When the Civil War erupted in April 1861, many German immigrants in
Illinois rushed to enlist in the Union Army. Volunteers from
Illinois towns in St. Clair County - Belleville, Millstadt,
Mascoutah, Lebanon, and others - marched to Springfield under the
command of August Mersy, a veteran of the failed 1848 revolt in
Baden, Germany. When these German immigrants reached Springfield,
however, Mersy was rejected as commander because of his limited
facility with English. Replaced by Colonel Eleazer A. Paine, an
Ohioan and West Point graduate, Lieutenant Colonel Mersy fell to
second in command of the Ninth Illinois Infantry Volunteers. As the
two officers led the Ninth off to war, Mersy condemned Paine as a
martinet and a politician. Within a few months, however, Paine
received a promotion to general that left Mersy in charge of the
Ninth. Once Grant began his Tennessee River campaign, the Ninth
found itself in the thick of battle, bearing the brunt at Fort
Donelson of the Confederate attempt to break Grant's siege lines.
Less than two months later, the Ninth shored up sagging Union lines
after the surprise Confederate attack at Shiloh Church, retreating
only when their ammunition was gone. Depleted in numbers, the Ninth
received 103 men from the 128th Illinois from Williamson County and
105 imprisoned deserters, who, under the influence of the veterans
of the Ninth, became acceptable soldiers. After eighteen months of
heavy fighting, the Ninth guarded supply lines. When the original
three-year enlistment expired, only forty veterans from the
original regiment reenlisted.
General
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