ILLINOIS 127TH INFANTRY (Three Years)

One Hundred and Twenty-seventh Infantry.-Cols., John Van Arman, Hamilton N. Eldridge; Lieut.-Cols., Hamilton N. Eldridge, Frank S. Curtiss; Majs., Frank S. Curtiss, Thomas W. Chandler, Frank C. Gillette. This regiment was raised under the call of President Lincoln for 500,000 volunteers in the summer of 1862. Co. A was recruited in Kendall county, B, in and around Chicago, C, at Elgin, D, in Grundy county, E, at St. Charles, F, at Plano; G, in Chicago; H, about Lyons; I, at Elgin, and K, at Aurora and Big Rock. The regiment was mustered into the service at Camp Douglas Sept. 6, 1862. It performed a considerable amount of guard duty in Camp Douglas, where the Harper's Ferry prisoners were sent in the fall of 1862. The command drew a full complement of English Enfield rifles in the beginning of November and on the 9th, of that month departed over the Illinois Central railway for Cairo, where it went on board the steamer Emerald, and landed at Memphis, Tenn., on the 13th. It reached the Yazoo in December, and was engaged in the operations on the Chickasaw bluffs during which its losses were 1 man killed and 7 wounded. It was with the expedition which captured Arkansas Post and was one of the first to plant its colors on the enemy's works. Its losses in the assault were 2 killed, 20 wounded and 9 missing. It was in the bloody assaults upon the Vicksburg lines in May, 1863. 0n the first day planting its colors on the glacis of the Confederate works and maintaining its position until nightfall, when the troops were withdrawn. The losses of the regiment in the two engagements were about 15 killed and 60 wounded. It took part in the series of battles around Resaca, Ga., in the spring of 1864, notably the one on the evening of May 14, when the brigade to which it was attached carried the fortified line along the slope of Conasine creek by a desperate assault with the bayonet, in which the regiment bore a conspicuous part and captured a number of prisoners. In the operations in front of Resaca the regiment lost 1 man killed and 3 wounded. In the sharp fighting among the Dallas hills it was almost constantly under fire, showing conspicuous gallantry in the actions of May 27, and 29. In the assault upon Kennesaw mountain the regiment stood up grandly under the most terrible fire it had ever encountered, and in the bloody engagement of July 22, east of Atlanta, it was in the thickest of the fray. On Aug 3, it took part in an attack on the Confederate skirmish line to the west of Atlanta, in which it displayed its usual gallantry and lost a number of men, and it was hotly engaged in the battle of Jonesboro, its officers and men displaying the greatest gallantry and inflicting severe loss upon the enemy. The regiment accompanied Sherman's army on its grand march through Georgia and the Carolinas, and at the battle of Bentonville it was for 24 hours on the skirmish line but escaped without loss. After the surrender of Johnston it marched to Washington, took part in the grand review, and was specially complimented for its fine discipline and military bearing. It was finally mustered out on June 17, 1865, after an arduous service of almost three years, the actual number of men finally discharged being about 240, all that remained of the 900 with which the regiment left Camp Douglas in Nov., 1862.

Source: The Union Army, vol. 3

Illinois 127th Volunteer Infantry (Union)

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