THE ARTYRS AND HEROES OF ILLl INTOIS IN THK GRKAT REBELLION. BTOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. l/(\\W\l Lu) *^a(VM«K ^o^.-vid. Dulce d dfcorum &.( propatria mori. ILLUSTRATED WITH PORTRAITS. vO>^. (■ H I C A a : 'X FROM THE PRESS OK ,T. BARNET, BOOK AND JOB PRI.NTER, No. inl Lake Street. 18 6 5. .6^, "*•;— Entered accordijig to Act of Congress, in the year ista, V>y James Barn kt, in tlie Clerk": Office of the District Conrt of tlie United States for the Northern District of Illinois. THIS VOLUME IS DIGDIC^TEID TO THE LOVALANOTHS ii BRAVE. cBQ^%^^ iJ^ BY THE EDITOR. In the following pages wc can only give a few notices of that mighty host of brave men from Illinois whose blood has watered the battle conrses of the late Rebellion in our land, and whose lives have been laid down as a holy sacrifice on the altar of their country. If, in the fulness of grief, relatives or friends have eniliellished the oliltuaries with seeming superfluity or endearment, we would not seek to rob them of such garniture ; for it is fitting that the loved ones of their bosom should be fully decked out in the robes of moral heroism when "sleeping the sleep that knows no waking." What nobleness — what bravery — what pangs and sufferings endured for our sakes — none can truly tell. Thej- have triumphed, and Providence smiles upon the victors. Our task may not yet be finished, if the friends or relatives of those who are xinnotieed will gather up the records of their patriotic dead and transmit them to the undersigned. James B a r n e t. lift HI/ Dead, i/rl Sj'caketh. With us their names shall live Through long succeeding years, Embalmed with all our hearts can give. Our praises and our tears." " Eest on your battle-fields, ye brave, Let the pines murmur o'er your grave, Your dirge be in the moaning wave — We call you back no more! O, there was mourning when ye fell, In your own vales a deep-tone knell, An agony — a wild farewell, That haunts us evermore. Kest with your still and solemn fame! The hills keep record of your name. And never can a touch of shame Darken the buried brow." " Their memory is heard upon the mountain, Their memory sparkles in the fountain; The smallest rill, the mightiest river. Rolls, mingling with their fame forever.-' C N T E N T S. Tho names with asterisks (*) indicate portraits accompanying sketches. Name. Kank. Eegiment, etc. Page. ♦Lincoln, Abraliam I'resideut U. S Pre fir, i-xvi Adams, Robert A Lieutenant 93d Infantry 120 Aplington, Zenas Major 7tli Cavalry 19 Apthorp, George Henry Lieutenant 14th U. S. C. Infantry 198 Austin, Abraham Harrison. ..Private 104th Infantry 104 Beals, Jedediah Lieutenant 61st " 53 Blanchard, Jonathan D Private 100th " 261 Bowen, Rodney S Major 100th " 23S *Bross, John A Lieutenant Colonel 29th U. S. C. Infantry 201 *Bryant, Julian E Colonel 4Cth " " 241 Buck, Henry A Lieutenant 51st Infantry 128 Bushuell, Douglas R Major 13th " 132 *Capron, Horace, jr Lieutenant 14th Cavalry 191 *Chandler, George W Lieutenant Colonel SSth Infantry 146 Chandler, Knowlton H Captain 19th " 167 *Clark, Alpheus Major 8th Cavalry 33 Clark, Daniel Newton Lieutenant 15th Infantry 118 *Coatsworth, Geoi-ge Surgeon SSth " 217 Conner, Charles H Private 39th " 257 Crawford, E. A Sergeant 3Gth " 204 *Davis, Redeck Weed ^McKee.. Corporal 77th " 89 Denison, Charles Edward Captain ISth U.S. Infantry 17 Eame?, Charles A Lieutenant 32d Infantry lol I'.dgar, John Boyd I'rivate 36th " 206 Earn.sworth, Elon J Brigadier General 41 Fowler, Daniel II Private 105th Infantry 261 Fowler, Ferdinand F " " " 261 (.ireathouse, Lucion Colonel 48th " 177 Hall, Henry Ware Adjutant 51st " 169 Harmon, Oscar F Colonel 12oth " 172 Hegans, Nelson Corporal 61st " 250 Hudson, Oscar M Sergeant G4th " 250 *James, Edward Arthur Lieutenant 2d Light Artillery 85 Johnston, Robert A Lieutenant 4th U. S. C. H. A 209 Kenney, Stephen C Private 100th Infantry 260 CONTENTS. Nimio. liiink. Regiment, etc. ruci". Kitlstoii, John Cori.oial 124tli Infantry 189 *Kiuzie, John Harris Master Gunboat, "Mound City"... 36 ♦Lester, Thomas T Captain .Jlst Infantry 251 *Looniis, lifcuben Lieutenant Colonel 6th Cavalry 70 McClintock, Hiram Captain r27th Infantry 122 McClintock, William Cori)oral " " 124 Jleacham, Henry Goodrich... Lieutenant 88th " 55 «.MedilI, William H Major 8th Cavalry 57 Miller, .Silas Colonel 30th Infantry.. l.J8 Mitcliel, Noah Private 12th Cavalry 259 *Mudd. John J Colonel 2d •' 211 Mullif,'an, Jame.s A Colonel 23d Infantry 183 Ornisby, Jesse Harrison Cor]»oral 42d " 138 I'uice, William Delano Lieutenant 53d " 22 Ransom, Thos. E. G Brigadier General 232 Roberts, George W Colonel 42d Infantry 110 Rutishauser, Karl A Captain 58th '' 218 ( Andrew ¥.. ) .Samson Family ] Kdwin 8... J Privates 77th " 131 ( Hamilton... ) •f^cott. Joseph R Colonel 19th " 29 .SlK'pIey, Charles II Captain ItHli " 139 timith, John (J Cajitain Stli Cavalry 114 .Smith, Melancthon Colonel 45th Infantry 46 Stewart, Alexander Lieutenant 12th Cavalry 245 "fhonipson, John A Captain 18th U. S. Infantry 9 Tucker, Lansing B Captain 69th Infantry 98 Ward, Guy Carlton Captain 12th '• 93 Weaver, Abram Private SSth " 2.59 Webb, Lysander R Lieutenant Colonel 77tli " 142 Woodruff, Joseph Captain 39th " 125 Wood, Wellington Lieutenant 19th ' 105 Wright, Joseph C Lieutenant Colonel 72d " 50 York. John Lieutenant 32d '' 175 -^\^S!«5SkSs^ A B K A H A M 1 . 1 N ( ' O I^ N , w " Honor and shame from no condition rise; Act well youb part— there all the honor lies." Abraham Lincoln having been called from amongst us to occupy the exalted position which he filled so worthily, and with whose sledge-hammer of duty and principle, toil and honesty, the Rebellion received its heaviest blows until it col- lapsed, Illinois claims him as a martyr and a hero — one who suffered for his heroism, and who fell in the hour of victory. The sixteenth President of the United States was the son of Thomas and Nancy Lincoln, and was born in Hardin (now Larue) county, Kentucky, on the 12th of February, 1809. When he reached his seventh year, he was sent to a school kept by Caleb Hazel, who lived in the neighborhood of his father's log cabin, and whose exercises consisted of the two fundamental branches — reading and ■writing. Owing to the family moving to another State, Abraham had to relinquish his practiced studies for a life of hard work on his father's farm, a year covering the entire schooling he received. The journey from Kentucky to Spencer county, Indiana, he has been heard to declare, constituted one of his hardest trials of pioneer experience. Hardy toil, blended with sport in the woods with his rifle, simple but healthy fare, and repose in a loft, beneath the roof of the hut, formed the daily routine of outward physical being of our hero, and such an existence as imparted vigor and strength to his system. In the autumn of 1818, he had to mourn the loss of his mother, an excellent woman, who had religiously trained him in the ways of pleasantness, and moulded her son's impres- sible nature in the paths of honesty and wisdom, which gave him the grand characteristic title in later years of " Honest PRESIDENT LINCOLN. Old Abe" — a cognomen that princes might envy, and a like title that every virtuous youth should strive to acquire. He never afterwards mentioned her name but with the deepest reverence — a suggestive fact as to his close adherence to the sacred but often-neglected injunction that children should honor their parents. A year after this bereavement, his father married Mrs. Sally Johnston, a Avidow having three children by her first marriage, who proved a good and kind mother to her step-son. Aside from his outdoor labor, our subject took pride in his early studies, and his diligence soon won him the regards of his instructors. He was quick to learn, considering his condition, and was gifted wuth a retentive memory. Books were eagerly sought after, and the getting of them his chief anxiety. His father aided him greatly, however, in obtaining those he asked for when desirable, and endeavored always to procure them for the use of his son. In this way (says Mr. Raymond) he became acquainted with Banyan's Pilgrim's Progress, yE.sop's Fables, a Life of Henry Clay, and Weems'Life of Washington. The " hatchet" story of Washington made a strong impression upon Abraham, which is illustrated in the following tale: Mr. Crawford had lent him a copy of Ramsey's Life of Washington. During a severe storm, Abraham improved liis leisure by reading this book. One night he laid it down carefully, as bethought, and the next morning he found it soaked through with water. The wind had changed, the rain had beaten in through a crack in the logs, and the book was ruined. How could he face the owner under such circumstances? He had no money to offer as a return, but he took the book, went directly to Mr. Crawford, showed him the irreparable Injury, and frankly and honestly offered to work for him until he should be satisfied. Sir, Crawford accepted the ofler, and gave Abraham the book for his own, in return for three days' steady labor in " pulling fodder." His manliness and straightfor- wardness won the esteem of the Crawfords, and, indeed, of all the neighborhood. After leaving school, and until he was eighteen years of age, he was constantly engaged in the avocations of a backwoods- man — cutting down trees and splitting rails — and in the evenings occupying his time reading such works as he could borrow in the neighborhood. A year later he was hired at ten dollars a month to go to New Orleans with a flatboat loaded Avith stores, which he accomplished to the satisfaction of his employer, by disposing of the goods to advantage. In March, 1830, his father determined to remove with his family to Illinois — still westward — being induced to this step PRESIDENT LINCOLN. from the glowing accounts which were circulated of the fertile soil of the Prairie State. Traveling with wagons drawn by oxen, Abraham got one in charge, and in two weeks reached Decatur, Macon county, where the family settled on a tract of ten acres, on the north side of the Sangamon River, and about ten miles west of their halting place. Here a log cabin was built, and the erection of a fence suffi- cient to enclose the lot was the next improvement — a work that young Lincoln assisted in performing. Thus, in all the various employments in which he was engaged, Abraham was active, earnest and laborious — dignifying labor with an effort he never was ashamed of, but glad to think that he was useful to himself and to his kind. The following year the aspirations of manhood took hold upon him, and he resolved to seek his fortune among strangers. His parents and friends, on witnessing his depart- ure, were sad, and loth that he should go ; but this step, to him as to others the most momentous, had not been taken without due deliberation, and he went westward to Menard county, where he was employed on a farm near Petersburg ; then at Sangamon lent a hand in building a flatboat, taking another trip to New Orleans ; afterwards becoming a clerk of a store at New Salem. In 1832, the Black Hawk Indian War breaking out, he joined a volunteer company, and was chosen Captain. In war as in peace, he was prompt and efficient in the discharge of duty, his patriotism scorning danger and defying fatigue. This initiation of military life no doubt served him well when he became by virtue of his office Commander-in-Chief of the armies of the United States, and which has been proved by the orders issued and plans laid by him for the capture and destruction of "Stonewall" Jackson's army while it was threatening Wash- ington in 1862. On returning from the campaign, he was nominated and ran for the Legislature, but failed in securing a seat, although he received in his own precinct 277 out of 284 votes. This was the only occasion he was ever beaten before the people. He next opened store, with a stock of goods on credit, which, proving unprofitable, he sold out. At this time, he received the appointment as Postmaster of New Salem. . iv PRESIDENT LINCOLN. Still eager for information, he had gained a knowledge of grammar, and was attaining an insight into the profession of the law, when he became acquainted with John Calhoun, after- wards President of the Lecompton (Kansas) Constitutional Convention, who proposed to aid him in his studies. At the same time he practiced surveying, in which he Avas successfully engaged for over a year. In 1834, he was elected to the Legislature, by the highest vote ever cast for any candidate, and was re-elected in 1836, 1838, and 1840. During these terms he first became intimate with Stephen A. Douglas, but little dreamt of the antagonistic position they afterwards assumed towards each other before the country. Both were the architects of their own fortunes, and both achieved an eminence of political glory that has now become historical. In 1836, he obtained a license to practice law, and in April, 1837, removed to Springfield, and went into partnership with John T. Stuart. He rose rapidly to distinction in his profes- sion, and was especially eminent as an advocate. An incident in his early practice is thus related : At a camp meeting in Menard county, a fight occurred, which resulted in the death of one of the participators. A son of Mr. Armstrong, of Peters- burg, who gave Lincoln employment when he went out into the world to work for himself, was charged and arrested for the crime. A true bill was found against him, and he was placed in jail to await examination. As soon as Mr. Lincoln became aware of tlie case, he wrote a kind letter to Mrs. Arm- strong, stating his anxiety that her son should have a fair trial, and offering, in return for her interest in him while under adverse prospects some years before, his services gratuitously. Investigation assured the attorney that his client was the victim of a conspiracy, and he determined to effect a postpone- ment until the excitement subsided. The day of trial, however, at last arrived, and the accuser positively testified that he saw the prisoner thrusting a knife into the heart of the murdered man. All the circumstances he remembered perfectly; the deed was committed about half-past nine o'clock at night, and the moon was shining brightly. Mr. Lincoln carefully reviewed the testimony, and then conclusively proved that the moon did not rise until an hour or more AFTER the murder was committed! Other discrepancies were shown, and, in half an hour after the jury retired, they returned with a verdict of "not guilty." The young man and his mother had been awaiting the final result with agonizing suspense. No sooner had the words dropped from the foreman's PRESIDENT LINCOLN. lips, than the mother swooned in the arms of hgr son. He raised her and pressed her to his heart with words of glad reassurance. " Where is Mr. Lin- coln?" he exclaimed, and then ran across the room and grasped his deliverer by the hand, with a heart too full for utterance. Mr. Lincoln returned the warm pressure, and then cast his eyes towards the west, where the golden orb of day was still lingering. Half turning around, he said to the prisoner, tenderly, " It is not yet sundown, and you are free." Few could restrain their emotion, as they observed Abraham Lincoln obey- ing the divine injunction of comforting the widowed and fatherless. On the 4th of November, 1842, he was married to Miss Mary Todd, daughter of the Hon. Robert S. Todd, a lady of accom- plished manners and refined social tastes. In 1844, he was Presidential Elector in favor of Henry Clay, and canvassed the States of Illinois and Indiana in his behalf, addressing large audiences with marked success. In 1846, he was elected a Representative in Congress from the Central District of Illinois. In Congress he voted for the reception of anti-slavery memorials and petitions, for motions of Mr. Giddings for committees to inquire into the constitutionality of slavery in the District of Columbia, and the expediency of abolishing the slave trade in the District, and other such propo- sitions. He voted for the Wilmot proviso every time it was presented ; and he stated, in his contest with Judge Douglas, that he had voted for it, " in one way and another, about forty times." In January, 1849, he offered to the House a scheme for abolishing slavery in the District, by compensating the slaveholders from the treasury of the United States, provided a majority of the people of the District should vote to accept the proposal. He opposed the annexation of Texas, but voted for the loan bill to enable the Government to defray the ex- penses of the Mexican war. Mr. Lincoln was a member of the Whig National Convention of 1848, and urged the nomination of General Taylor. In 1849 he was a candidate for the United States Senate, but the Legislature being Democratic, elected General Shields. After the expiration of his Congressional term, Mr. Lincoln applied himself to his profession with successful diligence, adding both to his fame and fortune, until the repeal of the Missouri Compromise called him again into the political arena. He vi PRESIDENT LINCOLN. entered with energy into the work which was to decide the choice of a Senator in pLice of General Shields, and it was mainly owing to his exertions that the success of Judge Trumbull, the Republican, and his election to the Senate, was attributed. At the Republican National Convention in 1856, which nominated Gen. Fremont for the Presidency, the Illinois delegation unanimously urged Mr. Lincoln's name for the Vice-Presidency. On the 2d of June, 1858, the Republican State Convention nominated Mr. Lincoln as their candidate for the United States Senate, his opponent being Judge Douglas — two well matched champions of opposing political views. Douglas' superior skill as a debater, however, was more than met by Lincoln's plainness and logic ; the strategy of the one being counteracted by the tactics of the other. The contest that followed was one of con- siderable fervor, which led many of the people to form opinions and choose party who had not thought so deeply upon matters of government before. The election day at length arrived, when the popular vote stood: for the Republican candidate, 126,084; for the Douglas Democrats, 121,940 ; for the Lecompton candidates, 5,091. But the vote for Senator being cast by the Legislature, Mr. Douglas was chosen, his supporters having a majority of eight on joint ballot. During this campaign, Mr. Lincoln paid a glowing tribute to the Declaration of Independence, from which we copy the closing extract : Toil may do anything with me you choose, if you will but heed these sacred principles. You may not only defeat me for the Senate, but you may take and fvt me to death. While pretending no indifference to earthly honors, I do claim to be actuated in this contest by something higher than an anxiety for office. I charge you to drop every paltry and insignificant thought for any man's success. It is nothing; I am nothing; Judge Douglas is nothing. But do not destroy that immortal emblem of humanity — the Declaration of American Independence. The promptings of his unselfish nature found a response, and he was pronounced to be a leader of men. People became anx- ious to hear and see the one wli<)- uttered such lofty sentiments. Like seed dropped into good ground, his words took root, and sprung up in a fruitful harvest of supporters to the great prin- PRESIDENT LINCOLN. Vll ciples of liberty and humanity — truths that overcame the de- structive policies of doubt and corruption. To gratify public curiosity, a vrriter thus gave a pen-portrait of Mr. Lincoln ; He stands six feet and four inches high in his stockings. His frame is not muscular, but gaunt and wiry; his arms are long, but not unreasonably so for a person of his height; his lower limbs are not disproportioned to his body. In walking, his gait, though firm, is never brisk. He steps slowly and deliber- ately, almost always with his head incHned forward, and his hands clasped behind his back. In matters of dress he is by no means precise. Always clean, he is never fashionable; he is careless, but not slovenly. In manner he is remarkably cordial, and, at the same time, simple. His politeness is always sincere, but never elaborate and oppressive. A warm shake of the hand, and a warmer smile of recognition, are his methods of greeting his friends. At rest, his features though those of a man of mark, are not such as belong to a handsome man; but when his fine dark gray eyes are lighted up by any emo- tion, and his features begin their play, he would be chosen from among a crowd as one who had in him not only the kindly sentiments which women love, but the heavier metal of which full-grown men and presidents are made. His hair is black, and though thin is wiry. His head sits well on his shoulders, but beyond that it defies description. It nearer resembles that of Clay than that of Webster; but it is unlike either. It is very large, and, phrenologically, well proportioned, betokening power in all its developments. A slightly Ro- man nose, a wide-cut mouth, and a dark complexion, with the appearance of having been weather-beaten, complete the description. In his personal habits, Mr. Lincoln is as simple as a child. He loves a good dinner, and eats with the appetite which goes with a great brain; but his food is plain and nutritious. He never drinks intoxicating liquors of any sort, not even a glass of wine. He is not addicted to tobacco in any of its shapes. He never was accused of a licentious act in all his life. He never uses profane language. A friend says that once, when in a towering rage, in consequence of the efforts of certain parties to perpetrate a fraud on the State, he was heard to say: "They sha'n't do it, d — n 'em!" but beyond an expression of that kind, his bitterest feelings never carry him. He never gambles; we doubt if he ever indulges in any games of chance. He is particularly cautious about incurring pecuniary obligations for any purpose whatever, and in debt, he is never con- tent until the score is discharged. We presume he owes no man a dollar. He never speculates. The rage for the sudden acquisition of wealth never took hold of him. His gains from his profession have been moderate, but sufficient for his purposes. While others have dreamed of gold, he has been in pursuit of knowledge. In all his dealings he has the reputation of being generous but exact, and, above all, rehgiously honest. He would be a bold man who would say that Abraham Lincoln ever wronged any one out of a cent, or ever spent Vlll PRESIDENT LINCOLN. a dollar that he had not honestly earned. His struggles in early life have made him careful of money; but his generosity with his own is proverbial. He is a regular attendant upon religious worship, and though not a communi- cant, is a pew-holder and liberal supporter of the Presbyterian Church in Springfield, to which Mrs. Lincoln belongs. He is a scrupulous teller of the truth — too exact in his notions to suit the atmosphere of Washington, as it now is. * * At home, he lives like a gentleman of modest means and simple taates. A good-sized house of wood, simply but tastefully furnished, surrounded by trees and flowers, is his own, and there he lives, at peace with himself, the idol of his family, and for his honesty, ability and patriotism, the admiration of his countrymen. On the 18th of May, 1860, the Kepublican National Conven- tion, which assembled at Chicago, nominated Mr. Lincoln for President of the United States, and that nomination was ratified by the people at the ensuing election in November. The electoral vote was subsequently proclaimed by Congress to be as follows : For Abraham Lincoln of Illinois, 180 " John C. Breckenridge of Kentucky, 72 " John Bell of Tennessee, 39 " Stephen A. Douglas of Illinois, 12 On hearing of his nomination while at the Journal office in Springfield, he received the news in silence, remarking before he left the room — " There is a little woman down at our house would like to hear this ; I'll go down and tell her." No doubt he wished to commune with himself and advise with his safe counsellor as to the acceptance or rejection of his appointment to the highest gift of the nation. The load he had to bear was heavy — human strength was weak; but he chose to endure, and with his firm purposes to do right, constitutionally, before all the people, he left his hal- lowed home for the city of Washington, on the 11th of Feb- ruary, 1861, when he delivered a farewell addi'ess to his fellow-citizens in the following words : My Friends: No one not in my position can appreciate the sadness I feel at this parting. To this people I owe all that I am. Here I have lived more than a quarter of a century. Here my children were born, and here one of them lies buried. I know not how soon I shall see you again. A duty de- volves upon me which is perhaps greater than that which has devolved upon any other man since the days of Washington. He never would have sue- PRESIDENT LINCOLN. IX ceeded except for the aid of Divine Providence, upon which he at all times relied. I feel that I cannot succeed without the same Divine aid which sus- tained him, and in the same Almighty Being I place my reliance for support; and I hope you, my friends, will all pray that I receive that Divine assistance, without which I cannot succeed, but with which success is certain. Again, I bid you all an affectionate farewell. His course towards the White House was a continued ovation incidental of politics and the conflict that had yet but feebly been perceived, until he arrived at Harrisburg, the capital of Penn- sylvania, when it was found expedient to change his route to thwart the devilish designs of treason. The South desired his election that they might the more closely hug their belief in secession ; but, at the same time, fanaticism essayed to prevent him reaching Washington. They could not live at peace, for they had begun to prepare for war. Power in high places had been wrested out of their hands, which they would not submit to. Their cherished institution was insecure; they madly would retain it — spread it widely — and even fight for it! The last resolve came first, which proved to be the beginning of the end. On the 4th of March, 1861, Abraham Lincoln was inaugurated as the Sixteenth President of the United States, with imposing ceremonies. In front of the capitol he delivered his address, from which we give a short extract : The chief magistrate derives all his authority from the people, and they have conferred none upon him to fix the terms for the separation of States. The people themselves, also, can do this if they choose, but the Executive, as such, can have nothing to do with it. His duty is to administer the present govern- ment as it came to his hands, and to transmit it, unimpaired by him, to his successor. Why should there not be a patient confidence in the ultimate justice of the people? Is there any better or equal hope in the world? In our present differences, is either party without faith of being in the right? If the Almighty Ruler of nations, with his eternal truth and justice, be on your side of the North, or on yours of the South, that truth and that justice will surely prevail by the judgment of this great tribunal, the American people. The eyes of the whole civilized world were bent on Abraham Lincoln, the man of the people. Some were beaming with de- light, that now they liad found one honest man in power — one who would try to do right for right's sake, despite jeer or taunt. Some were lighted up with scorn and contempt, as their system PRESIDENT LINCOLN. of oppression was in fancied danger, for they hated the people. Some were gleaming with avarice at the thought that now the nation's extremity was their opportunity. They all had their reward. One, the infamy and disgrace of fine and imprisonment ; one, the inward satisfaction at the triumph of justice ; and the other, in exile, despair and death. The speeches and State papers of President Lincoln so exhibit a plainness and a faculty of " putting things," that they became subjects of criticism and arrested the attention of even the literary circles of refined Europe. Rev. J. P. Gulliver, in a communication to the N. Y. Independent, relates the substance of an interview he had with the Chief Magistrate bearing upon and illustrating this mental phenomenon, which we insert : "I want very much to know, Mr. Lincoln, how you got this unusual power of 'putting things.' It must have been a matter of education. No man has it by nature alone. What has your education been?" "Well, as to education, the newspapers are correct — I never went to school more than twelve months in my life. But, as you say, this must be a product of culture in some form. I have been putting the question you ask me to my- self while you have been talking. I can say this, that among my earliest recollections I remember how, when a mere child, I used to get irritated when anybody talked to me in a way I could not understand. I don't think I ever got angry at anything else in my life. But that always disturbed my temper, and has ever since. I can remember going to my little bedroom, after hearing the neighbors talk, of an evening, with my father, and spending no small part of the night, walking up and down, and trying to make out what was the exact meaning of some of their, to me, dark sayings. I could not sleep, though I often tried to, when I got on such a hunt after an idea, until I had caught it ; and when I thought I had got it, I was not satisfied until I had repeated it over and over, until I had put it in language plain enough, as I thought, for any boy I knew to comprehend. This was a kind of passion with me, and it has since stuck by me, for I am never easy now, when I am handling a thought, till I have bounded it north and bounded it south, and bounded it east and bounded it west. Perhaps that accounts for the characteristic you observe in my speeches, though I never put the two things together before." " Mr. Lincoln, I thank you for this. It is the most splendid educational fact I ever happened upon. This is genius, with all its impulsive, inspiring, dominating power over the mind of its possessor, developed by education into talent, with its uniformity, its permanence, and its disciplined strength, always ready, always available, never capricious — the highest possession of the human intellect. But let me ask, did you not have a law education ? How did you prepare for your profession?" PRESIDENT LINCOLN. XI "Oh, yes. I 'read law,' as the phrase is; that is, I became a lawyer's clerk in Springfield, and copied tedious documents, and picked up what I could of law in the intervals of other work. But your question reminds me of a bit of education I had, which I am bound in honesty to mention. In the course of my law-reading I constantly came upon the word demonstrate. I thought, at first, that I understood its meaning, but soon became satisfied that I did rot. I said to myself, ' what do I do when I demonstrate more than when I reason or prove? How does demonstration differ from any other proof ?' I consulted Webster's Dictionary. That told of 'certain proof,' 'proof beyond the possi- bility of doubt;' but I could form no idea what sort of proof that was. I thought a great many things were proved beyond a possibility of doubt, without re- course to any such extraordinary process of reasoning as I understood ' de- monstration' to be. I consulted all the dictionaries and books of reference I could find, but with no better results. You might as well have defined blue to a blind man. At last I said, ' Lincoln, you can never make a lawyer if you do not understand what demonstrate means,' and I left my situation in Springfield, went home to my father's house, and stayed there till I could give any propo- sitions in the six books of Euclid at sight. I then found out what 'demonstrate' means, and went back to my law studies." " I could not refrain from saying, in my admiration of such a development of character and genius combined, ' Mr. Lincoln, your success is no longer a marvel. It is the legitimate result of adequate causes. You deserve it all, and a great deal more. If you will permit me, I would like to use this fact publicly. It will be most valuable in inciting our young men to that patient classical and mathematical culture which most minds absolutely require. No man can talk well unless he is able, first of all, to define to himself what he is talking about. Euclid, well studied, would free the world of half its calamities, by banishing half the nonsense which now deludes and curses it. I have often thought that Euclid would be one of the best books to put on the catalogue of the Tract Society, if they could only get people to read it. It would be a means of grace.' " " I think so," said he, laughing ; " I vote for Euclid." Fairly ensconced in the nation's watch-tower, he now com- menced his vigilant guard — a task harder than it had been his lot to share while in the backwoods of the West — which was relieved by the smile of affection and the innocent prattle of his youngest child in the rare intervals of pressing duty. The boom of Sumter's guns sounded the alarm of war, and heralded the fact that conciliation or negotiation was a failure. Manhood and principle were almost forgot by politicians in vain endeavors at peace-making ; but Abraham Lincoln kept perse- veringly on in his line of duty — to uphold the starry banner and preserve the Union. The people supported him in all that he did, notwithstanding malice in the North and rebellion in Xii PRESIDENT LINCOLN. the South. As a measure to weaken the enemy, he promulgated his first "Emancipation Proclamation," which proved to be fraught with happiness to the bondman, and made famous as a benefactor of mankind the name of Abraham Lincoln : For Abraham 's the man to work out this plan By one * bold proclamation, And clear the way for a far blighter day To shine on our civilization. Which was as follows : I, Abraham Lincoln, President of the United States of America, and Commander-in-Chief of the Army and Navy thereof, do hereby proclaim and declare that hereafter, as heretofore, the war will be prosecuted for the object of practically restoring the constitutional relation between the United States and each of the States, and the people thereof, in which States that relation is or may be suspended or disturbed. That it is my purpose, upon the next meeting of Congress, to again recom- mend the adoption of a practical measure tendering pecuniary aid to the free acceptance or rejection of all Slave States so-called, the people whereof may not then be in rebellion against the United States, and which States may then have voluntarily adopted, or thereafter voluntarily adopt, immediate or gradual abolishment of slavery within their respective limits; and that the eifort to colonize persons of African descent, with their consent, upon this continent or elsewhere^ with the previously obtained consent of the governments existing there, will be continued. That on the first day of January, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, all persons held as slaves within any State, or desig- nated part of a State, the people whereof shall then be in rebellion against the United States, shall be then, thenceforward, and forever free; and the Executive Government of the United States, including the miUtary and naval authority thereof, will recognize and maintain the freedom of such persons, and will do no act or acts to repress such persons, or any of them, in any efforts they may make for their actual freedom. That the Executive will, on the first day of January aforesaid, by proclama- tion, designate the States and parts of States, if any, in which the people thereof respectively shall then be in rebellion against the United States; and the fact that any State, or the people thereof, shall on that day be in good faith repre- sented in the Congress of the United States, by members chosen thereto at elections wherein a majority of the qualified voters of such State shall have participated, shall, in the absence of strong countervailing testimony, be deemed conclusive evidence that such State, and the people thereof, are not then in rebellion against the United States. * There were two proclamations in fact, but one was the virtual instrument which placed the name of Lincoln high on the scroll of fame, and blessed his memory through coming time. PRESIDENT LINCOLN. xiii That attention is hereby called to an act of Congress entitled " An Act to make an additional Article of War," approved Marcli ISth, 1862, and which act is in the words and figures following: Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That hereafter the following shall be promul- gated as an additional article of war for the governraent of the army of the United States, and shall be obeyed and observed as such : Article. — All officers or persons in the military or naval service of the United States are prohibited from employing any of the forces under their respective commands for the purpose of returning fugitives from service or labor who may have escaped from any persons to whom such service or labor is claimed to be due ; and any officer who shall be found guilty by a court- martial of violating this article shall be dismissed from the service. Sec. 2. And be it further enacted. That this act shall take eifect from and after its passage. Also, to the ninth and tenth sections of an act entitled "An Act to Suppress Insurrection, to punish Treason and Rebellion, to seize and Confiscate Prop- erty of Rebels, and for other Purposes," approved July 16, 1862, and which sections are in the words and figures following: Sec. 9. And be it further enacted, That all slaves of persons who shall here- after be engaged in rebellion against the Government of the United States, or who shall in any way give aid or comfort thereto, escaping from such persons and taking refuge within the lines of the army ; and all slaves captured from such persons, or deserted by them and coming under the control of the Govern- ment of the United States ; and all slaves of such persons found on [or] being within any place occupied by rebel forces, and afterwards occupied by the forces of the United States, shall be deemed captives of war, and shall be for- ever free of their servitude, and not again held as slaves, Sec. 10. And be it further enacted, That no slave escaping into any State, Territory, or the District of Columbia, from any other State, shall be delivered up, or in any way impeded or hindered of his liberty, except for crime, or some oflFence against the laws, unless the persons claiming said fugitive shall first make oath that the person to whom the labor or service of such fugitive is alleged to be due is his lawful owner, and has not borne arms against the United States in the present rebellion, nor in any way given aid and comfort thereto ; and no person engaged in the military or naval service of the United States shall, under any pretence whatever, assume to decide on the validity of the claim of any person to the service or labor of any other person, or surrender up any such person to the claimant, on pain of being dismissed from the service. And I do hereby enjoin upon and order all persons engaged in the military and naval service of the United States to observe, obey, and enforce, within their respective spheres of service, the act and sections above recited. And the Executive will in due time recommend that all citizens of the United States who shall have remained loyal thereto throughout the rebellion, shall (upon the restoration of the constitutional relation between the United XIV PEESIDENT LINCOLN. States and tbeir respective States and people, if that relation shall have been suspended or disturbed) be compensated for all losses by acts of the United States, including the loss of slaves. In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the seal of the United States to be affixed. Done at the city of Washington, this twenty-second day of September, [l. s.] in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty-two, and of the Independence of the United States the eighty-seventh. By the President : Abraham Lincoln. William H. Seward, Secretary of State. As indicated in the foreg'oing document, he issued his second official Emancipation notice on the 1st of January, 1863, relating the States and parts of States that were then in rebellion, and declaring the slaves therein to be forever free, which edict he concluded in the following words : And upon this, sincerely believed to be an act of justice, warranted by the Constitution, upon military necessity, I invoke the considerate judgment of mankind and the gracious favor of Almighty God. The people came to the conclusion that these proclamations were destined to bring slavery to a timely end where'- rebellion was raging ; and to overcome the anomaly of that evil existing with freedom in other parts of the country, a resolution was adopted in Congress to submit to the action of the several States an amendment to the Constitution of the United States, prohibiting the existence of slavery within the States and Terri- tories of the Union forever. Illinois, by her promptitude, placed herself in the van of this needful movement. Steadily did President Lincoln steer the ship of state, although his enemies were not few. His four years of servitude were about drawing to a close, when the Republican Convention met at Baltimore on the 7th of June, 1864, and renominated him for President. His aspiring opponent, Gen. George B. McClellan, was nominated by the Democratic party at their convention in Chicago ; but their platform and candidate both showing signs of retrogression, they deservedly failed to win. On the 8th November, 1864, the entire vote polled stood thus: Abraham Lincoln, 2,223,035 Gen. McClellan, 1,811,754 PRESIDENT LINCOLN. XV The confidence of the people again strengthened the heart and purposes of President Lincoln in his administration of the Government. The platform of principles set forth by the nomi- nating Convention received his hearty approval, being, next to the Constitution, his guiding star of office. On the 14th of April, 1861, the flag on Fort Sumter was lowered to rebellion, and carried off by the brave few who had made a resolute but an unavailing defence. On the 14th April, 1865, the same flag, so long hid away, was flung to the breeze by the assembled throng on Sumter's battered walls : " 'Tis the Star-spangled Banner, ! long may it wave O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave." This was a day of rejoicing. Richmond had been taken. The mainstay of the rebels, Lee's army, had been defeated, broken, and were now prisoners. Their last hope was gone, and joy was in the North at the near prospect of returning peace. Great preparations were making throughout the land for a celebration of triumph on the 17th April ; but this feu de joie Mr. Lincoln was not ordained to witness. During the day, he was invited to visit Ford's Theatre in the evening, and it was also announced that Lieut. Gen. Grant would be present. About ten o'clock, while the play of " Our American Cousin" was pro- gressing, a stranger, who proved to be J. W. Booth, an actor of some note, entered the box occupied by the Presidential party, and leveling a pistol close behind the head of Mr. Lincoln, fired, the ball lodging deep in the brain of the President. The assassin jumped upon the stage, shouting '•'■Sio Semper Tyrannis!'' the motto upon the escutcheon of the State of Virginia, and fled. Human help to save the President was vain. He lingered on unconsciously until twenty-two minutes past seven next morn- ing, when death relieved him of his suffering, and changed the gladness of the American people into a wail of sorrow. «''Tis the wink of an eye, 'tis the draught of a breath ; From the blossom of health to the paleness of death, From the gilded saloon to the bier and the shroud — Oh why should the spirit of mortal be proud ?" "Treason," in its expiring throes, "had done its worst;" and as the Cain-like hand which smote our chief fell palsied in XVI PRESIDENT LINCOLN. death, his life, other than as a warning, was declared to have been "useless." The President's remains — accompanied by those of a darling son, who had been earlier called — moved to their resting place by the same route he had partly taken when appointed to occupy the chair of State, and were everywhere met with the symbols of grief and respect ; " And now, the Martyr is moving in triumphal march mightier than when alive. The nation rises up at his coming. Cities and States are his pall- bearers, and cannon beat the hours with solemn procession." On the 4th of May, in a little knoll in Oak Ridge Cemetery, near Springfield, not far from his former home in the flesh, Illinois received back her son to her bosom. Hereafter his dearbought fame shall be The unfettered praises of the free. TAVTAIN TnoMl'SON. MARTYRS AND HEROES OF ILLINOIS. CAPTAIN THOMPSON. (of the regular army.) Capt. John A. Thompson, of the 18tli U. S. Infantry, killed in battle at "Hoover's Gap," Tenn., was born at Northampton, Mass., October 22, A. D. 1824, and was the son of Amherst Thompson of Chicago, whose father was a soldier of the Revo- lutionary War, was in numerous battles, and for more than thirty years drew a pension from the government. Col. Joseph Thompson, the father of Amherst, held a commission under Washington, in the Revolution. John A. Thompson entered Amherst College, Mass., in Sep- tember, 1842, where he remained until the commencement of his junior year, taking the first prize for declamation. In the fall of 1844, pecuniary considerations induced young Thompson to leave college, in which he supported himself partially by teaching, and with only a few dollars in his pocket, which was increased somewhat by the liberality of his uncle, John Thomp- son, Esq., a prominent banker of Wall Street, Ncav York, he launched out upon the great ocean of life. He traveled to Virginia, where his genial disposition and interesting manners soon brought him employment as a teacher. Remaining in Virginia about a year, he emigrated to Missouri, where he was engaged in teaching some two years, when he returned to Amherst, Mass., and commenced reading law with the Hon. Edward Dickinson, of that place. Under the instruction of Mr. Dickinson, young Thompson advanced rapidly in his pro- fessional studies, and while a student, tried cases Avith much ability. After finishing his legal studies, he removed to Niles, Michigan, was admitted to the bar of that State, and at once 10 MARTYRS AND HEROES OF ILLINOIS. entered upon his profession. The " rough and tumble " of western practice at that time was well calculated to bring out the abilities of Mr. Thompson, and he soon became a popular lawyer of that region. He was for a time prosecuting attorney for the county of Berrien, Michigan. In the summer of 1852, Mr. Thompson removed to Chicago, Illinois, where, for some eight years, he Avas engaged in the active practice of the law in connection with his brother. While in Chicago, he engaged to a considerable extent in politics, and Avas a popular political orator and debater. Being a noble, whole-souled, liberal man, with hosts of friends, Mr, Thompson was, in the spring of 1855, by a large majority, elected City Attorney of the city of Chicago, and performed the responsible duties of that office, then embracing all the legal duties relating to city matters, to the satisfaction of all classes. In the ensuing year, at the request of the Common Council, in connection with his brother, Geo. W. Thompson, Esq., a well known member of the Chicago bar, he compiled and codified the ordinances and laws of Chicago, producing, out of a confused and tangled mass of city legislation, the present '■'■^lunicipal Laws of Chicago,'" a work Avhich has justly received the praises of the public. As a lawyer, Mr. Thompson was of the first class for a man of his age — rarely excelled in forensic debate, an eloquent and polished speaker, often powerful in his eflForts, and always honor- able and high minded. Few men have been more popular in Chicago tlian he. In 1859, Mr. Thompson was induced by his friends to settle in south-west Missouri, and removed his f;imily to Granby, Newton county, Missouri, and was preparing to develop the lead mines of that region, when the threatening clouds of the Great Rebellion began to gather. Again and again did he with poAverful eloquence appeal in vain to his fellow-countrymen to forbear to lay their hands upon the pillars of the Repul)lic. Standing as he then did upon the bounds of civilization and beyond the line where loyalty ended and treason began, man- fully and with heroic stubbornness did Mr. Thompson attempt to breast back the rising tide of rebellion in that section, until MARTYRS AND HEROES OF ILLINOIS. 11 actual danger to his family compelled him to leave his new home with all its promises and hopes. We extract from a report of a speech from the Neosho Herald, made hy Mr. Thompson before he left : "Who would strike the American Republic from the list of nations? Our country was not designed for destruction. The Temple of Liberty was not erected to be laid in ruins. Yon lofty tower dedicated to him ' first in war, first in peace, and first in the hearts of his countrymen,' was not intended for the ivy to creep upon its crumbling walls and broken columns. The Union of these States was not cemented with Revolutionary blood, to be dissolved. It cannot be without civil war, rapine, treason, annihilation ; — it cannot be without marring the memories of the distinguished deadend overturning their monumental stones ; — it cannot be without impeaching f he patriotism of the eloquent Clay, or denying the logic of the irresistible Webster; — it cannot be without disputing the justice of our fathers' struggle for independence and blotting from memory the name of Washington, and with it his counsels of wisdom and atfection. ^The Union, the Union — let it be preserved ! ^ " He retmmed to Chicago in the spring of 1861, resolv^ to give the rest of his life to his country. He immediately applied himself to the study of military tactics, assisted in organizing the first Illinois regiments, and returned to Mis- souri, assisted Gen. Lyon in removing arms from St. Louis to Illinois for safety, and subsequently entered the government service as an assistant in the department of Gen. Fremont, who appointed him on his staff with the rank of Captain, for meritorious services. Being well acquainted Avitli the country, and knowing many of the leading men of that State, Capt. Thompson was a valuable aid to Gen. Fremont, who committed to him important trusts and duties. When Gen. Fremont was relieved of his command, and his staff" officers dispersed, Capt. Thompson once more returned to Chicago, and was preparing to oro-anize a regiment of volunteers, when he was notified of his appointment by President Lincoln, to a Captaincy in the Regular Army, which was highly complimentary to him, as an appointment from civil life to that rank in the old army was an unusual thing;. His commission issued February 21, 1862, taking rank from October 26, 1861, and was credited to Missouri, through the efforts, principall}'-, of the Hon. John S. Phelps, member of Congress from that State, a social • and political friend of Capt. 12 MAIITYIIS AND HEROES OF ILLINOIS. Thompson. He always spoke of the kindness of Mr. Phelps with much gratitude. He was assigned to the 18th United States Infantry, whose headquarters were at Columbus, Ohio, where he immediately reported for duty. This regiment not being full, Col. Carrington ordered him to return to Chicago and recruit a company of regulars, and he at once entered upon the work. At that time it was difficult to obtain men to enter the regular army, nearly all preferring the volunteer service, yet Capt. Thompson, by his energy and perseverance, speedily recruited one of the very • best and most effective companies of troops that Illinois has sent to the war, which he drilled to a high standard of disci- pline. ^'■Captain Thompsons Regulars'' were the pride of Chicago while they were there. He was ordered back to Columbus with his company, and placed in command of " Camp Thomas," a camp of instruction for the 16tli and 18th U. S. Infantry. The 18tli Regiment (the largest ever in the American army) was composed of twenty-four hundred men — three bat- talions of eight companies each. The first battalion was soon ordered to the field, leaving Captain Thompson in command of the second battalion. At the time of one of the threatened advances of Gen. Bragg on Cincinnati, he was ordered with his battalion to that place to defend it, when he was placed in com- mand of the " City Guards," composed of his battalion of regu- lars and some volunteer companies. Afterwards, he was ordered to the field in Kentucky, and placed in command of the batteries opposite Cincinnati. For a time he was in command of " Bui*- bank Barracks," in Cincinnati. The alarm in that city hav- ing subsided, on the 13th Feb., 1863, by especial request of Gen. Rosecrans, Capt. Thompson, with his battalion, was ordered to the field in Tennessee, with the Army of the Cumberland, and took his post in the "Regular Brigade" of that army. On the 23d of June, 1863, Captain Thompson, in a letter to his wife, writes: '■''To-tnorroto we advance upon Bragg s army. If it should happen that I fall, remember and be happy in the thought that all this is for my cou7itry, my wife and child." Brave words of a true hearted man ! and ere the sacred missive had reached his wife, the lifeblood of the noble martyr MARTYRS AND HEROES OF ILLINOIS. 13 was poured out on the altar of that country which he loved so well! The line of march of the Regular Brigade was on the Man- Chester road, leading through " Hoover's Gap," a strong position occupied by Johnson's, Bates' and Clayton's brigades of rebel infantry, the hills being well supported by batteries, all in position to resist the advance of Gren. Rosecrans. On the morning of the 26th June, Gen. Reynolds' division had surprised the enemy at this gap, but by desperate fighting the enemy had regained their ground, when the Regular Brigade was ordered into a charge upon these positions. The correspondent of the N. Y. Herald, speaking of this charge, says : " The Regular Brigade in the centre and holding the advance, had a more beautiful field than either Walker on the right or Humbright on the left, and the charge which it made across the valley was the feature of the advance — the men moved in most beautiful order, the line never wavering or becoming broken until the fence behind which the enemy rested was reached. Here a brisk engasement ensued — the rebels were driven back in great disorder, throwing away their blankets and canteens. Our principal loss fell upon the 18th Infantry." The second battalion of the 18th Infantry, commanded and led by Capt. Thompson, had the extreme advance of this charge, towards the close of which it became necessary to make an oblique movement, and while issuing the order " right oblique march,'' Capt. Thompson received a large minie ball, which passed through his bridle hand and thence into his body near the navel, lodging near the spine. He fell from his horse, and while Gen. Rousseau and stafi", and Gen. Brannon and staff, had gathered around and were condoling with him, a rebel shell exploded in their midst, scattering the party. He was removed back to the hospital in Nashville, where he died of his wounds the ensuing Tuesday, June 30, 1863, surrounded by sympa- thising friends, a few hours before his wife reached him ! The last words of the gallant hero were : "/ now leave all ivith God." His body was brought to Chicago by his wife and brother, and buried with full military and masonic honors in " Grace- 14 MARTYRS AND HEROES OF ILLINOIS. land," by the side of three of his children. He was a promi- nent member of several masonic bodies, being a Sir Knight in Apollo Commandery of Chicago, and a member of Lafayette Chapter of R. A. M., in said city. In 1851, Mr. Thompson married Miss Elizabeth W. Lusk, of Newark, N. Y., a very estimable lady, who, with a young daughter, now survive him. Capt. Thompson was an ardent patriot from the first, giving all his powers to his country. On the 22d day of April, 1861, when the news was received of the fire on Sumter, and Chicago was arming a force to fortify Cairo, he became highly excited and hastily arranged matters to start for Missouri the next morning. He gave a couple of horse pistols, wliich he brought from Missouri, to the Cairo expedition, and anticipating danger, made a hasty will of what little property he had, and started for Missouri with his revolver in his pocket, to battle for the old flag. He concludes this hasty tvill with the following patriotic bequest : " I give and bequeath my horse pistols to my country, hoping that by their aid the same may endure forever — and my revolver to the first soldier of the old republic who sends the first secessionist, in arms against his country, to his long home.''' From this time Mr. Thompson was in the service of his country until his death. His mind, temperament and business experience was well calculated to make him an excellent officer. He at once won the respect of the old army officers, and soon became an excellent military man. He was kept in commands above his rank, Avhicli corresponded in the volunteer service to the duties of colonel. In the field he always commanded his battalion, composed of eight full companies of troops, but the slow rule of promotion in the regular army kept him with the rank of "Captain Commanding." On his death, prominent officers of the Regular Brigade wrote, " that the 18th Infantry had lost one of its most valuable and gallant officers." Gen. Rousseau Avrites : " I was just behind Capt. Thompson when he fell. He was a brave and efficient officer and an honor to the service, and fell gallantly fighting for his country." Judge Swayne, of the United States Supreme Court, who became acquainted with Capt. Thompson, in Ohio, in a letter to MARTYKS AND HEROES OF ILLINOIS. 15 his friends, says of him : " He was a gallant soldier, a gentle- man of great worth and high character — an ardent patriot. His love of country and desire to serve her carried him into the military service. I had predicted for him, in my own mind, a brilliant career. I have met with no more striking or interesting man in the army." Thus, in the full vigor of his manhood — his country still trembling in the balance — the laurel wreath of her deliverance almost within his grasp — amid the fury and carnage of the battle field — bearing aloft his tried sword and sliouting omvard to his brave battalion — the clarion notes of victory sounding in his ears — the swift, fatal missile of treason pierced him to the heart, and the noble John A. Thompson fell, to battle for his country no more ! Behold the grandeur of this spectacle ! In 1860, the Rev. Amherst L. Thompson, a younger brother of the subject of this sketch, fresh from the sacred groves of Andover, under the benevolent auspices of the American Board of Foreign Missions, and under orders from On High which he read in the Great Book, buckled on the armor of a Christian soldier and went forth to fight the battles of his Lord and Master in heathen lands. Leaving friends and kindred and comforts and home, he traveled over oceans, seas and con- tinents, and at last unfurled the blessed banner of the Cross amid the benighted races of Central Asia. For a brief period, Avith Spartan heroism, did he battle the errors of a wicked populace, contending with the demons of darkness, superstition and crime, and died on the field of his labor — a noble Christian martyr, in the noontide of his heroic deeds ! A few months later, the brother, the subject of this sketch, beholding the mighty pillars of his loved country crumbling one by one beneath the rolling tide of a gigantic and wicked rebellion, likewise buckled on the armor of a Patriot soldier, and went forth from Chicago to fight for the honor and integrity of his native land. He eagerly grasped the glorious old banner of the Stars and proudly bore it onward into the midst of the fury and carnage of the battle field — and fell, a heroic, patriot soldier, dying for his country ! 16 MARTYRS AND HEROES OF ILLINOIS. Ye Winds, which wafted the pilgrims to this land of promise ! catch upon your broad wings and onward bear a record of this story ! Let the selfish, the sordid and the base, read it — let him who would strike at the vitals of his country, read it — let posterity see what a Christian can do for his God — what a Patriot can do for his country ! Brave, noble, illustrious brothers ! the splendor of these achievements shall ever radiate amid the folds of those sacred banners under which you fell — emblems wdiich, by the blessing of God, shall symbol forth to distant ages a world redeemed and a nation saved ! And Avhen, in the " good time coming," the fragments of this wicked generation shall be gathered into history, good men, philanthropists and Christians — " Will, by their pilgrim-circled hearth, Talk of thy doom without a sigh ; For thou art Freedom's now and Fame's — Tivo of the few, the immortal names That were not born to die." MARTYRS AND HEROES OF ILLINOIS. 17 CAPTAIN DENISON. Capt. Charles Edward Denison was born at Woodstock, Vt., on the 30tli of May, 1827. At the age of fourteen, he entered Norwich University, a military college, under the charge of Gen. T. B. Ransom, (father of Gen. T. E. G. Ransom, of the Army of the Mississippi,) who fell at the head of his command at the storming of Chapultapec in Mexico. Young Denison graduated in 1845. After leaving college, he was employed on the Passumpsic River Railroad, Vermont, as civil engineer. In 1852, he was on the Cincinnati and Marietta Railroad in a similar capacity. In 1853, he removed to Peoria, 111., and was employed there as civil engineer on the Peoria and Oquawka, the eastern extension, and other roads. In 1856, he took an active part in raising a military company in Peoria, called the " National Blues," and was elected their first captain. At the first call of the President for 75,000 volunteers, he, in a few days, raised a company of three-months , men ; was elected their captain, and reported in Springfield, and formed Co. E of the 8th Regiment Illinois Volunteers — Col. Oglesby. This regiment went direct to Cairo. Soon after, some influential friends, then in Washington, obtained for him the appointment of a captaincy in the Regular Army — a promotion quite unex- pected to himself, but a well merited compliment to so brave and noble-hearted a soldier. He was assigned to the 18th U. S. Infantry, and to the command of Co. B. He immediately reported for duty at Columbus, Ohio, where this regiment Avas then forming. He remained there during the summer of 1861, filling up and drilling his company. In the fall, the first bat- talion of his regiment was ordered to the field in Kentucky, and joined Thomas' division of Buell's army. Capt. Denison was with the " Regular Brigade" of that army in their many long and tedious marches through Kentucky and Tennessee : now skirmishing with the enemy, now guarding 18 MARTYRS AND HEROES OF ILLINOIS. railroads ; again marching witli all the celerity possible, to take part in some important conflict, as at the battle of Mill Springs, Ky., and the second day's battle of Sliiloh. He was at the siege of Gorinth, the battle of Perryville, Ky., and the conflict at Stone River, where, on the forenoon of 31st Dec, 1862, in that severe engagement, in a cedar thicket, wdiile leading his company, he was wounded in the knee with a round shot. He refused to be carried to the rear, but lay where he was wounded, and con- tinued to encourage his men until they were forced back and the ground on which he fell was occupied by the enemy. He remained there until the ground was retaken in the afternoon by our forces, when he was carried to the field hospital and had his limb amputated. He lingered on until the 15th of January, 1863, when death claimed the valiant officer as its own. He was highly esteemed by his brother oflficers as a true man and a noble soldier. Capt. Denison, by education and natural endowments, was well fitted for the place which he held. He had long desired a position in the army, and had he been fired with the ambition for distinction that many possess, he might have held a higher rank, but in his singleness of purpose, he aimed only to serve his country, and he did it well. Capt. Denison was married twice, and leaves a w^fe and three cliildren to mourn his loss — a daughter by his first wife and two sons by the last. His remains were conveyed to Peoria, and buried in Spring- dale Cemetery. MARTYRS AND HEROES OF ILLINOIS. 19 MAJOR APLINGTON. Zenas Aplington was born in Broome county, New York, on the 24th of December, 1815. His father, James Aplington, was a Baptist clergyman. We have nothing to record of his early life, but may presume it to have been a period of struggles like those of most American young men of humble parentage, as the education he received was limited, his opportunities probably being but few in number. About the year 1837, Mr. Aplington emigrated to Buffalo Grove (by the Indians called JVanusha), Ogle county, Illinois, where he fixed his permanent residence. His early occupations there were successively those of a farmer, a blacksmith and carpenter (conjointly), and a merchant. As a builder, he erected the Lee county jail at Dixon, and a number of other substantial buildings in his own neighborhood. As illustrating the versa- tility of his talents, it may be said that though an excellent mechanic, both as carpenter and blacksmith, he never served an apprenticeship at either occupation. While a farmer, he resided upon and cultivated a farm, which subsequently became the site of the now thriving town of Polo. On the 27th of April, 1842, he was married to Caroline, daughter of William and Jane Nichols — a most estimable lady, by wh-om he had six children, all of whom are now living. In 1855, he contracted with the Illinois Central Railroad Company for the building of the section of their road passing through the town of Polo, which dates its prosperity from the completion of that road. Mr. Aplington, owning the land, at once laid it out in town lots, and by liberal terms and generous enterprise secured the rapid settlement and building up of the town. The rapid increase in the value of his landed property made him a wealthy man. Subsequently, during the crisis of 1857, he met with heavy pecuniary losses, and became again reduced to comparative poverty. So that he was first poor, then rich, then poor again. 20 MARTYRS AND HEROES OF ILLINOIS. In 1858, Mr. Aplington was chosen State Senator for the district, comprising the counties of Ogle, Carroll, Winnebago and Boone. He served but one session in this capacity (his term being uncompleted at the time of his death) ; but brief as was this service, he achieved an enviable reputation as a legis- lator. His native shrewdness, genuine talent, imperturbable good nature, unflinching integrity and untiring energy gave him at once a large influence in our legislative councils. His votes were ever on the side of the right, and in the Capitol, as at home, the poor and the oppressed always found in him a friend and an able and eloquent advocate. It is noteworthy, that among his warmest personal friends were senators and others, who most strenuously opposed him in partisan contests. When the rebellion broke out, in 1861, Mr. Aplington lent his whole energies to the cause of the country, and performed efiicient service in raising volunteers. In August, of that year, he organized a company of cavalry, of which he was chosen Captain. When the company arrived at Springfield, they joined the 7th Illinois Cavalry, Col. Kellogg, of which regiment Capt. Aplington was elected Major. In this capacity he for some time commanded the post of Bird's Point, and was with Gen, Pope at the taking of New Madrid and Island No. 10, where he performed important service. On the 8th of May, 1862, Major Aplington was with our advanced forces near Corinth, Miss., in command of a battalion of his regiment. Here he was ordered, by Acting Brig. Gen. Paine, to charge upon the rebel infantry in a dense wood. He remonstrated against doing this, alleging that his men would be cut to pieces without accomplishing any good. Upon the repe- tition of the order, he mounted his horse, and turned to his men, saying, " Boys ! you hear the General's command. We must obey orders. Follow me." He then dashed gallantly forward upon three or four regiments of rebel infantry, himself several paces forward of his men. One rebel, who essayed to "pick off" the brave commander, was stricken down by a blow from his stalwart arm. A second was more successful, and a rebel bullet entered Major Aplington's head, just below the eye. Dropping his sabre, he crossed his arms upon his breast, a calm MARTYRS AND HEROES OF ILLINOIS. 21 smile settling upon his features, and fell from his horse — dead. A contest then ensued for the possession of the body, which his men succeeded in bearing from the field. The remains of Major Aplington were taken to his home in Polo for burial, where the closing of all business, and the universal attendance of all classes at the funeral obsequies, tes- tified the estimation in which he was held in the community in which he had lived. In person, Major Aphngton was tall and powerfully built, and his early occupations added largely to his muscular powers. He was possessed of great native talent, and though his early education Avas limited, by diligent study and careful reading he made himself thoroughly acquainted with the history, resources and needs of our country and the principles upon which our Government is founded. The village debating clubs always found him an active member ; and we find him on the stump and in the forum an able advocate and a prompt debater, and a cool, clear-headed legislator. He was frank, open, and even somewhat eccentric in his manners ; but we have yet to know the person who ever received from him a harsh or unkind word. The gentleness and kindness of his nature were shown in all his intercourse with his fellows. Unswerving in his integrity, kind and generous to the poor and needy, liberal and even profuse in his public services, he was universally esteemed, and wielded a large influence in his own community and wherever he was known. Amid all the "ups and downs" of fortune through which he passed, his generous heart and his conduct to his fellow-men knew no change. As a Christian patriot, he gave his life for the salvation of his country, that he might leave to las children the precious birthright of freedom which lie had inherited. Brave as a lion, gentle as a woman, true as steel, all men loved him, and all men bewail his loss. 22 MARTYRS AND HEROES OF ILLINOIS. LIEUTENANT PRICE, William Delano Price, the second son of William H, Price and Sarah A. Delano, was born March 1st, 1843, at Chillicothe, Ross county, Ohio. In the autumn of 1849, his parents removed to LaSalle county, Illinois. His early youth was devoted to the occupa- tions of a prairie farm, and was marked by a quiet, genial cheerfulness and gentleness, which made him a favorite in the family and amongst his few acquaintances. He very early manifested an untiring industry in the intel- lectual occupations of his home, and a quiet and dauntless courage that disregarded danger when duty called him to con- front it. At fifteen years of age, he called to his assistance a still younger companion, and the two with difficulty and at great personal hazard, saved two other and older companions from drowning. As his character was gi-adually unfolded, the manifestation* of uncommon intellectual promise became so decided, that his parents acceded to his wish, and he entered upon a preparatory course of study in September, 1859, at Lake Forest, in the academy connected with Lind University. At this school he spent two years, to what purpose is ex- plained by the following extract from a letter of the Rev. W. C. Dickinson, Professor of Languages, of the Academy: "-Your son, in point of intellectual endowments, gave great promise. His scholarship was always high ; few here, if any, have ever surpassed him. He had a true love for learning. The motives that prompted him as a scholar, were such as could not have failed, I think, to lead him to honorable distinction in any pro- fession he might have chosen. He had qualities of mind, also, of rare excellence. His literary taste and judgment were uncommonly mature and fine. His delicate sensibilities, as they manifested themselves in his compositions, I greatly admired. One does not often find a fancy so exuberant and yet so correct, in one of his age. Of his fidelity to all duties as a member of MARTYRS AND HEROES OF ILLINOIS. this school, I can only speak in praise. He was always in his place, always ready, and with a cheerful interest in his Avork. His genial disposition made him a favorite with all. Cherishing no jealousies or enmities himself, he was the object of none from others. All loved to claim him for a friend, and imitate his excellences. In moral character, he was pure and manly. For a period of many weeks, he was deeply interested in reli- gion. He did not feel ready to make a public profession, but I cannot feel otherwise than that the impressions he received here, remained in permanent effect upon his character." Upon the close of the summer term of 1861, " thoroughly prepared to enter any of the eastern colleges," he came home. In the spring of that year, a class attended to military drill for a short time, under the late Col. Ellsworth, and afterAvards under one of his pupils. This constituted a meagre experience, but it illustrated for William elementary military principles, and afforded a foundation for intelligent industry to build upon. Repeated attempts to get a cadet's warrant, at West Point, having failed, he determined to enter the service of his country as a soldier. With the patient industry which marked all his efforts, he immediately set at work to improve his knowledge of drill ; and when, in the ensuing October, he entered the 53d Regiment of Illinois Volunteers, then being organized at Ottawa, it is believed that he was fully the equal in thorough and accu- rate knowledge of drill, and in the faculty of applying it in the instruction of others, of the best informed officers of that regiment. The ability to bring recruits being avowedly the only recog- nized qualifications for holding a commission in the regiment, he entered Company A as a private, and upon the organization of it was appointed Orderly Sergeant. The duties of this position he discharged without intermission for a single day, until the 5th day of September, 1862. At this time he was ordered by the Commandant of the regiment to assume the duties of Second Lieutenant. How he discharged the some- what trying and invidious duties of orderly sergeant, may be safely left to the testimony of the members of Company A, and to the superior officers of the regiment. 24 MARTYRS AND HEROES OF ILLINOIS. His kindly temper and suavity of manner were, in him, the alHes not of weakness, but of power. His instance is a signal proof of the character of the cruel fallacy a thousand times iterated and reiterated, that an officer who discharges his duty well, must of necessity provoke the ill-will of his men. He was formed for a leader of men, and endowed with the power of exerting the strongest of all influences upon them. Were they in camp, on the march, or in the hospital, he shunned no labor that could promote their comfort or improvement. Incapable of doing intentional injustice himself, nothing so excited his indignation as injustice to soldiers by others. They understood him, confided in him, and loved him. Neither in his diary or in his correspondence with his rela- tives, is there any complaint or notice of wrong or injury sustained by himself. A single gleam of his consciousness that he was more than commonly trusted by official superiors, ema- nates from only one entry in a fragmentary diary he kept during a part of his year of service : " Sept. 3d, 1862. We are on picket on the Hernando road, three miles south-east of Memphis. The sun is just setting and the boys are variously occupied; some are reading, some playing cards, others cook- ing, and some are just starting out after sweet potatoes and tomatoes. I am, as usual, in the most advanced squad, out of reach of the officer of the day, and of every one else who might consider it necessary to keep a strict watch upon us. Every wagon which passes out is searched, and any newspapers or suspicious articles are taken." The next entry in the diary is under date of Sept. 6 : " We are on the march again ; some say, for Bolivar. Yesterday I was detailed to act as 2d Lieutenant until further orders." Various incidents and reflections are entered from the 8th to the 14th, of which the last was written in camp, at Bolivar, and is concluded with the remark : "I was quite sick upon the march, and came very near having to be carried. But I perse- vered in tramping on without help, and finally walked out of it at the rate of 18 miles a day. One poor fellow was taken sick Ljust after starting, was placed in an ambulance, and died there before the end of the journey." MARTYRS AND HEROES OP ILLINOIS. 25 Following this, are notices of various incidents of camp life, and on the 3d of October, 1862, occm-s the last in the diary : " I have neglected writing for some time. However, very little has passed of any significance. I have been sick for some little time, although I've been on duty until the past two days ; a dose of calomel has salivated me and put me in an uncom- fortable position. Regular battalion drills are held every after- noon, and if persevered in, Avill be productive of much good." Thus, whilst he was borne down by illness, the last line traced by his hand in the scanty record of a year of hardships and dangers, stands an indelible witness that the idea of duty was always present with him. He exerted his influence habitually with the men of the company, to prevent their doing wanton injury to the unfriendly inhabitants of the country which was the theatre of operations, denouncing such as both wrong and hurtful to themselves. On the 3d of October, Lieut. Price wrote and posted a letter to his parents, and one to his former school and room mate. He also learned that the 53d had orders to march early the ensuing morning. His superior officers and his comrades urged him, on account of his enfeebled condition, to remain in hospital, at Bolivar. He would not be persuaded to remain. The division (4th of the army of Gen. Grant) marched on the morning of the 4th, towards Corinth, and at about four o'clock P. M., after a weary and hurried march of some twenty miles, came in contact with the enemy five or six miles west of the Hatchie River. Slight skirmishing ensued, and the division bivouacked. Lieut. Price was on picket the last half of the night, or through the early morning hours of the 5th of October. At daylight, he was evidently so ill, that he was again urged to stay with the wagon train. His refusal was now more decided than before, for the division was in immediate contact with the enemy, and a battle inevitable. The division moved, the second brigade in front. The enemy retired rapidly, with but one effort to take up a position west of the river, from which he was instantly driven across the Hatchie. He then placed his guns in position on the bluff east of the river, and formed his line on the river bottom, sharply followed by the second brigade. 26 MARTYRS AND HEROES OF ILLINOIS. Here the first brigade, under Gen. Lauman, was ordered up. He accompanied the 53d Illinois across the bridge under a shower of shell, grape and canister. The regiment was ordered to the extreme right, to a position between the road and river ; here, for a third of a mile, but a few rods apart. Whilst executing this movement, a regiment of the second brigade, which had preceded it, came running back and broke through the line of the 53d, throwing it also into confusion. At this point, the Captain of Company A became separated from his command. Some ten or fifteen minutes time were spent, under a galling fire, in restoring order and reforming the line. The 53d moved forward to its position, steadily and in good order, Company A being led and commanded by Lieut. Price. On arriving at the desired position, near a slight elevation on the river bottom, which afforded an imperfect shelter against the shower of missiles hurled by the enemy against the feeble line, the 53d immediately commenced firing. As Company A as- sumed its place in the line, its youthful commander said to the men : " There they are, boys — give it to them ! " Acting Orderly Sergeant S. B. Baldwin, of Company A, (who was recommended for promotion, for bravery and good conduct in the battle,) writes, on the 9th, to a brother of Lieut. Price: "We were ordered to lie down and commence firing. We were so exposed to the enemy's fire, that had we raised half way up, ours would have been the fate of many others. I, for one, kept low, and I kept telling the other boys to do the same. But William was sitting up a little behind the boys, telling them to keep low, and cheering them up, when he fell. I saw him at the moment the bullet struck him, taking effect in his right side and coming out under his left arm. He fell, and died without a struo-o-le." The following is an extract from a communication, dated on the battle-field, the day after the battle, and addressed to one of the Chicago papers : " In closing, allow me room for a tribute of respect to one of our gallant dead, Willy Price, lately advanced to a lieutenancy in Company A, who, for nearly a year, as Orderly Sergeant, has been the pride and favorite of his company. Ilis promotion was hailed by the whole regiment MARTYRS AND HEROES OF ILLINOIS. 27 with joy. Courage and kindness, firmness and gentleness, sound judgment, and a high sense of honor, combined in him to make a soldier and a gentleman. No brighter offering was ever laid upon the altar of liberty and patriotism." D. F. Hitt, late Colonel of the 53d Regiment, says : " In relation to Lieut. Wm. D. Price, who fell at the memor- able battle of the Big Hatchie, while nobly and bravely com- manding Company A, I beg leave to say, that he was one of the best and most promising young men that it has ever been my privilege to become acquainted with. I never knew or heard of his drinking anything stronger than tea or coffee. I never heard of his playing at any kind of game. Books, tac- tics and his military duties, seemed to be his all-absorbing delight. Always in his place, and always ready to do, and do it willingly, too, whatever was ordered by his superior officers. He was kind, but strict and prompt with his men, and very attentive to all their wants and necessities, as well as to seeing that each one did his duty actively and correctly. He was one of the most apt scholars in military studies that it has been my luck to meet with, either in the army or military school, and he seemed by nature well calculated for camp life. I noticed, particularly during the five or six months' campaigning prior to his death, that he stood the hardships of heavy marching, and severe night and day, and often double, duty, much better than a great many men of a great deal more experience. He was neither clamorous nor restive, but naturally quiet and deter- mined. Always candid, he meant what he said. He Avas fear- less and brave, and was esteemed and admired both by the officers and men, especially the officers of our regiment, and his loss deeply mourned by all." No superior ofiicer impugned his fidelity or efficiency, and the privates of the company gave afi"ecting testimony to the goodwill they bore him. One of them writes, four days after the battle, in which he fell : " His loss is moui-ned by every man in our company ; kind to all, he showed the man in all his actions." Another manly and brave soldier, who followed his lead in battle, who was near him, and saw him killed, said quietly and feelingly to a friend : "If there was ever an angel on earth, Willy was one." It is due to his memory to state, that from the vices and indulgences which sully so many otherwise estimable and brave soldiers, and the prevalence of which in the army is the cause 28 MARTYRS AND HEROES OF ILLINOIS. of uncounted calamities, he was wholly exempt. So conscien- tious was he in this respect, that he persistently declined all share in the amusement of card playing, the almost universal resort for relief of the monotony of camp life, assigning as his reason, that if he became fond of it, the consequent indulgence would interfere with his duties. His recourse for occupation in leisure moments, which were few for him, was a professional book. He was continually extending his knowledge of the theory as well as the practice of the art of war. On the morning of the 6th of October, he, together with the other dead of the regiment, clothed as when he fell, was ten- derly buried by his comrades — ^his blanket constituting for him the only envelop at their command. His name and rank were traced on a board at his head. One week thereafter, loving hands raised the body, placed it in a metallic case, and returned with it to Bolivar the same night. On the 14th October, Company A, and members of other companies, of the 53d Regiment, attended at the railroad depot. Gen. Lauman, Commandant of the Post, also came and assumed "the office of directing the transfer of the body to the car. He had before said to the friends who had it in charge : " He was a gallant officer, a very gallant officer ; he died in the per- formance of his duty." An escort of young men received and took charge of the body, at Ottawa, on the morning of the 17th, at three o'clock. And on the 18th, crowned with the victor's wreath, and envel- oped in the folds of the flag in defence of which he died, he was borne from the Episcopal Church, again by friendly hands, to a grave in the cemetery amongst his kindred. Thus perished, before he had completed his twentieth year, a soldier, who promised to become an ornament and support to his country. Like Fillan, the young son of Fingal, on his first battle-field, he has fallen without his fame. " His leaf has perished in the green, And while we breathe beneath the sun, The world, which credits what is done, Is cold to all that might have been." I'o i-o N i; h scoi'i'. MAKTYRS AND HEROES OF ILLINOIS. 29 COLONEL SCOTT. " He died too early," is the fitting thought of those who knew the young Colonel of the Zouaves. Joseph R. Scott was born in Brantford, C. W., in 1838, of Scotch parentage, from whom he inherited the valorous spirit and untiring energy of that never-conquered race. He came to the United States when he was twelve years of age, and not long thereafter engaged in what he had fixed as his pursuit in life — mercantile business. In 1856, he commenced the forma- tion of the National Guard Cadets, in Chicago, afterwards famous throughout the country as the -United States Zouaves. In the early progress of the organization, the lamented Ells- worth came to Chicago, and Scott, finding in him a kindred spirit, pressed him to accept the Captaincy, while he acted as Lieutenant. Thus it was that these two, lacking what in certain circles is considered the one thing without which all others fail — a military education — laid the foundation of a fame that will remain when the schools shall perish from memory. Not that military education has not its uses, but that it has its abuses, and that many are so endowed by nature as to lay down rules for education, and transcend the routine of meaner minds. Military genius, when coupled with energy and valor, is more than the equal of military skill, science or education, call it by what name you will. This is what they possessed in an eminent degree ; and when the record of valor is made up, side by side with the noblest of the land will appear the names of Scott and Ellsworth ! A few days after the firing upon Sumter, Scott was elected Colonel of a three-months regiment, composed largely of the Zouaves and the Chicago Highland Guard. He was one of the youngest colonels in the service, being only about twenty-two ; but superiority in skill and capacity were conceded him by his seniors, and his regiment was held to be the best drilled in the department. This regiment, at the end of " the three months' service," was reorganized "for three years or the war;" and at this juncture, Scott's characteristic generosity again shone out : though the choice of his regiment for colonel, he voluntarily 30 MARTYRS AND HEROES OF ILLINOIS. • gave way to John B. Turcliin, a veteran warrior, and became second in command. What a scathing comment on those who seek preferment through subterfuge and knavery. Scott's first and last thought was his country and the 19th. Under this leadership, his regiment took the field. Their name was a household terror to rebels — they fell like an avenging Nemesis. More than once they were denounced by the enemies of the Government for having inaugurated in their department the rule not to starve where there was enough and to spare in the hands of armed rebels, and hoary villains and cowardly assas- sins, with rebel instincts, were mean enough to charge them as robbers and murderers ; but to those who knew the glorious 19th and Jo. Scott, such wicked charges had no foothold of belief. The 19th went on, and left some of its brave boys in Missouri, Kentucky, Tennessee and Alabama — not to be for- gotten, but to draw the hearts of a nation saved to the scenes of its suffering and the birth of its immortality : thus " The workmen die, but the work goes bravely on." In August, 1862, Turchin having been promoted to a briga- diership, Scott again became the Colonel of the 19th, in which position (though at times acting as commander of a brigade) he continued to the time of his death. The battle of Stone River, so fearful in its character and so grand in its results, wove a garland of immortality for Scott. He had been holding the impetuous valor of his men in cheek during the slowly passing hours of the bloody strife —their deep murmurs were heard as they gave vent to their disappointment in not being permitted to share the glory of the field — when, in an agony of despairing hope, the voice of the General in command was heard ringing all over the field, "Who'll save the left?" Before the echo had died out, the exultant voice of Scott was heard in reply — "the 19th Illinois!" and in an instant, leaping from his horse, waving his sword overhead, he dashed onward, shouting " for- ward, 19th!" "double quick!" "charge bayonets!" The brave fellows, with their wild, quick, Zouave cry, rushed to the rescue, and the enemy fled in wild dismay — as clouds fly before the hurricane. The left was saved, but the 19th lost what it loved next to its country's weal — Scott fell, mortally wounded, MARTYRS AND HEROES OF ILLINOIS. 31 at the head of his cohimn. He was removed to his home in Chi- cago shortly afterward, was carefully nursed by his devoted wife and anxious-hoping friends, and had all the help that surgical science and skilful treatment could afford, but all of no avail. He died from the effects of his wound on the 8tli of July, 1863. " He lias fought, his last battle ; He sleeps his last sleep ; No sound can wake him to glory again :" Yet how fondly we linger at his tomb and almost refuse to believe him dead. His noble, manly form — his flashing eye and joyous laugh come back upon us with such counterfeit of life, that we fail to realize that he is dead. In looking back, we see in him no ordinary man, but one pos- sessing a something which made him different from his fellows — possessing a divine appointment to work more mightily the ma- chinery of the age and to give new impulses to life. Such as he are not, as many say, the creatures of circumstances — they are not the mere uprising of the moment : they are the workmen of such scenes as the American people have been passing through — •' Time's rushing loom they are seated before, To weave the divinity's life-breathing robe," — circumstances bring them out to view, and afford a field for their energy and God-given vocation. While as a soldier we might linger over his memory, there are other traits in which he is equally dear to our hearts. He was a good son of a loving mother, a fond husband of an affectionate wife, and the father of a beautiful child, and to them the loss is irreparable. Every thought that goes back to his character and glorious death, opens up the wounds of their hearts afresh. They see not so much the faithful soldier — the country's pride — as the loving heart. They almost forget the eye that kindled in wrath as it waked to the presence of the country's foe, in the eye that dwelt in fondness upon the do- mestic hearth. Thus the lightning that gilds the cloud, and adds terror to the angry storm, reveals to the weary traveler the abode of hospitality. His character, like the cloud of old, was darkness to his enemies, but a pillar of light to his friends, and he is but one of many the country weeps for in this her day of regeneration. 32 MARTYRS AND HEROES OP ILLINOIS. As deeds of valor inspire with fervor the poetic imagery of the muse, and in order that the glory of the 19th Illinois, with their brave leader and companions in arms who fell at Murfrees- boro, should be perpetuated, the following " Battle Scene" has been written by R. Tompkins, and set to soul-stirring strains by Geo. F. Root : "WHO'LL SAVE THE LEFT?" Thvo' two long days the battle raged In front of Murfreesboro, And cannon balls tore up the earth, As plows turn up the furrow ; Brave soldiers, by the hundred, fell, In fierce assault and sally, While bursting shell hiss'd, scream'd and fell, Like demons in the valley. The Northman and the Southron met, In bold, defiant manner — Now vict'ry perched on Union flag, And now on rebel banner ; But, see ! upon the Union's left, Bear down, in countless numbers. With shouts that seem to wake the hills From their eternal slumbers. The rebel hosts, whose iron rain Beats down our weaker forces. And covers all the battle plain With torn and mangled corses ; Still onward press the rebel hordes More boldly, fiercer, faster, But Negley's practiced eye discerns The swift and dread disaster. "Who '11 save the left?" his voice rang out, Above the roar of battle, " The Nineteenth !" shouted Colonel Scott, Amid the muskets rattle ; "The Nineteenth be it— make the charge !" Quick as the word was given. The Nineteenth fell upon the foe. As lightning falls from heaven. Over the stream they went, into the fight. Cutting their way on the left and the right. Unheeding the storm of the shot and the shell, Unheeding the fate of their comrades, who fell : Onward they sped, like the fierce lightning's flash — Onward they sped, with a tornado's crash — Onward they sped, like the bolts of the thunder, Resistlessly crushing the rebel hosts under, 'Till, wild in their ten-or, they scatter'd and fled, Leaving heaps upon heaps, of their dying and dead ; And the shout that went up with the set of the sun. Told the charge was triumphant, the great battle won. MAJCiK CUAKK. MARTYRS AND HEROES OF ILLINOIS. 33 MAJOR CLARK. Major Alpheus Clark was born in Seneca county, Ohio, on the 30th of April, 1823. In 1837, he removed from there to Lyndon, Whiteside county, Illinois, and in 1850, left for Cali- fornia. He returned to Lyndon after an absence of three years, well satisfied with his trip. He was married the following winter, and remained in that place a loved and highly esteemed citizen, strictly temperate and religious, and of very strong anti- slavery principles, he being one of the old abolitionists at a time when that party was very unpopular. Great firmness of character was the chief feature of his mind, that displayed itself more forcibly in actions than in words. As Captain of the Home Guards of Lyndon, he heard the trumpet sound of war, and love of patriotism led him on the path of duty. In August, 1861, he, in connection with Capt. Clendenin, raised a company in Whiteside county for Farnsworth's 8th Illinois Cavalry. When the regimental election for officers took place at St. Charles, Capt. Clendenin being elected Major, Lieut. Clark was unanimously chosen Captain of Company C. Just before the battle of Beverly Ford, his recommendation for the appointment of Major of his regiment was forwarded to the Governor of Illinois, which was confirmed, and his commission issued, to take rank from the 24th of May, 1863. It was sent to the regiment, but did not reach him until after his death, which occurred on the 5th of July, 1863. Capt. Clark's company was one of the four companies which were doing picket duty on the right of the army, and bore the brunt of the attack of Stonewall Jackson's advance on the 26th of June, 1862, from 8 a. m. to 3 p. m., being then compelled to fall back before the superior force of the enemy. He was with the army of the Potomac in its advance on Manassas ; followed its successes and reverses through the peninsular campaign ; was at Williamsburg, in the seven days' fight in the front of Richmond, in the retreat to the James River ; was with it in Maryland, engaging the enemy at Pools- ville, Barnestown, Middletown and Boonsboro, and with the 34 MARTYRS AND HEROES OF ILLINOIS. advance into Virginia, fighting Stuart's Cavalry at Philamont, Union, Upperville and Barbour's Cross Roads, and had a part in the memorable battles of Fredericksburg and Chancellorsville. In the battle of Beverly Ford, one of the most desperate cavalry conflicts of the war, it devolved upon Capt. Clark, as senior captain, to command the gallant 8th, all the field ofiicers being sick or on detached service. With a coolness that has made him proverbial, he led his men into the fight, and when by reason of a rash charge against heavy odds, the 8th New York Cavalry were driven back in a confusion which threatened to bring panic and disaster to the Avhole army, Capt. Clark intrepidly checked the disorder of our own men and broke the advancing columns of the enemy. It was at this moment that a rebel Major, leading a squadron of cavalry, rode within thirty paces of the Captain, and halting, presented his revolver and fired. The fire was returned by Capt. Clark, and it has been told by an eye-witness, that nothing could exceed the perfect coolness and iionchalance with which the two foemen continued to exchange their leaden compliments. A shot from the Major, however, took effect in Capt. Clark's left hand, disabling him from managing his horse, and he was forced to give over the command to Capt. Forsyth. Captain Clark's wound gave him but little uneasiness. He was sent to the Seminary Hospital in Georgetown, D. C, to await the slow process of healing, and was, on application, granted leave of absence to visit his home. On examination, however, it was found necessary to perform an operation on his hand, to remove the bones which proved to be bi'oken. A little circumstance may here be mentioned to show the spirit of the man : Major Beveridge, of the same regiment, who was sick in the same room, left it in the morning, and gave as his reason for doing so, that he disliked to see the operation performed. "I could stand it," said the Major, "if he ivoxild only complain, but to see him endure the torture without a groan, as he will be sure to do, is more than I wish to look at." The operation Avas apparently successful, and the wound seemed in a fair way of healing. He was, however, afilicted with chills for a few days, but no apprehension felt for his MARTYRS AND HEROES OF ILLINOIS. 35 safety, until it soon became evident that the blood had been insidiously absorbing the matter from the wound, and that his system was badly poisoned. Everything that science or skill could suggest was done for him, but the death-rattle in his throat too plainly told that he was past all medical remedy. He received the announcement with the same calm demeanor that he would receive an order in camp. He expressed a sub- missive obedience to the will of God, and a christian readiness to die. He spoke feelingly of his home and family, and gave orders respecting his effects and the disposition to be made of his body. His last rational words were of his beloved wife and children. Later in the day he became delirious, and, with a face wreathed with smiles, he was, in imagination, again in the saddle at the head of his squadron. He continued to talk almost to the moment of his death : now placing his men on picket ; now forming in line of battle ; now meeting a charge of the enemy ; now ordering an advance ; urging his men for- ward ; cautioning against surprise ; ordering an arrest of those who faltered in their duty, or encouraging those wdio were battling gallantly. Like the exiled Corsican on St. Helena, he died a true soldier ; but, unlike him, he was moved by patriotism, not ambition. His last words were — "We'll march them up by fours." Kind words soothed his dying moments, as quietly, calmly, and with scarcely a struggle, he breathed his last breath out ; fond hands smoothed his pillow ; fair fingers plucked beautiful flowers to rest on his pulseless breast, and stout hearts heaved heavily as his spirit took its flight. He was beloved by all who knew him ; commended as one of the coolest and bravest men in his regiment, and without an enemy in the army. Major Clark's remains were taken from the Seminary Hospi- tal, Georgetown, to his beloved home in Illinois, where, "After life's fitful fever, he sleeps well." 36 MARTYRS AND HEROES OF ILLINOIS. JOHN HAKRIS KINZIE, MASTER ON THE GUNBOAT, " MOUND CITY." John Harris Kinzie was born on the 20th October, 1838. His father was John H. Kinzie, the oklest living citizen of Chicago, having been brought to this frontier post in the year 1803. His mother was Juliette A., daughter of Arthur W. Magill, late of Middletown, Conn. From his earliest childhood, John evinced a passion for machinery and things pertaining to the application of mechanical principles. Before he was six years old he would lie upon the floor with his paper and pencil, copying from a book which had been given him, the engraving of a steam engine, placing the A, B, C, etc., to mark the different parts ; after which he would seize upon some one to listen to him while he explained which was the piston, which a valve, with the mode of their operation, until he fancied he had made the whole quite plain. To develope and improve this taste, his parents, after a few years passed at Jubilee School, (Peoria co.,) placed him under the care of Rev. Roswell Park, D.D., of Racine College, and afterwards sent him to the Polytechnic Institute at Troy. He had, subsequently, the advantage of instruction from Professors Peck and Trowbridge, at Ann Arbor, Mich. He acquired a more familiar knowledge of the practical application of mechan- ical science, while with H. Berdan, Esq., making the tour of the chief commercial cities, with a view of establishing the famed Mechanical Bakeries, and in the employ of the Illinois Central and Rock Island Railroads. The energy and enthusiasm with which he threw his whole soul into each pursuit, attracted the notice and engaged the in- terest of even the gray-haired observer, while the amount of scientific and philosophical knowledge he had acquired, often prompted the remark, " I must see that boy, and talk with him again." His marriage with Miss Elvina Janes of Racine, took place on the 21st April, 1861 — three days after the first Proclamation JOHN HARRIS KINZIE. MARTYRS AND HEROES OF ILLINOIS. of the President calling for volunteers. His brother, and most of his young friends had enlisted. John's mind was in a state of doubt and perplexity — ''I feel as if I must go," he said, "and yet, as if I ought to wait a while." In the month of June following, his father was appointed Paymaster in the Army, and John accompanied him as his clerk for a few succeeding months, visiting Washington, St. Louis, Cairo, and other posts. Notwithstanding, however, the aptitude for business which he displayed, and the facility with which he acquired the necessary routine, he found the employ- ment irksome — nothing but mechanical or engineering pursuits would satisfy a natural bent, rendered still more determined by cultivation. He quitted his clerkship for a service on one of the govern- ment transports at Cairo, and it was while here that he attract- ed the notice of Admiral (then Commodore) Foote, who conferred upon him the appointment of Master in the Navy. He received his commission on the 4th January, and having, two years pre- viously, passed his examination for the Navy, reported for duty on board the gunboat Cincinnati. The "Mound City" was still in the course of construction, and before she was entirely completed, John was transferred to her, to assist in superintending her preparation for service. On the 23d February, he was able to announce in a letter to his parents, " The Cincinnati, with Flag-Officer Foote on board, has weighed anchor, and signalled us to follow. We're bound for Dixie." Some accident to the machinery, hoAvever, obliged them to return from the Cumberland River, which had been their first destination. Their next goal was Memphis. The progress of the fleet from Cairo to Memphis is matter of history. John's reports to those he loved best, were always of the most gay and cheerful character. He knew that after the fearful accident to the Essex in Tennessee River, the hearts of those who loved him were never at ease on his account, and he strove to convince them that there was no danger for him, even while, as it afterwards appeared, fully appreciating the defects in the construction of the Mound City, and living under the shadow of her cominsf doom. 38 MARTYRS AND HEROES OF ILLINOIS. From " Above Island No. 10," on the 29tli March, he writes : " The rebels have fired at our boats for fourteen days and thir- teen nights, from five different batteries, in all thirty guns, and have never hit us yet. Pretty poor shooting at If miles!" And again : " We have not fired a gun for nearly three days, and everything looks very quiet. The rebels finding that rifled 42-8 inch and 13 inch shell had an injurious efi'ect on the human system, coolly moved their camps out of the way, built casemates to their mud forts, sunk their floating batteries to the water's edge, and during the night they build up what the mortars tear down by daylight." The Federal forces entered "No. 10, that once stronghold of secesh," on the 11th April. A demonstration was made by the enemy on the 9th May. It was described in few words : " The rebels came up this morning, but the Cin- cinnati, Cairo and Mound City drove them back again." The first serious engagement of the Mound City was at Plum Point Bend, on the 10th May. Describing this, John writes : " We had a pretty lively time last Saturday. We fought ankle deep in water." (The Mound City, it will be recollected, was run into by the rebel ram Van Dorn and sunk.) " The Sponger at one of my guns was shot, and I jumped into the port and rammed the shell home — when that gun was fired, it crippled the ram. I had my hands full, I can tell you." The Mound City was, providentially, got into shallow water, so that, although the officers and crew prepared " to leave their good ship," and possibly even life itself, they escaped for the present. For his conduct in this aff'air, John was openly complimented by his superior officers. The testimony of one is : " In the service he was the bravest of the brave. I can bear witness to his coolness in action, his gallantry, and his efficiency. We have had many opportunities of seeing him placed in trying circum- stances, in which he acquitted himself bravely and honorably." The boat was brought up to Cairo for repairs, and when in order, proceeded, without further adventures of importance,' to Memphis. To the loving friends at home, all danger to their brave boy seemed now over. Memphis had been looked upon as the haven MARTYRS AND HEROES OF ILLINOIS. 39 at which perils and hardships should cease. They were, therefore, not prepared to hear of a new tour of duty — an expe- dition to raise the blockade by rebel gunboats of the Arkansas and White Rivers. The boats assigned to this service were the Mound City, as flag-ship, Capt. Kilty, the St. Louis, Lexington, and the tug Spitfire. They reached the " Arkansas Cut-ofi","* on the White River, on the morning of the 14th June, where the tug, being sent sixteen miles up the river to reconnoitre, made prize of the magnificent steamer Clara Dolson. The fleet was accompanied by the transports New National, White Cloud, and Jacob Mus- selman, bearing the 46th Indiana regiment. Col. G. N. Fitch, whose object was to capture the transports which the rebels had run up White River. The fleet cautiously and carefully ascended the stream, infor- mation having been received that the enemy had a battery or series of batteries about 80 or 90 miles above the mouth. These batteries, which were situated on a bluff" in the bend of the river, were reached on the morning of the 17th June. Of the en- gagement which there took place, the particulars are probably unknown to few throughout our land. The Mound City had the lead, and the St. Louis kept up a spirited firing, being unhit by the enemy's balls. At length the Mound City moved on, past the loAver battery, supposing that, as it had slackened its fire, all existing danger was over. Both boats ceased their firing, fearing that the balls might hit, instead of the enemy, our own brave Indiana troops who had landed below, to attack the batteries. While thus lying, with her stern a little to the southern shore, awaiting anxiously the result of Col. Fitch's movement, the Mound City was struck by a plunging shot from the upper battery. It passed through the iron-lined casement, struck and exploded the steam-drum of the engine, instantly filling the boat with the scalding vapor. John was standing upon the drum at the moment. " How he got into the water," said a survivor, "I never could conceive, but the first thing I knew after I reached it, he was swimming * It is called the ^Vh^te River Cut-off', on the Arkansas River, and Arkansas Cut-off, on the White River. 40 MARTYRS AND HEROES OF ILLINOIS. near me. I observed that the rebels were drawn up upon the bank, and were firing at us as we were in the water. I called to him to make for the lee of the boat as I was doing, but I think he was trying to get off his belt and sword, which hindered him in SAvimming, and he made for the small boats instead. I saw several throw up their hands and go down as the shot struck them in the water." The boats of the Conestoga and Lexington put off to the res- cue of the victims. Shots were fired at them, but the brave souls on board counted not their lives dear, so they might save their suffering comrades. As John Avas lifted from the water, three bullets struck him, taking effect in each arm, and in the hips ; another passed through the handkerchief which an officer, his friend, Avas dipping into the water in order to bathe his face. Every kind attention was lavished upon him, for, to use the words of the sailor quoted above, " Everybody loved him and wanted to do something for him." Col. Fitch's bayonet charge upon the batteries had been suc- cessful, and the men who but a short time before had revelled in their Avanton barbarity, Avere now prisoners, or wounded, or gone to their long account. This news was told to John as he lay in his agony. " Have Ave taken the fort ?" he asked. On receiving an answer in the affirmative, "then," said he, "I am content to die." The friends who had so tenderly ministered to him, saw him placed with oth^^s on board the Jacob Musselman, under Capt. Huntoon, to be conveyed to Memphis, and thence, if he survived, to Cairo, where he hoped his young Avife Avould meet him, in compliance with a letter he had dictated to her. A fcAV lines from the pen of a loving friend will complete the sad picture : " There is something touchingly beautiful in the record of his death, as made by one who was with him at the time, which gives assurance that his last moments Averc those of peace. Says this writer : ' At first it was thought he would recover, but he failed rapidly toAvards morning, and at four o'clock, on the morning of the 18th, just as the sun was kissing the tree-tops on the banks of the great river, his spirit passed away.' " MARTYRS AND HEROES OF ILLINOIS. 41 GENERAL FARNSWORTH. Brigadier General Elon J. Farnsworth was born in Green Oak, Livingston county, Michigan, on the 30th of July, 1837. In 1854, his father, James P. Farnsworth, removed from Michi- gan to Rockton, Winnebago co., Illinois, where he still resides — a farmer. His only brother died in Michigan before their removal to Illinois, and shortly after their removal his mother also died. In 1855, his father sent him to the university at Ann Arbor, Michigan, where he remained until the winter of 1857-8, when he joined the army of Gen. Johnston (then on its way to Utah, to suppress the Mormon difficulties in that terri- tory) as an assistant in the Quartermaster's Department. He remained with the army in that distant frontier and in traveling over the Western territories, until the breaking out of the Rebellion in 1861. Love of adventure, buffalo hunting, etc., frequently led him to make long journeys on horseback through the mountains and over the plains of the " Far West," and it was there doubtless that he gained such a mastery of the horse as subsequently gave him the reputation of being "the best rider in the army." News of the Rebellion reached him in the summer of 1861, and he immediately hastened home to join the 8th Illinois Cavalry, which his uncle. Gen. John F. Farnsworth, Avas then organizing. He was made Battalion Quartermaster, but soon thereafter, by an election, he was promoted to the Captaincy of Co. K of that celebrated regiment. During all the battles of the Army of the Potomac, he never missed a fight or skirmish in which his troop were engaged, and which are said to be forty-one in all. He was brave and daring to a fault, and so kind and con- siderate to his men, that he early became their pride and boast. Whenever a scout or reconnoisance was to be made, Captain Farnsworth was almost invariably placed at its head, and so 42 MARTYRS AND HEROES OF ILLINOIS. intrepid was he in his attacks, and so watchful in his movements, that liis name became a terror to every bushwhacker along the lines. For his skill and daring on one occasion, the folloAving com- plimentary order was issued : Hradquarters 1st Cav. Div., ) March 31, 1863. \ General Orders, JYo. 15: I. The General commanding takes this occasion to thank Capt. Farusworth of the 8th 111. Cavalry, for the gallant and efficient manner he has performed the scouting duty intrusted to his charge. 'J^he score of prisoners taken from the enemy is largely in his favor, and the skill and adroitness displayed in the capture are worthy of high commendation. II. This order to be published at the head of each regiment in this division. By order, BRIG. GEN. PLEAS ANTON. A. J. Cohen, To Capt. E. J. Farnsworth, 8th 111. Cav. Capt. and A. A. G. The compliment was well merited, and to his genius and bravery much of the celebrity of the regiment is due. In May, 1863, Gen. Pleasanton placed him upon his staif as Aid, and so well pleased was he with the man, that he nominated him to tlie office of Brigadier General, and the news of the appointment reached him while on duty in the field. Our cavalry was then at Frederick City, INIaryland, moving tow;i*fls Pennsylvania in pursuit of the rebels. Gen. F. was at once assigned to the command of the 1st brigade of the 3d division of cavalry — consisting of the 1st Vermont, 1st Virginia, 5th New York and 18th Pennsylvania Cavalry — with a battery of artillery. With his brigade Gen. Farnsworth moved rapidly forAvard. On the 30th of June he had a severe fight with the rebel cavalry under Stuart, routing and defeating that celebrated ofiicer. On the 3d of July, Gen. F. was ordered by Gen. Kilpatrick, who commanded the 3d division of cavalry, to charge the right flank of the rebel army. The rebels (infantry) were posted behind a stone ivall, and a little in rear of the wall was still another fence. They also had their artillery posted in such manner that they could pour a deadly fire of grape and can- ister upon the flanks of an advancing column. Gen. F. recon- noitered the ground in person, and reported to Gen. Kilpatrick MARTYRS AND HEROES OF ILLINOIS. 43 that a charge at that point would be madness, and would only result in the loss of his men. General K., however, ordered the charge to be made. The gallant young hero replied : " Very well, I'll not send my men where I do not go with them." The correspondent of the New York Times, who was with the cavalry, gives the following account of this terrible charge, one of the bravest, most gallant, but most disastrous, of any during the war : "The 1st Vermont, Col. Preston; 1st Virginia, Maj. Copehart; and the 18th Pennsylvania Cavahy, Col. Brinton, — were in position to charge. The 1st Vermont, 1st Virginia, and a squadron of the 18th Pennsylvania, led by Gen. Farnsworth, dashed forward at the word until the stone wall was reached. A few men pulled the rail fence away from the top of the wall. Gen. Farns- worth leaped his horse over, and was followed by the 1st Vermont — the enemy breaking before them, and taking a position behind the second fence. The few rods between the two fences, where our men crossed, was a fearfully dangerous place, the little force receiving the concentrated fire of three lines from front and both flanks. The witnesses of the movement stood in breath. less silence, their blood running cold, as the chargers gained the second fence, Man after man was seen to fall, Gen. Farnsworth among the rest. • He is killed!' gasped many a one, looking at tliat fatal spot. But no — that tall form and slouched hat are his — he lives — and all breathe again. His horse had been killed. A soldier gives him his horse. The General again mounts, and dashes on. The enemy here make a more formidable stand, but are driven away, and the whole force go dashing, reeling over the fence in a whirlpool of shot and shell, such as is seldom ever witnessed even by soldiers. The con- stant roar of musketry and artillery on the main field gave the scene a peculiar grandeur. It was fearfully grand. The second fence crossed, and new fires were opened upon this brave band. To retreat at that point was certain death, and the only chance of safety was to advance, and advance they did for between one and two miles, to the rear of the rebel army, in sight of the coveted train, but at what a cost! Dispersing, the men returned under a galling fire as best they could. A few did not get back to their command for hours — many never came. The list of missing graduall}' lessened, and hope led us to look anxiously for the return of Gen. Farnsworth; and when, with morning's dawn, no tidings from him were heard, then hope said he was wounded — a prisoner — he has been left seriously, perhaps dangerously, wounded at some house by the roadside. Vain hope! Messengers were sent in every direction to search for the missing spirit. It did not seem possible that he could be dead, and yet so it was. He fell just after crossing the second fence, his body pierced with five wounds. There some of the Vermont boys found him two days after, (the rebels having fallen back.) The brave, noble and generous Farnsworth has gone to his last rest, and the sod which 44 MARTYRS AND HEROES OF ILLINOIS. covers bis grave has been wet by the tears of those who loved and honored him while living. His name will ever be held in remembrance by every member of the 3d division." Gen. Farnsworth was possessed of rare beauty both of person and of soul. No man who knew him failed to admire his great social attractions, nor will they soon forget his tall, athletic frame, dark flashing eye and finely moulded features. There fell no braver soldier on that field of carnage. The following letters are from that excellent and gallant officer, Major Gen. Pleasanton, who commanded the cavalry corps, to the uncle of the subject of this sketch, and Captain Drummond, of Gen. P.'s staff", who superintended his burial, and announced his fate to his friends : Headqrs. Oat. Corps, Army of the Potomac, ^ July 6th, 1863. \ Gen. J. F. Farnsworth: Dear General: I deeply regret to announce to you the death of Brig. Gen. Farnsworth, late Captain 8th Illinois Cavalry. He was killed while leading a charge of his brigade against the enemy's infantry in the recent battle of Gettysburg. His death was glorious. He made the first grand charge against the enemy's infantry — broke them — when found, his body was pierced with five bullets, nearly a mile in rear of the enemy's line. ^^^ lie has been buried in the cemetery at Gettysburg, and the grave is properly marked. The enemy stripped the body to the undershirt — an unheard of piece of vandalism, as the General was in his proper dress. Accept my warmest sympathy. You know my estimate of our late friend and companion in arms. We have, however, a consolation in his brilliant deeds in the grandest battle of the war. Very truly yours, A. PLEASANTON. Gen. J. F. Farnsworth: Gen. : You have already heard of the death of your nephew, Gen. E. J. F., killed in the action on the 3d. I was with him not five minutes before he fell, gallantly charging the enemy's infantry at the head of two of his regiments. His body was brought in last night, and at 3 a. m. of the day, I buried him with one of his captains, each in a good, rough box, in the Gettysburg Ceme- tery. He was shot through the pelvis, and had two balls through the left leg, one of which shattered his ankle. Farnsworth's loss is mourned by all. He had just got his star, and fell in a gallant endeavor to prove to his nevv men his right to wear it. While by the light of a single lantern I dug his grave, instinctively the lines of Sir John Moore's burial at Corunna came in my mind. MARTYRS AND HEROES OF ILLINOIS. 45 " We buried bim darkly at dead of niglit, The sods with our bayonets turning:, By the moonbeam's misty struggling light, And our lanterns dimly burning. " Slowly and sadly we laid him down, From the field of his fame fresh and gory ; AVe carved not a line, we raised not a stone, But we left him alone in his glory." T. DRUMMOND, Capt. and Prov. Marshal Cavalry Corps. In July, Gen. J. F. Farnsworth visited Gettysburg, disinterred the remains of his nephew, and after embalming, removed them to Illinois, Avhere now sleeps the heroic brave. He rests, to be remembered with the honored dead who have fallen in defence of their country, and a nation mourns the inestimable loss. 46 MARTYRS AND HEROES OF ILLINOIS. LIEUTENANT COLONEL SMITH. Col. Melancthon Smith was born in Rochester, N. Y., on the 25th of March, 1828. His father was a military man, and served his country as captain at the battle of Queenstown, in the last war with Britain, where he received much commenda- tion for his skill and bravery. He dying while his son was a child of only a few summers, young Smith was brought up in the family of his uncle, Melancthon Starr, in New York city, where he remained until he was about twenty years of age. He then became connected with a mercantile house, and traded extensively in the Southern and Western States. In 1854, he settled in Rockford, and -commenced business as a merchant. Finding in this employment insufficient scope for his active and nobly-ambitious spirit, he abandoned, after a few years, the pursuit of trade, and devoted himself to the study of law, for the science of which he possessed an ardent love and a fine mental adaptation. He studied in the office of Judge Ans&n S. Miller, of Rockford. Being admitted to the bar in 1859, he engaged with ardor and ability in the practice of his profession, till the political campaign of 1860, with the momentous issues then at stake, called him away from professional to public and patriotic effi)rts for the redemption of the country. He threw his whole soul into this campaign, speaking earnestly and elo- quently on the great questions of the day, in the counties of Winnebago, Boone and Jo Davies. The winter of 1860 he spent in Washington. The following spring he received the appointment as Post Master of Rockford, in consideration of the valuable services he had rendered. Upon the call for 75,000 men, he made an effiart to arrange his busi- ness, so that he might raise a company, but was unsuccessful : he, however, spent time and money freely in assisting the late Col. Nevins, of the 11th Regiment, to raise and equip his com- pany. When the next call came, it found him ready and anxious to do his part. He obtained permission from the P. 0. MARTYRS AND HEROES OF ILLINOIS. 47 Department to leave his office, and by his efforts raised, in a few weeks, a company of 100, which included some of the most sterling and wealthy men of the county, and joined the 45th, or "Lead Mine Regiment," at Galena. He was soon elected Major, and drilled the entire regiment — alone — for a year. The efficiency of the 45th has proved how well the task was accomplished. It was a remarkable circumstance, that some years before, when there was no speck or thought of war in this country, he had, from his own military instinct, joined the company drilled by the lamented Col. Ellsworth; and the knowledge and skill in military tactics learned under that distinguished master, availed him much afterwards, and contributed not a little to his usefulness and distinction in the field. Col. Smith was present at the battles of Fort Henry, Donel- son and Shiloh, and at the siege of Corinth, Gen. Logan gave him command of the advance skirmishers for four days. He was the only Major that Gens. McClernand and Logan men- tioned in their official reports, none below the rank of Colonel being usually reported. They call him a "brave and efficient officer — worthy of any position assigned to him." Soon after the occupation by our army of Western Tennessee, he was appointed Provost Marshal of Jackson, in that State, and remained there for several months, discharging the duties of his trust with fidelity and vigor. Afterwards, he was trans- ferred to a larger and more important post, and appointed Provost Marshal of the district of Memphis. Of the fidelity and success with which for three months he discharged the laborious and trying duties of this office, no better testimonial can be given than the fact, that when, in accordance with his own expressed desire, he had been removed to his regiment at Vicksburg, a delegation of the merchants of Memphis Avaited on Gen. Grant Avith a petition that he be recalled to that important post, which request was immediately complied with. Though fully aware that an effort was being made for his return, and that his recall was more than probable, such was his desire to rejoin his regiment and participate in the impend- ing battles, that he did not wait to know the result, but started 48 MARTYRS AND HEROES OF ILLINOIS, immediately on his first order for Vicksburg ; and though he learned soon after his arrival, that Gen. Grant ordered his re- call, he sought and obtained permission to remain until after tlie fall of Vicksburg, coveting the danger and glory of the battle-field more than the immunities of civil office and the comforts of domestic life, which, in the intervals of toil, he could there enjoy. On the afternoon of Thursday, June 25th, a corps in Gen. Logan's division was ordered to storm Fort Hill, in the rear of Vicksburg. The assault was successful, but attended with a fearful sacrifice of life. Foremost in the fray was the gallant 45th Illinois, and foremost of these was Lieut. Col. Smith, who had command in the absence of the superior officer. At the very beginning of the engagement, while in the act of cheering on his men, he fell wounded in the head by three balls, one of which entered and lodged in the brain. He immediately felt in himself that his wound was mortal, and expressed his con- sciousness of the fact with the words, " I die as a true soldier, and as I would wish to die." He lingered in a state of half-consciousness for nearly three days, repeatedly expressing his satisfaction with his ^e, and his entire willingness to die for his country. He expired on Sunday morning, June 28th, in the 36th year of his age. His remains were brought to Rockford, and on the occasion of his funeral an eloquent discourse was delivered by the Rev. H. M. Goodwin, from the text — 2 Timothy, iv. 7 — " I have fought a good fight," Col. Smith possessed in an eminent degree all the qualities of a good soldier : courage, enthusiasm, self-devotion and fear- lessness of danger, supported by a firmness and fortitude and self-reliance that made him equal to every duty which a soldier is called upon to perform. Combined Avith these was a rare gallantry of spirit, and a noble generosity that won for him the respect and love of all who had enough in common with him to know him. One of the most marked traits of his character — which no one could be with him an hour without feeling — was his high and almost chivalrous sense of honor, showing itself by a quick sensibility to, and a supreme scorn of, whatever is mean MARTYRS AND HEROES OF ILLINOIS. 49 and unAvorthy. This sprang not from a selfish fear of reproach, without regard to principle, but from the deep probity and moral rectitude of his character. He was honorable in all his transactions, not out of regard to some factitious code of honor, but because he was true to his own personal convictions. The sincerity of these convictions made him earnest in expressing and uncompromising in asserting and maintaining them, which exposed him often to misjudgment and unpopularity with those who did not appreciate their ground and honesty. Before deciding to enter the army, he made the question a subject of devout and earnest prayer, and the decision Avlien made was a religious consecration to the service of his country, expecting never to return, but to die on the field of battle. He was not without faults, but they were defects and imper- fections rather than vices, and of the worst of them it could be said, they "leaned to virtue's side." The life and death of this valiant soldier afibrds a beautiful lesson to young men, which is summed up in the words of the poet : " Be just and fear not. Let all the ends thou aimest at be thy country's, Thy God's and truth's; then, if thou tallest, Thou fall'st a blessed martyr." 50 MARTYRS AND HEROES OF ILLINOIS. LIEUTENANT COLONEL WRIGHT. Lieut. Col. Joseph C. Wright was born in Rome, Oneida county, N. Y., on the 7tli of January, 1821. He graduated at Captain Partridge's Military School, in Norwich, Vt., and afterward studied law, and was admitted to the bar at Oswego, at the early age of twenty years. About the year 1853, he abandoned the profession of law, and became engaged in the grain business, residing mostly in Chicago, although he fre- quently visited and maintained business relations with Oswego. As a lawyer, he was successful in an eminent degree, his natural and acquired attainments having fitted him specially for an advocate, and as such, he was engaged in some of the most important cases in the State of New York. As a merchant. Col. Wright's character is worthy of emula- tion. Engaged in a business which is in its very nature extra- hazardous, it was not strange, nor to his discredit, that in the crash of 1857 he found his name on $40,0CRrwortli of paper, not his own, but for which he was responsible ! To his honor, however, be it recorded, that every single dollar of this was paid, and that, too, out of his earnings since the date named. In all his operations he was bold and persevering ; and if they were not always successful, pecuniarily, they were invariably carried through without the loss of honor or integrity. He was honest to a fault, for if a doubt existed on which side the beam turned, it was a rule with him to decide against himself. There are few men in the produce trade who have handled as much grain in the same period, and the number is still less who have had fewer litigations. He never forgot that while he was a merchant he was still a man, and that he also professed to be a Christian. Even when, in the dark commercial days of 1857, he saw his fortune melt away like snow, he manfully gave up, to pay his debts, every dollar he could control, and that, too, at a time when creditors were generally eager to compromise on the first offer, and it was the custom among many to adopt the French motto — Sauve qui i^eut — ''Save himself who can." MARTYRS AND HEROES OF ILLINOIS. 51 Col. Wright proved himself to be a true soldier. As a mem- ber of the Board of Trade, he eloquently urged the formation of those regiments which now bear its name, and was offered the Colonelcy of the first that was raised — the 72d. Being a civilian, however, he modestly declined the honor, and when offered the Lieutenant-Colonelcy, at once showed his sincerity by accepting it, even at a great pecuniary loss to himself and family. In the camp he carried with him that high gentlemanly bearing, kind disposition, and Christian practice, which had been his custom everywhere ; and while no officer was more sincerely loved and respected — nay, almost idolized — by his men, there are few who ever deserved it more. To those above him in station, and to those below, he was the same at all times and all places ; and no private can say that he was ever received less courteously, and his wants attended to less promptly, than if he had been a staff officer. During the long period from his enlistment till the investment of Vicksburg, the regiment did not meet the enemy in battle ; but on the 22d of May, when Gen, Grant ordered the assault on the enemy's works, owing to the indisposition of Col. Starring, he had to assume the entire command of the regiment, which he did in a manner which re- flects everlasting honor on his head. Not satisfied with the usual position of an officer, like the lamented Lyon, sword in hand, he led his men clear up to the rifle-pits, where he received, from rebel hands, his death wound. This, however, did not break his spirit. When visited by the correspondent of the Chicago Tribune in his tent, immediately after his arm had been amputated, he cheerfully said: "Never mind, 'Bod,' I have one arm left with which I can guide my horse ; the carry- ing of a SAVord is only for effect anyhow ;" and even later, after he had arrived in Chicago, he talked with the writer of this on the probable future scenes and events in this sanguinary struggle of freedom against slavery. He had nothing to say about grain, of prices current, or of markets. His whole conversation was of our country and its sacred cause — his aspirations how much he could accomplish for its good. In reply to a suggestion in reference to his condition, he said : " If God spares my life, and I regain my health and my country needs me, I will as cheer- 52 MARTYRS AND HEROES OF ILLINOIS. fully give this right arm to the cause as I have already given my left." This patriotic yearning was denied him, and after sickness and suffering, he died a true soldier. As a citizen, Col. Wright was justly admired. Carrying with him everywhere his Christian character, he won hosts of friends among all parties. In the social circle, few had such conversa- tional powers, which he used in a manner free from all taint and corruption. But he was pre-eminently a lover of his family hearth, and to those wdio knew him thoroughly, the genuineness of his patriotism is hotter appreciated hy the fact of the sacrifice it was to absent himself from his own fireside. Gifted with an eloquence which we can say was scarcely equalled west of the lakes, he was, for many years, the leading speaker of the Chi- cago Board of Trade on all public occasions ; hut never more will the rooms of 'Change resound with the tones of his silvery voice — never more will his oratory adorn the commercial cham- bers of the emporium of the West. The Board of Trade, on learning of the death of Col. Wright, appointed a committee to draft resolutions of regret and to con- fer with the family in making arral^gements for his funeral. On the 7th of July, a procession, marshalled by Col. Tucker, marched to the house of T. B. Carter, and accompanied the remains from there to the Second Presbyterian Church, when, after service, they were conveyed to the Michigan Central Rail- road Depot, to be taken to Oswego. On arrival there, a some- what similar order of arrangements was carried out. During the services, however, a beautiful incident occurred which will be long remembered. A dove — fit emblem of the " peace Avhich passeth understanding" — flitted into the church, and alighting on the organ, seemed to shake down from its wings benediction on the scene, sitting fearlessly amid the Availing minors of the music, as if it were a messenger sent to fly up to heaven's chan- cery with the record of the hero's life, well spent, and freely given to God and his country. His body was interred in River- side Cemetery amid the rattling crash of musketry, to await the last roll call before the Great Commander. MARTYRS AND HEROES OF ILLINOIS. 53 LIEUTENANT BEALS. Lieut. Jedediah Beals, son of Alvord and Charlotte Beals, was born in Geauga county, Ohio, in June, 1836. His father, in the spring of 1863, became totally blind, and unable to see a single object. He gave two sons to the service when the Rebel- lion broke out — one, the subject of this sketch ; the other, dis- charged on a surgeon's certificate for disability, after serving nine months. The mother of Lieut. Beals (now deceased) was a sister of the late Thomas Beard, Esq., who founded the city of Beardstown, Cass county, Illinois. In 1842, Lieut. Beals emigrated Avith his father, mother, brother and several sisters, to Cass county. His father was a farmer, and his son, the Lieutenant, followed this occupation until the year 1857, with the exception of the time he was en- gaged at school. He received a good English education, the last of which he procured at the High School at Beardstown, under the superintendence of Prof. J. Barwick. In 1857, he became engaged in the engineer corps on the Rock Island and Alton Railroad. In 1860, he took a contract on the same road in Greene co., and finished it the same year. In March, 1861, he went to Cedar Rapids, Iowa, expecting to engage in the rail- road business in that vicinity ; but immediately upon the break- ing out of the Rebellion, he returned home and sought a place in the army. He went to Springfield, and joined the 32d Regi- ment Illinois Volunteers. Before the regiment left for the seat of war, he was furloughed, with permission to recruit ; and by the last of December, 1861, he had enlisted, in the vicinity of Beardstown, 24 men, whom he took to Carrollton, Greene co., and with Capt. H. W. Manning formed Company E, of which he was appointed 1st Lieutenant. Co. E was attached to the 61st Regt. 111. Vols., Col. Jacob Fry, which Avas mustered into the service, March 7th, 1861, at Benton Barracks, Mo., and immediately proceeded to the theatre of war in Kentucky. The first time the regiment was under fire, however, was in that field of carnage at Shiloh. 54 MARTYRS AND HEROES OF ILLINOIS. At the battle of Shiloli he was much exposed, but escaped in that terrible conflict without a scar, although the exposure and fatigue brought on sickness a few days afterwards, in con- sequence of which he remained an invalid for a short time in camp. His anxiety, however, for active duty induced him to return to his post before he had sufficiently recovered, and that imprudence brought on a typhoid fever, to Avhich he succumbed. He was sent to the Hospital at Evansville, Ind., where he died on the 11th of May, 1862. Lieut. Bcals was an amiable and unassuming young man, courteous to all, obedient to his superior officers, and kind to the men under him : full of patriotic zeal, he gave his aflFections to his country when danger first hovered around her. On entering the service, he Avas asked by a friend whether he had counted the cost and danger. "Yes," said he, "if I had a thousand lives, they should all be hazarded in defence of my country." That Lieut. Beals was a ffood soldier, is known from the testimony of his superior officer, Capt. W. H. Manning, in a letter to the writer of this, who says : " Whilst writing on tliis subject, I would wish to state, that I consider his loss as one that cannot soon be supplied. As a companion, he was always cheerful, and disposed to look on the bright side of everything — as an oflScer, he was prompt and efficient in every duty — on the battle-field, he was brave almost to recklessness, and on the dreadful day of Shiioh, he won the admira- tion of every officer and man in the regiment. Ever since he left, especially since I heard of his death, I have felt as one bereft indeed. May he rest in peace, and may a sympathizing Saviour comfort his sorrowing and afflicted friends." P. Beals, brother of the youthful Lieutenant, went to Evans- ville and brought his body home for burial. His funeral took place on a pleasant Sabbath afternoon, when a large concourse of friends and citizens convened in the Congregational Church at Beardstown, to manifest their love and respect for the de- ceased. An eloquent sermon was preached by the Rev. Mr. Twining. The brave, the noble, the kind and affectionate young Lieutenant was then laid in his grave by the side of his kinsmen, there to sleep and wake not until the morning of the resurrection. MARTYRS AND HEROES OF ILLINOIS. 55 LIEUTENANT MEACHAM. Lieut. Henry Goodrich Meacham, son of Dr. Silas and Rebecca Meacham, was born in the town of Maine, Cook co., Illinois, on the 18th of January, 1841. Bereft of his father at an early age, under the judicious guidance of his mother, he developed such rare mental and moral qualities as ripened sub- sequently into a noble manhood. In his fifteenth year, he left home for Evanston, Illinois, to prepare for a collegiate course, where, after studying two years, he was admitted to the North- western University in September, 1858, and graduated in the class of 1862. In the year 1861, at the breaking out of the Rebellion, when many of his companions and classmates had responded to their country's call, he felt that he must go. His mind was much exercised upon the subject, but after mature deliberation and advice of friends, he thought it best to complete his course of study. His strong patriotism, however, did not permit him long to enjoy the comforts of home and the society of friends, to which he was ever most strongly attached. A few weeks only, after receiving his diploma, came the President's second call for volunteers, and, renouncing all his long-cherished plans of scientific and professional study, young Meacham, unprompted by any one, and purely from a sense of duty, enlisted as a private in the 88th Regiment Illinois Volunteers, on the 25th of July, 1862. A few months afterwards, he was promoted to a Lieutenancy. In this, as in all other positions, he was ever faithful, commanding the respect and esteem of his brother soldiers and superior officers. After sharing in hardships, toilsome marches, and dangers of battle at Perrysville and Stone River, and the subsequent duties of camp life, his constitution, not naturally robust, gave way, when he was for a time off duty. During his convalescence, his regiment was ordered out on a forced march to meet the enemy. Still feeble and utterly unfit for duty, he insisted on joinin^his OG MARTYRS AND IIKKOKS OF ILLINOIS. company, that tlievo might be no hick of service on his part Avhen there was Avork to do for his country. After a march of some hours, lie sank to tlie ground from utter exhaustion, and -was borne back to the hospital at IMurfreesboro, Tenn., where, after an ilhiess of one month, he died on the 1st of April, 18l)o. " He. the yoini|; and bravo, who oherieheJ Noble longings for tlie strife, By the wayside fell and perished. Weary with the march of life.'" Ilis brother, 11. AV. Meacham, who was with him during the last days of his sickness, immediately brought his remains to his home in Briekton, lib, wlierc his funeral and interment took place, April 9th, on which occasion a discourse was delivered by the Rev. Dr. Bannister, under whose instructions young Meaeham came during his senior year in college. Ilis character possessed many traits which would mark him as a model young man. His residence in the University Avas cliaracterized by an imvarying course of exemplary, good con- duct, lu his appropriate work he was diligent, critical and thorough — prompt in meeting every retiuirement, and perform- ing his allotted labor, not esteeming it drudgery, as many do, but from the high motives which dignify the nobler class of minds. Possessing rare natural endowments, both mental and moral, he had stained such chastcness and breadth of culture as few at his age attain untt>. He exhibited a Christian deport- ment for years, and vniited himself to the Congregational Church at Elk Grove on the eve of his departure for the field. Ilis sincerity of purpose, the transparency of his character and motives, his manly bearing, his kind and genial spirit, his pure- mindedness, and his patient and painstaking devotion to his work, cause his memory to linger with us in fragrance ami beauty. M A J U R M E D I L L. MAllTYllS AND HEROES OF ILLINOIS. 57 MAJOR MEDILL. Major William H. Medill, of the 8th Illmois Cavalry, mortally wounded in pursuing the rebels after the battle of Gettysburg, was born in Massillon, Ohio, on the 5th of Novem- ber, 1835. In the spring of 1838, the family removed to a farm in Pike township. Stark county, Ohio, where he remained on his father's farm until ho was fifteen years old, when, in 1850, he went to Coshoction, Ohio, and commenced learning the printing business in the office of the Coshoction Repiihlican. In April, 1852, he removed to Cleveland, Ohio, where he took a situation as a compositor on his brother Joseph's paper, the Forest City — afterwards called the Leader. At the end of six months, he took the foremanship of the Leader, which situation he held until the fall of 1855, when he removed to Chicago, where he joined his brother James in publishing the Prairie Farmer. In the fall of 1858, he disposed of his interest in the Prairie Farmer, and went to Canton, Ohio, where he established the Stark County Republican. He worked hard and faithfully to get his new paper on a paying footing ; but his means were limited ; the receipts at first were small, and the cash outlay considerable ; the promises made to him at the outset, by poli- ticians, were not fulfilled, and after six months' elfort, not realizing the success he anticipated, he sold the paper and returned to Chicago. During the short period he owned the Republican, it was a pungent and attractive sheet, handsomely printed, and filled with interesting matter. In politics, like its proprietor, it was radical Republican. On his return to Chicago he obtained a situation as a com- positor on the Paily Tribune, of which his brother Joseph was part owner and editor, and worked at the case from the spring of 1859 until the breaking out of the Slaveholders' Great Rebel- lion in the spring of 1861. During this period he spent his leisure hours in storing his mind with useful information. He 4 av'^ MAUTYUS ANn UKUOKS 01- ILLINOIS. read history, voviowod liis olomontarv studios, and >vhon tlto Avar broko out. was spondini:; Ins ovoniugs in tho Oon\n\oroial College of Hvyant vV: Stratton. and in tho Ivoouni o\' tho "Yoiu^ii- ^[ol^s Literary Union," of wlvioli ho wa.s a zealous and }>opiilar member. During his boyhood years his edueation Itad boon negleeted, and now when he was arrived at maahooil. ho |hm- coived the imperative neeessity of making up for lost time and preparing himself for future usefulness, lie desired to be an editor of a sueeessful daily paper, and with this objeet in view, was industriously titting himsolf for the re.