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54th Illinois Infantry
in the American Civil War
Online Books:
54th 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 |
| Fifty-fourth Illinois Infantry. — Cols., Thomas W. Harris,
Greenville M. Mitchell; Lieut. -Cols., Greenville M. Mitchell, Augustus
H. Chapman, Hiram M. Scarborough; Majs., Augustus H. Chapman, John W.
True, Hiram M. Scarborough. This regiment was organized at Camp Dubois,
Anna, Ill., in Nov., 1861, as a part of the "Kentucky Brigade," and was
mustered into the U. S. service Feb. 18, 1862. On Feb. 24 it was ordered
to Cairo and on March 14 moved to Columbus, Ky. During the fall of 1862
Gen. Forrest captured detachments of the regiment, stationed as guards
of railroads in Tennessee, destroyed nearly all the records, and the
remainder of the records were lost by the quartermaster's department, in
transit from Columbus, Ky., to Jackson, Tenn. In Jan., 1864, three-
fourths of the regiment reenlisted, as veterans, and were mustered Feb.
9, 1864, leaving for Mattoon, Ill., for veteran furlough on March 28.
Returning to the front it fought Gen. Shelby in Arkansas, in May. On
Aug. 24 it was attacked by Shelby with 4,000 men and 4 pieces of
artillery, and one of the five stations which the regiment was guarding
on the Little Rock railroad was captured. Six companies were then
concentrated at another station and fought for 5 hours, when their hay
breastworks caught fire from the enemy's shells and they were driven out
and captured by detail, after losing 14 men killed and 35 wounded. The
regiment was exchanged Dec. 5, 1864, and arrived at Hickory Station on
the Memphis & Little Rock railroad, Jan. 18, 1865, where it remained as
railroad guard until June 6. It was mustered out Oct. 15, 1865, having
had a total enrollment from the time of its original organization, of 71
commissioned officers and 1,342 enlisted men. |
Footnotes:
Regimental history taken from "The Union Army" by Federal Publishing
Company, 1908 - Volume 3
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