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The Storm Is On Us: Communities And Military Mobilization In Civil War Chicago, Jeremy R. Knoll

Honors Capstones

This research project uses primary sources such as regimental histories, records kept by the Adjutant General of Illinois, reporting from the Chicago Tribune, and the published and unpublished memoirs, diaries, and letters of both soldiers and civilians to examine the role communities played in military mobilization in Chicago during the Civil War. An urban environment like Chicago had many such communities, including religious denominations, professional and commercial organizations, militia units, immigrant communities, and political organizations. These communities strongly impacted the mobilization process in Chicago by organizing and supporting certain units, and individual Chicagoans were influenced by their community affiliations when …