John M. Palmer to Richard Yates

Head-Quarters Fourteenth Army Corps,

Department of the Cumberland.

Chattanooga Nov 21st 1863

His Excellency Richd Yates

Governor of the State of Illinois

My Dear Sir

I hoped when in Illinois lately to have been able to see you and submit to you my views in reference to the reorganization of the Illinois regiments in the field but was not able to do so

You are aware that almost all of our regiments are greatly reduced in numbers some of them so much so that it is mockery to call them regiments and cruel to impose upon them the duties of regiments

How is this evil to be cured is the question If your determination reported in the army is adhered to it will be a commencement We understand here that it is your intention to direct all the men to be raised in future in Ills to your first sixty (60) regiments

This is a wise determination One which will continue the regiments beyond the term of the present enlistments but it will be only a partial remedy Within less than a year from this time the officers and men of nearly sixty of our first regiments will go out of service and if all future

enlistments accrue to their benefit they will still be small and your regiments which receive no recruits will lose all spirit when they learn that they are never to be filled up

Suppose then that you adhere to the resolution before spoken of to assign all the men hereafter raised to one regiment numbering from 7 to 66 inclusive and that you determine to keep them full or nearly so, or in other words determine to keep 60,000 men in the field from Illinois during the war.

To do this use all recruits in the manner before spoken of

Allow any regiment between 7 and 66 to unite whenever they can make a satisfactory arrangement with any regiment of a higher number the consolidated regiment to take the number of the lowest one For example the 22nd and 110th regts are eager to be consolidated and to be called 22nd Together they have the requisite number of Field Officers and together have barely 500 men for duty

The 21st has I believe one Field Officer the 73rd has perhaps two with not over two hundred men I think if it was permitted I could arrange for the consolidation under this plan of nearly all the regiments in this army and by doing so vast expenses would be avoided and thus efficiency greatly

increased Of course the “States Rights” doctrine being now at a discount the consent of the War Department would be necessary to this but I presume that consent could be procured by you if the plan meets your approval

I only propose as you will see voluntary consolation

I am very respectfully

John M Palmer

All quiet here but this report will not arrive for many days longer The rebels must go back on “Show cause” J M P

Palmer, John M.

Hd Qrs Dept of Cumberland.

Chattanooga, Nov 20, 1863.

In relation to the Consolidation of Regts. when the numbers are reduced.

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