82nd Illinois Volunteer Infantry Regiment
The 82nd Illinois Volunteer Infantry Regiment fought for the Union during the American Civil War and included numerous German volunteers. The men who joined the regiment chose to become members and were not forced to join because of any federal government conscription requirements.
The regiment was created at Camp Butler, Springfield, Illinois, on September 26, 1862, and was mustered into service a month later. The 82nd started that autumn with nearly 1,000 men, the usual regimental strength, and would end the war with barely 300 soldiers three years later. The regiment was divided into eleven companies, A through K, with Company C being composed entirely of German Jews. More than two- thirds of the men were German immigrants living in the Chicago area, with a significant number of recruits residing in the Belleville area of southern Illinois. Two prominent German soldiers, Friedrich Hecker and Edward S. Salomon, created and commanded the regiment throughout the war. The 82nd fought in both the eastern and western theaters of the Civil War, participating in the battles of Chancel- lorville, Gettysburg, Mission Ridge, and Atlanta; Sherman’s March to the Sea; and the campaign of the Carolinas. By war’s end in 1865, the recent German immigrants were recognized as soldiers who had fought with great pride and distinction.The German volunteers in the 82nd Illinois differed socially and economically from one another. German immigrants from the predominantly agricultural regions of their homeland settled in southern Illinois because of the favorable farming conditions there. Farmers who did not have the ability to purchase land in a German province found that elusive opportunity in Belleville, Illinois. Skilled and semiskilled German laborers, however, were more likely to settle in Chicago, where their previous work experience could develop into economic opportunities.
They became the dominant ethnic group in the manufacturing and mechanical industries. Upward social and economic mobility was easier in the Midwest than it was on the East Coast of the United States during the 1840s and 1850s. As a result, German immigrants found it easier to integrate themselves into American culture in the Midwest.Regardless of their economic and social standing, the Germans volunteered to join the 82nd Illinois for numerous reasons: to protect northern Republican Party ideas under attack by the South, to raise their status both politically and socially in the community, to have an adventure, and to make money. Additionally, many recruits joined the regiment out of the simple pride of being patriotic Americans, even if they were recent immigrants. Their newfound country had provided them with the opportunity to reach many of their dreams and goals, and the Civil War allowed them to repay that debt. Ethnic pride entered into the recruitment equation as well. In Chicago, the Germans disliked the Irish and wanted to make sure their enlistment numbers were higher than those of the Irish. Their neighborhoods faced stigmatization by the city if enough men did not enlist in the recruitment quotas. Moreover, a draftee was not entitled to any of the volunteer recruitment bonuses that were common at the time.
Colonel Friedrich Hecker and Lieutenant Colonel Edward S. Salomon were responsible for helping to create and organize the 82nd Illinois in 1862. Before the Civil War, Colonel Hecker lived in Belleville, Illinois, and Lieutenant Colonel Salomon resided in Chicago. The two Germans had previously served together in the 24th Illinois Regiment. Germans throughout Chicago and southern Illinois quickly filled the enlistment quotas when they learned who was in charge of the 82nd Illinois Regiment. Salomon was responsible for helping to create an entire company exclusively of German Jews, which would be nicknamed the Concordia Guards after the recruitment hall.
Finally, on September 26, 1862, the 82nd Illinois was formally created at Camp Butler, Illinois, and integrated into the Union army on October 23. In December 1862, the 82nd Illinois was attached to the First Brigade, Third Division, 11 Corps of the Army of the Potomac under the command of their fellow Germans, Generals Alexander Schim- melpfennig and Carl Schurz.The early months of 1863 witnessed the 82nd Illinois’s participation in what was known as the “Mud Campaign”—a series of movements throughout Virginia that eventually brought them to Chancel- lorsville. The Battle of Chancellorsville in May 1863 was a terrible defeat for the Army of the Potomac. The men of the 82nd Illinois, however, performed bravely during the attack upon them by Confederate general Stonewall Jackson. They were able to keep the Confederate forces in check as the Union army retreated. The 82nd paid a high cost in defending the retreating Union troops—Colonel Hecker was wounded while attempting to rally his men, and 156 men were counted as casualties.
Two months later, the 82nd Illinois was again in the middle of an historic battle. The Battle of Gettysburg, from July 1 through July 3, 1863, allowed the Union army to regain the pride it had lost at Chancellorsville. The first day of battle quickly turned against the Union army north of the town, forcing them to retreat through the town and rally their forces on Cemetery Hill. Colonel Hecker was still recovering from his wounds at Chancel- lorsville, which presented Lieutenant Colonel Salomon with the opportunity to lead the 82nd. Under his command, the 82nd provided protection for the Union artillery batteries on the plains north of town, covered Union regiments retreating through Gettysburg, and positioned themselves facing Confederate troops on Cemetery Hill. The second day brought little relief for the 82nd. The regiment confronted a group of Confederate sharpshooters on the outskirts of town and participated in the twilight battle to protect neighboring Culp’s Hill.
The third day of the battle occurred south of the 82nd Illinois’s position, allowing the men to only witness the Confederate charge against the well-entrenched Union line. The resounding defeat of the Confederates forced them to forget their plans of invading the North and made them retreat back into Virginia. The 82nd continued its pursuit of the Confederate forces until the fall, when it was transferred with the 11 Corps out west.Throughout October and November 1863, the 82nd faced off against Confederate generals Longstreet and Bragg in Tennessee, participating in the Battle of Mission Ridge. In December, the regiment was encamped in Lookout Valley and a month later reorganized into the new 20th Corps, part of the Army of the Cumberland. Hecker, who was now a general, resigned in March 1864, transferring command of the regiment to Salomon. From May until July, the 82nd worked its way through the South toward Atlanta, Georgia, contributing in the siege of the Confederate stronghold for the rest of the summer. On September 2, Atlanta fell to the Union forces, and within days the 82nd was part of the occupation force assigned to guard Confederate prisoners, defend the city, and partake in the supply foraging expeditions. The men’s stay in Atlanta lasted until the
middle of November 1864, when they became the rear guard for General William Sherman’s March to the Sea. Within a month, the 82nd had reached the defenses of Savannah, Georgia. The 82nd continued its sweep through the Deep South, conducting operations through the Carolinas during the early months of 1865. Finally, on April 16, the men learned that the Confederates had surrendered and that the war was over. They made their way to Washington, D.C., to join in the victory festivities and participate in the Army’s Grand Review.
Marc Dluger
See also Chicago; Hecker, Friedrich; Salomon, Edward S.; Schimmelpfennig, Alexander; Schurz, Carl
References and Further Reading
Andreas, Alfred Theodore. History of Chicago.
Vol. 2. New York: Arno Press, 1975.
Keil, Hartmut, and John B. Jentz, eds. German- Workers in Industrial Chicago, 1850— 1910: A Comparative Perspective. DeKalb: Northern Illinois University Press, 1983.
Meites, Hyman L. History of the Jews of Chicago. Chicago: Chicago Jewish Historical Society, Wellington, 1990.
Pierce, Bessie Louise. History of Chicago: From Town to City, 1848—1871. Vol. 2. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1940.
Tortorelli, Susan. “82nd Illinois Infantry Regiment History: Adjutant General’s Report.” http://www.rootsweb.com ∕~ilcivilw∕history∕082.htm (cited October 9, 2002).