First at Fort Donelson: The 11th Illinois Infantry

Earlier this week, I returned from a much needed break, a road trip across parts of Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Tennessee. Of course, along the way some Civil War sites were visited and upcoming posts will feature some of these sites. For now, though, this is the next installment featuring the Union regiments from William Fox’s list of 300 Fighting Regiments that served in the trans-Mississippi. The 11^th Illinois Infantry started as a three months unit that initially saw duty in Missouri but then went on to serve primarily east of the Mississippi River. For additional information about the regiment see the following:

Civil War Flags of Illinois: banners of the 11^th Illinois Infantry

Gebhardt, Carl Dean. The 11^th Illinois Infantry Regiment in the Civil War (Thesis, M. A.), Western Illinois University, 1968.

Illinois Civil War Project: roster of the 11^th Illinois Infantry

“Ransom’s Brigade —McArthur's Division--Seventeenth Corps.

（1) Col. Wm. H. L.; Brig.-Gen. (Killed).

（2) Col. Thomas E. Ransom; Bvt. Major-Gen. (Died).

(3) Col. Garrett Nevins (Killed)

(4) Col. James H. Coats; Bvt. Brig-Gen.

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		1	1	18
Company	A	1	20	21		20	20	192
	B	2	6	8		24	24	172
	C	1	19	20		21	21	174
	D		18	18		33	33	198
	E		21	21		25	25	208
	F		17	17		35	35	201
	G	1	19	20		33	33	201
	H		20	20		24	24	188
	I		15	15	1	35	36	173
	K	1	24	25		33	33	217
Totals		7	179	186	1	284	285	1,942

Original enrollment, 801; killed, 151; percentage, 18.8.

Total of killed and wounded, 543; missing or captured 126; died in Confederate prisons (previously included), 23.

Battles.	K. & M. W.
Fort Donelson, Tenn.	102
Shiloh, Tenn.	24
Vicksburg Assault, May 22	11
Siege of Vicksburg	16
Liverpool Heights, Miss.	3
Yazoo City, Miss.	14
Black River Bridge, Miss.	1
Jackson, Miss., July 7, 1864	2
Clinton, Miss., July 7, 1864	5
Fort Blakely, Ala.	2
Macon, Ga. (prisoner)	1
Guerrillas	1
Place unknown	4

Present, also, at Fort Henry, Tenn.; Siege of Corinth; Trenton, Tenn.; Benton, Miss.; Spanish Fort, Ala.

Notes.--Mustered in originally as a three months regiment. It was remustered at Bird’s Point, Mo., for three years, on July 13, 1861, one-third of the men remaining in the service. The regiment performed garrison duty in Missouri until February, 1862, when it embarked on the campaign against Forts Henry and Donelson. In the storming of Fort Donelson it lost 70 killed, 181 wounded, and 88 missing; a total of 339 out of about 500 engaged; many of the missing were killed or wounded. The regiment was then in W. H. Wallace's Brigade of McClernand's Division. At Shiloh, it fought in Marsh’s (2d) Brigade of the same division, taking 239 officers and men into action, and losing 17 killed, 69 wounded, and 17 missing; total, 103. During the Vicksburg campaign it was in Ransom's (2d) Brigade, McArthur's Division, Seventeenth Corps. In the assault on Vicksburg, May 22, 1863, it lost 3 killed, 30 wounded, and 9 missing; Colonel Nevins was among the killed. At Liverpool Heights, February 5, 1864, it lost 4 killed and 9 wounded; at Yazoo City, March 5th, 9 killed, 24 wounded, and 12 missing. In July, 1864, it marched with General Slocum's Expedition against Jackson, Miss. On July 29, 1864, it moved to Morganzia, La., and in March, 1865, it was engaged in the siege operations about Mobile, and in the fighting at Fort Blakely. In April, 1863, the One Hundred and Ninth Illinois was discontinued, and the men, numbering 589 (on the rolls), were transferred to the ranks of the Eleventh. The Eleventh was mustered out July 14, 1865, and the men with unexpired terms of enlistment were transferred to the Eighth and Forty-sixth Regiments, Illinois Infantry” (Fox, p. 355).