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REPORT 
 
 of the 
 
 CIVIL WAR CENTENNIAL COMMISSION 
 OF ILLINOIS 
 
 to 
 
 Governor Otto Kerner 
 and the 
 
 Members of the Seventy-third General Assembly 
 June, 1963 
 
 Springfield. Illinois 
 
 Civil War Centennial Commission of Illinois 
 
 June, 1963 
 
To Governor Otto Kerner 
 
 and the 
 Members of the Seventy-third General Assembly : 
 
 We have the honor of transmitting herewith the report of the Civil 
 War Centennial Commission of Illinois, created by the Seventy-second 
 General Assembly, pursuant to Senate Bill No. 243. This report details 
 the overall program adopted by the Commission for the state of Illinois 
 and the substantial progress made towards its fulfillment. The report 
 also lists the various public and executive meetings held by the Com- 
 mission and the services performed by the Commission for the people 
 of the state of Illinois. It includes a recommendation for legislative 
 action and is submitted in accordance with the provisions of the act 
 which established the Civil War Centennial Commission. 
 
 Respectfully submitted, 
 
 Hudson R. Sours, Chairman 
 
'9C3 
 
 3 
 
 72nd G. A. SENATE BILL NO. 243 1961 
 
 1 Introduced by Senators Sours, Downing, Gottschalk, Paul Graham, 
 
 Laughlin, Davis, Broyles, Korshak and Monroe, March 8, 1961. 
 
 2 Read by title, ordered printed, and referred to Committee on 
 
 Assignment of Bills. 
 
 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 War Centennial Com- 
 mission of Illinois, consisting of 3 members of the House of Representa- 
 tives appointed by the Speaker thereof, 3 members of the Senate 
 appointed by the Committee on Committees thereof, and 6 citizens 
 to be appointed by the Governor. The members of the Commission 
 shall receive no compensation, but shall be reimbursed for actual 
 expenses incurred in the performance of their duties. The Com- 
 mission shall meet at such times and places as the chairman desig- 
 
nates. Vacancies in the membership of the Commission shall be filled 
 as provided for original appointments. 
 
 Section 2. The Commission shall select a 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 act in behalf of the State of 
 Illinois as its agent in all matters pertaining to the centennial of the 
 Civil War. The Commission shall prepare a program to commemorate 
 the centennial and plan and administer all activities necessary to effect 
 its program. In preparing its plans and programs, the Commission 
 may consider the report of the Civil War Centennial Commission sub- 
 mitted to the Governor and the Seventy-Second General Assembly, 
 and any 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-Third General Assembly of the State of Illinois, prior to 
 February 15, 1963, of the results and activities of the Commission to- 
 gether with such recommendations for legislative consideration and 
 action as it deems necessary or desirable. 
 
 Section 4. The sum of $69,500, or so much thereof as may be 
 necessary is appropriated to the Commission for carrying out its duties 
 under this Act. 
 
Introduction 
 
 In the biennium 1 961 -1963 the Civil War Centennial Commission 
 of Illinois has acted k 'in behalf of the state of Illinois as agent in all 
 matters pertaining- to the centennial of the Civil War." It has, as 
 further directed in the act which created it, prepared "a program to 
 commemorate the centennial" and has made substantial progress 
 towards putting the program into action. The program of the Com- 
 mission is based upon the Report of the Civil War Centennial Com- 
 mission of Illinois to Governor Otto Kerner and the Members of the 
 Seventy-second General Assembly of March, 1961. 
 
 This program had eight major points: 
 
 1) Establishment of a Civil War Centennial Commission of Illinois 
 with authority to represent and act for the state of Illinois in all 
 matters pertaining to the centennial. 
 
 2) A series of publications which would make available to the public— 
 both adults and schoolchildren — authoritative materials relating to 
 Illinois and the Civil War. 
 
 3) Collection and preservation of the letters, diaries, and photographs 
 of Civil War soldiers from Illinois. 
 
 4) Cooperation with the National Civil War Centennial Commission 
 and other state commissions in order that Illinois' contributions to, and 
 sacrifices in, the Civil War may be properly understood and recognized. 
 
 5) Participation in Civil War commemorative celebrations within 
 the state of Illinois, giving advice and assistance to local committees 
 whenever possible. 
 
 6) Suitable recognition of the many Illinoisans who have made im- 
 portant contributions to our greater knowledge of the Civil War. 
 
 7) Promotion of more celebrations and historical activities on national 
 days of patriotic significance. 
 
 8) An appropriation from the General Assembly adequate to carry 
 out these activities. 
 
 The manner in which the Commission has implemented this com- 
 prehensive program constitutes the largest part of this report. 
 
Commission Activities 
 
 i ) Meetings 
 
 The Commission held ten full meetings during the biennium, as 
 follows: 
 
 January 26, 1962 Chicago 
 
 March 9, 1962 Charleston 
 
 May 4, 1962 Columbus, Ohio (in conjunction with the 
 
 National Civil War Centennial 
 Commission) 
 
 June 16, 1962 Springfield 
 
 September 21, 1962 Chicago 
 
 October 26, 1962 Springfield 
 
 December 6, 1962 Peoria 
 
 January 18, 1963 Freeport 
 
 March 15, 1963 Bloomington 
 
 May 9, 1963 Decatur 
 
 In addition to these general meetings of the Commission, various 
 members represented the Commission at a variety of meetings both 
 within the state and at national meetings. For example, Representa- 
 tive J. W. "Bill" Scott represented the Commission at the dedication 
 of the Illinois Battlefield Marker at Perryville, Kentucky, on October 
 6, 1962. Mr. Ralph G. Newman and Mr. Clyde C. Walton represented 
 the Commission at the formation of the Ulysses S. Grant Association 
 (Mr. Newman was elected president and Mr. Walton, treasurer) in 
 New York. Representative Walter E. Hill took part, in behalf of the 
 Commission, in the U. S. Grant Pilgrimage for Boys Scouts at Galena 
 in 1962, and Senator Everett E. Laughlin represented the Commission 
 at that event in 1963. These are only a few of the meetings attended 
 by individual members of the Commission. 
 
 Special Public Meetings 
 
 On October 24-27, 1962, the Commission sponsored (with the 
 valuable assistance of the Division of Parks and Memorials of the 
 Department of Conservation and the Illinois State Historical Society) 
 a workshop on the material culture of the Civil War. Co-directors of 
 the workshop were Mr. Clyde C. Walton, Commission Secretary, and 
 Mr. Richard Hagen, Historian for the Department of Conservation. 
 Nationally recognized authorities on the topics covered by the work- 
 
shop gave lectures and demonstrations both in Springfield and at New 
 Salem State Park: tin' workshop received national attention because 
 of its unique approach to a neglected aspect of the* Civil War. and this 
 approach has now been used 1>\ other organizations. 
 
 The Commission was co-sponsor, with the Chicago Historical So- 
 ciety, the' American Negro Emancipation Centennial Commission of 
 Illinois, and the Civil War Round Table of Chicago, for a program 
 in Chicago, September 21, 1962, commemorating the 100th anni- 
 versary ol President Abraham Lincoln's issuance ol the Emancipation 
 Proclamation. The program was well attended and served to fill an 
 important demand lor information about this significant act in 
 American history. 
 
 Publications 
 
 The publications program of the Commission is designed to provide 
 factual information about Illinois and the Civil War, specifically to 
 the people of Illinois and incidentally to all interested citizens of our 
 nation. To reach this goal both for the adult and for our Illinois 
 schoolchild the Commission has planned a series of publications which 
 will be carefully researched and written in a lively narrative style. 
 
 So far, the Commission has published the following materials: 
 
 1. Illinois Military Units in the Civil War. 
 8/2" x 1 1", paper covers, 53 pages. 
 
 A comprehensive listing of all military units from Illinois (1) 
 by county, (2) by unit designation and place of origin, and (3) 
 by popular names of units. Prepared by Mrs. Helcne Levene, 
 Director of Research. 
 
 2. Civil War Medal of Honor Winners from Illinois. 
 8/ 2 " x 11", paper covers, 16 pages. 
 
 A complete listing of all Illinoisans who won the Medal of Honor 
 during the Civil War, with brief descriptions of the act of heroism 
 for which the medal was awarded. Prepared by Mrs. Helene 
 Levene, Director of Research. 
 
 3. Illinois and the Civil War, by Clyde C. Walton. 
 8/2" x n", paper covers, illustrated, 11 pages. 
 
 A brief general discussion of the role of Illinois in the Civil War. 
 with emphasis on internal politics, the soldier from Illinois, and 
 dissident elements within the state. 
 
The Commission will shortly issue the following publications: 
 
 i. The Civil War: A Guide for Teachers 
 6" x 9", paper cover. 
 
 This guide will make it possible for the Illinois junior high and 
 high school teacher to effectively teach a unit about Illinois and 
 the Civil War. Included are evaluated book lists; suggestions 
 for class projects; a bibliography of films, filmstrips, and records; 
 and lists of inexpensive paper-back books, and free and inex- 
 pensive materials. Prepared by Mrs. Helene Levene, Director 
 of Research, and the editorial staff of the Illinois State Historical 
 Library. 
 
 2. Pamphlet Series. 
 
 8/2" x n", 4 pages, punched for notebooks, illustrated. 
 Prepared for school use, the first four pamphlets are titled : ( 1 ) 
 The Preacher's Regiment, (2) The Teacher's Regiment, (3) 
 Illinois Catholics in the Civil War, (4) Illinois Jewish Participa- 
 tion in the Civil War. 
 
 The Commission has also contracted for additional publications, 
 now in preparation by authors of recognized ability and reputation. 
 
 1. To fill a gap which exists in our historical literature, the Com- 
 mission has contracted for a two-volume work about Illinois and 
 the Civil War. The first volume will detail life in the state during 
 the war and will be a popularly written study of the "home front." 
 The second volume will follow the Illinois citizen-soldier from his 
 home through army training to the southern battlefield, and then 
 back home after the war ended. These two books will constitute 
 the major publication of the Commission. 
 
 2. To fill another gap in our historical knowledge, the Commission 
 has contracted for a complete bibliography of all Civil War manu- 
 scripts — letters, diaries, business papers, correspondence files, mili- 
 tary order books — located in Illinois. The basic research has been 
 completed, and this important history and description of original 
 source material will be published soon. 
 
 3. Additional numbers in the pamphlet series have been contracted 
 for, including, for example, these subjects: The Northwest Sanitary 
 Commission, Illinois Negroes in the Civil War, Ulysses S. Grant's 
 First Civil War Command, and Civil War Uniforms. 
 
 The Commission has also been able to distribute, at no cost to the 
 
state of Illinois, other Civil Wai source material produced l>\ private 
 organizations. These include The Illinois Central and tin Civil Wai 
 (reprinted from the Illinois Central Magazirn ; The War 3 1861-1865: 
 Currier and Ives Prints (published by the Nationwide [nsurance 
 ( lompany) . 
 
 Service to the Public 
 
 The Commission answers the very heavy mail received in Spring- 
 field requesting information about Illinois or specific Illinoisans in 
 the Civil War. Answering this mail requires extensive research in 
 either printed materials such as the eight-volume Report of the Ad- 
 jutant General of the State of Illinois, 1861-1866 or in original manu- 
 scripts in the Illinois State Historical Library and the Illinois State 
 Archives. This work in behalf of Illinois citizens is very time-con- 
 suming but is a function that the Commission believes it is necessary 
 to assume. The promptness with which the mail is answered and the 
 completeness of the information furnished is attested to by the many 
 "thank you" letters received from those helped. 
 
 As a result of the research done in answering mail requests, the 
 Commission has built up a substantial body of information about 
 Illinois during the years 1850- 1870. This information is carefully 
 organized, put in order, and filed by county in the Commission office 
 in the Illinois State Historical Library. As this file continues to expand, 
 it becomes of greater and greater value to those interested in Illinois 
 and the Civil War. Over the years, it will constitute a valuable re- 
 source to scholar and citizen alike. 
 
 Ulysses S. Grant 
 
 Ulysses S. Grant (christened Hiram Ulysses Grant) is a figure of 
 unquestioned significance in American history. As soldier, statesman, 
 and President of the United States, U. S. Grant led and influenced our 
 nation at a critical period in national development. It is sur- 
 prising, because of the commanding positions he occupied, to learn 
 that there has never been a collected edition of his letters and speeches. 
 To a degree, this means that all students of Grant and his times have 
 been handicapped by not having access to what Grant said and wrote. 
 In order to correct this deficiency and at the same time to honor a 
 defender of the Union of American States, the Civil War Centennial 
 Commission of Ohio (the state in which Grant was born), the Com- 
 
mission of Illinois (the state which gave Grant his first Civil War 
 command), and the Civil War Centennial Commission of New York 
 (the state in which Grant died and is buried) joined together to form 
 the Ulysses S. Grant Association, Inc. The Grant Association is in- 
 corporated in Illinois as a not-for-profit corporation and is wholly con- 
 trolled by members of the three state commissions; the vice-chairman 
 of the Illinois Commission is president of the Grant Association, the 
 secretary of the Illinois Commission is treasurer, and the secretary is 
 the State Historian of Ohio, a member of that state's Civil War 
 Commission. 
 
 An office has been opened (through the courtesy of the Ohio State 
 Historical Society) in Columbus, Ohio; an executive director with 
 excellent qualifications, engaged; the largest collection of material 
 known to be by and about Grant has already been assembled; ex- 
 clusive right to publish this material has been given to the Association 
 by U. S. Grant IV; and eighteen publishers have inquired of the 
 Association about the possibility of publishing the Grant documents 
 compiled by the Association. It is anticipated that at least one more 
 year will pass before the first volume of the Collected Works of U. S. 
 Grant goes to press. The Illinois Commission plans to continue its 
 work with the U. S. Grant Association so that the collected writings 
 of Grant may be suitably published. 
 
 Honoring Deserving Illinoisans 
 
 The Commission has in operation a program for honoring Illinoisans 
 who have contributed in various ways to the study of Illinois and the 
 Civil War, and the commemoration of the war's centennial. To this 
 end the Commission has presented 81 Award of Merit Certificates to 
 Illinois librarians, scholars, citizens, and organizations. This program 
 has been well received, and additional awards will be made as de- 
 serving individuals and organizations are made known to the Com- 
 mission. 
 
 Collection of Original Material 
 
 In response to an appeal by the Commission for information about 
 the location of letters, diaries, and photographs of Illinois soldiers, a 
 large number of letters have been received; some people sent original 
 
I I 
 
 material. In ever) case the letters \\n<- answered, and. when war- 
 ranted, the writers were visited. When the owners wished to retain 
 the original material, they granted permission, in most cases, to have 
 the originals copied. This program lias disclosed much hitherto un- 
 known source material, and will therefore be continued. 
 
 Illinois Battlefield Markers and Memorials 
 
 A survey, made in the last biennium, of Illinois markers and memori- 
 als on Civil War battlefields revealed that the state's three markers at 
 Gettysburg and the imposing memorial in the Vicksburg National Mili- 
 tary Park were badly in need of repair. Authorization for cleaning and 
 repair of the markers on the Gettysburg battlefield has been given to the 
 superintendent there; and as this report is being printed, a contract is 
 being let for the repair and cleaning of the Memorial Building at 
 Vicksburg. To the best knowledge of the Commission no other Illinois 
 markers or memorials on Civil War battlefields need repair or cleaning. 
 
 Civil War Newspapers 
 
 Recognizing the unique importance of newspapers as sources of 
 historical, biographical, genealogical, social, and legal information, the 
 Commission has been able to place a large collection of Civil War- 
 period newspapers on microfilm in the Illinois State Historical Library 
 in Springfield. This collection of microfilmed newspapers, both from 
 Illinois and from cities North and South that were important during 
 the war, provides an unparalleled opportunity for research. In the 
 next biennium a complete list of these newspapers will be published 
 and distributed to interested citizens. 
 
 Mobile Museum Display 
 
 The Commission joined with the Illinois State Historical Library 
 and the Illinois State Historical Society in arranging the display 
 "Illinois and the Civil War" in the Robert R. McCormick History- 
 mobile. This display, which told the story of Illinois during the war 
 by using original photographs, drawings, letters, broadsides, and physical 
 objects, appeared in more than thirty Illinois communities, including 
 
12 
 
 eighty-four schools. Altogether, more than 85,000 Illinois citizens saw 
 the display; a large number of these Illinoisans were students in our 
 public and parochial schools. 
 
 Recommendation for Legislation 
 
 The Civil War Centennial Commission of Illinois recommends to 
 Governor Otto Kerner and the members of the Seventy-third General 
 Assembly that the Commission be continued for the final two cen- 
 tennial years in order that 
 
 1 ) The many programs and projects initiated by the Commission 
 and already well underway, may be brought to a successful con- 
 clusion; 
 
 2) A national centennial commemoration may be held in Spring- 
 field, Illinois, the logical, appropriate place for the conclusion of the 
 four-year centennial observances. Even now, plans are being made 
 by the Commission for the final programs of the centennial to take 
 place in the Illinois capital. It is hoped that the focus of the nation 
 will be on Illinois in May of 1965, with ceremonies attended by the 
 President of the United States at the Old State Capitol and Lincoln's 
 Tomb. 
 
MEMBERS OF THE CIVIL WAR CENTENNIAL 
 COMMISSION OF ILLINOIS 
 
 Senator Hudson R. Sours, Peoria, Chairman 
 Representative J. W. "Bill" Scott, Bloomington, 
 
 Vice-Chairman 
 Ralph G. Newman, Chicago, Vice-Chairman 
 Clyde C. Walton, Springfield, Secretary 
 Representative Lycurgus J. Conner, Chicago 
 Newton C. Farr, Chicago 
 Representative Walter E. Hill, Canton 
 George P. Johns, Decatur 
 Senator Everett E. Laughlin, Freeport 
 Senator James O. Monroe, Collinsville 
 Philip D. Sang, River Forest 
 Glenn H. Seymour, Charleston 
 Senator Robert E. Cherry, Chicago 
 Alexander Summers, Mattoon 
 
 Office: 
 
 Illinois State Historical Library 
 Centennial Building 
 Springfield, Illinois 
 
UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS-URBANA 
 
 973.76IL6R C00 4 
 
 REPORT. SPRINGFIELD ° 4 
 
 0112 031839589