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The Eighty-first Illinois Infantry organized at Anna in Union County, Illinois and mustered into service August 26, 1862. The men were recruited from counties in southern Illinois as follows, Company A-from Perry County, Company B-from Jackson County, Company C-from Perry County, Company D-from Jackson County, Company E-from Union and Williamson counties, Company F-from Jackson County, Company G-from Williamson County, Company H-from Jefferson County, Company I-from Washington County and Company K-from Madison County. The Regiment was moved by rail to Cairo, Illinois on September 6 and on October 8 sailed downriver to Columbus, Kentucky and moved by rail to Humboldt, Tennessee for garrison duty. The Regiment left by rail on November 12 for LaGrange, Tennessee and remained there until November 29 when they began marching south into Mississippi. They had passed through Holly Springs and had reached Oxford, Mississippi when on December 21, they received word that Confederate General Van Dorn, in their rear, had captured the Union depot at Holly Springs and destroyed the supplies. This resulted in the retreat of the Union forces, including the Eighty-first Illinois, back to Memphis, arriving there January 19, 1863. On February 20 the Regiment broke camp and steamed down the Mississippi River to Lake Providence, Louisiana about 75 miles above Vicksburg, Mississippi. April 17 the Regiment moved further downriver to Milliken’s Bend, 20 miles above Vicksburg. The following day a call was made for volunteers to man supply transports to run the batteries at Vicksburg and Grand Gulf. Seven men of Company I were accepted and that night the transports ran the batteries with the sinking of the Tigress and Empire City and damage to others. April 25 the Regiment marched out of Milliken’s Bend, moved cross-county and on April 30 crossed the Mississippi River from Louisiana to Bruinsburg, Mississippi, several miles below Vicksburg. The next day the Eighty-first fought at Thompson’s Hill and pursued the retreating rebels through Port Gibson. May 3 the Regiment camped on the Big Black River south of Vicksburg. A week later the men marched toward Raymond and met and defeated the enemy there on May 12 then marched to Clinton, a town on the Vicksburg and Jackson Railroad. Destruction of the railroad cut off all communications and supplies between Vicksburg and the remainder of the Confederacy. May 14 the Regiment was engaged in the battle and fall of Jackson, the Mississippi state capitol. Marching toward Vicksburg the Eighty-first fought at Champion Hill on May 16 and at Black River Bridge on May 17. By May 19 they were in the siege lines at Vicksburg; in the assault on Vicksburg, May 22, the Regiment lost 11 men killed and 96 wounded including the death of the Regimental commander, Colonel James J. Dollins. On July 4, 1863 Vicksburg surrendered and the Eighty-first Illinois was one of the Regiments assigned to garrison the city. The Regiment remained at Vicksburg until March 1864 but during that time participated in expeditions to Monroe, Louisiana, Bogue Chitto Creek and Sunny Landing, Arkansas. March 9, 1864 the Regiment departed Vicksburg on the tin-clad steamer Diana as part of the Red River Expedition. During that campaign the Eighty-first was engaged in the capture of Fort De Russey and Alexandria in the advance on Shreveport, Louisiana. However after the Union forces, under Banks, were defeated at Mansfield on April 8 the expedition retreated back downriver with actions at Pleasant Hill, Cloutierville,[1] Marksville Prairie, Bryce’s Plantation, Bayou Boeuf and Yellow Bayou. The Regiment landed back at Vicksburg May 24. On May 27 the Eighty-first was ordered to sail upriver to Memphis, Tennessee where they disembarked and marched southeast into Mississippi. In a battle near Guntown,[2] Mississippi on June 10 the Eighty-first engaged rebel forces under Forrest; although the Regiment captured a rebel flag[3] they were driven from the field and of 371 men in the Regiment, 9 were killed, 18 wounded and 126 taken prisoner.[4] ,[5] In August the Eighty-first moved to Duvall’s Bluff, Arkansas and scouted and skirmished throughout the State until September 17 when it joined in the pursuit of Confederate General Price in Missouri. Price having escaped the Regiment was ordered to Nashville, Tennessee and fought in the defeat of the Confederate army under Hood in the battle of Nashville on December 15 and 16, 1864. The Regiment joined in the pursuit of Hood into Mississippi and remained at camp in Eastport, Mississippi until February 1865. In May they joined the Atlanta campaign and fought at Kenesaw Mountain, Nickajack Creek, Chattahoochie River and in the siege of Atlanta. In the flanking movement south of Atlanta they fought at Jonesboro on August 25-30 and at Lovejoy Station August 31-September 1. After pursuit of Hood into north Georgia and Alabama the Regiment returned to Nashville and moved to New Orleans in February 1865. In March they moved to Mobile, Alabama and campaigned against Spanish Fort, Fort Blakely and Mobile and in April marched to Montgomery, Alabama and remained there until July. They moved to Chicago and were mustered out August 5, 1865.[6]