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78th Illinois Infantry
in the American Civil War
Online Books:
78th Illinois Infantry Soldier Roster - Report of the Adjutant
General of the State of Illinois, Volume 5, Revised by Brigadier General J.N.
Reece, Adjutant General, 1900
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Entire Book
| Regimental History |
| Seventy-eighth Infantry. — Cols., William H. Bennison,
Carter Van Vleck; Lieut.-Cols., Carter Van Vleck, Maris R. Vernon; Majs.,
William L. Broaddus, George Greene, Robert S. Blackburn. This regiment
was organized at Quincy and mustered into service Sept. 1, 1862. Co. A
was recruited in Schuyler county, B, E, F, G and K in Adams, C and I in
McDonough and D and H in Hancock. On Sept. 19 the regiment was ordered
to Louisville, Ky., and was provost guard a few days in that city, while
Buell was equipping his army after his celebrated race with Bragg. On
Dec. 26 the guerrilla John Morgan captured and paroled Cos. B and C at
Muldraugh's hill, near Elizabethtown. They were under fire from 9 pieces
of artillery some 2 hours. The first actual engagement that the regiment
participated in was at Chickamauga, and there it lost heavily in killed
and wounded, its loss being about 40 per cent, of the number engaged,
with 8 officers out of 20. When the regiment left Rossville on the
morning of Sept. 22 pickets were left in front of the enemy with the
understanding that they would be relieved later on, but by the blunder
of a staff officer the pickets were not relieved and hence were captured
and sent to Southern prisons, where 24 of them died. The regiment lost
by this capture 4 officers and 51 men from Cos. I and F, who were on
picket duty. The regiment engaged in the Atlanta campaign, May 13
finding it in line of battle in front of Resaca, where the command met
with slight loss. The regiment left Rome on the 24th and marched toward
Dallas, driving the Confederate pickets through Burnt Hickory. It
participated in the pursuit of the enemy from Kennesaw mountain,
skirmishing with him constantly, crossed the Chattahoochee river on July
17, and fought at Peachtree creek with some casualties. It also
participated in the assault on enemy's intrenchments at Jonesboro. On
the entire campaign the regiment was hardly out of the sound of guns any
day during the entire period from May 2 to the fall of Atlanta and
casualties were of almost daily occurrence. The regiment lost in killed
and wounded about 200 men during this period. On Sept. 29, with its
division, it moved by rail to Athens, Ala., and then marched to Florence
in pursuit of Forrest, who was in the rear with a large force doing
great damage. The command had a skirmish with the enemy and drove him
across the Tennessee river at Florence. The regiment accompanied Sherman
on his march to the sea and up through the Carolinas. It proceeded in a
northeasterly direction towards Averasboro, where the enemy made the
first positive resistance after leaving Savannah and a lively engagement
ensued in which the 78th suffered some loss. After the surrender of
Johnston the regiment marched north through Richmond, Va., arriving at
Washington on May 19, and participating in the grand review. On June 7,
1865, it was mustered out and sent to Chicago, where it was paid off,
June 12. It is estimated that the regiment lost about 400 men, killed
and wounded — about 96 killed on the field, 24 died in Confederate
prisons, and 77 in hospitals from wounds and disease. The original
enrollment was 862 ; recruits received, 140 ; and the number mustered
out was 393. |
Footnotes:
Regimental history taken from "The Union Army" by Federal Publishing
Company, 1908 - Volume 3
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