The 87th Regiment Illinois Volunteer Infantry, later the 87th Regiment Illinois Volunteer Mounted Infantry, was an infantry

Infantry

Infantrymen are soldiers who are specifically trained for the role of fighting on foot to engage the enemy face to face and have historically borne the brunt of the casualties of combat in wars. As the oldest branch of combat arms, they are the backbone of armies...

 regiment

Regiment

A regiment is a major tactical military unit, composed of variable numbers of batteries, squadrons or battalions, commanded by a colonel or lieutenant colonel...

 that served in the Union Army

Union Army

The Union Army was the land force that fought for the Union during the American Civil War. It was also known as the Federal Army, the U.S. Army, the Northern Army and the National Army...

 during the American Civil War

American Civil War

The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...

.

Service

The 87th Illinois Infantry was organized at Shawneetown, Illinois

Shawneetown, Illinois

Shawneetown is a city in Gallatin County, Illinois, United States. The population was 1,410 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Gallatin County...

 and mustered into Federal service on October 3, 1862. It was mounted in November, 1863.

The regiment was mustered out on June 16, 1865.

Total strength and casualties

The regiment suffered 1 officer and 15 enlisted men who were killed in action or who died of their wounds and 3 officers and 219 enlisted men who died of disease, for a total of 238 fatalities.

Commanders

• Colonel
  Colonel
  Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
  
   John E. Whiting - resigned October 8, 1863
• Lieutenant Colonel
  Lieutenant colonel
  Lieutenant colonel is a rank of commissioned officer in the armies and most marine forces and some air forces of the world, typically ranking above a major and below a colonel. The rank of lieutenant colonel is often shortened to simply "colonel" in conversation and in unofficial correspondence...
  
   John M. Crebs
  John M. Crebs
  John Montgomery Crebs was a U.S. Representative from Illinois, as well as an officer and brigade commander in the Union Army during the American Civil War.-Biography:...
  
  - Mustered out with the regiment.