SERVICE - Duty at Cairo, Ill., till September 6, 1862. Moved to Paducah, Ky., September 6, thence to Columbus, Ky., September 17, and duty there till November 21. Expedition from Columbus to Covington, Durhamsville and Fort Randolph September 28 - October 5. Expedition to Clarkson, Mo., October 6. Expedition to New Madrid, Mo., October 21. Skirmishes at Clarkson, Mo., October 23 and 28. Moved to Moscow, Miss., November 21, and Join Quinby's Command. Grant's Central Mississippi Campaign. Operations on the Mississippi Central R. R. November 21 - December 30. Duty on line of the Memphis and Charleston R. R. till January 10, 1863. At Memphis, Tenn., till February 24. Yazoo Pass Expedition, by Moon Lake, Yazoo Pass and the Coldwater and Tallahatchie Rivers February 24 - April 8. Operations against Fort Pemberton and Greenwood March 13 - April 5. Fort Pemberton near Greenwoodd March 11, 16, 25 - April 2 and 4. Moved to Milliken's Bend, La., and guard duty from Milliken's Bend to New Carthage till April 25. Duty at Richmond, La., April 25 - May 10. Battle of Champion's Hill May 16. Siege of Vicksburg, Miss., May 18 - July 4. Assaults on Vicksburg May 19 and 22. Expedition to Mechanicsburg May 26 - ,June 4. Surrender of Vicksburg July 4. Moved to Natchez, Miss., July 12-13, and duty there till October 17. Action at St. Catherine's Creek July 28 and September 1. Moved to Vicksburg, Miss., October 17, and Provost duty there till October 30, 1864. Expedition to Waterproof, La., January 29 - February 23, 1864. Waterproof February 14-15. Yazoo City Expedition May 4-21. Actions at Benton May 7 and 9. Vaughan May 12. Luce's Plantation May 13. Vaughan Station May 14. Expedition to Grand Gulf July 10-17. Port Gibson July 13. Grand Gulf July 16. Moved to Nashville, Tenn., October 30 - November 13, thence to Columbia, Tenn., November 13-21. Nashville Campaign November - December. Columbia, Duck River, November 24-27. Spring Hill November 29. Battle of Franklin November 30. Skirmish near Nashville December 7. Battle of Nashville December 15-16. Pursuit of Hood to the Tennessee River December 17-28. Moved to Clifton, Ten; thence to Eastport, Miss., and duty there till February 9, 1865. Moved to New Orleans, La., February 9-21, and duty there till March 12. Campaign against Mobile, Ala., and its defenses March 17 - April 12. Expedition from Dauphin Island to Fowl River Narrows March 18-22. Siege of Spanish Fort and Fort Blakely March 26 - April 8. Assault and capture of Fort Blakely April 9. Capture of Mobile April 12. March to Montgomery April 14-25, and duty there till May 23. Moved to Union Springs, Ala., May 23, and duty there till July 19. Moved to Vicksburg, Miss., July 19.

Mustered out August 7, 1865.

The 72^nd Regiment lost during its three years of service 7 Officers and 178 Enlisted men killed.

With 3 Officers and 130 Enlisted men dead of disease, or wounds.

20 Officers and 220 men were wounded with 3 Officers and 76 men taken prisoners.

The Regiment fought 7 battles and 11 skirmishes and walked or traveled 9,280 miles since entering service with 145 days under enemy fire.

To increase esprit de corps and for a ready recognition of corps and divisions in various armies, a system of badges for various corps was adopted. The idea of corps badges to be worn throughout the Army of the Potomac was suggested to Hooker by his Chief of Staff, General Daniel Butterfield, who devised the badges in detail. The idea of corps badges was taken to the Western armies by the transfer of the Eleventh and Twelfth Army Corps from the Army of the Potomac to Tennessee in 1863. When these Corps arrived at Chattanooga they were wearing their corps badges. The badges were cloth and were worn either on the cap or left side of the hat. Corps emblems were used everywhere, being painted on ambulances, wagons, and other materiel, as well as being worn by the men.

The Corps badge of the 72^nd Illinois, during the time period of 1863 when we were members of the 17^th Corps would have been an arrow. Also during this 14-month period as members of the 1st Brigade, 1st Division our arrow color would have been red. There is at this time no known color for 6^th or 7^th Divisions (see dates of division membership above). Also only two of the 25 corps did not use corps badges the Thirteenth and Twenty-first.

For more information contact 72d Illinois Recruiter at,        EDopke@comcast.net