Illinois 31st Infantry (Union)
9/18/61
Organized - Illinois 31st Infantry - Illinois
2/11/62
Leadership Change - Regiment - Colonel John A. Logan, and Captain Jasper M. Dresser
ColonelJohn A. Logan
CaptainJasper M. Dresser
2/11/62
Leadership Change - Brigade - Colonel Richard J. Oglesby
ColonelRichard J. Oglesby
2/11/62
Leadership Change - Regiment - Colonel John A. Logan
ColonelJohn A. Logan
2/11/62
Battle - Fort Donelson - Fort Donelson, Tennessee
Early in the war, Union commanders realized control of the major rivers would be the key to success in the Western Theater.READ MORE
5/12/63
Leadership Change - Regiment - Colonel Edwin Stanton McCook, and Lieutenant Colonel John D. Reese
ColonelEdwin Stanton McCook
Lieutenant ColonelJohn D. Reese
5/12/63
Leadership Change - Brigade - Brigadier General John E. Smith
Brigadier GeneralJohn E. Smith
5/12/63
Leadership Change - Regiment - Colonel Edwin Stanton McCook
ColonelEdwin Stanton McCook
5/12/63
Battle - Raymond - Hinds County, Mississippi
On May 12th, 1863, after days of hard marching towards Jackson, Mississippi, Maj. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant fought to secure the crossings of Fourteenmile Creek southwest of Raymond, which would provide a vital water source for his men and animals and serve as a staging area for a strike on the Confederate rail supply line between Clinton and Edwards, Mississippi. Cutting the railroad here would cut off supplies to Grant's ultimate goal, the Mississippi River city of Vicksburg 30 miles to the west. At around…READ MORE
5/16/63
Leadership Change - Regiment - Lieutenant Colonel John D. Reese
Lieutenant ColonelJohn D. Reese
5/16/63
Battle - Champion Hill - Hinds County, Mississippi
The Battle of Champion Hill was the largest and bloodiest action of Maj. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant's Vicksburg Campaign.READ MORE
5/17/63
Battle - Big Black River Bridge - Hinds County, Mississippi
Reeling from their defeat at Champion Hill and heading west toward Vicksburg, the Confederates reached Big Black River Bridge, the night of May 16-17th. Lt. Gen. John C. Pemberton ordered Brig. Gen. John S. Bowen, with three brigades, to man the fortifications on the east bank of the river and impede any Union pursuit. Three divisions of Maj. Gen. John A. McClernand's Thirteenth Corps moved out from Edwards Station on the morning of the 17th. They encountered the Confederates behind breastworks and took co…READ MORE
5/18/63
Leadership Change - Regiment - Lieutenant Colonel John D. Rees, and Major Robert N. Pearson
Lieutenant ColonelJohn D. Rees
MajorRobert N. Pearson
5/18/63
Leadership Change - Brigade - Brigadier General John E. Smith, and Brigadier General Mortimer D. Leggett
Brigadier GeneralJohn E. Smith
Brigadier GeneralMortimer D. Leggett
5/18/63
Battle - Vicksburg - Vicksburg, Mississippi
In mid-May, 1863, after six months of unsuccessful attempts, Maj. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant's Army of the Tennessee finally converged on Vicksburg, defended by a Confederate army under Lt. Gen. John C. Pemberton. Capture of the Mississippi River town was critical to Union control of the strategic river. Vicksburg was located on a high river bluff defended with artillery, and Pemberton's men had constructed a series of fortifications in an 8-mile arc surrounding the city on the landward side. After crossing the…READ MORE
6/27/64
Battle - Kennesaw Mountain - Cobb County, Georgia
Fearing envelopment northwest of Atlanta, Confederate Gen. Joseph E. Johnston withdrew his army to a new defensive position astride Kennesaw Mountain near Marietta. Johnston selected this position in order to protect the Western & Atlantic Railroad, his supply link to Atlanta. Prior to taking up this new line on June 19th, Johnston had pioneers working through the night digging trenches and erecting fortifications, turning Kennesaw into a formidable earthen fortress. Having defeated Lieut. Gen. John…READ MORE
7/22/64
Battle - Atlanta - Fulton County, Georgia; DeKalb County, Georgia
Despite the defeat at Peach Tree Creek, Confederate Lieut. Gen. John Bell Hood still had hopes of driving Maj. Gen. William T. Sherman's Yankees from the outskirts of Atlanta with an offensive blow. On the night of July 21, 1864, Hood ordered Lt. Gen. William J. Hardee's corps to make 15-mile night march and assault the Union left flank east of the city, held by Maj. Gen. James B. McPherson's Army of the Tennessee. Joining the attack with Hardee would be the corps of Maj. Gen. Benjamin Cheatham. Hood attac…READ MORE
8/31/64
Leadership Change - Brigade - Colonel George E. Bryant
ColonelGeorge E. Bryant
8/31/64
Battle - Jonesborough - Clayton County, Georgia
By late August 1865, the city of Atlanta was not yet subdued by Maj. Gen. William T. Sherman's armies. A few supply lines remained open to the city supporting the army of Lieut. Gen. John B. Hood encircled there. Union cavalry raids inflicted only superficial damage, quickly repaired by the Confederates. Sherman determined that if he could destroy the Macon & Western and Atlanta & West Point Railroads to the south the Rebel army would be forced to evacuate the city. On August 25, Union infantry beg…READ MORE
7/24/65
Mustered Out - Illinois 31st Infantry - Illinois
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