Illinois Adjutant
General’s Report
Regimental and Unit
15th
The FIFTEENT
Act”, in the First Congressional District.
Company A was from Mc
Winnebago county; Company C, Boone county;
Company D, Mc
Stephenson county; Company
Carroll county. The Regiment was organized
at
States service on the 24th day of May
1861, being one of the first regiments from the State sworn
into the
drilling for some time, the Regiment proceeded
to
instruction. In July the Regiment left
to
Infantry, commanded by Colonel U.S. Grant.
A part of the Regiment marched from
part of the Regiment marched to
Regiment then moved by rail to
from
and thence became attached to General Fremont's
army, and marched under General
then marched to
was cold and the snow deep, and the first
winter's experience in tents was a severe one.
embarked on transports for
was then assigned to General S. A.
historic battle ground. At the battle of
line of battle, formed by
Veatch.
deep, deployed from the woods on the left
and front, and with rebel yell that echoed through the
surrounding forest, charged on in double
quick. The Fifteenth was flanked by the Fifty-third Ohio,
on the right. At the first fire of the
enemy the Buckeyes broke and ran, and the enemy were not
only in front of the Fifteenth Regiment,
but on both flanks in a very short time. For more than one
hour the Regiment held its position, and
fought as gallantly as any troops could fight in the terrible
struggle, called by the Confederates the
"
and the incessant attacks of the best
troops in the Confederate service. Owing to the want of
support, the Regiment was compelled to
withdraw and take up a new position. In five minutes
after the Regiment formed its first line,
the field officers, Lieutenant Colonel E.F.W. Ellis and
Major Wm. R. Goddard, Captains
Peterbaugh were killed, and Captain Adam
Nase lost a leg and was taken prisoner. Captain Thos.
J. Turner was absent, and the command of
the Regiment devolved upon Captains L.D. Kelley and
George C. Rogers, assisted by Adjutant
Charles F. Barber. As soon as a new line was formed the
Fourteenth
these two Regiments, acting as one man,
rose and delivered a rapid, well aimed and awfully
destructive fire, full into the massed
ranks of the enemy. The enemy was soon convinced this was
not the way to the landing. At the second
attack these two Regiments received the first shock, and
for three hours were in that awful gap,
without giving ground, where the Confederates sacrificed
more than two thousand as brave men as
ever trod the battle-field, in the unavailing effort to drive
them from their position. This baptism of
blood cemented the two Regiments, and they were
always afterwards brigaded and served
together during the remainder of the war, and discharged at
the same time and place. The Fifteenth was
in the hottest of the fight both days of the bloody
battle, and not a man faltered in his duty
or failed to perform all that was required of him. The two
Regiments that were in the final charge on
the 7th, led by General Grant in person, were the
Fourteenth and Fifteenth Illinois, the
Fourteenth commanded by Colonel
Captain George C. Rogers. This detachment
moved forward, and when within range delivered
their fire, and with fixed bayonets
charged at double quick. The raking fire, however, had done its
work. The Confederate army had fled. The
Fifteenth Regiment lost in this engagement 250 men,
killed and wounded, and there are more of the "known
dead" of this Regiment buried in the
hospitals at home.
Captain George C. Rogers was promoted Lieutenant
Colonel by Governor Yates for meritorious
conduct on the battle-field of
participated in the siege of
After the evacuation of
then back to
1862, where it remained till September 6th. After
recruiting, drilling, procuring new uniforms and
"seeing the sights", the Regiment marched to
ordered by General Grant to "relieve Rosecrans at
morning of
was on the extreme left and forced the enemy from
their position, and in connection with other
troops, charged the enemy, routing and scattering
their formation in the wildest confusion, and
driving them to the river bank, the 15th capturing one
four-gun battery and about three hundred
men at this point; many jumped into the river and were
drowned. The 15th charged across the
right of the 15th. The two regiments charged the enemy
in the timber, driving them from their
strong position, capturing another battery crowning
the crest of the hill, and soon the enemy was in
full flight, looking for a new place to retreat across
the
on the ground that night, covered with new and
everlasting honors. The 15th was commanded on
that day by Lieutenant Colonel G.C. Rogers, and lost
over fifty men in killed and wounded. The
Regiment then returned to Bolivar, from thence to
Lagrange, thence with General Grant down
through
taking an active part in all the movements during the
siege of that place, losing many in killed and
wounded. After the surrender of
returned to
to
went into winter quarters.
1864, when it moved with General Sherman through
engagement with a body of rebels, charged them several
times during the day, and each time drove
them from their positions. Marched to
fifty miles of railroad; thence back to
In March 1864, went home on Veteran furlough. On
expiration of furlough joined Seventeenth
Army Corps, and proceeded up
Brigade, 4th Division, 17th Corps, commanded by
Colonel Geo. C. Rogers, ordered to fortify that
place. The forts at Allatoona, where General Corse,
with 2,100 men, defeated
were built by this brigade.
brave McPherson knowing the honorable record of these
regiments, and that neither might lose its
identity, acceded to the request of Colonel Rogers,
and had the organization made and known as
"The Veteran Battalion Fourteenth and Fifteenth
Infantry Volunteers". The organization numbers
625 men. The organization was stationed at Ackworth,
Big Shanty and
The rebel General
north, capturing quite a number of the command. The
remainder fell back, some to Allatoona, and
fought under Gen. Corse, where many were killed and
wounded; the balance fell back to
and were mounted and acted as scouts for General
Vandever. They were afterwards transferred to
General F.P. Blair, and marched with General Sherman
to the sea.
After the capture of
river, participating in the various skirmishes in that
vicinity-Columbia, S.C.,
battle of Bentonville-losing a number wounded; thence
to
recruits sufficient to fill up both regiments were
received, and the organization of the Veteran
Battalion discontinued, and the Fifteenth reorganized.
The campaign of General Sherman ended
by the surrender of General Johnston. The Regiment
then marched with the army to
D.C., via
24th, 1865; remained there two weeks. Proceeded by
rail and steamboat to
remained at
Army Corps, and proceeded by steamer to
arriving there
August 14th; then ordered to return to
Regiment was mustered out of service and placed
en-route for
and discharge-having served four years and four
months.
Number of miles
marched............................................................... 4,299
Number of miles by rail
.................................................................. 2,403
Number of miles by steamer
........................................................... 4,310
Number of men joined from organization.......................................
1,963
Number of men at date of muster-out
................................................ 640
