52nd Illinois Infantry

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This will be the place for remembering the Fifty-second Illinois Veteran Volunteer Infantry Regiment, their service during the American Civil War, and to gather research materials to help historians study the regiment and it's members and descendents.

10/24/2014

By this point in October, 150 years ago, General Hood's army had danced far enough into Alabama that the threat level in Rome, Georgia, had reached practically nil. Only the Fifty-second's division remained in town. The men of the 52nd Illinois Infantry only stood regular guard duty, improved their quarters, and went on occasional scouting and supply raids.
Monday began with several men standing guard, while the regiment was paraded at 6 am with three days rations. Then Lt. Col. Bowen's farewell address was read to the command, and all of the original enlistees who had not reenlisted marched to the railroad station as the rest of the regiment left on their expedition.
Approximately 50 men headed home having finished their terms. Several others were on detached service and would be discharged individually over the next month.

10/06/2014

As morning broke over northern Georgia 150 years ago today, it dawned over a blood covered battlefield and the 52nd Illinois split into three parts. One company was on guard duty on Rome, five were sleeping on and in several train cars in Kingston awaiting enough light to continue, and the remaining four were sleeping in the rain on a hillside near the battlefield. As they approached the scene of yesterday's heavy fighting, these veterans found what they would describe as the bloodiest battlefield, and the worst sight they ever witnessed during the war.

09/27/2014

Since entering Atlanta early in September, the Fifty-second had camped near Eastpoint, Georgia. It was there, three days ago, that they received the disappointing news that their division no longer existed. The 'Old Second' Division of the 16 Army Corps had been formed in the days leading up to the Battle of Shiloh two and a half years before. It had remained basically intact since. As a result, they were well acquainted with their comrades and comrades and commanders.
However, it was in reality just a name change. They were now the Fourth Division of the 15 Army Corps. The division retained the regimental alignments and all commanders were retained.
A more substantial change occurred this morning. At 9 am, they left camp and marched to the Atlanta train station. They boarded a train at noon bound for the northwest.

07/28/2014

July 28, 1864 -- The Battle of Ezra Church
As General William Sherman began moving his armies down the west side of Atlanta to cut the railroads and roads, Hood moved out to stop him. A battle resulted centered upon Ezra Church.
The Fifty-second was stationed in a series of breastworks alongside the redoubt holding Welker's Battery H/1 Missouri Light Artillery, when a heavy bombardment supporting Hood's attacks began. While they would take no other part in the battle, several interesting incidents occurred to them.
Divisional staff clerk James H. Snell, formerly of Company H, was visiting the regiment at the time, and was chased out "in good order." However, the barrage followed him back to headquarters--and beyond.
After the battle and bombardment ended, Captain Alphonso Barto examined all of the cannon balls laying around the regiment"s position He remarked that "i don't see that any of these are marked 'Barto.'" and directed his men in Company K to given them to Welker's battery so they could "send them back to the rebels, as [I] had no use for them."

This is the National Park Service map of the National Cemetery at the Shiloh Battlefield. With the 52nd fighting largel...
04/24/2014

This is the National Park Service map of the National Cemetery at the Shiloh Battlefield. With the 52nd fighting largely in an isolation, they recovered their dead and buried them near camp in the days after the battle. When the Army established national cemeteries after the war, the fallen were grouped together in a regimental section--however, many of the names painted on the headboards had washed off.

11/06/2013

After camping in an Iuka-area field since the 31st, the Fifty-second this morning received orders, and marched about 5 miles to the banks of the Tennessee River at Eastport. They would remain there until around midnight, when they were ferried across and resumed their march to Pulaski.
Colonel Wilcox took advantage of the delay to write a letter home to his wife Lottie. He did so while "sitting cross legged on an old blanket" and using a tin plate as a desk.

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1055 Pittsburg Lndg
Shiloh, TN
38376

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