Chicago to Appomattox : The 39th Illinois Infantry in the Civil War

When Chicago lawyer Thomas Osborn set out to form a Union regiment in the days following the attack on Fort Sumter, he could not have known it was the beginning of a 6000-mile journey that would end at Appomattox Courthouse four years later. With assistance from Governor Richard Yates, the 39th Illinois Infantry--"The Yates Phalanx"--enlisted young men from Chicago, its modern-day suburbs, and small towns of northern and central Illinois. While most Illinois Civil War regiments fought in the west, the 39th marched through the Shenandoah Valley to fight Stonewall Jackson, to Charleston Harbor for the Second Battle of Fort Sumter and to Richmond for the year-long siege at Petersburg. This book chronicles day-to-day life in the regiment, the myriad factors that determined its path, and the battles fought by the Chicagoans--including two Medal of Honor recipients--who fired some of the last shots before the Confederate surrender. "When Chicago lawyer Thomas Osborn set out to form a Union regiment in the days following the attack on Fort Sumter, he could not have known it was the beginning of a 6000-mile journey that would end at Appomattox Courthouse four years later. With assistance from Governor Richard Yates, the 39th Illinois Infantry--"The Yates Phalanx"--enlisted young men from Chicago, its modern-day suburbs, and small towns of northern and central Illinois. While most Illinois regiments fought in the west, the 39th marched through the Shenandoah Valley to fight Stonewall Jackson, to Charleston Harbor for the Second Battle of Fort Sumter and to Richmond for the year-long siege at Petersburg. This book chronicles day-to-day life in the regiment, the myriad factors that determined its path, and the battles fought by the Chicagoans--including two Medal of Honor recipients--who fired some of the last shots before the Confederate surrender"-- Provided by publisher Cover Contents Preface Introduction: “Here My Children Have Been Born” Part I. “A Good Ways from Home” October 1861–December 1862 1. From Chicago 2. Trains, Steamboats and Twists of Fate 3. Trial by Fire 4. Into the Valley 5. The Battle of Kernstown and a Pursuit of Stonewall 6. Final Days In (and Out of) the Valley 7. McClellan, Waiting Games and Emancipation Part II. “Until Hell Freezes Over” January 1863–February 1864 8. Sailing to the Heart of Secession 9. Laying Siege 10. Furlough Part III. “All This Bloodletting” March 1864–April 1865 11. Bermuda Hundred 12. The Battle of Drewry’s Bluff 13. Ware Bottom Church and the End of a Campaign 14. Grant’s Arrival 15. Deep Despair and Deep Bottom 16. Campaign Season 17. Darbytown Road 18. A Final Winter 19. Once More to Petersburg 20. Breakthrough and Fort Gregg 21. To Appomattox Epilogue: “Muster Out” Appendix: Roster of the 39th Illinois Infantry Notes Bibliography Index