The 23rd Illinois Infantry and the 1st U.S. Cavalry

02 Tuesday Jul 2013

Posted by dccaughey in 1862, 1st Cavalry, recruiting

Tags

1st U.S. Cavalry, 23rd Illinois Infantry, Judson Haycock, recruiting

On a cold winter’s day in New Creek, Virginia, Lieutenant Haycock made the recruiting discovery of his career. Dispatched to recruit soldiers for Companies E and K of the 1st U.S. Cavalry, he hit the jackpot when he visited the camp of the 23rd Illinois Infantry.

The Timothy O’Connor inquiry (see previous post) turned out to be a thread that was very revealing about recruiting for the 1^st U.S. Cavalry in the winter of 1862. One member of the 23^rd Illinois Infantry became 31 as I toured the regimental muster rolls, which fortunately are available online. Looking up the regular enlistment records of those 31 revealed another 24 that were not specifically annotated as “transferred to 1^st U.S. Cavalry” in the state muster rolls.

Fellow blogger and historian Damian Shiels has already done yeoman’s work with the 23^rd Illinois and their nativity. If interested please look here. I made only a cursory look into their past to see the demographics of this group who chose to leave their comrades for a new beginning.

Of the 55 soldiers identified, I found regular enlistment records for 53. I was not able to find John Kernan or James Haher. Of the 53, 34 were born overseas and 19 in the United States. Of the immigrants, 23 were born in Ireland, four in England, three in Germany and two each in Prussia and Scotland. Interestingly, only four of the natives were born in Illinois, with five from New York, three each from Michigan and Ohio, and one each from Connecticut, Maine, New Jersey and Pennsylvania.

An examination of their service revealed that only eighteen of the 53 served out their enlistments, though two deserted and returned. Sixteen of the new regulars deserted and did not return, one the following day. Seven were discharged for disability. Three were listed as missing in action, believed to be taken prisoner. Of the eight who died, three were killed in action, two died of disease or wounds in Union hospitals, two died in Andersonville prison, and one died in a Richmond hospital while a prisoner of war. The final soldier, incidentally the one from Pennsylvania, transferred to the Navy in 1864.

In addition to the members of the 23^rd Illinois, the enlistment look-ups (which are listed on register pages) revealed 64 other volunteer enlistees into the regiment in November/ December 1862. Out of curiosity, I looked into the demographics and service of this second group as well. No birthplace was listed for four of the soldiers. Only 19 of the remaining 60 were foreign born, as opposed to 41 natives. Eleven were born in Pennsylvania, nine in New York, 6 in Massachusetts, four in Ohio, and two each in Virginia and Indiana. One each was born in Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Missouri, New Hampshire, Tennessee and Vermont. Of the 19 immigrants, 11 were born in Ireland, three each in England and Canada, and one each in Scotland and Germany.

Interestingly, the second group had a much higher rate of service than the men of the 23^rd Illinois. Nineteen of the 64 served out their enlistments, but a further 11 re-enlisted in early 1864. Three from New York transferred back to volunteer units, and one was released by an order from the Adjutant General’s Office, possibly for the same reason. (I have encountered the transfer issue before with the 2nd and 6th U.S., and it was the 60th and 70th New York Infantry on all occasions, involving an appeal to General Joseph Hooker.) Seventeen of these soldiers deserted, and six others were discharged for disability. Of the six who died, one was killed in action and one died in Andersonville prison.

Amongst the other nuggets turned up, this research also revealed 19 volunteer enlistees into the 2^nd U.S. Cavalry during the same time period. And I find myself curious about young Lieutenant Judson Haycock as well. Thanks again for the query that started the ball rolling, Jimmy Price!

Sources:

Civil War Centennial Commission of Illinois, Illinois Military Units in the Civil War, 1962.

NARA, RG 94, Register of Enlistments in the U.S. Army, 1798-1914

Regimental roster, accessed on June 27, 2013 at http://civilwar.illinoisgenweb.org/reg_html/023_reg.html

Report of the Adjutant General of the State of Illinois, 9 vols., 1900-1902, accessed on June 27, 2013 at http://www.cyberdriveillinois.com/departments/archives/databases/reghist.pdf

Private John Saville, Co. K, 1st U.S. Cavalry

09 Tuesday Apr 2013

Posted by dccaughey in Uncategorized

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

1st U.S. Cavalry, 23rd Illinois Infantry

I had a request recently to see what I could find out about this gentleman, and thought I’d post it here in case anyone’s curious. He was a much more difficult nut to crack than most queries I attempt. I certainly learned a few things, most of them unexpected. It is very likely that John is featured in the banner photo for the blog, as this was his company in early 1864 near Brandy Station.

John Saville was born in County Limerick, Ireland about 1841. He immigrated to the United States, and was living near Chicago when the Civil War broke out. He enlisted as a private into Company G, 23^rd Illinois Infantry regiment on June 15, 1861 at the age of 21. He served with this unit for the first year and a half of the war, in what appears to be a singular experience.

The 23dr Illinois was mustered in the same day John enlisted, June 15, 1861. Upon completion of their training, they marched to garrison Lexington, Missouri in September. After a brief siege, they surrendered the town to militia under Confederate General Sterling Price and were captured and paroled. The regiment was mustered out by order of General Fremont on October 8, and ordered restored by General McClellan on December 10^th. For the first half of 1862, the regiment guarded prisoners at Camp Douglas outside of Chicago. In June they moved to Harpers Ferry, where they served as part of the Railroad District, 8^th Corps, Middle Department. They served at various locations in the vicinity of Harpers Ferry for the duration of the year, marching to the relief of Parkersburg and Clarksburg in September.

On December 24, 1862, he transferred from his volunteer regiment into the regular army at New Creek, Virginia. He was sworn into Company K, 1^st U.S. Cavalry by Lieutenant Judson Haycock. His enlistment documents describe him as 5’ 11” tall, with blue eyes, black hair and a dark complexion. He served the remainder of the war in the company without any major issues. He was discharged at the expiration of his enlistment in New Orleans, Louisiana on December 24, 1865 as a private.

John returned home to Chicago, but must not have been too pleased with his homecoming. On January 27, 1866, barely a month after he left the army, he re-enlisted. He was sworn into company A, 18^th U.S. Infantry, which later became Company A, 36^th U.S. Infantry, by Lieutenant Kirkland. This enlistment did not go well at all. He deserted on July 3, 1867, only to be apprehended six days later. Apparently things continued to go poorly, for he was dishonorably discharged as a private on January 27, 1869, per General Order 38, Department of the Platte at Camp Douglas, Utah.

John returned to Chicago, where he worked as a laborer. He evidently suffered the effects of his military service. He was admitted to the Northwestern Branch, National Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in 1877 for disability due to rheumatism. He was expelled a few months later on February 28, 1878 with the note, “refused to work.” He filed a pension as a veteran invalid on May 3, 1879. He was in and out of the Northwestern Branch and the Western Branch for the next several years, then disappeared from records after December 1889. I could locate no marriage records, and he was listed as single in the National Home entries.

So ends our tale of John Saville, a common soldier.