21st Illinois Infantry

who served in Illinois / Dixon #21

Americus (born Merrick) enlisted on 10 Feb 1863. He lived in Brown County, Indiana at the time of enlistment. He was wounded at the Battle of Chickamauga on 20 Sep 1863. Treated at Cumberland Hospital at Nashville, Tennessee 27 Sep 1863 & remained there until 17 Nov 1863. Transferred to Co. A, 21st Illinois Infantry on June 10, 1865. He was honorably discharged @ San Antonio, Texas on 16 Dec 1865

John was my great great grandfather. A musician/drummer, he suffered from tuberculosis/comsumption and was eventually mustered out of the service because of it. John joined up immediately in early 1861 and was out by 1863. He lost his brother-in-law to be, Ira Knowles/Noles, at Stones River, killed Dec. 31 at 19 years of age. He went home and married Ira's sister. They homesteaded in southern Kansas, still Indian country then. He was dead from TB in 1880 at age 40.We still have a lot of his effects, including the drumsticks he made.

Captain Reed was my Great-Great Grandfather. At the outbreak of the war he raised Company D with men from Douglas County.-He was made a Lieut. in his company and promoted to Captain a year later. He fought in the battle of Stones River where he lost half of his Company(32 of 65)either wounded, killed or missing).He later was mortally wounded at the Battle of Chickamauga.

No family notes have been added.

No family notes have been added.

Joshua Burnett Ross mustered in Springfield Illinois June 1862 and fought in several major battles. He was born in Clermont County Ohio in 1843 to Osmore L. and Jerusha L. (Burnett) Ross. He was named after Jerusha''s father and lived in Clark County Illinois between Casey and Crooked Creek. He was the first born of 11 children. His brother Silas named one of his sons after him, Joshua Burnett Ross (my grandfather). He was wounded in the Battle of Stone''s River at Murfressboro Tennessee. The 21st sustained the heaviest casualties of this battle. Joshua was wounded in the left chest in December 1862 and died the following February 1863. After he was wounded he was taken to US General Hospital 19 in Nashville, where he died and was buried in grave 3634. He was later moved the National Nasville Cemetery - a well-kept military cemetery opened in 1867, in section E grave 0730. His mother Jerusha filed for his death pension in 1880

Enlisted on 23 Feb, 1865; transferred to Co I, 21st Inf Reg on 9 June 1865 in Tenn. mustered out Dec 16, 1865 in San Antonio.