DR, B, F, STEPHENSON, 
 
 FOUNDER OF THE 
 
 Grand Army of the Republic. 
 
 A MEMOIR, 
 
 BY HIS DAUGHTER, 
 
 MARY HARRIET STEPHENSON, 
 
 ^ RIG 
 
 ^^ 
 
 'APB13 \m^ .1 
 
 SPRINGFIELD : 
 
 THE H. W. EOKKBR PRINTING HOUSE. 
 1894. 
 
 
E^ 
 
 ^^^ 
 
 •Ahs^ 
 
 Entered according to Act of Congress in the year 1894. 
 
 By MARY HARRIET STEPHENSON. 
 
 In the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington, D. G. 
 
DEDICATION. 
 
 To THE Grand Army of the Republic. 
 
 To that army of heroes, christened by the smoke 
 and blood of battle-fields, sealed their country's own 
 by the hardships, privations and dangers endured in 
 her cause; who left their pleasant firesides and offered 
 their comfort, their worldly prosperity, yea even life 
 itself, on the alter of their native land, the smell of 
 which offering went up as a sweet savor to the God 
 of Battles; our country's stay and pride; they who 
 stand now, as they stood in the terrible days of 
 1861-G4, the Bulwarks of the Nation's defense, in the 
 van of Freedom's great hosts; pledged to Loyalt^^, 
 Fraternity, Charity; that army whic^i has dried the 
 tears of so. many soldiers' widows and orphans, which 
 has enabled the scarred and aged veteran to tread 
 the last steps of his way to his reward surrounded by 
 comforts and honored by his country; which takes 
 tender and beautiful care of the helpless and the 
 afflicted; which lives in every day of its life its beau- 
 tiful motto: to this army of great hearts, from the 
 brave Major General to the humblest wooden-legged 
 hero who is proud to don the blue on G. A. R. days, 
 this little volume, eontaining the history of one who 
 loved them all, and labored for their good, is respect- 
 fully and affectionately dedicated, by its author. 
 
 January 12, 189^. " 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 A very great majority of the veterans of the Grand 
 Army of the Republic know but little more of their 
 founder than his name, and until a few years ago, few 
 outside of Illinois knew even the name of the man who 
 originated their order. I have deemed it my duty to 
 set forth my father's life and character, so that all 
 veterans might know him and his work. 
 
 The memoir is not so complete as I had wished it to 
 be, on account of the material for collecting informa- 
 tion being meagre and scattering. Great quantities of 
 my father's papers were destroyed soon after his death 
 by my mother. She did not think them valuable. 
 Had she known their importance she would not have 
 destroyed them. 
 
 I desire to acknowledge my debt of gratitude to those 
 who have so kindly assisted me by furnishing anec- 
 dotes, items of interest, and various data. My father's 
 very dear friend, and mine, also, I am proud to believe, 
 Major John F. Nolte, of Independence, Kansas, not 
 only very promptly and enthusiastically responded to 
 my request for items, but has cheered, enthused, and 
 encouraged me amid the discouragements of my under- 
 taking, so that I feel that I owe him a debt of grati- 
 tude which mere words can never express. I wish to 
 thank, also, very cordially. Col. Daniel Grass, of Inde- 
 pendence, Kansas, for his valuable information so 
 kindl^^ furnished, and for his many kind wishes for the 
 success of my undertaking. Mr. Samuel Walker, of Lay, 
 
VI PREFACE. 
 
 Kansas, Gen. James C. Veach, of Kockport, Indiana, 
 Miss Josephine P. Cleveland, of the State Historical Li- 
 brary, Springfield, 111., D. C. Brinkerhoff, Commander 
 Stephenson Post, Springfield, 111., Col. Frederick Phis- 
 terer, present Adjutant-General, G. A. R. U. S., and Mr, 
 J. H. Spears, of Elmwood, Neb., have all very kindly 
 furnished me with items, for which I take the present 
 opportunity to renew my thanks. Gen. Beath's History 
 of the Grand Army of the Republic has furnished some 
 of the items relating to the Indianapolis convention, 
 and three succeeding ones. 
 
CONTENTS 
 
 PART I. 
 
 PAGES. 
 
 Dr. Stephenson's Youth and Early Manhood 1-15 
 
 PART II. 
 
 His Army Life 16-37 
 
 PART III. 
 
 The Founding of the Grand Army of the Republic 38-71 
 
 PART IV. 
 Conclusion 72-7(3 
 
DR. B. F. STEPHENSON, 
 
 FOUNDER or THE 
 
 Grand Army of the Republic. 
 
 PART I. 
 
 "Haply some hoary-headed swain may say, 
 'Oft have we seen him at the peep of dawn, 
 
 Brushing with hasty steps the dews away. 
 To meet the sun upon the upland lawn. 
 
 'There, at the foot of yonder nodding beech 
 That wreathes its old fantastic roots so high. 
 
 His listless length at noontide would he stretch, 
 And pore upon the brook that babbles by.' " 
 
 "Honor and shame from no condition rise; 
 Act well your part, there all the honor lies.'^ 
 
 The self-made man does not exist, has never existed. 
 The environments of circumstance mold us to an extent 
 Ave often fail to realize. But sift out these environ- 
 ments, and a larc^er residuum of individuality would 
 remain in some characters than in others. Here and 
 there we find a soul so great that it wages war against 
 circumstance, subdues it, and well nigh molds it to its 
 will. Before, however, the great soul has gained the 
 
2 A MEMOIR OF 
 
 power of overcomino- all opposing circumstances, envi- 
 ronments will have left their indelible impress on it. 
 And even in its all-conquering career, the sensitive 
 •essence is being constantly modified by forces outside 
 itself. The mark of the conflict is impressed on the 
 Ibody, over which circumstance must finally prevail. 
 
 Most men, if they would form noble characters and 
 achieve worthy things, must gird on their armor and 
 do valiant battle with hostile environments, and the 
 earlier they enter the fight the greater the degree of 
 probable conquest. 
 
 The achievement of an end is called success. A man 
 may esteem himself unsuccessful, may even be so judged 
 by his friends, and yet, for all that, he may have 
 achieved those ends toward which the bent of his nature 
 tended, which were the natural sequence of his charac- 
 ter. Such an one, in the opinion of the writer, was the 
 subject of this sketch. 
 
 James Stephenson, the father of Dr. Stephenson, was 
 a native of South Carolina, but emigrated to Kentucky. 
 There he met and married Margaret Clinton, a native 
 of North Carolina. After residing here for a time, he 
 again removed his household goods to a new country, 
 this time taking up his abode in IHinois. 
 
 In Wayne county, Illinois, October 3, 1823, Benjamin 
 Franklin Stephenson was born. He was one of the 
 younjrer members of a large family. Since ancestry 
 combines with circumstance in forming character, some 
 further account of James and Margaret Stephenson 
 seems admissible. 
 
 Mothers are very important factors in the molding 
 of character, and, in studying the life of a man, one of 
 the first questions which presents itself is always "What 
 
DR. STEPHENSON. 6 
 
 kind of a mother had he?" But, although Dr. Stephen- 
 son had a very o;ood mother, it would, in all proba- 
 bilit\', be fair to estimate the influence of his father's 
 character on his to have been fully as ^reat as that 
 of his mother. 
 
 James Stephenson was a man whom to know was 
 to esteem and love; the ideal father, kind, yet firm. 
 His was the philosopher's nature, calm and logical. 
 His heart was kind, his judgment ripe, his nature 
 manly. Well do I remember tlie tones of reverence 
 and pride with which his children spoke of him after 
 they had become gray-headed men and women. He 
 was a man of strong religious convictions, and be- 
 lieved that the religious code was for every-day use. 
 A careful student of the Bible, and what other books 
 his limited means admitted of his possessing, he im- 
 planted in his children a love for knowledge. His na- 
 ture was large and broad enough to take in the idea 
 that others might hold different opinions from his 
 own and yet be honest in their convictions, holding 
 them by the same right by which he held his. Liberal 
 minded, large hearted, he was neither inclined to strain 
 at a gnat nor to swallow a camel. 
 
 Margaret Stephenson was one of those model house- 
 wives, energetic and capable, warm-hearted and hos- 
 pitable. A woman of extraordinary spirit and deter- 
 mination. One of her relatives, not a. direct ancestor, 
 however, was Charles Carroll, a signer of the Declara- 
 tion of Independence. It is related that when, in 
 company with those other bold men who took their 
 lives in their hands, Charles Carroll affixed his name, 
 the other gentlemen remarked, "You can sign safely 
 enough. There are so many Carrolls the British Gov- 
 ernment will never know which one it is." Carroll, 
 
4 A MEMOIR OF 
 
 who had laid down his pen, immediately seized it 
 ap^ain and wrote after his name "of Carrollton," thus 
 distinguishino; himself from others of the same name. 
 
 When Frank, for this was the abbreviation by which 
 Dr. Stephenson was known in his youth, was about 
 three years of age his father removed from Wayne to 
 Sangamon County, and in the latter county Frank 
 passed his early youth. There were eleven children in 
 the family'-, and Dr. Stephenson was the seventh. Only 
 three of this large family now survive, Mrs. Jacob 
 Swingle, Mrs. A. E-. Houghton, and Mrs. Wm. Spears, 
 all residing, at present, near Petersburg, 111. 
 
 Many a hard task did these hardy pioneer children 
 accomplish, many a simple pleasure did they enjoy 
 together. And among them none was more mischiev- 
 ous or fonder of fun than Frank. He teased his 
 younger sisters, and played pranks on the older ones, 
 and often was the worth3^ mother driven to her wits 
 ends to preserve order among her large and lively 
 family. 
 
 The schools to which my father was sent were such 
 as the new country afforded. One end filled with a 
 big fireplace which roasted your face while your back 
 froze, or vice versa, the seats of split logs and walls 
 innocent of plaster. The spaces left between the logs 
 for the purpose of admitting light were nicknamed 
 windows. The "master" flourished a big ferule, and 
 was not sparing of its use, for in those days "lickin' 
 and larnin'" was the creed. Notwithstanding these 
 extremely primitive educational advantages, Frank 
 learned rapidly what the rural pedagogue professed 
 to teach. The curriculum, however, extended but lit- 
 tle beyond the three R's. When still quite young, he 
 
DR. STEPHENSON. 5 
 
 was noted for his proficiency in spelling, and, in the 
 rural spelling schools, he was quite a champion. 
 
 In those early days, in my grandfather's neighbor- 
 hood, the more intellectually inclined had an institu- 
 tion which they called polemics. It resembled the 
 modern lyceum or debating club. My father, even as 
 a child, took great delight in these meetings. Noth- 
 ing could please him more than to be taken to the 
 polemics. I have heard one of my aunts say that, 
 after attending one of these meetings, my father could 
 remember and repeat almost everything he had heard. 
 Perhaps these rude country debates sowed the seeds 
 of that patriotism which was such a passion with him 
 in after life. 
 
 The fare of these early Illinois settlers was simple in 
 the extreme. Of course they had plenty of meat, what 
 with game, and the stock for which there was very 
 little demand in the markets in those times. They had 
 plenty of corn meal, also, and quantities of vegetables; 
 plenty of butter, honey, and berries in their season. 
 Honey was a very useful article of food to the early 
 settlers ; for they, like the ancients, used it in place of 
 sugar. This was because of the scarcity of money and 
 distance of the markets. If the settler's wife's honey- 
 jar was empty, he could soon find a bee-tree, and thus 
 replenish the larder. They knew nothing of canning 
 fruit, and, of course, had to wait for apples, pears and 
 peaches, until their orchards grew up; but they dried 
 berries, and, occasionally, made preserves of them, 
 sweetening with honey. My grandmother made several 
 varieties of corn bread, but the favorite kind was that 
 called corn pone. It was a loaf baked in an iron oven, 
 surrounded by glowing coals, and with coals heaped on 
 the lid. When baked, the bread was white and sweet. 
 
6 A MEMOIR OF 
 
 Wheat bread and cake were baked only on rare occa- 
 sions; such as weddino's, or, occasionally, when strange 
 company was present. 
 
 The country was so infected with malaria, in those 
 times, that the settlers were obliged to prepare for the 
 regular yearly attack of chills and fever. Their clothes 
 were both home-made and homespun, the spinning and 
 weaving of cloth being a regular occupation of the 
 women of the household. 
 
 The settlers' families were widely scattered. Spring- 
 field, even, was only a village, and the nearest church, 
 or preaching station, was several miles distant. My 
 grandfather used to call the family together on Sun- 
 days, and have scriptural reading. Sometimes, they 
 would meet at the house of a neighbor and read the 
 Bible together. My grandfather's library consisted 
 chiefly of books on church doctrine, expositions of the 
 Bible, moral philosophies, etc. There were, however, 
 among the books, some histories and a few volumes 
 of poetry. Of these, Frank's chief favorite was Milton, 
 over whose sublime pages he was accustomed to pore 
 in his boyhood's leisure hours. In politics, my grand- 
 father was' a Whig, and took several newspapers, 
 among others, the "New York Observer." The children 
 were entertained and instructed b^^ the excellent stories 
 of the "Youth's Companion." 
 
 One of my grandfather's near neighbors was a very 
 superstitious old woman, who used to tell my father 
 marvelous stories about Yahoos. These gentry were 
 a headless species of ghost, of frightful aspect. Not- 
 withstanding the counteracting precepts of his parents, 
 these stories made considerable impression on him. 
 Apropos of Yahoos, a story I have heard my father 
 
DR. STEPHENSON. 7 
 
 tell comes to me from the dim regions of the past. 
 As nearly as 1 can recall, it was as follows : 
 
 One day my father was sent to the mill for meal. 
 By the time the miller got ready to serve him, it w^as 
 quite late, and, as soon as he had gotten a little meal 
 ready, my father, whose imagination was so much in- 
 flamed by the stories of the above-mentioned neigh- 
 bor that he had become nervous about riding alone 
 in the dark, begged the miller to let him take what 
 was already ground, and go without waiting for any 
 more; but the miller insisted on filling the meal sack, 
 and made him wait for it. So, when he at last started 
 for home, it was late, and he had quite a distance to 
 go. The shadows thickened around him rapidl^^, and 
 soon night was upon him. As the solitary boy rode 
 through the dark w^oods, all the dreadful stories of 
 Yahoos to which he had listened came vividly ta 
 mind, and the poor child's nerves became completely 
 unstrung. Straining his eyes along the dark path^ 
 suddenly an apparition appeared, which caused every 
 hair to stand on end, sent the chilled blood back to 
 his heart, and caused the perspiration to stand out 
 in great beads on his forehead ! A Yahoo ! There wa» 
 the horrible headless monster right before his eyes! 
 He was lost! Nearer and nearer it came; the fright- 
 ened boy, shaking as with ague, crouched down on his 
 horse and had not even the nerve to turn and flee. 
 At length it suddenly emerged from the deeper shadows 
 close to him, and lo, blessed relief! it was a belated 
 neighbor, wending his way along the woodland path! 
 The greatly relieved but somewhat mortified lad pur- 
 sued the even tenor of his way home, but encountered 
 no more Yahoos. It amused my father greatly to 
 tell this story in later years. 
 
8 A MEMOIR OF 
 
 Frank, like the other boys of his time and locality, 
 only spent a brief portion of his life in the school- 
 house. He attended school a little in the winter, and 
 worked on the farm in spring, summer, and autumn; 
 but he was eager for what knowledge he could acquire. 
 Especially as he grew older, approached young man- 
 hood, the craving to know what was to be known, to 
 mingle with others in the busy outside world, and 
 accomplish great and worthy things, possessed hiui. 
 This feehng was doubtless fostered by the example of 
 an elder brother. William Stephenson had gone out 
 from his father's roof, chosen the profession of medi- 
 cine, and, settling in Iowa, had become quite success- 
 ful. He had built up a good practice, and was running 
 B> drug store. Feeling that this profession, with its 
 glorious possibilities, was also his choice, my father 
 went out to his brother, at Mount Pleasant, Iowa, 
 about 184G, or when he was about twenty-three years 
 old. On this period of his life, I have not been able 
 to get much light. He clerked in his brother's drug- 
 store, and read medicine with his brother and Dr. 
 Clarke. There were many Indians around Mount 
 Pleasant at that time, and Frank had many amusing 
 experiences with them. While here, he was quite an 
 enthusiastic member of a society called Sons of Tem- 
 perance. His father had always been a strong tem- 
 perance man, and had been very careful about the 
 habits acquired by his sons. One winter, while mak- 
 ing his home here, he attended medical lectures at 
 Columbus, Ohio. He returned, however, to Mount 
 Pleasant. Finally, erysipelas attacked both Dr. Wil- 
 liam Stephenson and Frank. The latter, after a severe 
 -and protracted illness, finally recovered, but his brother 
 
DR. STEPHENSON. 9 
 
 died. As soon as Frank was able, he left the place 
 and came home to his father, in Illinois. 
 
 During the winter of '49 and '50, he attended medi- 
 cal lectures at Rush Medical College, Chicago, and re- 
 ceived his diploma from that institution, dated Feb- 
 ruary 7, 1850. 
 
 Meanwhile, my grandfather had removed to Menard 
 County, Illinois, and was living on a farm about seven 
 miles south of Petersburg. Hither my father came, 
 broken down in health, as a result, probably, of the 
 severe sickness which had brought him so near death's 
 door, combined with the exertions he had put forth 
 to finish his medical education. Here, in the neighbor- 
 hood of Rock Creek, Menard County, my father rested 
 and recruited his strength for a period of about a year 
 and a half. In his own words : " I came to this county 
 (Menard) with fifty cents in my pocket. * * j ^yag 
 weak, cadaverous, and entirely out of health." 
 
 During this period of rest and recuperation, my 
 father "read Shakespeare and other kindred works," 
 mingled with the young people of the neighborhood 
 in their rural pastimes, and practiced medicine a little. 
 His health improved considerably, and he decided to 
 locate in Petersburg, 111., a pretty little village nestling 
 among the green hills on the banks of the historic 
 Sangamon. Here he soon built up a large practice. 
 
 About this time. Dr. Stephenson's father removed 
 from his farm to Petersburg. At the time of the re- 
 moval, there were two unmarried sisters still at home, 
 but the elder of the two married soon after the father 
 went to Petersburg. The younger remained at home 
 a few years longer, and kept house for her father, the 
 mother being blind and almost helpless. 
 
10 A MEMOIR OF 
 
 Dr. Stephenson and his next older brother were very 
 social young men. It was "hail fellow, well met, and 
 won't yon come up to dinner?" to all their acquaint- 
 ances. They were a very hospitable family, but the 
 constant unheralded stream coming up after dinner 
 was on the table, was a little hard on the housekeeper, 
 Dr. Stephenson's sister. ''But," she said to me once, 
 in recalling these reminiscences, "I never minded any 
 trouble I. took for Frank." He had so many virtues, 
 and he made people love him so that they ignored 
 his faults. 
 
 Dr. Stephenson was very genial and companionable, 
 and gathered about him many friends. He early 
 showed great skill in his profession, which he followed 
 with the energy that characterized all his undertak- 
 ings. He was vitally interested in each patient, at- 
 tending him assiduously, and, if necessary, watching 
 night and day by his bedside. Mor did he neglect the 
 study of medicine and surgery from books and peri- 
 odicals, thus keeping up the studies which he had pur- 
 sued when attending lectures.. He was diligent, both 
 in acquiring theory, and in putting that theory in 
 practice. Socially, he was always at the service of his 
 friends, and he w^as universally considered a "good 
 fellow." 
 
 Deciding to share the cares of his practice, Dr. 
 Stephenson entered into partnership with Dr. Cabanis. 
 
 Let us see, now, what had been the influences at 
 work on the pioneer boy, and into what manner of 
 man he had developed. Growing up in a new country, 
 bis young eyes constantly beholding the face of un- 
 tamed nature, the rude cabins and ruder barns and 
 smokehouses of the settlers, scattered sparsely over 
 
DR. STEPHENSON, 11 
 
 the face of the wide prairies and surrounded by their 
 corn patches, seeming but to emphasize the insignifi- 
 cance of man as compared to nature, what wonder if 
 great mother Nature herself touched the eager impres- 
 sible boy's heart with her magic wand. What wonder 
 if, all unconsciously, he drew in largeness of heart and 
 breadth of soul, that comprehensive vastness of s^-m- 
 pathy which included in its grasp all human nature. 
 Observant, eager, impressible, he absorbed into his 
 rapidly expanding nature the impressions he received 
 day b^^ day, 
 
 I see the boy some star-light night after the hoes 
 have been laid aside, the cows milked, and supper has 
 been eaten, lying prone on the dewy grass, his 3'oung 
 head resting on his arm, gazing up at the blazing 
 jewels of the sky, I imagine him inquiring, "Father^ 
 what are the stars? What gives them their beautiful 
 light? Are the}'' so very far away?" and kindred ques- 
 tions. His father gives him some information; he 
 longs to know more. His reasoning power is knock- 
 ing at the gate of consciousness, his mental and moral 
 powers begin to expand, and he feels a half-conscious 
 thrill of power, as yet untried and in its infanc3\ The 
 country debates delight the child's heart. He hears 
 patriotic speeches made. His country begins to be an 
 object of. reverence to him. Men have died for love of 
 country. Ah, when he becomes a man, he, too, may 
 sacrifice his life for his native land ! That would be a 
 glorious death, thinks the boy. He learns something 
 of political and economic questions, too, at these de- 
 bates, and, perhaps, begins studying the Constitution 
 of his country. 
 
 The Black Hawk War and other Indian wars were 
 discussed by his father and older brothers, and doubt- 
 
12 A MEMOIR OF 
 
 less he listened to many a thrilling tale of adventure 
 with Indians. Sitting at the knee of father or mother, 
 he drank eagerly in stories of the revolutionary war, 
 and the adventures of his ancestors, or other relatives, 
 in those troublous times. Ever eager for a story 
 of life and experience or a scrap of knowledge, the boy 
 grew year by year both in stature and mental calibre. 
 
 At length, however, a new and startling experience 
 touches him. An elder brother is stricken by death. 
 The parents are distracted by grief, the children awe- 
 stricken. The father leads his sons to a solitary place, 
 and there pours out his soul in earnest prayer for 
 those still left him. The solemnity of this death, and 
 its accompanying circumstances, sink deep into Frank's 
 heart. Within a few years, five of his brothers and 
 sisters are claimed by death, nearly half that large 
 family say their last farewell to earthly friends and 
 pass over to the great beyond. Upon so loving and 
 faithful a heart as Frank's all this must have made a 
 powerful impression. The breath of the fell destroyer 
 had brushed his cheek, warning him that life is uncer- 
 tain, that sorrow follows joy with fleet and noiseless 
 footstep. When death comes near us, it marks our 
 souls indelibly. We are never the same afterwards. 
 The successive deaths left their impress then on the 
 boy's heart, broadening and deepening it, although, 
 at the same time, touching it with the shadow of the 
 world's pain. 
 
 When he left his childhood's home, and went out to 
 learn his chosen profession and make for himself a 
 place and a name in the world, his horizon broadened; 
 he met new faces, came into contact with new charac- 
 ters. He made warm friends; the reciprocal affection 
 
DR. STEPHENSON. 13 
 
 expanded his nature, called into play its great, unself- 
 ish tenderness. He also experienced coldness, selfish- 
 ness, and ingratitude. These had, of course, their 
 inevitable result of tending to weaken his faith in 
 human nature; but so great was his heart, so bound- 
 less his faith in his fellow men, naturally, that, all 
 through his life, he was constantly pinning his faith to 
 others, but, eventually, to be deceived and wounded. 
 
 When, after receiving his diploma, he returned to his 
 father's house, during the period of recuperation he 
 had time to reflect, to assimilate the impressions he had 
 received. He communed with great minds in literature. 
 The grand thoughts of that m^^riad-minded bard, Wil- 
 liam Shakespeare, were incorporated into his being. 
 When he commenced the practice of medicine, new ex- 
 periences crowded upon him. The physician has an 
 excellent opportunity to observe human nature in its 
 various phases. He came in contact with, aud received 
 impressions from, various characters, realizing both 
 the bitterness and sweetness of human nature. 
 
 On the 30th of March, 1855, the marriage of Dr. 
 Stephenson to Miss Barbara B. Moore was celebrated 
 at Springfield, 111. Miss Moore was a native of Ken- 
 tucky. She had emigrated to Springfield, 111., with her 
 father, in 1853. Concerning the domestic relations of 
 my father, I can truly say that he was a most affec- 
 tionate and exemplary husband and father. Such was 
 his character, and so uniform his tenderness towards 
 his family, that words fail me to express the affection, 
 akin to worship, with which his children regarded him, 
 and still regard his memory. 
 
 Soon after his marriage, Dr. Stephenson was ur2:ently 
 solicited by the trustees and faculty of the prospective 
 
14 A MEMOIR OF 
 
 Iowa Medical Colleo-e to take a professorship in that 
 institution. He agreed to do so, and during the win- 
 ters of 1855 and '5(3, '56 and '57, he lectured there on 
 General, Special, and Surgical Ana.tomy. The college 
 was located at Keokuk, Iowa, and was designed by its 
 founders to be the chief institution of its kind in the 
 West. The}'' were very enthusiastic in regard to it, 
 and students were solicited and obtained from the 
 neighboring States, especially the adjacent ones of 
 Missouri and Illinois. Dr. Stephenson entered into the 
 duties of his office with characteristic enthusiasm. He 
 labored faithfully and untiringly in lecture and dissect- 
 ing room, and during vacation canvassed the State of 
 Illinois for students. He intended to return to Keokuk 
 in the fall of 1857 to deliver another course of lectures, 
 but was prevented, much to his disappointment, by 
 sickness in his family. His relations with the faculty 
 of Iowa Medical College were exceptionally pleasant, 
 and, after his active connection with the institution 
 was severed, out of respect to him, personally, and 
 gratitude for his services, the trustees continued to 
 publish his name in connection with the institution. 
 
 Dr. Stephenson was, doubtless, always interested in 
 politics, but the beginning of Taylor and Fillmore's 
 administration was, probably, the time from which 
 may be dated the commencement of that enthusiastic, 
 constant, and active interest which characterized his 
 later years. At that time, minds both north and south 
 of Mason and Dixon's line were being powerfully agi- 
 tated by the slavery question; and, from the beginning 
 of this administration to the civil war, slavery was 
 the all-absorbing topic. Such orators as Wendell Phil- 
 lips and such writers as Harriet Beecher Stowe were 
 
DR. STEPHENSON. 15 
 
 enough to fire the blood of the most stolid and iinini- 
 pulsive of men. What, then, must have been their 
 effect on the <»;enerous, unselfish, and just nature of 
 Dr. Stephenson? He loathed, as such a nature as his 
 must ever loathe, slavery, that foul blot, that plague 
 worse than leprosy, since it destroys souls, as well as 
 bodies, wherever it exists. 
 
 Throughout Pierce's administration the slavery 
 versus anti-slavery controversy grew hotter and hot- 
 ter. At length, new party lines were drawn, and those 
 opposed to the extention of slavery mustered their 
 forces to the polls under the name of Republicans. 
 They, however, were defeated by the democrats, and 
 James Buchanan was elected. 
 
 By the time Mr. Lincoln was nominated, political 
 feeling had reached a yqtj high pitch, indeed. Dr. 
 Stephenson took enthusiastic interest in this cam- 
 paign, and his admiration for "Honest Old Abe" was 
 unbounded. 
 
 Lincoln is elected ; the South secedes and forms its 
 separate government. After the inauguration of the 
 new president comes the news of the firing on Fort 
 Sumter. 
 
 The Omnibus Bill, the Kansas-Nebraska Bill, with 
 Douglas' advocacy of "Squatter-Sovereignty, " the 
 Dred Scott Decision, John Brown's Raid, the Secession 
 of the Southern States, the firing on Fort Sumter, in 
 turn, had agitated the people until they were wrought 
 up to white heat, and the North was made ready for 
 that wonderful response it made to President Lincoln's 
 call for volunteers, when the requisition for seventy- 
 five thousand troops was responded to by hundreds 
 ■of thousands. 
 
16 A MEMOIR OF 
 
 PART 11. 
 
 'May all our boys who fall be found 
 Where men lie thickest at the front, 
 Where brave hearts bore the battle's brunts 
 Contesting every inch of ground; 
 Though well we know dead men to be 
 But broken tools that Freedom flings 
 Aside, alas! as useless things, 
 In carving out her destiny." 
 
 Union men of both political parties hastened to re- 
 spond to the president's call for troops. 
 
 Dr. Stephenson was among- the first to offer his 
 services, and enlisted at Jacksonville, Illinois. He was 
 appointed surgeon of the 14th Illinois Infantry Volun- 
 teers, Col. John M. Palmer commanding the regiment. 
 His regiment remained at Camp Duncan, Jacksonville, 
 until the 16th of June, 1861, when it started for 
 Quincy. In writing this part of the biography, I shall 
 make frequent extracts from a history of his regiment, 
 written by my father for the Rev. Dr. Eddy's history 
 of some kind. 
 
 "Encamped north of the city (Quincy) on the after- 
 noon of the same day (June 16th); called (this place) 
 Camp Wood. The day we left Camp Duncan we had 
 a full regiment, every company being to the maximum, 
 1,010 enlisted men, 39 commissioned officers, 1,049 in 
 all. We remained in Camp Wood until the night of 
 the 4th of July, when a report came that Union men 
 were being murdered at Canton, Missouri. Adj. Gen. 
 Morton ordered us there in great haste. 
 
DR. STEPHENSON. 17 
 
 ''We landed at Canton on the ni<2,-ht of the 4th, or 
 rather, the morning- of the 5th of July, formed line of 
 battle and double-quicked up throuo-h the town and 
 took it in fine style, not finding; an enemy in sight. 
 Col. Palmer marched his men to the rear of the town 
 and encamped. We remained there until the 8th, when 
 we received word that Col. Smith of the IGth was sur- 
 rounded at Monroe Station, and about to be captured 
 by the rebel Tom Harris. Lieut. Col. Johnson had 
 gone out some distance in the country, with five com- 
 panies, in search of Mart. Green. He ran across some 
 of them and fired into them and saw some evidence 
 that these shots had taken effect. At this point, a 
 courier met him, ordering him back to Canton, and 
 as soon as he returned we all embarked on the steamer 
 Black Hawk, and went to the relief of Col. Smith, 
 Got to Hannibal, then took rail and went out. Found 
 Smith in no danger, no enemy in sight. He liad been 
 attacked by the enemy with a six-pound bomb-piece at 
 very long range, and had made several holes through 
 the female college in which they were encamped." 
 
 From this place they were ordered to several others 
 in turn, and finally stationed to guard the North Mis- 
 souri Railroad, or a. portion of it, for a time. While 
 the regiment was at Rolla, Mo., about the middle of 
 September, Dr. Stephenson left it, Dr. G. T. Allen being 
 appointed surgeon in his place. His leaving the regi- 
 ment at this time was not the result either of any 
 cooling of his loyalty, or any dereliction in the per- 
 formance of duty, as the following testimonial, gotten 
 up by the officers of his regiment, and signed by 
 twenty-eight names, will show : 
 
 —2 
 
18 A MEMOIR OF 
 
 "We, the iindersio:ned officers of the 14th Regiment, 
 lUinois Volunteers, feeling- it to be our duty in order to 
 do justice to our former surgeon, Dr. B. F. Stephen- 
 son, of Menard County, Illinois, to state that his dis- 
 charge from service in this regiment is not because of 
 a want of professional skill, or from any act of his in 
 his private relations, but, on the contrarj^, his conduct 
 as a gentleman has been such as no man could take 
 exception to, and that we believe he is excelled bv few 
 in his profession, having had charge of our regiment 
 for near four months, and not having lost a single 
 man under his immediate treatment since his connec- 
 tion with the regiment, and having treated in hospital 
 and otherwise some six or seven hundred cases of dis- 
 ease, and performed sundry operations in surgery ; 
 and that we, together with our entire command, are 
 entirely satisfied with him in every particular, and that 
 we fear, and some of us have good reason to know, 
 that his discharge has been the result of a wicked 
 combination, brought about by persons having a per- 
 sonal animosity against him, outside of the regiment." 
 
 They were first brigaded and divisioned at Tipton, 
 Mo., before the Springfield campaign. Palmer was pro- 
 moted to command the brigade. 
 
 The regiment was at Fort Donelson when Dr. Ste- 
 phenson rejoined it, having been reappointed about 
 February, 1862. He arrived, "owing to delay occa- 
 sioned by lack of transportation, just as the garrison 
 surrendered." His narrative goes on to say: "We re- 
 mained here sometime; men very unhealthy, owing to 
 eating mortified aecesh bacon captured there. We were 
 then brigaded and divisioned. Our division was com- 
 posed of two brigades, the first brigade comprising the 
 41st Ilhnois, 3d Iowa, 32d and 28th Illinois, com- 
 
DR. STEPHENSON. 19 
 
 manded by Brig. Gen. J. G. Laumen, of Iowa. The 
 second brigade, the 14th. 15th and 4(5th Illinois and 
 25th Indiana, commanded by Col. J. C, Yeatch, of 
 Indiana." 
 
 They were now a portion of the Army of the Ten- 
 nessee, under Grant, and having a definite object in 
 view. They marched from Fort Donelson to Fort 
 Henry. There they embarked in a fleet of 118 trans- 
 ports, headed by the gunboats Lexington and Tyler. 
 They ascended the river to Savannah, Tenn., remained 
 there ten days, then went up to Pittsburgh Landing. 
 Here they disembarked and camped on the west side 
 of the river, in open woods, on what has since become 
 the famous battle-o-round of Shiloh, or Pittsburgh 
 Landing. I quote again from my father: 
 
 "This ground is covered with large oak trees, with 
 very little undergrowth; in some places, however, there 
 is considerable. Above the landing, where our left 
 rested on the top of a ridge, the large trees were not 
 so plenty, and for probably half a mile or moi"e it was 
 thickly studded with undergrowth; this is the place at 
 which the enemy undertook to turn our left and cut 
 us off from the river, and some idea may be formed 
 of the desperation of the engagement, when I tell you 
 that I examined this part of the line after the battle 
 was over, and the entire undergrowth was cut off with 
 bullets at an even height of about four or five feet; 
 hardly a single twig was left standing, not one that 
 had not been touched with a ball. I, in company with 
 Capt. J. P. Walker, of the 17th Illinois Infantry, after- 
 wards Lieutenant Colonel of the 85th IHinois Infantry, 
 counted the balls in two large oak trees, of about an 
 average size and having about an average number of 
 'wounds." We counted eiirhtv-five musket balls in one 
 
20 A MEMOIR OF 
 
 and eio-hty-seven in the other. One had two cannon 
 balls and the other three, I see I am ahead of my 
 story, as well as running off on a side track. 
 
 "We remained here until the 1st of April; regiment 
 not in good health, owing to exposure at Fort Donel- 
 son and eating some mortified bacon there captured 
 from the rebels. 
 
 "On the evening of the 4th of April some slight skir- 
 mishing occurred; we were called out in line of battle. 
 After remaining perhaps an hour, we were ordered 
 back to quarters. Ou the 5th, Gen. Grant reviewed 
 the troops in an old field. It was a mild, sunshiny 
 day, such as we have here in May, and we returned 
 to camp feeling pleasant and comfortable. The morn- 
 ing of the 6th was more beautiful still; there was a 
 soft, balmy, hazy atmosphere; the sun came up broad 
 and full, and shone through the tree-tops, casting long- 
 shadows on the ground and across our white tents. 
 Everything looked beautiful when I got up to break- 
 fast. I could see the men sitting down by their camp- 
 fires cleaning and scouring up their guns. Many of 
 them had them 'unbreached,' taken all to pieces, in 
 order to clean them more easily and effectually; all 
 looked happy and quiet. Poor fellows! it makes my 
 heart sick to think how soon they passed in review 
 before the final Judge! I had just sat down to my 
 breakfast, and had barely commenced eating, when 
 the battle opened like a clap of thunder a hundred 
 times multiplied, and continued an indefinite length of 
 time. That terrific roar still sounds in my ears. * * 
 
 "In a moment, appai'ently, every gun was put 
 together; each man, with the 'harness of war' on, 
 was fast swinging into line; the column was immedi- 
 
DR. STEPHENSON. 21 
 
 ately formed, and we commenced our march to the 
 front. Immediately came the 'tlying- mass;' the hills 
 were covered with men, on horse and on foot, flying 
 at full speed for the Tennessee river. Many of them 
 our officers tried to stop, but a stone wall twenty feet 
 high and ten feet thick would have been no hindrance. 
 All discouraged our men with this kind of remark, 
 'Our command is cut all to pieces!' 'You go on, if 
 you like; you'll catch h— 1, directly.' This is very hard 
 for any troops to stand. Then came the wounded, on 
 litters, in ambulances, and supported by men walking 
 on foot, holding up a broken arm. etc. This is the 
 hardest sight for soldiers. I could see the men look 
 at each other anxiously; some of them turned very 
 pale. Knowing they had great confidence in me, I be- 
 gan to rally them and joke them; told them I was 
 going into action with them (which I did). Then the 
 chaplain. Rev. W. J, Rutledge, that noble, courageous 
 and godly man, whom every soldier who knew him 
 loves and reveres, came to the rescue, and cheered 
 them ; told them he would stand by their side, and 
 most nobly and gallantly did he fulfill his promises, 
 often carrying men to me in his arms, on his back, 
 and any wa}^; and once, in trying to get a poor boy 
 off the field, my horse, on which he rode, was shofc, 
 and he had to get down and carry the man on his 
 shoulder. 
 
 "His words seemed to inspire the men with new life, 
 and they marched boldly up to the enemy. The enemy 
 was coming with but little resistance. They came up 
 to within about seventy yards of our line before we 
 discovered who they were. They had a regiment of 
 Louisiana Zouaves in front, with blue uniforms, very 
 similar to our own, and they carried the 'Stars and 
 
22 A MEMOIR OF 
 
 Stripes' in front. When they o^ot within about sev- 
 enty yards, the Butternuts were discovered, and that 
 eagle-eyed soldier. Gen. Hurlbut, ordered the men to 
 fire, which the^^ did with an excellent aim. Had it 
 not been foi- this timely fire, they would have mur- 
 dered almost all of us; but this thinned their ranks 
 and rendered their aim unsteady. Yet their fire was 
 terrific. They immediately threw down the Union flag- 
 and hoisted their own rag; then there was a fight. 
 As well as I could judge, we lost about thirty or forty 
 killed, and about one hundred and forty wounded, in 
 less than twenty minutes. 
 
 ''By this time I had gotten fairl3' to work. I lost 
 sight of the immediate action of the regiment until the- 
 next day; but it continued in action all day, in the 
 midst of the engagement, fighting as well as any other 
 regiment, and no better; for men all fight alike; and 
 all men will fight (there are a few exceptions) just as 
 long as their officers stay with them; and when you 
 hear of a regiment or comyjany behaving badlj'', set it 
 down its officers have set the example. Again, it. is 
 too common a practice with officers to extol their 
 own commands and detract from others. * * * 
 
 "That night after the battle closed, which w^as after 
 dark, the command had been driven back until the left 
 rested at the steamboat landing. Right here let me 
 digress and correct a very common error fallen into 
 by almost all who have described that battle. It is 
 generally described in this way, — that the rebels drove 
 us back to the river, where we hardly had ground to 
 stand on, that is, our whole line driven in. Nothing 
 is more fallacious. At this point the river runs almost 
 due north; our line was formed exactly at right angles 
 with the river, or east and west; our left resting on 
 
I)K. STEPHENSON. 23 
 
 the river bank, our right extending' out several miles, 
 and protected on the right by a little creek. Now we 
 fell back in regular order, moving the whole line to- 
 gether; that is, our second line. Our front line, com- 
 manded by two as brave officers as ever drew a sword, 
 was surprised and broken up. I don't care what any 
 body says to the contrary, Prentiss fought well and 
 hard, perhaps rashly and improperh', and so did Sher- 
 man: but what was saved of their line fell back to 
 ours, the second, and fought like devils. As I said, at 
 night our left rested at the lauding, and extended di- 
 rectly west, as it did in the morning. The enemy under- 
 took to turn our left from the river, but failed. The 
 place I mentioned, where the underbrush was so ter- 
 ribly cut, is the ground on which this attempt was 
 made, and shows how determined was the attack; and 
 the immense piles of dead men show how desperate 
 was the resistance. 
 
 "Soon after dark, it commenced raining; the weather 
 changed ; a cold disagreeable north wind sprang up, 
 and the poor men, after fighting all day, many of them 
 without breakfast, were compelled to lie down in the 
 rain, with gun in hand, and cartridge box on, without 
 anything to eat, and, in fact, too tired to eat if they 
 had had any food. And yet they slept soundly and 
 apparently sweetly, notwithstanding the fact that it 
 rained in torrents. 
 
 "Late in the afternoon. Gen. Wilson came up on the 
 other side of the river with 15,000 men, and they suc- 
 ceeded in crossing over by night, and, by Monday 
 morning, about 30,000 of Gen. Buell's command had 
 crossed. Our men were so miserably cut up and worn 
 out, that they were allowed to get a little to eat, while- 
 
24 A MEMOIR OF 
 
 Buell's men brought on the engagement, with our 
 broken ranks to support them. 
 
 "Buell opened the battle in most beautiful style, and 
 by nine o'clock our men were refreshed a little and 
 went again eagerly into the fight. If there is any 
 beauty in a terrible battle, in the wholesale slaughter 
 of our fellovv creatures, this beauty was manifest in 
 Monday's battle. Everything was conducted with sys- 
 tem ; every maneuver was performed with military 
 precision. Whereas, on Sunday, all was disorder and 
 confusion, and hard, bull-dog fighting, on Monday, 
 everything moved like clock work. 
 
 "I could tell but little difference in the position of the 
 two great contending armies until after ten o'clock, 
 when I could see the enemy giving ground. They con- 
 tinued falling back until about four o'clock P. M., 
 when it became a complete rout; and, at dark, Gen. 
 Grant called off the troops. Thus ended the famous 
 battle of Shiloh." 
 
 This was the battle as it appeared to Dr. Stephen- 
 son, who thought he saw as much of it as "any one 
 man." He was six times inside the enemy's lines on 
 Sunday, and, while he "tried to do his duty, he also 
 tried to see all he could." He was amused at, and dis- 
 gusted with, many of the accounts of this great battle 
 published soon after its occurrence. They were contra- 
 dictory and inconsistent. He mentions a certain news- 
 paper correspondent who, in his diagram of this battle, 
 "placed himself exactly midway between two contending 
 batteries, at close range, and playing on each other 
 with all the energy of good soldiers." 
 
 I have inserted this description of the battle of Shi- 
 loh, partly because to me it seemed interesting, partly 
 
DR. STEPHENSON. 25 
 
 because it was written by an eye-witness and may differ, 
 in some particulars, from tlie descriptions of other eye- 
 witnesses, and partly because it seems to me to exhibit 
 the character of its writer. Enthusiastic in his admira- 
 tion of excellence in his particular friends or heroes, 
 3"et, withal, anxious that justice should be meted to 
 everyone according to his deserts. 
 
 Dr. Stephenson won golden opinions for himself in 
 this battle. It is possible for a surgeon to show him- 
 self as brave as the bravest; and, while he in his own 
 account has been modest in mentioning his own deeds, 
 spending his enthusiasm on his friends, others have 
 left evidence that their surgeon was not behind the 
 rest in valor. In a document addressed to Gen. Beloit, 
 and recommending Surgeon Stephenson for a position 
 in the projected Ranger Service, I find the following: 
 
 "In the bloody conflicts of Shiloh and Hatchee, he 
 faithfully and persistently prosecuted his duties, despite 
 of shot and shell and charging squadrons round him." 
 
 For meritorious services in this battle, Gov. Yates 
 conferred on Dr. Stephenson the rank of Major. Some- 
 where near this time, I think before the battle, he was 
 appointed Brigade Surgeon. 
 
 During, and for some time after, such hard-fought 
 battles, the regimental sui'geons were kept very busy, 
 none more so, probably, than Dr. Stephenson. A cer- 
 tain soldier was wounded so severely that one of his 
 limbs would have to be amputated. His regimental 
 surgeon was so busy that he could not immediately 
 attend to him, and the case was urgent. His life was 
 in danger. A friend left his suffering comrade for a 
 time, and went in search of a surgeon. He came upon 
 Dr. Stephenson and proffered. his request. The wounded 
 
2G A MEMOIR OF 
 
 man was from another State and had not been at all 
 associated with Dr. Stephenson; nevertheless, he was 
 a human being- in distress and must be succored. The 
 doctor readily consented to go, and was led away to 
 our wounded soldier. When the latter saw his friend 
 approach with the surgeon in tow, he was a little 
 startled. A tall, broad-shouldered man, disheveled, 
 coat off, sleeves rolled up to the elbows, grimy with 
 battle-smoke, and bedaubed with blood stains. "My 
 God,'" thought the poor fellow, "am I to be butchered 
 in cold blood by that great big butcher?" He soon 
 found out, however, that this new friend was not so 
 sanguinary as he looked. Although worn out with 
 hard work, the surgeon set to work with a will; skill- 
 fully and speedily amputated the limb, and, with the 
 tenderness of a woman united to the skill of the prac- 
 ticed surgeon, soon fixed the poor fellow up. He con- 
 tinued to visit this soldier and dress his wound, regu- 
 larly, until he was recovered, notwithstanding his own 
 regular duties. Years after, this soldier was riding in a 
 railway carriage with a certain gentleman from Illinois. 
 Learning that his traveling companion was an Illi- 
 noisan, the old soldier asked him if he knew Dr. 
 Stephenson. "All Illinoisans certainly ought to know 
 Dr. Stephenson," exclaimed the enthusiastically grate- 
 ful old soldier. It happened that the gentleman was 
 an old friend of the doctor. On learning this, the 
 veteran told the above story. 
 
 Living in the midst of the comforts which a peaceful 
 and prosperous nation provides for even its humblest 
 citizens, it is difficult for us to realize the hardships 
 and privations of soldiers engaged in active service 
 during war time. The picture of the sufferings endured 
 b^'' warriors is presented too seldom to the peaceful 
 
DK. STEPHENSON. ' 2T 
 
 public; but, now and then, we are startled by the vivid 
 coloring of some battle picture into a faint idea that 
 we do owe something- to the veterans who wore the 
 old blue, and, by their- privations, endured uncom- 
 plaininoly and often enlivened by jest, have paved the 
 way for our comfortable prosperity. 
 
 Major John F. Nolte, of the l-tth, was a bosom friend 
 of Dr. Stephenson. He was for some time in command 
 of the regiment, and was intimately associated with 
 the doctor in work, as well as socially. Their friend- 
 ship was so close that either would have sacrificed life 
 or limb for the other. 
 
 After the battle of Shiloh, many of the soldiers'' 
 friends from the north came to visit the array, and 
 see the battle-field. A certain editor came to visit 
 Major Nolte at this time, and prolonged his stay 
 several marches on to Corinth. One of those little in- 
 cidents occurred which are so distressing to the civilian 
 but which the soldier learns to take as a mere matter 
 of course. It commenced raining, and it rained with 
 a will, steadily and without "letting up." They had 
 to march all one day through the rain. The baggage 
 team stuck in the mud, as baggage teams unfortu- 
 nately have a knack of doing, leavins: the soldiers with- 
 out tents, provisions, or bedding. As night came on,, 
 the editor anxiously observed that there was no sign 
 of bedding or tents. 
 
 "I'd like to know how in thunder I'm going to sleep 
 to-night, Major," he demanded. 
 
 "Do not worry, my friend," said the major, sooth- 
 ingly, "I will provide. Just come around to my fire 
 when you are ready to retire." 
 
28 • A MEMOIR OF 
 
 When Mr. Editor came around, with pleasant visions 
 of a comfortable bed, provided by Providence in the 
 shape of Major Nolte, how and whence he did not 
 know, he saw nothing but two broad, flat fence-rails, 
 laid side by side where the flickering fire light fell upon 
 them, while a third rail was held in reserve. To his 
 inquiring look the Major pointed out the two fence- 
 rails, and politely invited him to lie down on this rustic 
 <3ontrivance and use the third rail for cover. In the 
 morning the Major's friend struck out for the north, 
 fully satisfied with his experience of the hardships of 
 a soldier's life. 
 
 The 14th took part in the siege of Corinth and vari- 
 ous other engagements in that vicinity. They arrived 
 at Memphis some time after the capture of that city. 
 I quote again from the history of the regiment: 
 
 "We encamped just below the city, on the bank of 
 the Mississippi. When we once more got in sight of 
 the 'Father of Waters,' rolling down from the free 
 north in all its might and grandeur, the thought of 
 home was strong, and the river seemed to invite us 
 to take passage on its broad bosom, and to say to 
 us 'I can now carry you to your happy homes,' and 
 the boys gave three rousing cheers for the Mississippi." 
 
 Afterwards the troops were stationed at Bolivar, 
 Tenn. While here, a certain young surgeon who had 
 been sent out to assist Dr. Stephenson in his charge of 
 the 14th, for, although brigade surgeon, he still looked 
 specially after his comrades of the Mth, arrived. The 
 next morning Dr. Stephenson gave the new assistant 
 his hospital book and told him to go into the hospital 
 t;ent and see what the men wanted. The young M. D. 
 seemed to be utterly at sea as to what was required. 
 
DH. STEPHENSON. 20 
 
 and instead of feeling the pulses of the sick soldiers 
 and askino- their symptoms, he simply stared at the 
 first man he came across, Mr. Samuel Walker, with a 
 broad grin on his face. Mr. Walker, of course, stared 
 back at him, and recognized the book although h& 
 knew nothing of the assistant. 
 
 "What are you doing with that book?" he demanded. 
 The budding army surgeon opened the book, took out 
 his pen, and put the stereotyped inquiry, "What do you 
 want?" "What do I want?" repeated Mr. Walker, 
 "Yes, what do you want?" "I want my breakfast."" 
 The doctor carefully noted this desire in his book and 
 passed to the next. 
 
 By this time the other boys had "caught on." One 
 communicated his desire for a wife, another, for a dis- 
 charge, still another wanted his mother. Some wanted 
 to go to Europe, others to China. The majority, how- 
 ever, wanted a furlough home. 
 
 With commendable industry, the ambitious M. D. 
 labored with the men, accumulating and recording this 
 kind of information, from early in the morning until 
 four o'clock in the afternoon ! Uncommonly slow pen- 
 man that! A delegation of the invalids called on Dr. 
 Stephenson that evening, and their spokesman in- 
 quired, — "Doctor, what lunatic is carrying the hospital 
 book about and interviewing the boys? " The doctor 
 laughed heartily, saying, — "Boys, that fellow will know 
 a great deal more wlien the war is over than he does 
 now." 
 
 I am indebted to Mr. Walker for this anecdote. 
 
 On the fifth of October, as the division commanded 
 by Gen. Hurlbut, that of which the 14th was a part, 
 was on its way to Corinth to reinforce Gen. Rosecrans^ 
 
30 A MEMOIR OF 
 
 it had an eno-ao-emeiit with the rebel forces at the Big 
 Hatchee river. This was on the day after the principal 
 engagement at Corinth, and while Rosecrans was pursu- 
 ing the Confederates, and was one of the after-incidents. 
 It was a hard-fought battle, in which the Union forces 
 gained the victory at a high price. In his report of 
 this battle, Brig. Gen. James C. Veatch says: 
 
 "Major Stephenson, Senior Surgeon of the Brigade, 
 devofed himself to the relief of the wounded, and his 
 skill, energy, and devotion to duty were seen and felt 
 by my whole command." 
 
 After this engagement the troops returned to Boli- 
 var, and remained there for some time. 
 
 Before the troops left Bolivar, the Illinois State offi- 
 cers came down to visit them, Gov. Yates, xiuditor 
 Dubois, familiarly known as "Uncle Jesse," and others. 
 Of course they must review the troops. Gen. Hurlbut, 
 the division commander, mounted Gov. Yates and 
 ^'Uncle Jesse," and they rode slowly along the line. 
 But when they turned to come back by the rear Gen. 
 Hurlbut, who was a dashing rider, put his horse to 
 its best speed. His staff, of course, followed his ex- 
 ample. Judge Dubois, who was a very poor rider, after 
 an ineffectual attempt to overtake the others, reined 
 in where Dr. Stephenson and Major Nolte were stand- 
 ing in line, and exclaimed: 
 
 "Doc, just look at the fools! Hope they will 
 
 break their necks. I didn't come here to have mine 
 broken." 
 
 The 14th was in the front of the column and under 
 the immediate command of Grant, when he moved 
 down the railroad to attack Vicksburg in the rear, 
 while Sherman was to attack from Chickasaw Bayou. 
 
DR. STEPHENSON. * 31 
 
 After this, they guarded the railroad eoininnnieations 
 for (irant's army, and, finally, were sent down to take 
 part in the siege of Vicksburg. 
 
 During the winters in camp. Dr. Stephenson im- 
 proved the time and varied the monoton^^ of camp 
 life by giving lectures and demonstrations in anato- 
 my. It was easy to obtain subjects, and his hospital 
 help received instructions which were doubtless of in- 
 estimable value to them. Nearly all of them after- 
 wards became practicing physicians. 
 
 Chaplain Rutledge was connected with Dr. Stephen- 
 son in the hospital work, helping him care for the 
 wounded soldiers, and George Goldsmith was cook. 
 The chaplain and Goldsmith gained the reputation of 
 being excellent foragers. Chickens had to roost very 
 high indeed, if the parson and Goldsmith did not get 
 them into the hospital pot, according to Major Nolte. 
 The same gentleman assures me that the chaplain be- 
 came exceedingly expert in providing for his mess, so 
 much so that one evening he came in with one side of 
 a sheep, and Dr. Stephonson remarked that the chap- 
 lain had gotten so expert that he could slaughter one 
 side of a sheep and leave the other side grazing. 
 
 I am indebted, also, to Major Nolte, for the follow- 
 ing hospital incident: 
 
 Gen. McPherson had his headquarters at a certain 
 farmhouse. The family had agreed to provide meals 
 for the General and staff. Goldsmith, on a foraging 
 expedition, struck the same house and found a peck 
 of corn meal, all they had. He took all the meal and 
 jthe sifter, in his gum blanket, and went out in the 
 orchard, spread his blanket on the grass under an 
 apple tree, and deliberately went to sifting his confis- 
 
32 " A MEMOIR OF 
 
 cated meal. About this time the lady of the house 
 discovered that her meal had all vanished, and at 
 once reported the fact to Gen. McPherson, and he 
 to his staff. With them, it was find the meal or no 
 bread. They all struck out on the search. The Gen- 
 eral discovered Goldsmith and .went up to him, and 
 the colloquy that ensued was about as follows: 
 
 "Younp; man, you seem well heeled." 
 
 "1 know' it, General." 
 
 "Whose cook are you?" 
 
 ''Suroeou Stephenson's." 
 
 "How many in 3'our mess?" 
 
 "Four."- 
 
 "Well, you don't need a whole peck of meal; can't 
 you divide?" 
 
 "All rio'ht, General. Doc is the most liberal man in 
 the army, and here is half the meal." 
 
 During" the siep;e of Vicksbur^ Dr. Stephenson occu- 
 pied the house of Col. Durden for a hospital. Col. 
 Durden was a stately old southern gentleman, who 
 had been very wealthy before the war, but, after both 
 the Confederate and Federal armies had pillaged the 
 plantation, his family was left destitute of even the 
 necessities of life, a melancholy instance of the sad re- 
 sult of war. Dr. Stephenson sympathized deeply with 
 the old couple, and while in the neighborhood he saw 
 that they were supplied with food, and protected from 
 abuse. 
 
 I will here quote a passage from a letter written to 
 me b\' Major Nolte: 
 
 "Your father's goodness of heart was not alone con-« 
 fined to his friends, but took in all suffering humanity. 
 When Vicksburg surrendered, your father ccjuld not 
 
DK. STEPHENSON. 8^ 
 
 'dispose of his sick and wounded in time to accompanj' 
 the regiment on to Jackson. 
 
 "Therefore, when I arrived at Vieksburo- (the major 
 had been home on a furlough occasioned by sickness) on 
 July 5th, I found your father there, and we started oa 
 horseback, on the morning of July 6th, to overtake 
 the regiment. Before we started, we took every bottle' 
 of whisky we could carry; our troops would need thera 
 in the absence of medical stores. The rebel prisoners, 
 paroled, had started on July 5th. Exhausted, sick, 
 they lined the road from Yicksbura- to Baker's Creek. 
 We traveled the same road. Tiie doctor would stop 
 at every group of rebels, and hand out a bottle of 
 whisky; and so it went. When he arrived at Baker's 
 Creek, where our roads diverged, the sick, exhausted,^ 
 rebels had all our whisky, and many a 'God bless you' 
 did the doctor receive from the rebels. 
 
 ''We rode all that day and night. About daylight,, 
 we met a stream of wagous going to Yicksburg for 
 supplies. The men told us that our division had struck 
 and charged the rebel works at Jackson, the evening 
 before, and that our brigade had led the charge and 
 failed, and that half of the brigade lay dead and 
 wounded under the rebel works. We felt so shocked 
 we could ride no further, dismounted and sat down 
 by a tree. Tears may indicate weakness, but do you 
 know the bravest are the tenderest? I never knew a 
 more tender-hearted or braver man than B. F. Stephen- 
 son. When we arrived at Jackson, the next day, we' 
 found it was the first brigade that had suffered, not 
 ours, but the slaughter was none the less sad." 
 
 The same writer says, "No surgeon could, in the 
 14th, fill the place of' 'Old Butch' (Dr. Stephenson). 
 -3 
 
34 A MEMOIR OF 
 
 This, with the regiment, was a term of respect and 
 endearment. Often have I heard the inquiry, ' Where 
 is Old Butch ? ' 'Is Old Butch present ? ' when the rej>;i- 
 ment was preparin.g for battle. If your father was 
 with us, we went into battle with lighter hearts, be- 
 cause his care and skill would fix us up all right again, 
 if wounded. * ^ * Whether on the skirmish line, or 
 in the stubborn conflict in line of battle, where shot 
 and shell plowed their deepest furrows there was 
 glorious 'Old Butch,' and there he staid until forced 
 to the amputating tent." 
 
 After Dr. Stephenson overtook the troops at Jackson, 
 he, in company with Major Nolte, his bosom friend, 
 rode out for the purpose of inspecting the Union picket 
 line and the rebel works.. The doctor left his assis- 
 tant orders not to attempt any amputations until he 
 returned. The assistant surgeon disreo:arded his in- 
 structions, however, and, although there was really 
 nothing to warrant an amputation, took off a man's 
 leg while his senior was absent. When Dr. Stephenson 
 returned, and heard of the occurrence, he was very 
 much enraged. He was no experimenter upon living 
 subjects, and allowed none of his subordinates to ex- 
 periment. 
 
 The next day after the surrender of Vicksburg, the 
 troops were ordered to Jackson. After the evacuation 
 of this city, they again returned to Vicksburg. After 
 the troops were recruited somewhat, they were ordered 
 to Natchez. They returned to Vicksburg in November 
 and were stationed at Camp Cowan and Camp Hebron, 
 on Black river, ten miles in the rear of Vicksburg. 
 
 Dr. Stephenson, finding that the troops were to re- 
 main here for some time, and being anxious to see his 
 
DR. STEPHENSON. 35 
 
 family, wrote to his wife, asking her to come to Vicks- 
 burg. A pretty incident is connected with the visit of 
 the doctor's family, showing to what extent he had 
 won the affection of the soldiers with whom he was 
 intimately associated. 
 
 Dr. Stephenson had engaged rooms for his family at 
 a house just outside the Union picket lines, and about 
 a mile from camp. But his family was delayed, and 
 be got word that his wife and children would not ar- 
 rive until some two or three weeks later than he at 
 first supposed. In the meantime, a certain officer, a 
 friend of Dr. Stephenson, had returned from the North, 
 bringing with him a bride. The young officer was in a 
 quandary; he had no place to which he could take his 
 wife. Always at the service of his friends. Dr. Stephen- 
 son, immediately on hearing of the officer's dilemma, 
 proffered the rooms he had hired for his family, with the 
 express understanding, however, that they were to im- 
 mediately vacate on the arrival of Mrs. Stephenson. 
 Mrs. Stephenson at length arrived on short notice to 
 her husband. The doctor notified the friend whom he 
 had accommodated, but the gentleman refused to give 
 up the apartments, intimating that he had possession 
 and intended to keep it. 
 
 Dr. Stephenson was very much perplexed. What was 
 he to do? His family was coming, and there was no 
 place prepared for them. He confided his troubles to 
 Major Nolte. The major kindl^^ told him not to worry, 
 but to take the ambulance and bring his family to 
 camp, and meanwhile he (the major) would see that 
 a lodging was provided. The major informed the boys 
 of the 14th of their surgeon's predicament, and started 
 them immediately to building a chimney to a large 
 tent. He also requested each of them to contribute 
 
36 A MEMOIR OF 
 
 what he could spare from his small store of comforts 
 towards furnishing the tent. Some of the soldiers had 
 hoarded bits of carpet and various odds and ends of 
 furniture, towards increasino; the scanty comforts of 
 their winter camp. These they cheerfully brought for 
 the service of their surg:eon's family. 
 
 When the doctor arrived with his family, coming- in 
 from the drizzling rain, a pleasant sight met their 
 eyes. A cheerful fire blazed on the hearth, and com- 
 fortable arm-chairs standing near invited them to rest. 
 Everything was cosy and comfortable. Of course the 
 doctor took in the situation at a glance, and knew that 
 the boys of the old 14th had purchased the comfort 
 of his family at the price of their own. 
 
 About the first of February, the troops were ordered 
 out on the famous Meridian raid. On this raid, an in- 
 cident occurred which exhibits Dr. Stephenson's loyalty 
 to his friends. At Enterprise, Major Nolte was at- 
 tacked by sciatic rheumatism, a disease to which he 
 had become subject. So violent was the attack that 
 he could not be moved. As the troops were pushing 
 on as rapidly as possible, skirmishing as they marched, 
 it was proposed that they should leave the major to 
 the "tender care of the rebels." Dr. Stephenson was 
 very much excited on hearing this proposal. "If you 
 leave the major," he exclaimed, "you leave me, too, 
 for I will never leave him while there is breath in his 
 body!" He was the kind of man who would die for 
 his friend and think it nothing but his duty. For- 
 tunately for both, the major had so far recovered, by 
 the time they were ready to resume the march, that he 
 could sit on a horse, with one on each side to hold 
 him. 
 
DR. STEPHENSON. 37 
 
 After the Meridian raid, the troops returned to Vicks- 
 burg-; from thence, they went to Cairo, 111. Then they 
 took some cattle designed for Sherman's army up the 
 Tennessee. They landed at Clifton, Tenn. They drove 
 the cattle down to Athens, Ala. ; from thence across 
 to Huntsville. Here a part of the new veterans drove 
 them on farther, then returned to meet the rest at 
 Huntsville. 
 
 Dr. Stephenson's term expired on the 2oth of May, 
 1864. He then returned home, and was mustered out, 
 June 24, 1864. 
 
38 A MEMOIR OF 
 
 PART III. 
 
 "Gi'iru-visag'd War hath smoothed his wrinkled front." 
 
 "Whether we fight or whether we fall 
 
 By saber stroke or rifle ball, 
 
 The hearts of the free will remember us yet, 
 
 And our country, our country will never forget." 
 
 After leaving the army, Dr. Stephenson located at 
 Springfield, 111., and commenced the practice of medi- 
 cine. The following reminiscence illustrates his friend- 
 liness for the soldiers, especially those with whom he 
 had had any intercourse in war times. 
 
 About a year after Dr. Stephenson had left the array, 
 Mr. Samuel Walker, a soldier of the 14th, who had 
 been imprisoned in Andersonville, was ordered to 
 Springfield to be mustered out. As Dr. Stephenson 
 w'as driving along the street, he saw Mr. Walker. 
 Recognizing him, he immediately drew rein and hailed 
 him: 
 
 •'Well, Sam, you are just out of Andersonville, and 
 half dead, too. What's the matter with you anyhow?" 
 
 Looking at his old 'Surgeon, with a ghost of a smile, 
 the veteran- replied : "You ought to know, Doc." 
 
 The doctor immediately named his disease, and bade 
 him get in the buggy with him. He drove on to a drug 
 store, ex3,mined Mr. Walker, and prepared half a gal- 
 lon of medicine, giving him directions for taking it. 
 Mr. Walker had been so long accustomed to taking 
 
DR. STEPHENSON. 39" 
 
 medicine from the reg'imental surgeon free of charge, 
 that he picked up the medicine and turned to leave, 
 without thinking it was to be paid for. Looking at 
 him with a quizzical smile, the doctor hesitatingly ob- 
 served: "Sam, the government does not furnish that 
 medicine, but I will let you have it at half price " 
 
 Most of the anecdotes I have used were contributed 
 by men of the old 14th. I have considered it appro- 
 priate that the old soldiers should express their affec- 
 tion for my father, and their admiration for his 
 character. 
 
 After he left the army and located at Springfield, 
 Dr. Stephenson was made a member of the examining 
 board of surgeons at Camp Butler, near Springfield. 
 After Surgeon A. B. Campbell was mustered out of 
 service, and left for Philadelphia, by his (Campbell's) 
 request, Dr. Stephenson took charge of the hospital 
 at Camp Butler, and acted from December 12, 1865, 
 to January 31, 1866, when Dr. Buck received a con- 
 tract. Shortly afterwards. Dr. Stephenson succeeded 
 Dr. Buck. He received the contract giving him charge 
 of the hospital about February 26, 1866. The pay 
 at this time was eighty dollars per mouth, but May 
 14, 1866, he received another contract, allowing him 
 one hundred dollars per mouth. He remained in charge 
 of this hospital until the soldiers were all mustered 
 out, and the stores sold. 
 
 Dr. Stephenson was a physician of large practice 
 and considerable reputation. He had also a very kind 
 heart, and nuuibered among his patients many who he 
 knew could never pa3^ him a cent. Suffering hunmnity, 
 especially' women and children, of any class, touched 
 his heart deepl3^ How profoundly, then, did it move 
 
40 A MEMOIR OF 
 
 him to see the soldier's widow and orphans in want, 
 and such cases were constantly forced on his notice. 
 ^^Greater love hath no man than this, that he should 
 lay down his life for his friend." The soldier had done 
 this for his country, and that country had promised 
 to care for his helpless family. But the country, 
 though well meaning, was slow, and meantime the 
 orphans were starving. The returned soldier himself 
 found it hard to find employment on reentering civil 
 life. The place he had vacated at his country's call 
 was filled hj another, and he must begin his tussle 
 with the world again at a disadvantage; perhaps 
 crippled, an arm or a leg gone; or, if>he was so for- 
 tunate as to retain all his limbs, some disease, brought 
 on by exposure and hardships incident to war, had 
 fastened its fell grip on him. If no chronic malady 
 had 3'et made its appearance, most probably the 
 ^erms were lurking somewhere in his system. He w'as 
 :aged and enfeebled by his army experiences. So char- 
 acteristic is selfishness of human nature that the ex- 
 soldier's more fortunate neighbors, who had been 
 prospering in business while he was fighting the enemy, 
 and, perhaps, running in debt to keep his family on 
 his slender pay, had, too often, no helping liand to 
 extend to him, but were, rather, jealous of the moderate 
 praise and notice he received from the public. 
 
 Dr. Stephenson was a close observer of all this, and 
 he soon lifted up his voice in the soldier's behalf. His 
 professions of friendship for the soldier were accom- 
 panied by practical ministrations, to which many a 
 befriended widow or orphan, or distressed soldier, can 
 testify, if yet living. He gave employment to soldiers, 
 soldiers' widows and orphans, whenever he could, and 
 induced others to employ them. He attended them in 
 
DR. STEPHENSON. 41 
 
 illuess, free of charge, if they were unable to pay. The 
 magic phrase, soldier's widow or orphan, was an open 
 sesame to his great heart and ever generous purse. 
 
 The soldier felt the injustice and ingratitude exhibited 
 by some, not all, whose prosperity had been purchased 
 b\^ his self sacrifice, and already various local unions 
 had been formed. The idea that union of some kind 
 was necessary was developing in the ex-military mind, 
 but, as yet, no attempt had been made to make this 
 union National. 
 
 The neglect of the soldier and the soldier's widow 
 and orphans aroused Dr. Stephenson's extreme indig- 
 nation. The more he brooded over it the more he be- 
 came convinced that something must be done. At 
 length, in January, 1866, he conceived the idea of a 
 National Soldiers' Mutual Benefit Society, whose motto 
 should be Loyalty, Fraternity, and Charity, and whose 
 glorious name should be the Grand Army of the Re- 
 public. It should be a secret society, with grips and 
 pass-words, non-partisan, and loyal. He consulted 
 with his friends about his new idea; some encouraged 
 it, but the majority thought it visionary and imprac- 
 ticable. The doctor was a good fellow, they thought, 
 but infatuated with his enthusiasms. He was accus- 
 tomed to confer frequently on the subject of his favorite 
 hobby, or fad, it would be called now, with Colonel 
 Grass, a gentleman occupying an office on the same 
 floor as his own. Colonel Grass listened sympatheti- 
 cally, but thought his friend overly sanguine, and 
 something of a hobby-rider. 
 
 One day he came into Colonel Grass' oflice, sat down, 
 and fully and minutely unfolded to him his plan of or- 
 ganization, the rules, regulations, ritual, and all. Then 
 
42 A MEMOIR OF 
 
 he requested Colonel Grass to write it out, or, as he 
 expressed it, "lick it into shape," for him. This the 
 colonel refused to do, alleg;ing his inability to per- 
 form the task. The doctor repeated his request several 
 times, but the colonel always refused. At length Dr. 
 Stephenson scolded the colonel, in his good natured 
 way, for his "laziness," and announced his intention 
 of writing out the work himself. 
 
 A letter from Col. Grass is before me, and I quote 
 from it as I write: 
 
 "One Sunday morning — as I now recollect, in the 
 early part of February, 1 806— your father came into 
 my office and threw a large bundle of manuscript on 
 my table, saying, as he did so, 'read that,,' It was the 
 original manuscript of the ritual, rules and regula- 
 tions, for the organization of the Grand Army of the 
 Republic, all in your father's own handwriting, includ- 
 ing erasures, interlineations, and punctuation. There 
 was not a line, word or letter in it, written by any 
 other person. We devoted most of that day, and part 
 of the next day, to looking over and revising the 
 manuscript. I suggested a few verbal changes, but the 
 general phraseology, and the whole subject-matter, was 
 left vvholly unchanged. And whatever others may have 
 suggested, said, or done, I do know that the whole 
 was printed and used, at first, in the organization of 
 Posts of the G. A. E., almost literally as submitted to 
 me by your father." 
 
 After he had written out the work. Dr. Stephenson 
 submitted it to Gov. Oglesby, who approved the work, 
 but thought the plan of organization would not suc- 
 ceed. 
 
DR. STEPHENSON. 43 
 
 Anxious to commence organizing, Dr. Stephenson 
 procured the assistance of certain of his friends, namely, 
 Capt. Howe, of Ohio, Col. Flood, of Wisconsin, Capt. 
 J. N. Hill, and Col. Daniel Grass, of Illinois, then on 
 duty at Springfield. 
 
 Dr. J. W. Routh and Capt. M. F. Kanan, of Decatur, 
 Illinois, both intimate friends of Dr. Stephenson, ur- 
 gently requested Dr. Stephenson to visit Decatur with 
 a view to organizing. He did so early in the spring 
 of 1866, and placed his manuscript plans in the hands 
 of a committee composed of Dr. J. W. Routh, Capt. J. 
 T. Bishop, Capt. M. F. Kanan, Maj. George R. Steele, 
 and Capt. Geo. H. Dunning. These gentlemen, after ex- 
 amining the plans, approved them. I. N. Coltrin and 
 Joseph Prior, printers, after taking the oaths and obli- 
 gations of the order, were entrusted with printing the 
 first copies of the constitution, ritual, rules, etc. 
 
 On the sixth day of April, 1866, the anniversary of 
 the battle of Shiloh, in which battle Dr. Stephenson 
 and nearl3'' all the charter members of this Post had 
 taken an active part, B. F. Stephenson established the 
 first encampment of the Grand Army of the Republic, 
 Post No. 1, of Decatur, District of Macon, Department 
 of Illinois. The charter members of this Post were 
 Capt. M. F. Kanan, Major Geo. R. Steele, George H. 
 Dunning, Col. Isaac C. Pugh, Lieut. Col. John H. Nale, 
 J. T. Bishop, C. Riebsame, Dr. J. W. Routh, B. F. Sib- 
 ley, I. N. Coltrin, Joseph Prior, and A. Toland. 
 
 At this first meeting the following ofiicers were elected: 
 Brig. Gen. I. C. Pugh, Commandant of District; Lieut. 
 Col. J. H. Nale, District Quartermaster: Dr. J. W. 
 Routh, District Adjutant. These were the district offi- 
 cers; those of the Post were: M. F. Kanan, P. C; G. 
 
44 A MEMOIR OF 
 
 R. Steele, P. A.; G. H. Dunning;, P. Q. M.; Chris Rieb- 
 same, 0. D.; J. T. Bishop, 0. G.; J. W. Routh, P. Sur- 
 o;eon. 
 
 The next Post organized was at Springfield, Dr. Ste- 
 phenson's home. This was named Stephenson Post 
 No, 2. The number of this Post has been changed 
 since, but it still retains the right to the number two. 
 The charter members of this Post were Gen. T. S. 
 Mather, Commander; Major E. S. Johnson, Adj.; Capt. 
 N. B. Ames, Q. M.; Major B. F. Stephenson, Col. Geo. 
 T. Allan, Gen. John Cook, Major James Hamilton, Col. 
 James H. Matheny, Col. J. M. Snyder, Gen. John Mc- 
 Connell, Lieut. L. E. Rosette, and Col. Edward Prince. 
 A charter was issued to this Post July 21, 1866. 
 
 Dr. Stephenson, full of energetic enthusiasm over his 
 own idea, now pushed on the organization rapidly. 
 He hired men and sent them out, at his own expense, 
 to organize Posts in his own and other States. At 
 length he succeeded in organizing forty Posts. He then 
 called a convention of all soldiers in good standing, 
 to meet him at Springfield, 111., on the 12th day of 
 July, 1866. At this convention was organized the 
 Department of Illinois, with Major General John M. 
 Palmer as Department Commander. This was a per- 
 manent, not a provisional, organization. 
 
 Dr. B. F. Stephenson, the founder, was honored by 
 being appointed Provisional Commander-in-Chief. 
 
 The Doctor's agents were active, and Indiana was 
 soon provisionally organized. Next came Ohio. Dr. 
 Stephenson sent Col. Proudfit to Wisconsin. This gen- 
 tlemati called a convention of the order of soldiers 
 which existed in that State, and of which he, himself, 
 was a member, and thev united with the G. A. R. 
 
DR. STEPHENSON. 45 
 
 With indefatigable zeal, Dr. Stepheuson, as Pro- 
 visional Commander-in-Chief of the G. A. R., continued 
 to push its interests. He still had men at work or- 
 ganizing in the different States ; he published and sent 
 out the necessary pamphlets and papers, circulars, etc., 
 to the different departments, at his own expense. 
 Although the first copie^ of the constitution, bj-laws, 
 etc., were printed at Decatur, 111., Capt. Geo. R.Webber, 
 of Springfield, 111., was, I believe, the first printer 
 with whom a contract was made for 'printing the neces- 
 sar3^ papers and pamphlets of the G. A. R. 
 
 The idea of the G. A. R. seemed to take right hold 
 of the hearts of the soldiers. Posts sprang up rapidly. 
 The doctor, however, did not slacken his efforts be- 
 cause he found the soldiers ready to take hold. When 
 rivals aspired to the office of Commander of the same 
 State department, he exerted himself to smooth mat- 
 ters, to conciliate both, or all, parties. He encour- 
 aged those exerting themselves to firmly establish the 
 new order, and prophesied great things of it. 
 
 The first National Convention of the G. A. R. met at 
 Indianapolis, November 20, 18(36. It was called by 
 Dr. Stephenson, the Provisional Commander-in-Chief. 
 At this convention, the following officers served : Presi- 
 dent — John M. Palmer, Illinois. Vice-Presidents — 
 Thomas C. Fletcher, Missouri; R. S. Foster, Indiana; 
 J. B. McKean, New York; John C. Kelley, Pennsylva- 
 nia; J. K. Proudfit, Wisconsin; William O. Ryan, Iowa; 
 Robert Catterson, Arkansas; B. F, Stephenson, Illi- 
 nois; Thomas B. Farleigh, Kentucky; August Willich, 
 Ohio. Secretary — L. E. Dudley, District of Columbia. 
 Assistant Secretaries— Daniel Macauley, Indiana; Clay- 
 ton McMichael, Pennsylvania; F. G. Ledergerber, Mis- 
 
46 A MEMOIR OF 
 
 souri; Charles G. Mayers, Wiscousin; T, M. Thompson, 
 Illinois. Chaplain — J. H. Lozier, Indiana. 
 
 The following National officers were elected by this 
 convention: Commander-in-Chief — S. A. Hurlbut, of 
 Illinois. Senior Vice-Commander-in-Chief — J. B. Mc- 
 Kean, of New York. Junior Vice-Commander-in-Chief — 
 E. S. Foster, Indiana. Adjutant General — B. F. Ste- 
 phenson, Illinois. Quartermaster General — August 
 Willich, Ohio. Surgeon General— D. C. McNeil, Iowa. 
 Chaplain— William A. Pile, Missouri. Council of Admin- 
 istration — J. K. Proudfit, Wisconsin; Wm. Vanderveve, 
 Iowa; T. 0. Osborne, Illinois; T. C. Fletcher, Missouri; 
 T. T. Taylor, Ohio; H. K. Milward, Kentucky; F. J. 
 Bramhall, New York; Nathan Kimball, Indiana; Clay- 
 ton McMichael, Pennsylvania. 
 
 The convention considered the rules, regulations, etc., 
 )and made some additions and alterations. 
 
 Surgeon H. W. Davis offered the following resolution: 
 
 Whereas, We, the members of the Grand Army of the Re- 
 public, recognize in Major B. F. Stephenson, of Sprinofielcl, 111., 
 the head and front of the organization; be it, therefore. 
 
 Resolved, That for the energy, loyalty, and perseverence mani- 
 fested in organizing the Grand Army of the Republic, he is 
 entitled to the gratitude of all loyal men, and that we, as sol- 
 diers, tender him our thanks, and pledge him our friendships 
 at all times, and under all circumstances. 
 
 Adopted. 
 
 "Comrade Stephenson offered the following resolu- 
 tion, which was adopted: 
 
 Resolved, That 'The Great Republic' be, and is hereby adopted 
 as the national organ of the Grand Army of the Republic." 
 
 "The Great Republic," a paper edited in Washington, 
 D. C, by L. Edwin Dudley, was for some time the or- 
 gan of the G. A. R. 
 
DR. STEPHENSON. 47 
 
 The duties of Adjutant General of the G. A. R. were 
 so onerous in connection with Dr. Stephenson's prac- 
 tice, at this time, when the order was spreading so 
 rapidly, and he was constantly receiving letters from 
 all parts of the Union, that he was obliged to hire a 
 clerk. The following extract from a letter written bj- 
 Dr. Stephenson will demonstrate the fact that his office 
 was no sinecure, and that the work of organization 
 was not molding and directing itself, like the survival 
 of the fittest, as some seem to think. 
 
 "You see, my dear Col., I could not do less. It 
 would have been a repudiation of my own acts," (his 
 Aid, it seems, had done something which was not just 
 in regular order during the preliminary organization, 
 and Dr. Stephenson, as Provisional Commander-in- 
 Chief was bound to recognize the work of his Aids,) 
 "and it is but an act of justice to Gen. C. It may be 
 he is not a good man, etc., but I had no right to do 
 him an injury. And you will see further that this is 
 not going -behind the present organization, but bring- 
 ing it up to that point. I did this to harmonize things, 
 and General C. expressed himself as entirely satisfied, 
 and speaks of General M. as warmly, almost, as jou 
 do. I will send you, in a few days, copies of new rit- 
 ual, charter, commissions, constitution, etc." 
 
 There were jealousies to be allayed, and irregulari- 
 ties of hurried organization to be adjusted, and many 
 other cares incident to the development of a new order. 
 Nothing must interfere with the harmony; diplomat- 
 ism was needed until the organization should be strong- 
 enough to stand alone; to demonstrate that its idea 
 of what was best for the soldier was the correct one. 
 To this task, Dr. Stephenson appears to have brought 
 very unusual patience, zeal, and ability. 
 
48 A MEMOIR OF 
 
 To one dissatisfied with tbe appointment of a cer- 
 tain provisional commander, he writes: 
 
 " But, my dear comrade and fellovA'-soldier, this need 
 not interfere with you at all. When ten Posts are or- 
 ganized, Gen is compelled to call a convention 
 
 and organize permanently. If he does not, make re- 
 port to these Headquarters, and he will be ordered 
 to do so. But he writes me that he wants to effect a 
 permanent organization by Jan. 1st. Your remedy 
 will be to attend the convention and elect your own 
 man. * * * i wjn present your name to the Com- 
 mander-in-Chief for one of his Aids, and shall insist on 
 the appointment being made and continued through- 
 out the year." 
 
 I shall now mention some of the pioneers of the 
 G. A. R., who were specially zealous and active in 
 helping Dr. Stephenson carry out his plans of organi- 
 zation : 
 
 Col. Benj. F. Hawkes, first P. C, Post of North 
 Fairfield, District of Huron, Department of Ohio, was 
 a pioneer of the G. A. R., active in organizing Posts 
 in Ohio. 
 
 Maj. Gen. Louis Wagner, of Philadelphia, was the 
 Provisional Commander of the Department of Penn- 
 sylvania, appointed by Coimmander-in Chief Hurlbut. 
 
 October 6, 1866, about six weeks before the Indi- 
 anapolis convention, Dr. Stephenson appointed Col. 
 Frank J. Bramhall, of New York city, Aid-de-Camp 
 for the Department of Ngjirr.York. He was active in 
 the work of organizing. 
 
 Col. A. L. Pearson, Pittsburg, Pa., was a pioneer 
 in G. A. R. work. 
 
DU. STEPHENSON. 49 
 
 Gen. J. B. McKean, of Saratoga Springs, N. Y., was 
 appointed by Gen. Hurlbut Commander of Provis- 
 ional Department of ]New York. 
 
 Capt. John A. Lightfoot, Gen. Jules C. Webber and 
 Col. Daniel Grass were Adjutants to Dr. Stephenson 
 during the preliminary organization. The two latter 
 gentlemen were also Adjutants-General of the Depart- 
 ment of Illinois during the first few months of the 
 organization, Col. Grass succeeding Gen. Webber. 
 Col. Grass was specially active in organizing Posts in 
 southern Illinois. 
 
 Col. Thomas B. Farleigh, of Louisville, Ivy., Tem- 
 porary Commander Provisional Department of Ken- 
 tucky; Maj. Gen. John Corcoran, of New York city; 
 Gen. E. W. Whitaker, Hartford^ Conn.; Capt. Thomas 
 P. Parker, Camden, N. J.; Col. Frank Daggett, Min- 
 nesota; T. J. Madison, Topeka, Kau.; Maj. O. M. 
 Wilson, Indiana; Gen, Benjamin F. Potts, Ohio; Col. 
 Thomas T. Taylor, Georgetown, Ohio; Brig. Gen. A. 
 Rushinford, Wilmington, N C; F. M. Young, Atlanta, 
 111.; Andrew Cunningham, Kanawha, W. Ya.; Col. 
 William W. Woodcock, Nashville, Tenn.; O. L. Dud- 
 ley, Minnesota; Capt. Robert Gra^', Martinsburg, 
 W. Ya.; Col. R. S. Northcott, Clarksville, W. Ya.; 
 N. N. Tyne, Iowa; Coi. G. S. Jennings, Rochester^ 
 N. Y., were pioneers in G. A. R. work. 
 
 Dr. Stephenson writes: "The order is growing with 
 superhuman strides in the East, and they threaten to 
 beat us. We must not let them." 
 
 Again: "We are glad to see the work going ahead. 
 It is bound to be the great power, and those who 
 take the lead will not be^ forgotten." 
 
 -4 
 
50 A MEMOIll OF 
 
 •''You must not slacken your energy. The order is 
 destined to be the power in the land, and the stay- 
 at-home politicians are beginning to tremble in their 
 boots, and are more willing to feed and clothe the 
 poor widows and orphans of our noble dead soldiers. 
 You must be thoroughly instructed, and go to work 
 with redoubled energy. The pioneers in this order 
 will not be forgotten. ' 
 
 The letter from which this extract was taken is 
 dated December 18th, 1866. 
 
 From a letter dated December 22, 1866, written just 
 one month from the Indianapolis convention, I clip 
 the following: "I have run the Grand Army (being the 
 originator and founder of it) at my own individual 
 expense, never havinoj received a farthing, and I am 
 about run out. If 3^ou can raise me a little for the 
 books and charters, I would be glad." 
 
 "Accept thanks for your promptness, and hope you 
 will push on the good work in Ohio." 
 
 "It gratifies me to see you people of the South tak- 
 ing such an interest in the order." From a letter to 
 A. Cunningham, West Virginia. 
 
 From a letter to Col. R. S. Northcott, West Vir- 
 ginia: "The Commander-in-Chief will feel under es- 
 pecial obligations if you will use your efforts to push 
 the order in your state." 
 
 "I have to start the entire order out of my own 
 means, and have to work for it, at that." 
 
 I find a copy of a letter written by Adjutant General 
 Stephenson to General Hurlbut, dated December 23, 
 1866, alluding to a proposal to make an assessment 
 of one cent per member, and about the same time a 
 contract was entered into with the company which was 
 
DR. STEPHENSON. 51 
 
 to manufacture the G. A. R. bad^'es, by which the G. 
 A. R. reserved to itself a certain per cent, of the sales, 
 for the purpose of running headquarters. Neither of 
 these enterprises, however, was successful. 
 
 In a short account of the organization, Dr. Stephen- 
 son says: 
 
 "The idea originated with me, in the month of Janu- 
 ary, 1866, and I consulted a number of my former 
 comrades and friends as to the feasibility of organizing 
 the soldiers into a mutual benefit society. This idea was 
 suggested to me by the number of soldiers' widows 
 and orphans then in want in our country. I was dis- 
 couraged by almost all. The plan was pronounced al- 
 together wild and impracticable." 
 
 "Up to this time (the organization of the Depart- 
 ment of Illinois, July 12, 1866,) not a single man of 
 distinction in this or any other State had dared to con- 
 nect his name with the order, and even then many of 
 them did it with trepidation." 
 
 "No man disputed my claim to its origin while its 
 success was problematical. Then it was my order." 
 
 From another article from his pen I quote the fol- 
 lowing: 
 
 " We claim to stand aloof from all party politics 
 other than that which pertains to the perpetuity of 
 this Union and the interest and well-being of the 
 soldier." 
 
 Alluding to the fair promises made to the soldier at 
 the commencement of the war, he says: 
 
 "It is well known also how these promises have been 
 kept, and while there are many honorable exceptions, 
 while many persons have performed all, and more than 
 all, they promised, yet the great majority have appar- 
 
52 A MEMOIR OF 
 
 ently forgotten and ignored the soldier entirely, and 
 instead of finding the family of the poor soldier, who 
 was induced to leave his wife and little ones by the 
 fair promises of his rich neighbors and render up his 
 life as a sacrifice on the altar of his country, well 
 cared for, well clothed, fed, and educated, j^ou too 
 often find the poor wife washing from house to house 
 for bread for her babes to eat, and the poor children 
 half starved and half naked. And instead of the soldier 
 finding the place open for him that he left, he can 
 scarcely get employment at all; can't even get employ- 
 ment as a day-laborer, provided the people can get 
 anybody else cheaper." 
 
 "The offices, promised to the soldiers, have been few 
 and far between. In the appointments from the gen- 
 eral government there' are not to exceed half a dozen 
 in the State; not one until since the organization of the 
 Grand Army of the Republic. The citizens are gen- 
 erally very careful about allowing a soldier to run for 
 ofiice, unless it is some party that is greatly in the 
 minority." 
 
 "But, as before stated, whatever views we may have 
 as individuals, we, as an order, have nothing to do 
 with politics. We are free, untrammeled; free to take 
 whatever side appears to be for the interest of the 
 soldier." 
 
 From the above quotations it may be readily judged 
 what a benefit the Grand Army has been to the sol- 
 diers of this country. At the present day, a man who 
 has never seen a battle-field stands a poor chance for 
 election to oflSce, if his rival is a battle-scarred soldier 
 hero, and if a limb has been lost in the service, or an 
 eye injured, these are credentials amply sufficient to 
 win respect and veneration from patriotic Americans. 
 
DR. STEPHENSON. 53 
 
 Commauder-in-Cliief Hurlbiit ordered the Second An- 
 nual Convention of the G. A. R. to convene on the 
 15th of January, 1868, in Philadelphia. At this con- 
 vention the following- report was submitted by Adju- 
 tant General Stephenson: 
 
 Headquarters Grand Army of the Republic, 
 Adjutant Generat/s Office, 
 
 Springfield, III., Jan, 10, 1868. 
 
 To the Comrades of the Grand Army of the Republic, 
 tbrouffb their representatives in National Convention 
 assembled, greet in f^: 
 
 The Adjutant-General, in presenting this the first 
 official report of the rise and progress of the glorious 
 order now represented in National convention, ap- 
 proaches the subject with extreme diffidence, feeling 
 himself, as he does, unable to do the subject the jus- 
 tice it deserves. 
 
 Early in the spring of 1866, a few patriots, deeply 
 feeling the importance of organizing a grand associa- 
 tion of the gallant Union soldiers and sailors of the 
 late terrible rebellion, for the purpose of fostering 
 fraternal relations, and keeping alive the zeal of pa- 
 triotism and devotion to our country-, and above all 
 for the purpose of mutual support and assistance in 
 clothing the naked, feeding the hungry, and furnishing 
 employment to destitute, sick and wounded comrades, 
 and caring for the widows and orphans of our gallant 
 dead, formed their plans, and publicly calling on all 
 interested, on the 12th day of July, 1866, met in con- 
 vention in the Representatives' Hall in the State cap- 
 itol at Springfield, 111., and then and there formed the 
 nucleus of the grand organization here represented in 
 convention, and which, from that humble origin now 
 
54 A MEMOIR OF 
 
 extends an influence of great power throughout nearly 
 every State and Territory in our country. 
 
 Your present Adjutant-General was honored by the ap- 
 pointment as Provisional Commander-in-Chief. With but 
 crude materials at his command (mere local influence, 
 and but little pecuniary means) aided by a few noble 
 workers, he succeeded in a few months in establishing 
 Provisional Departments in several States and Terri- 
 tories and placing them in good working order. The 
 Boys in Blue saw^ the importance of the organization, 
 and as they flew to arms when Sumter fell, so did they 
 soon fill up our ranks. But the material was crude, 
 our ranks but as raw recruits, and the importance of 
 a more thorough organization was keenly felt. So the 
 first National convention was called to convene in the 
 city of Indianapolis, Ind., on the 20th day of Novem- 
 ber, 1866, and then and there the Grand Army of the 
 Eepublic received its first official recognition. The 
 officers for the current year were elected, a council of 
 administration appointed, a constitution and regula- 
 tions adopted, and the noble ship with its precious 
 freia-ht of charity and fraternal love, with the stars 
 and stripes nailed to the mast, was launched upon the 
 great sea of human events, and right nobly has the 
 gallant bark done duty since that time; though she 
 has passed through many bitter engagements with her 
 ancient enemies, the traitor ship and crew, and even 
 been assailed by those who should have been her 
 friends, her flag is still there! 
 
 From information derived from numerous letters re- 
 ceived daily at my office from every part of our land, 
 I am highly gratified in stating my belief that our 
 organization is rapidly gaining in strength and im- 
 
DR. STEPHENSON. OO 
 
 portance, and through its instrumentality thousands 
 of starving widows and orphans have been fed and 
 clothed, while other thousands of our poor, helpless, 
 crippled comrades have been placed in positions where 
 they could earn their own bread, Avho, but for our in- 
 strumentality, would be left to seek their support from 
 the cold hand of charity, and the Union soldier dis- 
 dains to beff. I would also state that all the docu- 
 ments, files of correspondence, books, etc., remaining 
 in my oflEice, will be held subject to the requisition of 
 mj" successor. 
 
 «■ **** *** 
 
 In conclusion, I would offer my hearty congratula- 
 tions for the unprecedented success of our organiza- 
 tion, so dear to the heart of every patriot soldier, and 
 earnestly trust that the deliberations of this body may 
 prove harmonious, and such action be matured as will 
 better develop the power and influence of our order 
 for good throughout our land. 
 
 Fraternally, 
 
 B. F. Stephenson, 
 Adft Gen'l G. A. E., [J. S. 
 Adjutant Stephenson reported fifteen States perma- 
 nently organized, and provisional organizations 
 "throughout nearly every State and Territory in our 
 country." This he had accomplished "with but crude 
 materials at his command (mere local influence, and 
 but little pecuniary means)," for even after the Indian- 
 apolis convention, during his one year and two months 
 term of office as Adjutant- General, he had the respon- 
 sibility, labor, direction, and almost the sole expense 
 of the organization to support. In this time "thousands 
 of starving widows and orphans had been fed and 
 
56 A MEMOIR OF 
 
 clothed, while other thousands of our poor, helpless' 
 crippled comrades had been placed in positions where 
 they could earn their own bread, who, but for our in- 
 strumentality, would be left to seek their support from 
 the cold hand of charity." Truly a o-reat work. 
 
 No doubt the fact that Dr. Stephenson's work was 
 soon forojotten and that the Grand Army early be^an 
 to doubt who was its orig-inator, is due, partially to 
 the extreme modesty of this report, and partially to 
 the incompleteness of the records turned over to Gen. 
 N. P. Chipman, the successor to Dr. Stephenson. Gen. 
 Chipman complained of the incompleteness of this rec- 
 ord in his report at the close of his term of office. 
 Just why so few and such incomplete records were 
 turned over by Dr. Stephenson to his successor, I am 
 unable to say. Great quantities of my father's papers 
 relative to the G. A. 11. were burned by my mother 
 after my father's death. She destroyed them because 
 she was ignorant of their value. I have been greatly 
 embarrassed in my present undertaking owing to the 
 scarcity of material from which to collect data and for 
 that reason this memoir is not nearly so complete as 
 I should like it to be. Among the few papers pertain- 
 ing to the G. A. R. left, is a letter-book containing 
 copies of letters sent from Headquarters during the 
 months of October, November, December, 1866, and 
 January, 1867, corresponding, I presume, to the letter- 
 book mentioned by Gen. Chipman in his report as 
 turned over to him by his predecessor, and as contain- 
 ing copies of letters received at Headquarters during 
 those months. Those of the letters which were written 
 after the Indianapolis convention are all in my father's 
 own handwriting. From this latter fact I draw th<^ 
 conclusion, that they were written and copied by Dr. 
 
DR. STEPHENSON. Ot 
 
 Stephenson before he hired a clerk, and under stress 
 of the prodigious amount of work he was trjino,- to 
 accomplish, viz., to attend to his practice, and, at the 
 same time, organize a vast order. I imagine that un- 
 der this stress he got behind w-ith his correspondence ; 
 possibly some letters were misplaced, and he failed to 
 cop3- them in their proper places ; thus his records be- 
 came incomplete, and were finally neglected as far as 
 the letter-books were concerned. The General also com- 
 plained that the register of departments was incom- 
 plete, and that no files of letters were transmitted to 
 him. This is lamentable^ but the General should have 
 known that Dr. Stephenson had odds to contend 
 against with which no succeeding Adjutant has ever 
 . been confronted. He should have kept a perfect record, 
 but there were extenuating circumstances. It is much 
 to be regretted that Dr. Stephenson was not more 
 methodical, but it would seem that his brethren of the 
 G. A. R. ought not to be captious in their criticisms 
 but should view his faults with some indulgence. Gen. 
 Chipman also mentions the fact that the manuscript 
 of Adjutant Stephenson's report was not turned over 
 to him, but that he was obliged to copy it from the 
 files of the "Ohio Republic." It does not appear that 
 Adjutant Stephenson was very anxious to blow his 
 own trumpet, or to secure his own aggrandizement. 
 
 At the second annual convention the financial ex- 
 hibit was as follows: Expenditures during the 3^ear, 
 for printing, office rent, clerk hire, postage, etc., 
 f 1637.56. Receipts from the several Departments, 
 $352. Deficit due Dr. Stephenson, |1285.56. Comrade 
 J. T. Owens, of Philadelphia, at this time advanced to 
 Dr. Stephenson, on behalf of the order, foOO. It ap- 
 pears that besides the expenditures set down there were 
 
58 A MEMOIR OF 
 
 unpaid printing bills, amoiintino; to nearly f 1400, in the 
 aggreg-ate. These bills were also paid b}' Comrade 
 Owens, and the Grand Army was allowed three years 
 time in which to pay the debt. The deficit still due 
 Comrade Stephenson was 1785.5(3, At the next annual 
 encampment, the Adjutant reported some payment 
 made on the debt due Comrade Owens; and at the 
 fourth encampment the Adjutant was able to report 
 the indetedness of $785.56 due Comrade Stephenson, 
 and that of about $1400 due Comrade Owens, which 
 they had failed to meet in their second year, as en- 
 tirely liquidated. 
 
 At the second annual convention, Gen. John A. 
 Logan, of Illinois, was elected Commander-in-Chief to 
 succeed Gen. S. A. Hurlbut. The rules in regard to 
 the election of Adjutant-General were changed, and 
 henceforth that office was filled by appointment. Gen. 
 Logan appointed Gen. N. P. Chipman to succeed Dr. 
 B. F. Stephenson, as Adj. -Gen'. G. A. R. 
 
 In a remarkably short time after its origin, very few 
 members of the G. A. R. outside of Illinois could have 
 told who was the founder of the order. So soon after 
 the founding as May 12, 1869. Adjutant Chipman, in 
 his report to the third annual encampment G. A. R. 
 makes the following remark, which was left on record: 
 
 "Who were its (the G. A. R.'s) originators is rather 
 a matter of tradition than record, although there can 
 be no doubt that the late Adj't. Gen., B. F. Stephen- 
 son, was one of the prime movers." And this, not- 
 withstanding the fact that, in response to Gen. Chip- 
 man's request, Dr. Stephenson had written and sent 
 to him an account of the organization of the order. 
 However, it may very probably be that the account 
 
DR. STEPHENSON. 5^ 
 
 Dr. Stephenson sent Gen. Chipinan was not very de- 
 tailed and not so clear as it seemed to the doctor ta 
 have been. He often wrote carelessly. 
 
 Concerning Dr. Stephenson as the originator of the 
 G. A. R., Col. Grass, before alluded to in this work, 
 writes : 
 
 "The subject (of the G. A. K.) was very near to your 
 father's heart. His love for the old soldier and his in- 
 terest in and sj^mpathy for the soldier's widow and 
 his orphans was deep, unselfish and intense. In our 
 frequent conversations on the subject (of forming a 
 national soldiers' union) I often laughingly spoke of 
 it as his 'pet hobby.'" 
 
 " I have been informed that certain parties are claim- 
 ing the paternity of the name, Grand Army of the 
 Republic. I know that their pretensions and claims 
 are false. Your father and I frequently conversed about 
 the name that should be given to the organization^ 
 and when he brought his manuscript to me, as above 
 stated, he said that he had decided to call the organ- 
 ization 'The Grand Army of the Republic' I recollect 
 saying to him that it was a grand name and ought 
 to be retained." 
 
 "Of course, I do not pretend to know when your 
 father first conceived the idea of such an organiza- 
 tion, nor have I any doubt but what he talked to 
 and consulted with many of his old army friends in 
 regard to the idea of such an organization as the 
 G. A. R. But from my close acquaintance with him, 
 and mj knowledge of the first organization of the 
 order, I have no hesitancy in affirming that the grand 
 'idea' of such a soldiers' organization originated 
 alone with Dr. B. F. Stephenson, and that he is not 
 
60 A MEMOIR OF 
 
 only the sponsor and god-father, but the actual 
 father and sole originator of the society of the Grand 
 Army of the Republic." 
 
 "Abraham Lincoln was no more seriously in earnest 
 when he issued the emancipation proclamation than 
 was your father when he originated and organized the 
 G. A. R." 
 
 '^From the very start he was enthusiastically hope- 
 ful ; not only hopeful, but, I sometimes thought, 
 overweeningly sanguine. He never for a moment ex- 
 pressed the slightest doubt of a grand success. He 
 often and often said to me that every loyal soldier 
 in the Union would come within its folds, and that 
 through its instrumentality every soldier's widow and 
 orphan would be provided for. In looking back 
 through the long vista of years since I heard those 
 kindly and cheering words, I can not but feel that 
 they were the utterances of a hopeful and truly 
 prophetic soul." 
 
 In the frequent newspaper articles relating to the 
 G. A. R., the founder is usually mentioned incidentally 
 as "one of the founders of the order," or as an ob- 
 scure person who "founded the first Post, at Decatur, 
 111." 
 
 It has of late years become quite the fad for orators 
 and writers, when discoursing on the origin of the 
 G. A.R., to affirm that the founder, or, more frequently, 
 the founders, of this order little imagined to what 
 greatness it would attain. I have seen this assertion 
 very frequently in articles and enthusiastic orations 
 pertaining to the G. A. R. People who speak in this 
 manner of the dead who are no longer here to defend 
 or explain themselves should reflect on what they do. 
 
DR. STEPHENSON. 61 
 
 Why should it be taken for granted, as though it were 
 g, foregone conclusion, that B. F. Stephenson wrought 
 without knowledge and without inspiration? Do men 
 spend time, enthusiasm, money, hard labor of brain 
 and hand, for what they conceive to be a cause 
 mediocre in importance? Are not the objects for 
 which such expenditures are made at least imagined to 
 be great? Was B. F. Stephenson a fool, to spend, as 
 he spent himself, for something which he did not "real- 
 ize" was destined to greatness? He, a poor man, had 
 no assurance that the money he spent on the organiza- 
 tion would ever be, in part, even, refunded. Was he, 
 then, likely to throw it away on what he did not be- 
 lieve would accomplish great good? Was he likely to 
 have worked himself into a great enthusiasm over the 
 order, and persevered in carrying out his plans of or- 
 ganization in spite of discouragement on all sides; in 
 spite of limited means and over-taxed time; in spite of 
 jealousies and rivalries among the men he was trying 
 to organize; in spite of all these drawbacks was he 
 likely to have persisted, and accomplished his purpose, 
 if he had not had a very clear vision in his mind's eye 
 of what the order w^ould become in time; of what it 
 would accomplish for the soldier and his family? There 
 are living witnesses who could truthfully make oath 
 that Dr. Stephenson had this clear vision of the de- 
 stined greatness of his order. He, himself, has left 
 written proof of the clearness of his vision, proof that 
 he knew just what he was doing, that he w^rought with 
 knowledge, with forethought, with design. 
 
 A certain story has been running the rounds of 
 G. A. R. circles, and seems to have gained some atten- 
 tion even in high places. As nearly as I can recall it, 
 the legend runs on this wise: 
 
62 A MEMOIR OF 
 
 According to Chaplain W. J. Rutledge, of Jackson- 
 -ville, 111., formerly chaplain of the 14th 111. Inf., Dr. 
 Stephenson and he were talking together one evening 
 over the cheerful camp-fire. It was while the troops 
 were on the Meridian raid. In the course of the con- 
 versation, which had turned on the prospects of sol. 
 •diers on their return to private life, Chaplain Rutledge 
 says that he exclaimed to Dr. Stephenson that it would 
 be a glorious thing if, on the advent of peace, the sol- 
 diers would form themselves into a society. On the 
 grounds of this assertion. Chaplain Rutledge and his 
 friends have based the claim that Chaplain Rutledge 
 ^rst suggested to B. F. Stephenson the idea of the 
 <jrand Army of the Republic. 
 
 . Of this claim I would say, first, Dr. B. F. Stephenson 
 was a man at once just and generous. Elsewhere in 
 this book he speaks of Mr. Rutledge in terms of high 
 commendation, as a man who did gallant duty in the 
 battle of Shiloh, thus showing that he (Dr. Stephen- 
 son) bore no enmity to the chaplain, but rather was 
 his friend. In these pages I have attempted to deline- 
 ate my father's character as it really was, that of a 
 man to whom the idea of defrauding any man of credit 
 for merit justly due him, could scarcely, by any possi- 
 bility, present itself as a temptation. The innate con- 
 stitution of his mind forbade it. If, then, he was con- 
 scious of owing the idea of the G. A. R. to Mr. W. J. 
 Rutledge, would he not certainly have left a record of 
 the fact? Would he not have mentioned it to some 
 one, at least, of the many friends with whom he talked 
 over his plans of organization? Would he not have 
 mentioned the fact in his manuscript account of the 
 organization? The fact of the case is, that none of 
 the gentlemen connected with the early organization 
 
DR. STEPHENSON. 63 
 
 seem to have heard of the Rev. Rutledo-e's alleo^ed con- 
 nection with the founding of the order until they heard 
 the story from the chaplain, himself, many j^ears after 
 the order was established. One or two of the gentle- 
 men who were in Dr. Stephenson's councils at the be- 
 ginning, have told me that m^^ father never either said 
 or implied that the Rev. W. J. Rutledge had anything 
 to do with suggesting the idea of the G. A. R. to him, 
 or mentioned Rutledge's name in connection with it. 
 At the annual encampment of the Illinois Depart- 
 ment, G. A. R., that of 1891, held in Decatur, 111., the 
 surviving members of Dr. B. F. Stephenson's provis- 
 ional staff, whom he had appointed when Provisional 
 Commander-in-Chief, had a statement read before the 
 assembled soldiers. I regret that my copy of this 
 statement has been mislaid and presumably lost. I 
 should like to quote it verbatim and give the names 
 appended. This statement was drawn up at a special 
 meeting of the surviving members of the staff for that 
 especial object, and was to the effect that no one of 
 the members had any knowledge of any connection 
 ■whatever of Chaplain W. J. Rutledge with the founding 
 of the Grand Army of the Republic. This document, 
 as mentioned above, was read before the department 
 encampment of 1891, at Decatur, 111., and is to be de- 
 posited in the National Memorial Hall, when that build- 
 ing shall be erected, among the archives of the order, 
 and there it may be found by the curious or doubtful. 
 In Dr. Stephenson's short manuscript account of the 
 organization he does not mention Mr. Rutledge's name, 
 but says, explicitly, "The idea originated with me, in 
 January, 1866.' The testimony of Dr. Stephenson 
 and his helpers in this matter, viewed in the light of 
 his character, force the conclusion that Dr. Stephenson 
 
64 A MEMOIR OF 
 
 was not conscious of owin^ the idea of the G. A. R. 
 to W. J. Eutledge. 
 
 Far be it from me to impeach the veracity of the 
 reve^^end oentleman. Doubtless he did converse with 
 Dr. Stephenson at the time and place alleg-ed ; doubt- 
 less, in the course of the conversation, the chaplain 
 remarked that it would be a g'ood thing if the soldiers 
 would form a union on disbanding. This conversa- 
 tion, evidently, did not live as a unique thing in Dr. 
 Stephenson's mind. Evidently he did not associate 
 Mr. Eutledge with his (Stephenson's) own idea of the 
 founding of the Grand Army of the Republic. During 
 the latter days of the war, thoughtful soldiers often 
 conversed about their prospects in the event of peace, 
 what they would do on their return to their homes. 
 One old soldier, a very dear friend of my father, tells 
 me they (the soldiers) often talked together of what 
 they would do on returning to their homes, the dan- 
 gers attendant on disbanding large bodies of troops, 
 the best course for the ex-soldiers to pursue, etc. In 
 the numberless conversations held on these subjects it 
 is altogether probable that many others expressed 
 themselves in a manner similar to that in which Mr. 
 Eutledge seems to have done, possibly Dr. Stephenson, 
 himself, among the number. Mr. Rutledge, however, 
 seems to be the only one who felt that he was war- 
 ranted in asserting that he suggested the idea of the 
 G. A. R. to its founder. 
 
 If we should grant for the sake of argument that 
 W. J, Rutledge was the only man who expressed the 
 idea of a soldiers' union to Dr. Stephenson, and that 
 Dr. Stephenson had never previously imagined such a 
 thing, it would still appear to the unprejudiced mind 
 
DR. STEPHENSON. 6{l' 
 
 that the chaplain and his friends were making much 
 ado, if not about nothing, about an infinitesimal not 
 much the hither side of zero. The chief American idea 
 has always been union, and it has taken such hold of 
 the public mind that we have unions for everything. 
 In union there is strength; we all know it, and have 
 many times seen it proved. The soldiers' intercvst 
 then lay in protective union of some kind ; the idea 
 was not very hard to evolve. I do not believe that 
 Mr. Kutledge has ever claimed that he suggested any 
 definite kind of union, such as Dr. Stephenson after- 
 wards estabhshed, with grips and passwords, secret 
 ritual, and thorough organization for permanent and 
 effectual work. Granting these by no means proved 
 premises, that Mr. Rutledge was the only man who 
 ever mentioned union as a specific for soldiers' ills to 
 Dr. Stephenson, during; his army life, we are not war- 
 ranted in concluding that B. F. Stephenson was any 
 more indebted to Mr. Rutledge for the idea of the G, 
 A. R. than to the local unions which we have already 
 seen had sprung up in several States previous to 
 the founding of the Grand Army. And it might very 
 naturally transpire that the man who conceived the 
 idea of the G. A. R., not a vague union, who carried 
 out his wide-reaching and effective plans, who spent 
 freely his time, money, brain, muscle, and nerve-force 
 in organizing the stupendous work, who carried to the 
 work such pure motives and wrought with such zeal,, 
 ability, and diplomatic skill that his self-sacrificing en- 
 ergy seemed to have the magic of Aladdin's lamp and 
 raise the mighty structure of his dreams in a night, 
 as it were, it might well be that such a man would 
 never have connected the vague suggestions of Chap- 
 —5 
 
66 A MEMOIR OF 
 
 lain Rutiedge with his own definite schemes. Even if 
 he had chanced to remember the momentous conversa- 
 tion, it is not likely that he would have supposed Mr. 
 Hutledge attached any importance to it. 
 
 Doubtless mauy thiuos tended to develop the idea of 
 the G. A. R. in Dr. Stephenson's mind. All inventions 
 are the gradual development of floating notions into 
 ideas. In all probability he had as valid a claim to 
 the origination of the idea of the order as most inven- 
 tors and originators have to their inventions. I am 
 convinced that Dr. Stephenson not only thought he 
 was the originator of the idea, but that he really was. 
 
 According to some of Mr. Rutledge's hyperbolical 
 friends, he was "largely instrumental in founding the 
 order," and, "but for him it would not exist at the 
 present day." This seems strange language to any one 
 cognizant of the facts of the case. I do not know 
 that Mr. Rutiedge himself ever went so far in his 
 claims as some of his frjends have gone for him, neither 
 do I know that he has ever corrected their extrava- 
 gant assertions. If he was so important a factor as 
 his friends would have us believe, does it not seem 
 strange that none of those associated with Dr. Ste- 
 phenson in founding the order have "any knowledge 
 of any connection of W. J. Rutiedge with the organiza- 
 tion, whatever?" Verily, it is so strange that it is 
 utterly inexplicable. Chaplain Rutiedge and his friends 
 know that Dr. Stephenson is dead and can not speak 
 for himself, but do they also think that all his friends, 
 all those connected with the early organization, are 
 dead, too, and that his family have no more knowl- 
 edge than the beasts that perish? 
 
DR. STEPHENSON. 67 
 
 From an article in the Century, for May, 1890, en- 
 titled " The G. A. R. as Seen from the Inside," I gather 
 that the writer, and, possibly, some others, have an 
 idea floatino; indefinitely in their minds that the G. A. R. 
 is a notable example of spontaneous g^eneration, — that 
 it sprang up of its own free will, and flourished exceed- 
 inoiy because it was its nature so to do. According 
 to this writer, the organization was "shaped after the 
 plan of an enthusiast. Dr. B. F. Stephenson, who or- 
 ganized the first local society, or Post, at Decatur, 
 Illinois, in 1860." 
 
 "Although it was intended by the founders to make 
 the movement a National one, the causes which lead 
 to the rapid growth of the order throughout the North 
 were quite outside of those that were operating from 
 the little centre at Decatur, 111." He goes on to tell 
 how, by 1866, Soldiers' Unions, under various names, 
 had been formed in different States, some States hav- 
 ing two or three of these unions, each and all having 
 the avowed object of securing the w^elfare of the soldier. 
 
 "The problem (of how the welfare of the soldier was 
 to be secured) was a difficult one, especially as the 
 meetings were held in open convention ; and experience 
 gained in other fraternities suggested to the veterans 
 that they abandon the convention method, unite under 
 a strong vow, and adopt a system of instruction. In 
 the winter of 1866-67 the Grand Army of the Repub- 
 lic, which had started out with these features, a solemn 
 oath and an impressive ritual, was brought to the at- 
 tention of the soldiers throughout the North, and the 
 veteran societies existing were rapidly changed into 
 Posts and Departments of that order. The idea was 
 very popular, and, at the second annual encampment 
 
68 A MEMOIR OF 
 
 of the order held at Philadelphia, in January, 1868, 
 there were representatives from twenty-one States. The 
 strength of the movement lay in the west, and the 
 delegates from Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio constituted 
 one-half of the assembly. An Illinois veteran, Gen. 
 John A. Logan, was elected Commander-in-Chief. This 
 encampment was successful, and decided two very im- 
 portant questions for the new association of veterans. 
 It would be National and absorb all others; it would 
 be secret and non-partisan. The exact lines on which 
 so vast an organization would develop could not be 
 fixed by resolutions or by-laws. Dr. Stephenson's 
 ideas of secrecy and fraternity were sustained by a 
 large following in the west, and the rules and the ritual 
 that had originated with him, were retained with some 
 amendment." 
 
 I do not claim for my father any more praise than 
 is justly due him. I desire merely to present the facts 
 of his life, tell what he did, and let the soldiers decide 
 how much gratitude and praise is equitably his due. 
 
 I admit that the soldiers were ready for the G. A. R. 
 when the idea was presented to them. They felt that 
 their interests were not regarded as they should have 
 been; that they were neglected. The remedy for this, 
 of course, they saw was in union, and' they effected 
 local unions. Dr. Stephenson conceived the idea of a 
 National Union of a peculiarly effective kind, and, by 
 spending time, money, thought and manual labor, or- 
 ganized such, a union, and nourished it to the point of 
 standing alone. Because the soldiers were ripe for this 
 idea, is the one who exerted himself so much to perfect 
 it, and to insure the ultimate success of the order, en- 
 titled to no gratitude? 
 
DR. STEPHENSON. 69 
 
 Miss Anna Ella Carroll, daughter of ex-Governor 
 Carroll, of Maryland, devised a plan which was ulti- 
 mately successful in the taking of Vicksburg. She in- 
 duced the government to adopt this plan instead of 
 the one which the government, in connection with the 
 military authorities, had designed. The result was 
 the capture of Vicksburg. Because the plan was to be 
 kept secret until accomplished, Miss Carroll's name 
 w^as not published at first in connection with it. Her 
 case has been brought before the government three 
 times, and still justice has not been done her. If she 
 had been a Major General and had accomplished w^hat 
 she has achieved, her fame would have been spread 
 abroad from the lakes to the gulf. Honor and emolu- 
 ment would have been her portion. But she was a 
 person unknown to fame, and a woman. We reason 
 with a fallacy worthy of Hume, himself, the experience 
 of the world goes to show^ that great generals form 
 the successful plans for campaigns, and, pitted against 
 universal experience to the contrary, no amount of 
 evidence can be sufficient to convince us that Miss 
 Carroll has done anything worthy of reward. 
 
 If my father had been a Major General he would 
 have been lauded to the skies for what he has done. 
 Being plain Dr. Stephenson, with a name unknown to 
 fame, it is extremely difficult to convince the public 
 that he merits any praise. 
 
 But the soldiers were ripe for the G. A. R., ergo, it 
 is to be supposed that the founder was a mere pro- 
 duct of his era. In 1776. Americans were ready for in- 
 dependence. The principle of liberty, which early germi- 
 nated in the breasts of Englishmen, for centuries had 
 been developing, until, in those hardy pioneers, men 
 
70 A MEMOIR OF 
 
 chosen of God for the founding of a great nation, this 
 principle had grown to such strength that they 
 were ready to cast aside their swaddhng clothes, to 
 throw prejudice to the winds. For this reason, then, 
 shall we give the members of the Continental Congress, 
 who signed the charter of our freedom, no credit for 
 manliness,, for high moral courage, philanthropy, and 
 patriotism? The attaint of treason to the government 
 across the water, the danger of suffering the extreme 
 penalty of the law, when weighed against the cause of 
 their oppressed fellow-countrymen, sprang up, and 
 they signed the Declaration like men. 
 
 The real facts in the case, as recorded elsewhere in 
 this book, show that it was Dr. Stephenson, and not 
 "experience gained in other fraternities," that led the 
 veterans to "unite under a strong vow and adopt a 
 system of instruction." It was the same person who 
 brought the G. A. R. "to the attention of the soldiers 
 throughout the North." 
 
 "The strength of the movement," sa^'s the Century 
 writer, "lay in the West, and the delegates from Illi- 
 nois, Indiana and Ohio constituted one-half of the 
 assembly" (second annual convention G. A. R.). Let 
 me ask. why was this? Were there braver soldiers, 
 more distinguished officers, in the West than elsewhere 
 in tlie republic? Leaving out Unconditional Surrender 
 Grant, did our Western generals surpass the Eastern 
 in fame and achievements? There were as many brave 
 and gallant officers to be found in the old Bay State, 
 the cradle of American liberty, as in any other. The 
 soldiers of the Empire State were not behind others 
 in prowess. The same might be said of the other 
 Eastern and Middle States. The South furnished 
 
DR. STEPHENSON. 71 
 
 many brave and crallant officers and men for the de- 
 fense of the Union. Wh}^ then should the strengrth of 
 this convention come from the West? The answer is 
 plain. There had been a hand and a heart at work 
 there. The G. A. R. was not a spontaneous fungus, 
 but was rapidly developing under the guidance and 
 energy of its founder. From the "little centre" of 
 Decatur, 111., and vicinity, the germ was growing and 
 spreading, rapidly, it is true, but under intelligent 
 direction. Those nearest the centre were naturally 
 most strongly affected by the impulse at work, those 
 easiest reached, soonest organized. 
 
 I do not know that I strongly object to my father 
 being called an "enthusiast." Really, if it were not 
 for the "enthusiasts" who have lived in the world, I 
 cannot see how we should ever have emerged from the 
 darkness of the Middle Ages, and am inclined to think 
 we should still be groping there. The world needs 
 enthusiasts. They can remove mountains and work 
 miracles. It is mediocrity, alone, that can get on 
 without enthusiasm. Was there ever anything great 
 done without ^n enthusiast had hold of the lever? 
 Enthusiasm is one great beauty which we admire in 
 the young; blessed are they who carry into middle 
 and old age this golden trait of youth. 
 
72 A MEMOIR OF 
 
 PART IV. 
 
 "Within this lowly grave a conqueror lies; 
 And yet the monument proclaims it not, 
 Nor round the sleeper's name hath chisel wrought 
 The emblems of a fame that never dies — 
 Ivy and amaranth in a graceful sheaf 
 Twined with the laurel's fair, imperial leaf, 
 A simple name alone, 
 To the great world unknown, 
 Is graven here, and wild flowers rising round 
 Meek meadow-sweet and violets of the ground, 
 Lean lovingly against the humble stone. 
 
 Here, in the quiet earth, they laid apart 
 
 1^0 man of iron mould and bloody hands. 
 
 Who sought to wreak upon the cowering lands 
 
 The passion that consumed his restless heart : 
 ********* 
 
 One in whose eyes the *nile of kindness made 
 Its haunt, like flowers by sunny brooks in May ; 
 
 Yet at the thought of others' pain, a shade 
 Of sweeter sadness chased the smile away." 
 
 After tlie year 1869, my father beo-an to feel seri- 
 ously the effects of his army life, and his health com- 
 menced to decline rapidly. Business troubles oppressed 
 him. His circumstances were not o-ood. The practice 
 of medicine, with its incident exposures and irregular 
 hours, was not conducive to the improvement of his 
 health. Havino- been a stanch republican from the 
 rise of the party, and havino; taken an active part in 
 State politics since the war, he made several attempts 
 to obtain an office of some kind that he might give 
 
/ 
 
 DR. STEPHENSON. 73 
 
 up the practice of medicine, which was hurtful to him, 
 and support his family in comfort. He, at leng^th, 
 succeeded in gettiuj^ appointed to one of the smaller 
 offices in the patronage of the government, but before 
 entering on its duties he was oblio-ed to resign it on 
 account of his rapidly failing health. 
 
 A little incident which occurred about this time was 
 related to me by Gen. James C. Veatch, commander 
 of the 2d Brigade, 4th Division, 16th Army Corps, 
 Army of the Tennessee. My father was one of Gen. 
 Veatch's staff officers during the war. 
 
 "Our last meeting," writes the General, "was at 
 Washington City, where we both attended the inaugu- 
 ration of Gen. Grant as President. 
 
 "On leaving and bidding him good-bye, 1 expressed 
 a hope that we should soon meet again. He replied, 
 *No, we shall most likely not see each other again,' 
 and drawing from his watch chain a little charm with 
 the face of Washington on one side and Lincoln on 
 the other, said, ' Here are the pictures of two of the 
 greatest and purest men that ever lived. I know of 
 no friend to whom I would sooner give it than to you. 
 Wear it in memory of our friendship begun on the 
 tented field, but which will last while we live.'" An 
 incident worthy of a warm-hearted friend and a pure, 
 noble-minded patriot! 
 
 My father's health continued to decline and his busi- 
 ness troubles increased with his failing health. Finally, 
 in the winter of 1870-71, he left Springfield and re- 
 moved to Rock Creek, near his father's old home, 
 whither, in his early days on graduating in medicine, 
 he had aone to recruit his health. 
 
74 A MEMOIR OF 
 
 Here, at ten o'clock A. M., August 30, 1871, Dr. 
 Stephenson died in what should have been the prime 
 of his manhood, before he had completed his forty- 
 eighth year. 
 
 Dr. Stephenson was buried at first in the little coun- 
 try cemetery at Kock Creek, but was afterwards rein- 
 terred by Estill Post No. 71. G. A. R.,on the 29th of 
 August, 1882, eleven j^ears after his death. The re- 
 interment was conducted with appropriate ceremonies, 
 and the remains of the founder of the Grand Army of 
 the Republic now lie in Rose Hill Cemetery, Peters- 
 burg, Illinois. He left a widow, son, and two daughters. 
 
 I feel that it would not be inappropriate to give 
 here some of the expressions of esteem and friendship 
 which Dr. Stephenson's old friends have made concern- 
 ing him. 
 
 General Veatch writes of Dr. Stephenson: "My old 
 friend whose heart and head were always alive to the 
 cause of our country and its defenders." 
 
 His friend, Judge J. H. Matheny, of Springfield, Illi- 
 nois, says of him: "Dr. Stephenson was a true man in 
 its highest and grandest sense, true to his friends and 
 true to his country. A kinder heart never beat in a hu- 
 man breast, and his whole life was characterized by an 
 utter unselfishness. He was a patriot, simple and pure, 
 and his devotion to the great cause of universal free- 
 dom was absolutely unwavering." 
 
 Major John F. Nolte, Independence, Kansas, says of 
 his life-long friend, B. F. Stephenson: "That brave, 
 unselfish, generous, tender-hearted man ; a man always 
 ready to do for others." 
 
DR. STEPHENSON. 75 
 
 There is much good in human nature, and our friends, 
 God bless them, are prone to find the nobility hidden 
 even in the most obdurate bosoms, but surely the sub- 
 ject of the above tributes was a man whose heart was 
 fashioned after Divine Nature's most beautiful mold 
 and imbued with her sunniest smile. All mankind were 
 his brethren ; he found a friend and neighbor in each 
 suffering human, Could the grateful tears of the wid- 
 ows and orphans, the friendless women and children, 
 whom he has succored, whom he has restored to health, 
 whose gratitude was all he would receive, could these 
 tears be gathered up, they would offer a tribute more 
 eloquent than tongue could utter, or pen transcribe. 
 
 Dr. Stephenson was not a professor of religion, but 
 he was one to whom the performance of the golden 
 rule seemed natural, the universal law of love and 
 justice seemed innate. He reverenced those who lived 
 true Christian lives, and loved to inculcate in his chil- 
 drediij principles of truth and honesty. Doubtless he 
 had faults, like all mortals, but his virtues so tran- 
 scended his faults, that, happy destiny! his friends in 
 looking at his life as a whole scarcely remember his 
 foibles. 
 
 His was a beautiful life ! A life of generous thought 
 and labor for others, of high aims and noble purposes. 
 And truly the purity of his motives, the loftiness of 
 his aims, and the beneficence of his achievements, may 
 well overshadow some frailties common to our poor 
 humanity. Of a truth it may be said of him, the world 
 is better, men are nobler, the poor are richer, for his 
 life. 
 
76 
 
 A MEMOIR OF 
 
 Through the mournful breath of the cypress bough, 
 
 Comes an undertone of cheer ; 
 The spirits of Love and of Justice avow : 
 
 "Lo, one of our own lies here!" 
 Laid low in the mold 
 
 Let him sleep! 
 The Lord of the Sickle, old, 
 
 With him his ancient tryst did keep ; 
 
 The fruition of his heart-throes his brethren shall reap. 
 
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