The 51st Regiment 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 ...
that served 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 51st Illinois Infantry was organized at
Chicago, Illinois
Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...
and mustered into Federal service on December 24, 1861.
The regiment was mustered out on September 25, 1865.
Total strength and casualties
The regiment suffered 9 officers and 106 enlisted men who were killed in action or mortally wounded and 1 officer and 134 enlisted men who died of disease, for a total of 250 fatalities.
Commanders
*
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 ...
Gilbert W. Cumming - resigned on September 30, 1862.
*Colonel
Luther P. Bradley
Luther Prentice Bradley (December 8, 1822 – March 13, 1910) was an American soldier who served as a Union Army, Union general officer during the American Civil War.
Early life
Bradley was born in New Haven, Connecticut on December 8, 1822. ...
- promoted brigadier general on July 30, 1864.
*Lieutenant Colonel Charles W. Davis - discharged June 30, 1865.
*Lieutenant Colonel James S. Boyd - mustered out with the regiment.
[http://www.rootsweb.com/~ilcivilw/f&s/051-fs.htm Illinois in the Civil War website after Illinois Adjutant General's muster rolls]
See also
*
List of Illinois Civil War Units
Infantry units
In recognition of Illinois’ six regiments' service in the Mexican War, regimental numbers for infantry in the Civil War began at seven.
* 7th Illinois Infantry Regiment
* 8th Illinois Infantry Regiment
* 9th Illinois Infantr ...
*
Illinois in the American Civil War
During the American Civil War, the state of Illinois was a major source of troops for the Union Army (particularly for those armies serving in the Western Theater of the Civil War), and of military supplies, food, and clothing. Situated near ma ...
51st Illinois Infantry: Letters, Diaries, History
Notes
References
Units and formations of the Union army from Illinois
1861 establishments in Illinois
Military units and formations established in 1861
Military units and formations disestablished in 1865
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