Illinois Soldiers at Arkansas Post

The 55^th Illinois Volunteer Infantry was one of the storied units included in William F. Fox’s list of 300 fighting regiments. These soldiers from Illinois traveled extensively during the war, fighting across the South from Arkansas to North Carolina. The following is taken from Fox’s Regimental Losses in The American Civil War, 1861-1865 (1898).

“Thos. K. Smith's Brigade — Blair's Division--Fifteenth Corps.

（1) Col. David Stuart; Brig.-Gen.

（2)Col. Oscar Malmborg.

（3) Col. Charles A. Andress.

companies.		killed and died of wounds.			died of disease, accidents, in Prison, &c.			Total Enrollment.
		Officers.	Men.	Total.	Officers.	Men.	Total.
Field and Staff						1	1	13
Company	A	2	12	14		11	11	106
	B	1	24	25		15	15	103
	C	1	22	23		14	14	114
	D		8	8		16	16	104
	E	2	10	12		10	10	95
	F	2	14	16	1	17	18	107
	G		10	10		15	15	92
	H	1	15	16	1	11	12	90
	I		20	20		5	5	119
	K		13	13		12	12	113
Totals		9	148	157	2	127	129	1,056

157 killed == 14.8 per cent.

Total of killed and wounded, 448.

battles.	K. & M. W.	battles.	K. & M. W.
Shiloh, Tenn.	86	Kenesaw, Ga., June 19, 1864	1
Russell's House, Tenn.	2	Kenesaw, Ga.,June 27, 1864	16
Chickasaw Bayou, Miss.	3	Atlanta, Ga., July 22, 1864	6
Arkansas Post, Ark	1	Ezra Chapel, Ga.	6
Vicksburg, Miss., May 19, 1863	7	Atlanta, Ga., August 3, 1864	4
Vicksburg, Miss., May 22, 1863	7	Jonesboro, Ga.	8
Vicksburg Trenches, Miss.	2	Siege of Atlanta, Ga.	4
Jackson, Miss. (On Picket, July 14, 1863）	1	Bentonville, N. C.	1
Black River, Miss. (On Picket, August 14, 1863）	1	Forage Train, N. C., March 27, 1865	1

Present, also, at Siege of Corinth; Shelby Depot, Tenn.; Champion's Hill; Missionary Ridge; Lovejoy's Station; March to the Sea; Fort McAllister; Savannah; Columbia; The Carolinas.

Notes.--Mustered in October 31, 1861, at Chicago, proceeding, December 9th, to St. Louis, where it remained a month, and then moved to Paducah, Ky. On March 8, 1862, the regiment embarked for Pittsburg Landing, where it was encamped when the Confederates made their attack at Shiloh, April 6th; it was then in Sherman's (5th) Division, Army of the Tennessee. Its casualties in that battle amounted to 51 killed, 197 wounded, and 27 missing; total, 275--out of 512 men in line. Lt.-Col. Malmborg commanded the regiment at Shiloh, Colonel Stuart being in command of the brigade. During the Vicksburg campaign, 1863, it was in Lightburn's (2d) Brigade, Blair's (2d) Division, Fifteenth Corps; in the Atlanta campaign, 1864, this division was commanded by General Morgan L. Smith; and, in the March to the Sea, by General Hazen. The regiment lost at Chickasaw Bayou, 2 killed and 4 wounded; at Vicksburg, First Assault, 4 killed and 22 wounded; at the Second Assault, 5 killed and 13 wounded; and, at the assault on Kenesaw Mountain, Ga, 14 killed and 33 wounded, Captain Augustine, who was in command, being among the killed. The total loss of the regiment on the Atlanta campaign was 36 killed, and 86 wounded; about half its number. There were 91 pairs of brothers in the regiment; of these men, 43 were killed in battle, and 15 died of disease. The Fifty-fifth followed closely the fortunes of General Sherman,--from Benton Barracks, St. Louis, where he was in charge, to the Grand Review at the close of the war. Its dead lie buried in nine different States; and it traveled, on foot and by transports, 11,965 miles, of which 3,240 were done on foot” (Fox, p. 369).

For further information about the regiment check out the following links:

Civil War Flags of Illinois

Illinois in the Civil War: a roster of the 55^th Illinois Volunteer Infantry is available plus various other information