual, the Confederate camp was pretty far away from the main activity area.  The Union camp was right by as I walked.

--Old Secesh

Captain Harley Wayne's Obituary-- Part 2: Furlough Just Two Weeks Before Shiloh

In '48 a Van Buren man, he remained steadfast in his adherence to free principles.  During the campaign of '60, Mr. Wayne was particularly prominent -- was a leading candidate for the Legislature, and lacked but a few votes of the nomination.

The ensuing winter he filled the post of Clerk of the House of Representatives at Springfield, with universal satisfaction.  At the close of the Extra War Session, Mr. Wayne immediately took measures to organize a company for the war, at the head of which he nobly died, on the 6th instant.

CAPT. WAYNE was at home about two weeks since, on furlough, but like a brave man "snuffed the battle afar off," and rose from a sick bed, on purpose to be in this fight, which he then saw to be imminent.  It proved his death.

"He has fought his last battle.

No sound can awake him to glory again."

CAPT. WAYNE, we understand, had long been a consistent  professor of Christianity, and died in that hope.  In his death, the country has suffered the loss of one of the most enterprising and energetic of its citizens, and his family a devoted husband and father.

His afflicted widow and children have the sympathy of the entire county in their sad bereavement.

--Old Secesh

Two Books Written About the 15th Illinois Infantry

I found that two books have been written about the 15th Illinois Volunteer Infantry Regiment.  And one of them concentrates on Company D.

"The Gallant  15th of Illinois"  (2019) by Betty Obendorf and Kathy Pasch.

**************************************

"Army Memoirs of Lucius W. Barber, Company 'D', 15th Illinois Volunteer Infantry"  (1894)  by Lucius W. Barber.

--Old Secesh

Company D, 15th Illinois Infantry Regiment Roster-- Part 2

These residences were listed for the members of Co. D, 15th Illinois, Infantry commanded by Captain Harley Wayne from May 24, 1861 to his death at the Battle of Shiloh on April 6, 1861.

Some are repeats for promotion and reenlistment as a Veteran.

Marengo:  47

Riley (Township):  22

Coral (Township):  20

Harmony (An unincorporated community southwest of Huntley in McHenry Co.):  9

Union:  9

Seneca (Township):  6

Genoa:  6

McHenry County:  4

More to Come.  --Old Secesh

Answers to the MCCWRT Prison Quiz (Or Was That a Test?)-- Part 1

1.   There were 4 prisons in Illinois for Confederates.

2.  Their names were:  Alton Penitentiary, Camp Butler, Camp Douglas and Rock Island Prison.

3.  The Alton Military Prison was replaced by the Joliet Correctional Center. 

4.  Camp Butler was not named after Benjamin Butler, but William Butler who was Illinois' Secretary of the Treasury.

5 and 7.  William Butler was a member of the Lincoln's  Long Nine.  (I later found out that he wasn't a member of the Long Nine, but Lincoln stayed at William Butler's house.)

6.  The Joliet Prison later was featured in the movies "White Heat" with James Cagney and "The Blues Brothers" with John Belluchi.

8.  The "Long Nine" got their name because they were all tall and weighed around 200 pounds.  They were state representatives and senators and largely responsible for moving the state capital from Vandalia to Springfield.

Okay, questions 5,6,7 and 8 were a bit off topic.  But, of course our discussion groups have NEVER EVER gotten off topic.

--Old Secesh

MCCWRT Discussion Group Civil War Prisons-- Part 2:

Some more prison questions:

7.  William Butler, for whom Camp Butler was named, was a member of what famous Illinois group of politicians which included Abraham Lincoln?

8.  How did this group get their name?

9.  Enlisted Confederates captured at Fort Fisher, North Carolina, on January 15, 1865, were mostly sent to what prison in New York.

10.  What was the nickname Confederates held at this prison gave it?

11.   Two of the prisons in which Confederate officers were sent were in New York Harbor and Lake Erie.  What were the names of these two prisons?

12.  Who was the highest ranking Confederate officer to die while a prisoner?

13.  What was the name of the U.S. ship which was the target of a clandestine operation to free Confederate officers held in the Lake Erie prison?

14.  Why was this ship later renamed the USS Wolverine?

Answers in Next Post.  --Old Secesh

Col. John Edgar Gurley, 135th USCT-- Part 7: After the War

After he was discharged from the Army, John Gurley went back to Wisconsin, but this time settled in Platteville (not far from Shullsburg).  There he practiced law and formed a co-partnership with Paine & Carter, an established law  firm of that town.

He was an especially gifted orator and advocate, a man of great generosity and had many admirers.

In the summer of 1868, he took a severe cold and along with lasting effects of his military career caused his demise on April 2, 1869, at age 31.

His body was taken to  Sandwich, Illinois, where he is buried on the family plot at Pine Mound Cemetery in LaSalle County.

It is described as a very old and well-maintained  cemetery, but difficult to spot during corn-growing season.

--Old Secesh

Col. John E. Gurley-- Part 2: Lived in Illinois and Wisconsin. Commanded Co. C in the 33rd Wisconsin

 From Find a Grave.

John Gurley was born in Illinois and received his early education in the town of Elizabeth in Jo Daviess County in the northwestern  part of the state near Galena (where U.S Grant lived.)

 He then attended district schools in Wisconsin and finished at Lombard University in Galesburg, Illinois. (Which no longer is in operation.)

After graduating, he took up the study of law  in the office of M. Hollister in Shullsburgh, Wisconsin, and was admitted to the bar in 1862 in that state.

In August of 1862, he enlisted a company of men who mustered into duty October 18, 1862, as Company C of the 33rd Wisconsin.  They left for the field of duty the following month and joined General Sherman's Army of the Tennessee and took part in Grant's move on  Jackson, Mississippi, and fought at Coldwater and other places.

On the night of the 4th of June 1863, before Vicksburg,  an impetuous  attack was made upon Confederate rifle pits near Halls Ferry Road led by Co. C, under Gurley and Co. K under Lt. Shea.    This caused the enemy to flea into their main works.

--Old Secesh

Col. John E. Gurley, the 135th USCT's Commander-- Part 1: A Midwest Heritage

He was appointed commander of the 135th USCT regiment and remained in command for the rest of the unit's time in the service.  He has quite a Midwest background

He was born in Illinois and lived in Wisconsin.

From Find-A-Grave.

BIRTH:  24 April 1838

DEATH;  2 April 1869, Platteville, Wisconsin

BURIED:  Pine Mound Cemetery,  LaSalle County, Illinois  (Where his father and mother are buried.)

--Old Secesh