Publisher's Synopsis
On April 12, 1861, the first shots of the Civil War were fired at Fort Sumter, SC. Just one week later, Lucien Crooker and 99 other men from Mendota, IL volunteered to serve in the Union Army. These men fought with honor and valor at the Battle of Shiloh, despite poor leadership. Their efforts on the field of battle have been recognized as essential to the Union victory. After his service to the Union Army, Crooker went on to become a lawyer, the mayor of his hometown of Mendota, Il, and a Representative of the Illinois House, but he always maintained close ties with his comrades from the 55th Illinois. Here you will find reproduced, just as he originally wrote it, an essay on the actions of the 55th Illinois Infantry on the first bloody day of the Battle of Shiloh.
