Remembering our Vets on Veteran's Day.

Unbeknownst to me we here in Chicago have quite a bit of Civil War history. You're probably thinking "uh, say what? How can that be? The battles were fought all way down yonder in Dixie. Well, a bit of Civil War trivia re: Illinois, and ChiTown:

Illinois contributed over 250,000 Union Soldiers ranking us fourth in terms of the total man power in US military service.

Illinois was one of the major suppliers of goods necessary for Union Soldiers, IE: military supplies, food, and clothing.

Illinois troops fought mainly in the Western Theater (IE: East of Mississippi River and West of the Appalachains.

Camp Douglas which was located in Chicago was one of the largest training facilities for the war effort; and ended up being one of the largest Confederate POW prisons, with thousands of said Confederate soldiers buried in neighboring Oak Woods Cemetary. Word is there are over 6,000 Confederate troops buried at Oak Woods and next to the buried is a tribute statue. Camp Douglas was located on Cottage Grove and 31st to 33rd Place and MLK Drive.

Elmer Ellsworth, a New Yorker who moved to Chicago to please his wife (so the legend goes) was the leader of the U.S. Zouave Cadets in Chicago and was a martyr for us and of the Civil War by getting shot for taking down a Confederate flat in Virginia. The Zouave were an elite military "militia" type of group out of French Northern Africa; along the lines of the Foreign Legion who's leader was a fencing instructor in Chicago. He took young Ellsworth and trained him into the leader he was. He was the first officer killed during the Civil War.

Along with that we have several other cemetaries in our fair area who give tribute to the fallen Civil War soldiers. Something to think of as over 600,000 American soldiers (we'll say soldiers as there were plenty of women who posed as men sporting a "full metal corset" if you will) were killed or died during this conflict.

The Rosehill Cemetary has a Vet tribute on Veteran's Day ( I just learned, quite upset btw as it's too late to attend!) with volunteers dressed in uniforms from every American conflict to represent and remember the Vets with the release of cannons and 21 gun salutes. Rosehill is located at 5800 North Ravenswood in Chicago.

Oak Woods is at 1035 E. 67th St., Chicago

with the over 6,000 Confederate soldiers resting.

Calvary Cemetary at 301 Chicago Ave. in Evanston is the resting place of several high ranking officers and soldiers, including Patrick McGuire, the Civil War Congressional Medal of Honor recipient. He was a Private in the Chicago Mercantile Battery, and was awarded the medal for Vicksburg, Mississippi. The grave of another Civil War Congressional Medal of Honor recipient Hugh Molloy, (who was in the Navy) and James Mulligan’s grave (not a Medal of Honor recipient). Originally from Ireland, Mulligan founded the 23rd Illinois infantry which was known for its Irish connections. After losing a battle he went to Camp Douglas where he was the commandant. He was killed in the 2nd Battle of Kernstown in Virginia in 1864.


And remember Abe Lincoln was living in Illinois before he lived in the White House.

So let's remember our Vets; from which ever way they've served. And you cute girls? Go ahead and let a WW2 Vet pinch your tushy. I've had that done and as I mentioned to him (him being Grandpa Soldier) if he does that again he'll pull back a bloody stump. He laughed and I said, "you couldn't handle all this; who do you think you are? Hugh Hefner?" He was a Poppy seller and an USS Indianapolis survivor...so I let him get a grab....well, a pinch. It didn't hurt and it was a bit creepy; but the smile on his face and the way his blue eyes sparkled and him saying "woof! I love me redheads!" I had to laugh it off, letting all the creepiness leave my brain and spirit and buy me a few poppies.