United States Regiments & Batteries > Illinois


“2nd Hecker Regiment”

Friedrich Franz Karl Hecker originally formed the 24th Illinois Infantry and became its Colonel. But disagreements arose between Hecker and some of his officers, and he and his supporters resigned. In August of 1862 Hecker formed the 82nd Illinois, or “Second Hecker Regiment”, with himeself as Colonel and Edward Salomon as Lieutenant Colonel. It was composed mainly of German, Jewish, Swedish, and other European volunteers, with Company C entirely Jewish and Company I made up of Scandanavians.

The 82nd lost 4 officers and 98 enlisted men killed or mortally wounded and 60 enlisted men to disease during the Civil War. It marched an estimated 2,503 miles during its service, and is honored by a monument at Gettysburg.

1862
October 23 The 82nd Illinois Infantry Regiment was organized at Springfield, Illinois, and mustered in under the command of Colonel Friedrich (Frederick) Hecker.
November 3-9 Moved to Washington, D.C. Attached to 1st Brigade, 3rd Division, 11th Army Corps, Army of the Potomac
November 19 Marched to Fairfax Court House, Va.
December 11 Moved to Stafford Court House
December 19 Near Aquia Creek, Va.
1863
January 20-24

“Mud March”

January 25 At Stafford Court House, Va.
April 27

Chancellorsville Campaign

May 1-5

Battle of Chancellorsville

In its first battle the regiment lost 155 casualties out of around 400 men in action. Colonel Hecker and Major Ferdinand Rolshausen were wounded and Second Lieutenants Lieutenant Conrad Schonder and Lorenz Spoenemann were killed. Lieutenant Colonel Salomon took over command of the regiment.

June 12

Gettysburg Campaign

July 1-3

Battle of Gettysburg

The 82nd Illinois Infantry Regiment was commanded at Gettysburg by Lieutenant Colonel Edward Salomon. It brought 347 men to the battle, of whom 4 were killed, 19 wounded, and 89 missing. Second Lieutenant Ferdinand Babst was mortally wounded and Captain Emil Frey and Lieutenant Eugene Hepp were captured.

A monument to the regiment is on Howard Avenue just west of Carlisle Road.

According to the account of Lt. Col. Salomon,

“…it happened that my regiment, being the center of the whole line, was the last to leave the field. I received orders to cover our retreat through the town with my own regiment, the Eighty-Second Illinois and the Sixty-First Ohio. These two regiments, under my command, were the last to enter the town in which the greatest confusion reigned. Artillery, ammunition wagons, ambulances, provision trains, disorganized troops, wounded soldiers carried along by the ambulance corps thronged the narrow streets of the town. The retreat became a rout. My two regiments drove the men forward. I guarded the cross streets as much as possible, until I finally ran into a cul-de-sac, where I was compelled to have a heavy, tight board fence knocked down to make it possible to proceed. That accomplished, we had to pass through an enfilading fire of musketry until we gained the peach orchard (at the northern base of Cemetery Hill).”

July 5-24 Pursuit to Manassas Gap
July 12 Hagerstown
July 13 Duty along the Orange & Alexandria R. R.
September 25 –
October 4

Transfer to the Wester Theater.

Movement to Bridgeport, Alabama

October 19-26 Operations in Lookout Valley. Attached to 3rd Brigade, 3rd Division, 11th Army Corps, Army of the Cumberland, and Colonel Hecker assumes command of the brigade.
October 20 Reconnaissance to Trenton
October 26-29 Reopening Tennessee River
October 28-29

Battle of Wauhatchie, Tenn.

October 30 Duty in Lookout Valley, Tenn.
November 23-27

Chattanooga-Ringgold Campaign

November 23 Orchard Knob
November 24-25 Tunnel Hill
November 25 Mission Ridge
November 26-27 Pursuit to Cleveland
November 29 – December 17 March to relief of Knoxville
Dec. 18 At Whitesides, Tenn.
1864
March 21 Colonel Hecker resigned his commission
April Attached to 3rd Brigade, 1st Division, 20th Army Corps, Army of the Cumberland
May 3

Atlanta Campaign

May 8-11 Demonstration on Rocky Faced Ridge
May 14-15

Battle of Resaca

The regiment saved the 5th Indiana Battery in a bayonet charge

May 19 Near Cassville
May 25

New Hope Church

The regiment loses 11 killed and 69 wounded out of 245 engaged, winning the praise of General Thomas.

May 25-June 5 Battles about Dallas, New Hope Church and Allatoona Hills
June 10-July 2 Operations about Marietta and against Kenesaw Mountain
June 11-14 Pine Hill
June 15-17

Lost Mountain

Lost 5 killed

June 15 Gilgal (or Golgotha) Church
June 17

Muddy Creek

Lost 1 killed and 3 wounded in an attack on an entrenched position

June 19 Noyes’ Creek
June 22 Kolb’s Farm
June 27

Assault on Kenesaw

July 4 Smyrna Camp Ground
July 5-17 Chattahoochie River
July 19-20

Peach Tree Creek

Second Lieutenant Frederick Bechstein of Company I is killed

July 22-August 25

Siege of Atlanta

August 26 –
September 2
Operations at Chattahoochie River Bridge
September 2 – November 15 Occupation of Atlanta
October 26-29 Expedition to Tuckum’s Cross Roads
November 15 –
December 10

March to the sea

November 22 Milledgeville
December 9 Montieth Swamp
December 10-21

Siege of Savannah

1865
January

Campaign of the Carolinas

March 16
Averysboro, Taylor’s Hole Creek, N. C.

The regiment lost 15 casualties

March 19-21

Battle of Bentonville

March 24 Occupation of Goldsboro
April 10-14 Advance on Raleigh
April 14 Occupation of Raleigh
April 26

Bennett’s House

Surrender of Johnson and his Army

April 29-May 19 March to Washington, D.C., via Richmond, Va.
May 24 Grand Review
June 16 The 82nd Illinois Infantry Regiment mustered out