16th Illinois Cavalry Regiment

The 16th Regiment Illinois Volunteer Cavalry was a cavalry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War.

16th Regiment Illinois Volunteer Cavalry
Illinois flag
Active	December 25, 1862, to August 31, 1865
Country	United States
Allegiance	Union
Branch	Cavalry
Engagements	Battle of Resaca Siege of Atlanta Battle of Franklin Battle of Nashville

Service

The 16th Illinois Cavalry was organized at Camp Butler, Illinois, between January and April 1863 from numerous independent companies of Illinois cavalry.

The regiment mustered out on August 19, 1865 .

Total strength and casualties

The regiment suffered 3 officers and 30 enlisted men who were killed in action or who died of their wounds and 1 officer and 228 enlisted men who died of disease, for a total of 262 fatalities.^[1]

Commanders

• Colonel Christian Thielemann - discharged August 9, 1864.^[2]
• Colonel Robert Wilson Smith

Notable members

• George P. McLain (1847–1930), Los Angeles, California, City Council member at the turn of the 19th-20th centuries
• Sgt Paul Vandervoort, Company M - 11th Commander-in-Chief of the Grand Army of the Republic, 1882-1883

See also

• List of Illinois Civil War Units
• Illinois in the American Civil War