Welcome to the Civil War Roundtable of Gettysburg. "The most important Roundtable,
in the most important small town,
at the most important battlefield,
in the most important country in the world." |
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Meeting date: October 26 |
PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE |
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Illinois Regiments at GettysburgDennis Doyle During the Battle of Gettysburg (July 1-3, 1863), there were three Illinois Regiments that served in the Army of Potomac. Those regiments were the 8th and 12th Illinois Cavalry and the 82nd Infantry Regiment and a total of 1,027 men served during the Battle of Gettysburg. The three Illinois regiments also suffered nine men killed during the battle, thirty four men were wounded and ninety six men were either missing or captured during the battle.
On orders from General John Buford, the Cavalry Corps 1st Division commander, the 8th Illinois Regiment was the first Federal soldiers to arrive at Gettysburg on the afternoon of June 30,1863, as General Buford had great respect for 8th Illinois Cavalry Regiment as an effective, well lead and experienced combat unit. The 8th Illinois Regiment comprised of 470 men and most were from either Chicago, Illinois or the Western suburbs of Chicago and the Regiment was founded by U.S. Representative John Farnsworth, a friend of President Lincoln and important political ally in Illinois and Congress. The Regiment was led by Major John Beveridge of Chicago, who would later go on to become Illinois Governor in 1873. The 12th Illinois Cavalry Regiment also served with the 8th Illinois, as the 12th only had five companies at Gettysburg for a total of 233 men present during the Battle of Gettysburg. They were led by a Colonel George Chapman, a talented cavalry officer respected by General Buford. Both the 8th and 12th Illinois would serve well on the first day of the Battle of Gettysburg, as Lt. Marcellus Jones would fire the first shot of the battle on the morning of July 01. The two regiments would later retreat through Gettysburg and protected the Army of Potomac’s left flank on Cemetery Hill on the evening of July 01 and the morning of July 02. Also present was the 82nd Illinois Regiment, which was comprised of mostly German born soldiers and many were recruited from Chicago. Under the overall command of Major General Oliver Howard, the 82nd Illinois Regiment would serve in the 11th Corp. On the afternoon of July 01, General Howard had placed the 82nd Illinois and many of the 11th Corps, 3rd Division just north of Gettysburg to defend the town from the attacking Ewell Corp from the Army of Northern Virginia. The 82nd Illinois would suffer many loses in this area north of Gettysburg, as they were caught in a cross fire and outnumbered, and in the later afternoon of July 01, General Howard gave the order to retreat and regroup on East Cemetery Hill. During the second and third days of the Battle of Gettysburg, the 82nd Illinois would defend this area and see some heavy fighting on Culps Hill.
Dennis is the current History and Sociology Professor at Joliet Jr. College in Joliet, Illinois. He is the current Vice President of Chicago Civil War Round Table and future 2024-2025 President. Dennis is currently conducting research and writing a scholarly article for Gettysburg Magazine on the 11th New York Light Artillery at Gettysburg (my GG-Grandfather served in the 11th NYLA for three years and was at Gettysburg for the battle-his name was Private Charles T. Bennett). Recent Civil War Presentations include Kenosha Civil War Museum, Milwaukee CWRT, Indianapolis CWRT, Northern Colorado CWRT and the Chicago CWRT. He is a long time college and high school football referee and was the Head Referee for the Dublin, Ireland “Football Kickoff Classic” August, 2023 in Dublin, Ireland. Our meetings are the Fourth Thursday of each month. We meet at ACHS Battlefield Overlook Events Center, 625 Biglerville Road, Gettysburg, PA. The doors open at 6:30 pm. Meeting starts at 7:00 pm. The meeting will also be live-streamed. Please see below for information. You can now use your credit card or PayPal to securely pay for your Membership Dues. Please see the Membership page for the link.
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