McHenry County, Illinois - Chapter 5: Mchenry County in the Rebellion, 1885

Chapter 5: Mchenry County in the Rebellion

The Firing Upon Sumter. - The President's Call for Troops. - Governor Yates's Proclamation. - The State's Prompt Response. - Popular Sentiment in McHenrt County - Meeting of the Board of Supervisors. - Proceedings. - History of Fifteenth Regiment. - Twenty-third Regiment. - Thirty-sixth Regiment. - Ninety-fifth Regiment. - One Hundred and Forty-first Regiment. - One Hundred and Fifty-third Regiment. - Eighth Cavalry. - Miscellaneous Organizations.

Fort Sumter was fired upon on Friday, the 12th of April, 1861. On Monday, April 15, President Lincoln issued a call for 75,000 men for three months. Illinois' quota under this call was six regiments. On the same day with the President's call Governor Yates ordered the Legislature of the State to convene on the 23d of April, 1861, to enact laws and [measures for the organization and equipment of the militia "and placing the same upon the best footing to render assistance to the General Government in preserving the Union, enforcing the laws and protecting the property and rights of the people; also the raising of such money and other means as may be required to carry out the foregoing objects," etc. The same day (April 15) General Order No.l was issued directing all commandants of brigades, regiments and companies to hold themselves in readiness for actual service; and on the 16th, General Order No. 2 provided for the immediate organization of six regiments. Thus prompt was the grand State of Illinois in attending to the call of patriotic duty.

Popular feeling was around and patriotic utterances came from the mouth of every loyal citizen of McHenry County. On the 14th of May, 1861, the Board of Supervisors of the county met in special session at Woodstock. Their proceedings are worthy of record here. The meeting was called for the purpose of making provision for the volunteers from the county and for the transaction of any other business that might demand the attention of the board. There were present Messrs. Underwood, Coon, Lansing, Barrows,

The board being called to order by the clerk, on motion of M. L. Joslyn, Esq., Cornelius Lansing, Esq., was unanimously elected Chairman of the board for the ensuing year. Colonel Lansing, on taking the chair, said :

" Gentlemen: Twice before I have thanked the Board of Supervisors for conferring upon me the honor of being their presiding officer. Now, I doubly thank you for the higher honor of presiding over an assembly of patriots, called together to do patriots' duty. At this time, forgetting past differences, we unite as one man in this hour of our common peril to act as becomes the momentous issues forced upon us. All that we hold sacred in the past, all that' is dear in the present, all that we have anticipated of future good, is at stake. Let us this day show our fealty to Liberty, our attachin en t to our homes and our hearthstones, by doing our whole duty in sustaining the best Government on earth. Men of McHenry! Our sons are already in the field; their parting tread still lingers in our ears; God's blessing goes with them. Of the rich treasures of their hearts' blood will they give in our behalf. Of the meaner treasures of our wealth let us with liberal hand supply their every want. When tbe news of this day's proceedings reaches the camp, let it be such that every soldier, knowing that his services are appreciated by his countrymen, will feel bis hands strengthen for the war and his fingers for the fight. It is no time to count the cost and inquire what it is worth. But it is the time to sustain, and make the welkin ring with the sentiment, ' Liberty and Union, now and forever, one and inseparable.' "

This burst of eloquence commanded tbe wrapt attention of the listeners and increased their eagerness to help the soldiers. A committee consisting of Messrs. Coon, Joslyn, Wells, Parsons, and Lamb was appointed to consider what action was expedient. The committee, after deliberation, recommended an appropriation of $9 000 out of the county treasury for war purposes; $3,000 to each of the two companies that had already volunteered for the service; %- e., $3,000, to the Woodstock company, and the same amount to the Marengo, Union and Riley company; that each company be allowed to use $1,000 of the appropriation for uniform and equipments, and that the balance be expended for the relief, maintenance and support of the families of the volunteers. The funds were to be expended under the direction of committees, one com- mittee of three for each company, to whom was entrusted the duty of finding and relieving cases of necessity. The committee also recommended the levying of a special tax of 2£ mills on each dollar of property, for war and military purposes. The report was accepted and its provisions adopted.

During the war the county issued bounty orders bearing interest at 8 and 10 per cent, to the amount of $260,000. The total expenditures for war purposes in the county was $±88,986.37. Only seven counties in the State exceeded this amount - Bureau, Cook, La Salle, Lee, McDonough, "Whiteside and "Winnebago.

During the war McHenry County furnished 2,533 men, its entire quota, less three. To the everlasting honor of the county be it said there was never any necessity for a draft among the loyal and patriotic citizens of McHenry.

A list of the different calls for troops, together with the dates of the same, is not inappropriate here, and we give it below for convenience of reference :

Fifteenth Segment

This was the first regiment from the State organized for the three years' service. Companies A, D and F were composed chiefly of McHenry County men. These were the first companies raised in McHenry County for the war. The number of volunteers was so great from all parts of the State that but comparatively a small portion of the troops raised under the call for 75,000 men for three months could be accepted. The companies above named were held as State Militia until arrangements were perfected for mustering them into the United States service. The officers of these companies were as follows:

Company A. - Captains: Lewis D. Kelly, of "Woodstock, commissioned May 6, 1861, resigned Oct. 21, 1862; Frederick W. Smith, promoted from First Lieutenant, Oct. 21, 1862, mustered out at consolidation. First Lieutenants: Daniel C. Joslyn, Woodstock, May 6, 1861, resigned Oct. 16, 1861; Lawrence H. Jones,

Company D. - Captains: Harley Wayne, Union, April 27, 1861, killed at Pittsburg Landing; Frederick A. Smith, Genoa, April 7, 1862, mustered out at consolidation. First Lieutenants: Frank S. Curtis, Marengo, April 27, 1861, resigned Sept. 12, 1861; Frederick A. Smith, Genoa, Sept. 16, 1861, promoted; Calvin H. Shapley, Harmony, April 7, 1862, resigned Sept. 3, 1862; John Waldock, Marengo, Sept. 3, 1862, mustered out at consolidation. Second Lieutenants: Fred. A. Smith, Genoa, April 27, 1861, promoted; Peter J. Labaugh, Marengo, Sept. 16, 1861, resigned April 18, 1862; John Waldock, Marengo, April 7, 1862, promoted; Michael Schoonmaker, Marengo, Sept. 3, 1862, mustered out at consolidation.

The regiment was mustered into service May 24, 1861; re-enlisted veterans at Vicksburg, 1864; under special order, dated July 1, 1864, the veterans of the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Infantry were consolidated under the name of the Veteran Battalion of the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Illinois Infantry; reorganized the Fifteenth Regiment in March, 1865; mustered out Sept. 20, 1865. The only McHenry County man who served as an officer in the Yeteran Battalion was George A. Austin, Quartermaster, afterward Quartermaster of the reorganized Fifteenth Regiment, commis- eioned Aug. 10, 1864, mustered out with the Fifteenth Regiment. Company E, Veteran Battalion of the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Infantry, afterward Company E, Fifteenth (reorganized) Regiment, contained a large number of veterans and recruits from this county. There were also a few McHenry soldiers in other companies belonging to these organizations.

The Fifteenth Infantry was organized at Freeport, with Thomas J. Turner as Colonel. Proceeding to Alton, it remained there six weeks for instruction, moving thence to St. Charles, Mo., thence by rail to Mexico, Mo., next marched to Hannibal, and thence took steamer to Jefferson Barracks. Then proceeding by rail to Rolla, Mo., it arrived in time to cover General Sigel's retreat from Wilson's Creek. Then proceeding to Tipton, Mo., it joined to General Fremont's army. It next marched to Springfield, Mo., thence back to Tipton, and then to Sedalia, with General Pope- Near Sedalia it assisted in capturing 1,300 of the enemy. Dec. 26, 1861, the regiment went into winter quarters at Otterville, Mo., where it remained until Feb. 1, 1862. Then marching to Jefferson City, it embarked for St. Louis by rail, and thence, by transports, to Fort Donelson, where it arrived on the day of the surrender. The' regiment was then assigned to the Fourth Division, commanded by General Hurlbut, and marched to Fort Henry. Then embarking on transports, it reached Pittsburg Landing, where it participated in the battles of April 6 and 7, 1862, losing in killed and wounded 252 men. The regiment next marched to Corinth, took part in various skirmishes and in the siege of that town, losing several men. After Corinth was evacuated, the Fifteenth marched to Grand J unction, thence to Holly Springs and back to the Junction, thence to Lagrange, thence to Memphis, arriving there July 21, 1862, and remaining until Sept. 6. It then marched to Bolivar, thence to the Hatchie River, where it took part in the battle, losing fifty in killed and wounded. Returning to Bolivar, thence to Lagrange, it proceeded with General Grant through Mississippi to Coffee ville, returning to Lagrange and Memphis. Then proceeding to Vicksbnrg, it took an active part in the siege. After the surrender of Vicksburg, the regiment marched with Sherman to Jackson, Miss., then returned to Vicksburg and embarked for Natchez. Marching thence to Kingston, then back to Natchez, then to Harrisonburg, La., capturing Fort Beauregard, on the Washita River, and finally returning to Natchez, it remained there until Nov. 10, 1863. It next went to Vicksburg and into winter quarters. Here the regiment re-enlisted as veterans. Remaining until Feb. 1, 1864, it then moved with Sherman through Mississippi. At the Champion Hills the regiment had a severe engagement with the rebel Carney. Marching to Meridian and Enterprise, it returned to Vicksburg, and was there given a veteran furlough. After the furlough it joined the Seventeenth Army Corps, and proceeded up the Tennessee Eiver to Clifton ; thence to Huntsville, Ala. ; thence to Decatur and Rome, Ga.; thence to Kingston, and joined Sherman's army, moving on to Atlanta. At Alatoona Pass the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Infantry were consolidated in the Veteran Battalion of the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Illinois Infantry Volunteers, having 625 men. Then proceeding to Ackworth, it was assigned to the duty of guarding the Chattanooga & Atlanta Railroad. While thus engaged, as the regiment was scattered along the railroad, the rebel General Hood, marching north, struck the railroad at Big Shanty and Ackworth and captured about 300 of the command. The remainder retreated to Marietta and were mounted and acted as scouts for General Vandever. Subsequently they were transferred to General F. P. Blair, and with General Sherman marched through Georgia. After the capture of Savannah the regiment proceeded to Beauford, S. C, thence to the Salkahatchie River, participating in engagements and skirmishes in that vicinity - at Columbia, S. C, Fayetteville, N. C, and Benton ville; thence to Goldsboroand Raleigh. At the latter place sufficient recruits were received to till up both regiments, and the Fifteenth was reorganized and the battalion discontinued. The surrender of Johnson ended Sherman's campaign. The regiment then proceeded via Richmond and Fredericksburg to Washington, D. C, where it remained two weeks, participating in the grand review May 24, 1865. Then proceeding by rail and steamer to Louisville, Ky., it remained two weeks. The Fifteenth was then detached from the Fourth Division, Seventeenth Army Corps, and proceeded by steamboat to St. Louis; thence to Fort Leavenworth, Kan., where it arrived July 1, 1865. It then joined the army, serving on the plains; arrived at Fort Kearney, Aug. 14, was then ordered to return to Fort Leavenworth, Sept. 1, 1865, and was there mustered out of service and placed en route for Springfield, 111., for final pay and discharge. The regiment served four years and four months; marched 4,299 miles; went by rail 2,403 miles and by steamer 4,310; total number of miles traveled, 11,012. The number of men joining, from the

The Twenty-third Kegiment, known as the "Irish Brigade," was mustered into service June 15, 1861. In August, 1864, re-enlisted men and recruits were formed into new companies, and the consolidated organization was thenceforth known as "Battalion Tweuty-third Regiment Illinois Veteran Volunteer Infantry." Soldiers from McHenry County served in the organization, after its consolidation, in companies F, G, H and K. The officers of these companies were as follows:

Thirty-Sixth Regiment

About thirty-six men of Company A, and nearly all of Company H, of this regiment, were from McHenry County. Among the officers were: George G. Lyon, Woodstock, Chaplain, from Sept. 23, 1861, to April 1, 1862, and the following officers from McHenry County :

The Thirty-sixth was organized at Aurora, 111., and mustered into service Sept. 23, 1861. Its Colonel, at first; was Nicholas Greusel; afterward Silas Miller, who died July 27, 1864 ; then Benjamin F. Campbell. Sept. 24, 1861, the regiment proceeded by rail to Quincy, 111., and thence to St. Louis, where it was armed. On the 29th it proceeded to Kolla, and there remained until Jau. 14, 1862. Next, moving to Lebanon, it remained until Feb. 10. On the 13th it entered Springfield, and thence proceeded to Benton ville, Ark., where it took part in the fight of March 6- On the 7th the regiment was engaged at Leetown, and on the 8th at Pea Eidge. Marching thence through Missouri and Arkansas, to Batesville, Ark., it was there transferred to the Department of the Mississippi, and marched under General Asboth to Cape Girardeau, Mo. Embarking for Hamburg Landing, Tenn., on arriving there the regiment was assigned to General Pope's command. After the evacuation of Corinth the Thirty-sixth marched to Booneville and back to Rienzi, remaining until Sept. 6. It then moved to Cincinnati and Covington, and, via Indianapolis, to ouisville, where it remained until Oct. 1. It then moved with BueLl's army via Bardstown and Springfield, to Perryville, where it encountered the enemy, and lost in killed and wounded seventy-five men. Marching thence through Kentucky and Tennessee, it went into camp near Nashville. From Dec. 26, 1862, to Jan. 2, 1863, the Thirty-sixth was engaged in the battle of Stone River, and when the action ended had but 200 men left

" At daylight on the 31st the regiment was assaulted by a rebel brigade, under General Weathers, and being supported by the Eighty-eighth Illinois, Colonel Frank Sherman, on its left, they were driven back into the woods; but again and again they were rallied, every time meeting the same fate, until thirty-eight of that fine brigade were all that were left to tell where their rebel comrades had fallen. The Thirty-sixth charged them at the point of the bayonet twice in succession, driving them back. Forty-one of the poor boys lay dead on their faces on less than an acre of ground. The wounded was large; and in fact the killed and wounded were the largest in the whole division. At 8 o'clock, a.m., 31st, received notice of the death of General Sill, and the command of the brigade devolved upon me. All our brigade commanders were killed. Here it was that Herrington fell. Only half of the division, Sheridan's Third, was left. My brigade went into action 2,210 strong, and came out with 1,008 rank and file. My officers, with one exception, stood their ground. First Sergeant Orrison Smith, for bravery during the battle, maintaining his position in the company, although wounded in three places, I made a Second Lieutenant, in front of the whole regiment. My regiment is in a crippled condition. Only ten officers are left; nine wounded and taken prisoners by the enemy; one killed, and one mortally wounded."

The Thirty-sixth also bore an honorable part in the battle near Chickamauga Creek, Sept. 20 and 21, 1863. On the 19th of September, under command of Colonel Miller, the regiment marched from Pond Springs ten miles to Gordon's Mills, and at 2 p.m. went into position with one company thrown forward as skirmishers. At 5 p.m. it fell back into the timber about 200 yards and there remained until 4 o'clock the next morning, when it marched two and a quarter miles to the left and formed in the second line. At 11 a.m., after some skirmishing, it was ordered forward to the support of the center, and formed in good order on the brow of a hill, though exposed to a terrific fire, and engaged the enemy, checking his advance. Here the enemy appeared upon the left and, turning the flank, subjected the Thirty-sixth to a murderous enfilading fire, against which resistance was impossible. The regiment was ordered to fall back. General Lytle having been killed, Colonel Miller took command of the brigade, and Lieutenant-Colonel Ol8on of the regiment. Another stand was made, but the regiment was overpowered by numbers and compelled to fall back. It then marched to Rossville and encamped. On the 21st it was in position on the Chattanooga road, and on the 22d moved into Chattanooga. The regiment was mustered out Oct. 8, 1865, at New Orleans, and arrived at Camp Butler, 111., Oct. 17, 1865,. for final pay and discharge.

Ninety-Fifth Regiment

The Ninety-fifth Infantry was mainly raised in McHenry County. The number of soldiers in each of the seven companies from this county, when mustered into the service, was as follows :

Company E. - Captain: John Eddy, Sept. 4, 1862, on detached service at muster out of the regiment. First Lieutenants: Asa Farnam, Dunham, Sept. 4, 1862; Albert Gilkerson, Hampshire, Sept, 24, 1864, resigned Dec. 11, 1864. Second Lieutenants: Oscar E.Dow, Marengo, Sept. 4, 1852, resigned March 25, 1863; Thomas Gilkerson, March 25, 1863, promoted; Albert J. Alderman, Chemung, Sept. 24, 1864, mustered out Aug. 17, 1865.

The Ninety-fifth Infantry was organized at Camp Fuller, Rockford, 111., by Colonel Lawrence S. Church, in August, 1862, and mustered into service Sept. 4, 1862. Moving from camp on the 4th of November, the regiment proceeded, via Cairo and Columbus, to Jackson Tenn., and afterward to Grand Junction, Tenn., where it was assigned to McArthur's division of the Army of the Tennessee. During the winter of 1862-'3 it took part in Grant's campaign in Northern Mississippi. In the spring it moved from Memphis to Milliken's Bend. The Ninety-fifth participated in the march to Grand Gulf and all the battles between that place and the rear of Yicksburg. In the charges of May 19 and May 22 it sustained a much heavier loss than any other regiment in the division, there being twenty-five killed, 124 wounded and ten missing from the Ninety-fifth.

In March, 1864, the regiment went on the Red River Expedition under General A. J. Smith, and was engaged in the capture of Fort De Russey and in the battles of Old River, Cloutierville, Mansouri, Yellow Bayou, and all the movements of that advance and retreat, Returning to Yicksburg in May, 1864, it was soon after moved to Memphis and took part in the ill-fated expedition of General Sturgis. In the battle of Guntown, the Ninety-fifth fought with great bravery; but, like the rest of Sturgis's army, was over- powered, and retreated in confusion to Memphis. Colonel Thomas W. Humphrey was killed and the regiment was nearly destroyed on account of the large number killed, wounded and captured.

The command, after recruiting at Memphis, joined General Mower in August, moved up White River and marched from Brownsville through Arkansas to Missouri in pursuit of Price. It arrived at Benton Barracks, Mo., Nov. 1, 1864. On the 30th of November it moved to Nashville, and on the 15th and 16th of November took part in the battle of Nashville, joining in the pursuit of Hood's defeated army to the Tennessee River. Jan. 2, 1865, it moved up the- river to Eastport, and in February embarked for New Orleans, arriving Feb. 21. On the 14th of March it moved to Danphin Island, at the mouth of Mobile Bay, and on the 18th landed at Cedar Point, with Colonel Moore's brigade, and commenced the first offensive operations against Mobile. The Ninety-fifth took part in General Camby's morement from Fish River. During th siege of Spanish Fort it carried its trenches within thirty yards o the enemy's works, and was actively engaged in storming and capturing the fort, April 8, 1865. It was the first regiment to occupy what was known to the rebel line as the "Red Fort." After the fall of Mobile, the Ninety-fifth marched to Montgomery, Ala., where it arrived April 25. Thence it moved to Opelika, Ala. July 18, 1865, the regiment started for home. On the 3d of August it arrived at Yicksburg, on the 10th at St. Louis, and thence moved to Camp Butler, where it was mustered out of service, Aug. 18, 186,5. Thus ends the record, briefly sketched, of the toil and hardships, battles and movements of a noble band of gallant soldiers.

During the summer of 1864, a detachment of 100 men from the Ninety-fifth, under the charge of Major Charles B. Loop, Captain James Nish and Captain A. S. Stewart, participated in the battles of Kenesaw Mountain, Chattahoochee River, Atlanta, Jonesboro and Lovejoy Station.

The Ninety-fifth marched 1,800 miles, and moved by rail and boat 8,160 miles. Eighty -four men were killed in battle or died of wounds, and 176 died of disease. The entire number of men belonging to the regiment from first to last was 1,355.

One Hundred And Forty-First Regiment

The One Hundred and Forty-first Infantry was mustered in ;> service for 100 days, on the 16th of June, 1864, and mustered out Oct. 10, 1864. The Colonel was Stephen Bronson, of Milton.

Among the commissioned officers were the following from Mc- Henry County: Jacob D. Lansing, JMarengo, Lieutenant-Colonel; Harmon A. Buck, Marengo, Surgeon; F. W. Watson, Marengo, Second Assistant Surgeon; Charles W. Ingersoll, Marengo, First Lieutenant, Company F.

One Hundred And Forty-Second Regiment

This was another 100 days' regiment, mustered into service June 18, 1864, and mustered out Oct. 26, 1864. About twenty men from this county belonged to Company C.

One Hundred And Forty-Seventh Regiment

In Company I, of the above regiment (one year's service) there were about twenty-five men from McHenry County. The regiment was mustered into service Feb. 18, 1865, and mustered out Jan. 20, 1866. It served principally in Tennessee and Georgia.

One Hundred And Fifty-Third Regiment

The number of men from McHenry County belonging to this regiment is shown by the Adjutant-General's report to have been as follows: Company A, 17; Company B, 33; Company C, 21; Company F, 2; Company K, 85. The following commissioned officers were from this county :

The One Hundred and Fifty-third Illinois 'Infantry was organized at Camp Try, 111., by Colonel Stephen Bronson, and was mustered into the service Feb. 27, 1865, for one year. Moving by rail on the 4th of March, to Tullahoma, via Louisville and Nashville, on its arrival it reported to Major-General Milroy. The regiment was assigned to the Second Brigade, defenses of Nashville & Chattanooga Eailroad, Brevet Brigadier-General Dudley commanding. In the latter part of March Major Wilson with three companies went on a campaign into Alabama and returned. July 1 the regiment moved to Memphis, Tenn., via Nashville and Louisville, and was assigned to the command of Brevet

Major-General A. L. Chetlain. On the 15th of September, 1865, the regiment was mustered out and moved to Springfield, 111. On the 24th of September it received final pay and discharge. Colonel Bronson was made a Brevet Brigadier-General.

One Hundred And Fifty-Sixth Regiment

In the Adjutant-General's report no privates in the above regiment are credited to McHenry County, but among the commissioned officers the following names appear :

Eighth Cavalry

There were in Company G twenty- six men from McHenry County; in Company H, counting recruits and veterans, about 150; in Company I, about thirty-three; and perhaps thirty more scattered through the remaining companies of the regiment.

Colonel John F. Farnsworth, and mustered into the service Sept. 18, 1861. The regiment moved to Washington, D. O, Oct. 13, and went into camp near Alexandria, Va.,1 Dec. 17. March 10, 1862 the regiment joined the advance on Manassas, in General Sumner's division. The Eighth Cavalry remained at Warrenton until the 12th of April, driving the enemy across the Rappahaunock at four different times. Embarking at Alexandria, April 23, it landed at Shipping Point May 1. On the 4th of May it moved to "Williamsburg, and was assigned to the Light Brigade, in command of General Stoneman. The regiment was engaged during the advance of the army up the peninsula. June 6, 1862, six companies of the regiment met the advance of the enemy under Jackson at Mechanicsville, and checked it there until three o'clock, p.m., when their line was forced back to the infantry line.

The regiment performed important duty at Gaines's Mill, Dispatch Station and Malvern Hill. Covering the extreme rear of the army, it had continual skirmishes with the enemy's cavalry. While the army remained at Harrison's Landiug the Eighth performed picket duty on the James River. In the second occupation of Malvern Hill it led the advance, and with Benson's Battery, IT. S. Artillery, bore the brunt of the fight. Lieutenan Colonel Gamble of the Eighth was severely wounded. On the retreat of our army to Barrett's Ford, on the Chickahominy, the Eighth Cavalry brought up the rear.

Aug. 30, 1862, the regiment embarked at Yorktown, landed at Alexandria, Sept. 1, and immediately moved to the front. Crossing into Maryland on the 4th, it was engaged at Poolsville. A.t Monocacy Church it captured the colors of the rebel cavalry (Twelfth Virginia). At Barnesville the Eighth took twenty prisoners. The regiment was engaged at Sugar Loaf Mountain, Middletown, and South Mountain; and, at Boonesboro, captui^ed two guns, killed and wounded sixty-seven men and took 200 prisoners. The regiment was also engaged at Antietam. On Oct. 1, during a reconnoissance to Martinsburg, it had a severe fight with the enemy. Moving in advance of the Army of the Potomac, it was engaged with the enemy's cavalry at Philemonte, Uniontown, Upperville, Barbee's Cross-roads, Little Washington and Amesville, arriving at Falmouth Nov. 23, 1862. During the battle of Fredericksburg, Dec. 13, two squadrons were in the city until the evacuation. The Eighth was on picket duty on the left flank of the army, across the peninsula, and up the Rappahannock to Port

Conway. It then moved to the right flank, near Dumfries. Up to this time the army had lost twenty-seven killed, seventy-one wounded and twenty missing.

The regiment was engaged in the following actions during the campaign of 1863: Sulphur Springs, April 14; near "Warrenton, April 17; Rapidan Station, May 1; Northern Neck, May 14; Borstly Ford, June 9; Upperville, June 21; Fairville, Pa., June 30; Gettysburg, July 1; Williamsburg, Md., July 6; Boonsboro, July 8; Funktown, July 10; Falling Water, July 14; Cheater Gap, July 21; Sandy Hook, July 22; near Culpeper, Aug. 1; Brandy Station, Aug. 4; raid from Dumfries to Falmouth, Aug. 30; Culpeper and Pony Mountain, Sept, 13; Raccoon Ford, Sept. 13; Liberty Mills, Sept. 21 ; Raccoon Ford to Brandy Station, Oct. 11 ; Manassas, Oct. 15; Warrenton Junction, Oct. 30; Rexleysville, Nov. 8; Mitchell's Station, Nov. 12; Ely's Ford, Nov. 30. During the campaign the loss of the regiment was twenty-three killed, 116 wounded and thirty-seven missing. The Eighth Cavalry was mustered out of service at Benton Barracks, Mo., July 17, 1865, and ordered to Chicago for final payment and discharge.

Seventeenth Cavalry

About twenty men from this county served in Company B of the above regiment. Company G was almost wholly made up of McHenry County men. Its officers were as follows:

The Seventeenth Cavalry was organized under special authority from the War Department, issued Aug. 12, 1863, to Hon. John F. Farnsworth. The regiment was recruited and organized by Colonel John L. Beveridge. Eight companies were mustered in Jan. 22, 1864. Fdur companies were mustered in Feb. 12, 1864. The' regiment moved to St. Louis, Mo., May 3, 1864, and served continually in the Department of the Missouri, under Generals Rosecrans, Dodge and Pope. The most noteworthy actions in which

" At Independence, the Seventeenth, dismounted, was deployed on the left and in support of the Thirteenth Missouri Cavalry, when the rear-guard of the enemy was attacked and their artillery captured. This was Oct. 22, 1864. The same day, at midnight, the brigade left Independence, in the direction of Hickman's Mills, twelve miles distant, where the enemy was intercepted the next day about noon. "While the main column of the brigade, under General McNeil, attacked near the head of the rebel column, the Seventeenth, Colonel Beveridge commanding, was ordered to form a separate column, and strike the enemy on the flank, one mile or more in the rear. By a rapid movement their flank was reached, but at a moment preceding an attack, which must have been a success, peremptory orders were received to return and support the battery in front. Two days after this, the division, now under General Bleasanton's immediate orders, captured Major-General Marmaduke, Brigadier-General Cabel, ten rebel cannon, and more than a thousand prisoners, with their arms, at Mine Creek, Kan., having moved seventy miles within twenty-four hours.

" The Seventeenth, with McNeil's Brigade, was hurried forward in pursuit of the retreating foe. Three times the pursuers formed in line of battle, but only in the last case did the enemy maintain his ground. Then the rebels had chosen their ground on an open prairie, and were quietly awaiting the approach of the Union forces - a brigade, now thinned down to 1,500 men, moving up to attack 15,000! Every man of this little band could see, and was 6een by, every man of the rebel army. The Seventeenth was made the guide for the whole line, of which it was the left. After a short, sharp engagement, and an attempt by the rebels to overwhelm its right - which was prevented by the arrival of two guns which checked the rebels - an order came from General Pleasanton to charge along the whole line. After some delay the command ' forward ' was given and away went the Seventeenth boys. With only 300 men they pushed up in the face of the enemy, who moved off at their approach, while the center and right were full $. half mile in the rear. This was Oct. 25, 1864, and occurred in the vicinity of Fort Scott. The lack of forage and the rapid marching caused a loss of more than half their horses, and hundreds of miles were traversed by some of the Seventeenth on foot."

Miscellaneous

In addition to the regiments and companies already mentioned, other Illinois organizations contained men from McHenry County, though not in large numbers. Indeed, so J widely scattered were the soldiers from this county that it may be truthfully said that there was scarcely an important military campaign during all of the war in which McHenry men did not participate.

Thirty-two men whose residences are given as being in Mc Henry County served in Company I, Fifty-second Infantry, and about a dozen in Company G. This regiment was mustered into service Nov. 19, 1861, Isaac G. Wilson, Colonel, and mustered out July 12, 1865. It served in Missouri, Tennessee, Mississippi, Alabama, the Carolinas and Georgia; was in Shiloh, Corinth, and other severe battles, and in the Atlanta expedition. Jay Hamilton, of Algonquin, was Captain of Company G, Fifty-second .Regiment, from Jan. 22, 1865, until the muster out. Joseph E. Ewall, of Alden, was commissioned First Lieutenant of Company I, Sept. 13, 1861; resigned April 18, 1862.

In tl^e Sixteenth Cavalry about twenty-five men from this county served, principally in Company H. Among the officers were Hiram S. Hanchett, Woodstock, Captain, Company M, commissioned May 19, 1863, promoted Major, June 8, 1864; and First Lieutenant Henry D. Stocker, McHenry, Company M, May 19, 1863, resigned Oct. 19, 1864. The regiment was mustered into service in January and April, 1863; mustered out Aug. 19, 1865.