Wisconsin 42nd Volunteer Infantry Photographs and Buttons, 1864-1865 | Illinois History and Lincoln Collections

Scope and Contents:

The collection contains forty cartes de viste portraits of individual soldiers in the Wisconsin 42^nd Volunteer Infantry, fifteen of which are autographed, and two brass uniform buttons with raised eagle emblems.

Biographical/Historical Context:

The Wisconsin 42^nd Volunteer Infantry was organized at Camp Randall in Madison, Wisconsin, and began its service in the Union Army on September 7, 1864, under the command of Colonel Ezra T. Sprague. After assembling in Cairo, Illinois, September 20-22, 1864, the infantry  was assigned to provost and garrison duty. Several companies were sent to Springfield, Illinois, for provost duty under the command of Major John W. Blake. There they maintained order between soldiers and civilians. Other companies were sent to parts of Illinois where military surveillance had become necessary. The regiment returned to Madison, Wisconsin, on June 20, 1865, and disbanded shortly after.

Acquisition Source: The collection was acquired by the Illinois Historical Survey, the predecessor of the Illinois History and Lincoln Collections, in 1978.