3 
 
 ?port to 
 
 to Kerner. • • 
 
INCOLN ROOM 
 
 UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS 
 LIBRARY 
 
REPORT 
 
 of the 
 
 CIVIL WAR CENTENNIAL COMMISSION 
 OF ILLINOIS 
 
 to 
 
 Governor Otto Kerner 
 and the 
 
 Members of the Seventy-second General Assembly 
 March 1961 
 
 1$> 
 
 Springfield, Illinois; Civil War Centennial^Jv ' 
 
 Commission of Illinois, March, 1961 ,. ^^ 
 
 tiP 
 
Digitized by the Internet Archive 
 
 in 2012 with funding from 
 
 University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign 
 
 http://archive.org/details/reportofcivilwarOOcivi 
 
1^ 
 
 Co y, 4- 
 
 
 To ( ro\ ci nor ( )tto Kerner 
 
 and the 
 Members of the Seventy-second General Assembly: 
 
 We have the honor ol transmitting herewith the report of the Civil 
 War Centennial Commission of Illinois, created by the Seventy-firsl 
 General Assembly, pursuant to House Bill No. 879. The report enu- 
 merates plans and programs for the state of Illinois to adopt in com- 
 memorating the Civil War. It represents the results of the Commis- 
 sion's various public and executive meetings as well as the several 
 studies initiated by the Commission. It includes recommendations for 
 legislative consideration and action and is submitted in accordance with 
 the provisions of the act which established the Civil War Centennial 
 ( Sommission of Illinois. 
 
 Respectfully submitted. 
 
 George P. Johns, Chairman 
 
MEMBERS OF THE COMMISSION 
 
 Senator George P. Johns, Decatur, Chairman 
 
 Rep. Ralph E. Stephenson, Moline, Vice-Chairman 
 
 Mr. Newton C. Farr, Chicago, Vice-Chairman 
 
 Mr. Clyde C. Walton, Springfield, Secretary 
 
 Rep. Charles F. Armstrong, Chicago 
 
 Mrs. John S. Gilster, Chester 
 
 Mr. Wasson W. Lawrence, Fairfield 
 
 Mr. Robert E. Miller, Jr., Springfield 
 
 Senator James O. Monroe, C ollinsville 
 
 Mr. Ralph G. Newman, Chicago 
 
 Headquarters : 
 
 Illinois State Historical Library 
 Centennial Building 
 Springfield, Illinois 
 
H B 879 
 71st G. A. HOUSE BILL NO. 879 1959 
 
 Introduced by Mr. Stephenson, April 14, 1959. 
 
 Read by title, ordered printed and to lie on the Speaker's table. 
 
 A BILL 
 
 For an Act to create the Civil War Centennial Commission of Illinois, 
 to define its powers and duties and to make an appropriation 
 thereto. 
 
 Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, represented in 
 the General Assembly: 
 
 Section 1. There is created the Civil Wat Centennial Commis- 
 sion of Illinois, consisting <»l 2 members of the House of Representatives 
 appointed by the Speaker thereof, 2 members of the Senate appointed 
 by the Committee on Committees thereof, and 5 citizens to be ap- 
 
pointed by the Governor. The members of the Commission shall re- 
 ceive no compensation, but shall be reimbursed for actual expenses 
 incurred in the performance of their duties. The Commission shall 
 meet at such times and places as the chairman designates. Vacancies 
 in the membership of the Commission shall be filled as provided for 
 original appointments. 
 
 Section 2. The Commission shall select as chairman and such 
 other officers, other than a secretary, as it deems advisable, from among 
 its members. The State Historian shall be ex-officio secretary of the 
 Commission. He shall receive no compensation for his services other 
 than his salary as State Historian, but shall be reimbursed for actual 
 expenses incurred in the performance of his duties. The Commission 
 may employ such technical, professional, clerical and other employees 
 as it deems necessary to carry out the provisions of this Act, without 
 regard to the "Personnel Code." 
 
 Section 3. The Commission shall prepare an overall program to 
 include specific plans for commemorating the 100th anniversary of the 
 Civil War. In preparing its plans and programs, the Commission shall 
 give consideration to any similar and related plans advanced by 
 civic, patriotic and historical groups of this State, and the Federal 
 Government. 
 
 The Commission shall submit a report to the Governor and to 
 the Seventy-second General Assembly of the State of Illinois, prior to 
 February 15, 1961, of the results of the study together with such rec- 
 ommendations for legislative consideration and action as it determines 
 to be necessary or desirable. 
 
 Section 4. The sum of $10,000, or so much thereof as may be 
 necessary, is appropriated to the Commission for carrying out its duties 
 under this Act. 
 
 Approved July 17, 1959. 
 
[ntroduction 
 
 Today, one hundred years after the Civil War, each of the 
 states in the Union is making preparations for centennial com- 
 memorative observances in keeping with the spirit of that period 
 in our national history. It seems significant that in our own time, 
 a time of international uncertainty and desperate, warlike machina- 
 tions involving the entire world, we Americans are planning to 
 take a retrospective look at a time which was equally turbulent 
 within the United States. This reflective inspection of our own 
 Civil War cannot help but inspire us to face today's troubled times 
 with imagination, strength, and courage. 
 
 The centennial involves more than a simple retelling of the Civil 
 War story. The time is at hand when we can abandon the glamor- 
 ous and the fictitious, for we must no longer be content with legends 
 about romantic, but fleshless, figures in blue and gray. Rather, 
 during the Civil War Centennial years, we must reveal the truth 
 as it was lived by real men. We must put flesh on the dry bones 
 of history. 
 
 We are now ready to accept the political and moral lessons of 
 the Civil War story. And we are anxious as a state and as a nation 
 to catch the fire that kindled the bright light of patriotism and 
 national unity in our past. Our forefathers believed in and fought 
 for ideals; the Civil War Centennial years ofTer a great opportunity 
 for us to strengthen our bond with them and reaffirm our own 
 beliefs in the rights of man and the cause of freedom. We are 
 indebted to them for preserving national unity, and we can repay 
 our debt b\ rededicating ourselves in their memory during the 
 centennial observances of the Civil War. 
 
 Historian Bruce Catton, of the national Centennial Commis- 
 sion, has written : 
 
 "The Civil War was the greatest test our country ever faced. 
 Built of the heroism and endurance that were drawn from men 
 
6 
 
 and women of both sections by devotion to principles valued more 
 than life itself, it was our most profound and tragic emotional 
 experience. 
 
 "What was lost in it was lost by all of us; what was finally 
 gained, affecting our national character and our national destiny 
 itself— the preservation of the American union as an instrumentality 
 of freedom of all the people of the world— was gained by all of us. 
 
 "The loss, the gain and the experience itself are a common na- 
 tional possession." 
 
 Why Illinois Should Commemorate the Civil War 
 
 During its early meetings, the Civil War Centennial Commis- 
 sion of Illinois was concerned with formulating answers to these 
 questions: Why should Illinois commemorate the Civil War? 
 What purpose is there in observing, on the state level, the cen- 
 tennial of a national tragedy? As these questions were raised, 
 debated, and discussed, certain answers became obvious. 
 
 While the war was a national event, every corner of America 
 was affected. Only through the study of how each locality was 
 involved and the individual American affected, can the true mean- 
 ing and significance of the war be properly appreciated. Further, 
 through such study the democratic and national ideals which were 
 upheld during four years of fratricidal war can be re-emphasized 
 in each locality. 
 
 Here in Illinois, more than a quarter of a million men took 
 up arms to fight for their ideals. They were banded together in 
 Illinois units and proudly represented Illinois on the battlefield. 
 There were Illinois generals as well as Illinois statesmen in Wash- 
 ington, and over all was an Illinois President, Abraham Lincoln. 
 Illinois accepted her responsibility to the Union and promptly met 
 every challenge posed to her. As the state then took a foremost 
 place in the eyes of the nation, so it must again in the centennial 
 years ahead. 
 
 It is clearly our responsibility to take the lead in observing the 
 commemoration of the Civil War so that the whole country can 
 
7 
 sec Illinois as the leader and proud participant in national affairs 
 that she was one hundred years ago. Illinois is honored to co- 
 operate in these centennial activities with the other states and with 
 the national Civil War Centennial Commission. 
 
 At tin- time this report was written, forty-three states had 
 established Civil War Centennial Commissions. Many of these 
 state commissions have undertaken ambitious plans for centennial 
 observances and have received large financial appropriations from 
 their respective legislative bodies in order to carry out these plans. 
 In the most general of terms, southern states are projecting battle 
 re-enactments and programs for visiting the scenes of Civil War 
 action, while northern states are planning study and information 
 programs designed particularly for the education of school chil- 
 dren. For example: 
 
 Two major projects of the Virginia Commission are the publica- 
 tion of General Robert E. Lee's wartime papers and the con- 
 struction of a multimillion-dollar Civil War museum and 
 orientation center. 
 
 The Maryland Commission has received an initial appropriation 
 of $150,000 to carry out the first part of the state's centennial 
 program. Part of this fund is to go toward the re-enactment 
 of the Battle of Antietam. The Commission is also making 
 plans for a statewide educational program in the schools and 
 among civic, patriotic, and historical groups. 
 
 Arkansas has purchased the Pea Ridge battlefield at a cost of 
 $500,000. The state will give the property to the federal gov- 
 ernment for use as a national park whose dedication will be 
 a major event in Arkansas' centennial observance. 
 
 The Texas Commission plans to microfilm, in the National Archives, 
 the records of more than 100,000 Texans who served in the 
 Confederate Armed Forces. 
 
 Mississippi will publish a commemorative two-volume history en- 
 titled Mississippi in the Confederacy, one volume to include 
 contemporary documents and the other to contain studies made 
 since 1865. 
 
8 
 
 The Kentucky Commission has received appropriations for the im- 
 provement of Civil War sites in that state. It is also planning 
 to present centennial programs at all Kentucky battlefields. 
 
 In Louisiana substantial funds have been made available to revitalize 
 the Confederate Memorial Hall and to modernize exhibits 
 which include some of the finest Confederate collections in the 
 South. 
 
 In Missouri the Civil War Centennial Commission has begun 
 a drive to acquire battle sites located in areas subject to 
 urbanization. 
 
 The North Carolina Commission is planning to restore the Bennet 
 place— the home just outside of Durham where Confederate 
 General Joseph E. Johnston surrendered to Union General 
 William T. Sherman. 
 
 How Illinois Served in the Civil War 
 
 Illinois, too, has an impressive story to share with the nation. 
 In honor of her men who fought for "National Unity and State 
 Sovereignty," she should commemorate this Civil War Centennial 
 with appropriate dignity and pride. 
 
 No state in the Union has greater reason to observe the cen- 
 tennial of its proud Civil War record than does Illinois. Perhaps 
 our first reason for pride is the fact that our statesmen were among 
 the most active in the nation in their efforts to avoid the outbreak 
 of hostilities. None felt the tragedy of civil conflict more deeply 
 than Stephen A. Douglas, whose last words were an admonition 
 to defend the Constitution and preserve the Union, or than Abra- 
 ham Lincoln, on whose shoulders fell the heaviest burden of all. 
 
 When news of the firing on Fort Sumter reached Illinois, the 
 state responded with a determination that still merits admiration. 
 The first call for troops came in April, 1861, and by October of 
 that year we had forty-three regiments in active service— more 
 than even the most populous state in the North had supplied. 
 
 Great credit for the proud record Illinois made during that 
 national crisis is due to the aggressive leadership of the zealous and 
 
This tintype is the only known picture of Illinois volunteers leaving for the Civil 
 I-// front. It was taken in Elgin in October, 1861. The unit is Company K, 
 
 Fifty-second Illinois Infantry, which had marched from Camp Lyon at Geneva. 
 
 industrious commander-in-chief, Governor Richard Yates. He was 
 grind) set against the southern threats of disunion, and when the 
 test came he summoned forth the resources of the state of Illinois. 
 
 Martial spirit was instilled in the peace-loving Illinoisans by 
 stirring appeals to rally to the colors. War mass meeting-; were 
 held in ever) village and town to encourage enlistments; funds were 
 raised to contribute to the relief of the families of volunteers; county 
 hoards of supervisors and < it\ authorities offered bounties in addi- 
 tion to those held out by the general government. For example, 
 after a succession of increases Rockford volunteers received ;i 
 bounty of $400 from the city and county authorities. 
 
 It is significant that the most satisfactory response to appeals for 
 enlistment came from the Democratic counties in southern Illinois. 
 At first, people there had tended to regard the- contest as an aggres- 
 
(IliKIISKO 
 
 MERCURY 
 
 EXTRA: 
 
 AX «««!> t\( I 
 
 Ulysses S. Grant of Galena was colonel 
 of the Twenty-first Illinois Infantry as 
 the first step of his climb to the top 
 command of the Union armies. 
 
 Richard Yates, Illinois' Civil 
 governor. 
 
 <-*m*titnti*y*t Hf tjko 
 
 UNION 
 
 DISSOLVED! 
 
 The first state to secede from the Union 
 was South Carolina. Since there was 
 not time to wait for a regular edition 
 of the paper, the Charleston Mercury, 
 on December 20, i860, published this 
 "extra" edition, or broadside. 
 
Clamp Bulla mar Springfield is where many raw recruits were drilled 
 into shape for active service. These two views were taken in 1862. 
 The site is now a national cemetery. 
 

 C^^K****^ 
 
 
 w 
 
 
 
 1 *>%# 
 
 > <J . ' 
 
 Private George W. Stonebarger of 
 Springfield, who enlisted in Com- 
 pany I, Seventh Illinois Infantry, 
 at the age of nineteen. 
 
 First Lieutenant Marshal M. Mc- 
 Intire, 21 , of Springfield served in 
 the Twenty-ninth Illinois Infantry. 
 He was killed at Fort Donelson on 
 February 15, 1862. 
 
 The band of the Twenty-first Illinois Infantry. 
 
.1 gun of the Chicago Light Artillery at Camp Smith, Cairo, in June, 1861 
 
 "Dining Hall" of a squad of tin Chicago Light Artillery unit at Camp 
 
 Smith. The roof was made from tin- shell of a decayed sycamore. 
 
i4 
 
 sive war on the part of a new President, and there was, therefore, 
 a reluctance to take up arms; but, when war became a reality, 
 the feeling grew among the people of "Egypt" that they had to 
 contribute their services to the Union effort. Even under the first 
 call, the Cairo district in the extreme southern end of the state 
 offered more companies than could be accepted. On October i, 
 1863, the ten extreme southern counties were officially credited 
 with an enlistment excess of nearly fifty per cent above their quotas. 
 Old Democratic strongholds that had been charged with disloyalty, 
 or Copperheadism, now offered recruits with a generosity that 
 shamed their opponents. 
 
 Among the Illinois regiments were many representing select 
 social or occupational groups; they reflected the fact that the re- 
 sponsibility for early recruiting was assumed by individuals— civilians 
 who rallied fellow-workers, friends, and neighbors to the colors. 
 Certain regiments consisted almost entirely of country men and 
 farmers; the State Agricultural Society undertook the organiza- 
 tion of an entire brigade in 1862. At the same time, railroad men 
 were organizing another brigade; the Chicago Railway Battalion 
 was one of the many units formed in response to the President's 
 1862 call for three hundred thousand more men. Early in the war 
 Colonel C. E. Hovey, president of Illinois State Normal University, 
 raised the "Normal Regiment," composed to a very large degree 
 of schoolteachers and advanced students. 
 
 The adopted citizens of Illinois also made important contribu- 
 tions toward winning the battles of the Civil War. The Germans 
 around Belleville responded enthusiastically from the start; other 
 ethnic companies were also organized at Springfield, Ottawa, and 
 elsewhere. The Thirteenth Cavalry Regiment was the "German 
 Guides," organized at Chicago in December, 1861. The Irish 
 were not to be outdone. In a week's time they organized in Chicago 
 the Twenty-third Illinois, otherwise called the "Irish Brigade." Irish 
 companies from Springfield and Rockford also tendered their serv- 
 ices. The following year, the "Cameron Guards" of Springfield 
 were recruited, while the "Ryan Guards" from Galena and other 
 companies were organized for an Irish regiment. Another unit, 
 
This picture of Abraham 
 Lincoln tak< n by Mat hew 
 B. Brady after the first 
 y< ar of the war portrays 
 a saddened and worried 
 Pr, sident. 
 
 known as the "Irish Legion'' or the Ninetieth Infantry, was 
 mustered into service at Chicago in the late summer of 1862. 
 During the first two years of the war two so-called "Scotch Regi- 
 ments," the Twelfth and the Sixty-fifth, were organized. The 
 Jewish residents of Chicago were also aroused, and in 1862 they 
 raised a company together with a fund of several thousand dollars 
 to put that company in the field. The Portuguese in Springfield 
 and in Morgan Count) enrolled large numbers in the companies 
 re< 1 uited in those regions. 
 
 The state of Illinois, from April 17, 1861, to April 30, 1865, 
 furnished a total of 256,297 men— for periods of service which 
 varied from three months to three years; there were 152 regi- 
 ments and three companies of infantry, 17 regiments of cavalry, 
 and two regiments and nine batteries of artillery. 
 
 A regiment in the Civil War was not at all like the regiment 
 we know today: the maximum size of an infantry regiment was 
 1,025 officers and men; the minimum that would be accepted was 
 845. A regiment had 10 companies, each with 82 privates, 1 wag- 
 oner, 2 music ;ians, 8 corporals, 4 sergeants, 1 first sergeant, 1 
 
;.-.:■ ' ' ' " , , . : : 
 
 Ransom P. Stowe, of Perry, 
 Pike County, was fourteen when 
 he enlisted on September 5, 
 1 86 1. He served in the Thirty- 
 third Illinois Infantry until his 
 discharge on June g, 1865. 
 
 mm* 
 
 -a*******-,--- a* * , ~ -— 
 
 Private George W. Crane, 18, of Sadorus : 
 Champaign County, served in Company I, 
 Twenty-sixth Illinois Infantry. 
 
 
 Company A, Chicago Light Artillery at Cairo, June, 1861 
 
n 
 
 I 
 
 POST OFFICE 
 
 The two mm standing in the middle of litis group on tin "porch" of tin Post 
 Office at Cairo, Illinois, in September, 1861, are Generals Ulysses S. (haul and 
 Join, A. McClernand. (ham is at the left with Ins hands thrust into his pockets; 
 McClernand is directly in front of (In pillar. 
 
Illinois' Major Generals of the Civil War 
 
 Giles A. Smith 
 
 John A. Logan Stephen A. Hurl but James H. Wilson 
 
 Benjamin H. Prentiss John A. McClemand Richard J. Oglesby Benjamin H. Grierson 
 
*9 
 second lieutenant, i first lieutenant, and i captain. 'The regiment 
 staff contained 2 principal musicians, 1 hospital steward, 1 com- 
 missar) sergeant, 1 quartermaster sergeant, 1 sergeant major, 1 
 chaplain, 2 assistant surgeons, 1 surgeon (ranked as a major), 1 
 quartermaster, 1 adjutant, 1 major, 1 lieutenant colonel, and 1 
 colonel. The 10 companies had 10 1 men each and the staff con- 
 sisted of 15 men. When a regiments strength was the minimum 
 acceptable for service (845), the number of privates in each com- 
 pan\ was reduced from 82 to 64. 
 
 Cavalry regiments generally totaled 1,200 men, or 12 com- 
 panies of 100 men each. Light artillery was composed of batteries 
 with a maximum strength of 150 men and 6 guns, although usually 
 there were only 4 guns to a battery. Twelve batteries, or a mini- 
 mum of 48 guns, generally formed a regiment; batteries ordi- 
 narily acted as independent commands. 
 
 These were the basic military organizations of the Civil War, 
 the 1,000-man infantry regiment, the 1,200-man cavalry regiment, 
 and the 150-man artillery battery. Actually, these organizations 
 were hardly ever at full strength, and regiments at less than half 
 strength were found as the war progressed. The higher military 
 units were these: two or more regiments made a brigade, two or 
 more brigades a division, two or more divisions a corps, and two 
 or more corps an army. Union armies were named after rivers— 
 the Army of the Potomac, the Aimy of the Tennessee— while 
 Confederate units were named after states— the Army of Tennessee, 
 the Army of Northern Virginia. All in all, the army was a loorx 
 and informal organization; the politicians, the generals, and the 
 privates all Learned as the war progressed. 
 
 An examination of a few of the most famous Illinois regiments 
 gives evidence of their records of achievement. The Eighth Illi- 
 nois, first commanded by Colonel Richard Oglesby, fought at 
 Fort Henry, Fort Donelson, Shiloh, Corinth, Vicksburg, Raymond, 
 Champion's Hill, New Orleans, and Fort Blakely, with casualties 
 totaling more than 30 per cent of its almost 2,000 men. 
 
 The Ninth Illinois, first commanded by Colonel Eleazer Paine, 
 was perhaps the most famous of all Illinois units; it fought at 
 
20 
 
 The hospital corps at Camp Butler— at one time during the Civil War. Seated, 
 left to right, are: Allen Bradley and Henry Hayes, clerks; Charles F. Mills and 
 H. D. Hill, hospital stewards; and Jim. Allen, clerk. Standing are W. D. Forbes 
 and Charles Hutchison, clerks; A. G. Kincaid, surgeon in charge; John J. Cook, 
 clerk; and W. I. Kincaid, assistant hospital steward. 
 
 n * MWir 
 
 
 Military activities at Cairo, Illinois, at the point where the Mississippi and Ohio 
 rivers meet, as pictured in Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper, June 8, 1861. 
 
21 
 
 Two of these three Springfield 
 youths, who served in the Seventh 
 Illinois Infantry, were later killed 
 at Allatoona Pass, in Georgia. Cor- 
 poral Charles J. Myers 3 lift, died 
 on October 5, i86j, and his friend 
 Recruit John W. Johnson, center, 
 a day earlier. Presumably Cor- 
 poral On an Gunsteenson t right 3 
 survived the war. 
 
 & & 
 
 f^ 
 
 Fort Donelson and then at Shiloh, where it lost 366 out of 578 men 
 present, the second greatest loss in killed and wounded of any in- 
 fantry regiment in the Civil War. When the Ninth was mustered 
 out in 1864, it had lost more than half of its men, 792 out of 
 1,493. Other famous Illinois regiments were the Eleventh Infantry, 
 with 19 per cent dead in battles, losing, for example, 339 out of 
 500 at Fort Donelson ; the Twelfth, with 1 2 per cent dead in battle 
 and 40 per cent ( asualties; the Twentieth, with 50 per cent casual- 
 ties; the Twenty-first, Grant's first field command, with 20 per cent 
 casualties; the Twenty-second, with 50 per cent lost; the Thirtieth, 
 30 per cent; the Thirty-first, John A. Logan's first command, with 
 30 per cent; the Thirty-fourth, 30 per cent; the Thirty-sixth, with 
 50 per cent; the Thirty-ninth, "Yates Phalanx,'* 30 per cent; the 
 Fortieth, 40 per cent. The Forty-second, Fort) -fourth, Fifty-fifth 
 (which had 9] pairs of brothers enlisted, of whom 58 individuals 
 were killed , Seventy-thirdj Eighty-second, Eighty-fourth, Eighty- 
 
//' 
 
 Many Civil War soldiers kept diaries but Frederick E. Ransom, a 
 native of Vermont who enlisted at V and alia and served in the 
 Eleventh Illinois Infantry, recorded his experiences in a series of 
 thirty drawings. Here is his version of the Battle of Shiloh. 
 
 ■. .T A Vt' % ^%;~ f"" 
 
 Members of Company E, Forty-seventh Illinois Infantry (most of 
 whom were from Tazewell County), photographed at Oxford, 
 Mississippi, on December 18, 1862. 
 
23 
 
 
 V 
 
 'MWm " """^ 
 
 ;•• - 
 
 *f> 2* 
 
 &*£» 
 
 1 *f 
 
 9 9* 
 
 
 w m 
 
 ■vCfc 
 
 c 
 
 Members of Company C, Thirty-second Illinois Infantry, most of whom were 
 from Carlinville, Macoupin County. 
 
 ninth, Ninety-third, One Hundred-fourth, all had casualties as 
 high as 35 per cent. Nor should the Sixth and Seventh Cavalry, 
 which rode to fame in Grierson's Raid, be omitted. 
 
 Back of the serried battalions that marched forth from Illinois 
 there rallied legions of loyal women to minister to the physical 
 and moral well-being of the fighters in the field. Nimble hands 
 were set to work manufacturing the flags and uniforms with which 
 the volunteer companies were outfitted. The eager women rolled 
 bandages and made shirts, socks, and other articles of clothing. 
 The needs of sick and wounded soldiers and of families left with- 
 out support in nearh every community were met by local soldiers' 
 aid so< ieties. Sociables and benefit concerts and performances were 
 arranged as means of raising funds for supplies; hospital stores 
 were collected; funds were solicited from merchants; and farmers 
 
24 
 
 Corporal William A. Wyatt, of 
 Lamb's Point (now W or den), 
 Madison County, served in Com- 
 pany D, nyth Illinois Infantry. 
 He died on July 14, 1865. 
 
 This pie lure of Captain John H. 
 Phillips (Greenville, Bond Coun- 
 ty), of the Twenty-second Illi- 
 nois Infantry, was taken as he re- 
 turned to camp from picket duty 
 on May 26, 1863. 
 
25 
 
 The Sixth Illinois Cavalry was a souther?! Illinois regiment. The officers 
 shown in this picture arc. seated, left to right, Captain Firth Charlesworth 
 (from Shawneetown) s Company L; Captain Alonzo D. Pierce (Pope 
 Comity). Company A: Captain William B. Peterson (Johnson County), 
 Company B; Captain Frank W. Bahcock (Jackson County) , Company M ; 
 and Captain Hugh F. Patterson (Golconda), Company G. Standing are. 
 left to right, Captain FlijaJi T. Phillips (Cairo), Company M; an un- 
 identified officer; Colonel Mathew H. Starr (Jacksonville— he died of 
 u ounds on October i , 1864); and Honey R. Parker, adjutant. 
 
 were induced to bring in their surplus of fruits and vegetables in 
 the summer and wood in winter for the benefit of soldiers' families. 
 In 1863 ladies' Union Leagues began to spread all over the state. 
 Members of these organizations often ventured into new fields of 
 service, acting as substitutes for clerks who enlisted in service and, 
 in certain instances, turning out in a body to plant gardens and 
 small farms in order to send the produce to the soldiers. 
 
 Meanwhile, Illinois troops were winning fame on every battle- 
 
This father and son are Captai 
 Adley N. Gregory, 126th Illino; 
 Infantry, and Corporal James J 
 Gregory, Sixty-second Illinois hi 
 fantry. They lived in Lovingtor 
 Moultrie County. 
 
 field. At home political partisans followed the careers of their 
 favorites. Among the Democratic generals were John A. Logan, 
 John A. McClernand, and Ulysses S. Grant; the Republican gen- 
 erals included "Dick" Oglesby and Stephen A. Hurlbut. Thus, 
 military leadership fell on the shoulders of able men, who expended 
 their full energies in behalf of national unity, regardless of their 
 political persuasions. 
 
 By and large, Illinois soldiers fought in the West rather than 
 the East, along the Mississippi rather than the Potomac, before 
 Atlanta rather than Richmond, and at Shiloh rather than Gettys- 
 burg. But even in the East, a few Illinois units were actively en- 
 
27 
 
 gaged at Chancellorsville; Drewry's Bind, Virginia; at Deep Bot- 
 tom and Darbytown Road; Bentonville, North Carolina; and 
 Petersburg, Virginia. 
 
 But in the West, Illinois played a major part; at Belmont, 
 Fort Donelson, Pea Ridge; and at bloody Shiloh, where of the 
 fourteen regiments with the heaviest losses seven were from Illi- 
 nois; at Hatehie Bridge and Hartsville, Tennessee; Chickasaw 
 Bayou, Mississippi, and at Stone's River, Tennessee, at Raymond 
 and at Champion's Hill; at Vicksburg, Jackson, Chickamauga, 
 Knoxville, Missionary Ridge, Ringgold, Kenesaw Mountain, Peach 
 Tree Creek, Atlanta, Ezra Church, Allatoona Pass, Franklin, Nash- 
 ville, Fort Blakely— Illinois was there. High on the regimental 
 casualty lists, Illinois men left a blood trail from Cairo all the way 
 to New Orleans and Savannah; Sherman's March to the Sea was 
 made with more than seventy Illinois regiments participating. 
 
 If we furnished quantity, we also furnished quality. The two 
 brightest names on the Union side were Lincoln and Grant. And 
 there were others— Logan, Palmer, Ellsworth, Grierson, Baker, and 
 many more. 
 
 All in all, Illinois had a proud record of patriotic participa- 
 tion in the Civil War. She sent the President to Washington and 
 the victorious general to Appomattox Court House. But perhaps, 
 in the long run, it was the ingrained tradition of individual liberty 
 and personal dignity under the Constitution that made so many 
 volunteers fight to preserve the American Union. By so doing, 
 Illinoisans were fighting to perpetuate a manner of living in the 
 state which was their home, and which is now ours. In large part 
 because of their tremendous sacrifices, our state of Illinois con- 
 tinues to be a fine place in which to live. 
 
 The Illinois Commission 
 
 The public response to the establishment of the Civil War 
 Centennial Commission of Illinois has been enthusiastic. Requests 
 for information regarding the state's centennial plans have been 
 
28 
 
 received from a multitude of city, county, and academic agencies, 
 as well as from business and civic groups. 
 
 The Civil War Centennial Commission of Illinois, since it was 
 established on July 17, 1959, has held meetings throughout the 
 state: in Springfield, on December 11, 1959; Carbondale, on 
 January 11, i960; Starved Rock, on April 4; East St. Louis, on 
 May 5; Chicago, on November 10; and Springfield on January 
 27, 1 96 1. Six members of the State Commission attended the 
 meeting of the national Civil War Centennial Commission in St. 
 Louis in May, i960, and three members represented Illinois at 
 the Midwest Regional Civil War Centennial Conference in In- 
 dianapolis, Indiana, on October 10. Four members met with 
 representatives of the Illinois Central Railroad and of the Civil 
 War Centennial Commissions of Iowa, Wisconsin, and Mississippi, 
 at the latter's request, in Chicago on February 6, 1961. 
 
 The long-range plans drafted at these meetings will serve as 
 a blueprint for Illinois' commemoration of the Civil War Centen- 
 nial. Several projects are already underway. 
 
 The Commission has reprinted the article "Illinois and the 
 Civil War," by Clyde C. Walton, from the ig§g-ig6o Blue Book. 
 This 3 2 -page pamphlet will be distributed free in response to the 
 many requests for such information. 
 
 A comprehensive inventory of Illinois Civil War monuments, 
 statues, markers, and plaques located both in the state and in the 
 South has been completed. 
 
 The Secretary of the Commission has met with and advised 
 the Civil War Centennial Committees of both Eastern and South- 
 ern Illinois Universities and has worked with Civil War Round 
 Tables, county historical societies, and similar groups. 
 
 Specific plans have been made to work with the city of Cairo 
 in commemorating its important and significant role in the war. 
 The first such Illinois community to be honored, Cairo will attract 
 visitors from all parts of the state to its Civil War Centennial 
 program on April 22 and 23, 1961. 
 
Recommendations for Illinois 
 
 The Civil War (lcntciini.il Commission of Illinois, in pursu- 
 ance of directives from the Illinois General Assembly as prescribed 
 by House Bill No. 879, herewith presents, for legislative considera- 
 tion and action, its recommendations for Illinois' commemoration 
 of the Centennial of the Civil War: 
 
 1) Establishment of a permanent Civil War Centennial Com- 
 mission to plan and co-ordinate the state's observances of the 
 Civil War this commission to have its headquarters in the Illi- 
 nois State Historical Library and to submit its final report at 
 the end of the centennial period. This Commission, the au- 
 thorized agent of the state, will be responsible for representing 
 the state of Illinois and for effectively participating in the various 
 local, interstate, and national Civil War activities. 
 
 2) Adoption of a program to make available to the public— 
 both adults and school children— authoritative materials relat- 
 ing to Illinois and the Civil War. These materials should in- 
 clude handbooks, maps, brochures, pamphlets, teaching aids, and 
 monographs which not only will provide accurate information 
 but will stimulate the people of Illinois to take pride in their 
 part in the great national struggle for unity. 
 
 Proposed publication plans include the following: 
 a) A guide to places of Civil War interest in Illinois. Although 
 Illinois was never a battleground, the state abounds in significant 
 Civil War sites. There were Confederate prisons in Illinois at 
 Camp Douglas, Chicago; at Camp Butler, Springfield; at Rock 
 Island; and at Alton. Among the camps of Illinois troops Camp 
 Defiance in Cairo is ol particular significance: within a few days 
 after the firing on Fort Sumter, Illinois troops were rushed there 
 to defend the state against possible Confederate invasion. The 
 homes of General Grant in Galena and of President Lincoln in 
 Springfield are also of special interest. A guide to these and the 
 
30 
 
 many other sites will be invaluable to the student as well as to the 
 
 tourist who might be inspired to visit these historic places. 
 
 b) A guide to places where Illinois soldiers fought. This guide 
 is intended to be used by Illinoisans who plan to travel through 
 the South in the centennial years. Large numbers of Illinois 
 soldiers participated in the battles of Forts Henry and Donelson, 
 of Shiloh, Murfreesboro, and Chickamauga; Vicksburg, Mississip- 
 pi; Atlanta, Georgia; Appomattox, Virginia; and on hundreds of 
 other lesser-known fields. Some of these battlefields are preserved 
 as national parks. 
 
 c) A guide to the manuscripts, diaries, and other primary his- 
 torical sources held privately as well as those owned by university 
 and college libraries, local public libraries, the State Historical 
 Library, and other state departments. Among such papers in the 
 Illinois State Historical Library, for instance, is the correspond- 
 ence of many prominent Illinoisans, including Governors Yates 
 and Oglesby, and Stephen A. Douglas, John A. Logan, and, of 
 course, Lincoln and Grant. In addition to the soldiers' dairies, 
 muster rolls, and regimental historical material in public deposi- 
 tories, there are still many others in private hands. Such manu- 
 scripts are invaluable, for not only do they add color and dimen- 
 sion to an otherwise lifeless black and white picture, but they are 
 actually the stuff from which history is written. 
 
 d) A guide to the Civil War for Illinois teachers and students. 
 Since there is no complete and up-to-date textbook on Illinois 
 history for any age group, this guide will emphasize the part played 
 by Illinois in the Civil War. It will include lists of study topics for 
 written and oral reports; suggestions for student activities; an 
 annotated list of Civil War books, poetry, plays, and other teach- 
 ing helps, such as film strips, slides, and recordings. 
 
 e) A series of releases to Illinois newspapers on the history of 
 the state's participation in the Civil War and a chronological 
 guide to centennial events in Illinois and other states. 
 
 f) A set of scholarly volumes comparable to those published 
 by the Illinois Centennial Commission of 19 18. Three volumes 
 would be required to present a comprehensive history of Illinois' 
 
3i 
 participation in the Civil War. One volume will deal with military 
 history, regimental movements, Illinois' participation in battle, Illi- 
 nois military leaders, and related war matters. A second volume will 
 discuss socio-economic aspects of the day: industrial movements, 
 religious activities, costume, decor, and social life. The third will 
 analyze the political developments in Illinois during the Civil War: 
 elections, swing of political power, legislation, and prominent state 
 political figures. These volumes will not only he authoritative hut 
 will be written for the benefit of the general citizen and will long 
 stand as a tangible and significant contribution of the state of 
 Illinois to the centennial of the great Civil War. 
 g) A general but brief history of Illinois in the Civil War, similar 
 to the pamphlet already reprinted by the Commission from the most 
 recent Illinois Blue Book. This pamphlet is to be made available 
 in quantity to all interested Illinoisans. 
 
 3) The collection and preservation of Civil War letters, diaries, 
 and photographs. The citizens of Illinois will be urged to search 
 their attics and personal effects for such indispensable primary 
 sources. These mementos of the great conflict will be of value 
 to scholars and will provide enjoyment and inspiration to the 
 patrons of museums, libraries, and other public depositories 
 
 4) Co-operation with the national Civil War Centennial Com- 
 mission and other state commissions in helping to extend the 
 over-all commemorative program to as many communities in 
 the nation as possible. Because we are proud of our Civil W r ar 
 record, we look forward to sharing it with the entire nation. 
 
 5) Participation in the many observances planned by civic and 
 patriotic organizations throughout the state and the nation. 
 For example, on April 22 and 23, 1961, Cairo, the first Illinois 
 community to honor its part in the war, will commemorate the 
 anniversary of the arrival of the first Illinois volunteers in that 
 eitv one hundred years ago. Co-operation with, and advice 
 to, community and historical organizations wishing to arrange 
 
32 
 
 fitting dignified ceremonies for Civil War Centennial observ- 
 ances is a responsibility which the Commission should assume. 
 
 Recognition of the many Illinoisans who have made important 
 contributions to our knowledge of the Civil War or who in one 
 way or another have advanced the ideas exemplified by Illinoisans 
 who participated in the war between the states. 
 
 At a time when the word "Patriotism" often produces a sneer, 
 there is need for a prolonged, reflective look at a period when 
 love of country and devotion to the principles of freedom inspired 
 millions of men to leave their homes and take up arms. Such 
 a look may help restore the word "Patriotism" to its proper place 
 in our vocabulary and to its rightful position as a symbol of the 
 virtues most admired by Americans. To this end, the Commission 
 recommends a return to the celebration of "old-fashioned Fourths 
 of July" and to similar celebrations of other national holidays 
 and the centennials of important Civil War occasions. 
 
 The Commission requests of the General Assembly an ap- 
 propriation adequate to carry out these programs throughout 
 the Seventy-second Biennium. 
 
(30233—2-61) 
 
 (Printed by Authority of the State of Illinois) 
 
 Springfield, 1961 
 
UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS-URBANA 
 
 973.76IL6R C004 
 
 REPORT. SPRINGFIELD 
 1961 
 
 0112 03 
 
 839571