Camp Grant

	Before the Civil War, the area now known as Grant Park was known as the Union Agricultural Fair Grounds. The area contained livestock barns and a 1 mile horse track. At the outset of the Civil War it the fair-grounds were converted to a military camp used for the mustering in of locally raised units.
	Captain U S Grant received an assignment from the Illinois Adjutant General to muster in guard units around the state. Grant mustered in the 7th District Regiment at Mattoon on 15 May 1861 and the 18th District Regiment on 19 May.
	Captain Grant so impressed the members of the 7th Regiment by his demeanor and military bearing, that they named the camp Camp Grant upon his departure.
	Governor Yates moved the 7th Regiment to Springfield by train and on 28 June 1861 the regiment was mustered into United States service as the 21st Illinois Infantry. U S Grant was promoted to Colonel and given command of the regiment. On the 7th of August, Grant was promoted out of the regiment to Brigadier General with command of the District of Southeast Missouri.
	The 21st Illinois Infantry saw service at: Perryville, Kentucky, Stones River, Chickamauga, Atlanta, Franklin, and Nashville
	Other units formed at Camp Grant and Civil War Service: 79th Illinois Infantry, formed 28 August 1862, Colonel Lyman Guinnip commanding. The 79th saw action at: Perryville, Kentucky, Stones River, Chickamauga, Atlanta, Franklin, and Nashville 123rd Illinois Infantry, formed 6 September 1862, Colonel James Monroe, commanding. The 123rd saw service at: Perryville, Kentucky, Chickamauga, Farmington, Stone Mountain, Atlanta, and Selma 135th Illinois Infantry, formed 6 June 1864. Saw garrison duty at Benton Barracks, Missouri. 143rd activated 11 June 1864. Served garrison duty at Helena, Arkansas. The 123rd was attached to the Wilder Mounted Brigade. There is a map in the Archive room that traces the campaigns of the 123rd. It was hand drawn by Nicholas G Morgan, whose father John Morgan served in the 123rd.
	Dr. D S Campbell, a Mattoon dentist and Civil War veteran rescued the flagstaff from Camp Grant. It was donated to the Hotel U S Grant in 1928. Today it is preserved, out of the weather, in-side the ground floor entrance to this build-ing. An exact reproduction, crafted by Mark Sheehan, stands in front of the Library.
	The Camp Grant Memorial Ellipse, near the original site, was dedicated on 29 March 2014.