From Shiloh to Savannah: The Seventh Illinois Infantry in the Civil War

by D. Leib Ambrose

Overview

From the first Union victories in the west at Forts Henry and Donelson to the savage battle of Shiloh and onward to the March to the Sea, the Seventh Illinois Infantry fought with distinction across the Confederacy. Ambrose's vivid eyewitness account traces the first Illinois volunteer regiment from its muster in 1861 to the final days of the war. An introduction and explanatory notes by Civil War historian Daniel E. Sutherland reveal the importance of this western unit's contributions.

Originally stationed in Missouri and Kentucky, the unit helped to maintain Union control of border slave states that had not joined the Confederacy. During the middle years of the war, the Seventh protected rail lines and raided into Confederate-held areas of Tennessee and Alabama. Ambrose vividly depicts the ravages of war as the Seventh Illinois tracked and fought rebel raiders, partisans, and guerrillas. Illustrating the chilling relationship between violence and daily army life, Ambrose describes Northern soldiers who, initially reluctant to pillage and forage the South, grew hardened to brutality and unrepentantly destroyed towns and plantations.

The Seventh's bloodiest battles took place at Shiloh and at Allatoona Pass, where the unit played a crucial role in Union victories. The infantry also fought throughout the prolonged campaigns around Corinth. It saw the sea at Savannah, witnessed the burning of Columbia, and marched through the heart of the Confederacy before ending the war in North Carolina. Throughout this highly textured account, Ambrose searingly portrays the confusion of battle and the fierce loyalty to fallen comrades as he details the heroism and sacrifice of his fellow soldiers.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780875803098
Publisher:	Cornell University Press
Publication date:	12/04/2002
Edition description:	1
Pages:	283
Sales rank:	1,132,747
Product dimensions:	5.80(w) x 8.80(h) x 1.00(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

Table of Contents

Table of Contents
Introduction
I. [April 15, 1861–July 25, 1861]
II. [July 25, 1861–February 2, 1862]
III. [February 3, 1862–February 11, 1862]
IV. [February 12, 1862–April 5, 1862]
V. [April 6, 1862–April 29, 1862]
VI. [April 29, 1862–October 2, 1862]
VII. [October 3, 1862–December 17, 1862]
VIII. December 18, 1862–April 7, 1863]
IX. [April 14, 1863–May 10, 1863]
X. [May 13, 1863–October 24, 1863]
XI. [October 26, 1863–January 7, 1864]
XII. [January 8, 1864–January 19, 1864]
XIII. [February 18, 1864–June 1, 1864]
XIV. [June 15, 1864–September 8, 1864]
XV. [October 1864]
XVI. [November 11, 1864–December 22, 1864]
XVII. [December 22, 1864–March 21, 1865]
XVIII. [April 10, 1865–July 18, 1865]
Notes to Ambrose's Work
Index

Editorial Reviews

"One of the most important stories of the Civil War."—Stephen D. Engle, author of Struggle for the Heartland

"Ambrose's original diary-like memoirs can benefit our modern appreciation and understanding of Civil War military history."—Civil War Book Review

"A fine early account penned by a Union soldier."—Civil War News

From the Publisher