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Chicago Mercantile Artillery
Battery “H”, 1st Illinois US Artillery Regiment,
17th Corps. Army of Ohio & Cumberland
Grand Army of the Republic (Federal)


Organized at Chicago, Ill., and mustered in August 29, 1862. Duty at Camp Douglass, near Chicago, Ill., till November 8. Moved to Memphis, Tenn., November 8-11, 1862. Attached to 5th Division, District of Memphis, Tenn., 13th Army Corps (Old), Dept. of the Tennessee, and to 2nd Division, District of Memphis, Tenn., 13th Army Corps, to December, 1862. Artillery, 10th Division, Right Wing 13 Army Corps, December, 1862. Artillery, 1st Division, Sherman's Yazoo Expedition, to January, 1863. Artillery, 10th Division, 13th Army Corps, Army of the Tennessee, to August, 1863. Artillery, 4th Division, 13th Army Corps, Dept. of the Gulf, to March, 1864. Artillery, 1st Division, 13th Army Corps, to June, 1864. Defences of New Orleans, La., to July, 1864. Artillery Reserve, Dept. of the Gulf, to November, 1864. Artillery, Cavalry Division, Dept. of the Gulf, to May, 1865. Defences of New Orleans, La., to July, 1865.

Service:

Grant's Central Mississippi Campaign November and December, 1862. "Tallahatchie March" November 24-December 12. Sherman's Yazoo Expedition December 20, 1862, to January 2, 1863. Chickasaw Bayou December 26-28. Chickasaw Bluff December 29. Expedition to Arkansas Post, Ark., January 3-10, 1863. Assault and capture of Fort Hindman, Arkansas Post, January 10-11. Moved to Young's Point, La., January 17, and duty there till March, and at Milliken's Bend, La., till April 25. Movement on Bruinsburg and turning Grand Gulf April 25-30. Battle of Magnolia Hills, or Port Gibson, May 1. Battle of Champion's Hill May 16. Big Black River Bridge May 17. Siege of Vicksburg, Miss., May 18-July 4. Assaults on Vicksburg May 19 and 22. Advance on Jackson, Miss., July 5-10. Siege of Jackson July 10-17. Ordered to New Orleans, La., August 6, thence to Brashear City. Western Louisiana Campaign October 3-November 30. Camp at Franklin till December 19. Moved to Algiers, La. Expedition to the Rio Grande, Texas, December 26, 1863-January 1, 1864. At Pass Cavallo, Texas, till March. Ordered to Berwick City, La. Red River Campaign March-April. Battle of Sabine Cross Roads April 8. Battery cut to pieces and guns captured. Retreat to Alexandria, thence to New Orleans, La., April 9-30. Duty at Camp Parapet, Defences of New Orleans, till November. Moved to Baton Rouge November 1. Davidson's Expedition against Mobile & Ohio R. R. November 27-December 13. Moved to New Orleans December 31, thence to Baton Rouge, and duty there till May, 1865. At New Orleans, La., till June, then ordered home for muster out. Mustered out at Chicago, Ill., July 10, 1865.

Battery lost during service 2 Officers and 5 Enlisted men killed and mortally wounded and 11 Enlisted men by disease. Total 18.

    

Monument is located on Union Avenue 200 yards beyond the Memorial Arch. Under the command of Capt. Patrick H. White this unit was attached to 10th Division, XIII Army Corps and participated in actions at Port Gibson, MS on 1 May 1863; at Champion Hill, MS on 16 May 1863; the Big Black River Bridge, MS on 17 May 1863; and the Siege of Vicksburg from 18 May - 4 July 1863. Reported only 3 wounded at Champion Hill. During the Siege of Vicksburg its position was from Baldwin Ferry Road southward. [Refer to Patrick White of Illinois and A. J. Smith of Pennsylvania.