Civil War

Before 

In 1818, the Illinois Constitution outlawed slavery. The escaped slaves had to head up to Canada to be free because there were laws in Illinois where if a slave was captured they were returned to their owner.

Kankakee County was a part of the underground railroad. The escaped slaves hid in Wilmington, Kankakee State Park, and near Kankakee.

The Civil War began on April 12, 1861. 11 Southern States seceded from the Union. 

 Soldiers that were drafted or volunteered in Kankakee, IL, and the surrounding areas.

The first Kankakee County man who entered Mr. Lincoln’s army was Alfred Bernier. He was in Company C, 19th Illinois Volunteer Infantry on June 17 1861 until July 9, 1864. He was a sergeant.  In 1864, the draft started in Illinois.

Captain James W. Burgess of Kankakee 20th Illinois Volunteer Infantry 120 men. 

Private Lenander Leach was in the 89th Illinois Volunteer Infantry with his brother Alexander.  He guarded the Confederate prisoners of Chicago. They were from Reed Township, Will County.

Corporal John Gordon was a father to 8 children. He was 51, the oldest Illinois man in the army. He was a part of Company I in the 72 Illinois Volunteer Infantry. He died on June 2, 1863. He died of an accidental wound injury after 2 days of care. His oldest son William, age 18, also died June 2 due to Confederate guerrillas. 

Lt. William F. Kenaga was from Kankakee, and the men under his duty were called Company K, 76th Illinois Volunteer Infantry.  Lieutenant Kenag suffered and was severely wounded in the right leg and left ankle. He was evacuated from the battlefield to New Orleans. Three days later, he was placed aboard a train bound for Kankakee.  After the Civil War, he was elected to the post of County Clerk. He also developed a successful business selling insurance and handling probate cases.

Dennison- There were at least 10 Kankakee men, possibly more among the 30000 prisoners at Andersonville prison. Dennison was among the men.

Dennison transfers at the end of September, on March 9. In 1865, he was involved in a prisoner exchange. He was in government hospitals and became a successful farmer in Otto Township.

End of the war

Robert E. Lee surrendered to Union General Grant in Approxtox, Virginia on April 9, 1865. Even though Lee surrendered to Grant, the Kankakee men were still fighting and dying on the battlefield in Fort Blakely in Mobile, Alabama. 

How Kankakee changed after the men got home from the war

The city changed after the Civil War. Farms post-war were manpower and now they were mechanization.

The first black family came to the county the year after the war ended. The black population

exceeded 890 per 100 people.