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44th Illinois Infantry
in the American Civil War
Online Books:
44th Illinois Infantry Soldier Roster - Report of the Adjutant
General of the State of Illinois, Volume 3, Revised by Brigadier General J.N.
Reece, Adjutant General, 1900
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Entire Book
| Regimental History |
| Forty-fourth Illinois Infantry. — Cols., Charles Knobelsdorff,
Wallace W. Barrett; Lieut.-Cols., William J. Stephenson, John Russell;
Majs., Thomas J. Hobart, Luther M. Sabine. This regiment was organized
in Aug., 1861, at Camp Ellsworth, Chicago, under the supervision of Col.
Charles Knobelsdorff, was mustered into the U. S. service on Sept. 13,
and on the 14th embarked on board the cars for St. Louis, Mo., where it
arrived on the next day. It received its baptism of fire in the terrible
battle of Pea ridge, which resulted so disastrously to the Confederates,
and in which the regiment took a prominent part. After the enemy had
been routed it was one of the regiments selected to follow up his
retreat, which was done for three days, capturing a stand of colors,
several hundred prisoners and some artillery. The regiment was engaged
in the battle of Perryville in October, being in the division commanded
by Gen. P. H. Sheridan. In the bloody battle of Stone's river it took a
prominent part, losing more than half its number in killed and wounded.
It remained with the army at Murfreesboro till June 26, 1863, when it
again marched to meet the enemy, and was engaged at Hoover's gap,
Shelbyville and Tullahoma, Tenn. It arrived at Cowan on July 2 and
remained there for a few days, when it marched to Stevenson, Ala.,
driving the rear of the Confederate army across the Tennessee river at
Bridgeport. After three days and nights of forced marches it arrived on
the field in time to take part in the bloody conflict of Chickamauga. It
was foremost in the desperate charge upon Missionary ridge, Gen.
Sheridan giving it praise for having placed one of the first flags on
the Confederate works. Following the enemy next day it captured many
prisoners and several pieces of artillery, and on the 27th was ordered
back to Chattanooga to prepare for a forced march to Knoxville to
relieve the forces there then being besieged by the Confederates under
Gen. Longstreet. It went into camp at Blain's cross- roads, and nothing
could more fully prove the patriotism of the men than the fact that
there, on the point of starvation, exposed to the most inclement
weather, over three-fourths of them voluntarily consented to serve three
years more for that government for which they had suffered so much
during the previous two years and a half. It remained there until Jan.
12, 1864, when it marched to Dandridge, Tenn., where an attack was made
by the enemy. After considerable hard fighting it became evident that
the whole Confederate army was advancing, the Union forces fell back to
Knoxville, and from there marched to Kingston, Tenn., where a stand was
made until Jan. 30, when the regiment was ordered to Chattanooga to
receive its veteran furlough. Returning to the front it passed through
nearly all the battles and skirmishes of that ever memorable Atlanta
campaign and entered the city on Sept. 8 with the main army. Among the
many battles and skirmishes in which the regiment was engaged during
this campaign might be mentioned Buzzard Roost, Rocky Face ridge,
Resaca, Adairsville, Dallas, New Hope Church, Kennesaw mountain, Kolb's
farm, Chattahoochee river, Peachtree creek, Atlanta and Jonesboro. It
followed Hood into Tennessee and there was more or less fighting every
day till Nov. 30. It participated in the battle of Franklin, which,
though the conflict was short, was one of the most desperate in which
the regiment was ever engaged. The brigade commander, Col. Opdycke,
afterward, in a general order, by the authority of the general
commanding, gave to the brigade of which the regiment was a part the
honor of gaining the victory and saving the army. The next day Nashville
was reached, where the regiment took part in the battle in December, and
then followed the broken and scattered columns of the Confederate force
to the Tennessee river. The regiment being ordered to Texas the
following spring, it landed at Port Lavaca and went into camp on the La
Plasido river, where it remained until Sept. 25, 1865, when it was
mustered out and placed en route for Springfield, Ill. |
Footnotes:
Regimental history taken from "The Union Army" by Federal Publishing
Company, 1908 - Volume 3
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