Southern Illinois
In the early months of the Civil War, several local people in Williamson County voted for secession from the Union.  On April 15, 1861, the citizens of Marion made a promise calling for the division of Illinois and the secession of Southern Illinois.  The promise was soon rescinded meaning canceled). The General Benjamin Prentiss, however, left a company of men near Marion for defense as he passed by on his way to a garrison in Cairo. Despite some southern sympathizers, most young men in the region joined the Union Army.