The 97th Regiment Illinois Volunteer Infantry was an infantry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. It was instrumental in the Federal campaign to reclaim the Mississippi River for the Union, participating in the siege of Vicksburg and battles leading up to it in Mississippi. Moving down the river after the siege, it participated in efforts to wrest control of the bayou area, then retake Mobile Bay, culminating in the bloody Battle of Fort Blakeley hours after Lee's surrender at Appomattox.
Service
The 97th Illinois Infantry was organized at Camp Butler, Illinois, and mustered into Federal service on September 16, 1862.
The regiment was mustered out on July 29, 1865.
Total strength and casualties
The regiment suffered 2 officers and 28 enlisted men who were killed in action or who died of their wounds and 200 enlisted men who died of disease, for a total of 233 fatalities.[1]
Commanders
- Colonel Friend S. Rutherford - resigned due to illness on June 15, 1864, and died of disease 5 days later.[2]
- Colonel Lewis D. Martin
- Lieutenant Colonel Victor Vifquain - Mustered out with the regiment on Jul 29, 1865.
Notable members
- Sergeant Carlos W. Colby – Company G[3] — Participating in a diversionary "forlorn hope" attack on Confederate defenses, 22 May 1863.
- Sergeant David Dickie – Company A[3] — Participating in a diversionary "forlorn hope" attack on Confederate defenses, 22 May 1863.
See also
Notes
- ^ http://www.civilwararchive.com/Unreghst/unilinf8.htm#97th The Civil War Archive website after Dyer, Frederick Henry. A Compendium of the War of the Rebellion. 3 vols. New York: Thomas Yoseloff, 1959.
- ^ http://www.rootsweb.com/~ilcivilw/f&s/097-fs.htm Illinois in the Civil war website after Illinois Adjutant General's muster rolls
- ^ a b Subcommittee on Veterans' Affairs (1968), p. 93.
References
- The Civil War Archive
- Davis, Cameron, Confluence: Genoir of an American Family
- Dyer, Frederick H (1908). A Compendium of the War of the Rebellion. Des Moines, IA: Dyer Pub. Co. ASIN B01BUFJ76Q. * Subcommittee on Veterans' Affairs, United States. Congress. Senate. Committee on Labor and Public Welfare (1968). Edward M Kennedy, Chairman (ed.). Medal of Honor, 1863-1968 : "In the Name of the Congress of the United States". Committee print (United States. Congress), 90th Congress, 2nd session. Washington DC: U.S. Government Printing Office. p. 1087. OCLC 1049691780.
- U.S. War Department (1880). The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office. OCLC 857196196.
- "Hall of Valor: The Military Medals Database". The Hall of Valor Project. Sightline Media Group. 2020. Retrieved 19 May 2020.
- "MOHs - victoriacross". THE COMPREHENSIVE GUIDE TO THE VICTORIA & GEORGE CROSS. VCOnline. 2020. Archived from the original on 3 May 2020. Retrieved 2 May 2020.
- "CMOHS.org - Official Website of the Congressional Medal of Honor Society". Congressional Medal of Honor Society. CMOHS. 2014. Retrieved 19 August 2014.
- "Home - The National Medal of Honor Museum The National Medal of Honor Museum". The National Medal of Honor Museum. The National Medal of Honor Museum Foundation. 2020. Retrieved 19 May 2020.
External links
