Civil War Records 16th Infantry Illinois Volunteers, Company H

The Sixteenth Infantry Illinois Volunteers was organized and mustered into United States’ service at Quincy, Ill., under the “Ten Regiment Act,” on the 24th day of May, 1861. It was mustered in by Captain T. G. Pitcher, U.S.A.

June 12, 1861, moved to Grand River as railroad guard; after which the Regiment was scattered along the line of the road as guard. July 10, Colonel Smith’s force was attacked at Monroe Station by 1,600 mounted Rebels, but held his position until the arrival of reinforcements, when the enemy retired. On the 16th, lost two men wounded at Caldwell Station. August 20, regiment moved under General Hurlbut to Kirksville, and in pursuit of General Green, arriving at Hannywell on September 1.

September 10, ordered to St. Joseph, Mo. On 14th, together with the Third Iowa Infantry, has a skirmish at Platte City. 17th, returned to St. Joseph.

January 27th, ordered to Bird’s Point, Mo. March 3, ordered to New Madrid, where we were attached to the Army of Mississippi, Second Brigade, Colonel James D. Morgan, First Division, Brigadier General E. A. Paine.

On the evening of the 12th of March the Tenth and Sixteenth Illinois Volunteers were thrown forward and erected a line of earthworks, mounting four heavy guns, within half a mile of the enemy’s works.

March 13, the battle of New Madrid was fought, the Sixteenth supporting the siege guns.

April 7th, were landed on the opposite side of the Mississippi, with the Tenth Illinois, and followed the retreating army to Tiptonville, Tenn., where we captured 5,000 prisoners, a large amount of artillery, small arms and ammunition. April 9th, returned to New Madrid; 13th, embarked for Osceola, Ark.; 17th, embarked for Hamburg, Tenn., where we arrived 22nd. Participated in the siege of Corinth. After the evacuation, pursued the retreating army to Booneville; June 12th, returned and camped at Big Springs.

July 20, moved to Tuscumbia; 29th, crossed the Tennessee at Florence.

September 15, arrived at Nashville, after a seventeen days’ march, with continual guerrilla fighting – loss, one killed and five wounded.

Garrisoned Edgefield, Tenn., guarding railroad bridge. November 5, garrison was attacked by Rebel General Morgan, who was repulsed, leaving many dead upon the field. Our loss, one killed and five wounded.

The regiment remained at Edgefield until the middle of July, 1863, when it broke camp and marched to Murfreesboro, where it remained one month; thence it marched to Columbia, Tennessee; thence to Athens, Huntsville and Stevenson, Alabama, camping a few days at the latter place, when it made a forced march to Bridgeport, where with the brigade, it guarded ordnance stores and pontoon bridge against a threatened attack. The battle of Chickamauga having just been fought, Bragg was threatening the rear of Rosecran’s army.

In October a march was made up the Sequatchie valley, as far as Anderson’s Gap, a distance of forty miles.

The Sixteenth had been in the First Brigade, First Division, Army of the Cumberland. At Anderson’s Gap orders were received transferring it and the entire brigade to First Brigade, Second Division, Fourteenth Army Corps. The brigade was commanded by General Morgan, the Division by General Jeff C. Davis, and the corps by Palmer. The regiment remained in this brigade, division and corps until the close of the war. From Anderson’s Gap the regiment marched to Waldron’s Bridge, and for a few weeks guarded a line of transportation on the Tennessee River; thence it moved to Kelly’s Ferry, where it encamped until January, 1864, where it was engaged in the arduous duty of unloading from boats the rations and ammunition sent forward to the enemy which lay at Chattanooga, sixty miles above.

December 20 to 31, the regiment re-enlisted as veterans, and on New Years Day, 1864, left for Illinois on a furlough of thirty days.  Returning, marched to Rossville, Georgia, the latter part of February; went into camp with the rest of brigade and division.

Moved with Sherman’s Army on the Atlanta campaign; was in advance division at Buzzard Roost, where a sharp fight was kept up for one day in which the regiment lost 18 killed and wounded; withdrawing from Buzzard Roost with the Fourteenth and Fifteenth corps, the latter under the command of General Logan, made a night march, fighting the battle of Resaca and flanking the rebels from Dalton. From Resaca the regiment moved with the division which was sent by steamer to capture Rome, an important rebel city which was taken after a fight, in which the Sixteenth sustained no loss. From Rome the regiment moved to Lost Mountain, thence to Kenesaw Mountain, where for a time it lay under the fierce cannonade of a hundred guns on that natural fortress; was afterwards reserve line of the charging corps on June 27, when in a few minutes the army lost 3,000 men; the loss of the regiment was 10 or 15. Thence on to the Chattahootchee river, where the Sixteenth was the first to cross, driving back the heavy picket line of the enemy, losing over 20 men. It participated in the battle Peach Tree Creek, losing a number by wounds and prisoners by marching into the enemy while the regiment was making a night reconnoiter.

After the investment of Atlanta, the regiment held a position on the front and for thirty days was constantly engaged in skirmish firing. Then it withdrew from the front and swung around the city to the west. June 30th was in the thickest of the fight at Jonesboro. In the famous Atlanta campaign, the Fourteenth Army Corps at that place, in which Hardee’s force was broken, a large portion of it captured, and Atlanta won, the Sixteenth charged with fixed bayonets and empty guns. Owing to the ground over which the regiment charged its loss was less than regiments to the right and left which lost twice the number.

After the capture of Atlanta, the regiment went into camp nearly a month. While Hood was making his raid to the rear, the regiment was sent back to Chattanooga, Huntsville and as far as Athens. Hood having moved further west changed the plans of Sherman, the regiment returned to Atlanta. Here the corps was taken from the Army of the Cumberland, and, with the Twelfth Corps, became the Army of Georgia. The regiment participated in the famous march through Georgia to the sea. Being on the most advanced post at the evacuation of Savannah, it had the honor of being the representative regiment of the Fourteenth Army to take formal possession of the city. Marched north during February and March, 1865; assisted in the capture of Columbus and Fayetteville; was in fierce fight at Averysboro, where, during the afternoon of March 16, the regiment lost 15 or 20 killed and wounded, one of whom was Captain White, of Company A, who was commanding the force, and who fell, mortally wounded, while leading a charge across the field.

On the 19th, 20th and 21st of March, at the battle of Bentonville, the division of which the Sixteenth was a part, withstood for five hours, during the first day’s battle, the six times repeated onslaught of Johnson’s entire army. The Sixteenth being in the front line, while repelling a charge saw the rebels, who had been successful at another point, swing around it, and drive the supporting regiment from their works and into the swamp. Having repelled the assault in front, the Sixteenth climbed over the temporary breastworks and opened fire on what five minutes before had been its rear. After a few shots, with the assistance of the Fourteenth Michigan, charged the rebel line, capturing some 800. The second day of the battle the Sixteenth, in conjunction with the Fourteenth Michigan, through a mistake order of the colonel of the latter, made a charge into the center of the rebel forces, and for over a quarter of an hour was under as murderous a front and flank fire as ever rained on troops. In this brief space of time a third of the regiment fell, having less than 300 in line in going into the fight, Company A, with twenty-seven men, lost ten, seven of whom died on the field, or soon after. This was the last battle of the war the Sixteenth was engaged in, but it was the most terrible of them all.

After this battle the Sixteenth was marched to Goldsboro, where it encamped a month; thence to Raleigh and Durham Station, where Johnson surrendered his army to Sherman. Marched with Sherman’s Army to Richmond and Washington; participated in the grand review at the latter place May 24, 1865, after which the regiment proceeded to Louisville, Kentucky, where it was mustered out on the 8th of July, after a term of service of four years and three months, and a week later it arrived in Springfield, Illinois, where it received its final pay and discharge papers. ^[1]History from the Adjutant General’s Report.

Name and Rank	Residence	Date of Rank or Enlistment	Remarks MO means Mustered Out
Captains:
Charles Petrie	Quincy	May 9, 1861	Promoted Major
Herman Lund	St. Joseph, MO	Aug. 6, 1862	“
Christopher Frey	Quincy	July 4, 1863	MO 1st Lt., July 8, 1865
First Lieutenants:
Theodore Weber	?	May 9, 1861	Dismissed by C.M., Aug. 20, 1861
Clemens A. Ridder	Quincy	Sept. 27, 1861	Dismissed Feb. 27, 1861
Thomas H. Smith	Quincy	Feb. 27, 1863	MO Jan. 3, 1865
Christopher Frey	Quincy	Apr. 7, 1865	Promoted
Clemens A. Ridder	?	July 4, 1865	?
Second Lieutenants:
Charles Delebar	?	M<ay 9, 1861	Resigned July 2, 1861
Casten Tienken	Quincy	July 2, 1861	Resigned June 28, 1862
Hermann Lund	St. Joseph, MO	June 28, 1862	Promoted
Thomas H. Smith	Quincy	Aug. 6, 1862	“
Joseph Schlund	St. Joseph, MO	Feb. 27, 1863	MO Jan. 4, 1865
Benjamin Davis	Quincy	July 4, 1865	Not MO
First Sergeant:
Jacob Koetzle	Quincy	May 24, 1861	Disch. Apr. 4, 1862
Sergeants:
Kaspar Koch	?	May 24, 1861	Re-enlisted as veteran
Casten Tienken	Quincy	“	Promoted 2d Lt.
Hermann Lund	St. Joseph, MO	“	“
Clemens Ridder	Quincy	“	Promoted 1st Lt.
Corporals:
John Sanftleben	Quincy	May 24, 1861	Tr. to 60th IL Inf., Jan. 1, 1864
Gustav Ortloff	Quincy	“	Disch. Apr. 12, 1863
James W. Gilmer	?	“	Killed Macon City, MO June 24, 1861
Thomas H. Smith	Quincy	“	Promoted 2d Lt.
John Lorenz	Quincy	“	Re-enlisted as veteran
Joseph Schlund	St. Joseph, MO	“	Promoted 2d Lt.
Thomas J. Callahan	Quincy	“	?
Christian Wenger	Quincy	“	?
Musicians:
Gustav Umgetter	?	May 24, 1861	?
George Doerle	Quincy	“	Re-enlisted as veteran
Privates:

Buckman, Phillip L.	?	May 24, 1861	?
Blakey, Albert	Palmyra, MO	“	MO June 23, 1864
Brakensberg, Richard	St. Joseph, MO	“	Tr. to 60th IL Inf., Jan. 1, 1864
Bruckner, Christian	?	“	Died Sept. 22, 1861
Chapman, Lorenzo	Mendon	“	Re-enlisted as Veteran
Chambers, Matthew	Hannibal, MO	“	“
Davis, Benjamin R.	Quincy	“	“
Doblinger, John P.	?	“	Tr. to 21st MO Reg.
Dorenkamp, Christian	LaGrange, MO	“	Re-enlisted as Veteran
Ellerbrock, Herman	Quincy	“	Disch. Oct. 22, 1862
Farber, Jacob	Quincy	“	Tr. to 60th IL Inf., Jan. 1, 1864
Fohrmann, John	Quincy	“	“
Frey, Christopher	Quincy	“	Re-enlisted as Veteran
Gottren, Herman	Quincy	“	“
Harney, John F.	Newark, MO	“	“
Henz, Otto	Quincy	“	“
Heimbuch, Charles	Quincy	“	Tr. to 60th IL Inf., Jan. 1, 1864
Heimbuch, Gustav	?	“	?
Huber, Gustav	Quincy	“	Re-enlisted as Veteran
Huesten, Bernhard	Quincy	“	Tr. to 60th IL Inf., Jan. 1, 1864
Hunott, Charles	Palmyra, MO	“	Re-enlisted as Veteran
Jaeger, Jacob	Quincy	“	?
Itner, Christian	Quincy	“	Tr. to 60th IL Inf., Jan. 1, 1864
Johnson, John F.	?	“	Disch. Nov. 30, 1861
Kinkel, Otto	Brunswick, MO	“	Disch. Apr. 4, 1862
Klempp, Adam	Quincy	“	Died Dec. 8, 1861
Klein, John Adam	Quincy	“	?
Klostermann, Ber’d H.	Lexington, MO	“	Tr. to 60th IL Inf., Jan. 1, 1864
Knauf, Adam	Lexington, MO	“	“
Koelling, Gottleib	Lexington, MO	“	“
Koebigskraemer, H.	Pittsfield	“	Died March 7, 1862
Krumme, Henry	?	“	Disch., Nov. 19, 1861
Kupfer, George	Quincy	“	Re-enlisted as Veteran
Laker, Henry	Bloomfield	“	Tr. to 60th IL Inf., Jan. 1, 1864
Lautt, Christian	Palmyra, MO	“	Re-enlisted as Veteran
Linz, George	Quincy	“	Tr. to 60th IL Inf., Jan. 1, 1864
Lorenz, Henry	Hannibal, MO	“	Re-enlisted as Veteran
Marigold, John	Burlington, IA	“	“
Meyer, Daniel	Quincy	“	?
Metcalf, Samuel Got.	Macon City, MO	“	Re-enlisted as Veteran
Moenken, Herman	Quincy	“	“
Miller, John O.	Lexington, MO	“	Sick at Nashville, Jan. 2, 1864
Obeojohann, Fred. W.	Quincy	“	?
Panter, Anton	Quincy	“	Tr. to 60th IL Inf., Jan. 1, 1864
Pflum, John	Hannibal, MO	“	Re-enlisted as Veteran
Ranzon, Henry	Davenport, IA	“	“
Richter, Albert	Quincy	“	?
Risto, Hermann	Quincy	“	Disch. Mar. 1, 1862
Roberts, Frederick	?	“	?
Roe, John H.	Quincy	“	Re-enlisted as Veteran
Schienberg, Henry	?	“	Tr. to 60th IL Inf., Jan. 1, 1864
Schaefersmann, Got.	Quincy	“	“
Schmitte, Edward	Quincy	“	Disch. Feb. 26, 1862
Schmitt, George	Quincy	“	Disch. Apr. 18, 1862
Schmidt, William	?	“	Disch. Oct. 12, 1861
Schmidt, George	Quincy	“	Disch. Apr. 4. 1862
Schwane, Bernard	Nauvoo	“	Disch. Aug. 12, 1862
Schweizer, Solomon	St. Joseph, MO	“	Re-enlisted as Veteran
Schwab, Frederick	Quincy	“	?
Schwindeler, Bernard	Quincy	“	Re-enlisted as Veteran
Sedelmeyer, Anton	Quincy	“	“
Sedelmeyer, Felix	Quincy	“	“
Soldner, John	Bethel, MO	“	“
Storb, Job	Quincy	“	Tr. to 60th IL Inf., Jan. 1, 1864
Strunk, Peter	Quincy	“	“
Strotmann, William	Quincy	“	“
Stuke, William	Quincy	“	Disch. Oct. 6, 1862
Surlage, Frank	Quincy	“	Tr. to 60th IL Inf., Jan. 1, 1864
Tornherr, Frank	?	“	?
Trippe, Frank	St. Charles, MO	“	Tr. to 60th IL Inf., Jan. 1, 1864
Tscherning, William	Quincy	“	Re-enlisted as Veteran
Weinert, Henry	St. Joseph, MO	“	Tr. to 60th IL Inf., Jan. 1, 1864
Westermann, F. C.	Quincy	“	“
Wilhelm, Adam	Quincy	“	?
Wilhelm, George	Quincy	“	Re-enlisted as Veteran
Willard, Marcus R.	Hannibal, MO	“	?
Wolfson, Rudolph	St. Joseph, MO	“	?
Zink, John	Quincy	“	Re-enlisted as Veteran
Zink, Philip	Quincy	“	“
Veterans:
Chapmann, Lorenzo R.	Hiram, OH	Feb. 28, 1864	MO July 8, 1865 as Sgt.
Chambers, Mathew	Quincy	Dec. 23, 1863	Disch. June 1, 1865
Dorenkamp, Christian	Quincy	“	Died Feb. 3, 1864
Davis, Benjamin R.	Quincy	“	Prom. Sgt, Com. 2d Lt, MO July 8, 1865
Dorie, George	Quincy	Dec. 23, 1863	MO July 8, 1865
Frey, Christopher	Quincy	“	Promoted 1st Lt.
Gottren, Herman	Quincy	“	MO July 8, 1865
Harvey, John	Quincy	“	“
Henss, Otto	Quincy	“	MO July 8, 1865 as Col.
Heintz, Peter	Quincy	“	MO July 8, 1865
Huber, Gustav	Quincy	“	“
Hunold, Charles	Quincy	“	“
Koch, Kasper	Quincy	“	MO July 8, 1865 as Sgt.
Kupfer, George	Quincy	“	MO July 8, 1865 as Cpl.
Lauth, Christian	Quincy	“	MO July 8, 1865
Lorenz, Henry	Quincy	“	“
Lorenz, John	Quincy	“	“
Mangold, John	Quincy	“	“
Menken, Herman	Quincy	“	“

Metcalf, Samuel A.	Quincy	Dec. 23, 1863	Killed Bentonville, NC, Mar. 19, 1865
McGuire, Frank	Quincy	“	Tr. Eng. Corps, July 10, 1864
Pflum, John	Quincy	“	MO July 8, 1865
Ranzon, Henry	Quincy	“	“
Roe, John H.	Quincy	“	“
Schwindeler, Bernard	Quincy	“	MO July 8, 1865 as Cpl.
Schwizer, Solomon	Quincy	“	MO July 8, 1865
Sedelmeir, Anton	Quincy	“	“
Sedelmeir, Felix	Quincy	“	“
Soldner, John	Quincy	“	MO July 8, 1865 as Cpl.
Tscherning, William	Quincy	“	MO July 8, 1865
Wilhelm, George	Quincy	“	POW, Pro. Cpl, MO July 8, 1865
Zink, John	Quincy	“	MO July 8, 1865
Zink, Phillip	Quincy	“	Died July 11, 1864
Recruits:
Beckman, William	Quincy	May 24, 1861	Tr. to 60th IL Inf., Jan. 1, 1864
Borhanne, Henry	Omaha	Nov. 1, 1861	?
Bartlett, Stephen	Coal Valley	Oct. 4, 1864	MO July 8, 1865
Blackfan, Charles	West’rn Colona	Oct. 1, 1864	“
Brice, John J.	Richland Grove	Feb. 28, 1865	MO June 7, 1865
Bruton, Robert	Grundy Co.	Oct. 12, 1864	MO July 8, 1865
Briedenstan, Thos. G.	?	?	MO July 14, 1865
Chambers, Robert	With the Reg.	Dec. 3, 1862	Killed Atlanta, Aug. 8, 1864
Connro, Adolph	Addison	Oct. 12, 1864	MO July 8, 1865
Dick, Henry	Quincy	Feb. 27. 1864	“
Essig, Frederick	Quincy	Feb. 11, 1863	“
Enhaus, John	Quincy	Feb. 2, 1864	“
Gasche, Martin	Quincy	Dec. 17, 1863	“
Glen, Franz	Dillon	Mar. 22, 1865	“
Heintz, Peter	Quincy	June 5, 1861	Re-enlisted as Veteran
Hill, William C.	Springfield,IL	Nov. 24, 1863	MO July 8, 1865
Holt, Henry	Addison	Oct. 11, 1864	“
Hill, Albert D.	Braceville	Nov. 28, 1864	Disch. June 14, 1865
Jacoby, John	Quincy	Oct. 28, 1863	MO July 8, 1865
Jordan, Owen T.	Coal Valley	Oct. 4, 1864	“
Jordan, Gilbert A.	Coal Valley	“	“
King, James S.	Macon City, MO	June 5, 1861	?
Krummel, William	Palmyra, MO	July 11, 1861	Disch. Aug. 2, 1864
Koerner, Edward	Quincy	Mar. 24, 1861	Transferred
Koetzle, Abraham	Quincy	Aug. 8, 1862	MO June 12, 1865
King, James	?	?	?
Long, Joseph	Burton	Feb. 2, 1864	MO July 8, 1865
Long, Frank	?	Aug. 2, 1862	“
Love, James	Richland Grove	Feb. 28, 1865	MO July 10, 1865
Miller, Daniel N.	Coatsburg	June 5, 1861	MO June 6, 1865
McGuire, Frank	Calleo	July 23, 1861	Re-enlisted as Veteran
Miller, Thomas	Quincy	Feb. 18, 1864	MO July 8, 1865
Mocklin, Henry	Addison	Oct. 12, 1864	“
McKay, Alexander	Hampton	?	MO July 10, 1865
Magill, William	Coal Valley	?	“
Marshall, James	Colona	Mar. 22, 1865	“
Oberling, George	Quincy	Aug. 13, 1862	MO June 12, 1865
Payton, Lewis N.	Richland Grove	Feb. 28, 1865	MO July 10, 1865
Parke, William	Richland Grove	“	MO Aug. 28, 1865
Peck, Hannibal C.	Newton	Jan. 7, 1865	MO July 8, 1865
Risto, Herman	Quincy	Dec. 26, 1863	Vet. Rec., MO July 8, 1865
Ridder, Albert	Quincy	Feb. 18, 1864	Vet. Rec., MO July 8,1865 as 1sr Sgt.
Schulte, August	Quincy	Sept. 6, 1862	MO June 12, 1865
Staff, George	Quincy	Aug. 30, 1862	Disch. May 21, 1863
Stooke, William	Quincy	Feb. 18, 1864	Vet. Rec. MO July 8, 1865
Smith, Valentine	Frankfort	Feb. 7, 1865	MO July 8, 1865
Tomlinson, Alfred	Colona	Mar. 22, 1865	MO July 8, 1865
Trego, Harrison	Chicago	Oct. 4, 1864	“
Talken, Albert	Quincy	Feb. 1, 1864	MO July 8, 1865 as Cpl.
Vansant, William W.	Richland Grove	Feb. 28, 1865	MO July 8, 1865
Wick, John	Quincy	June 1, 1861	Tr. to 60th IL Inf., Jan. 1, 1864
Wackwitz, Charles	St. Joseph	Sept. 23, 1861	Killed Dallas, GA, May 28, 1864
Wolf, Christian	Addison	Oct. 12, 1864	MO July 8, 1865
White, Thomas	Frankfort	Feb. 7, 1865	“
Wiseman, Henry	Quincy	July 27, 1864	MO June 12, 1865
Zeh, Herman	Quincy	Feb. 8, 1864	MO July 8, 1865