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Just a Common Soldier
Robert DeMille Allen Morgan Geer, a resident of McHenry County, Illinois, answered President Abraham Lincoln's call for recruits on June 13, 1861. Born in 1840, he was a handsome young man when he joined the war effort. He was mustered into the army to fight against the Confederate forces and secession. Throughout the war he kept a diary that tells of his exploits as a common soldier. Placed in the 20th Illinois Regiment, he took part in several victorious campaigns, which were vitally important to the outcome of the war. Geer's unit was located near Cairo, Illinois, and was commanded by then little known Ulysses S. Grant. Geer was a private in Company C of the 20th Regiment of the Illinois Volunteer Infantry. By year's end he was advanced to a first lieutenant. He got his first taste of combat at Fort Donelson, a Confederate stronghold on the Cumberland River. The Tennessee and Cumberland rivers come within eleven miles of each other at this strategic location in Tennessee, and they both extended into the heart of the Confederate states. Nashville was located further east on the Cumberland River and was a major base for Confederate forces. Geer's diary for Wednesday, February 12, 1862, declares, "We took up our march early and advanced with slow and steady step. Saw dwelling house along the road filled with women left for protection. We. . . march[ed] to the right of the fort completely surrounding them." Three days later, Geer's was one of two regiments to receive the full force from the Confederates. "The 20th stood their ground," Geer reports, "until [the enemy] appeared in sight—then commencing a rapid fire. We advanced steadily over the hill driving everything before us." The very next day, Grant's total forces pushed the Confederate forces back, and "about 7 o'clock it was announced that the fort was surrendered and we marched in with music and triumph. We found it to be a strong post with many prisoners." Geer later wrote, "Wed. Feb. 19th ´62 ... the most of the captured rebels appeared pleased at being in our hands and hoped we would be successful in soon quelling rebellion." The capture of the fort was important, as it opened both rivers to navigation by Union gunboats. Later Geer reported that, "Gen. Buell's forces . . . went on up to Nashville to occupy that place." This was a direct result of the capture of the fort. Geer and the 20th moved up the Tennessee to Pittsburg Landing near a small Methodist church called the Shiloh Meeting House. Pittsburg Landing lay some fifteen miles northeast of Corinth, Mississippi, a major Southern railroad center. General Johnston had linked his command with other Confederate generals, and, with his heavily reinforced army, attacked Grant's unprepared force early in the morning of April 6, 1862. The following is Geer's account of the events leading to the battle and of the battle itself. On April 4, "An alarm was given . . . caused by a scouting party running through our lines." This alerted the troops of a threat that was to come forth later. On April 5, Geer reports, "All quiet this morning." However, the next day, "Heavy fighting was heard on the advance early this morning . . . Our lines being unguarded [the opposing general] was enabled to surprise Gen. Sherman's division and to drive them—precipitated toward the landing." Another division, "had hardly time to get into line before the rebels were upon them and so they continued to give way all day but obstinately contesting every inch of ground until we were compressed within a comparatively small space near the river." The soldiers' morale was low and they "looked anxiously for the arrival of [reinforcements]." These reinforcements, along with a few strategic mistakes made by Confederate leaders, allowed Geer and the Union forces to, "advance on the enemy. Our picket drove the enemy back inside their lines," finally leading to a surrender. This paved the way for the eventual capture of Corinth. On October 21, the 20th was ordered to move south to Vicksburg. While marching there, the regiment was involved in some minor skirmishes. Just outside the city of Raymond, they were surprised by the enemy. During the chaos that ensued, Geer and a comrade were separated from the group. As they were falling back into their group, Geer reports that he, "moved back a few feet to the first tree and commenced firing again when a squirrel rifle ball struck me in the neck, left side or near the jugular vein . . . [and] found blood flowing freely." Geer was still able, however, to get to a rebel hospital "with little assistance." He had to stay there for two weeks while his regiment went on ahead to Vicksburg. Geer states, "My neck is very painful . . . My nerves so badly shattered—have caught cold . . . left ear deaf." The building that Geer stayed in, "was comfortably arranged. . . with bunks and mattresses . . . Surgeons seem very scarce . . . We were almost entirely out of rations when we came here . . . Veal and mutton soup the principal diet. . . [The Confederates] take good care of rebel wounded . . . Slept a little and then only by the aid of Morphine." The bullet remained in Geer's neck until his death. Vicksburg, a very important strategic location for the Confederacy, was located on the Mississippi River, which flowed through the Confederate states. The town had great natural defenses, making conquest difficult. President Lincoln once stated, "The war can never be brought to a close until that key [Vicksburg] is in our pocket.. . . We may take all the northern ports of the Confederacy and they can still
defy us from Vicksburg." When Union soldiers tried to pass through the swamps and bayous surrounding the city's fortifications, they were left open to attack. The Union forces dug trenches to defend themselves. After two weeks in the hospital, Geer was allowed to return to his regiment. On the way from the hospital to the front line, Geer states, "We saw many evidences of severe engagements all along the road. The rebels must have contested every inch of ground we advanced on." Geer rejoined his regiment in the trenches. Finally after forty-seven days of siege, Vicksburg surrendered. Many casualties resulted from this battle. However, from the victory, along with the capture of Fort Hudson, the last Confederate stronghold on the Mississippi, the Union gained important control of the Mississippi River and unmolested passage to the Gulf of Mexico. It allowed them to supply themselves with food, clothing, medical supplies, arms, and reinforcements, all essential to a Union victory. It also divided some of the Confederate states from those west of the Mississippi. Following the capture of the Mississippi, the 20th made a 350-mile round trip to the heart of the Confederacy. For this expedition, General Sherman was chosen commander. General Grant directed Sherman to, "move against [the enemy], to break it up and to get into the enemy's country as far as you can, inflicting all the damage you can against their war resources." Sherman's invasion was called the Georgia Campaign. Sherman started in Chattanooga, Tennessee, and fought battle after battle, most notably the assault on Kennesaw Mountain and Chattahoochee River, with a major objective being the capture of Atlanta. At both the Battle of Legget's Hill, and the Battle of Atlanta, the 20th was virtually destroyed. This campaign was one of the most important to the total war effort. Sherman went as far as possible into the heart of the Confederacy, inflicting major damage along the way. This kept many Confederate soldiers away from the battles against Grant in the northeast. It allowed Grant to successfully attack Lee in Virginia while Sherman battled Joseph and Johnston's armies in Georgia and South Carolina. Sherman's next campaign was his famous March to the Sea. Geer participated in this trek also. It began in Atlanta and plunged diagonally through the heart of Georgia to Savannah. It was like the previous trek that Geer had taken part in: the goal being to destroy as many railways as possible. This had a major impact on the outcome of the war. Sherman's thrust into the heart of Confederate resistance had a twofold effect. It inflicted a psychological beating on Confederate soldiers and foreshadowed the impending doom. This caused the Confederates to have low morale and little incentive to fight. It also had the material effect of stopping the northward flow of supplies to Lee's army. This crippled the Confederate forces in Virginia. Sherman's forces, including Geer, then thrust their way into the Carolinas, destroying railroads and stamping out resistance. Once again, the South had been split apart along the northwest to southeast diagonal from Atlanta to Savannah. The South was mortally wounded, but death would come only after four more months of bloody warfare. Lee was forced to surrender to Grant on April 9, 1865. Allen Geer was able to march in the grand review for President Johnson. Geer "seemed somewhat surprised at the lavish praise the Western armies received . . . ." On June 7 he left Washington for home. The 20th regiment was disbanded June 24, 1865. Geer's post-war life appears to have been successful. After marrying and having several children, he started a law practice and became very involved in his community. He later started a newspaper. He died in 1926 at the age of 85. The Illinois regiment in which Geer fought had been instrumental in the successful campaign by the North. Allen Morgan Geer proudly fought for his country during this war and was wounded doing so. The campaigns that he participated in sealed the Confederate's fate. During his service, Geer killed at least one opposing soldier. He reports this in his diary, "Fired 10 rounds dropped one man." However, he was humane and loved his fellow man. After the war he shared one of his most favorite quotes to his daughter: "I shall pass through this world but once. Any good therefore that I can do or any kindness that I can show to any human being, let me do it now, let me not defer or neglect it, for I shall not pass this way again."—[From Mary Ann Anderson, ed., The Civil War Diary of Allen Morgan Geer; Otto Eisenschiml and Ralph Newman, The Civil War, vol. 1.; A. A. Hoeling, Vicksburg; Illinois General Assembly, Vicksburg Military Park Commission, Illinois at Vicksburg; William T. Sherman, From Atlanta to the Sea.]
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