7th Illinois Cavalry

Regimental History and Service Record

Organized at Camp Butler, Ills., and mustered in October 13, 1861. Companies "A," "C," "G" and "I" ordered to Bird's Point, Mo., October 30, 1861. Rest of regiment moved to Bird's Point December 24, thence to Cape Girardeau, Mo., and duty there until February, 1862. Attached to District of Cairo, Ills., to February, 1862. 4th Brigade, 1st Division, District Cairo, to March, 1862. Cavalry Division, Army of Mississippi, to April, 1862. 1st Brigade, Cavalry Division, Army Mississippi, November, 1862. Cavalry Right Wing 13th Army Corps (Old), Department of the Tennessee, to December, 1862. Grierson's First Brigade, Cavalry Division, Department of the Tennessee, to January, 1863. 1st Brigade, Cavalry Division, 16th Army Corps, to March, 1863. 1st Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, 16th Army Corps to May, 1863. 4th Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, 16th Corps (Detachment), June, 1863. Cavalry Brigade, 19th Army Corps, Department of the Gulf, to August. 1863. 3rd Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, 16th Army Corps, to December, 1863. 2nd Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, 16th Army Corps, to April, 1864. 3rd Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, 16th Army Corps, to July, 1864. 1st Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, District of West Tennessee, to November, 1864. 1st Brigade, 5th Division Cavalry Corps, Military Division Mississippi, to November, 1864. 2nd Brigade, 5th Division, Cavalry Corps Military Division Mississippi, to July, 1865. District of Alabama to October, 1865.

SERVICE.--Bird's Point, Mo., January 10, 1862.

January 15-17, 1862 - Expedition to Benton, Bloomfield, and Dallas, Missouri

Bloomfield February 6. Operations against New Madrid and Island No. 10 February 28-April 8. Four Companies join from Bird's Point, Mo., March. Actions at New Madrid, Mo., March 2-3-4. Expedition to Little River and action at Point Pleasant March 23. Capture of New Madrid March 14 and of Island No. 10 April 8. Expedition to Fort Pillow, Tenn., April 13-17. Moved to Hamburg Landing, Tenn., April 18-22.

Advance on and siege of Corinth, Miss., April 29-May 30.
- Reconnaissance toward Corinth May 8.
- May 10, 1862 - Reconnaissance toward Sharp's Mill, Mississippi - Union cavalry reconnoiter along the Alabama Road to Sharp's Mill
- Reconnaissances to Burnsville and Iuka May 22-23.
- Tuscumbia Creek May 30.

Pursuit to Booneville May 30-June 12. Reconnaissance toward Baldwyn June 3. Blackland June 28 (Co. "K"). Guard Duty on Memphis and Charleston R. R. from Tuscumbia to Decatur, Ala., until December 1. Hatchie River July 5. Trinity, Ala., August 22 (Detachment). Reconnaissance toward Iuka September 16. Burnsville September 17. Battle of Corinth, Miss., October 3-4. Pursuit to Ripley October 5-12. Grant's Central Mississippi Campaign November, 1862, to January, 1863. Reconnaissance toward Colliersville November 5, 1862. Reconnaissance toward Lamar, Miss., November 5 (2 Cos.). Warsham's Creek November 6. Reconnaissance from Lagrange November 8-9. Lamar and Coldwater November 8. Holly Springs November 13. Near Summerville November 26. Waterword, or Lumpkin's Mills, November 29-30. About Oxford December 1-3. Prophet's and Springdale Bridges December 3. Water Valley Station December 4. Coffeeville December 5. Expedition against Mobile and Ohio R. R. December 14-19. Pontotoc December 18. Ripley December 23. Duty at Lagrange, Tenn., January to April, 1863. Scout toward Rocky Ford January 7 (3 Cos.). Scout toward Ripley, Miss., January 28-30. Reconnaissance near Saulsbury February 2-5. Expedition from Lagrange to Mt. Pleasant and Lamar, Miss., February 13-14. Expedition to Covington March 8-12. Scout to Saulsbury April 5-6 (Cos. "F," "H" and "M"). Scout from Lagrange into Mississippi April 10-11. Grierson's Raid from Lagrange to Baton Rouge/La, April 16-May 2. New Albany, Miss., April 18-19. Garlandsville April 24. Newton Station April 24. Brookhaven April 29. Tickfaw River and Walls' Post Office May 1. Robert's Ford, Comite River, May 2. Expedition from Lagrange to Panola, Miss., May 11-15 (Detachment). Reconnaissance from Baton Rouge, La., May 13. Scouts on Clinton Road, La., May 14. Advance on Port Hudson, La., May 18-24. Plain's Store May 21. Expedition from Lagrange, Tenn., to Senatobia, Miss., May 23 (Detachment). Siege of Port Hudson, La., May 24-July 9. Thompson's Creek, La., May 25. Clinton, La., June 3-4. Operations in Northwest Mississippi June 13-22. (Detachment). Near Holly Springs, Miss., June 16-17 (Detachment). Jackson's Cross Roads, La., June 20. Manchester, Tenn., June 24 (Detachment). Near Bradysville, Tenn., June 24 (Co. "C"). Regiment moved from Port Hudson, La., to Memphis, Tenn., July 19-28. Duty along Memphis and Charleston R. R. and at Germantown, Tenn., until September 30, 1864. Operations in North Mississippi and West Tennessee against Chalmers October 4-17. Salem October 8. Ingraham's Mills, near Byhalia, October 12. Wyatt's, Tallahatchie River, October 13. Scout to Chulahoma October 22-24. Quinn and Jackson's Mill, Coldwater River, November 1 and 3. Operations on Memphis and Charleston R. R. November 3-5. Colliersville, Tenn., November 3. Moscow November 5. Operations against Lee's attack on Memphis and Charleston R. R. November 28-December 10. Saulsbury December 3. Wolf Bridge, near Moscow, December 3-4. Lagrange December 13. Operating against Forest and Chalmers until February, 1864.

August 16-September 22, 1863 - The Chickamauga Campaign^[1]
- September 19-September 20, 1863 - Battle of Chickamauga, Georgia^[2]

Lamar December 19, 1863. Estenaula December 24. New Castle December 26. Somerville December 26. Lagrange, Tenn., January 2, 1864. Scout from Lagrange to Ripley, Miss., January 23. Smith's Expedition from Colliersville, Tenn., to West Point and Okolona, Miss., February 11-26. West Point February 20. Okolona February 21. Ivey's Hill, near Okolona, February 22. Tippah River February 24. Regiment veteranize at Germantown, Tenn., and Veterans on furlough April to June. Return to Memphis, Tenn. Non-Veterans on Sturgis' Expedition from Memphis, Tenn., into Mississippi June 1-14. Brice's or Tisamingo Creek, near Gintown, June 10. Ripley June 11. Cross Roads June 18. Okolona June 23. Smith's Expedition to Tupelo, Miss., July 5-21 (Detachment). Harrisonburg, near Tupelo, July 14-15. Smith's Expedition to Oxford, Miss., August 1-30 (Detachment). Tallahatchie River August 7-9. Hurricane Creek and Oxford August 9. Hurricane Creek August 13-14 and 19. Forest's attack on Memphis August 21 (Veterans). March to Clifton, Tenn., thence to Pulaski October 26, and to Shoal Creek, Ala., November 8. Expedition from Memphis to Moscow November 9-13. Nashville Campaign November-December. Shoal Creek, Ala., November 11. On line of Shoal Creek November 16-20. Lawrenceburg November 22. Campbellsville and Lynnville November 24. Columbia Duck River November 24-27. Mt. Carmel November 29. West Harpeth River, Franklin, November 30. Battle of Nashville December 15-16. Pursuit of Hood to the Tennessee River December 17-28. West Harpeth River, Franklin, December 17. Spring Hill December 18. Rutherford Creek December 19. Columbia December 20. Richland Creek and Lynnville December 24.

December 25, 1864 - Action near Pulaski, Tennessee

March to Gravelly Springs, Ala., and duty there until February, 1865. At Eastport, Miss., until May. At Okolona, Miss., until July 1, and at Decatur, Ala., until October. Mustered out October 20, 1865, and discharged at Camp Butler, Ills., November 17, 1865.