123rd Illinois Volunteer Infantry Regiment
Encyclopedia
The 123rd Illinois Volunteer Infantry Regiment was an infantry
regiment that served in the Union Army
during the American Civil War
. In 1863 and 1864 it was temporarily known as the Mounted Infantry, 123rd Regiment.
, Coles County, Illinois
by Colonel James Monroe, who at the time was major of the 7th Illinois Infantry
. Companies A, C, D, H, I and K were from Coles County; B from Cumberland; E from Clark; F and G from Clark and Crawford. As a colonel in 1861, Ulysses S. Grant
organized his first command, the 21st Illinois Volunteer Infantry Regiment
, in Mattoon.
It was mustered into service on September 6, 1862, with James Monroe as Colonel, Jonathan Biggs, of Westfield, Clark County, as Lieutenant Colonel, and James A. Connolly, of Charleston, Illinois
, as Major. On the 19th of September 1862, the Regiment was loaded into freight cars at Mattoon, and transported to Louisville, Kentucky
, where it was at once put to work, under Major General William "Bull" Nelson, to fortify the city against Confederate General Braxton Bragg
, who was then advancing on it in pursuit of Union General Don Carlos Buell
.
On October 1, having been assigned to the Thirty-third Brigade (General William R. Terrill
), Fourth Division (General James S. Jackson
), in McCook's Corps
, the regiment started on the march under Buell, southward through Kentucky, after Bragg, who had turned back, and up to this time the regiment never had battalion drill, and hardly an attempt at company drill, as all the officers, except the colonel, were "raw recruits".
Just 19 days after leaving Mattoon, the regiment engaged in the Battle of Perryville
, where 36 men were killed in action and 180 wounded. Generals Terrill and Jackson were both killed immediately behind and within twenty feet of the line of the regiment. Among the wounded were Captain Coblentz of Company E, First Lieutenant S. M. Shepard of Company A and Adjutant L.H. Haslin. Following the devastating bloodshed the 123rd was assigned to protect the railroad bridge across the Green River at Munfordville, Kentucky
in November and December 1862. It has become known as the "Battle for the Bridge," which began when the Union garrison led by John T. Wilder
, prior to his assuming command of the 123rd, surrendered during the Battle of Munfordville
.
The 123rd was initially assigned to the Army of the Ohio
from September 1862 to November 1862, and then to the Army of the Cumberland
from November 1862 to June 1865. The commanding general of the Army of the Cumberland was William Rosecrans
. The regiment was in the 1st Brigade with Colonel Albert S. Hall, which was part of the Fifth Division commanded by Brigadier General Joseph J. Reynolds
, reporting to Major General George Henry Thomas
. Later, for a time, the 123rd Illinois Infantry Regiment was attached to the mounted unit known as the "Wilder Lightning Brigade" commanded by Wilder
. It was assigned to the 1st Brigade, 4th Division, 14th Army Corps.
The regiment was mounted from May 1863 to November 1864. Spencer carbines
, invented by Christopher Spencer, were introduced at this time. In combat, the carbines, shorter and lighter than the rifle version, were first used in the Battle of Hoover's Gap
.
During the Battle of Selma
, First Lieutenant O. J. McManus, Sergeants J. S. Mullen and Henry E. Cross, Corporal McMurry and Privates Daniel Cook, John Bowman, Marion White and Henry Woodruff were killed, with 50 wounded, including Lieutenant Colonel Biggs, Adjutant L. B. Bane, Captains W. E. Adams and Owen Wiley, Lieutenants Alex. McNutt and J. R. Harding.
Late in the war, the regiment pursued Confederate General John Bell Hood
. The unit was instrumental in the capture of former Confederate capital Montgomery, Alabama
.
In June 1865 new recruits and some veterans were transferred to the 61st Regiment
as the 123rd prepared to disband. Those who remained were mustered out June 27, 1865 by Captain L. M. Hosea and formally discharged at Springfield, Illinois
on July 11, 1865.
Brigadier General of Volunteers James S. Jackson
: October 1, 1862 - October 8, 1862 (killed at the Battle of Perryville)
Brigadier General of Volunteers William R. Terrill
: September 9, 1862 - October 8, 1862 (killed at the Battle of Perryville)
Lt. Colonel James A. Connolly
Captain Oscar R. Bane
Colonel John T. Wilder
: May 6, 1863 - November 1864 (resignation)
Brigadier General Kenner Garrard
: May 20, 1864 - October 28, 1864
Major General James H. Wilson
: October 28, 1864 - June 27, 1865
Thomas Lawrence Connelly. Autumn of Glory: The Army of Tennessee, 1862-1865. LSU Press. ISBN 0-8071-2738-8
Infantry
Infantrymen are soldiers who are specifically trained for the role of fighting on foot to engage the enemy face to face and have historically borne the brunt of the casualties of combat in wars. As the oldest branch of combat arms, they are the backbone of armies...
regiment 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...
. In 1863 and 1864 it was temporarily known as the Mounted Infantry, 123rd Regiment.
Background
This regiment was organized at Camp Terry, MattoonMattoon, Illinois
Mattoon is a city in Coles County, Illinois, United States. The population was 18,555 as of the 2010 census. It is a principal city of the Charleston–Mattoon Micropolitan Statistical Area.Mattoon was the site of the "Mad Gasser" attacks of the 1940s....
, Coles County, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
by Colonel James Monroe, who at the time was major of the 7th Illinois Infantry
7th Illinois Volunteer Regiment
The 7th Regiment Illinois Volunteer Infantry was an infantry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War.-Service:...
. Companies A, C, D, H, I and K were from Coles County; B from Cumberland; E from Clark; F and G from Clark and Crawford. As a colonel in 1861, Ulysses S. Grant
Ulysses S. Grant
Ulysses S. Grant was the 18th President of the United States as well as military commander during the Civil War and post-war Reconstruction periods. Under Grant's command, the Union Army defeated the Confederate military and ended the Confederate States of America...
organized his first command, the 21st Illinois Volunteer Infantry Regiment
21st Illinois Volunteer Infantry Regiment
The 21st Regiment Illinois Volunteer Infantry was a militia infantry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War.-Service:...
, in Mattoon.
It was mustered into service on September 6, 1862, with James Monroe as Colonel, Jonathan Biggs, of Westfield, Clark County, as Lieutenant Colonel, and James A. Connolly, of Charleston, Illinois
Charleston, Illinois
Charleston is a city in and the county seat of Coles County, Illinois, United States. The population was 21,838 as of the 2010 census. The city is home to Eastern Illinois University and has close ties with its neighbor Mattoon, Illinois...
, as Major. On the 19th of September 1862, the Regiment was loaded into freight cars at Mattoon, and transported to Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kentucky, and the county seat of Jefferson County. Since 2003, the city's borders have been coterminous with those of the county because of a city-county merger. The city's population at the 2010 census was 741,096...
, where it was at once put to work, under Major General William "Bull" Nelson, to fortify the city against Confederate General Braxton Bragg
Braxton Bragg
Braxton Bragg was a career United States Army officer, and then a general in the Confederate States Army—a principal commander in the Western Theater of the American Civil War and later the military adviser to Confederate President Jefferson Davis.Bragg, a native of North Carolina, was...
, who was then advancing on it in pursuit of Union General Don Carlos Buell
Don Carlos Buell
Don Carlos Buell was a career United States Army officer who fought in the Seminole War, the Mexican-American War, and the American Civil War. Buell led Union armies in two great Civil War battles—Shiloh and Perryville. The nation was angry at his failure to defeat the outnumbered...
.
On October 1, having been assigned to the Thirty-third Brigade (General William R. Terrill
William R. Terrill
William Rufus Terrill was a United States Army soldier and general who was killed in action at the Battle of Perryville during the American Civil War...
), Fourth Division (General James S. Jackson
James S. Jackson
James Streshly Jackson was a U.S. Representative from Kentucky and a brigadier general in the Union Army during the American Civil War.-Biography:...
), in McCook's Corps
Alexander McDowell McCook
Alexander McDowell McCook was a career United States Army officer and a Union general in the American Civil War.-Early life:...
, the regiment started on the march under Buell, southward through Kentucky, after Bragg, who had turned back, and up to this time the regiment never had battalion drill, and hardly an attempt at company drill, as all the officers, except the colonel, were "raw recruits".
Just 19 days after leaving Mattoon, the regiment engaged in the Battle of Perryville
Battle of Perryville
The Battle of Perryville, also known as the Battle of Chaplin Hills, was fought on October 8, 1862, in the Chaplin Hills west of Perryville, Kentucky, as the culmination of the Confederate Heartland Offensive during the American Civil War. Confederate Gen. Braxton Bragg's Army of Mississippi won a...
, where 36 men were killed in action and 180 wounded. Generals Terrill and Jackson were both killed immediately behind and within twenty feet of the line of the regiment. Among the wounded were Captain Coblentz of Company E, First Lieutenant S. M. Shepard of Company A and Adjutant L.H. Haslin. Following the devastating bloodshed the 123rd was assigned to protect the railroad bridge across the Green River at Munfordville, Kentucky
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
in November and December 1862. It has become known as the "Battle for the Bridge," which began when the Union garrison led by John T. Wilder
John T. Wilder
John Thomas Wilder was an officer in the Union Army during the American Civil War. As an industrialist, he was instrumental in developing the natural resources of the State of Tennessee.-Early life and career:...
, prior to his assuming command of the 123rd, surrendered during the Battle of Munfordville
Battle of Munfordville
The Battle of Munfordville was an engagement in Kentucky during the American Civil War. Victory there allowed the Confederates to temporarily strengthen their hold on the region and impair Union supply lines....
.
The 123rd was initially assigned to the Army of the Ohio
Army of the Ohio
The Army of the Ohio was the name of two Union armies in the American Civil War. The first army became the Army of the Cumberland and the second army was created in 1863.-History:...
from September 1862 to November 1862, and then to the Army of the Cumberland
Army of the Cumberland
The Army of the Cumberland was one of the principal Union armies in the Western Theater during the American Civil War. It was originally known as the Army of the Ohio.-History:...
from November 1862 to June 1865. The commanding general of the Army of the Cumberland was William Rosecrans
William Rosecrans
William Starke Rosecrans was an inventor, coal-oil company executive, diplomat, politician, and United States Army officer. He gained fame for his role as a Union general during the American Civil War...
. The regiment was in the 1st Brigade with Colonel Albert S. Hall, which was part of the Fifth Division commanded by Brigadier General Joseph J. Reynolds
Joseph J. Reynolds
Joseph Jones Reynolds was an American engineer, educator, and military officer who fought in the American Civil War and the postbellum Indian Wars.-Early life and career:Reynolds was born in Flemingsburg, Kentucky...
, reporting to Major General George Henry Thomas
George Henry Thomas
George Henry Thomas was a career United States Army officer and a Union General during the American Civil War, one of the principal commanders in the Western Theater....
. Later, for a time, the 123rd Illinois Infantry Regiment was attached to the mounted unit known as the "Wilder Lightning Brigade" commanded by Wilder
John T. Wilder
John Thomas Wilder was an officer in the Union Army during the American Civil War. As an industrialist, he was instrumental in developing the natural resources of the State of Tennessee.-Early life and career:...
. It was assigned to the 1st Brigade, 4th Division, 14th Army Corps.
The regiment was mounted from May 1863 to November 1864. Spencer carbines
Spencer repeating rifle
The Spencer repeating rifle was a manually operated lever-action, repeating rifle fed from a tube magazine with cartridges. It was adopted by the Union Army, especially by the cavalry, during the American Civil War, but did not replace the standard issue muzzle-loading rifled muskets in use at the...
, invented by Christopher Spencer, were introduced at this time. In combat, the carbines, shorter and lighter than the rifle version, were first used in the Battle of Hoover's Gap
Battle of Hoover's Gap
The Battle of Hoover's Gap was the principal battle fought in the Tullahoma Campaign of the American Civil War.-Background:...
.
Battle of Selma
The Battle of Selma was a military engagement near the end of the American Civil War. It was fought in Selma, Alabama, on April 2, 1865. Union Army forces under Major General James H...
, First Lieutenant O. J. McManus, Sergeants J. S. Mullen and Henry E. Cross, Corporal McMurry and Privates Daniel Cook, John Bowman, Marion White and Henry Woodruff were killed, with 50 wounded, including Lieutenant Colonel Biggs, Adjutant L. B. Bane, Captains W. E. Adams and Owen Wiley, Lieutenants Alex. McNutt and J. R. Harding.
Late in the war, the regiment pursued Confederate General John Bell Hood
John Bell Hood
John Bell Hood was a Confederate general during the American Civil War. Hood had a reputation for bravery and aggressiveness that sometimes bordered on recklessness...
. The unit was instrumental in the capture of former Confederate capital Montgomery, Alabama
Montgomery, Alabama
Montgomery is the capital of the U.S. state of Alabama, and is the county seat of Montgomery County. It is located on the Alabama River southeast of the center of the state, in the Gulf Coastal Plain. As of the 2010 census, Montgomery had a population of 205,764 making it the second-largest city...
.
In June 1865 new recruits and some veterans were transferred to the 61st Regiment
61st Illinois Volunteer Infantry Regiment
The 61st Regiment Illinois Volunteer Infantry was an infantry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War.-Service:The 61st Illinois Infantry was originally organized at Carrollton, Illinois and mustered into Federal service on February 5, 1862.The regiment was mustered out...
as the 123rd prepared to disband. Those who remained were mustered out June 27, 1865 by Captain L. M. Hosea and formally discharged at Springfield, Illinois
Springfield, Illinois
Springfield is the third and current capital of the US state of Illinois and the county seat of Sangamon County with a population of 117,400 , making it the sixth most populated city in the state and the second most populated Illinois city outside of the Chicago Metropolitan Area...
on July 11, 1865.
Total strength and casualties
The regiment lost during service three officers and 82 enlisted men killed and mortally wounded and one officer and 133 enlisted men by disease for a total of 219.Commanders
Colonel James Monroe: September 6, 1862 - October 7, 1863 (killed at the Battle of Farmington)Brigadier General of Volunteers James S. Jackson
James S. Jackson
James Streshly Jackson was a U.S. Representative from Kentucky and a brigadier general in the Union Army during the American Civil War.-Biography:...
: October 1, 1862 - October 8, 1862 (killed at the Battle of Perryville)
Brigadier General of Volunteers William R. Terrill
William R. Terrill
William Rufus Terrill was a United States Army soldier and general who was killed in action at the Battle of Perryville during the American Civil War...
: September 9, 1862 - October 8, 1862 (killed at the Battle of Perryville)
Lt. Colonel James A. Connolly
James A. Connolly
James Austin Connolly was a U.S. Representative from Illinois.Born in Newark, New Jersey, Connolly moved to Chesterville, Ohio, with his parents in 1850.He attended the common schools and Selby Academy, Chesterville, Ohio....
Captain Oscar R. Bane
Colonel John T. Wilder
John T. Wilder
John Thomas Wilder was an officer in the Union Army during the American Civil War. As an industrialist, he was instrumental in developing the natural resources of the State of Tennessee.-Early life and career:...
: May 6, 1863 - November 1864 (resignation)
Brigadier General Kenner Garrard
Kenner Garrard
Kenner Garrard was a brigadier general in the Union Army during the American Civil War. A member of one of Ohio's most prominent military families, he performed well at the Battle of Gettysburg, and then led a cavalry division in the army of Major General William T. Sherman during the Atlanta...
: May 20, 1864 - October 28, 1864
Major General James H. Wilson
James H. Wilson
James Harrison Wilson was a United States Army topographic engineer, a Union Army Major General in the American Civil War and later wars, a railroad executive, and author.-Early life and engineering:...
: October 28, 1864 - June 27, 1865
Sources
James Austin Connolly (Major, 123rd Illinois), Three Years in the Army of the Cumberland: The Letters and Diary of Major James A. Connolly, ed. Paul M. Angle (1928; reprint, Indiana University Press, 1996), ISBN 978-0-253-21073-9.Thomas Lawrence Connelly. Autumn of Glory: The Army of Tennessee, 1862-1865. LSU Press. ISBN 0-8071-2738-8