109th Illinois

[archieclement]

Was reading about Holly Springs and its mentioned the 109th who was south of town and not attacked offered to surrender and be paroled as it was largely southern in sympathy from soldiers from southern Illinois.

Was curious if anyone knew if the 109th was conscripted/drafted or just men who had volunteered and then had change of heart or had became disillusioned with the war?

 

[archieclement]

From what I've found since apparently the latter, had 237 desertions, was eventually broke up as it was so unreliable

 

[JAGwinn]

Divided, it fell apart: 109th volunteer infantry regiment from Union County THE SOUTHERN Oct 18, 2011

"They enlisted for a war in which many of them much like the nation in the 1860s would be divided. The 109th Volunteer Infantry Regiment, composed mostly of Union County residents, was formed in August 1862 and mustered into service the next month. The regiment was made up of nine companies from Union County and one company from Pulaski County.

In the end, several regiment officers were arrested and dismissed, and according to Patrick Brumleve of Cobden, 18 percent of the regiment, or 171 soldiers, was officially recorded as having deserted. While the number of soldiers who deserted or were dismissed was above average compared with other units, it is a misconception that all soldiers from Union County or the 109th did likewise, or held the same beliefs, said Brumleve of the Union County Historical and Genealogy Society.

"There were still hundreds of men who remained loyal and they served the Union very well," Brumleve said. "The 109th was used to show how Southern Illinoisans were not loyal to the Union but there was a lot of Union support in Southern Illinois and a lot of men who served very bravely in the war."


An 1883 book on Union County's history also takes up that argument.

"The patriotic bravery and warlike spirit is manifested by the simple statement that Union County, under all the heavy calls of the government for men, was one of the few counties in Illinois that was never subjected to the draft in order to fill up their quota, she always having in the field more than her share of men ..." according to "The History of Alexander, Union and Pulaski Counties."

The book states that 3,000 men from Union County were in the army, which is greater than the 2,500-man average in each of the 102 counties in the state. In a series of letters compiled by Brumleve, Jonesboro Gazette editor James Evans told readers the details of the regiment's early hopes and pride.

In a Sept. 25, 1862, dispatch, Evans wrote that the 109th "is one of the finest, if not the very finest regiment of soldiers yet placed in the field by our gallant state."

Evans served as an adjutant in the regiment, and was among the men who were discharged for allegations of disloyalty in a Feb. 1, 1863, order by Major Gen. Ulysses S. Grant."

read the rest of the article here: https://thesouthern.com/progress/se...cle_8901362c-f98c-11e0-819b-001cc4c002e0.html

 

[archieclement]

Divided, it fell apart: 109th volunteer infantry regiment from Union County THE SOUTHERN Oct 18, 2011

"They enlisted for a war in which many of them much like the nation in the 1860s would be divided. The 109th Volunteer Infantry Regiment, composed mostly of Union County residents, was formed in August 1862 and mustered into service the next month. The regiment was made up of nine companies from Union County and one company from Pulaski County.

In the end, several regiment officers were arrested and dismissed, and according to Patrick Brumleve of Cobden, 18 percent of the regiment, or 171 soldiers, was officially recorded as having deserted. While the number of soldiers who deserted or were dismissed was above average compared with other units, it is a misconception that all soldiers from Union County or the 109th did likewise, or held the same beliefs, said Brumleve of the Union County Historical and Genealogy Society.

"There were still hundreds of men who remained loyal and they served the Union very well," Brumleve said. "The 109th was used to show how Southern Illinoisans were not loyal to the Union but there was a lot of Union support in Southern Illinois and a lot of men who served very bravely in the war."


An 1883 book on Union County's history also takes up that argument.

"The patriotic bravery and warlike spirit is manifested by the simple statement that Union County, under all the heavy calls of the government for men, was one of the few counties in Illinois that was never subjected to the draft in order to fill up their quota, she always having in the field more than her share of men ..." according to "The History of Alexander, Union and Pulaski Counties."

The book states that 3,000 men from Union County were in the army, which is greater than the 2,500-man average in each of the 102 counties in the state. In a series of letters compiled by Brumleve, Jonesboro Gazette editor James Evans told readers the details of the regiment's early hopes and pride.

In a Sept. 25, 1862, dispatch, Evans wrote that the 109th "is one of the finest, if not the very finest regiment of soldiers yet placed in the field by our gallant state."

Evans served as an adjutant in the regiment, and was among the men who were discharged for allegations of disloyalty in a Feb. 1, 1863, order by Major Gen. Ulysses S. Grant."

read the rest of the article here: https://thesouthern.com/progress/se...cle_8901362c-f98c-11e0-819b-001cc4c002e0.html

Apparently both sides had people who after being swept up in the initial excitement at the start, later had reservations or changed their minds. Always seems strange to me one would willingly volunteer to later desert.

 

[JAGwinn]

Jonesboro, Union Co., Illinois, site of Lincoln/Douglas debate.