The National tribune., 1910-01-20
The 9TH Ill.

Editor National Tribune: In your
valuable paper of Oct. % you write an
answer to Peter Heft, of Underwood
Iowa, telling apparently what you be-
lieve to be the career of the 7th Ill.
I have read your paper for a great
many years. and have been a subscrib-
er for 10 years, and admired your his
tory of the opening of the Mississippi
and of the Army of the Tennessee and
the other valuable things that you have
written and believe most of them, but
now you say that the 7th Ill. was or
ganized in Springfield from July to De-
cember, 1861. This is the first error
that 1 could put my finger on.
The 9TH III. was organized in Spring
field April %, 1861, for three months
or during the war. Their time expired
July 25, 1861, when the regiment was
located at Mound City, III. Those who
did not have good sense re-enlisted.
Those who knew more and We're more
worldly wise took their discharges.
went home and came out as Lieuten-
ants, Captains, Majors ard Colonels of
new regiments.
This regiment was the first one raised
from Illinois in the war of the rebel
lion, and was mustered in by Capt.
Pitcher, u. S. Army, July %, 1861, at
Mound City, ILL.,. and served until Dec.
% 1864 as a three-yearS regiment,
when they re-enlisted for an ensuing
three years, or during the war, and
were mustered in on Dec. % at Pulaski,
Tenn, for three years or during the
war. They served until the end of the
war almost always in the Army of the
Tennessee-an army, by the way, that
always held the field and buried the
dead of the enemy after every engage
ment-and were discharged finally July
9, 1865, at Louisville, KY. They were
commanded first by Col. John Cook,
who was promoted to Brigadier-Gen-
erai after the battle of Fort Donelson,
then by Col. A. j. BabcOck, who re-
signed in the Winter after the battle
of Corinth, Miss, which occurred on
Oct. and 4, 1852. on the retirement
of Col. BabcCck they were commanded
by Richard Rowett until he was pro-
noted to Brigadier-General. They took
part in the battles of Donelson, Shiloh,
the siege of COrinth, battle of Corinth
and in the Georgia campaign during
Sherman's progress thru Georgia. They
took part in almost every battle of the
Army of the Tennessee, and acquitted
themselves so well that they are proud
of their service, and some of them dc
not like to be misrepresented in as val
liable a paper as The National Tribune
james O'DOnnell, Chicago, Ill.
fdT ne II from us lO LOT moment
question anything about the 7th Ill
which our good comrade, Past Junior
| Vice Commander-in-Chie Jas. O'Don,
nell, chooses to say. He was one of the
| Isplendid boys that made the gloriou:
history of that regiment. Our only re-
| lance is upon the record in the Officia
| Record of the Volunteer Force of the
| u. $. Army, which says: This regi
ment was organized at Springfield, Ill.
| from July to December, 1861, to serv,
| three years. on the expiration of it!
| term of service the original member!
| Except veterans) We're mustered out
and the organization, composed of vet
Grams and recruits, consolidated int
seven companies and retained in ser
vice. Three more companies were or
ganized at Peoria, ILL.,, in February
| 1865, to serve one year, and assigned
| to this regiment as Cos. B, D and G.
1t was mustered out of service July 8
| 1865, in accordance with orders from
the War Department" Editor Nation
al Tribune.