The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1894-11-29
BRoUGHTkTHE FLAG.
The 9th Ill. Guarded 1t with Their Lives.
Gallant Record.

| Ill.
Gallant Record.
EDITOR NATIONAL TRIBUNE: In the four
years of civil strife tive 9th lii. actively par
| tcpsted III 10 battles and skirmishes wit b
| the Confederate army. The men who COM
posed the famous 9th were those whose
valor endurance prompt obedience, dari ing,
| and achievements were unsurpassed In the
| vast army that served the Union.
The 9Th Ill. was mustered into the service
at Springfield for three months, on April 26,
1861. 1t was one of the six regiments or
| ganized under the first call. Six companies
"A, B, G, ID, E, and FTwere from st. Clair
County; G, /, and X, from Madison aud
II from Montgomery.
The regiment was ordered to Cairo, where
it was stationed with others as a garrison
until the close of the term of service, when
it was mustered ont.
There was no force to take the place of
the garrison, which placed Cairo and the
vast Government stores almost at the mercy
of the enemy; but the difficulty was over
come by volunteer response from the officers
and men of the disbanded regiments to do
garrison duty until their places could be
filled. About $50 of the volunteer garrison
was composed of the 9th H., who proposed
to re-enlist, and in that way the enlistment
for three years commenced with the 9th.
In less than 80 days it was again a full regi
ment, organ zed at Cairo, with Co.'S B, c, d,
and f, from St. Clair County; A and rom
Madison and H from Montgomery; G from
Pulaski; X from Alexander, and Z from ST.
Clair and Mercer.
Active service commenced Sept. 5, 1861,
when Gen. Grant moved with the 9th and
18th Ill. from Cairo to Paducah, taking
possession early on the morning of the 9th,
defeating a similar movement on the part of
the rebels by only about six hours. The
regiment moved up the Cumberland River
10 Fort Sewer, and thence to Pittsburg
Landing.
1t was at the first days battle at Shiloh
that the 9th Ill. had its hardest fighting.
The Second Brigade, Second Division, was
detached at Shiloh on the first day, and
ordered to the left of Gen. Hurbut, to fill
the gap between the brigade of Col Stuart
aud the LETT OF Gen. Hurlbut, which was
wide enough to require more than large
division to fill. On that part of the line
the regiment was engaged until driven back
about 2 o'clock by the enemy, being able
to flank them because of the wide gap to
the left.
After procuring new supply Of ammu-
nIiloD, the regiment was again engaged until
night. All day long the Confederate army
poured hot shot into the Union lines, and
all day long the boys in blue resolutely
returned the fire. Stubb0rnly the Union
soldiers fought that first day, but inch by
inch they were forced back toward the river,
and at nightfall they could go no farther.
The 9Th Ill. went in with 57S men, and sus-
tanned loss of 81 killed, 300 wounded, and !
five taken prisoners
The REGIMENT touk mart n the al on
C,rinth and was on garrison duty there
until the second Corinth, at which time the
Second Division was commanded by Gen.
Davis and the Second Brigade by Gen. Rich
ard j. Ogiesby. In that battle the 9th sus-
tanned loss of 90 killed, so wounded, and
81 taken prisoners. v~E.
Gen. G. M. Dodge, Commanding the left |
wing of the Sixteenth Corps, ordered the 9th |
to lie mounted March Is, 1863. The regi- |
ment saw hard service from that time 10 the |
close of the war, and became known in army |
circles as the Bloody 9th on horses" The
last battle participated in by the regiment
was near Neuse River, n c., April 10. 1865 !
The regiment was mustered out at Louis
vile, KY, July 9, 1865. The regiment was
Ivy Coils Eieazer A. Paine, Sam
uel T. Hughes and Jesse j. Phillips. Phil
lips is the only one of the three now living,
an Illinois Supreme Judge, residing at Hill
boro.
A large number Of the volunteers came
from Mascoutah and vicinity, but there are
only five left here who served in the famous
Fred Dig, Capt. Charles Scheve,
Fred j. Scheve, William Bonner, and Fred
Clements.
In 1861, when the regiment was ready to
leave for the Sunny South, the ladies of Mas
coutah presented the company from here
with fine, large flag of the United States,
and asked them to uphold it throughout the
rebellion and return with it when the VIC
JOry was won and the country saved. After
he war handful of crippled soldiers came
pack to Mascoutah. With them they brought
back worn and powder-stained flag, the
ame presented to them four years before.
Men who had met death face to face a hum
ired times on the battlefieIds of the South
Sept when they returned the old flag. They
vept for their comrades who slept in soldiers
,raves far from their Illinois homes Among
he flags displayed in the Illinois State
Building at the Worlds Fair there was the
orn silken flag that was carried throughout
he war by the gallant 9th regiment.-C. B.
I MMON Muscoutah Til