71st Illinois Infantry Regiment 71st Illinois Infantry Regiment The 71st Regiment Illinois Volunteer Infantry was an infantry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. The 71st Illinois Infantry was organized at Camp Douglas at Chicago, Illinois and mustered into Federal service on July 26, 1862, for a term of three months. It served garrisons in scattered garrisons in southern Illinois and western Kentucky. Company K unanimously elected James Creed as captain, which was responsible for protecting two bridges along the Big Muddy river in southern Illinois from Confederate sympathizers. The regiment was mustered out on October 29, 1862. The
Muddy River (Nevada) By 1855 it had become a cold season freight route between Utah and Southern California that remained in use in Southern Nevada into the 20th century. Mormon settlers established several settlements in the Muddy River area in 1864, including the town of St. Thomas, which by 1938 was submerged under Lake Mead until recently. Some of the towns ruins can be still seen during low water levels. Some Paiutes fought to protect and reclaim their homeland. For a variety of reasons, including the harsh climate, unpredictable periods of drought, and a tax dispute with the State of Nevada, the Mormons