CIVIL WAR BOOK DETAILS ACTIVITIES OF SOUTHERN ILLINOIS REGIMENT

CAIRO, Ill. -- When the 31st Regiment of Illinois Infantry was officially mustered in September of 1861, Capt. Oramus Greenlee and a small group of soldiers didn't have to travel far for initial training.

Under the guidance of John A. Logan, the 31st was mustered into service at Cairo, Ill. Several of the soldiers who made up the 1,130-man regiment were from Cairo.

The story of Gen. John A. Logan's famed Civil War regiment, is told by its veterans in "History: 31st Regiment Illinois Volunteers Organized by John A. Logan," a book which was published around the turn of the century.

"This is one of the rarest books on Southern Illinois history during the Civil War era," said Gordon R. Pruett, publisher of Crossfire Press at Herrin, Ill. "Its scarcity is due in part to the fact that it was originally privately printed, and the number of copies was quite small."

Pruett, who has an appreciation of history, has recently reprinted the saga of Southern Illinois' historic Civil War regiment.

"I am a collector of local Americana," said Pruett. "One of our best resources in Southern Illinois is hidden history. I like to find it and give it a new life."

The story follows the troops from the mustering in at Cairo, through the battles of Belmont, Fort Donelson, Vicksburg, Kenesaw Mountain and Atlanta, through the March to the Sea and into North Carolina where Southern Illinois farm boys joined in forcing the surrender of the last major Confederate army.

For two months, the 31st Regiment settled into the routine life of a soldier in camp, with little excitement, except in the arrival of new troops and news of recent battles or skirmishes.

When rumors of a Confederate attack reached the camp, Gen. U.S. Grant, who had command of Southeast Missouri, with headquarters at Cairo, sent about 3,000 men to scour the country in the direction of the St. Francois River in Missouri and in western Kentucky near the Columbus area. The volunteers met the enemy at Belmont, and the Civil War was on for the 31st Regiment.

"History: 31st Regiment Illinois Volunteers," is the third reprint book for Pruett and Crossfire Publishing. Other publications include "Life and Exploits of S. Glenn Young," a 1925 biography of Southern Illinois' most infamous law officer, and "Tales & Songs of Southern Illinois," by Charles Neeley, a collect of folklore in story and verse.

"This latest book, on the 31st Regiment, was written by three veterans of the regiment W. S. Morris of Marion, L.D. Hartwell of Williamson County, and J.B. Kuykendall of Vienna," said Pruett. "It details the experiences of men called to war from Southern Illinois, including Williams, Franklin, Jackson, Union, Pulaski, Alexander and other downstate counties."

Morris, Hartwell and Kuykendall were teenagers when they volunteered. It was some 35 to 40 years later that the trio started putting together copy for their book.

The book includes a roster of the regiment's members, a valuable resource for local historians and genealogists.

Pruett added that the book was written to preserve the regiment's history, not for profit. "Of course, the reprint was produced with the hope of making a profit, but it wasn't a motivating factor," he said. "I think it's a valuable piece of Southern Illinois history."

The book follows the history of the regiment, from its formation in August of 1861 to its muster out of service in 1865.

The toll of the Civil War was heavy on the 31st Regiment. A total of 471 solders died during the war in camp or battle.

John Y. Simon, professor of history at Southern Illinois University-Carbondale, authored the foreword for the book. Simon, a nationally noted Civil War scholar, is director of the Ulysses S. Grant Association.

Most homes in Southern Illinois had a member in the regiment, or knew a friend who was attached to the regiment. Although the regiment started with 1,130 men, another 700 were added to its roles during the war, for a total of 1,830 Southern Illinoisans.

Following are names of many of the soldiers who were mustered into the 31st Regiment, from Union, Pulaski and Alexander counties.

Union County: William L. Casey, David Montroy, Irvin C. Batson, Joseph C. Gilliland, Robert E. Elmore, William Miller, William V. Sanders, Thomas J. Jolly, James H. Pinegar, Thomas G. Stafford, Joan Treece, Francis M. Bays, David M. Bays, Samuel N. Heuy, Levy North, Robert Moore, Martin V.B. Murphy, Abner Batson, John C. Batson, Asa W. Crowder, Nathaniel G. Crowder, James Culp Jr., Daniel Craiglow, Henry W. Clark, Ballard Collins, Martin L. Coonce, Elijah Caraker, George Cluts, Jeremiah Cochran, Willis F. Dillow, Daniel Dillow, Ephram Dillow, Abram J. Dillow, Peter Dillow, William J. Dowell, James Davis, James Edwards, Richard J. Emerson, Samuel B. Emerson, James Fry, John C. Harpendy, William J. Hopkins, George Lumpkins, Martin V.B. Murphy, Andrew J. Montgomery, Silas Miller, Isaac Manees, Hiram Oiler, William J. Parish, James H. Pruitt, James O. Pruitt, John Powell, John Perham, Robert C. Rushing, Phillip Recards, Upton J. Redden, Lewis Treece, Jacob Treece, Thompson Wells, William Wall, Anselin Wallace, William West, Andrew J. West, James Watson, William Watson, Matthews Brooks, William Dowell, all of Anna, Robert Moore, John Murphy, John Maneese, Hardin Wall, Larkin Brooks, John Gardiner, all of Anna, and John W. Toler, Isaac Grammer, James Greer, John Hare, Wesley Hare, William R. Reed, Riley Rice, Frederick Shamburg, Wesley Swafford, Isaac Sanders, Winton Simmerman, all of Jonesboro.

Alexander County: George W.D. Nangle, James R. Tyler, Orsamus Greenlee, John Lockey, Benjamin Grinnell, Phillip Hickman, Charles May, Hiram Pierce, Robert Russell, George Cook, William Donne, Frederick Fearo, Ruffix Varnum, John Smith, Jerimiah Turner, all of the Cairo area.

Pulaski County: Samuel P. Steele and Washington McCormick, of Mound City; and James M. Hale, John P. Carnes, Samuel Graves, Harrison Burklow, Moses Youngblood, Thomas Lyerly, William Yokum, Daniel Carnes, Felix Hullett, John Hogan, John Kereiger, Dan Reed, Van Vanderbilt, Thomas Miller, David Walker, and James Sheppard.

The book is available at several Southern Illinois bookstores and will be available in Southeast Missouri soon.

Pruett will also process mail orders. Paperbound copies retail for $12.95, and clothbound editions limited to 300 sell for $24.95. Additional details are available by calling Pruett at 618-942-3856.