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The Seventy-seventh Illinois Infantry was organized at Peoria, Illinois and mustered into service on September 3, 1862. The men of this Regiment volunteered from: Companies A, Knox County, Company B-Putnam County, Company C-Woodford County, Company D-Marshall County, Company E-Peoria County, Company F-Peoria and Woodford counties, Company G-Peoria County, Company H-Woodford, Tazewell and Peoria counties, Company I-Peoria County and Company K-Peoria County. The Regiment was ordered to Cincinnati on October 4 and went into camp across the Ohio River at Covington, Kentucky. In November the Regiment marched south through Lexington to take possession of Richmond, Kentucky. Two weeks later they were ordered to Louisville and transported downriver to Memphis. December 20 they were transported further down the Mississippi River to the Yazoo River and up the Yazoo about ten miles where they disembarked and soon met the enemy guarding the rear of Vicksburg. After several days of skirmishing, the enemy works could not be carried and on January 2, 1863 the Union troops withdrew to Milliken’s Bend upriver on the Louisiana shore. On January 5, the Seventy-seventh sailed back up the Mississippi River to the White River and up the White River to the cutoff to the Arkansas River to Fort Hindman at Arkansas Post. Here on January 10 and 11 they met and defeated the enemy forces and planted the flag of the Seventy-seventh on the parapet.[2] Following the battle the Regiment returned to Young’s Point and remained there until March when they moved to Milliken’s Bend. In April the army marched to New Carthage crossed the Mississippi River at Bruinsburg and moved toward Port Gibson. A fight ensued on the march to Port Gibson but the rebel force was overcome and the town was taken. Further northward movement brought the Regiment to Champion Hills. Here on May 16 the rebel force was routed and the next morning the Seventy-seventh resumed its march toward Vicksburg. They next met the enemy at Big Black River and then at the Siege of Vicksburg.[3] After the fall of Vicksburg on July 4, the Regiment pursued the enemy toward Jackson, Mississippi where they took part in the siege and surrender of Jackson. In August the Regiment was ordered to New Orleans and in December was transported to Pass Cavello on the Texas Gulf and went into camp at DeCrow’s Point. They remained there until February 1864, returned to New Orleans and embarked on the Banks’ Red River campaign in March. On April 8, 1864 at Sabine crossroads, south of Mansfield, Louisiana, Confederate forces attacked the Union troops. The Seventy-seventh Illinois was sent forward to assist the cavalry and suffered severely in the defeat; their Colonel, Lysander Webb was killed and 176 other officers and men were killed, wounded and taken prisoner, leaving only 125 men in the Regiment. Following retreat down Red River the Regiment went into camp at Baton Rouge; in August the men were transported to Dauphine’s Island in Mobile Bay, fought at the capture of Forts Gaines and Morgan guarding Mobile Bay and returned to Morganzia above Baton Rouge on the Mississippi River. In October the Regiment moved to New Orleans for provost duty until March 1865[4] then was transported to Fort Morgan, Alabama to aid in the siege and capture of Spanish Fort, and Fort Blakely. On July 10, 1865 the Seventy-seventh Illinois Infantry was mustered out at Mobile, Alabama.[5],[6]