The Thirty-Seventh Illinois at Prairie Grove

Abstract

The Thirty-seventh Infantry Regiment was formed as the Fremont Rifle Regiment August 1861 Chicago, Illinois, response the call for an additional 300,000 troops after the Union defeat at First Bull Run. The regiment saw service Missouri, Arkansas, Louisiana, and Texas, and was mustered out on May 15, 1866, at Houston, Texas. Of these almost five years of service, two were spent southwest Missouri and northern Arkansas, where, on December 7 and 8, 1862, the unit took a prominent part the battle of Prairie Grove. The major part of the research for this article was done with original source material, principally a massive manuscript collection of correspondence of the Black-Fithian family held the Manuscript Division at the Illinois State Historical Library Springfield. Letters of Gen. John Charles Black, his brother Capt. William P. Black, and their stepfather, William Fithian, are a part of this collection. The letters of Lt. David Ash are from the manuscript collections at the United States Army Military History Institute at Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania. The Eugene B. Payne correspondence is the author's collection. Of these correspondents, John Charles Black practiced law after the war and served as an Illinois congressman, United States attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, and United States commissioner of pensions. He was commander of the Grand Army of the Republic at the height of its political power 1905 and died ten years later, 1915. William P. Black was a corporate attorney postwar years and ruined his career by serving as lead defense counsel the anarchists charged the Haymarket bombing incident Chicago 1886. He died Chicago 1916. David Ash was discharged 1864 and died 1 865 of chronic dysentery and malarial fever contracted the army. Eugene Payne resigned from the army at the end of his three-year term of service 1864, and practiced law with a specialty soldier's pensions and bounty claims, served the Illinois legislature, was postmaster for a time at South Evanston, Illinois, and retired as a pension claims examiner for the United States Bureau of Pensions. He died Washington 1910. Gen. Henry N. Frisbie left the Thirty-seventh 1863 command the Ninety-second United States Colored Volunteers, and was discharged 1 865. He was a businessman and practiced law after the war. Henry Frisbie died New Orleans 1896. The end of November 1862 found the Thirty-seventh Illinois Infantry camp near McCullough's Springs, Missouri, about fourteen miles west of Springfield. They had been there since November 19 resting, according Eugene Payne, captain of the Waukegan Company, to allow our Generals go St. Louis purchase a new supply of liquors. Payne went on: Since we have been here we have had a considerable deal of sport. There are plenty of game here, such as deers, wild turkeys, and smaller game of all kinds. Each day a half dozen or more large fine deer are brought our regt, shot by our boys, and turkeys without number. On Thanksgiving day, we had a dinner fit for a king, venison and wild turkeys cooked a variety of ways.1 Such periods of rest created opportunities for all kinds of mischief, and also afforded time for discipline. Quartermaster John Peck charged Pvt. Jacob Hawkins with beating a horse in a cruel manner with a large club. Sgt. John Brown and Cpl. Vernon Hendee were reduced private for conduct unbecoming, etc. Pvt. Charles Porter was charged with stealing a quilt and acquitted. Lt. Col. Black charged assistant surgeon Elijah Clark for remaining on hospital detail Springfield.2 In the midst of all this, Capt. Will Black wrote home about his time camp: We are camp at the same place as before with the same valley, the same hills, and rocks, and thickets of scrub-oak surrounding us. Nothing break the monotony of the scene, and nothing stir up the sluggish waters of our every day life, which wears on from dawn dark, from dark dawn, the same routine of camp duties, recreations, and pursuits of interest or pleasure. …