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Illinois Immigrant Heroes of the Civil War
Amanda Kniepkamp Illinois has many reasons to boast of the gallant heroes she gave the Union, including both President Abraham Lincoln and General Ulysses S. Grant. However, few tales are told of those who fought for a nation other than their native land. It is a little-known fact that nearly 25 percent of Lincoln's armies were made up of first or second generation immigrants. Immigrants were almost unanimously against slavery; hence there were few immigrants in the Confederate army. Although most immigrants arrived in New York, by the 1860s many had moved westward, and Illinois was the place of settlement for thousands of Germans. When the War Between the States began, Illinois' immigrants set out to prove themselves as loyal to the Union as any who were born here. The largest group of immigrants to fight for the North was the Germans, who had settled mostly in Illinois and Missouri. When Lincoln issued his first call for volunteers on April 15,1861, a huge group of Germans from St. Clair County, Illinois, marched to Springfield to join the war effort. The group was accepted for service and formed six companies of the 9th Illinois Infantry. Their leader, August Mersy, was appointed lieutenant colonel of the regiment, denied the position of colonel because he was not a native-born citizen. During the months to come, there was a great deal of bickering between the German and American companies and frequent discrimination against the German Americans. The regiment's first assignment was to guard the junction of the Mississippi and Ohio rivers, a dull job, but strategically important. It was a job well done, for shortly the regiment's leader was promoted and Mersy became the colonel on September 5, 1861. On the same day, the 9th Illinois was sent to occupy Paducah, Kentucky. Then, in February 1862 the unit moved to join Grant in the Ft. Henry campaign. However, it arrived too late to contribute much to the victory on February 6. It was the last time the 9th Illinois would be at the rear of the army for months. Its next battle took place on February 15 at Ft. Donelson. There it fought for two-and-a-half hours on the front lines, holding back the enemy until Grant could regroup his army and help it regain the offensive. Thirty-five percent of Mersy's brigade gave their lives at this battle, the highest casualty rate of all the Union regiments. At Shiloh on April 6, the regiment had been restored to its 600-man strength and was again placed on the front lines. Three hundred and sixty-six men, mostly German, had been killed by the time the victory was won on April 7. Colonel Mersy and what remained of his men were commended for their strategic movements and for courage. Mersy wrote, "This terrible destruction was only caused by the most determined bravery, such as I have never seen equaled." This bravery, which was beginning to earn fame for the unit, did not fail that October at Corinth, where, left to guard against the Confederate attack alone for a short period of time, one-third of their number fell. After Corinth, the regiment was ordered to Mississippi to fight guerrillas there, and the regiment's leader was promoted and given a place in the Army of the Tennessee. Little was heard of either for the rest of the war, but their heroism in the early battles was too great to be forgotten. Another of Illinois' courageous immigrant groups was the Irish who had settled mostly in Chicago. On April 20, 1861, the Chicago Tribune announced a rally of Irishmen wishing to serve their adopted nation in the war. That evening thirty-two men were recruited after hearing James A. Mulligan speak. Plans for acquiring equipment were made and word of the recruiting was sent to neighboring Irish communities. In a few days more than 1,000 men had joined the brigade. Once organized, their services were offered to the government but rejected, since Illinois had already filled its quota. Refusing to accept this, Mulligan journeyed to Washington to ask that they be accepted for service. On May 17, the War Department complied, and on June 15, 1861, Chicago's "Irish Brigade" officially became the 23rd Illinois Infantry under Colonel James Mulligan. The regiment's first battle earned them fame. On September 18 at Lexington, Missouri, they were attacked by Confederate troops. At first, they pushed the enemy back, but as the battle wore on and no reinforcements came, the enemy gained the advantage. Hoping against hope for relief, the 23rd held out for two days, but no help came. When it was forced to surrender, Mulligan alone was taken prisoner but was released in October. He returned to Chicago on October 30 where he was received as a hero. Restored to active duty by early 1862, the Irish Brigade was assigned guard duty at Camp Douglas, a prisoner-of-war camp. Mulligan, in charge of the prison, reformed the poor management system at the camp and granted the prisoners much more humane treatment than had his predecessor. In June the regiment was moved to Maryland for field service and played a small role in the victory at Antietam. Next it was ordered to western Virginia and given the thankless task of battling rebel guerrillas. It spent two years warding off raids, ambushes, and night attacks. In July 1864 the 23rd Illinois was moved back into the mainstream of events. They helped turn back Jubal Early's attack on Washington. Fighting under General Sheridan, men of the 23rd met Early's
troops again at Kernstown. Here Colonel Mulligan made his final and greatest sacrifice to the northern cause: his life. He was shot from his horse, and when his men offered to carry him from the field, he rebuked, "Lay me down and save the flag!" He was captured where he fell and died two days later in Confederate hands. His body was brought back to Chicago where the whole city mourned their "hero of Lexington." Sadly, a vast number of Mulligan's brigade had died as well. The surviving soldiers were combined into five companies and served out the war in the Shenandoah area. Today, a monument marks the grave of James A. Mulligan, fiery orator, courageous war leader, and loyal Union soldier. A third and even less acknowledged group of immigrants in Illinois is the Swedes. In 1860 there were 6,470 Swedes living in Illinois; 1,300 of them enlisted sometime during the war. On April 24, 1861, roughly a week after President Lincoln's first call for volunteers, the Chicago Tribune stated: "The Scandinavians of Chicago assembled very numerically last Monday evening and the best of spirit prevailed. They are determined to a man to stand or fall in defense of American liberties, laws, and institutions." The article went on to say: "It frequently happens that among Scandinavians here are several well-versed in military tactics from years of constant service in the armies of their country. . . " One such skilled military man was Oscar Malmborg. When the war began he was given the rank of colonel and the task of training the 55th Illinois Infantry, which had been organized by Colonel David Stuart. In no time, the regiment became known as a model unit. In the advance on Corinth, Malmborg was the strategic mind behind his division's efforts. General Grant himself took notice and complimented him. In an official report on April 10, 1862, Colonel Stuart wrote of Malmborg: "He instantly perceived the aim of every movement made by the enemy; he could advise me quickly and prudently how to use my men. He was intent, careful, brave, and immensely valuable to me." These three examples are not, by far, the only heroes who came from foreign lands to represent Illinois in the Civil War. They came, not only from Germany, Ireland, and Sweden, but also from Scotland, France, Poland, and other nations. They died in great numbers at Gettysburg; they marched to the sea with Sherman. They rejoiced with the rest at Appomattox.—[From Chicago Daily Tribune, Apr 24, 1861; Peter Cozzens, "My Poor Little Ninth: The Ninth Illinois at Shiloh," Illinois Historical Journal, 1990; Earl J. Hess, A German in the Yankee Fatherland; Earl J. Hess, "The Obscurity of August Mersy: A German-American in the Civil War," Illinois Historical Journal, 1986; Victor Hicken, Illinois in the Civil War; Nels Hokanson, Swedish Immigrants in Lincoln's Time; Stewart Sifakis, Who Was Who in the Civil War; Harold F. Smith, "Mulligan and the Irish Brigade," Journal of the Illinois State Historical Society, 1963.]
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