24th Illinois Volunteer Infantry Regiment
Encyclopedia
The 24th Regiment Illinois Volunteer Infantry, also known as the 1st Hecker Jaeger
Regiment, was an infantry
regiment
that served in the Union Army
during the American Civil War
. It was made up almost exclusively of German and Hungarian immigrants. It was the first unit mobilised for the war in Chicago
, and was composed of many Forty-Eighters
, veterans of the revolutions of 1848
in Germany
and the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
The 24th Illinois Infantry was organized at Chicago, Illinois and mustered into Federal service on July 8, 1861.
The regiment was mustered out on August 6, 1864.
Jäger (military)
Jäger is a term that was adopted in the Enlightenment era in German-speaking states and others influenced by German military practice to describe a kind of light infantry, and it has continued in that use since then....
Regiment, was an infantry
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
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...
. It was made up almost exclusively of German and Hungarian immigrants. It was the first unit mobilised for the war in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, and was composed of many Forty-Eighters
Forty-Eighters
The Forty-Eighters were Europeans who participated in or supported the revolutions of 1848 that swept Europe. In Germany, the Forty-Eighters favored unification of the German people, a more democratic government, and guarantees of human rights...
, veterans of the revolutions of 1848
Revolutions of 1848
The European Revolutions of 1848, known in some countries as the Spring of Nations, Springtime of the Peoples or the Year of Revolution, were a series of political upheavals throughout Europe in 1848. It was the first Europe-wide collapse of traditional authority, but within a year reactionary...
in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
and the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
Service
The regiment was mustered out on August 6, 1864.
Battles and campaigns they participated in
- Battle of PerryvilleBattle of PerryvilleThe 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...
, October 8, 1862 - Battle of Stones RiverBattle of Stones RiverThe Battle of Stones River or Second Battle of Murfreesboro , was fought from December 31, 1862, to January 2, 1863, in Middle Tennessee, as the culmination of the Stones River Campaign in the Western Theater of the American Civil War...
, December 31, 1862 - January 2, 1863 - Battle of ChickamaugaBattle of ChickamaugaThe Battle of Chickamauga, fought September 19–20, 1863, marked the end of a Union offensive in southeastern Tennessee and northwestern Georgia called the Chickamauga Campaign...
, September 18–20, 1863 - Tullahoma CampaignTullahoma CampaignThe Tullahoma Campaign or Middle Tennessee Campaign was fought between June 24 and July 3, 1863, during the American Civil War. The Union Army of the Cumberland, commanded by Maj. Gen. William S...
Total strength and casualties
The regiment suffered 3 officers and 86 enlisted men who were killed in action or who died of their wounds and 2 officers and 82 enlisted men who died of disease, for a total of 173 fatalities.Prominent personnel
- ColonelColonelColonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
Frederick Hecker - resigned on December 23, 1861. - Colonel Goza Mihalotzy - killed on March 11, 1864.
- Colonel Emil FreyEmil FreyEmil Johann Rudolf Frey was a Swiss politician, soldier in the American Civil War and member of the Swiss Federal Council .-Early life:...