Attend Veterans Day memorial service

The 8th Illinois Cavalry Civil War re-enactment regiment will hold a Veterans Day memorial service at 10 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 7, at the Newton War Memorial at the Batavia West Cemetery. The service is being held to honor the men of the 8th Illinois Cavalry and especially the nine men from Batavia who served with the 8th from 1861-65.

The 8th Illinois Cavalry was reactivated in 1976 by then governor Dan Walker to help celebrate the nation's bicentennial. The original 8th Il. served a very vital role in the War between the States. Raised in northern Illinois, trained at Camp Kane in St. Charles, and commanded by William Medill and John Farnsworth; the 8th fought in 11 major engagements with the Army of the Potomac. Among these were: Brandy Station, White Oak Swamp, Antietam, the Peninsula campaign, and Fredericksburg.

Known as "Mr. Lincoln's Cavalry", the 8th Il. was among the first Union troops on the field at Gettysburg. Lt. Marcellus Jones of Wheaton is given credit for having fired the first shot at the Battle of Gettysburg.

The 8th Il. also distinguished itself by serving to hunt down the Confederate raider John Mosby, who later referred to the 8th Il. as "the finest cavalry regiment in the Union army." The 8th would also serve as the honor guard for President Lincoln's funeral in April of 1865.

The memorial service will begin at the Newton War Memorial and proceed to the gravesite of Davis Gillot, a Batavia veteran who served with the 8th and is buried in the west side cemetery.