10th Illinois Infantry
Raised in Sandwich, Illinois – April 1861
Company H of the 10th Illinois Infantry was the first Union company raised in Sandwich following President Abraham Lincoln’s call for volunteers in April 1861.
At a public meeting held shortly after the fall of Fort Sumter, Captain Lindsay H. Carr, a Mexican War veteran and early Sandwich merchant, stepped forward and placed his name at the head of an enlistment paper. Many local men followed. Within days, the company was organized and officers elected.
On April 23, 1861, the men departed Sandwich for service.
Company H was mustered into the 10th Illinois Infantry and initially served in Missouri. The regiment saw action during operations along the Mississippi River, including the campaign near New Madrid. They also parcipitated in numerous later campaigns.
On March 12, 1862, Captain Carr was killed while posting pickets near New Madrid, Missouri — one of Sandwich’s earliest battlefield losses.
The early volunteers of Company H represented farmers, merchants, craftsmen, and young laborers from Sandwich and the surrounding township. Their enlistment marked the beginning of Sandwich’s sustained contribution to the Union war effort.
Primary Sources
- Illinois Adjutant General’s Office, Report of the Adjutant General of the State of Illinois (Volumes covering the 10th Illinois Infantry).
- Compiled service records of the 10th Illinois Infantry Regiment.
- U.S. War Department, The War of the Rebellion: Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies.
Regimental & Archival Sources
- National Park Service, Civil War Soldiers and Sailors Database.
- Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum.
- 10th Illinois Infantry Soldier Gallery (regimental historical collection).
- DeKalb County local archives and cemetery records.
Local & Community Sources
- Sandwich-area cemetery inscriptions.
- Local newspaper casualty notices (Aurora, DeKalb, Kendall County papers).
- Family records where available.
Research & Sources
Service information for Sandwich soldiers of Company H, 10th Illinois Infantry, was compiled from the Illinois Adjutant General’s Reports, National Park Service Civil War Soldiers and Sailors database, regimental histories, and period War Department records. Supplemental verification was drawn from local cemetery records, regional newspapers, and archival materials pertaining to DeKalb County and Sandwich, Illinois.
See also They Went From Sandwich