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Cairo in September 1861: Bastion of Freedom

Posted: Sunday, September 11, 2011

Editor's note: Southern Illinois was greatly impacted by the Civil War that raged from 1861-65. This is a chapter in a series of reports on what happened 150 years ago at this time. Civil War Timeline will appear again on days of special significance to Southern Illinois - known then as Egypt, not Little Egypt as it is known today.

Cairo was like a dagger pointed at the heart of the South and therefore of strategic importance to the Union.

Its location also made it vulnerable to Confederate forces seeking a foothold in the North. Coupled with concerns about Egypt's loyalty, this made it essential to secure Cairo for the Union.

When the War Department warned Illinois Gov. Richard Yates of the city's wartime importance, he immediately sent about 600 members of the Illinois militia to hold the town.

By the last week in April 1861, the 8th, 9th, 10th, and 12th Illinois Infantry Regiments, all organized at Springfield for three months' service, and three artillery companies were stationed in Cairo under the command of Gen. Benjamin M. Prentiss. During their three-month service they built barracks, parade grounds, Fort Defiance and the earthwork at the confluence of the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers to guard Cairo from attack by rebel gunboats.

By mid-September, Cairo proper was defended by the 30th and Col. John A. Logan's 31st Illinois Infantries. The first regiments to reach Cairo, most re-enlisteded for three years service in late July, had been sent to Paducah, Bird's Point, Mo., and other areas surrounding the city. These two regiments were a part of Gen. John A. McClernand's Brigade and served under Gen. U. S. Grant, who commanded the District of Cairo.

There was real concern about the loyalty of Southern Illinois' citizens in the early months of the Civil War. So much so that Gen. Prentiss sent Companies A and D of the 8th Illinois and two cannons to guard the railroad bridge across the Big Muddy River north of Carbondale, as (according to the 8th's regimental history) "there was danger of its destruction by rebel sympathizers, to prevent the transportation of troops and supplies."

Grant may have exaggerated when he credited Logan's August 19, 1861, Marion speech with saving Egypt for the Union. Gov. Yates' quick action in late April to secure Cairo did more to "save" Southern Illinois for the Union than did Logan's speech in mid-August. Logan's influence, however, and his declaration to "stand or fall with the Union" seems to have led the men of lower Egypt (Illinois' southernmost 16 counties) to join the fight for the Union in greater numbers than their northern neighbors. While Illinois' enlistment rate during the first 16 months of the war was 28 percent of the of the state's eligible male citizens, lower Egypt sent 40 percent of the same group to fight for the Union.