The 123rd Regiment Illinois Volunteer Infantry, was an infantry and mounted infantryregiment 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.[note 1]
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
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
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][note 2]
Chickamauga campaign
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
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
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
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
Surgeon John Milton Phipps, July 2, 1863 – March 30, 1864.
The Battle of Hoover's Gap was the principal battle in the Tullahoma Campaign of the American Civil War, in which Union General William S. Rosecrans drove General Braxton Bragg’s Confederates out of Central Tennessee. Rosecrans’ feigned move on the western end of the Confederate line had left the eastern mountain passes lightly defended, and Colonel John T. Wilder's mounted infantry achieved total surprise when they attacked Hoover's Gap. Success was attributed both to Rosecrans’ brilliant deception tactics and the high morale of Wilder’s "Lightning Brigade", equipped with the new Spencer repeating rifle.
John Thomas Wilder was an officer in the Union Army during the American Civil War, noted principally for capturing the critical mountain pass of Hoover's Gap during the Tullahoma Campaign in Central Tennessee in June 1863. Wilder had personally ensured that his "Lightning Brigade" of mounted infantry was equipped with the new Spencer repeating rifle. However, Wilder initially had to appeal to his men to pay for these weapons themselves before the government agreed to carry the cost. The victory at Hoover's Gap was attributed largely to Wilder's persistence in procuring the new rifles, which disoriented the enemy.
The 17th Indiana Infantry Regiment, also known as 17th Indiana Mounted Infantry Regiment, was an infantry and mounted infantry regiment that served in the Union Army from 1863 to 1865 during the American Civil War. It served in West Virginia before being transferred to the Western Theater. In that theater, it was known for its membership in the "Lightning Brigade."
}
The 92nd Regiment Illinois Infantry, also known as 92nd Illinois Mounted Infantry Regiment, was an infantry and mounted infantry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War.
The 21st Regiment Illinois Volunteer Infantry was a volunteer infantry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War.
The 78th Illinois Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War.
The 18th Independent Battery Indiana Light Artillery, also known as Lilly's Hoosier Battery and Lilly's Battery, was a civil war regiment formed in Indiana during the American Civil War. The regiment was formed at the end of 1860 by 22-year-old Eli Lilly, an Indianapolis pharmacist. He had recruitment posters placed around the city and recruited primarily among his friends and classmates. The unit were first issued 6 "Rodman Guns" and was manned by 156 men. The Battery members stated preference to 3" Ordnance Rifles over the 10 pound Parrott Rifle due to its tendency to bursting. The unit mustered in Indianapolis where it was drilled during 1861, excelling at their skill with firing accuracy. Lilly was elected captain of the unit in August 1862 when the unit was deployed to join the Lightning Brigade commanded by Col. John T. Wilder.
The 10th Kentucky Infantry Regiment was a three-year volunteer infantry regiment that served in the U.S., or Union Army during the American Civil War.
The 33rd Ohio Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment in the Union Army during the American Civil War.
The 64th Ohio Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment in the Union Army during the American Civil War.
The 65th Ohio Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment in the Union Army during the American Civil War.
The 39th Regiment Indiana Infantry was an infantry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. The regiment fought at Shiloh, Corinth, and Stones River. In April 1863 the unit acquired horses and Spencer rifles and became mounted infantry, serving in the Tullahoma campaign and at Chickamauga. On October 15, 1863, the unit was renamed the 8th Indiana Cavalry Regiment.
The 72nd Indiana Infantry Regiment, also known as 72nd Indiana Mounted Infantry Regiment, was an infantry and mounted infantry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. The regiment served as mounted infantry from March 17, 1863, to November 1, 1864, notably as part of the Lightning Brigade. during the Tullahoma and Chickamauga Campaigns.
The 124th Ohio Infantry Regiment, sometimes 124th Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry was an infantry regiment in the Union Army during the American Civil War.
The Horn Brigade, also known as the Dutch Brigade, or the “Iron Brigade of the Army of the Cumberland,” was an infantry brigade in the Union Army of the Cumberland during the American Civil War. The brigade fought in the battles of Shiloh, Stones River, Liberty Gap, Chickamauga, Missionary Ridge, Atlanta, Franklin and Nashville.
The Lightning Brigade, also known as Wilder's Brigade or the Hatchet Brigade was a mounted infantry brigade from the American Civil War in the Union Army of the Cumberland from March 8, 1863, through November 1863. A novel unit for the U.S. Army, its regiments were nominally the 1st Brigade of Maj. Gen. Joseph J. Reynolds' 4th Division of Thomas' XIV Corps. Operationally, they were detached from the division and served as a mobile mounted infantry to support any of the army's corps. Colonel John T. Wilder was its commander. As initially organized, the brigade had the following regiments:
The 623rd Field Artillery Regiment (Morgan's Men) is a single-battalion unit of the Kentucky Army National Guard. The unit draws its lineage from cavalry and infantry units of the Kentucky Militia formed in 1846 for service in the Mexican–American War. Its antecedents include units that served on both sides of the American Civil War as well as those that fought for the United States in the Spanish–American War, World War One and World War Two. The unit was first designated as the 623rd Field Artillery Battalion in 1947, serving under that name in the Korean War. It was part of the 138th Artillery Regiment in the 1960s before becoming the 623rd Artillery Regiment in 1969 and the 623rd Field Artillery Regiment in 1972. The unit served in the Gulf War as a self-propelled artillery unit; it is now equipped with the M142 HIMARS system.
Henry Benedict Mattingly was a Union Army soldier in the American Civil War and a recipient of the United States military's highest decoration, the Medal of Honor, for his actions at the September 1, 1864, Battle of Jonesborough, Georgia.
The 20th Louisiana Infantry Regiment was a unit of volunteers recruited in Louisiana that fought in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. The unit began its existence as the 6th Louisiana Battalion in September 1861. The battalion was augmented to regimental strength in January 1862 at New Orleans and served during the war in the Western Theater of the American Civil War. The regiment fought at Shiloh, Farmington, and Perryville in 1862. After being reduced in numbers, the regiment was consolidated with the 13th Louisiana Infantry Regiment and served at Stones River, Jackson, Chickamauga, and Missionary Ridge in 1863. The 13th-20th Consolidated Louisiana fought at Resaca, New Hope Church, Ezra Church, and Nashville in 1864. The consolidation with the 13th Louisiana was discontinued in February 1865 and the regiment was re-consolidated with other units. It fought its final battle at Spanish Fort one month before surrendering in May 1865.
References
Footnotes
↑ It acquired the names due to the movement speed that was gained by mounting the brigade, and also by the hatchets/tomohawks that Wilder had issued initially. See Lightning Brigade article for more.
↑ The regiment served quite well through the remainder of the campaign.
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. ISBN978-0-393-04758-5. OCLC317783094.
Garrison, Graham; Pierson, Parke; Shoaf, Dana B. (March 2003). "Lightning at Chickamauga". America's Civil War. 16 (1). Historynet LLC: 46–54. ISSN1046-2899. Retrieved April 6, 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.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
