The 117th Illinois Volunteer Infantry was an

infantry Infantry, or infantryman are a type of soldier who specialize in ground combat, typically fighting dismounted. Historically the term was used to describe foot soldiers, i.e. those who march and fight on foot. In modern usage, the term broadl ...

regiment A regiment is a military unit. Its role and size varies markedly, depending on the country, military service, service, or administrative corps, specialisation. In Middle Ages, Medieval Europe, the term "regiment" denoted any large body of l ...

in the Union Army during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

Service

The 117th Illinois Infantry was organized at

Camp Butler Marine Corps Base Camp Smedley D. Butler (or simply Butler Marine Base) is a United States Marine Corps base located in the Japanese Prefecture#Japanese sense of prefecture, prefecture of Okinawa Prefecture, Okinawa. It was named after Marine Co ...

in Springfield,

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...

and mustered in for three years service on September 19, 1862 under the command of

Colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...

Risdon M. Moore. The regiment was attached to Reserve Brigade, District of Memphis, Tennessee, XIII Corps,

Department 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 ...

, to January 1863. District of Memphis, XVI Corps, to March 1863. 1st Brigade, 5th Division, District of Memphis, XVI Corps, to January 1864. 3rd Brigade, 3rd Division, XVI Corps, to December 1864. 3rd Brigade, 2nd Division, Detachment Army of the Tennessee,

Department 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 The origin of the Army of the Cumberland dates back to the creation ...

, to February 1865. 2nd Brigade, 2nd Division, XVI Corps, Military Division West Mississippi, to August 1865. The 117th Illinois Infantry mustered out of service August 5, 1865.

Detailed service

Moved to Memphis, Tennessee, November 11–17, 1862. Duty at Memphis, until July 5, 1863. Affairs near Memphis June 17–18, 1863 (detachment). Moved to Helena, Arkansas, July 5, and returned to Memphis. Duty there until December 29, 1863. Expedition after Forrest December 24–31. 1863 (detachment). Grierson's Bridge and near Moscow and Lafayette December 27. Ordered to Vicksburg, Mississippi. Meridian Campaign February 3-March 2, 1864. Clinton February 5. Meridian February 9–13. Red River Campaign March 10-May 22. Fort DeRussy March 14. Occupation of Alexandria March 16. Battle of Pleasant Hill April 9. About Cloutiersville April 22–24. At Alexandria April 26-May 13. Governor Moore's Plantation and Bayou Roberts May 3–7 and 11. Retreat to Morganza May 13–20. Mensurn May 16. Yellow Bayou May 18. Moved to Vicksburg, Mississippi; then to Memphis, Tennessee, May 21-June 10. Action at Lake Chicot, Arkansas, June 6. March to relief of Gen. Sturgis June 14–16. Near Lafayette June 23.

Smith's Expedition to Tupelo The Smith's Expedition to Tupelo (July 5, 1864 – July 21, 1864) was a campaign conducted by the Union Army in north Mississippi during the Civil War. The offensive was designed to ensure the safety of Sherman's supply lines during the Atla ...

, Mississippi, July 5–21. Camargo's Cross Roads, near Harrisburg, July 13. Harrisburg, near Tupelo, July 14–15. Old Town (or Tishamingo) Creek July 15. Smith's Expedition to Oxford, Mississippi, August 1–30. Hurricane Creek August 13–14. Abbeville August 23. Moved to Jefferson Barracks, Missouri, and in pursuit of Price through Missouri September to November. Action at Franklin, Missouri, October 1. Moved from St. Louis to Nashville, Tennessee, November 21-December 1. Battle of Nashville December 15–16. Pursuit of Hood to the Tennessee River December 17–28. Moved to Clifton, Tennessee, and Eastport, Mississippi, and duty there until February 1865. Moved to New Orleans, Louisiana, February 6–17. Campaign against Mobile and its defenses March 17-April 12. Siege of Spanish Fort and Fort Blakely March 26-April 8. Assault and capture of Fort Blakely April 9. Occupation of Mobile April 12. March to Montgomery April 13–25, and duty there until August.

Casualties

The regiment lost a total of 130 men during service—11 enlisted men killed or mortally wounded, 4 officers and 115 enlisted men died of disease.

Commanders

* Colonel Risdon M. Moore * Lieutenant Colonel Jonathan Merriam - commanded at the Battle of Nashville

Notable members

* 1st Lieutenant

Daniel Kerr Daniel Alan Kerr (born 16 May 1983) is a former Australian rules footballer who played for the West Coast Eagles in the Australian Football League (AFL). He played 220 games for the club between 2001 and 2013, as a hard-running inside midfield ...

, Company G -

U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Article One of th ...

from

Iowa Iowa ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the upper Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west; Wisconsin to the northeast, Ill ...

, 1887-1891

References

* Dyer, Frederick H. ''A Compendium of the War of the Rebellion'' (Des Moines, IA: Dyer Pub. Co.), 1908. * Gerling, Edwin G. ''The One Hundred Seventeenth Illinois Infantry Volunteers (The McKendree Regiment): 1862-1865'' (Highland, IL: E. G. Gerling), 1992. * Hucke, Louis. ''The Civil War Diary of Louis Huch/Hucke: A Private in the 117th Regiment of the Illinois Infantry, Capt. Robert A. Halbert, February 1864 to July 1865'' (Columbia, IL: Monroe County Genealogical Society), 2001. ;Attribution * {{CWR

External links

Civil War Stories: First Person Accounts
Features transcriptions of letters written by Adolphus Wolf and Otto Wolf, brothers who both served with Company F, written to their parents and siblings. Military units and formations established in 1862 Military units and formations disestablished in 1865 Units and formations of the Union army from Illinois