Editing Springfield, Illinois (section)

===Civil War to 1900===
[[File:Gfp-illinois-springfield-capitol-and-sky.jpg|thumb|Present Capitol building, built {{Circa|1868}}–1888]]

Springfield became a major center of activity during the American Civil War. Illinois regiments trained there, the first ones under [[Ulysses S. Grant]]. He led his soldiers to a remarkable series of victories in 1861–62. The city was a political and financial center of Union support. New industries, businesses, and railroads were constructed to help support the war effort.<ref name="Visit Springfield" /> The war's first official death was a Springfield resident, Colonel [[Elmer E. Ellsworth]].

Camp Butler, located {{convert|7|mi|km|spell=in}} northeast of Springfield, Illinois, opened in August 1861 as a training camp for Illinois soldiers. It also served as a camp for Confederate prisoners of war through 1865. In the beginning, Springfield residents visited the camp to take part in the excitement of a military venture, but many reacted sympathetically to mortally wounded and ill prisoners. While the city's businesses prospered from camp traffic, drunken behavior and rowdiness on the part of the soldiers stationed there strained relations. Neither civil nor military authorities proved able to control disorderly outbreaks.<ref>Camilla A. Quinn, "Soldiers on Our Streets: the Effects of a Civil War Military Camp on the Springfield Community", ''Illinois Historical Journal'' 1993 86(4): 245–256. {{ISSN|0748-8149 }}</ref>

After the war ended in 1865, Springfield became a major hub in the Illinois railroad system. It was a center of government and farming. By 1900 it was also invested in coal mining and processing.<ref name="Visit Springfield" />