11th Regiment Illinois Volunteer Cavalry
Encyclopedia
The 11th Regiment Illinois Volunteer Cavalry was a cavalry
regiment
that served in the Union Army
during the American Civil War
. The regiment was raised by orator Robert Green Ingersoll who became its first colonel and Basile D. Weeks.
on December 20, 1861.
The regiment was mustered out on September 30, 1865.
Cavalry
Cavalry or horsemen were soldiers or warriors who fought mounted on horseback. Cavalry were historically the third oldest and the most mobile of the combat arms...
regiment
Regiment
A regiment is a major tactical military unit, composed of variable numbers of batteries, squadrons or battalions, commanded by a colonel or lieutenant colonel...
that served in the Union Army
Union Army
The Union Army was the land force that fought for the Union during the American Civil War. It was also known as the Federal Army, the U.S. Army, the Northern Army and the National Army...
during the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
. The regiment was raised by orator Robert Green Ingersoll who became its first colonel and Basile D. Weeks.
Service
The 11th Illinois Cavalry was mustered into service at Peoria, IllinoisPeoria, Illinois
Peoria is the largest city on the Illinois River and the county seat of Peoria County, Illinois, in the United States. It is named after the Peoria tribe. As of the 2010 census, the city was the seventh-most populated in Illinois, with a population of 115,007, and is the third-most populated...
on December 20, 1861.
The regiment was mustered out on September 30, 1865.
Total strength and casualties
The regiment suffered 2 officers and 32 enlisted men who were killed in action or who died of their wounds and 8 officers and 237 enlisted men who died of disease, for a total of 279 fatalities.Commanders
- Colonel Robert Green Ingersoll - resigned June 30, 1863 after his capture on December 18, 1862 at the Battle of Lexington, Tennessee and subsequent parole.
- Colonel Lucien H. Kerr - mustered out December 19, 1864.
- Colonel Otto Funke - mustered out with the regiment.