125th Illinois Infantry Regiment

125th Illinois Infantry Regiment File:Georgia, Kenesaw Mountain, View from - NARA - 533405.jpg 280 The regiment suffered many casualties in the Battle of Kennesaw Mountain. George N. Barnard photograph shows field works near Kennesaw. 3 September 1862 – 9 June 1865 United States United States 1863 Union Illinois Union Army Infantry Regiment Oscar Fitzalan Harmon James Weston Langley American Civil War Battle of Perryville (1862) Battle of Chickamauga (1863) Chattanooga campaign (1863) Knoxville campaign (1863) Atlanta campaign (1864) Battle of Resaca (1864) Battle of Kennesaw Mountain (1864) Battle of Peachtree Creek (1864) Battle of Jonesboro (1864) Sherman's March to the Sea (1864) Carolinas campaign (1865) Battle of Bentonville (1865)Illinois U.S. Volunteer Infantry Regiments 1861–1865 124th Illinois Infantry Regiment 126th Illinois Infantry Regiment The 125th Illinois Volunteer Infantry was an infantry regiment from Illinois that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. Soon after mustering into Federal service in September 1862, the regiment fought at Perryville. After being stationed at Nashville, Tennessee, the unit briefly fought at Chickamauga and served in the Chattanooga and Knoxville campaigns in 1863. The regiment participated in the Atlanta campaign in 1864, where it took heavy losses at Kennesaw Mountain. It also fought at Peachtree Creek and Jonesborough. At the end of 1864, it served during Sherman's March to the Sea and in 1865 the unit fought in the Carolinas campaign. The regiment participated in the Grand Review of the Armies before being mustered out of service in June 1865. Formation The 125th Illinois Infantry was organized at Danville, Illinois, and mustered in for three years service on 3 September 1862,Official Army Register 1865 390 under the command of Colonel Oscar Fitzalan Harmon of Danville. The other field officers were Lieutenant Colonel James W. Langley of Champaign and Major John B. Lee of Catlin. Other members of the regimental staff were Adjutant William Mann of Danville, Quartermaster Alexander M. Ayers of Urbana, Surgeon John J. McElroy of Catlin, First Assistant Surgeon Charles H. Mills of Champaign, and Chaplain Levi W. Sanders of Vermillion County. There were also 4 sergeant majors, 1 quartermaster sergeant, 1 commissary sergeant, 3 hospital stewards, and 2 principal musicians. Each company had 2 first lieutenants, 2 second lieutenants, 1 first sergeant, 4 sergeants, 8 corporals, and as many as 2 musicians.Reece 1900 449–450 The men were mostly recruited from Vermillion and Champaign Counties and nearly all could read and write.Reece 1900 468 +Captains of the 125th Illinois Infantry RegimentReece 1900 449–467 Company Captain A Clark Ralston (r-1863), Jackson Charles (k-1864), James P. Brown B Robert Steward (r-1862), Stephen Conover (dc-1865) C William W. Fellows (k-1864), Andrew W. Ingraham (dd-1865) D George W. Holloway E Nathan M. Clark (dc-1865), George W. B. Sadorus F Frederick B. Sale (r-1863), John B. Lester G John H. Gass (r-1862), Josiah Lee (r-1863), Marion Lee (k-1864), Newton Norris H Pleasant M. Parks (r-1864), John C. Harbor I Levin Vinson (r-1864), Edward B. Kingsbury (mw-1864), James H. Trimmel K George W. Cook Key: k = Killed in action, mw = mortally wounded, dd = died of disease, dc = discharged, r = resigned, no. = year. Colonel Harmon was killed on 27 July 1864 at the Battle of Kennesaw Mountain. He replaced in command by Lieutenant Colonel Langley who was brevetted colonel on 13 March 1865. Also killed at Kennesaw were Captains Fellows and Lee. On 19 August 1864, Captain Kingsbury died of wounds received in fighting before Atlanta. On 2 September 1864, Captain Charles was killed at the Battle of Jonesborough. On 15 February 1865, Captain Ingraham died of disease at Savannah, Georgia. Captain Cook was brevetted major on 13 March 1865. Chaplain Sanders was killed in action at Colwell's (Caldwell's) Ford, Tennessee, on 17 November 1863.Official Army Register 1865 390 Service 1862 thumb|right|upright=1.0|alt=Map shows the 4 pm fight for Peters Hill at the Battle of Perryville.|During the 4 pm fight for Peters Hill, the 125th Illinois was well to the rear. The 125th Illinois Infantry Regiment first moved to Cincinnati, Ohio, then across the Ohio River to Covington, Kentucky, where it relieved a militia unit. Measles soon broke out in camp, killing some soldiers and causing others to be discharged for disability. On 25 September, the regiment traveled to Louisville, Kentucky, via river transport, arriving on 27 September. The next day, the unit was brigaded with the 85th Illinois, 86th Illinois, and 52nd Ohio Infantry Regiments, under the command of Colonel Daniel McCook Jr. The 125th Illinois would serve in the brigade for the remainder of the war, though two regiments would be added later.Reece 1900 468 At first, the regiment was attached to 36th Brigade, 11th Division, Army of the Ohio.Dyer 1908 1099 Soon after, the 11th Division under Brigadier General Philip Sheridan was assigned to the III Corps under Acting Major General Charles Champion Gilbert with which it fought the Battle of Perryville.Noe 2011 379 In the pre-dawn hours of 8 October 1862, Army of the Ohio commander, Major General Don Carlos Buell ordered Gilbert to seize Peters Hill. Gilbert passed the order to Sheridan who assigned McCook's brigade to capture the hill. Sheridan had two veteran brigades, but he used McCook's regiments even though they were untried in battle, possibly because he assumed that the hill was unoccupied. Just before dawn, McCook's brigade chased the 7th Arkansas Infantry Regiment off the hill after losing 6 men killed and 27 wounded. At daybreak, there was an artillery duel during which the 125th Illinois supported Barnett'sNoe 2011 146–151 Battery I, 2nd Illinois ArtilleryBattles & Leaders 1987a 30 and suffered some casualties from shrapnel. The 7th and 5th Arkansas Infantry Regiments counterattacked but were repulsed by McCook's brigade, including rifle fire from the right wing of the 125th Illinois.Noe 2011 151 Late in the afternoon, Sheridan's division was attacked by Colonel Samuel Powell's brigade. Sheridan's division was deployed somewhat haphazardly, with the 125th Illinois far to the rear. Nevertheless, Powell's outnumbered Confederates were beaten and driven away.Noe 2011 277–281 The 125th Illinois sustained losses of 1 killed and 8 wounded at Perryville.Noe 2011 379 The 125th Illinois participated in the pursuit of General Braxton Bragg's Confederate army until 16 October, after which it marched to Nashville, where it arrived on 7 November.Dyer 1908 1099 The regiment soon was ordered to guard Mill Creek, but was back in Nashville by 10 December.Reece 1900 468 McCook's 2nd Brigade did not fight at the Battle of Stones River. It was part of Brigadier General Robert Byington Mitchell's 4th Division, Major General George H. Thomas' Center, and Major General William Rosecrans' Army of the Cumberland.Cozzens 1991 224 1863 After January 1863, the Center became the XIV Corps. After June 1863, the regiment was reassigned to McCook's 2nd Brigade, 2nd Division, Reserve Corps. Between 30 June and 18 July, the regiment went to Murfreesboro, Tennessee, before returning to Nashville.Dyer 1908 1099 It left Nashville on 3 August and marched to the fighting front near Chattanooga, Tennessee.Reece 1900 468–469 Major General Gordon Granger commanded the Reserve Corps and was a harsh disciplinarian. By 14 September, the Reserve Corps outmarched its wagon train and had no food. Though Granger had forbidden his soldiers to forage, McCook and other officers determined to ignore this unreasonable order. While sitting in front of his tent, Granger noticed two soldiers from the 125th Illinois walk past with meat plundered from a farm. As punishment, he ordered the men to march around a tree, each carrying a fence rail. Seeing other soldiers with stolen food, Granger began arresting every forager his mounted patrol could find and stringing them up by their thumbs. This provoked a near-mutiny. Finally, McCook and Brigadier General James B. Steedman convinced Granger to relent and release their men. After this incident, Granger became extremely unpopular with his soldiers.Cozzens 1996 93–94 thumb|left|upright=0.6|alt=Black and white sketch shows a bearded man in a dark military uniform with the shoulder tabs of a brigadier general.|Daniel McCook Jr. Soon after dawn on the first day (19 September 1863) of the Battle of Chickamauga, McCook ordered his soldiers to burn Reed's Bridge. He soon received orders to retreat, but became convinced that a Confederate brigade was isolated nearby and might be easily captured. He shared his belief with Thomas, who ordered a brigade from his own corps to investigate. By this time, McCook's brigade became involved in a skirmish with Confederate cavalry. McCook's troops made a rapid retreat while avoiding serious casualties.Cozzens 1996 121–125 On 20 September, Granger's three brigades were at McAfee Church, about 3 mi km 1 north of Thomas' left flank units. On his own initiative, Granger decided to go to Thomas' assistance with two brigades, leaving McCook's brigade behind.Cozzens 1996 438–441 When Thomas' troops finally retreated, they moved north, driving away two Confederate brigades before arriving within the lines of McCook's brigade.Cozzens 1996 492–495 During the Chattanooga campaign from 24 September to 23 November 1863, there was a reorganization and McCook's brigade was reassigned as the 3rd Brigade, 2nd Division, XIV Corps, Army of the Cumberland.Dyer 1908 1099 The 2nd Division was led by Brigadier General Jefferson C. Davis, XIV Corps was under Major General John Palmer, and the army was commanded by Thomas. The 110th Illinois Infantry was added to McCook's brigade to supplement the original four regiments.Cozzens 1994 399–404 While camped at Caldwell's Ford, the regiment was subjected to a surprise bombardment by Confederate artillery. This was soon silenced by answering Union artillery fire, but not before the chaplain was killed and other men were wounded. At this time, the regiment numbered about 600 men.Reece 1900 469 Brigadier General William Farrar Smith utilized McCook's brigade to help establish the Cracker Line, which opened up a supply route to beleaguered Chattanooga. Troops from McCook's brigade provided security and helped build a road. Men from the 85th and 86th Illinois served as oarsmen during the expedition.Cozzens 1994 145 During the Battle of Missionary Ridge on 23 November, Major General William T. Sherman failed to use Davis' division which was at his disposal.Cozzens 1994 241 Davis' division led the pursuit after the battle, but the Confederates escaped.Cozzens 1994 362–364 Davis' division participated in the Knoxville campaign.Hess 2013 257 At first, Major General Ulysses S Grant wanted Granger's corps to relieve the Siege of Knoxville, but Grant soon decided to send Sherman to command the expedition with five additional divisions, including the one led by Davis. By 29 November 1863, Sherman's troops reached Charleston, Tennessee. Sherman's 30,000-man army marched 84 mi km 0 without its artillery, baggage, and wagon train, and the soldiers were compelled to live off the country.Hess 2013 179–181 On 4 December, Sherman's army began crossing the Little Tennessee River on makeshift bridges because high water made the fords too deep.Hess 2013 196 The Confederate besieging force left the Knoxville area on 4–5 December.Hess 2013 192–193 Except for Granger's corps, which was left at Knoxville, Tennessee, Sherman ordered his army to return to Chattanooga, which it reached between 16 and 18 December. It was a remarkable feat to complete a relief march in early winter with 30,000 men without a real line of communication.Hess 2013 199 1864 thumb|right|upright=1.3|alt=Map shows the Battle of Kennesaw Mountain.|Battle of Kennesaw Mountain, 27 June 1864 McCook's brigade spent January–May 1864 at Lee and Gordon Mill, except for participating in a demonstration against the Confederate defenses covering Dalton, Georgia, on 22–27 February.Dyer 1908 1099 For the Atlanta campaign, McCook's 3rd Brigade continued being part of Davis' division in XIV Corps under Palmer. The 22nd Indiana Infantry Regiment was added to the five regiments already in McCook's brigade.Battles & Leaders 1987b 285 After the Battle of Resaca, Davis' division was detached from the XIV Corps and directed to march to Rome, Georgia.Castel 1992 191 On 19 May, the soldiers of McCook's brigade crossed the Oostanaula River by raft, by canoe, and by swimming, and occupied Rome. Many men found stores of whisky, got drunk, and began pillaging abandoned businesses.Castel 1992 198 thumb|left|upright=0.6|alt=Black and white photo shows a bearded man with light-colored eyes. He wears a dark military uniform with two rows of buttons and the shoulder tabs of a major general (two stars).|Jefferson C. Davis Sherman ordered a frontal attack on 27 July 1864. Thomas assigned Davis' division to make the assault, probably because it had not yet made a serious attack in the campaign.Castel 1992 305 Davis selected the brigades of McCook and Colonel John G. Mitchell to make the assault, keeping his third brigade in reserve. Each brigade was deployed with its regiments one behind the other, with one regiment acting as skirmishers in front. At 8 am, Thomas' artillery began bombarding the Confederate position, which was on a hill. Seeing the task that they were being asked to do, the Union soldiers were very quiet. McCook recited the poem Horatius by Thomas Babington Macaulay.Castel 1992 309 The assault columns went forward at 9 am and most of McCook's men reached some dead ground just in front of the hill, but only a few climbed over the parapet, where they were immediately shot down. McCook was shot in the chest and this proved to be a mortal wound; he died twenty days later.Castel 1992 311–314 Harmon took command of the brigade and was immediately killed, shot in the heart. The night before the attack, Harmon had written his wife a farewell letter.Hicken 1991 253 Harmon was succeeded by Colonel Caleb Dilworth of the 85th Illinois, who ordered a retreat. Most of the survivors scurried back to safety or waited until nightfall to crawl away, but others were pinned down near the Confederate defenses and as many as 200 of McCook's and Mitchell's soldiers surrendered.Castel 1992 314–315 The 125th Illinois suffered losses of 47 killed, 52 wounded, and 5 missing. Sherman employed 16,225 soldiers in his attack on the Confederate lines and over 2,000 became casualties against only 450 Confederate casualties.Hicken 1991 255–256 Sherman admitted losing "nearly 3,000" in the unsuccessful assault. Davis' division alone lost 824 killed and wounded plus prisoners.Castel 1992 319 On 19 July 1864, the day before the Battle of Peachtree Creek, Dilworth's brigade sustained 245 casualties while capturing a hill that dominated the Howell's Mill crossing. This was during a movement where Thomas' army crossed Peachtree Creek and began taking positions on its south side.Castel 1992 367 By the next day, Palmer had the XIV Corps entrenched.Castel 1992 369 Instead, the Confederates attacked Hooker's XX Corps and one division of the IV Corps and were repulsed.Castel 1992 375–378 During the Battle of Utoy Creek, Palmer resigned his command in a dispute over rank; he was replaced in command of the XIV Corps by Davis.Castel 1992 458 At the Battle of Jonesborough on 1 September, Davis' corps made a major assault. On the right, Brigadier General James D. Morgan's division (formerly Davis') charged with Dilworth's brigade on the right, Mitchell's in the center, and Colonel Charles M. Lum's brigade on the left. On the left were the divisions of Brigadier Generals Absalom Baird and William P. Carlin.Castel 1992 515–517 The 125th Illinois was the center regiment of the 3rd Brigade, with the 22nd Indiana to its right and the 52nd Ohio to its left, and with the 85th and 86th Illinois in the second line. Dilworth was badly wounded at the start and replaced in command by Langley.Reece 1900 470 It was the only successful frontal assault in the Atlanta campaign, capturing an entire Confederate brigade and part of another. Mitchell's and Dilworth's (Langley's) men captured Swett's Mississippi Battery.Castel 1992 515–518 At different times during the Atlanta campaign, the 125th Illinois infantry was led by Major John Lee, Lieutenant Colonel Langley, and Captain Cook.Battles & Leaders 1987b 285 The brigade took part in operations against the Confederate army in northern Georgia and northern Alabama in the period 29 September–3 November.Dyer 1908 1099 Before Sherman's March to the Sea, the Union army was organized into two wings, the Army of Georgia under Major General Henry Warner Slocum and the Army of the Tennessee under Major General Oliver Otis Howard. Slocum's army consisted of the XX Corps and the XIV Corps. The operation wrecked Georgia's ability to supply the Confederate armies and lasted from 15 November to 21 December when Savannah, Georgia, was occupied.Boatner 1988 509–512 During the march, there were skirmishes at Louisville on 30 November and Cuyler's Plantation on 9 December.Dyer 1908 1099 1865 The regiment participated in the Carolinas campaign from January to April 1865.Dyer 1908 1099 In the campaign, the 3rd Brigade was led by Colonel Benjamin D. Fearing, and later by Langley. When Langley was not commanding the 125th Illinois, it was led by Cook.Battles & Leaders 1987b 697 The regiment fought at the Battle of Bentonville on 19–21 March. Sherman's forces occupied Goldsboro, North Carolina, on 24 March and Raleigh on 14 April. General Joseph E. Johnston surrendered the Confederate army at Bennett Place on 26 April. Sherman's army marched to Washington, D.C. between 29 April and 19 May, and took part in the Grand Review of the Armies on 24 May 1865.Dyer 1908 1099 The 125th Illinois Infantry mustered out of service on 9 June 1865, after which it traveled by railroad to Chicago.Reece 1900 470 The regiment lost a total of 204 men during service; 9 officers and 88 enlisted men were killed or mortally wounded, while 3 officers and 104 enlisted men died of disease.Dyer 1908 1099 A total of 1,470 men were enrolled in the regiment during its existence.National Park Service 2022 See also American Civil War Illinois List of Illinois Civil War units Illinois in the Civil War References Citations 30em Sources 40em Battles & Leaders 1987a Battles and Leaders of the Civil War 3 1987a 1883 Castle Secaucus, N.J. 0-89009-571-X Battles & Leaders 1987b Battles and Leaders of the Civil War 4 1987b 1883 Castle Secaucus, N.J. 0-89009-572-8 Castel Albert E. Albert E. Castel Decision in the West: The Atlanta Campaign of 1864 1992 University Press of Kansas Lawrence, Kansas 0-7006-0562-2 Cozzens Peter Peter Cozzens No Better Place to Die: The Battle of Stones River 1991 University of Illinois Press Urbana, Ill. 0-252-06229-9 Cozzens Peter Peter Cozzens The Shipwreck of their Hopes: The Battles for Chattanooga 1994 University of Illinois Press Urbana, Ill. 0-252-01922-9 Cozzens Peter Peter Cozzens This Terrible Sound: The Battle of Chickamauga 1996 University of Illinois Press Urbana, Ill. 0-252-06594-8 Dyer Frederick H. Frederick H. Dyer A Compendium of the War of the Rebellion: 125th Illinois Infantry Regiment https://books.google.com/books?id=OBkNAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA1099 1908 Des Moines, Iowa Dyer Publishing Co. June 11, 2022 1099 Hess Earl J. The Knoxville Campaign: Burnside and Longstreet in East Tennessee 2013 University of Tennessee Press Knoxville, Tenn. 978-1-57233-995-8 Hicken Victor Illinois in the Civil War 1991 University of Illinois Press Urbana, Ill. 0-252-06165-9 National Park Service 2022 National Park Service: Search For Soldiers National Park Service https://www.nps.gov/civilwar/search-soldiers.htm#sort=score+desc&q=%22125th+Regiment,+Illinois+Infantry%22 June 11, 2022 Noe Kenneth W. Kenneth W. Noe Perryville: This Grand Havoc of Battle 2011 The University Press of Kentucky Lexington, Ky. 978-0-8131-3384-3 6 Reece J. N. Report of the Adjutant General of the State of Illinois: 1861-1866 - Volume VI 1900 Springfield, Ill. Journal Company, Printers and Binders 2 June 11, 2022 449–470 https://archive.org/details/reportofadjutant06illi1/page/448/mode/2up Further reading Black, Franklin G. The Civil War Diary of Franklin G. Black, Private in Company D, One Hundred and Twenty-fifth Regiment, Illinois Volunteer Infantry, August 10, 1862, to July 5, 1864 (Danville, IL: Faulstich Print. Co.), 1998. Hunter, Edna J. One Flag, One Country, and Thirteen Greenbacks a Month: Letters from a Civil War Private and His Colonel (San Diego, CA: Hunter Publications), 1980. 0-89626-069-0 McPherson, Lucy Harmon. Life and Letters of Oscar Fitzalan Harmon: Colonel of the 125th Regiment Illinois Volunteers, Infantry (Trenton, NJ: MacCrellish & Quigley Co.), 1914. Pavey, Roger D. O. F. Harmon: A Reluctant Hero (Danville, IL: Vermilion County Museum), 1999. 0-9654976-3-1 Rogers, Robert M. The 125th Regiment, Illinois Volunteer Infantry (Champaign, IL: Gazette Steam Print), 1882. External links 125th Illinois Infantry Regiment https://web.archive.org/web/20110723154355/http://civilwar.ilgenweb.net/reg_html/125_reg.html July 23, 2011 Category:Military units and formations established in 1862 Category:Military units and formations disestablished in 1865 Category:Units and formations of the Union army from Illinois Category:1862 establishments in Illinois