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123rd Illinois Infantry Regiment

May 07, 2024

The 123rd Regiment Illinois Volunteer Infantry, was an infantry and mounted infantry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. In 1863 and 1864 it was temporarily known as the 123rd Illinois Volunteer Mounted Infantry Regiment, as part of Wilder's Lightning Brigade.

Service edit

This regiment was organized at Camp Terry, Mattoon, Coles County, Illinois, by Colonel James Monroe, who at the time was major of the 7th Illinois Infantry.[1] Companies A, C, D, H, I and K were from Coles County; B from Cumberland; E from Clark; F and G from Clark and Crawford. As a colonel in 1861, Ulysses S. Grant organized his first command, the 21st Illinois Volunteer Infantry Regiment, in Mattoon.

Initial infantry service edit

It was mustered into service on September 6, 1862, with James Monroe as Colonel, Jonathan Biggs, of Westfield, Clark County, as Lieutenant Colonel, and James A. Connolly, of Charleston, Illinois, as Major. On 19 September 1862, the Regiment was loaded into freight cars at Mattoon, and transported to Louisville, Kentucky, where it was at once put to work, under Major General William "Bull" Nelson, to fortify the city against Confederate General Braxton Bragg, who was then advancing on it in pursuit of Union General Don Carlos Buell.

On October 1, having been assigned to the Thirty-third Brigade (General William R. Terrill), Fourth Division (General James S. Jackson), in McCook's Corps, the regiment started on the march under Buell, southward through Kentucky, after Bragg, who had turned back, and up to this time the regiment never had battalion drill, and hardly an attempt at company drill, as all the officers, except the colonel, were "raw recruits".

Just 19 days after leaving Mattoon, the regiment engaged in the Battle of Perryville, where 36 men were killed in action and 180 wounded.[2] Generals Terrill and Jackson were both killed immediately behind and within twenty feet of the line of the regiment. Among the wounded were Captain Coblentz of Company E, First Lieutenant S. M. Shepard of Company A and Adjutant Leander H. Hamlin. Following the devastating bloodshed the 123rd was assigned to protect the railroad bridge across the Green River at Munfordville, Kentucky, in November and December 1862. It has become known as the "Battle for the Bridge," which began when the Union garrison led by John T. Wilder, prior to his assuming command of the 123rd, surrendered during the Battle of Munfordville.

The 123rd was initially assigned to the Army of the Ohio from September 1862 to November 1862, and then to the Army of the Cumberland from November 1862 to June 1865. The commanding general of the Army of the Cumberland was William Rosecrans. The regiment was in the 1st Brigade with Colonel Albert S. Hall, which was part of the 5th Division commanded by Brigadier General Joseph J. Reynolds, reporting to Major General George Henry Thomas.

Conversion to mounted infantry edit

 
An 1862 Spencer Rifle with sling and bayonet. As part of the "Wilder Lightning Brigade" the 17th was among the first units fighting in the Civil War to receive the Spencer repeating rifle.

In February and March 1863, it was converted to mounted infantry.[3] The 123rd Illinois' brigade became known as "Wilder's Lightning Brigade" commanded by Wilder. The brigade remained the 1st Brigade of the 5th Division, XIV Army Corps after its conversion. During this conversion, Spencer repeating rifles, invented by Christopher Spencer, were adopted as the command's primary weapon.

The new increase in firepower that the Spencer gave, allowed the 123rd and its brigade mates to see off numerically superior Confederate infantry and cavalry in several engagements. The weapon was estimated to allow the regiment to deliver five to seven times the firepower of muzzle-loading opponents.[4]

Tullahoma campaign edit

The 123rd first used its new rifles in the Battle of Hoover's Gap.[5] The brigade showed the advantage of their speed despite the weather by reaching the gap nearly 9 miles ahead of Thomas's main body.[6] Despite orders from the divisional commander, General Joseph J. Reynolds to fall back to his infantry, which was still six miles away, Wilder decided to take and hold the position.

The brigade surprised Confederate Colonel J. Russell Butler's 1st (3rd) Kentucky Cavalry Regiment at the entrance of the gap.[7] After driving them through the gap, the brigade found it outnumbered four-to-one.[8] The brigade entrenched and held this position.[6] The brigade, supported by Brig. Gen. Bushrod Johnson's brigade and some artillery, assaulted Wilder's position, but was driven back by the concentrated fire of the Spencers, losing 146 killed and wounded (almost a quarter of his force) to Wilder's 61. Colonel James Connolly, commander of the 123rd Illinois, wrote:

As soon as the enemy opened on us with their artillery we dismounted and formed line of battle on a hill just at the south entrance to the "Gap," and our battery of light artillery was opened on them, a courier was dispatched to the rear to hurry up reinforcements, our horses were sent back some distance out of the way of bursting shells, our regiment was assigned to support the battery, the other three regiments were properly disposed, and not a moment too soon, for these preparations were scarcely completed when the enemy opened on us a terrific fire of shot and shell from five different points, and their masses of infantry, with flags flying, moved out of the woods on our right in splendid style; there were three or four times our number already in sight and still others came pouring out of the woods beyond. Our regiment lay on the hill side in mud and water, the rain pouring down in torrents, while each shell screamed so close to us as to make it seem that the next would tear us to pieces.


Presently the enemy got near enough to us to make a charge on our battery, and on they came; our men are on their feet in an instant and a terrible fire from the "Spencers" causes the advancing regiment to reel and its colors fall to the ground, but in an instant their colors are up again and on they come, thinking to reach the battery before our guns can be reloaded, but they "reckoned without their host," they didn't know we had the "Spencers," and their charging yell was answered by another terrible volley, and another and another without cessation, until the poor regiment was literally cut to pieces, and but few men of that 20th Tennessee that attempted the charge will ever charge again. During all the rest of the fight at "Hoover's Gap" they never again attempted to take that battery. After the charge they moved four regiments around to our right and attempted to get in our rear, but they were met by two of our regiments posted in the woods, and in five minutes were driven back in the greatest disorder, with a loss of 250 killed and wounded.[9]

Chickamauga campaign edit

During the calamitous Chickamauga Campaign|Tullahoma Campaign, the 123rd and the rest of the Lightning Brigade, were one of the few positive results. The 123rd was sent to defend Alexander's Bridge over the Chickamauga on 17 September. The next day, 18 September, the Lightning Brigade blocked the crossing against the approach of W.H.T. Walker's Corps. Feeling quite confident in the advantage their Spencer repeating rifles gave them, the brigade held off a brigade of Brig. Gen. St. John Liddell's division, which suffered 105 casualties against Wilder's superior firepower.[10][11][12]

At around 14:00 on 19 September, the 123rd and its brigade spoiled the left column of the main rebel attack by severely mauling both Brig. Gen. John Gregg's brigade and Brig. Gen. Evander McNair's brigade. The attacking Confederates were surprised by the resolute, confident manner that the Lightning Brigade demonstrated in driving them back.[13][14][15]

Post Chickamauga edit

During the Siege of Chattanooga, the Lightning Brigade disbanded, and four of its regiments shifted to the Cavalry Corps where they served for the remainder of the war. The 123rd and the 72nd Indiana were sent to the 3rd Brigade of the 2nd Division.

During the Battle of Selma, First Lieutenant O. J. McManus, Sergeants J. S. Mullen and Henry E. Cross, Corporal McMurry and Privates Daniel Cook, John Bowman, Marion White and Henry Woodruff were killed, with 50 wounded, including Lieutenant Colonel Biggs, Adjutant L. B. Bane, Captains W. E. Adams and Owen Wiley, Lieutenants Alex. McNutt and J. R. Harding.

Late in the war, the regiment pursued Confederate General John Bell Hood.[16] The unit was instrumental in the capture of former Confederate capital Montgomery, Alabama.

In June 1865 new recruits and some veterans were transferred to the 61st Regiment as the 123rd prepared to disband.[17] Those who remained were mustered out June 27, 1865, by Captain L. M. Hosea and formally discharged at Springfield, Illinois, on July 11, 1865.

Total strength and casualties edit

The regiment lost during service three officers and 82 enlisted men killed and mortally wounded and one officer and 133 enlisted men by disease for a total of 219.[18]

Commanders edit

Colonel James Monroe: September 6, 1862 – October 7, 1863 (killed at the Battle of Farmington)
Brigadier General of Volunteers James S. Jackson: October 1, 1862 – October 8, 1862 (killed at the Battle of Perryville)
Brigadier General of Volunteers William R. Terrill: September 9, 1862 – October 8, 1862 (killed at the Battle of Perryville)
Lt. Colonel James A. Connolly
Captain Oscar R. Bane
Colonel John T. Wilder: May 6, 1863 – November 1864 (resignation)
Brigadier General Kenner Garrard: May 20, 1864 – October 28, 1864
Major General James H. Wilson: October 28, 1864 – June 27, 1865

Officers edit

See also edit

References edit

References

  1. ^ Reece (1902), p. 416.
  2. ^ Bits of Blue and Gray.
  3. ^ Sunderland (1984), p. 24.
  4. ^ Sunderland (1984), p. 21.
  5. ^ Sunderland (1969), p. 45.
  6. ^ a b Kennedy (1998), p. 225.
  7. ^ NPS Hoover's Gap.
  8. ^ ABT Hoovers Gap (2012); Sunderland (1984), p. 24.
  9. ^ ABT Hoovers Gap (2012); Connolly (1959), p. 92
    The regiment served quite well through the remainder of the campaign.
  10. ^ Cozzens (1992), p. 198; Esposito (1959), p. 112; Kennedy (1998), p. 230; Woodworth (1998), p. 83.
  11. ^ & Eicher, McPherson, & McPherson (2001), p. 581.
  12. ^ Robertson, Blue & Gray, Dec 2006, p. 46–50.
  13. ^ Cozzens (1992), p. 199–200; Korn (1985), p. 48; Tucker (1961), p. 166, 172–73; Woodworth (1998), p. 92.
  14. ^ & Eicher, McPherson, & McPherson (2001), p. 582–83.
  15. ^ Robertson, Blue & Gray, Jun 2007, p. 44–45.
  16. ^ Sixteenth Confederate Cavalry.
  17. ^ GlobalSecurity.org 1st Battalion, 123d Infantry
  18. ^ Dyer (1908), p. 1098.
  19. ^ Thiriot, TheAncestorFiles.

Sources

  • Baumgartner, Richard A. (2007). Blue Lightning: Wilder's Mounted Brigade in the Battle of Chickamauga (1st ed.). Huntington, WV: Blue Acorn Press. p. 389. ISBN 978-1-885033-35-2. OCLC 232639520.
  • Connolly, James A. (1959). Angle, Paul McClelland (ed.). Three Years in the Army of the Cumberland: The Letters and Diary of Major James A. Connolly (1st ed.). University Park, PA: The Pennsylvania State University Press. ISBN 978-0-527-19000-2. OCLC 906602437.
  • Connolly, James A. (2012). "Primary Sources: The Road to Chickamauga". www.battlefields.org. Washington, DC: American Battlefield Trust.
  • Connelly, Thomas L (1971). Autumn of Glory: The Army of Tennessee 1862–1865 (PDF) (1st ed.). Baton Rouge, LA: Louisiana State University Press. ISBN 978-0-8071-0445-3. OCLC 1147753151.
  • Cozzens, Peter (1992). This Terrible Sound: The Battle of Chickamauga (PDF) (1st ed.). Champaign, IL: University of Illinois Press. ISBN 978-0-252-06594-1. OCLC 1147753151.
  • Daniel, Larry J.; Lamers, William M. (1961). The Edge of Glory: A Biography of General William S. Rosecrans, U.S.A. (1st ed.). New York, NY: Harcourt, Brace & World. ISBN 978-0-8071-2396-6. OCLC 906813341.
  • Duke, Basil Wilson (1906). Morgan's Cavalry (PDF) (1st ed.). New York, NY & Washington, DC: Neale Pub. Co. p. 441. OCLC 35812648.
  • Dyer, Frederick Henry (1908). A Compendium of the War of the Rebellion (PDF) (1st ed.). Des Moines, IA: Dyer Pub. Co. p. 1098. ASIN B01BUFJ76Q.
  • Eddy, Thomas Mears (1865). The Patriotism of Illinois (PDF). Vol. I (1st ed.). Chicago, IL: Clark & Company. p. 642. LCCN 02012789. OCLC 85800687. Retrieved April 14, 2020.
  • Eddy, Thomas Mears (1866). The Patriotism of Illinois (PDF). Vol. II (1st ed.). Chicago, IL: Clark & Company. p. 734. LCCN 02012789. OCLC 85800687. Retrieved April 14, 2020.
  • Eicher, David J.; McPherson, James M.; McPherson, James Alan (2001). The Longest Night: A Military History of the Civil War. New York City: Simon & Schuster. ISBN 0-7432-1846-9. OCLC 892938160.
  • Esposito, Vincent J. (1959). West Point Atlas of American Wars (1st ed.). New York City: Frederick A. Praeger Publishers. ISBN 978-0-8050-3391-5. OCLC 60298522. Archived from the original on August 29, 2012.
  • Frisby, Derek W. (2000). Heidler, David S.; Heidler, Jeanne T. (eds.). Tullahoma Campaign. Encyclopedia of the American Civil War: A Political, Social, and Military History. Vol. IV. New York, NY: W. W. Norton & Company. pp. –2733. ISBN 978-0-393-04758-5. OCLC 317783094.
  • Garrison, Graham; Pierson, Parke; Shoaf, Dana B. (March 2003). "Lightning at Chickamauga". America's Civil War. 16 (1). Historynet LLC: 46–54. ISSN 1046-2899. Retrieved April 6, 2020.
  • Hallock, Judith Lee (1991). Braxton Bragg and Confederate Defeat, Volume 2 (1st ed.). Tuscaloosa, AL: University of Alabama Press. ISBN 978-0-585-13897-8. OCLC 1013879782.
  • Illinois National Guard. "1st Battalion, 123d Infantry". globalsecurity.org. Alexandria, VA. Retrieved April 4, 2020.
  • Jared, Grace Heminger (2008). . Bits of Blue and Gray: An American Civil War Notebook. San Francisco, CA: Jayne McCormick. Archived from the original on May 14, 2008.
  • Jordan, Hubert (July 1997). "Battle of Chickamauga: Colonel John Wilder's Lightning Brigade Prevented Total Disaster". America's Civil War. 10 (3). Historynet LLC: 44–49. ISSN 1046-2899. Retrieved April 6, 2020.
  • Kennedy, Frances H., ed. (1998). The Civil War Battlefield Guide (Kindle) (2nd ed.). Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin Co. ISBN 0-395-74012-6. Retrieved June 24, 2020.
  • Korn, Jerry (1985). The Fight for Chattanooga: Chickamauga to Missionary Ridge. The Civil War. Alexandria, VA: Time-Life Books. ISBN 978-0-8173-9185-0. OCLC 34581283.
  • Lyons, Ron. . 16thconfederatecavalry.com. Studio199. Archived from the original on July 7, 2011. Retrieved November 28, 2018.
  • McWhiney, Grady (1991). Braxton Bragg and Confederate Defeat, Volume 1 (1st ed.). Tuscaloosa, AL: University of Alabama Press. ISBN 978-0-8173-0545-1. LCCN 91003554. OCLC 799285151.
  • Martin, Samuel J. (2011). General Braxton Bragg, C.S.A. (2013 Kindle ed.). Jefferson, NC: McFarland. ISBN 978-0-7864-5934-6. OCLC 617425048.
  • Reece, Jasper Newton , Brig Gen, Adjutant General (1902). Report of the Adjutant General of the State of Illinois (1900–1902) (PDF). Vol. VI. Springfield, IL: Phillips Bros., State Printer. pp. 395–421. OCLC 1052542476. Retrieved April 4, 2020.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  • Robertson, William Glenn (2010). "Bull of the Woods? James Longstreet at Chickamauga". In Woodworth, Steven E. (ed.). The Chickamauga Campaign. Civil War Campaigns in the West (2011 Kindle ed.). Carbondale, IL: Southern Illinois University Press. ISBN 978-0-8093-8556-0. OCLC 649913237. Retrieved April 6, 2020.
  • Robertson, William Glenn (January 2006). "The Chickamauga Campaign: The Fall of Chattanooga". Blue & Gray Magazine. XXIII (136). Columbus, OH: Blue & Gray Enterprises. ISSN 0741-2207.
  • Robertson, William Glenn (June 2006). "The Chickamauga Campaign: McLemore's Cove – Bragg's Lost Opportunity". Blue & Gray Magazine. XXIII (138). Columbus, OH: Blue & Gray Enterprises. ISSN 0741-2207.
  • Robertson, William Glenn (December 2006). "The Chickamauga Campaign: The Armies Collide". Blue & Gray Magazine. XXIV (141). Columbus, OH: Blue & Gray Enterprises. ISSN 0741-2207.
  • Robertson, William Glenn (June 2007). "The Chickamauga Campaign: The Battle of Chickamauga, Day 1". Blue & Gray Magazine. XXIV (144). Columbus, OH: Blue & Gray Enterprises. ISSN 0741-2207.
  • Robertson, William Glenn (October 2007). "The Chickamauga Campaign: The Battle of Chickamauga, Day 2". Blue & Gray Magazine. XXV (146). Columbus, OH: Blue & Gray Enterprises. ISSN 0741-2207.
  • Smith, Derek (2005). The Gallant Dead : Union and Confederate Generals Killed in the Civil War (2011 Kindle ed.). Mechanicsburg, PA: Stackpole Books. ISBN 978-0-8117-4872-8. OCLC 1022792759. Retrieved May 10, 2020.
  • Starr, Stephen Z. (1985). The War in the West, 1861–1865. The Union Cavalry in the Civil War. Vol. III (1st ed.). Baton Rouge, LA: Louisiana State University Press. ISBN 978-0-8071-1209-0. OCLC 769318010.
  • Stuntz, Margaret L. (July 1997). "Lightning Strike at the Gap". America's Civil War. 10 (3). Historynet LLC: 50–57. ISSN 1046-2899. Retrieved April 6, 2020.
  • Sunderland, Glenn W. (1969). Lightning at Hoover's Gap: the Story of Wilder's Brigade (1st ed.). London, UK: Thomas Yoseloff. ISBN 0-498-06795-5. OCLC 894765669.
  • Sunderland, Glenn W. (1984). Wilder's Lightning Brigade and Its Spencer Repeaters. Washington, IL: Bookworks. ISBN 9996886417. OCLC 12549273.
  • Thiriot, Amy Tanner (February 2009). "Morgan 4: John Morgan Funeral Address, Part 1 of 3". theancestorfiles.blogspot.com. TheAncestorFiles. Retrieved July 22, 2014.
  • Thomas, Edison H. (1985). John Hunt Morgan and His Raiders. Lexington, KY: The University Press of Kentucky. ISBN 978-1-306-18437-3. OCLC 865156740.
  • Tucker, Glenn (1961). Chickamauga: Bloody Battle in the West (2015 Kindle ed.). Indianapolis, IN: Bobbs-Merrill Co. ISBN 978-1-78625-115-2. OCLC 933587418. Retrieved May 10, 2020.
  • Woodworth, Steven E. (1998). Six Armies in Tennessee: The Chickamauga and Chattanooga Campaigns (2015 Kindle ed.). Lincoln, NE: University of Nebraska Press. ISBN 978-0-8032-9813-2. OCLC 50844494. Retrieved May 10, 2020.
  • U.S. National Park Service. . nps.gov. U.S. National Park Service. Archived from the original on September 13, 2013. Retrieved September 14, 2017.
  • U.S. National Park Service. . nps.gov. U.S. National Park Service. Archived from the original on September 13, 2013. Retrieved September 14, 2017.
  • U.S. War Department (1889). Operations in Kentucky, Middle and East Tennessee, North Alabama, and Southwest Virginia. January 21 – August 10, 1863. – Reports. The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies. Vol. XXIII-XXXV-I. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office. OCLC 857196196.
  • U.S. War Department (1889). Operations in Kentucky, Middle and East Tennessee, North Alabama, and Southwest Virginia. January 21 – August 10, 1863. – Reports. The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies. Vol. XXIII-XXXV-I. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office. OCLC 857196196.
  • U.S. War Department (1899). Operations in Kentucky, Southwest Virginia, Tennessee, Mississippi, North Alabama, and North Georgia. August 11-October 19, 1863. – Part I Reports. The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies. Vol. XXX-XLII-I. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office. OCLC 857196196.
  • U.S. War Department (1899). Operations in Kentucky, Southwest Virginia, Tennessee, Mississippi, North Alabama, and North Georgia. August 11-October 19, 1863. – Part II Reports. The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies. Vol. XXX-XLII-II. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office. OCLC 857196196.
  • U.S. War Department (1899). Operations in Kentucky, Southwest Virginia, Tennessee, Mississippi, North Alabama, and North Georgia. August 11-October 19, 1863. – Part III Union Correspondence, etc. The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies. Vol. XXX-XLII-III. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office. OCLC 857196196.

External links edit

  • Wilder's Brigade Mounted Infantry Living History Society ( 2009-10-19)
  • The First Battle of Selma May 11, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
  • Sherman's Fifth Corps

May 07, 2024
123rd, illinois, infantry, regiment, 123rd, regiment, illinois, volunteer, infantry, infantry, mounted, infantry, regiment, that, served, union, army, during, american, civil, 1863, 1864, temporarily, known, 123rd, illinois, volunteer, mounted, infantry, regim. The 123rd Regiment Illinois Volunteer Infantry was an infantry and mounted infantry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War In 1863 and 1864 it was temporarily known as the 123rd Illinois Volunteer Mounted Infantry Regiment as part of Wilder s Lightning Brigade 123rd Regiment Illinois Volunteer Infantry Illinois Volunteer Mounted InfantryIllinois state flagActiveSeptember 6 1862 to July 11 1865CountryUnited StatesAllegianceUnionBranchInfantry Mounted 1863 1864 EquipmentSpencer repeating rifleEngagementsBattle of PerryvilleBattle of Stones River Murfreesboro II Battle of Vaught s HillBattle of Hoover s GapBattle of ChickamaugaBattle of FarmingtonAtlanta CampaignBattle of ResacaBattle of New Hope ChurchBattle of DallasBattle of MariettaBattle of Kennesaw MountainGarrard s RaidWilson s RaidBattle of Selma Contents 1 Service 1 1 Initial infantry service 1 2 Conversion to mounted infantry 1 3 Tullahoma campaign 1 4 Chickamauga campaign 1 5 Post Chickamauga 2 Total strength and casualties 3 Commanders 4 Officers 5 See also 6 References 7 External linksService editThis regiment was organized at Camp Terry Mattoon Coles County Illinois by Colonel James Monroe who at the time was major of the 7th Illinois Infantry 1 Companies A C D H I and K were from Coles County B from Cumberland E from Clark F and G from Clark and Crawford As a colonel in 1861 Ulysses S Grant organized his first command the 21st Illinois Volunteer Infantry Regiment in Mattoon Initial infantry service edit It was mustered into service on September 6 1862 with James Monroe as Colonel Jonathan Biggs of Westfield Clark County as Lieutenant Colonel and James A Connolly of Charleston Illinois as Major On 19 September 1862 the Regiment was loaded into freight cars at Mattoon and transported to Louisville Kentucky where it was at once put to work under Major General William Bull Nelson to fortify the city against Confederate General Braxton Bragg who was then advancing on it in pursuit of Union General Don Carlos Buell On October 1 having been assigned to the Thirty third Brigade General William R Terrill Fourth Division General James S Jackson in McCook s Corps the regiment started on the march under Buell southward through Kentucky after Bragg who had turned back and up to this time the regiment never had battalion drill and hardly an attempt at company drill as all the officers except the colonel were raw recruits Just 19 days after leaving Mattoon the regiment engaged in the Battle of Perryville where 36 men were killed in action and 180 wounded 2 Generals Terrill and Jackson were both killed immediately behind and within twenty feet of the line of the regiment Among the wounded were Captain Coblentz of Company E First Lieutenant S M Shepard of Company A and Adjutant Leander H Hamlin Following the devastating bloodshed the 123rd was assigned to protect the railroad bridge across the Green River at Munfordville Kentucky in November and December 1862 It has become known as the Battle for the Bridge which began when the Union garrison led by John T Wilder prior to his assuming command of the 123rd surrendered during the Battle of Munfordville The 123rd was initially assigned to the Army of the Ohio from September 1862 to November 1862 and then to the Army of the Cumberland from November 1862 to June 1865 The commanding general of the Army of the Cumberland was William Rosecrans The regiment was in the 1st Brigade with Colonel Albert S Hall which was part of the 5th Division commanded by Brigadier General Joseph J Reynolds reporting to Major General George Henry Thomas Conversion to mounted infantry edit nbsp An 1862 Spencer Rifle with sling and bayonet As part of the Wilder Lightning Brigade the 17th was among the first units fighting in the Civil War to receive the Spencer repeating rifle In February and March 1863 it was converted to mounted infantry 3 The 123rd Illinois brigade became known as Wilder s Lightning Brigade commanded by Wilder The brigade remained the 1st Brigade of the 5th Division XIV Army Corps after its conversion During this conversion Spencer repeating rifles invented by Christopher Spencer were adopted as the command s primary weapon The new increase in firepower that the Spencer gave allowed the 123rd and its brigade mates to see off numerically superior Confederate infantry and cavalry in several engagements The weapon was estimated to allow the regiment to deliver five to seven times the firepower of muzzle loading opponents 4 Tullahoma campaign edit The 123rd first used its new rifles in the Battle of Hoover s Gap 5 The brigade showed the advantage of their speed despite the weather by reaching the gap nearly 9 miles ahead of Thomas s main body 6 Despite orders from the divisional commander General Joseph J Reynolds to fall back to his infantry which was still six miles away Wilder decided to take and hold the position The brigade surprised Confederate Colonel J Russell Butler s 1st 3rd Kentucky Cavalry Regiment at the entrance of the gap 7 After driving them through the gap the brigade found it outnumbered four to one 8 The brigade entrenched and held this position 6 The brigade supported by Brig Gen Bushrod Johnson s brigade and some artillery assaulted Wilder s position but was driven back by the concentrated fire of the Spencers losing 146 killed and wounded almost a quarter of his force to Wilder s 61 Colonel James Connolly commander of the 123rd Illinois wrote As soon as the enemy opened on us with their artillery we dismounted and formed line of battle on a hill just at the south entrance to the Gap and our battery of light artillery was opened on them a courier was dispatched to the rear to hurry up reinforcements our horses were sent back some distance out of the way of bursting shells our regiment was assigned to support the battery the other three regiments were properly disposed and not a moment too soon for these preparations were scarcely completed when the enemy opened on us a terrific fire of shot and shell from five different points and their masses of infantry with flags flying moved out of the woods on our right in splendid style there were three or four times our number already in sight and still others came pouring out of the woods beyond Our regiment lay on the hill side in mud and water the rain pouring down in torrents while each shell screamed so close to us as to make it seem that the next would tear us to pieces Presently the enemy got near enough to us to make a charge on our battery and on they came our men are on their feet in an instant and a terrible fire from the Spencers causes the advancing regiment to reel and its colors fall to the ground but in an instant their colors are up again and on they come thinking to reach the battery before our guns can be reloaded but they reckoned without their host they didn t know we had the Spencers and their charging yell was answered by another terrible volley and another and another without cessation until the poor regiment was literally cut to pieces and but few men of that 20th Tennessee that attempted the charge will ever charge again During all the rest of the fight at Hoover s Gap they never again attempted to take that battery After the charge they moved four regiments around to our right and attempted to get in our rear but they were met by two of our regiments posted in the woods and in five minutes were driven back in the greatest disorder with a loss of 250 killed and wounded 9 Chickamauga campaign edit During the calamitous Chickamauga Campaign Tullahoma Campaign the 123rd and the rest of the Lightning Brigade were one of the few positive results The 123rd was sent to defend Alexander s Bridge over the Chickamauga on 17 September The next day 18 September the Lightning Brigade blocked the crossing against the approach of W H T Walker s Corps Feeling quite confident in the advantage their Spencer repeating rifles gave them the brigade held off a brigade of Brig Gen St John Liddell s division which suffered 105 casualties against Wilder s superior firepower 10 11 12 At around 14 00 on 19 September the 123rd and its brigade spoiled the left column of the main rebel attack by severely mauling both Brig Gen John Gregg s brigade and Brig Gen Evander McNair s brigade The attacking Confederates were surprised by the resolute confident manner that the Lightning Brigade demonstrated in driving them back 13 14 15 Post Chickamauga edit During the Siege of Chattanooga the Lightning Brigade disbanded and four of its regiments shifted to the Cavalry Corps where they served for the remainder of the war The 123rd and the 72nd Indiana were sent to the 3rd Brigade of the 2nd Division During the Battle of Selma First Lieutenant O J McManus Sergeants J S Mullen and Henry E Cross Corporal McMurry and Privates Daniel Cook John Bowman Marion White and Henry Woodruff were killed with 50 wounded including Lieutenant Colonel Biggs Adjutant L B Bane Captains W E Adams and Owen Wiley Lieutenants Alex McNutt and J R Harding Late in the war the regiment pursued Confederate General John Bell Hood 16 The unit was instrumental in the capture of former Confederate capital Montgomery Alabama In June 1865 new recruits and some veterans were transferred to the 61st Regiment as the 123rd prepared to disband 17 Those who remained were mustered out June 27 1865 by Captain L M Hosea and formally discharged at Springfield Illinois on July 11 1865 Total strength and casualties editThe regiment lost during service three officers and 82 enlisted men killed and mortally wounded and one officer and 133 enlisted men by disease for a total of 219 18 Commanders editColonel James Monroe September 6 1862 October 7 1863 killed at the Battle of Farmington Brigadier General of Volunteers James S Jackson October 1 1862 October 8 1862 killed at the Battle of Perryville Brigadier General of Volunteers William R Terrill September 9 1862 October 8 1862 killed at the Battle of Perryville Lt Colonel James A Connolly Captain Oscar R Bane Colonel John T Wilder May 6 1863 November 1864 resignation Brigadier General Kenner Garrard May 20 1864 October 28 1864 Major General James H Wilson October 28 1864 June 27 1865Officers editSurgeon John Milton Phipps July 2 1863 March 30 1864 Sergeant John Hamilton Morgan 19 See also edit nbsp American Civil War portal nbsp Illinois portal List of Illinois Civil War Units Illinois in the American Civil WarReferences editReferences Reece 1902 p 416 Bits of Blue and Gray Sunderland 1984 p 24 Sunderland 1984 p 21 Sunderland 1969 p 45 a b Kennedy 1998 p 225 NPS Hoover s Gap ABT Hoovers Gap 2012 Sunderland 1984 p 24 ABT Hoovers Gap 2012 Connolly 1959 p 92 The regiment served quite well through the remainder of the campaign Cozzens 1992 p 198 Esposito 1959 p 112 Kennedy 1998 p 230 Woodworth 1998 p 83 amp Eicher McPherson amp McPherson 2001 p 581 Robertson Blue amp Gray Dec 2006 p 46 50 Cozzens 1992 p 199 200 Korn 1985 p 48 Tucker 1961 p 166 172 73 Woodworth 1998 p 92 amp Eicher McPherson amp McPherson 2001 p 582 83 Robertson Blue amp Gray Jun 2007 p 44 45 Sixteenth Confederate Cavalry GlobalSecurity org 1st Battalion 123d Infantry Dyer 1908 p 1098 Thiriot TheAncestorFiles Sources Baumgartner Richard A 2007 Blue Lightning Wilder s Mounted Brigade in the Battle of Chickamauga 1st ed Huntington WV Blue Acorn Press p 389 ISBN 978 1 885033 35 2 OCLC 232639520 Connolly James A 1959 Angle Paul McClelland ed Three Years in the Army of the Cumberland The Letters and Diary of Major James A Connolly 1st ed University Park PA The Pennsylvania State University Press ISBN 978 0 527 19000 2 OCLC 906602437 Connolly James A 2012 Primary Sources The Road to Chickamauga www battlefields org Washington DC American Battlefield Trust Connelly Thomas L 1971 Autumn of Glory The Army of Tennessee 1862 1865 PDF 1st ed Baton Rouge LA Louisiana State University Press ISBN 978 0 8071 0445 3 OCLC 1147753151 Cozzens Peter 1992 This Terrible Sound The Battle of Chickamauga PDF 1st ed Champaign IL University of Illinois Press ISBN 978 0 252 06594 1 OCLC 1147753151 Daniel Larry J Lamers William M 1961 The Edge of Glory A Biography of General William S Rosecrans U S A 1st ed New York NY Harcourt Brace amp World ISBN 978 0 8071 2396 6 OCLC 906813341 Duke Basil Wilson 1906 Morgan s Cavalry PDF 1st ed New York NY amp Washington DC Neale Pub Co p 441 OCLC 35812648 Dyer Frederick Henry 1908 A Compendium of the War of the Rebellion PDF 1st ed Des Moines IA Dyer Pub Co p 1098 ASIN B01BUFJ76Q Eddy Thomas Mears 1865 The Patriotism of Illinois PDF Vol I 1st ed Chicago IL Clark amp Company p 642 LCCN 02012789 OCLC 85800687 Retrieved April 14 2020 Eddy Thomas Mears 1866 The Patriotism of Illinois PDF Vol II 1st ed Chicago IL Clark amp Company p 734 LCCN 02012789 OCLC 85800687 Retrieved April 14 2020 Eicher David J McPherson James M McPherson James Alan 2001 The Longest Night A Military History of the Civil War New York City Simon amp Schuster ISBN 0 7432 1846 9 OCLC 892938160 Esposito Vincent J 1959 West Point Atlas of American Wars 1st ed New York City Frederick A Praeger Publishers ISBN 978 0 8050 3391 5 OCLC 60298522 Archived from the original on August 29 2012 Frisby Derek W 2000 Heidler David S Heidler Jeanne T eds Tullahoma Campaign Encyclopedia of the American Civil War A Political Social and Military History Vol IV New York NY W W Norton amp Company pp 2733 ISBN 978 0 393 04758 5 OCLC 317783094 Garrison Graham Pierson Parke Shoaf Dana B March 2003 Lightning at Chickamauga America s Civil War 16 1 Historynet LLC 46 54 ISSN 1046 2899 Retrieved April 6 2020 Hallock Judith Lee 1991 Braxton Bragg and Confederate Defeat Volume 2 1st ed Tuscaloosa AL University of Alabama Press ISBN 978 0 585 13897 8 OCLC 1013879782 Illinois National Guard 1st Battalion 123d Infantry globalsecurity org Alexandria VA Retrieved April 4 2020 Jared Grace Heminger 2008 Story of Corporal William Bits of Blue and Gray An American Civil War Notebook San Francisco CA Jayne McCormick Archived from the original on May 14 2008 Jordan Hubert July 1997 Battle of Chickamauga Colonel John Wilder s Lightning Brigade Prevented Total Disaster America s Civil War 10 3 Historynet LLC 44 49 ISSN 1046 2899 Retrieved April 6 2020 Kennedy Frances H ed 1998 The Civil War Battlefield Guide Kindle 2nd ed Boston MA Houghton Mifflin Co ISBN 0 395 74012 6 Retrieved June 24 2020 Korn Jerry 1985 The Fight for Chattanooga Chickamauga to Missionary Ridge The Civil War Alexandria VA Time Life Books ISBN 978 0 8173 9185 0 OCLC 34581283 Lyons Ron Battle Near Rome Georgia October 12 1864 16thconfederatecavalry com Studio199 Archived from the original on July 7 2011 Retrieved November 28 2018 McWhiney Grady 1991 Braxton Bragg and Confederate Defeat Volume 1 1st ed Tuscaloosa AL University of Alabama Press ISBN 978 0 8173 0545 1 LCCN 91003554 OCLC 799285151 Martin Samuel J 2011 General Braxton Bragg C S A 2013 Kindle ed Jefferson NC McFarland ISBN 978 0 7864 5934 6 OCLC 617425048 Reece Jasper Newton Brig Gen Adjutant General 1902 Report of the Adjutant General of the State of Illinois 1900 1902 PDF Vol VI Springfield IL Phillips Bros State Printer pp 395 421 OCLC 1052542476 Retrieved April 4 2020 a href Template Cite book html title Template Cite book cite book a CS1 maint multiple names authors list link Robertson William Glenn 2010 Bull of the Woods James Longstreet at Chickamauga In Woodworth Steven E ed The Chickamauga Campaign Civil War Campaigns in the West 2011 Kindle ed Carbondale IL Southern Illinois University Press ISBN 978 0 8093 8556 0 OCLC 649913237 Retrieved April 6 2020 Robertson William Glenn January 2006 The Chickamauga Campaign The Fall of Chattanooga Blue amp Gray Magazine XXIII 136 Columbus OH Blue amp Gray Enterprises ISSN 0741 2207 Robertson William Glenn June 2006 The Chickamauga Campaign McLemore s Cove Bragg s Lost Opportunity Blue amp Gray Magazine XXIII 138 Columbus OH Blue amp Gray Enterprises ISSN 0741 2207 Robertson William Glenn December 2006 The Chickamauga Campaign The Armies Collide Blue amp Gray Magazine XXIV 141 Columbus OH Blue amp Gray Enterprises ISSN 0741 2207 Robertson William Glenn June 2007 The Chickamauga Campaign The Battle of Chickamauga Day 1 Blue amp Gray Magazine XXIV 144 Columbus OH Blue amp Gray Enterprises ISSN 0741 2207 Robertson William Glenn October 2007 The Chickamauga Campaign The Battle of Chickamauga Day 2 Blue amp Gray Magazine XXV 146 Columbus OH Blue amp Gray Enterprises ISSN 0741 2207 Smith Derek 2005 The Gallant Dead Union and Confederate Generals Killed in the Civil War 2011 Kindle ed Mechanicsburg PA Stackpole Books ISBN 978 0 8117 4872 8 OCLC 1022792759 Retrieved May 10 2020 Starr Stephen Z 1985 The War in the West 1861 1865 The Union Cavalry in the Civil War Vol III 1st ed Baton Rouge LA Louisiana State University Press ISBN 978 0 8071 1209 0 OCLC 769318010 Stuntz Margaret L July 1997 Lightning Strike at the Gap America s Civil War 10 3 Historynet LLC 50 57 ISSN 1046 2899 Retrieved April 6 2020 Sunderland Glenn W 1969 Lightning at Hoover s Gap the Story of Wilder s Brigade 1st ed London UK Thomas Yoseloff ISBN 0 498 06795 5 OCLC 894765669 Sunderland Glenn W 1984 Wilder s Lightning Brigade and Its Spencer Repeaters Washington IL Bookworks ISBN 9996886417 OCLC 12549273 Thiriot Amy Tanner February 2009 Morgan 4 John Morgan Funeral Address Part 1 of 3 theancestorfiles blogspot com TheAncestorFiles Retrieved July 22 2014 Thomas Edison H 1985 John Hunt Morgan and His Raiders Lexington KY The University Press of Kentucky ISBN 978 1 306 18437 3 OCLC 865156740 Tucker Glenn 1961 Chickamauga Bloody Battle in the West 2015 Kindle ed Indianapolis IN Bobbs Merrill Co ISBN 978 1 78625 115 2 OCLC 933587418 Retrieved May 10 2020 Woodworth Steven E 1998 Six Armies in Tennessee The Chickamauga and Chattanooga Campaigns 2015 Kindle ed Lincoln NE University of Nebraska Press ISBN 978 0 8032 9813 2 OCLC 50844494 Retrieved May 10 2020 U S National Park Service NPS Hoover s Gap Battle Description nps gov U S National Park Service Archived from the original on September 13 2013 Retrieved September 14 2017 U S National Park Service Chickamauga Battle Description nps gov U S National Park Service Archived from the original on September 13 2013 Retrieved September 14 2017 U S War Department 1889 Operations in Kentucky Middle and East Tennessee North Alabama and Southwest Virginia January 21 August 10 1863 Reports The War of the Rebellion A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies Vol XXIII XXXV I Washington DC U S Government Printing Office OCLC 857196196 U S War Department 1889 Operations in Kentucky Middle and East Tennessee North Alabama and Southwest Virginia January 21 August 10 1863 Reports The War of the Rebellion A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies Vol XXIII XXXV I Washington DC U S Government Printing Office OCLC 857196196 U S War Department 1899 Operations in Kentucky Southwest Virginia Tennessee Mississippi North Alabama and North Georgia August 11 October 19 1863 Part I Reports The War of the Rebellion A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies Vol XXX XLII I Washington DC U S Government Printing Office OCLC 857196196 U S War Department 1899 Operations in Kentucky Southwest Virginia Tennessee Mississippi North Alabama and North Georgia August 11 October 19 1863 Part II Reports The War of the Rebellion A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies Vol XXX XLII II Washington DC U S Government Printing Office OCLC 857196196 U S War Department 1899 Operations in Kentucky Southwest Virginia Tennessee Mississippi North Alabama and North Georgia August 11 October 19 1863 Part III Union Correspondence etc The War of the Rebellion A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies Vol XXX XLII III Washington DC U S Government Printing Office OCLC 857196196 External links editWilder s Brigade Mounted Infantry Living History Society Archived 2009 10 19 The First Battle of Selma Archived May 11 2008 at the Wayback Machine Sherman s Fifth Corps Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title 123rd Illinois Infantry Regiment amp oldid 1217775381, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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