Rea Family in the Civil War - Part 3

 

James McCrary Rea

 

James McCrary Rea enlisted Mar. 17th, 1862. He was assigned to Company "A" of the 65th Illinois Infantry. He served until the unit was decomissioned. Here is a brief history of the 65th Illinois.

 

This Regiment was also known as the Second Scotch Regiment or Cameron’s Highlanders and was organized at Camp Douglas by Colonel Daniel Cameron. Cameron was born in Scotland, an ardent Democrat and a close friend of Stephen Douglas. Many of the Regiment’s volunteers were of Scotch descent. The men of Company A were from Henderson, Ogle and Stark counties, Company B from Mercer and Rock Island counties, Company C from Marshall County, Company D was largely made up of men from Michigan, Company E from Boone and McDonough counties, Company F from Lake County, Company G and H from Cook County, Company I from the State at large and Company K from Cook and Winnebago counties. The Regiment was mustered in for three years service May 1, 1862 and ordered to Martinsburg, Virginia (now West Virginia. The Regiment remained there until September 1862 and saw action at Darkesville, Virginia on September 7. The Regiment moved to Harper’s Ferry on September 12 and were laid siege by Lee’s army September 12-15. The 8th New York and the 12th Illinois Cavalry escaped but 12,000 Union troops, including the Sixty-fifth Illinois Infantry surrendered. The Regiment was paroled the following day and sent to Chicago where it remained until April 1863 when it was exchanged. The remainder of 1863 the Regiment served in eastern Kentucky and Tennessee and fought in the defense of Knoxville in November. The Sixty-fifth re-enlisted as veterans and went home of furlough in March 1864. Upon return from furlough the Regiment joined Sherman’s Army in the Atlanta campaign. They subsequently fought at Kenesaw and Lost Mountains, Muddy Creek, Noyes Creek, Nickajack Creek, Chattahoochie River and the siege of Atlanta. In the flanking movement around Atlanta the Sixty-fifth fought at Jonesboro and Lovejoy Station then pursued Hood into north Georgia and north Alabama. The Regiment moved to Nashville by rail in November then from Nashville to Pulaski, Tennessee. The Sixty-fifth was attacked by Hood and driven back to Columbia, Tennessee were during the battle of November 25 and 26 they lost 3 officers and 50 men killed or wounded. On November 30 they again met Hood at Franklin, Tennessee where they defeated the rebel forces and captured the colors of the Fifteenth Mississippi Infantry. Hood’s army fell back to Nashville and December 15 and 16 the Sixty-fifth fought in the battle of Nashville and pursued the retreating rebels to Clifton, Tennessee. On January 15, 1865 the Regiment was sent to Fort Fisher, North Carolina. After engagements at Cape Fear and Fort Anderson they captured Wilmington, North Carolina on February 22. They moved to occupy Goldsboro, North Carolina and Raleigh in March and April. Following the surrender of Johnston’s army the non-veterans were ordered home for muster out. The veterans marched to Goldsboro, North Carolina where they remained until muster out. May 1 four new companies of recruits joined the Sixty-fifth and in June officers and men were assigned from the Ninety-second, One Hundred Twelfth and One Hundred Seventh Illinois Infantry. July 13, 1865 the Regiment was mustered out and sent home