Illinois in the Civil War

256 567 Illinois went to war, more than from any other northern state, except New York , Pennsylvania and Ohio . The state scored 150 infantry regiments, which were numbered from the seventh to 156 Illinois. Also recruited 17 cavalry regiments and 2 artillery. Due to the great enthusiasm of the inhabitants, there was practically no draft in the army. Camp Douglas , located near Chicago and Camp Butler , located near Springfield, were one of the largest training camps for these soldiers. Both served as a prison for captured Confederates . Several thousand of them died in the camps and were buried in nearby cemeteries. The main Illinois generals were Ulysses Grant , John Buford , John Pope , John Schofield , John Logan , John Macklernand , Benjamin Prentiss and Stephen Herlbat . More than a hundred soldiers from Illinois received the Medal of Honor .

The Chicago government and volunteer societies supported the soldiers during the war. Composer and musician George Frederick Routh has become famous thanks to several well-received war songs. Mary Livermore and Jane Hodge organized exhibitions, the proceeds of which went to medical aid to soldiers. Their activity played a role in the postwar movement for women's rights. Mary Ann Bikerdijk was one of the most notable Western Army nurses. Workers in factories and in the port helped the army to get enough food and clothing for both ordinary soldiers and generals.

During the presidential election in 1860 , 2 Illinois representatives were among 4 candidates. Most Illinois voted for Springfield spokesman Abraham Lincoln (50.7%), while the rest voted for Stephen Douglas from Chicago , who received 47.2%. John Bell and John Breckinridge scored a little more than two percent.

• Hicken, Victor, Illinois in the Civil War, University of Illinois Press. 1991. ISBN 0-252-06165-9 .