ILLINOIS in the CIVIL WAR

48th Illinois Infantry

48th Illinois Infantry

David A, Stumpf, M.D., Ph.D.
1101 Alpine Lane, Woodstock, Illinois 60098
847-494-7589

"The Forty-eighth Infantry Illinois Volunteers was organized at Camp Butler, Illinois in the month of September 1861, by Colonel Isham N. Haynie. The Regiment left Camp Butler, for Cairo, November 11, 1861, nine hundred strong, and, after its arrival, constructed barracks for winter quarters. {It} was the first Federal regiment that formed a line of battle in Tennessee at Fort Henry in February 1862. The ensuing battle with repeated charges, one retreat, then victory, cost the regimen 40 killed and wounded. They then moved with Gen. McClernand's Division to Savannah and Pittsburgh Landing. On April 6 and 7, bearing their full part in the battle of Shiloh, half the unit was lost, killed or wounded. Next was the siege of Corinth, then garrisoning at Bethel for about 6 months. Haynie was promoted to Brig. General and the unit was assigned to the Sixteenth Army Corps. They participated in the rear guard operations at the siege of Vicksburg, then moved with General Sherman to Jackson, Mississippi. In the siege and charge, they lost another 45 killed or wounded. They then traveled north to Memphis, before receiving orders to march 400 miles to Chattanooga. After the battle of Mission Ridge, they were ordered to Knoxville. Without rations, blankets or overcoats and only half with shoes, they marched 270 miles. Blankets, jackets and trousers were used to protect their feet from the sharp rocks and snow. They then moved to Scottsboro, Alabama, barely recovered; there 90% re-enlisted as Veteran Volunteers. They were furloughed for 3 months in Illinois. Reassembling in March 1864, they moved over two months to Georgia. They participated in the siege of Atlanta in July and August of 1864 and moved with General Sherman on his "March to the Sea." They made their way up the coast to Washington, D.C., then to Virginia to Louisville, Ky. On June 25, 1865 they were moved to Little Rock, mustered out on August 15th and moved to Camp Butler, Ill. for final discharge August 21, 1865. They had marched 3,000 miles and moved 5,000 miles by water and 3,450 miles by rail."


Battles, Sieges & Other Operations
  1. Fort Henry Tennessee, February 7, 1862
  2. Fort Donelson, Tennessee, February 13 to 16, 1862
  3. Shiloh, Tennessee, April 6 and 7, 1862
  4. Siege of Corinth, Tennessee, May 1862
  5. Siege of Vicksburg, Miss., June 15 to July 4, 1863
  6. Black River, Mississippi, July 5, 1863
  7. Jackson, Mississippi, July 10 to 16, 1863
  8. Mission Ridge, Georgia, November 24 and 25, 1863
  9. Siege of Knoxville Tennessee, December 1863
  10. Resaca, Georgia, May 13 to 16, 1864
  11. Dallas Georgia, May 26 to 31, 1864
  12. New Hope Church, Georgia, June 1 to 7, 1864
  1. Kenesaw Mountain, Georgia, June 10 to July 3, 1864
  2. Sandtown, Georgia, July 5 to 12, 1864
  3. Decatur, Georgia, July 19, 1864
  4. Atlanta, Georgia, July 21, 22, 28, 1864
  5. Siege of Atlanta, Georgia, July 28 to August 26, 1864
  6. Jonesboro, Georgia, August 31, 1864
  7. Lovejoy, Georgia, September 3 and 4, 1864
  8. Fort McAllister, Georgia, December 13, 1864
  9. Siege of Savannah, Georgia, December 1864
  10. Duck Creek, South Carolina, February 3, 1865
  11. South Edisto River, South Carolina, February 9, 1865
  12. Columbia, South Carolina, February 15 and 16, 1865
  13. Bentonville, North Carolina, March 20, 1865

(Paraphrased from Reece JN: Report of the Adjunct General of the State of Illinois, Vol III, Containing reports for the years 1861-65, Springfield, Phillips Bros, State Printers, 1901, pp. 490-491. This book is available from the Illinois State Archives. The book has a complete list of soldiers, now also on the web, and the full text of the Adjunct General's Report.) See this site also.

  • Other 48th websites:
  • References at Carlisle Barracks U. S. Army Military History Institute

  • Illinois Civil War Soldiers Database: Fred Delap entered the first eight volumes of the nine volume publication, Report of the Adjutant General of the State of Illinois. There are approximately 250,000 men, organized into 175 regiments.
  • For a complete list of Hardin Co. soldier in Illinois regiments, click here.
  • Hardin Co., IL GenWeb Page.
  • Illinois Civil War page at Outfitters.com, including regimental histories.
  • Links to numerous regimental histories, including those of Illinois.
  • Why is Southern Illinois called Little Egypt? Cairo (pronounced "Kay-row" in Illinois), of course, is in Little Egypt.

  • Crittenden Co., KY GenWeb Page. Many soldiers came across the Ohio River to sign up in Illinois. Most Crittenden Co., KY soldiers in Illinois units were in the 48th.
  • Other Crittenden County residents stayed in Kentucky, many enlisting in the 20th Kentucky Infantry.
  • Kentucky Death Records after 1911 are available online at the University of Kentucky -- a very nice service!
  • The Western Kentucky Journal encompasses some 48th soldiers.

  • 19th Alabama Infantry Flag captured at the Battle of Ezra Chapel by Ill 48th Inf.
  • Southern Railroad map outlining the rail routes the 48th probably took. And also other Civil War maps.

    •

    Statistics of the 48th Infantry
     
    Killed
    Died
    Enlistment
    CompanyOfficersMenTotalOfficersMenTotal 
    Field & Staff31410121
    A09902626165
    B291122527157
    C0101012526151
    D17801515150
    E2101212829150
    F0101002525161
    G0161612526157
    H1181902525213
    I1151602929193
    K08802828161
    Total1011312362512571,680
    In addition, 308 men were wounded in battle.
    Thus, 7.3% were killed in battle; 22.6% killed or died; 40.9% killed, died or wounded.
    From: Ronald A. Mosocco, The Chronological Tracking of the American Civil War Per the Official Records of the War of the Rebellion, James River Pubications, Williamsburg, 1994. Order from publisher, phone: 757-220-4912 ($25.00).
    Ron is at jreb@pop.erols.com and http://www.erols.com/jreb/illinois.html
    Dedication


    These webpages are dedicated to my great-great grandfathers
    Anderson Avitts, who served the Union in this Unit &
    William Armstrong Erwin, Texas Volunteers, CSA

    And their wives fathers
    Uriah S. Burklow, 20th Kentucky Infantry &

    Samuel Stinnett, Texas Volunteers CSA who, tormented,
    deserted to join Union Forces.

    They were a microcosm of the struggle that defined our great Nation