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Saturday, April 23, 2011

23 April 1861

[from An Ephemeris Kept by Loren Webb...]
Tuesday, 23d A shower of rain in the afternoon, but pleasant most of the day. Very early in the morning, our company, with the first company of Belleville, and the Mascoutah [company], left Belleville in the cars, and reached Springfield about noon and marched at once to our quarters in Camp Yates. The camp is the fair ground. There were already some soldiers there when we arrived but we were dressed in uniforms and presented a very fine appearance and were cheered as we passed along . I first commenced my duties as Ord. Sergt. I drew Bread and Bacon and that was all that we had that night. We were quartered in an old house and had very pleasant time.

[from Marion Morrison's A History of the Ninth Regiment Illinois Volunteer (1864) Infantry, p. 9]
Many of the soldiers, supposing that they would be furnished with clothing by the government, took very little clothing with them, and that of the most ordinary kind, thinking that when that should draw clothing they could not take care of what they took with them. 

They had no regular uniform.  Some of the companies were clothed with such a uniform as they had selected and supplied for themselves.

1 comment:

  1. The regimental history is a contemporary source on the Ninth Regiment, written by the Regiment's Chaplain in 1864 and reprinted in 1997 by Southern Illinois University Press : Morrison, Marion. A History of the Ninth Regiment Illinois Infantry, with the Regimental Roster. New forward by John Y. Simon. John S. Clark, Monmouth, Illinois. 1864. (reprint) Southern Illinois University Press, Carbondale, Illinois. 1997.

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