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55th Illinois Infantry Regiment

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55th Illinois Infantry Regiment, U.S. Volunteers
Illinois state flag
ActiveOctober 31, 1861, to August 14, 1865
CountryUnited States
AllegianceUnion
BranchInfantry
Nickname(s)"Canton Rifles"
Engagements
Illinois U.S. Volunteer Infantry Regiments 1861-1865
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54th Illinois Infantry Regiment 56th Illinois Infantry Regiment

The 55th Illinois Volunteer Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. The regiment is sometimes referred to as the Canton Rifles or the Douglas Brigade 2nd Regiment.

Service

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Monument to the 55th Illinois Infantry and Oscar Malmborg at Vicksburg.

The 55th Illinois Infantry was organized at Camp Douglas, Chicago, Illinois and mustered into Federal service on October 31, 1861. The men were recruited in northern Illinois counties- LaSalle, Fulton, Grundy, Ogle, Winnebago, DeKalb, DuPage, Kane, McDonough, Carroll, and Knox. Some of the early enlistees helped build Camp Douglas.

The regiment traveled by train and boat from Chicago to St. Louis, where training continued at Benton Barracks, Missouri. The regiment then shipped to Paducah, Kentucky. Due to a lack of working armaments, the regiment was unable to take part in the capture of Fort Donelson or Fort Henry.

The regiment first saw active service at the Battle of Shiloh, April 6th and 7th, 1862, also known as the Battle of Pittsburg Landing. It was deployed in the south-eastern part of the battlefield and after a prolonged stand against Confederate forces in wooded ravines, was pushed back to Pittsburg Landing by nightfall. Grant then reorganized the troops and the regiment participated in the second day of fighting. It then advanced to Corinth and ultimately to Memphis in July 1862, where they participated in foraging expeditions and in the Battle of Arkansas Post.

The 55th proceeded south towards Vicksburg and participated in the Battle of Chickasaw Bayou in December 1862. It was part of Sherman's Yazoo Expedition, attempting to bypass Vicksburg. The regiment took part in the attacks on Vicksburg's defenses on May 19th and May 22nd, 1862, at the location known as the Forlorn Hope.[1]

The Letters of William J. Kennedy

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William Kennedy was one of the first private soldiers in Company G, 55th Illinois Infantry, recruiting his brother, brother-in-law and other friends into the company. Kennedy, a harness-maker residing in LaSalle, Illinois at the outbreak of the war, wrote many letters to his wife Jane and other family members and friends.[2] Kennedy was able to observe and record the movements of Grant's army of the Tennessee, and document in detail life in the Western theater of war. Kennedy was wounded in the assault on May 22nd 1863, when he attempted to bring ammunition to his company. He was taken by hospital boat to the Gayoso Hospital in Memphis where he died on June 22nd 1863.[3]

Siege of Atlanta and Sherman's March to the Sea

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The 55th remained under the command of Sherman until the end of the war, seeing action at Kennesaw Mountain as well as other significant battles. The regiment was mustered out on August 14, 1865.

Total strength and casualties

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The regiment suffered casualties including nine officers, 149 enlisted men who were killed in action, or mortally wounded, and two officers and 127 enlisted men who died of disease, for a total of 286 fatalities.[4]

Commanders

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Notable members

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  • Corporal Robert M. Cox, Company K — Defended the colors planted on the outward parapet of Fort Hill.[6][7][8][9]
  • Private Jerome Morford, Company K[10][6][7][9][8] — Participating in a diversionary "forlorn hope" attack on Confederate defenses, 22 May 1863.
  • Private Jacob Sanford, Company K[11][6][7][9][8] — Participating in the same "forlorn hope."
  • First Lieutenant John Warden, Company E[11][6][7][9][8] — Participating in the same "forlorn hope."
  • Chaplain (Lieutenant Colonel) Milton L. Haney, Regimental Chaplain[9][8] — The "Fighting Chaplain" received the Medal of Honor for his actions in the Battle of Atlanta, 22 July 1864. Haney was one of only nine chaplains awarded the CMH in American history.[12]

See also

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Map of Vicksburg National Military Park.

Notes

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  1. ^ Mackowski, Chris (2020-12-18). "The Forlorn Hope at Vicksburg". Emerging Civil War. Retrieved 2025-03-21.
  2. ^ "Collection: William J. Kennedy papers | ArchivesSpace Public Interface". illinois.as.atlas-sys.com. Retrieved 2025-03-21.
  3. ^ Mellen, Rachael; Powell, David A., eds. (2025). From Camp Douglas to Vicksburg: the Civil War letters of William J. Kennedy, 55th Illinois Infantry, 1861-1863. El Dorado Hills, CA: Savas Beatie. ISBN 978-1-61121-740-7.
  4. ^ Dyer (1908).
  5. ^ [1] Archived 2007-11-11 at the Wayback Machine Illinois in the Civil War website after Illinois Adjutant General's muster rolls
  6. ^ a b c d Sightline Media Group (2020).
  7. ^ a b c d VCOnline (2020).
  8. ^ a b c d e The National Medal of Honor Museum Foundation (2020).
  9. ^ a b c d e CMOHS (2014).
  10. ^ Subcommittee on Veterans' Affairs (1968), p. 175.
  11. ^ a b Subcommittee on Veterans' Affairs (1968), p. 214.
  12. ^ "Nine Chaplains Awarded the Medal of Honor". National Medal of Honor Museum. he National Medal of Honor Museum Foundation. Retrieved 14 November 2021.

References

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