The 90th Illinois were raised around Chicago in the latter part of 1862, and spent the early portion of their war guarding the Memphis and Charleston Railroad. They next moved towards Vicksburg, although they did not take an active part in the siege which led to the city’s fall. They were involved at the siege of Jackson, but it was to be at Missionary Ridge in November 1863 that their baptism of fire took place. They took an active part in Sherman’s Atlanta Campaign, the March to the Sea and the March through the Carolinas, before rounding off their service by participating in the Grand Review in Washington in 1865.

Map of Europe showing nativity of members of the 90th Illinois Infantry (Information by Jim Swan, Illustration by Sara Nylund)

Jim compiled the data on the Legion using the Illinois Attorney General’s data and RG94 at the National Archives. The first set of information looks at the nativity of 950 non-commissioned officers and men in the regiment* with percentages calculated for each country based on the total number of soldiers:

The dominance of Irish-born soldiers is immediately apparent, representing 65.7% of the total number of enlisted men in the regiment (and 69.6% when those of no known nativity are excluded). This is a marginally higher figure than we see for the 23rd Illinois, where 43% of the total were of Irish birth (53.8% when unknown nativity are excluded). Generally though it must be said the proportional makeup of the 90th and 23rd Illinois are remarkably similar, with similar percentage representation from countries such as Germany and England evident. However, the 90th Illinois does have the edge in unusual minority countries, boasting both a Mexican and Hungarian on the regimental rolls!

Map of North America showing nativity of members of the 90th Illinois Infantry (Information by Jim Swan, Illustration by Sara Nylund)

The breakdown of data for the men born in the United States is of note, as only 150 men or 15.8% of the total (16.7% excluding unknown nativity) were born in the country where the war was fought. This contrasts with 407 men born in the United States out of the 1,585 examined in the 23rd Illinois, which represented 25.7% of the total for that regiment. In the 90th Illinois the state of birth is unknown for 41 of the men, which makes it difficult to draw any major conclusions from the distribution of men from within the United States. Nonetheless it is possible to say that more men were born in New York than any other State (38); the Empire State was also predominant in the 23rd Illinois. 32 of the men were born in the State where the regiment was raised, with Pennsylvania coming in third with ten representatives. It is important to remember that despite their birth in the United States, it is likely that at least some of these men viewed themselves as Irish-Americans and were part of that community, a situation probably mirrored amongst the 25 men of Canadian birth in the 90th.

The data that Jim has compiled makes it apparent that the 90th Illinois was indeed a strongly Irish regiment, perhaps marginally more so than the 23rd Illinois. The dominance of Irishmen born in Ireland (as opposed to being born into the Irish community in America) is of particular note, confirming that the unit was indeed ‘Chicago’s Irish Legion.’ The next post on the 90th Illinois will look at a breakdown of nativity by company, and will also examine the counties in Ireland that were represented in the ranks of the 90th Illinois Infantry.

*Includes 13 men who enlisted but did not muster

**Special thanks are due to Jim Swan for compiling this information and making it available to the site, and Sara Nylund for preparing the illustrations for the post.

References

Civil War Soldiers and Sailors System

Illinois Adjutant General’s Report: Regimental and Unit Histories, Containing Reports for the Years 1861- 1866

Illinois Civil War Muster and Descriptive Rolls Database

Maurice Fitzharris, First Lieutenant, 42nd New York Infantry. Rose from the ranks, having enlisted in 1861. Wounded four times during the war, including while commanding skirmishers facing Pickett's Charge at Gettysburg. Member of the Potomac Circle of the Fenian Brotherhood during the war. (Kane 2002: 121)

Joseph O'Carroll, from Co. Tipperary. Enlisted in 1863 and rose from the ranks to First Lieutenant in the 4th New York Cavalry. Wounded at 3rd Winchester. Transferred to 9th New York Cavalry in 1865. (Kane 2002: 131)

Joseph P. Cleary, born in Limerick. Private 13th New York, in June 1863 joined the 14th New York Heavy Artillery and rose to Major. (Kane 2002: 117)

John Warren, Captain of Company B, 63rd New York, Irish Brigade. Born in Clonakilty, Co. Cork, he was discharged in September 1862. (Kane 2002: 134)

James Smith, Hospital Steward and Sergeant, 65th Illinois Infantry. Recruited into Fenians by Colonel Owen Stuart, 90th Illinois Infantry. (Kane 2002:133)

James Murphy, served in US Artillery before the war. Rose from ranks to become Captain of Company F, 20th Massachusetts. Fought at Ball's Bluff, wounded by canister in the left arm at Chancellorsville in 1863 and discharged. Served in Reserve Officer Corps in 1864-5. (Kane 2002: 128)

James McDermott, 6th Connecticut Infantry and 99th New York State Militia. Born in Boyle, Co. Roscommon. (Kane 2002: 127)

James Burns, Captain, 23rd Illinois Infantry. Born in England, served in the ranks and reenlisted as a Veteran Volunteer. Wounded at Second Winchester in 1864. (Kane 2002: 116)

Edward Morley, who spent 13 months with the 183rd Pennsylvania Infantry. Recruited into the Fenians in 1863. (Kane 2002: 128)

Patrick J. Condon, 2nd New York State Militia and later Captain of Company G, 63rd New York, Irish Brigade. Born in Creeves, Co. Limerick. (Kane 2002: 118)

References

Kane, Michael H. 2002. ‘American Soldiers in Ireland, 1865-67′ in The Irish Sword: The Journal of the Military History Society of Ireland, Vol. 23, No. 91, pp. 103-140

Mountjoy Prison Portaits of Irish Independence: Photograph Albums in Thomas A. Larcom Collection

New York Public Library Digital Gallery

The 90th Illinois was raised in the latter part of 1862, at a time when enthusiasm for volunteering had long since passed. The book provides an honest and highly informative account of the early weeks of the embryonic Legion. Far from experiencing a rush to the colors, it was a long hard battle to get the Regiment off the ground at all- the unit struggled not only with attracting recruits but also with keeping them, with desertion commonplace while they remained encamped in Illinois. It was against this somewhat inauspicious backdrop that the Legion, still understrength, finally went to war. They were to spend the early portion of their service guarding the Memphis and Charleston Railroad; when they did eventually move towards Vicksburg they did not take a direct part in the siege, although they bore witness to it. They participated in the Siege of Jackson, but it was to be at Missionary Ridge in November 1863 that the Regiment’s true baptism of fire took place, having the misfortune of advancing into a hail of shot and shell at Tunnel Hill. From there they took part in the Atlanta Campaign before experiencing Sherman’s March to the Sea and through the Carolinas. At war’s end they were among the troops who marched as part of the Grand Review in Washington D.C., before their eventual return to Illinois.

The author describes the actions in which the 90th participated with skill and clarity, but the books greatest strength is in adroitly portraying the everyday life of soldiers in the West. To the fore in this are two of the activities that preoccupied the lives of most Civil War soldiers- marching and sickness. Surely few units in the war could have matched the incredible distances traversed by the Legion, mainly on foot, which Swan calculates to be a staggering 2,600 miles. Equally, it is apparent just how real a threat illness posed, as reflected both in the Regiment’s returns and in the fears of some of its members.

Swan has successfully mined the letters and correspondence of a number of the officers and men to create a narrative that reflects the reality of their experience. These include the attempts of one woman to join the Legion disguised as a man; the story of Captain Patrick Sarsfield Real, an officer in the 90th, whose brother had died at Shiloh serving the Confederacy, and of Captain Peter Casey, who discovered during the arduous campaigning that he wasn’t cut out for army life.

The 90th Illinois did not achieve the fame or glory of some other regiments on the field of battle, which is one of the reasons this book is so appealing. The absence of large-scale encounters for much of the history allows Swan to focus on the more mundane and everyday aspects of regimental life, often missing from other histories. We learn of the interaction between  members of the regiment (not always friendly), with the people of the South, and with the people of Illinois. James Swan’s book is more than simply a history of the battles in which the Irish Legion fought, it is a history of the war they experienced. I have no hesitation in recommending it for anyone interested in this aspect of the American Civil War.

Swan, James B. 2009.  Chicago’s Irish Legion: The 90th Illinois Volunteers in the Civil War. Southern Illinois University Press. 306pp.

Further Reading

Chicago’s Irish Legion Website