Interesting list of contributions from Chicago during the Civil War:
- It should be remembered and made a matter of history that the first money raised in Illinois for the war was subscribed by citizens of Chicago.
- The first armed force sent out in the West was that sent to Cairo, and it was sent from Chicago.
- The first general in command in the State of Illinois was Richard Kellogg Swift, a citizen of Chicago.
- The first shot fired in the West for the Union was a Chicago shot, from a Chicago cannon, trained by a Chicago boy, of the Chicago Light Artillery.
Source: Cook, F.F. Reminiscences of Chicago During the Civil War (1914). [link]
