The 109th Illinois Volunteer Infantry Regiment was a unit created during the call for 300,000 volunteers during the summer and fall of 1862.

Service

The regiment was formed of men from

Union County, Illinois Union County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2020 United States census, it had a population of 17,244. Its county seat is Jonesboro. It is located in the southern portion of Illinois known locally as " Litt ...

Alexander County, Illinois Alexander County is the southernmost county in the U.S. state of Illinois. As of the 2020 census, the population was 5,240. Its county seat is Cairo and its western boundary is formed by the Mississippi River. Alexander County is part of the ...

Jackson County, Illinois Jackson County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois with a population of 52,974 at the 2020 census, the county is located 98 miles southeast of St. Louis. Its county seat is Murphysboro, and its most populous city is Carbondale ...

Johnson County, Illinois Johnson County is a County (United States), county in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it has a population of 13,308. Its county seat is Vienna, Illinois, Vienna. It is located in the southern ...

, and

Pulaski County, Illinois Pulaski County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2020 census, it had a population of 5,193. Its county seat is Mound City. Its largest city is Mounds. It is located along the Ohio River in the southwestern po ...

. The men were organized at Camp Anna near

Anna, Illinois Anna is the largest city and retail trade center in Union County, Illinois, United States. Located in Southern Illinois, its population was 4,303 at the 2020 United States census, a decline from 5,135 in 2000. It is known for being tied to its cl ...

and were mustered into service on September 11, 1862. From the beginning the regiment suffered from low

morale Morale ( , ) is the capacity of a group's members to maintain belief in an institution or goal, particularly in the face of opposition or hardship. Morale is often referenced by authority figures as a generic value judgment of the willpower, ...

, which was exacerbated by being issued "inferior" weapons. The regiment remained in Anna until October 20, when it was ordered to

Cairo, Illinois Cairo ( , sometimes ) is the southernmost city in the U.S. state of Illinois and the county seat of Alexander County, Illinois, Alexander County. A river city, Cairo has the lowest elevation of any location in Illinois and is the only Illinoi ...

and then to

Columbus, Kentucky Columbus is a home rule-class city in Hickman County, Kentucky, in the United States. The population was 140 at the 2020 census, a decline from 229 in 2000. The city lies at the western end of the state, less than a mile from the Mississippi ...

. It joined the

Army of the Tennessee The Army of the Tennessee was a Union Army, Union army in the Western Theater of the American Civil War, named for the Tennessee River. A 2005 study of the army states that it "was present at most of the great battles that became turning points ...

commanded by Major General

Ulysses S. Grant Ulysses S. Grant (born Hiram Ulysses Grant; April 27, 1822July 23, 1885) was the 18th president of the United States, serving from 1869 to 1877. In 1865, as Commanding General of the United States Army, commanding general, Grant led the Uni ...

and spent most of the fall guarding railroads and supplies around in west Tennessee. Due to poor organization and the dismal state of their weapons they were deemed unfit for combat and spent most of the rest of the winter at

Holly Springs, Mississippi Holly Springs is a city in and the county seat of Marshall County, Mississippi, Marshall County, Mississippi, United States, near the border with Tennessee to the north. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 6,96 ...

and

Memphis, Tennessee Memphis is a city in Shelby County, Tennessee, United States, and its county seat. Situated along the Mississippi River, it had a population of 633,104 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of municipalities in Tenne ...

. Traveling with the rest of the

down the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the main stem, primary river of the largest drainage basin in the United States. It is the second-longest river in the United States, behind only the Missouri River, Missouri. From its traditional source of Lake Ita ...

in preparation for the assault on Vicksburg. Morale continued to plunge while the 109th was at Lake Providence, Louisiana and the number of deserters climbed to 237. High command decided that the regiment would be better if it was disbanded and broken up. Most of the officers were sent home or to other commands, and the remaining men were transferred to the

11th Illinois Volunteer Infantry Regiment The 11th Regiment Illinois Volunteer Infantry was an infantry regiment from Illinois that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. In April 1861, it was formed as a three-month volunteer unit, and in July 1861 it was reorganized ...

Casualties

During the short-term of service for the 109th Illinois, they never saw combat and lost 2 officers and 92 men died by disease. These losses were augmented by the desertion of at least 237 men.

References

{{Reflist Military units and formations established in 1862 Military units and formations disestablished in 1863 Units and formations of the Union army from Illinois 1862 establishments in Illinois

Service

Casualties

See also

References