The Folly of the 128th Illinois Article 102)

The boys in Franklin and Williamson counties in deep Southern Illinois were from independent stock. In 1861, this region, 150 miles south of Springfield, the home of President Lincoln, was still the frontier. Most families were farmers with others providing services such as mercantile, livery, medical, and, of course, the occasional saloon. Many who lived in Southern Illinois had migrated from Tennessee, North Carolina, and South Carolina; and most were sympathetic to Southern causes in general. Politically, the region predominately supported Democrats, unlike the central and northern Illinois regions which tended to support the newer Republican Party of Abraham Lincoln. Slavery was prohibited by the Illinois constitution, however, the Illinois legislature, on several occasions, passed resolutions in support of the federal Fugitive Slave Act, which required free states to recognize the ownership rights granted in slave-states. By law, a run-away slave, captured in Illinois, was considered someone’s property and would be returned to the slave-holder. 

Overall, Illinois contributed 250,000 soldiers to the Union Army, including 150 designated regiments, and only New York, Pennsylvania, and Ohio provided more servicemen. Not many of that number, however, came from the southern-most part of the state. In late 1860 and early 1861, before the Civil War started, there was some support for secession in Southern Illinois and, in Marion, the Williamson County seat, residents passed a passionate, but not binding, resolution to secede from the United States. President Lincoln was aware of the unrest in the region and was concerned by rumors that John A. Logan, a popular congressional leader from Southern Illinois might join the Confederacy; however, Logan quickly stated he supported preservation of the Union, not secession, and agreed to serve as a General in the Union Army. Logan’s firm stance was instrumental in dampening support in Southern Illinois for secession and the Confederate cause, but, conversely, did little to generate enthusiastic support for Abraham Lincoln and the Union cause.  In fact, most young men in the region would have been content to sit out the war.

In the first year of the Civil War, there were a few individuals who had left their homes in Southern Illinois to join either the Union or Confederate army, depending on their allegiance. Their decision as to which side for which to fight was likely based on whether their family heritage was from Northern or Southern regions, or perhaps their personal beliefs about whether or not the Union should be preserved or Southern states should be allowed to secede. In hardly any case would their decision have been based on the support of, or opposition to, slavery. Because the general population in the state’s southern-most counties was considered sympathetic to the South, and therefore perhaps to the Confederacy, there had been no concerted effort to organize a Union Army regiment in that region. However, by late 1862, the Governor of Illinois, at the request of a small local delegation, cooperated with Army officials to form a new regiment, the 128th Illinois, to be made up of recruits primarily from Williamson and Franklin counties. The expectation was that the boys would be willing to fight to preserve the Union; so, that was the main recruiting pitch; and, deliberately, no mention was made of fighting to end slavery.

 The War Department selected Robert M. Hundley as the new 128th Illinois Regimental commander, with the rank of Colonel. Hundley was a prominent businessman who lived in Marion, a town in Williamson County, in Southern Illinois. He recommended two acquaintances, James D. Pulley, and James D. McCown for appointments as senior officers, and they received commissions as Lt. Colonel and Major respectively. Hundley was not without military experience, having served as a Lieutenant in the War with Mexico in 1847, but had been out of the army since. He had actually sought the appointment as Commander of the new regiment, which was not unusual during the Civil War, as hundreds of citizens were commissioned as Colonels and Generals directly from the private sector. It only required money or a few political connections, or both. At first glance, Hundley appeared to be a consequential man, who was regarded as well educated, decisive, and resourceful. He had served in a number of civic roles, was instrumental in the construction of better roads in Williamson and Franklin counties, and participated in the development of a local bank in Marion. However, a closer look at his past would have revealed that, prior to the Civil War, Hundley expressed sympathy for the claims of Southern states that the federal government interfered in their Constitutional rights to self-govern. Although, it appears that he did not specifically promote the institution of slavery or its expansion to new states and territories. After the Civil War broke out, Hundley had found himself suspected of being a Confederate supporter, not just a person with southern sympathies, and some neighbors and friends began to distance themselves. Hundley was pro-Union, at least to a certain degree, and wanted to take a stand to show his Union (not Confederate) allegiance. His solution was to contact the Army and offer to form an army regiment, led by himself, and comprised of young men from his region. He was able to convince nearly nine-hundred men to join what would become, the 128th Illinois Regiment, and the troops gathered to be mustered-in by early November 1862. The regiment was divided into ten companies, with Captains, Lieutenants, and Second Lieutenants appointed as junior offices over each company; unfortunately, most of these younger officers had little or no military experience, and that deficiency would show later.

 There must have been some excitement as the young men gathered to be mustered in. Many of them knew each other as neighbors, cousins, and even several sets of brothers enlisted together. While they may have had a degree of patriotic pride, most of them were looking forward to new uniforms, weapons, regular meals, and a steady paycheck; and, of course, the “adventure” of military life. They were soon to be sorely disappointed.

 The Southern Illinois press, which was generally Democratic, mentioned the recruitment effort, but gave little additional recognition to the unit’s formation and those who enlisted. On the other hand, some of the Republican leaning newspapers in Central and Northern Illinois warned against forming a Union regiment composed of men who might be Confederate sympathizers.

 The new recruits, and their officers, were shipped to Camp Butler, near Springfield, in Central Illinois. Since July, 1861, Camp Butler had become an important training center for the Union Army and several new regiments were always at some stage in their training before being sent into larger fighting commands. But problems for the 128th Illinois began soon after arrival at Camp Butler. There were not enough uniforms, no extra winter gear, insufficient food, and their paychecks were late. Further, their tents were of little help against a cold winter and men began to fall ill to disease and infections; so serious, in fact, that by February one or two men per week were dying in the camp. While those issues were mainly caused by seemingly inept quartermasters who ran the army’s supply system, and not directly the fault of the regiment’s leaders; the men understandably blamed Colonel Hundley. To make matters worse, Hundley and his senior officers, at first, paid little attention to the growing dis-satisfaction of the men under their command.

 While the supply and health problems (and the rising death toll) would certainly be serious enough to cause morale issues among the enlisted men, two added factors began to drive the recruits over the edge from complaining (almost a serviceman’s right) to dis-obedience, insubordination, and finally desertion.

 First, Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation, although announced in September 1862, had become effective on January 1, 1863; and many of the Southern Illinois boys were opposed to the act, although most probably knew little about its actual effect. They began to complain that, instead of fighting for the preservation of the Union, they were now being asked to fight to free slaves. None of them were slave-owners, but neither did most of them object to the institution as it existed in the South. The second factor, and equally devastating to morale, was the animus of the local Republican press, civic leaders, and even ordinary citizens, in Springfield and other small towns near Camp Butler. Newspapers, and individual townspeople began to ostracize the officers and men of the 128th. Some locals may have heard the recruits vocalizing their opposition to Abraham Lincoln and his Proclamation and some may have even researched Colonel Hundley’s past support for southern interests. But in any case, the largely Republican press in Springfield and other Central and Northern Illinois communities began to eviscerate the 128th, its commander and its men.

 To calm the unrest among his troops, Colonel Hundley began to offer furloughs to some of the men. Of course, those not selected for furlough became even more belligerent. By March 1863, whether they were furloughed and didn’t return, or they simply deserted and went home, (or were one of 35 who died in Camp from illness), over 700 of the 861 men, mostly enlisted men, but also a few young officers, were no longer serving on duty in the 128th Illinois.

The Republican press in the area had continued to berate the commanders of the 128th, and charges were made that the unit would either not fight against the South when called upon or, worse, that they might deliberately undermine Union Army campaigns. There were even rumors, though never proven, that a regimental quartermaster, George Aiken, had caused the supply issues and had contacted Confederate military leaders to inquire about joining their Army when the 128th transferred south to Cairo, Illinois in the spring. 

 The regiment was in complete disarray. And word finally reached Union Army headquarters.

 On April 1, 1863, the Adjutant General of the Army dismissed Colonel Hundley and other senior officers, even the Chaplain, for “an utter want of discipline” and declared the unit unfit for service; and then, officially disbanded it. Interestingly, there was no mention of the “Aiken” matter in the Adjutant General’s final published report; although research has found other contemporaneous written references to the quartermaster’s scheme. It may be that the Army knew about Aiken, but there was already enough justification to disband the dis-functional regiment.

 As a result of the termination of the 128th, the Junior officers who had remained on duty, including one Second Lieutenant Josiah M. Dorris, were allowed to muster-out and given discharges; while most of the remaining enlisted men were transferred to another Illinois regiment and eventually became part of other Union fighting forces.  

 It was an ignoble end. Colonel Hundley had lost the 128th Illinois Regiment without ever firing a shot!

 (Postscript: Robert M. Hundley returned to Williamson county and resumed his roles as a civic leader and merchant in Marion. Apparently, most folks there did not hold his termination from Union service against him, as, after all, many were Democrats, mis-trusted Republican leadership, and still held some southern sympathies. His rationalization may have been that lack of support by Republicans in the Union Army, or even the quartermaster’s sabotage, caused the unit’s (and his) failure. And what about Second Lieutenant Josiah M. Dorris? After his discharge, at age thirty-one, he returned to Williamson county, his wife, Sarah Amanda, his four children and his farm, and was a leader in the community, founder of a local church, and an active Mason for the rest of his life. In 1877, at the age of forty-six, he and Sarah had another son, named Orid, but Josiah died only four months later. That child, who never knew his father, was this author’s grandfather; and Josiah was my great-grandfather.)