Civil War News Articles
7TH ILLINOIS REGIMENT STAYS AT ALTON PRISON
Source: History of the Seventh Regiment, Illinois Volunteer
Infantry, From April 25, 1861 to July 9, 1865, by D. Leib Ambrose,
1868 (Book in Public Domain)
At this time the firm steps of Illinois patriot men were heard
keeping step to the music of the Union. In every direction her
stalwart sons were seen marching towards the Capital. The loyal
pulse never beat so central and quickening as at this period. After
the organization of the regiment on the twenty seventh, they are
marched from Camp Yates to the armory, where they receive their arms
- the Harper's Ferry altered musket - after which the regiment
marches to the depot and embarks for Alton, Illinois where the
regiment arrives at 4 p.m. and are quartered in the old
State
Penitentiary. With men who were eager for war, whose hopes of
martial glory ran so high, to be quartered in the old criminal home
grated harshly, and they did not enter those dark recesses with much
gusto. During our stay here the regiment was every day marched out
on the city commons by Colonel Cook, and there exercised in the
manual of arms and the battalion evolutions until they attained a
proficiency surpassed by none in the service. On the nineteenth of
May, private Harvey of Company A died the first death in the
regiment. The first soldier in the first regiment to offer his life
for the flag and freedom. On the second of June private Dunsmore of
the same company falls into a soldier's grave. May the loyal people
ever remember these first sacrifices so willingly offered in the
morning of the rebellion. On the third of July [1861] the regiment
embarked on board the steamer "City of Alton" for Cairo, Illinois.
Passing down the river the steamer is hailed and brought to at the
St Louis Arsenal and after the necessary inspection proceeds on her
way.
NOTES:
The 7th Illinois Infantry saw service at the Battle of Fort
Donelson, the Battle of Shiloh, the Battle of Allatoona, the March
to the Sea and the Carolinas Campaign.
MOVEMENTS OF THE ALTON CITY GUARD
Source: Alton Telegraph, April 27, 1861
All the week long our streets have resounded with martial music and
the tread of soldiers mustering and drilling for the war. On Monday,
the "City Guard" received orders by telegraph to report themselves
in Springfield on Tuesday. They left their Armory on Second Street
[Broadway] at 5 o'clock the next evening, and marched to the depot
accompanied by a large crowd to bid them "Adieu" and "God Speed."
Friends and relations gathered around each one, and there were
shaking of hands, tears, "goodbyes," and some heavy hearts too, as
the brave fellows learned the first sad lesson of a soldiers life.
While awaiting the arrival of the cars, Mr. Thomas Dimmock, in
behalf of the citizens of Alton, presented to Captain Tucker and
Lieutenant Davis each an elegant sword and sash. These gentlemen
responded briefly and happily, expressing their grateful
acknowledgements for the honor. A moment later the train came up,
the company took their places, and amid a tempest of hurrahs, Alton
sent forward her first installment in this noble cause of the Union.
The officers of the City Guard are as follows:
Captain - B. W. Tucker
First Lieutenant - Charles H. Davis
Second Lieutenant - John P. Ash
First Orderly Sergeant - S. D. Breck
Second Orderly Sergeant - Absalom T. Ash
Third Orderly Sergeant - William Gallion
Fourth Orderly Sergeant - William Ash
First Corporal - Samuel Boyd
Second Corporal - Levi Davis
Third Corporal - Charles Tuthill
Fourth Corporal - E. A Tucker
The company numbers rank and file 117 men. We will next week publish
in full the names of the gallant men composing this company, and
also those of the Alton Jaegers.
THE ALTON JAEGER COMPANY
Source: Alton Telegraph, April 27, 1861
This well-drilled and fine looking Company left for Springfield on
Thursday morning last. There was an immense and enthusiastic crowd
gathered around the Depot to take leave of them. The Company was
addressed by Dr. F. Humbert, but as he spoke in German, we cannot
speak of the merits of his remarks, but we know from the character
of the man that he spoke to the point.
The Jaegers will be one of the best looking and most efficient
companies furnished by Illinois during the campaign. Our limits will
not permit us to speak of them at this time, as wel would like to
do. But in the name of our city and state and common country, we
thank them for their devotion to the Stars and Stripes. We are
willing to trust the Alton Jaegers in any position which they may be
placed. We give below a list of the officers of the above named
Company:
Captain - John H. Kuhn
First Lieutenant - H. Schweizer
Second Lieutenant - J. Schmid
Third Lieutenant - J. Tonsor
First Orderly Sergeant - F. Hoffery
Second Orderly Sergeant - George Mohr
Third Orderly Sergeant - E. Adam
Fourth Orderly Sergeant - J. Diethin
First Corporal - R. Fischbach
Second Corporal - E. Eppenberger
Third Corporal - H. Behrens
Fourth Corporal - S. Hund
Secretary - George Lisner
Musicians - H. Hill and J. Linsio
CAPTAIN HARRY E. HARTS' COMPANY
Source: Alton Telegraph, April 27, 1861
Captain Hart, who has been laboring for two or three days past to
raise a Company, has succeeded in filling up his list with a noble
and as brave a set of young men as ever enlisted in any country. He
has tendered their services to the Governor. The Company elected the
following officers on Wednesday last:
Captain - Harrison E. Hart
First Lieutenant - John Seaton
Second Lieutenant - R. Harry Cliff
First Orderly Sergeant - Alfred C. Pitman
Second Orderly Sergeant - Frank Allen
Third Orderly Sergeant - C. W. Holliday
Fourth Orderly Sergeant - C. W. H. Brudon
First Corporal - W. H. Davis
Second Corporal - T. C. Young
Third Corporal - J. Norris Morgan
Fourth Corporal - W. Flynn
ARMS ARRIVE FROM ST. LOUIS ARSENAL
Source: Alton Telegraph, April 27, 1861
The City of Alton [steamboat] landed here [Alton] yesterday morning,
having onboard twenty-one thousand stand of arms with abundance of
ammunition &c., from the United States Arsonal at St. Louis. Also
two pieces of artillery. As soon as the boat touched the levee, a
full force was set actively to work loading them on a freight train,
which stood waiting for Springfield. It was neatly and bravely done.
ALTON BANK TO LOAN THE STATE OF ILLINOIS MONEY TO ARM VOLUNTEERS
Source: Alton Telegraph, April 27, 1861
The Alton Bank has nobly offered to loan the state of Illinois
$20,000 to help defray the expenses of arming and equipping the
volunteers. There has also been raised in our city a large amount by
our citizens for the purpose of supporting the families of gentlemen
who have enlisted in defense of our country.
UNION MEETING AT MONTICELLO [GODFREY]
Source: Alton Telegraph, April 27, 1861
The citizens of Monticello, pursuant to call, met on Thursday
afternoon at the schoolhouse, for the purpose of expressing their
views upon the state of the country. Nearly every man in the
precinct was on hand, without distinction of party. Rufus Northay,
Esq., was chosen Chairman, and B. F. Webster, Secretary. Many
patriotic speeches were made, and resolutions having the ring of the
true metal were unanimously adopted. A determination to uphold and
sustain the Administration in crushing our rebellion was manifested
by all present. We do not remember to have ever before witnessed so
large and enthusiastic meeting in that most loyal precinct.
ALTON MONTGOMERY GUARDS ORGANIZE
Source: Alton Telegraph, May 03, 1861
A meeting of the Alton Montgomery Guards, held this day for the
purpose of effecting an organization, the following named gentlemen
were chosen officers:
Captain John E. Coppinger
First Lieutenant Patrick Ryan
Second Lieutenant Simon Henly
First Orderly Sergeant James M. Maguire
Second Orderly Sergeant Maurice Maguire
Third Orderly Sergeant James Lamhe
Fourth Orderly Sergeant Timothy Wheaton
First Corporal Owen Hamel
Second Corporal Thomas Fitzgerald
Third Corporal Patrick M. Hennessy
Fourth Corporal Timothy Laughlin
ALTON VOLUNTEER COMPANIES
Source: Alton Telegraph, May 03, 1861
Alton has furnished the following companies in response to the
requisition made upon Illlinois by the President:
Alton City Guards - Captain B. W. Tucker
Alton Jaerger Company - Captain J. H. Krum
Captain G. H. Yager's Company, organized at Springfield from those
taken from the Haegers, Alton City Guards and the Edwardsville
Company, on account of their being too full. The name of the company
we have not learned.
These Companies have all been received.
The following Companies are full and are ready to respond whenever a
call is made:
Union Guards - Captain H. E. Hart
Montgomery Guards - Captain J. E. Cappinger
Alton Artillery Company - Captain Henry Platt
The Buckmaster Guards - Captain L. H. Merrill
Our entire state has done well, but we doubt whether there is
another city or town in Illinois - and we know there is none in any
other state - that has furnished as many volunteers in proportion to
their population as Alton. All honor, we say, to our brave and
patriotic young men.
Dr. Charles Davis has been appointed assistant surgeon, and is
attached to Colonel Cook's Regiment, now stationed in Alton. He
holds the rank of Captain. Mr. Davis is the son of our worthy
fellow-citizen, Levi Davis, Esq., and is a young man of much
promise. We congratulate him on his promotion.
LADIES PRESENT FLAG TO ALTON CITY GUARDS
Captain Tucker Responds in Appreciation
Source: Alton Telegraph, May 03, 1861
The following letter, written by Captain Tucker of the Alton City
Guards, has been handed to us by a friend. The letter was prompted
by the reception of a flag from some of our patriotic young ladies.
May these ladies all soon find themselves in union with some good,
loyal man, and ever have the glorious Stars and STripes to wave over
them. Their kind attentions to this brave company will, no doubt,
encourage and stimulate many a weary soldier as he goes through the
trials and dangers of a soldier's life.
Camp Yates, Springfield, Illinois, April 29, 1861
To Misses M. E. Pitts, Sallie M. Miller, Ruth A. Miller, and all
others who so kindly united in procuring a flag for the Alton City
Guard:
In behalf of the officers and men of my command, I return you our
sincere thanks for the keep interest you have taken in procuring for
us that flag we all so much love and revere, and will, if necessary,
lay down our lives to maintain, midst the roar of the battle, and
sad havoc of war now shaking our beloved country to its very center.
We accept it with the assurance that the eyes of our fellow citizens
are fixed upon us, to keep unsullied the banner, which for nearly a
century has secured to us so many rights and privileges. Also
feeling that we have left behind warm friends, whose hearts beat in
sympathy with ours. "Our oaths are registered on high." Could you
have witnessed the spontaneous burst of enthusiasm on receiving it,
it would have been assurance enough of its having been consigned to
men who feel the responsibility that rests upon them. Signed by B.
W. Tucker, Captain of the Alton City Guard.
MUSTER ROLL OF THE MADISON GUARDS
Source: Alton Telegraph, May 03, 1861
Captain Joseph G. Robinson
First Lieutenant Thomas H. Newman
Second Lieutenant G. Girst
First Orderly Sergeant Edward L. Friday
Second Orderly Sergeant James D. Corine
Third Orderly Sergeant John P. Lusk
Fourth Orderly Sergeant George Lingenfelter
First Corporal John H. Gunterman
Second Corporal G. O. Austin
Third Corporal Henry G. Wilder
Fourth Corporal Harmon Cassiday
Drummer George Putnam
Fifer James Boyd
Privates:
William Altman, William Allison, D. N. Ashton, Henry C. Barnsback,
Peter Bishop, William H. Bailhache, Simon Brendle, Frank Bauer,
Harmon Berleman, James B. Calvin, R. W. Calvin, Joseph J. Gillespie,
John Carlink, Fred A. Corman, James Crosby, William L. Densmore,
George Davis, Henry Dettmer, Eirnes Delkman, F. W. East, Henry
Feisler, William Faurman, Cleero Oates, Jeremiah Green, Adolph
Hauser, John Hobson, Bernard Hook, F. W. Hamel, J. W. Hadley, Lemuel
Hauter, James Hauskins, A. Linderman, W. W. Jarvis, Mike Kelley,
William Kelley, John Kroufman, John Likely, Fred Lemming, F. W.
Lewis, J. K. Likart, Lewis Lott, Lewis Lomks, Eli McCauley, William
McDonald, D. W. Moore, Henry Miller, William Padon, Adolph Pikins,
Ernest Rhoerbosts, Nosh W. Stineneumb, J. K. Riddell, Benjamin F. ,
McCurse, Dennis Lane, William Thompson, Joseph Shear, Chris Head,
John West, Theo Runge, Henry Lanor, William A. Cassiday, Amos
Tucker, Samuel Smith, And. Senchman, George Limmermen, Adolph
Bridges, George Woodbury, Adolph Phildemus, Abe Sharp, Loopel Wolf,
Lemuel Watson, Edward Snodgrass, S. R. Jarvis, R. Miller.
SEVENTH REGIMENT OF ILLINOIS VOLUNTEERS ARRIVE AT ALTON
Source: Alton Telegraph, May 03, 1861
On Saturday afternoon, the Seventh Regiment of Illinois Volunteers
under the command of Colonel John Cook arrived in this city from
Camp Yates of Springfield. The long train of eighteen cars was met
at the depot by a large concourse of citizens, who welcomed the
troops with loud and hearty cheers.
Previous to their arrival, the old penitentiary grounds had been
prepared for their reception and is now occupied by them as a camp,
to which they gave the name of Camp Dubois, in honor of our worthy
State Auditor. The men are all well armed with new muskets from the
St. Louis arsenal. Taking them together they are a resolute and
determined set of men, and we do not fear for the honor of Stars and
Stripes, so long as they are committed to their keeping. The extent
of their stay among us is uncertain, as they are only here awaiting
orders. At present, they are being thoroughly and efficiently
drilled with a view to efficiency and promptness when called into
active service. They are ready and anxious for an opportunity to
meet the enemy, and will without doubt overmatch "Southern steel and
Southern powder," with the same articles of Northern manufacture.
The Regiment consists of 180 men, rank and file, and is composed of
the following officers and companies:
Colonel Cook
Lieutenant Colonel Wyatt
Major General Adjutant Moffett
Quarter Master Canferlef
Surgeon Metcalfe
Elgin Company A - Captain Joslyn
Mattoon Company B - Captain Monroe
Aurora Company C - Captain Sawyer
Litchfield Company D - Captain Munn
Lincoln Guards, Company E - Captain Estaurook
Bunker Hill Company F - Captain Cummings
Springfield Guards, Company G - Captain Sands
Yates Rangers, Company H - Captain Holden
Springfield Greys, Company I - Captain Saccor
Macoupin Invincibles, Company K - Captain Rowitt
MUSTER ROLLS OF THE ALTON CITY GUARDS
Source: Alton Telegraph, May 03, 1861
Captain B. W. Tucker
First Lieutenant C. H. H. Davis
Second Lieutenant J. P. Ash
First Orderly Sergeant S. B. Bruce
Second Orderly Sergeant A. Ash
Third Orderly Sergeant William Gallion
Fourth Orderly Sergeant William Ash
First Corporal Samuel Boyd
Second Corporal Levi Davis
Third Corporal Charles Tuthill
Fourth Corporal E. A. Tucker
Privates:
B. K. Durwort, F. A. Draper, Thomas Sweeney, John R. Barber, John H.
Collins, Alex Hodge, John Wheelock, William H. Cull, Richard
Humbert, John M. Ribelin, David M. Harney, J. E. Thompson, William
Stewart, John Smith, W. M. Pembrook, Charles W. Drummond, John A.
Medley, Henry Garret,, Theodore Scovell, William H. Carter, Andrew
Doughton, W. P. Christie, Jesse Kendell, Fred Bankerman, Benjamin
Davis, George Bailey, Thomas Motley, N. S. Boles, W. R. Pembrook, J.
F. Senville, David McNeill, Frank Davis, John Thompson, Peter
Hughes, Eugene Levenue, J. B. Chenoweth, James Pullman, Alex
Campbell, Adner H. Twiss, J. M. Hartwick, F. H. Seeley, James M.
King, William McDonald, Thomas Driscoll, William L. Barnet, George W.
Hays, Benedict Culmus, Joseph Murphy, Jes Hamilton, Jerry Ahem,
Harlow Bassett, Newton F. Fletcher, Gilbert Crock, Anton Schwertner,
F. Builesher, Abner D. Burton, Richard P. Baker, Victor F. Mounler,
John W. Mills, J. P. Hughs,
Henry Keen, Thomas J. Woods, Richard Scovill, John Dougan, Thomas J.
Perkins,
John Roberts, R. W. Hawkins, James Dunbar, William Caldwell, John Webb,
P. Hughs, Martin Wagoner, Joshua Teer, Allen Dennis, George E. Johnson,
William H. King, Thomas Hagan, James Haley, Patrick Kelley, John Hoover,
Daniel O'Brien, Jacob F. Scott, Samuel P. Randell, Andrew Johnson,
Philip Myers,
Timothy Maginn, John Coleman, John D. Long, William S. Force, Horace
Rundell,
Peter Greenwood, D. P. Quinn, Simeon S. Baker, Henry Burmester, James
Mitchell,
Peter S. Wolford, James Keonne, Thomas Barnett, W. Huffman, Henry Teeson,
William D. Klyn, Alex C. Hough, Charles Kunz, Patrick Spain, Alphus
Walters,
Edward Johnson.
MUSTER ROLL OF THE ALTON JAEGER COMPANY
Source: Alton Telegraph, May 03, 1861
Captain John H. Kuhn
First Lieutenant H. Schweizer
Second Lieutenant Emil Adam
First Orderly Sergeant F. Hoefert
Second Orderly Sergeant George Mohr
Third Orderly Sergeant J. Eppenberger
Fourth Orderly Sergeant S. Hunt
First Corporal J. Dietsche
Second Corporal William Schell
Third Corporal F. Oberbreck
Fourth Corporal Ernst Weirich
Musician H. Hill
Musician J. Linsig
Privates:
J. Bauer, J. Wehric, G. Redel, John Young, C. Rose, P. Schuh, J.
Davis, G. Kurn, M. Weiss, G. Weishaupt, F. Breineheump, Theodore
Gottleib, J. Hartman, F. Unger, B. Hurter, M. Ziegler, P. Bailey, H.
Joesting, C. Betts, R. Hitz, J. Goldhard, J. Salzman, A. Justi, G.
Ruhland, A. Joerger, H. Brenner, A. Sosal, H. Faulstich, T. Yobborg,
George Shueter, H. Jenks, Totter G. Linsig, A. Ott, H. Bauer, Peter
Shopped, H. Hurn, Charles Harris, R. Nester, A. Stoer, F.
Guthermann, John Miller, J. Schopped, Charles Backman, C. Miller,
William Bunze, J. Brown, A. Faulhalier, Charles Schmeburg, A.
Seifried, A. Dick, J. Wuchier, W. Spies, C. Hutter, J. Carstons,
William Morganstern, Baldwin Peashky, Charles Globrich, Mr.
Schneider, Schield
L. Baner, F. W. Hull, Emil Guellich, J. Heibert.
CITIZENS OF ALTON AIDE CAPTAIN STOKES TO STRIP ST. LOUIS ARSENAL
OF WEAPONS
Source: Clyde, New York Times, May 8, 1861
From the Chicago Tribune. Springfield, Ill., April 28, 1861
Captain James H. Stokes, of Chicago, formerly proprietor of the
Glass Works, of Clyde, Wayne County, New York, and previously of the
Regular Army, having seen actual service in Florida, volunteered to
undertake the perilous mission of transferring twenty-one thousand
stand of arms from St. Louis to Springfield; and Gov. Yates placed
in his hands the requisition of the Secretary of War for ten
thousands muskets. Capt. Stokes went to St Louis and made his way as
rapidly as possible to the Arsenal. He found it surrounded by an
immense mob, and the postern gates all closed. His efforts to
penetrate the crowd were for a long time unavailing. At last he
managed to attract the attention of one of the guards, by whom he
sent for the Captain of the Company stationed at that part of the
Arsenal yard, and to him he made known that he was a bearer of
dispatches from the War Department. With some difficulty he was
admitted without attracting the particular notice of the crowd. On
reaching the Arsenal proper, he learned that Major Hayner, of the
Ordnance Department had just been ordered to Leavenworth, whither he
had gone the previous day. He had been superseded by Major
Callender, an old Classmate of Capt. Stokes at West Point. A council
was immediately held between Capt. Stokes, Major Callender, and
Capt. Lyon, the latter being the officer in command of the regular
troops and volunteers. The requisition was shown. Capt. Lyon doubted
the possibility of executing it. He said the arsenal was surrounded
by a thousand spies, and every movement was watched and reported to
the headquarters of the secessionists, who could throw an
overpowering force upon them at any moment. Capt Stokes represented
that every hours' delay was rendering the capture of the arsenal
uncertain, and the arms must be removed to Illinois, now or never.
Maj. Callender agreed with him, and told him to take them at his own
time and in his own way. This was Wednesday night. Capt. Stokes had
a spy in the camp of the secessionists whom he met at intervals in a
certain place in that city. On Thursday he received information that
Gov. Jackson had ordered two thousand armed men down from Jefferson
City, whose movements could only contemplate a seizure of the
arsenal by occupying the heights around it and planting batteries
thereon. The job would have been an easy one. They had already
planted one battery on the St. Louis Levee, and another on Powder
Point, a short distance below the arsenal. Capt Stokes immediately
telegraphed to Alton, to have the steamer "City of Alton" drop down
to the arsenal landing about midnight. He then returned to the
arsenal and commenced moving the boxes of guns, weighing some three
hundred pounds each, down to the lower floor. About seven hundred
men were employed in the work. He then took five hundred Kentucky
flint-lock muskets, which had been sent there to be altered, and
sent them to be placed on a steamer as a blind to cover his real
movements. The secessionists nabbed them at once, and raised a
perfect bedlam over the capture. A large portion of the outside
crowd left the Arsenal when this movement was executed, and Capt.
Lyon took the remainder who were lying around as spies, and locked
them up in his guard house. About 11 o'clock the steamer "City of
Alton" came alongside, planks were shoved out from the windows to
the main deck, and the boxes slid down. When the ten thousand were
safely on board, Capt Stokes went to Capt. Lyon and Major Callender,
and urged them by the most pressing appeals, to let him empty the
arsenal. They told him to go ahead and take whatever he wanted.
Accordingly, he took eleven thousand more muskets, five hundred new
rifle carbines, fire hundred revolvers, one hundred and ten thousand
musket cartridges, to say nothing of the cannons, and a large
quantity of miscellaneous accoutrements, leaving only seven thousand
muskets to arm the St. Louis Volunteers. When the whole were on
board, about two o'clock Friday morning, the order was given, by the
Captain of the steamer to cast off. Judge of the consternation of
all hands when it was found she would not move. The arms had been
piled around the engines to protect them against the battery on the
levee, and the great weight had fastened the bows of the boat firmly
on a rock, which was tearing a bole through the bottom at every turn
of the wheels. A man of less nerve than Captain Stokes would have
gone crazy on the spot. He called the Arsenal men on board, and
commenced moving the boxes to the stern. Fortunately, when about two
hundred boxes had been shifted, the boat fell away from the shore
and floated in deep water. "Which way?" said Capt. Mitchell.
"Straight to Alton in the regular channel," replied Capt Stokes.
"What if we are attacked?" said Capt. Mitchell. "Then we will
fight!" said Capt. Stokes. "What if we are overpowered?" said Capt.
M. "Run her to the deepest part of the river and sink her," replied
Captain S. "I'll do it," was the heroic answer of Captain Mitchell,
and away they went past the secession battery, past the entire St.
Louis levee, and on to Alton, in the regular channel, where they
arrived at five o'clock the next morning. When the boat touched her
landing, Capt Stokes, fearing pursuit by some of the secession
military companies, by which the city of St. Louis is disgraced, ran
to the Market House and rang the fire bell. The citizens came
flocking pell-mell to the river, in all sorts of habiliments. Capt.
Stokes informed them of the situation of things, and pointed out the
freight cars. Instantly, men, women and children boarded the
steamer, seized the freight and clambered up the levee to the cars.
Rich and poor tugged together with might and main for two hours,
when the cargo was all deposited in the cars and the train moved
off, amid their enthusiastic cheers, for Springfield. When Captain
Stokes reached this city, he was so exhausted by 60 hours of
incessant labor and excitement that he fell asleep while endeavoring
the recount his adventures to Judge Trumbull. Secession has now
received its fatal blow, not only in St. Louis, but throughout
Missouri. When it became known that the arms were gone, the St.
Louis Republican began to preach peace and neutrality, the minutemen
ceased brawling for Jeff. Davis in the streets, and Gov. Jackson
began to advise against calling the state convention together. While
Capt. Stokes was taking the arms, the secessionists were planning to
take the Government powder house about a mile below. It is reported
that they had seized it before they became aware that the Arsenal
was emptied. The Union, now and forever!
7TH ILLINOIS INFANTRY QUARTERED AT ALTON PRISON
Source: Alton Telegraph, May 10 & 17, 1861
The Regiment [7th Illinois Volunteer Infantry] quartered in Alton
appear to be contended and happy. They come out daily as Companies,
and drill amid the green grass and leaf-covered forests in the
vicinity of the city, and decorate themselves with wild flowers with
which the woods abound. To see them in their innocent recreations
and their love for the romantic and beautiful, one would never be
led to think they were preparing to shed blood. They have conducted
themselves with great propriety since they have been here, and have
the good wishes and kindly sympathies of the entire community. Last
Friday morning they hoisted a large and beautiful flag over their
camp, amid the shouts and hurrahs of thousands. Afterward Colonel
Cook and others made some patriotic and pertinent remarks, which
were received with deafening applause. Then the Star Spangled Banner
and other patriotic airs were sung by the Volunteers, with a will
and emphasis which showed that their song came from the depths of
their hearts.
Friends from abroad having relatives here may rest assured that the
people of Alton will spare no pains to make the soldiers comfortable
and happy during their sojourn among us. Some of our ladies’ hearts
are so large and full of patriotism that they are talking of getting
up a great picnic for the entire Regiment so that the Volunteers can
have a chance to meet our citizens and receive evidences of their
kindness. We cannot say now whether they will be able to succeed in
their contemplated enterprise. But simply speak of it is an evidence
of the esteem and respect they entertain for the brave soldiers
sojourning for the time being among us.
The men in this encampment are diligently engaged in drilling
preparatory to active service, whenever they may be ordered. They
are a fine-looking lot of men, and we have not yet heard of a single
case of disorderly conduct among them since they have been in our
city. Some of them complain of their quarters, but we think that it
is caused more from the fact that they are inside the Penitentiary
walls than from any inconveniences which they suffer. It is not
supposed at this time, however, that they will be permitted to
remain much long with us, especially if their service should be
needed in Missouri, but at present we do not think that will be the
case.
Many of our citizens have enough milk to spare, and we learn that it
is in great demand at Camp Dubois. Would it not be convenient and
agreeable to those who are so abundantly supplied with milk to send
it into the Camp for the benefit of the brave Volunteers who stand
in so much need of it? We have also been told that some milk
shylocks have been taking it there and selling it at 10 cents per
quart, while they supply their regular customers at 6 cents. It is
shameful thus to extort upon men who have left their all to protect
our Government and perhaps our lives and property from destruction,
simply because they are in a situation that they cannot help
themselves.
NOTES:
The 7th Illinois Infantry was mustered at Cairo, Illinois, on April
25, 1861, under Colonel John Cook. On April 27, they marched from
Camp Yates to the armory, where they received their arms – the
Harper’s Ferry altered musket. The regiment then marched to the
depot and took the train to Alton, arriving at 4 p.m. They quartered
in the former State Penitentiary. The men were eager for war, with
hopes of glory, and to be quartered in the old criminal home grated
harshly. Every day the regiment was marched out onto the city
commons by Colonel Cook, and exercised in the manual of arms and the
battalion evolutions, until they attained a proficiency surpassed by
none in the service. On May 19, Private Harvey of Company A died –
the first death in the regiment. On June 2, Private Dunsmore of the
same Company died. On June 3, the regiment left Alton on board the
steamer “City of Alton,” for Cairo, Illinois. They were inspected at
the St. Louis Arsenal, and then proceeded on their way. They saw
service at the Battle of Fort Donelson, the Battle of Shiloh, the
Battle of Allatoona, the March to the Sea and the Carolinas
Campaign. The regiment mustered out of service on July 9, 1865.
COLONEL COOK’S REGIMENT LEAVES ALTON
Source: Alton Telegraph, June 7, 1861
Colonel Cook’s Regiment left this place on Monday evening last,
about 10 o’clock, for Cairo. There was a large assemblage of
citizens collected on the levee to see them off, and when the boat
began to move, deafening shouts were sent forth from the brave
volunteers, and returned by the citizens. They embarked on the
[steamboat] City of Alton. From the uniform good conduct of the men
while here, they had made many friends, and most of our citizens
regretted to see them leave, and on the other hand the soldiers
expressed the warmest attachment towards our citizens, and
acknowledged with grateful feeling the kindness shown them,
especially by the ladies of the place. More than one of them said
they hoped after peace was restored, they would be permitted to
return this way, and meet again their kind friends in Alton, before
leaving for their homes. That they may be successful to their
mission, be preserved from the bullets of the rebels, escape
desolating sickness, and speedily be permitted to return to their
homes, is the earnest desire of our citizens.
ARRIVAL OF TROOPS IN ALTON
Source: Alton Telegraph, June 21, 1861
On Tuesday morning the steamers Sam Caty and LaSalle landed at our
wharf from Peoria, with the 17th Regiment of Illinois Volunteers
Colonel L. F. Ross in command. Their camping grounds is a little
north of Middletown. They are a fine-looking body of men.
On Wednesday a Regiment under the command of Colonel Turner arrived
by the way of the Illinois Central and Terre Haute, Alton and St.
Louis Railroad, from Freeport.
On the same morning, the Regiment from Joliet arrived on the St.
Louis, Alton, and Chicago Railroad, under the command of Colonel
Marsh, and also Colonel Hecker’s German Regiment from Chicago.
These troops are camped in the suburbs of Alton, and are a
determined and noble looking company of men. There is no nation on
the face of the earth which has such an intelligent set of men to
light its battles as ours. Here it is our fellow citizens, inferior
in no respect to the best of our people who are at home, that
volunteer to lay down their lives in defense of their country, and
that too without any reference to the consideration they are to
receive. They should, and we have no doubt but they will, receive
the sympathy and kind attentions of our citizens while they sojourn
in our community. In addition to the Regiments named above, it is
understood that the Dixon Regiment, under Colonel J. H. Wyman, will
also be stationed here if this should be sol, Colonel Wyman, as the
senior Colonel, would have charge of the encampment. Of those men
here, Colonel Turner is the senior.
CAPTAIN FRANKLIN MOORE’S COMPANY SWORN IN
Source: Alton Telegraph, July 26, 1861
On Wednesday, Captain Franklin Moore’s Cavalry Company of Madison
County was sworn into service, and took their place in the camp.
This Company is commanded by the following officers: Captain
Franklin Moore; First Lieutenant George Leopold; Second Lieutenant
Thomas Brown.
ALTON VOLUNTEERS ON FURLOUGH
Source: Alton Telegraph, July 26, 1861
A number of the Alton Volunteers who have been in Cairo in the
Jaegers and Captain Tucker’s Company, have been spending a day or
two at home. They represent the troops in that place as in good
spirits and enjoying excellent health for the season of the year.
Nearly all of them have re-enlisted to serve during the war.
ARTILLERY COMPANY FORMED IN UPPER ALTON
Source: Alton Telegraph, August 9, 1861
We learn that Steerling and M. Welfley are aiming to form an
Artillery Company in Upper Alton for the purpose of serving under
General Fremont in the southwest. The Company will be mainly made up
from those who have had active experience in the Prussian army. A
few men with the proper qualification may yet be received into this
company. The patriotic ardor of our people is unabated, and we have
no doubt this company will soon be full.
CAPTAIN J. L. ROBERTS RIFLE COMPANY
Source: Alton Telegraph, August 9, 1861
Captain J. L. Roberts if organizing a crack rifle company made up in
a good degree from the brave and well-drilled company of Captain B.
W. Tucker’s three months’ volunteers. Those wishing a place in this
popular organization must call soon, as it is nearly full and will
leave for Springfield on Saturday or Monday at farthest. Captain
Roberts is just the man to lead his men to victory and renown, and
all who join with him will be sure to be called to active service.
LIEUTENANT FERDINAND WELKER NOW QUARTERMASTER
Source: Alton Telegraph, August 23, 1861
Lieutenant Ferdinand Welker of Alton has entered upon the duties of
Quartermaster in the battery of Captain Schwarz Light Artillery,
which Company is attached to Major General Freemont’s bodyguard. We
are certain we shall hear a good account of him in whatever position
he may accept. This adds another to the list of “Alton boys” who are
doing good service in our sister state. We learn that Mr. Welker
will be detailed to recruit some additional forces for said Company.
GEORGE TUTHILL NOW SECOND LIEUTENANT
Source: Alton Telegraph, August 30, 1861
We notice that our old friend George W. Tuthill, formerly of Alton,
is now Second Lieutenant in a Company from Springfield, and now at
Camp Butler. George is a good fellow, and his numerous friends here
will be glad to hear of his good fortune.
CAPTAIN LEWIS B. HUBBELL FORMS A COMPANY
Source: Alton Telegraph, August 30, 1861
Captain Lewis B. Hubbell, who has just returned with his Company
from a three months’ campaign in Missouri, has just opened a
recruiting office in the front room of the Telegraph building, for
the purpose of organizing a company under the following order: “I
detail you on recruiting only at Alton, Illinois, for the Third
Regiment of Missouri Rifles. And you are authorized to enlist men
for the three years, or during the war, and to receive and send men
in such numbers as they may present themselves to the Arsenal in St.
Louis, to be reported there to Colonel Burbank, officer in charge.
Signed Colonel Wright, Third Regiment Missouri Rifles.”
There is no doubt but this company will soon be filled up, under the
active and persevering efforts of Captain Hubbell and the young men
laboring with him, and the earnest desire of our people to relieve
their brethren of Missouri from the anarchy and deep distress under
which they are now laboring. Call soon if you want to get a place in
this Company. [Captain Hubbell died in 1870, and is buried in the
Alton City Cemetery. He was 41 years old.]
ANOTHER ALTONIAN COMPANY FORMED
Source: Alton Telegraph, August 30, 1861
Captain William M. Hart left Alton for Camp Butler today with a fine
Company of men. He had room for a few more good men, however, who
can enlist by calling at the old rendezvous at the office of the
Illinois Iron Works, where they will find his brother ready to
receive and forward them to the Camp.
ATONEMENT FOR A NATION’S SIN
Source: Alton Telegraph, October 01, 1861
Never has there been in our city [Alton] any public day so
universally observed as was last day, yesterday. Every store and
place of business, as far as we could observe, were close during the
entire day, with the exception of the National Mills and the
Distillery. These two establishments were in full blast from morning
until night. The streets were almost entirely deserted, but few
persons were to be observed on them, and hardly any wagons were in
from the country. There were public services in every church in the
city, in the morning, which we believe were well attended by serious
and solemn congregations, and as far as we have learned, the sins of
the nation were faithfully exposed by the pastors of the different
churches.
In the afternoon, a Union prayer meeting was held in the
Presbyterian Church. This meeting was well attended, filling the
church almost to its utmost capacity. The following ministers took
part in the exercises: Rev. Messrs. Jameson and Coon of the Baptist
Church; Rev. Mr. Logan of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church; and
Rev. Messrs. Lippincott, Norton and Taylor of the Presbyterians; and
in addition to these, several lay members of the different
denominations made remarks and led in prayer. A most excellent
impression was produced by this meeting. It was evident that the
people are looking with earnest desire to the Great Ruler of the
nations, that He might give success to our heroes, vindicate the
right, and once more restore peace to our distracted and bleeding
country. It is to be hoped that the great mass of our people are
beginning to realize that righteousness and righteousness alone
exalteth a nation, while sin is a reproach to any people. In the
evening, also, there was religious exercises in nearly all of the
churches, which were also well attended.
CAPTAIN DAVIS ORGANIZING COMPANY
Source: Alton Telegraph, October 4, 1861
Captain Davis, we learn, has put in process of organization a
Company in the American Bottom for Colonel Morrison’s 40th Illinois
Regiment, and proposes in connection with H. Baeer to address the
people during the coming two weeks. We bid him success in his
unbounded energy, and shall welcome with much pride the Company of
Rangers when formed. Colonel Morrison, doubtless, will be proud of
it, as it is to be commanded by his fellow soldier in Mexico,
Captain L. W. Moore, of Madison, assisted by Mr. William Stallings
of Six Mile. Under their control, the Company cannot fail. An honor
to the American Bottom.
AFFAIRS IN MISSOURI DISCOURAGING
Source: Alton Telegraph, November 29, 1861
No portion of the people of the United States have suffered so much
on account of the war, as the loyal men of Southwest Missouri.
Nowhere have the secessionists manifested such a fiendish spirit.
They appear to have neither honor nor mercy. The helpless women and
children have been plundered and robbed by them of everything, and
left to starve or perish from the inclemency of the approaching
winter, while many of the men have been murdered in cold blood, and
the rest have had to flee for their lives. Their farms have been
stripped of everything that would sustain life, and even their
houses, and in many instances the fences around their fields, have
been consumed. This was the condition in which they were found when
Fremont’s army took possession of Springfield. No wonder that these
poor, persecuted, robbed and injured people rejoiced when they once
more beheld the glorious Stars and Stripes proudly waving in their
part of the State, and beheld the Rebel horde fleeing before the
conquering Union forces.
The exiled husband and father once more returned to the embrace of
his half-famished, distracted, but now rejoicing wife and children,
and they together knelt and thanked God for their deliverance from a
fate worse even than death itself. But their rejoicing and safety
was of short duration. For reasons best known to those in authority,
our army was ordered to retrace their steps. No sooner was this move
known, than Price and McCulloch, with their band of half-clothed
soldiers, emerged from their hiding place and take possession of
this portion of the State, and these poor, suffering Union people
will once more be subjected to all the horrors and privations
previously endured by them, increased by the inclemency of the
weather and the great scarcity of provisions.
The retrograde movement of our forces appeared to us at the time as
unwise, but then we thought the General in command ought to know his
own business. He was trained to military duty and certainly was not
troubled with any diffidence in reference to his own qualifications,
or he would not have been so free to criticize the acts of others.
He was no doubt right. We do not pretend to know anything about
military matters, but we cannot refrain from sympathizing with those
true and loyal spirits in Southern Missouri, who amid all their
trials and hardships still maintain their attachment and devotion to
the Union.
WISCONSIN 11TH PASSES THROUGH ALTON
Source: Alton Telegraph, November 29, 1861
The Wisconsin 11th passed through our city last evening and embarked
on the City of Alton for St. Louis. This regiment is composed of
fine, large, robust men, and are exceedingly well equipped. Their
arms are Minnie muskets, manufactured at the Springfield,
Massachusetts armory, and the men appeared well pleased with them. A
splendid band accompanies this regiment, which discoursed sweet
melodies to the crowd on the levee who had congregated to see them
embark.
After the soldiers had left the cars, and while the officers were
forming in line, one of our citizens, a railroad man, who had just
read the cheering news from North Carolina, approached the Captain
of one of the companies and proposed “three cheers for North
Carolina.” The officer, who had not heard the news, supposing him to
be a southern sympathizer, pushed him aside rather roughly. Not
altogether relishing this kind of treatment, he again approached and
endeavored to explain himself, when the Captain, becoming irritated,
struck him a severe blow in the face and knocked him down. Our
railroader got up and was about pitching into the Captain, when one
of the Privates advanced from the ranks and gave him another severe
blow, which dropped him a second time. His friends who saw that
matters were getting serious, interfered and took him away. It is
proper to state that when the officers of the regiment became
acquainted with the news, they ordered three cheers for North
Carolina, which were given with a will, by the entire regiment.
CONFEDERATE REBELS TAKE OATH OF ALLEGIANCE
Source: Watertown, New York Reformer, 1861/1862
Four hundred and ninety-one of the rebel prisoners at Alton,
Illinois, have taken the oath of allegiance and been released.
TWO WOMEN DISGUISED IN MEN'S CLOTHING TRY TO ENLIST
Source: The State League, Syracuse, New York, abt. 1862
Two women disguised in men's clothes, enlisted at Alton, Illinois,
last week, but on being discovered, were sent home to their friends,
utterly against their wishes.
MARCHING ORDERS FOR THE 29th ILLINOIS INFANTRY
Source: Alton Telegraph, January 17, 1862
To the Editors of the Telegraph:
From Camp Caito, January 9, 1862
Marching orders! Off for Dixie! Pass it round! Our time has at last
come boy’s – don’t be afraid to “hurrah!” We are tired enough of
camps; give us a chance and we will show you. We are going sure this
time. And so it is, for we are ordered to be ready for instant
marching at 12 o’clock, this day.
The long looked and anxiously waited for time seems to be close at
hand, sure enough. No more scouting or “play fights.” Downright work
is at hand, and with cheerful spirit, intermingled with an
occasional sigh or sad thought for the loved ones far away, we make
ourselves ready. We secure five days rations with plenty of
ammunition, “secession medicine,” pack up camp equipage including
tents and cooking utensils, and await for the order. It is amazing
to see how the sick ones have suddenly got well. One boyish looking
“sucker,” with face swollen disproportionately on one side with
mumps, comes up concealing the fleshy side, and declares most
solemnly that he is quite well, or if that is disputed, thinks he
can stand it. No amount of medicine can produce such a healthy
effect. All we want is to go, and no fooling. Well, it is most
eleven, most time, but not quite.
One man from Company “E” comes up and asks the Colonel to give the
word, at the same time reporting that the sick men are fast getting
worse, and that their stimulant cannot hold out much longer without
a forward movement. Reminding one of certain distinguished public
men, not to say editors, who wax cold in the true Union causes when
things come of a defeat, or an editorially forward movement is
delayed. Is there not a similarity? They are not willing to bide the
time of men who can both plan and execute. We want no more Bull Runs
or Springfields, and you suggest Belmonts. We have had enough. Be
sure we are right, if it is a year longer, and then go ahead.
Tom blow your call! “Fall in,” is heard up and down the line. The
word is given, and a regiment of volunteers spring to their line,
each anxious to excel in speed his neighbor. No matter if the mud is
deep and soft, and the drizzly rain makes you damp and chilly. A
warmer clime awaits us, aye, and hotter work than drill and camp
duty. Well, the line is formed, the Colonel, in a few earnest and
patriotic words, not unmixed with pride and sorrow, asks his men to
distinguish themselves, as others have done before them, and to show
that what has been done in times past can be done now. “Three cheers
for the flag that waves over us, and three more for our gallant
young Colonel,” lustily given, in this response.
Right face! Forward march! And off we go to the tune of “I wish I
was in Dixie,” with merry faces, and I trust, with stern hearts.
Through mud and water (never mind young soldiers, if you do slip
down; it neither indicates weakness or drunkenness). Other and worse
slips have been made by older and wiser man. Now you are up, watch
closer next time, and a “secesher” [Rebel] may be at your mercy.
“Halt!” “Front face!” And we find ourselves on the Ohio levee in
line like cattle, waiting for a transport to bear us to our unknown
destination.
Goodbyes are said to those who remain, and congratulations are
extended to those who go. We soon get anxious, waiting in the
“drizzle,” but no boat. Soon, however, are orders come for us to go
to camps, and be ready to go at an instant’s notice. Countenances
hitherto bright, now look mixed at the thought of being fooled
again. The explanation is sufficient. The heavy fog which hangs
thickly, not to say gloomily, over the river, for through its
density we see triumphs for our cause, and glory for those who are
not “home guards,” has prevented the arrival of a large number of
troops, already expected and promised. Well we go back with the
assurance that next time we go “surely” and compose ourselves.
Where the morrow may take us, we know not. We know that we will go
wherever ordered, but we do not know which of us may live to tell
the tale of the next five days, and we trust we will do our duty,
and are glad we have the opportunity.
Yours, for Columbus, Dixie, or somewhere.
The Twenty-Ninth Illinois Infantry
REBEL PRISONER CREATES PIPE
Source: The Daily Standard, Syracuse, New York, March 31, 1862
Mr. Alfred Wilkinson, who has recently returned from a southwestern
tour, as far as St. Louis, has in his possession a pipe made by one
of the rebel prisoners at Alton, Illinois, which is a rare specimen
of ingenuity and skill, as well as persevering industry. The
material of the pipe is cotton stone, a soft stone found in the
south, easily worked, and susceptible of a fine polish. The bowl of
the pipe is square, and Is beautifully carved. One of the sides
presents the new rebel flag, and the other the Palmetto tree, with
the cotton plant and rattle, snake, appropriate emblems of the
rebellion. The front bears the coat-of-arms of Missouri, with the
usual scrolls and mottoes. It is understood that the work was
executed with a pen-knife, by a young man who had no experience in
carving, and regarding it in that light the work Is a marvel of
taste and skill.
COLONEL JENNISON ARRESTED AND SENT TO ALTON PRISON
Source: The Syracuse, New York Daily Standard, April 21, 1862
Arrest of Col. Jennison. Leavenworth, April 19.
Col. Jennison, late of the 7th Kansas regiment, has been arrested by
the military authorities and sent to Alton, Ill. The cause of his
arrest is said to be insubordination and exciting mutiny. Lieut,
Hoyt, of the same regiment, is also under arrest.
PRISONERS OF WAR TAKEN
Source: Utica, New York Daily Observer, March 29, 1862
Many prisoners have been taken; some been permitted to take the
oath, though frequently but to violate it, and go home. Some have
been sent to St. Louis, or to the penitentiary at Alton, Illinois,
and a few, convicted of burning bridges, are sentenced to be shot to
death. Whether this sentence will be carried out remains to be seen.
Union men here more generally think it should be, as a policy of
mercy as well as justice. Many innocent lives have been lost by this
wholesale murder, and how many more may be destroyed God only knows,
unless this infamous work of burning and otherwise destroying
railroad bridges and tracks can be prevented. Their plea, that it is
done as a policy of war, and in most instances, as they allege, by
command of Price or his subordinates, it is thought should have no
weight, inasmuch as it is within our lines where they could have no
military control of roads whatever, and done, too, under the guise
of citizens making their way through our lines for this express
purpose. I visit these poor fellows in their cells under sentence of
death. Two or three are men of families. They do not appear to see
the turpitude of their crime, disguised under the garb of
patriotism, as they and their sympathizing secession friends who
visit them profess to regard it. They seem to think themselves
martyrs! Such is fanaticism in any shape.
LIEUTENANT PINCKARD IN ALTON
Source: Alton Telegraph, July 18, 1862
Lieutenant William G. Pinckard arrived in Alton last evening from
Corinth. He is on business connected with his position as
Quartermaster of General Colesby’s Division. He reports the health
of the soldiers as very good, and states that they are very tired of
the slow mode of conducting the war. All are hoping for an early
move towards the lines of the enemy.
NICHOLAS CHALLACOMBE LEAVING FOR DIXIE
Source: Alton Telegraph, August 01, 1862
Mr. Nicholas Challacombe, who advertised in our columns for fifty
teamsters for Rosecrans’ Division in Tennessee, obtained the men and
leaves for Dixie tomorrow morning. No better man could be found for
wagon master than Mr. Challacombe. He is thoroughly acquainted with
the business, perfectly reliable, and a driving, energetic man.
PAYDAY FOR THE U. S. INFANTRY
Source: Alton Telegraph, August 01, 1862
We understand that the United States Infantry station in Alton are
receiving their pay today. This will be a blessing to many of them,
as it will enable them to procure many little comforts not furnished
by the government, while to many others it will only furnish means
for dissipation, which brings in its train many pains and untold
suffering and often premature death.
DAILY TELEGRAPH PUBLICATION SUSPENDED
Men Have Volunteered to Serve in the Army
Source: Alton Telegraph, August 01, 1862
Owing to the number of enlistments from the Telegraph office, we
shall be compelled to suspend the publication of our Daily after
today, until we can recruit a sufficient number of hands to take
their places. Five of our men have volunteered, and among the number
is Mr. John T. Beem, our partner, and Messrs. Thomas S. Pinckard,
Samuel Malcom, Samuel Matthews, and Thomas McCorkle, all of them
among the best and most efficient hands in the office. We could not
say to them stay, for we felt that their services were more needed
in the army than in the printing office, and if we could sell out,
we would go with them, as all other business, in our opinion, should
be subordinate to the great work of subduing the Rebellion. We
regret the necessity which compels us to suspend our daily issue,
but hope that it may be of short duration. In the meantime, we shall
continue the publication of the weekly as usual, and hope that
through its columns, we may meet the wants of our friends until we
can make arrangements for issuing the daily again.
LIEUTENANT COLONEL HARRISON "HARRY" HART
Source: Alton Telegraph, August 01, 1862
Founded a Company in the 22nd Regiment of Illinois Volunteers
We mentioned a day or two since that Lt. Colonel Harry E. Hart, of
the 22d Regiment of Illinois Volunteers, had returned home sick. We
have the painful duty to perform today of announcing his death. He
died this morning of camp fever, at the residence of his
brother-in-law, Mr. A. H. Plait, of Alton.
Colonel Hart was raised in Alton, and has always enjoyed the
confidence and esteem of his fellow-citizens in a high degree. He
was active and public-spirited, and was always ready to aid his
public enterprises of Alton, State or country. He was with the army
in Mexico during our late war with the Republic [Mexican-American
War], and when troops were called for to defend our cherished
government against the affairs of the Rebels, he interested himself
immediately in getting up a company in Alton. When the company was
organized (May 1861), he was elected to take command of it. In the
organization of the 22d Regiment, he was promoted to Lieutenant
Colonel, which position he held up to the time of his death. He,
however, acted much of the time in the capacity of Colonel, owing to
a severe wound which Colonel Dougherty received at Belmont, which
disabled him for a long time from performing the active duties of
his command. The 22d Regiment was in the battle of Belmont and New
Madrid, which it distinguished itself for bravery and did credit to
its commanders.
The death of Colonel Hart at this time is a great loss to his
regiment, as he had the confidence and affection of all the
subordinate officers and men. We have understood that he will be
buried with military honors on Monday afternoon next, at 4 o’clock,
to take place from the residence of Mr. Plait on State Street, and
will be attended by the battalion of U. S. Infantry stationed in
Alton.
NOTES:
The 22nd Illinois Infantry was organized at Belleville, Illinois on
May 11, 1861. It was mustered into service for three years. On July
11, 1861, the Regiment moved to Bird’s Point, Missouri. On November
7, 1861, seven companies engaged in the battle of Belmont, in which
Colonel Dougherty received a severe wound. The loss to the regiment
was 144 killed, wounded, or missing. Lt. Colonel Hart returned to
Alton sick in July 1862, and died a few days later of camp fever. He
was buried in the Alton City Cemetery.
On August 19, Colonel Dougherty attached Colonel Hunter at
Charleston, Missouri, driving him from his camp in a hand-to-hand
combat, capturing many prisoners and horses. Of the 22nd, 1 was
killed and 11 wounded, including Colonel Dougherty, whose shoulder
was broken with the butt of a gun, and Captain Johnson, who received
a gunshot through the right leg.
The 22nd Regiment went on to engage General Jeff Thompson in
Sikestown, and went on an expedition to Tiptonville to intercept the
retreating enemy from Island No. 10, where 4,000 prisoners, 2
Generals, and a large quantity of stores, ammunition, arms and guns
were captured. The Regiment was engaged in the siege of Corinth, and
then engaged in guarding Memphis and Charleston Railroad, when on
August 25, 1862, it fell back to Nashville. The Regiment besieged
the city of Nashville for months without receiving communication
from the outside world. On December 31 and January 1 and 2, 1863,
the Regiment was engaged in the battle of Stone River, where it lost
199 out of 312 men. Every horse belonging to the Regiment was
killed. After the occupation of Murfreesboro, the Regiment was in
camp at different points. They then engaged in the battle of
Chickamauga, September 19 and 20, losing 135 officers and men out of
less than 300. The Regiment lost 96 men in less than ten minutes.
They remained in and around Chattanooga, suffering from exposure and
want of provisions. On November 26, it was engaged in storming the
heights of Mission Ridge, losing 30 – 40 men. They spent the greater
part of the severe winter (1863-4) in the mountains of East
Tennessee. They marched to Dandridge in pursuit of the Rebels, then
on through Knoxville to Loudon, Tennessee. They then marched to
Cleveland, Tennessee, and remained there until joining the grand
Army of General Sherman. They were engaged at Resaca, where 20 men
were killed and wounded. On June 10, 1864, the men were ordered to
Springfield, Illinois to muster out.
DISCREDITABLE TO ALTON
Source: Alton Telegraph, August 8, 1862
We have been informed that Thomas S. Pinckard, who was laboring to
raise a company of volunteers in Alton, after raising twenty or
thirty men, has abandoned the effort. He was induced to take this
step from the vacillating course of the Common Council, and the
committee appointed to raise funds, and to furnish bounties to those
who might volunteer. Many of the men he had procured were from the
country, and had enlisted in his company with the understanding that
they should get the proposed bounty from the city. Under these
circumstances, he released them. A number of those who joined his
company in Alton have enlisted in Captain Trible’s company, and all
will go into the service in some one of the companies from this
vicinity.
ENLISTMENTS IN ALTON
Source: Alton Telegraph, August 8, 1862
The work of enlisting in this section is progressing finely
everywhere. We understand that Captain Rogers of Upper Alton has
already succeeded in filling up his company. John Trible, Esq., of
the same place, although he only commenced enlisting Wednesday, has
met with such good success that he has no fears but that he will
succeed in filling up his company in the course of a day or two.
Curtis Blackman, Esq., a gentleman well advanced in years and
favorably known as a member of the legislature in previous years
from Madison County, informed us yesterday that the young men of
Marine had prevailed upon him to take charge of a company from that
place, and that he expected to be able in a day or two to report it
full at headquarters.
Quite a number of other gentlemen are laboring in other parts of the
county with good prospects of succeeding. We now believe that
Madison County will be able to raise her quota of volunteers by the
15th instant. In Little Jersey, also much activity is prevailing in
raising troops. Our full company at least of volunteers will be
furnished from our county.
NEGROS NOT ALLOWED TO FIGHT
Source: Alton Telegraph, August 8, 1862
It will be observed that President Lincoln has decided that no negro
regiments will be received into the army. It is reported that he
said their admission would cause 40,000 men now in the army to leave
the field, but he does not tell us how they would procure their
release. He also said it would drive some of the border states out
of the Union. Perhaps it would. But it has been a question for some
time, whether it would be cheaper to protect them in the Union, or
subdue them out of it. Our own opinion is, if they are to continue
to cramp and cripple the government so as to prevent a vigorous
prosecution of the war, with all the means God has placed within its
reach, that the latter course would be the cheapest in the end. It
is natural to expect that all of this class will immediately pitch
in, and fill up the quota of troops now called for. We shall expect
to hear of all the effective force in such printing establishments
as the Chicago Times, Springfield Register, Quincy Herald, and Alton
Democrat, immediately enlisting. The conductors of these
establishments profess to be in favor of suppressing the Rebellion,
but they do not think the negro is good enough to kill Rebels, will
they not now volunteer and aid in doing it themselves.
Now we have never argued this matter, and do not feel any great
interest in it now, but we would just as soon that colored men
should risk their lives on the battlefield as our white friends, not
deeming their lives any more valuable than that of whites, and that
a ball from a musket in the hands of a negro would do just as much
as though it was directed by white hands. WE cannot, therefore,
understand why it is, that millions of men who stand ready to render
effective aid in subduing the Rebellion, should be permitted to
stand idle, while our sons and brothers are slaughtered and
decimated by disease, in an unfriendly climate, by the thousands.
Such a course appears to us like a strange and unaccountable
infatuation, without precedent in the history of the world, or a
single substantial reason to support it.
LARGE AND ENTHUSIASTIC WAR MEETING AT UPPER ALTON
Source: Alton Telegraph, August 08, 1862
Pursuant to a call of over fifty of the citizens of Upper Alton,
Stocker’s Hall was crowded to overflowing at an early hour in the
evening. The meeting was organized by electing the Hon. Cyrus
Edwards, President; and George R. Stocker and J. M. Elwell,
Vice-Presidents; and John Trible, Secretary.
Mr. Edwards, on taking the chair, made an exceedingly impression and
patriotic speech, during which he said that in the beginning of our
difficulties with the South, he had sought to avert war by every
possible means. He had been willing to make every concession that
any reasonable man could ask. For peace, he had been willing to
yield everything but principle and honor. But the South was
determined to be satisfied with no reasonable concession. She had
forced this war upon us for the purpose of destroying this, the
noblest and best government ever established by human wisdom. He
believed with Frank Blair, that treason and rebellion corrupted the
blood. Though he had many strong ties that bound him to the people
of the South – Virginia was the home of his ancestors, Maryland was
the land of his birth, and Kentucky was the adopted state of his
youth, and he had warm and dear friends all over the South – but
when they raised the hand of the assassin to destroy our nation of
existence, those ties that bound them to him were in an instant
sundered. He was now an old man, but was willing to offer up all for
his country. He sent forth his only surviving son of sufficient age
into the ranks, and he enjoined upon him to aim neither to the right
nor to the left, too high nor too low, but right at the heart of the
enemy. And should it be necessary, if his country needed the
sacrifice, he was willing to offer up his own life upon the altar of
his country. During this most eloquent speech, the venerable speaker
was frequently interrupted by loud bursts of applause.
Mr. B. H. Mills moved that a committee of five be appointed to draft
resolutions expressive of the sense of the meeting. Messrs. B. H.
Mills, Joseph Burnap, T. R. Murphy, and George Carr were appointed
that committee.
Mr. H. S. Baker was then loudly called for and responded by making a
most earnest, forceful, and convincing speech, of which the brief
limits of this report will not allow even a synopsis. Mr. Baker, as
is usual with him in his speeches, elicited the loudest applause.
Mr. B. H. Mills, the chairman of the committee on resolutions, then
reported the following resolutions, which were adopted without a
dissenting voice:
We, the people of Upper Alton, assembled without distinction of
purity, in view of the dangers that surround us, do deliberately
adopt the following as expressive of our sentiments:
Resolved, that the present unnatural and wicked rebellion, devised
by designing politicians and prosecuted by a large portion of the
people of the South against a government from which they had never
received aught but blessings, must be suppressed, no matter what the
cost, and the war should not cease until the glorious old flag
floats over every foot of soil within the limits of the United
States.
Resolved, that we heartily approve the course pursued by the
President of the United States, in his effort to restore the
supremacy of the laws, and that we will support him in all
legitimate measures, having the same object in the future.
Resolved, that Gov. Yates is due the hearty thanks of every loyal
citizen for his efforts in raising troops, and particularly for his
untiring attention to our sick and wounded soldiers.
Resolved, that it is apparent to the most casual observers, that if
we do not subdue the rebels at an early day, they will subdue us,
that we much prefer to defend our liberties and homes on other soil
that that of Illinois – we therefore recommend that the Governor be
requested to muster in the entire militia force of the State, to be
prepared for any emergency that may arise.
Resolved, that we believe the minds of the brave men who go forth to
peril their lives to defend our lives, liberty and property, should
be set at rest in regard to the “loved ones at home” – that as every
tax payer has an interest in sustaining the government, we therefore
call upon the County Court, by virtue of the power granted at the
last special session of the Legislature, to levy a tax sufficient in
amount to comfortably provide for the families of volunteers in
active service – their widows and orphans.
Resolved, that we have learned with pleasure that our esteemed
fellow-citizen, Andrew F. Rogers, is raising a company for active
service – that we bid him God speed in his patriotic efforts, and
pledge him our cordial cooperation.
Resolved, that the proceedings of this meeting be published in the
county papers.
The hall being found too small to contain the large assemblage,
Captain J. W. Davis being loudly called for, from the outside stairs
of the hall, delivered the most stirring and impressive speech of
the evening.
On motion, Messrs. L. J. Clawson, James Cooper, and J. B. Lathy were
appointed a committee to raise and disburse money for the purpose of
supporting the many families of persons who may enter the ranks as
soldiers in defense of their country, and for the purpose of
encouraging persons to volunteer. The sum of $404.00 was immediately
subscribed. On motion, the meeting adjourned.
Cyrus Edwards, President. John Trible, Secretary
COLONEL FRIEND S. RUTHERFORD’S REGIMENT
Source: Alton Telegraph, August 22, 1862
This regiment is now full, and Col. Rutherford informed us that he
expected to be able to have it organized this week. All the
companies are now in camp, but the two from Alton are not yet quite
full. As far as we have been able to learn, it has been made up of a
very choice lot of men, and it is expected that it will render
efficient service to the cause of the Union on the field of battle.
ACHENBACK’S COMPANY
Source: Alton Telegraph, August 22, 1862
This body of men, raised in this city by William Achenbach, the
Daguerrean, left for Springfield last Tuesday morning to join Col.
Friend S. Rutherford’s regiment. Captain Achenbach is thoroughly
acquainted with military tactics, having been for a long time in the
army in his native land, and we have no doubt he and his brave
companions will reflect credit upon our city on the battlefield.
There was a large crowd at the depot to see them off, and they left
amid the loud plaudits of their friends and fellow citizens, mingled
with many good wishes for their success and safe return.
CAPTAIN TRIBLE’S COMPANY LEAVES ALTON
And the Reflections of War
Source: Alton Telegraph, August 22, 1862
We were deeply impressed in beholding Captain Trible’s Company leave
Alton on Tuesday evening last. Four or five of his men had long been
intimately associated with us in our office. Mr. T. T. Beem, our
partner, being among the number. There was a large crowd of our
oldest and most respectable citizens present to give them a parting
farewell. While we looked upon the parting scene of these young men,
with their parents and other friends, we could not refrain from
asking: How many, and who among that interesting group of young men
would fall by the sword, or by their still more deadly enemy,
disease, before the company would return? How many would come back
to us maimed and crippled for life? How many would escape the
demoralizing influence of camp life, and be permitted to return with
their former good habits untarnished by its blighting influence?
In view of those thoughts, we were led to ask, why our people are
called upon to make such precious sacrifices for their country? Why
is almost every family weeping over some dear one in their circle,
who has already fallen a victim to this devastating war? Why is
everyone looking anxious, distressed, and perplexed? Why all kinds
of business are deranged, and in many instances, completely
paralyzed?
There can be but one answer given to those questions. All this
sacrifice of blood, treasure and distress of mind is brought upon
the nation as the legitimate fruit of the accursed system of
slavery, which has been fostered, protected, and extended by the
nation, until nothing but blood will atone for the crime, or remove
its blighting and withering influence from our happy country.
If it was honorable and praise-worthy for our Revolutionary sires to
pledge their lives, their property, and sacred honors, in the
struggle for our independence, it is no less so for us to sacrifice
everything to maintain, in all its purity and unity, and with all
its free institutions unimpaired, the glorious country we inherited
from them.
After these reflections, we felt like saying to those heroic young
men, most of whom we have known from infancy up, go forth, in the
name of the God of battle, and contend for your country, for the
right, and for freedom. The cause is worthy of the cost, and
although some of you may be called upon to yield up your lives, yet
remember, that it is sweet to die for your country, and doubly so,
when her cause is so pre-eminently just as it is in this conflict to
subdue the rebellion now raging in the South.
We know that the parents are ardently attached to these, their sons,
and that life is sweet to the young and hopeful, but with our
government overthrown, freedom gone, and universal anarchy reigning,
children would be a source of misery, and life would be a burthen.
Victory then, in this conflict, is more important and more to be
desired than the presence and safety of sons, or of even life
itself. Let everyone therefore arm himself with a spirit of
sacrifice and endurance, and with faith in the Great Ruler of
nations, and strive manfully for the right until we shall have a
permanent peace restored to our beloved land.
LETTER RECEIVED FROM CAPTAIN TRIBLE’S COMPANY
Source: Alton Telegraph, August 29, 1862
We have received a letter from a member of Alton’s Captain Trible’s
Company, now in Camp Butler. The writer represents the boys as all
well and full of fun. He says their rations are very good, but their
barracks are nothing to boast of, but that they expect in a short
time to be better situated in that respect. Trible and Achenbach
both need a few more men to fill up their companies. Rutherford’s
Regiment has eleven companies in it, but it is doubted whether it
will be permitted to go on to the field with that number.
Achenbach’s Company has not yet elected its officers, except the
Captain and First Lieutenant. Richard S. Howard from the Grafton
Road was chosen as their Lieutenant. The other officers will be
elected as soon as the company is filled.
SWORD PRESENTATION
Source: Alton Telegraph, August 29, 1862
We are glad to publish the following testimonial of respect,
tendered to our energetic young friend, Lieutenant S. B. W. Stewart,
by the undersigned citizens of Alton. But we exceedingly regret,
that whoever drew up the letter to Mr. Stewart, should have so far
forgotten himself and the propensities of the occasion, as to insert
in the correspondence a miserable can’t party phrase, first made use
of as a party catch-word by the notorious traitor, Vallandigham, the
“Union as it was and the Constitution as it is.” We are satisfied
that a majority of the signers of this paper did not see that
sentence, or they never would have put their name to the paper.
Vallandigham, we should think, would be the last man that loyal men
would feel like quoting, and especially in addressing a man who had
consecrated his life to put down a rebellion with which Vallandigham
is notoriously in sympathy.
“To Lieutenant S. B. W. Stewart, 97th Regiment, Illinois Volunteers:
The undersigned, your friends, have witnessed with admiration the
energy, industry, and perseverance displayed by you in recruiting
for your regiment in Alton under adverse circumstances sufficient to
have disheartened one of less heroic mould, and as a testimony of
their appreciation of your conduct and services, tender you the
accompanying sword, belt and sash.
They will watch your future career with paternal solicitude, not
doubting that you will discharge all the duties of your new
profession with honor to the “Old Flag,” and distinction to
yourself; and when this unholy rebellion shall have been crushed,
and the “Union as it was and the Constitution as it is” shall again
shed their benign blessings over our unhappy country, they will
welcome your return to the undearments of home and the avocations of
peace.
Signed by:
G. D. Sidway, M. D. Davis, D. D. Ryrie, R. L. King, William McPike,
C. D. Caldwell, G. S. Hopkins, W. T. Miller, M. M. Dutre, B. F.
Barry, Sam Barnett, Dr. White, Whipple & Tunnell, Isacc Scarritt, H.
G. McPike, W. C. Quigley, W. B. Buckmaster, Thomas Dimmock, C. M.
Crandall, M. H. Filly, D. Simms, H. Wissure, R. T. Gunderhill,
Samuel Avis, L. D. Cleveland, G. Paddock, D. C. Martin, S. & W.
Pitts, J. W. Stewart, W. A. Holton, Charles W. Dimmock, and Albert
Wade.”
ARRIVAL OF CANNON IN ALTON
Source: Alton Telegraph, September 12, 1862
The field pieces that Governor Yates promised should be sent to
Alton for the defense of the city arrived last night. They are two
fine brass six pounders. We learn that a company is to be formed
from our city fire companies, to take charge of them, and learn how
to make use of them in case there is any raid made upon our city.
FROM CAMP BUTLER, SPRINGFIELD
Source: Alton Telegraph, September 12, 1862
As our readers are aware, three weeks ago today, Captain Trible’s
Company left Alton for Camp Butler, at which place they arrived at 8
o’clock on the morning following, and at twelve o’clock the same day
we were examined and sworn in. Some three or four members of the
company experienced considerable difficulty in passing muster, on
account of their youthfulness, but one person, however, was thrown
out. Being the last company to arrive to fill out this regiment, we
were thrown on the outskirts of the camp, a location which would
require “distance to land enchantment to the view.” However, the
boys fell in with hearty earnest in cleaning out the rubbish and
pitching their tents, and now, after some pretty hard manual labor,
we have succeeded in somewhat civilizing this part of the camping
ground, and have before us a street that will admit of favorable
comparison to a large number of so-called streets in Alton. Three
weeks’ experience in camp has afforded us somewhat of an insight
into a soldier’s life and duties, and it is with feelings of
pleasure that the writer chronicles the fact that the boys all take
to it finely, and appear highly satisfied. Not a murmur has been
expressed, but all are eager for marching orders.
The regiment was formally organized, some days since, by the
election of the staff officers. Captain L. D. Martin of the Bunker
Hill Company was unanimously elected Lieutenant Colonel, and being
loudly cheered, he addressed a few short and pertinent remarks to
the men. For the position of Major, there were two aspirants – Mr.
Horton and Mr. Reed – each of whom delivered speeches before the
election. Mr. Horton was elected almost unanimously. Mr. Reed
asserted that Colonel Friend S. Rutherford had promised him the
position of Major, provided he brought two companies into the
Regiment. After his defeat, Mr. Reed induced one of the companies
which he claimed to have been instrumental in bringing into the
regiment to desert. They were captured at Decatur, and brought back
to camp under arrest. Upon their return to camp, an order was
received from Adjutant General Fuller to disband the company and
cashier the officers. The men were distributed among some of the
companies, to bring them up to the required number. Thirty of these
men entered Captain Achenbach’s Company, and their former 2d
Lieutenant was given the same position in his company. Thirty others
went into Captain Scott’s company, and their former 1st Lieutenant
was given the same position in his company, thereby throwing out Mr.
S. B. W. Stewart, who had been elected to the 1st Lieutenancy by the
men some time previous. A chance was given Mr. Stewart for the 2d
position, but he was defeated. Our boys expressed regret at the
treatment of Mr. Stewart received at the hands of this company. I do
not know what he proposes to do now. Mr. Reed was afterwards
arrested and placed under guard. I have not heard what became of
him.
The regiment was to have been mustered into the United States
service a week ago, but it did not take place until today, when
eight or nine companies were mustered in. Captain Trible’s company
will not be mustered in for some days yet. The company is
incomplete, and there is no immediate prospect of it being filled
up. It is probably that we will have to give up one of the
Lieutenants, in order to hold out sufficient inducements to have men
enter the company. There is sixty-three names on the roll-list, and
as a matter of course, we want twenty-five more. But what the
company lacks in numbers, it probably makes up in quality, for in
the ranks of no other company in the regiment is found as much grit
and intelligence, as is seen in the ranks of the Alton boys. Their
peculiar brightness has manifested itself in various forms, and has
secured for the boys the title of “Alton Rip Snorters,” by which
they are known all over camp.
The grub is very fair, and having good cooks, who understand their
“biz,” the eatables, when served up, are not to be sneezed at.
There has been considerable sickness among the boys since our
arrival here. Some five or six have been on the sick list every day,
but two of them, however, were serious cases.
There were ten desertions reported at the Adjutants office on
Saturday. Of these, four were from this company. These were from the
number who camp from Missouri and unlisted at Alton. They left camp
on last Sunday week, and started for Alton on foot. A detachment of
four men, in charge of our Orderly, started after them, but arrived
too soon, and consequently missed them. This morning, however, they
made their appearance in camp, having voluntarily returned.
There are at present some eight regiments completing their
organization at this camp. Also two artillery companies. The secesh
prisoners who have ornamented the inside of Camp Butler, proper, for
months past, have been all sent South. Only some sixty, who are sick
in the hospital, are left behind. Their departure was quietly
conducted, there being little demonstrations offered on the part of
the prisoners. Their old quarters are being overhauled and put in
better trim. The prisoners look anything but inviting.
On last Thursday, a small party of ladies and gentlemen arrived from
Alton for the purpose of presenting Captain Trible’s company with a
flag. Lieut. Lewis, with a squad of eight men and one Sergeant,
proceeded a short distance from camp, received the party, and acted
as an escort for them to the camp. On reaching the companies’
quarters, the men were drawn up in line, and the flag was presented
to the company by Miss Hattie Phinney, with a neat and appropriate
address. Lieut. Lewis, in acknowledging the gift to the company,
made use of some happy and well-timed expressions. As no company
flags are allowed, and this being a regimental flag, it will in due
course of time be formally presented to the regiment, with the
condition that if we succeed in carrying it safely through the
campaign, it shall be returned to the company at the conclusion of
the war. The flag is a very handsome one, and as a matter of course,
the Alton boys think a great deal of it, and will certainly strive
to do their duty with its folds streaming over them. We frequently
meat with Alton forces in this camp. During the past week, four or
five citizens of Alton paid us a visit, which was certainly
appreciated by us.
The 70th Illinois Regiment (three months’ men) leave today for
Alton, for the purpose of guarding the prisoners there.
The weather has been quite pleasant thus far. Last Friday evening we
had a heavy rainstorm, which continued, more or less, severe
throughout the night. Out tents afforded us a poor shelter against
the beating rain, and many a poor lad passed the night without
sleep, not having a dry spot whereon to rest their heads. More anon.
Signed by Hip Snortell
MAJOR GENERAL McCLERNAND GIVES SPEECH AT THE FRANKLIN HOUSE
Source: Alton Telegraph, September 12, 1862
Our people, having ascertained on yesterday that Major General
McClernand, one of the prominent heroes of the hard-fought battles
and bloody victories of which Kentucky and Tennessee have been the
theaters, was in our vicinity on private business, sent for him
requesting the honor of a speech upon the aspect of the war, and his
views in reference to its successful prosecution.
Notwithstanding the storm in the early evening, and the threatening
clouds pertending, our citizens, such as are not absent upon the
tented field, rallied in large numbers at the call of Murphy’s
splendid band, which played in superior style the glorious national
airs, to which the national heart has beat and our national troops
have marched for a century. The 77th Ohio and 70th Illinois
Regiments in full uniform marched down from camp and swelled the
crowd to a large concourse.
General McClernand appeared upon the balcony of the Franklin House
in company with Hon. George T. Brown, Sergeant-at-Arms of the United
States Senate, who welcomed the General substantially as follows:
“General, on behalf of the people of Alton, I take pleasure in
extending to you a cordial welcome. Our country, lately so united
and happy, struggles with a giant rebellion, nearly as causeless as
that which resulted in the driving of the Evil One and his followers
from the presence of the Almighty, and destined, we hope, to as
signal a failure. In this day of gloom and disaster to our arms, we
hail with no ordinary gratification, the presence of a distinguished
son of Illinois, fresh from the glorious battlefields of the
Southwest. To the Northwest, the present contest is of more
importance than to any other section of the Union. While the loyal
States are united in fighting for the preservation of the Union, we
of the Northwest are fighting for that and much more, an access to
the markets of the world. The soldiers of the Northwest, under your
gallant leadership, and that of your brother officers in command,
have already shown what victories loyal hearts and strong arms can
accomplish. In the future conduct of the war, we think we only need
a few more of the same kind to crown our efforts with lasting
victory and subsequent peace. Accept sir, for yourself and the brave
men you have led to battle at Belmont, Ft. Donelson, and Shiloh, the
heartfelt gratitude of the people whom I represent.”
As the General stepped forward to reply, cheer upon cheer greeted
him from the assembled multitude, but from no other part of the
crowd so heartily as from the gallant soldiers whose greater
sacrifices, solemn pledges, and sufferings, render them far more
conscious of their country’s peril than those can be who have only
heard of the war of cannon, the rattling of musketry, and the groans
of the dying. The General said he would not attempt to find words to
express the emotions which filled his soul as he saw the multitude,
who in spite of the thunder, lightning and rain, had assembled in
the open air to welcome so humble an individual as himself. He was
aware that they came to welcome him as the representative of a cause
sacred above all causes to them, and to the friends of
constitutional liberty throughout the world. A cause now fearfully
imperiled, and calling for the speedy employment of all the moans
which God has placed in our power. It had been justly observed by
the speaker introducing him, that this Rebellion is a causeless one.
Even Mr. Toombs, now a General in the armies of the Rebellion, said
but a short time before the war that the peculiar constitutional
rights of the South had never been more faithfully observed than
then, and yet at that time men high in position in the execution of
our laws and having access to and control of our arms and treasure,
had prostituted their trusts, perjured themselves and poured a flood
of treason, anarchy and demoralization over the proudest and fairest
land and the happiest people that ever the sun shone on.
Mr. Brown had been pleased to refer to the battles of Belmont, Ft.
Donelson, and Shiloh. In each of those battles, the gallant Illinois
troops had done their duty and had carried the banner and proud name
of their state in the forefront of every struggle. But the rebellion
is not suppressed. Recent success has flushed the Rebels, and more
audacious than ever, they are marching their massed legions
northward. The man of the northwest in addition to the many vita
interests which is imperiled in common with the people of the whole
country, have the additional motive of preserving to their intense
posterity untramancied by treaties or customs the great inland sea,
by which God has connected their commerce with the whole world. This
must be done, and to this end the Rebellion must be put down, though
the war lasts five hundred years. Let the troops of the north be
massed for battle, no longer guard Rebel property, private or
public, and let them be rolled upon the foe as any mighty,
irresistible projectile.
[the rest of the article was unreadable]
COMPLIMENT TO COLONEL FRIEND S. RUTHERFORD
Source: Alton Telegraph, September 12, 1862
To Colonel F. S. Rutherford, 97th Regiment, Illinois Volunteers
September 6, 1862
Dear Sir: Your friends of Madison County, desirous of expressing
their personal friendship to yourself, and their appreciation of the
patriotic enterprise in which you have engaged, respectfully ask
your acceptance of the accompanying testimonial. Trusting and
believing that you and the soldiers under your command may prove
worthy of the fame which Illinois has already won on the
battlefield, we bid you an earnest God speed in the sacred cause of
Liberty and Union.
Signed by W. C. Flagg, Levi Davis, E. L. Dimmock & Co., John M.
Pearson, D. C. Martin, H. C. Sweetser, C. Phinney, Blair & Atwood,
W. T. Miller, L. Hamlin, D. S. Hoaglan, Isaac Scarritt & Co., M. G.
Atwood, Patterson & Travis, W. A. Holton, John Dye, J. E. Hayner, H.
S. Baker, W. C. Quigley, Hatheway & Wade, D. D. Ryrie, George T.
Brown, E. D. Topping, G. D. Sidway, N. Hanson, A. S. Barry, C. M.
Grundall, and R. T. Wood.
Accompanying the above was a splendid sword, belt and
shoulder-straps, together with a horse and complete accoutrements,
including pistols &c. To this compliment, Colonel Rutherford
returned the following graceful reply:
Springfield, Illinois, September 8, 1862
Messrs. W. C. Flagg, Levi Davis, E. L. Dimmock & Co., John M.
Pearson, D. C. Martin, and others:
Your letter, tendering the present of a beautiful sword, a
magnificent horse and caparison, has been duly delivered into my
hands. I can devise no form of words that does not seem lame and
spiritless beside the intense emotions of gratitude and pride, this
unlooked-for proof of your kindness and liberality has awakened in
me. Though deeper than before, the feeling is not a new one, for it
is but one of many favors – a triple underscoring to a “long line”
of highly appreciated marks of good will – now bearing an accent
which move beyond reply. It is the more significant and touching
that it is not for me along; that I am esteemed a worthy medium for
the bestowment of such a patriotic gift to the cause of our country.
While I could not ungenerously interpret out of it the personal
sentiment which makes it doubly grateful to me, yet I cannot feel
that it is more an offering to the “sacred cause of Liberty and
Union,” which I am thus appointed to administer. It is an offering
of that sterling and noble patriotism which, against every assault,
is to be the salvation of this people, the safeguard of Freedom and
the hope of the world. “It marshals me the way I was to go,” and
though untried in the grim service to which it consecrates me, and
the self-distrustful to make proud promises; yet it is my privilege
to hope that, encouraged and sustained by the sturdy, brave, and
true Illinoisans who have chosen me for a leader, and who will pour
out as water, their hearts’ last drop of blood ere they will put a
blot upon the State’s bright escatchem, I may give such an account
of your honorable token as will make you glad to remember, in the
time to come, both your generous action and its humble and grateful
recipient.
I am gentlemen, Your most obedient servant,
Friend S. Rutherford
CAPTAIN SENTON RETURNS TO ALTON
Source: Alton Telegraph, September 12, 1862
We are gratified to announce that our old friend, Captain Senton,
who has for a long time been fighting the battles of his country,
has returned safely to his old home and resumed his former business.
His shop is on Second Street [Broadway]. He is so well known in this
community as a superior workman, and accommodating and obliging
business man, that it is not necessary for us to say anything more
than to simply announce the fact, that he has resumed business to
assure him an extensive patronage.
ARRIVAL OF CANON IN ALTON
Source: Alton Telegraph, September 12, 1862
The field pieces that Governor Yates promised should be sent to
Alton for the defense of Alton arrived last night. They are two fine
brass six pounders. We learn that a company is to be formed from
Alton Fire Companies, to take charge of them and learn how to make
use of them in case there is any raid made upon our city.
TRUST IN GOD AND THE PEOPLE
Source: Alton Telegraph, September 19, 1862
We observed the above heading to an article in a leading religious
paper this morning. It struck us as being exceedingly appropriate at
this time, when so many are depressed and almost hopeless. That God
will ultimately crown the army which is contending for the national
existence of the best government the sun ever shone upon for free
speech, a free press, universal education, and for liberty, we
cannot doubt for a moment. And the people have proved themselves
faithful in every emergency. They have furnished troops by the
million, poured out their treasure like water, and are ready to
furnish everything that is needed to annihilate this wicked and
unnatural rebellion. But we hear some hypochondriacs say with
prolonged fear and downcast eye, “We have no men to lead our troops
on to victory.” We reply, our necessities must soon develop a head.
Great emergencies always produce great men. Never despair, but trust
in God and the people, and all will yet come out right.
EMANCIPATION PROCLAMATION ISSUED BY LINCOLN
Source: Alton Telegraph, September 26, 1862
President Lincoln has at last lost all hopes of conciliating the
rebels, and has issued his proclamation declaring the slaves free in
all States which may be found in rebellion on the first day of
January next. He has, however, very wisely provided to have all
loyal slave-holders compensated, which may be found in those States.
He also leaves untouched the slaves which may be found in States
represented in the United States Congress on the first day of
January 1863, except as they are affected by the confiscation act
passed by Congress.
This proclamation will send a thrill of joy and hope through the
hearts of all loyal men in the United States, and will insure the
Government the hearty sympathy and good wishes of every
philanthropist and lover of free institutions throughout the
civilized world.
LETTER FROM CAMP BUTLER
Source: Alton Telegraph, October 03, 1862
Having read your paper of last Friday, containing a statement signed
by “Rip Snorter,” in which my name was mentioned, I would explain
it. I think he reported too much toward the end of the article.
Those not acquainted with military affairs would be very apt to
misconstrue the whole matter, as some ladies of Alton have done
already. I am not so barbarous as to refuse a man a furlough under
such circumstances. I hope to explain it so as to retain the good
opinion of the citizens of Alton.
A private of Captain Slaton’s company, named Whitlock, came to me
and stated that his captain had gone home, and that he (Whitlock)
had received a letter stating that his two children had died, and
that his wife was lying at the point of death, and requested me to
help him get home. I told him I would go to Colonel Rutherford and
ask his permission. I did so, and stated the case to him. The
Colonel said he was willing for him to go, but he had no right to
give him a leave of absence, as the latest order refuses any
furloughs in any circumstances whatever. I then wrote a petition for
Whitlock, to the Governor, and took it to Colonel Rutherford, who
signed it instantly and willingly. Mr. Whitlock went to Springfield
and got a furlough. He returned this morning and thanked me with
tears in his eyes for my trouble. I think comment on this statement
is unnecessary, but I do it to take the blame from shoulders where
it does not belong. Signed by William Achenbach, and verified by
Jacob W. Whitlock. Witness, B. F. Slaten, Captain.
NEWS FROM CAMP BUTLER
Source: Alton Telegraph, October 03, 1862
The men from Madison County in the regiment are generally enjoying
good health, there being but six or seven cases of sickness, and
none of them dangerous. Last Monday night a rumor was spread in the
camp that McClellan had conquered Stonewall Jackson and taken 35,000
prisoners. The firing of cannon was heard, and the ascent of rockets
seen in Springfield. The Telegraph operator was absent, and someone
in the office wrote on a slip of paper the words quoted above. One
of our officers was sent to see whether there were any dispatches
confirming the rumor. Seeing the slip of paper, he returned to the
camp and spread the intelligence. The cheering, which had already
spread from regiment to regiment, awakening all that vast multitude,
was now redoubled, the troops seemed wild with joy, and the
tremendous clamor was heard for miles around, making the woods of
the Sangamon and the prairies ring. Our men assembled at the
headquarters of Colonel Moore, a bonfire was made of our Chaplain’s
hay, and our Colonel being called for made a well-times speech,
which was tremendously applauded. Speeches were then made by Major
Newsham, Captains Olden, Hulbert, McFarland, and Messrs. Gregg and
Kerr. The enthusiasm continued unabated until the command was given
to retire to quarters. The cheers still rang in the distant
encampments.
Colonel Hecker, in addressing is fine regiment in one of those
bursts of oratory for which he is unrivaled, remarked “that with it
he could make a gap in aristocracy, that would be a thoroughfare for
liberal institutions for ages to come.” If his men have an
opportunity, they will make his words good.
The regiments of Colonels Day, Lovell, Rutherford, and Hecker are
armed and equipped, and in common with all the other troops here,
are anxious for marching orders. The defensive policy is in low
repute here. It is rumored that the regiment of Colonel Day is going
to join the brigade of Colonel Blair. Colonel Day is at St. Louis at
present. We were visited last Friday by our distinguished Senator
Trumbull and General Paine. The Senator made a speech to the
regiments of Colonels Sinan and R. Moore. He is still, as ever, an
earnest advocate of a vigorous policy, and believes as men generally
do now, that we cannot conquer the enemy without using all the means
in our power to weaken his strength, cripple his resources, and
crush out the spirit of the rebellion. This, with McClellan’s cry of
a bloodless victory, might now be considered the great farce of the
war, had it not ended in a terrible tragedy. The cry of
concentration and advance must be caught up by the whole people, and
continued until the army and its leaders are inspired or driven by
the sound, before we can reasonably hope for success.
Today, a regiment of “three months” men returned from Alexandria,
Virginia. The men say it is thought generally we have gained great
advantage, and that McClellan is a favorite with the men. One main
objection to McClellan, to use his own words, is that he always
thinks “tomorrow better than today.” This is a grave error, and to
it may be attributed all the reverses of the war. It kept our
magnificent Army of the Potomac idle for a long and inglorious
winter campaign, exposed to the rigors of a Northern winter, losing
the golden opportunity of crushing the rebellion before their raw
conscripts had been disciplined and brought into the field. It
sacrificed the gallant Baker on the bloody field of Ball’s Bluff,
quenching forever one of the brightest lights of the nation. It has
“held the word of promise to the ear and broken it to the hope.” The
many thousands whose bones repose on the fields of Virginia and
Maryland, the tears of widows and orphans from the powerless homes
of the North, cry out against the policy. Let not a magnificent army
again chafe in inactivity on the banks of the Potomac. Let us never
again hear the desolate wail from the fever-parched lips coming up
from the swamps of the Chickahominy. We trust to the President,
Congress, and the people, to prevent the recurrence of the great
mistake of the eastern campaign. If it happens again, our cause is
lost, and with it the hopes of mankind for freedom for ages to come.
Signed by Occasional.
ARMY BREAD AT ALTON
Source: Alton Telegraph, October 10, 1862
We learn that considerable attention is being given by our citizens,
and also of the soldiers quartered here, to the fact that new
parties have undertaken the contract to furnish bread for this
Military post, without proposals being advertised in the usual
public way. Our city bakers have not had the usual and proper
opportunity to put in their bids. The bread is now being furnished
by an army suttler, we are informed. How can this be? What becomes
of the Army Regulations in the promises?
LETTER FROM CAMP BUTLER
Source: Alton Telegraph, October 10, 1862
The last two weeks at Camp Butler has been characterized by an
unusual degree of activity. The drilling has been urged on, and the
companies have acquired considerable proficiency in company and
battalion drill, and also in the manual of arms. A week ago
yesterday, there was a review of nine regiments, being all at that
time stationed here, with the exception of Colonel Snell’s. The
regiments were formed in two brigades, the first commanded by
Colonel Hecker, the other by Major Newsham. The line extended about
half a mile, and presented an imposing appearance, most of the
regiments with their bayonets glistening in the bright sunlight. We
were review by Colonel Fonds, commander of the post. The regiment of
Colonel Hecker was preceded by their pioneers, and a splendid brass
band which discoursed inspiring music. There was a large attendance
from the city witnessing the review.
The regiments of Colonels Day, Snell, Rutherford, and Jesse Moore
left here last week for Louisville. Last night we visited their
deserted encampment, and although the grounds and buildings were
never very commodious, a feeling of desolation came over us, similar
to that so beautifully expressed by the poet:
“I feel like one who treads alone, some banquet hall deserted,
Whose lights are fled, whose garlands dead, And all but lie
departed.”
Our regiment is armed with French rifled muskets. They are said to
carry eight hundred yards. Out men are still cheerful and
enthusiastic, notwithstanding the sickness that prevails, unused by
the wet weather of the last two weeks. We have a good hospital, and
those that have been in it speak highly of the nurses.
The storms in the political world pass by and produce little
impression here. The men seem determined to make good use of their
leisure hours, and several debating societies have been established.
At the last meeting in Captain Kinder’s company, the question of
drafting was discussed. The boys are almost unanimously in favor of
a draft. The arguments in its favor were: 1st. It is the quickest
method of converting a sympathizer into a Union man. 2d. It is the
quickest method of raising an army, and therefore a vast saving of
expense. It would prevent the danger which may result from the
preponderance of secession votes at home, since loyal men mainly
join the army. It was argued, “We do not want traitors in the army,”
to which it was replied, “We can better take care of them than our
fathers and mothers at home.” The speeches in favor of drafting were
loudly applauded. Those literary societies will be of great benefit
to our regiment.
I take pleasure in congratulating the Telegraph in its final
triumph. Throughout this struggle it has been the consistent,
persistent advocate of a vigorous policy. Thank heaven, that policy
is adopted at last. We have entered on the new life of the Republic
with a future radiant with hopes for our country and for mankind.
The incubus that shadowed the brightness of our example is about to
be removed.
Yesterday our regiment was paid their bounty and premium, and 1,700
dollars have been sent from Captain Blakeman’s company to their
friends at home. We are under orders to leave for Cincinnati
immediately, and will be on our journey in two days at most. We are
anxious to depart for new scenes, to join the advancing columns of
the Union. Signed by Occasional.
THE ARRIVAL OF THE 97TH ILLINOIS REGIMENT
Source: Alton Telegraph, October 10, 1862
Yesterday afternoon several messages from Camp Butler were received
stating that Colonel Rutherford’s regiment, the 97th Illinois, would
pass through our city enroute for Louisville, Kentucky, and as our
place is well represented in two companies of the regiment, many
were on the “que vive” to know when they would arrive. Anxious
parents, sisters and wives thronged the depot of the Chicago Road
from early in the afternoon till late at night, anxiously awaiting
the expected ones. An observer could see that it was no usual thing
which was to happen. They were there with little “tidbits,” little
things, which when they first left home, perhaps were lost sight of,
things which would be tempting to the appetite as also for the
comfort of the dear ones they were to meet. Time wore away, and dark
came on, and still they came not. Tired limbs and wearied bodies
were forgotten in the anxious waiting for the train to arrive. The
crowd increased as night came on. At about half-past ten, the cry of
“here comes the train,” brought all up standing, and all were
aroused and watching. The train consisted of twenty-six cars, box
and passenger. They passed the depot and stopped on the curve on the
levee to change engines preparatory to continuing their journey.
It was no use trying to keep the men from coming out of the cars,
for if they didn’t get through the doors, they did get through the
windows, and the meeting with the friends beggars all descriptions.
We can but faintly touch upon it, it needed to be seen to be
appreciated. There were aged parents whose sons were there, sisters
whose brothers were there, wives whose husbands were there, and
those who had no immediate relatives still had acquaintances among
them. They knew their stay would be short, and the parcels that had
been prepared with so much care were handed over, and the
interchange of sympathy was good for the heart to witness. All
looked well and hearty, and were anxious for the “fray.” The train
was prepared, and ready to go, the last leave-takings had to be gone
through with, perhaps for the last time upon earth, and as they
gazed upon the faces of the dear ones so soon to leave them, was it
my wonder that the tear would fall? The parting was sad and
impressive, and amid the cheers, tears, and prayers of that large
crowd, they moved on to their destination. May the Bod of battles be
with them and keep them unharmed, and return them in safety to the
friends they have left behind. We expect to hear noble deeds from
the 97th yet, for we know that wherever Illinois soldiers are found,
there is safety, and there is something to be relied upon. We are
certain we shall not be disappointed in our expectations. We say
three cheers for Colonel Rutherford and his noble band of men!
LADIES LINT SOCIETY
Source: Alton Telegraph, October 10, 1862
We understand that the young Misses of Alton have reorganized their
Lint Society again, which was in operation last winter, and did so
much towards furnishing material for dressing the wounds of our
noble soldiers who were injured on the battlefield. This society can
accomplish much in the aid of our brave men on the field, and at the
same time the reflex influence of their benevolent deeds on their
own hearts will more than compensate for all the trouble it may cost
them. Their next meeting will be at the house of Mr. R. L. King on
Belle Street, Saturday afternoon next.
ALTON UNION AID SOCIETY
Source: Alton Telegraph, October 24, 1862
The Alton Union Aid Society has contributed during the past month
the following articles:
To the hospital of 70th Regiment Illinois Volunteers – 20 pillow
ticks; 20 pillow cases.
To the hospital of the 77th Regiment, Ohio Volunteers – 9 shirts, 9
pair drawers, 4 towels.
Sent to the Illinois Sanitary Commission at Cairo, for benefit of
wounded soldiers at Corinth – 2 jars blackberries, 7 cans and 5
bottles of peaches, 1 sack dried apples, 1 can tomatoes, 5 cotton
sheets, 17 pillow ticks, 33 pillow cases, 2 feather pillows, 9
handkerchiefs, 2 napkins, 8 pair socks, 81 shirts, 15 pair drawers,
781 yards bandages, 1 testament, a large quantity of lint, scraped
and raveled, rags, compress, &c. Signed by L. J. Lea, Secretary
GRAND RALLY TO BE HELD IN ALTON
Source: Alton Telegraph, October 24, 1862
The eloquent and patriotic E. C. Ingersoll, Esq., the man who loves
his country more than his party, will address the citizens of Alton
and vicinity in the city hall, on Monday, October 27th inst. Let
every voter of Madison County be present and hear the noble defender
of his country discourse on the importance and absolute necessity
for every citizen to stand by the government in this hour of peril,
when it is openly assailed by the armed rebels in the south, and
secretly in the north by the K. G. G.’s. It is from the latter the
friends of the country have the most to fear at present. There is no
man in Illinois better qualitied to tear the hypocritical cloak of
identity from these fire-in-the-rear men, and expose them in all
their naked deformity to the reprobation of every patriot in the
land, then Mr. Ingersoll. Let there be an overwhelming audience
present to hear him on Monday next. The hour when the speaking will
commence will be announced by handbill, or otherwise.
THE 70TH ILLINOIS VOLUNTEERS
Source: Alton Telegraph, October 31, 1862
Again we speak of the 70th Illinois Volunteers – that body of men,
according to the Democrat, who have been parading our streets from
early morning till late at night, causing trouble in getting around
them, and who have disturbed our neighbors dreams in the still hours
of night, have been paid off, and will leave in a short time for
their homes. We think this regiment has behaved nobly under the
circumstances. They have been disappointed time and again in getting
their money. We bid them goodbye, hoping that if they go in for the
war, they may acquit themselves nobly.
CAMP AT HUNTERSTOWN
Source: Alton Telegraph, October 31, 1862
The 126th Regiment, formerly the 128th, have pitched their tents at
the lower extremity of Hunterstown, on the border of Shield’s
Branch.
LETTER FROM A MISTRESS TO HER FREED SLAVE
Source: Alton Telegraph, October 31, 1862
The following letter was received by a contraband at Fortress
Monroe, from his late mistress. Thousands of men in the South, like
the husband of this woman, have left their families (to be supported
by slaves), while they fill the Rebel ranks and shoot down the
defenders of our Union. When the families of those men are deprived
of that support, either by the voluntary escape of the slaves, as in
this instance, or the confiscation of them by the government, those
families will be reduced to beggary and starvation, and the husbands
and fathers who have sworn to protect, feed and cherish them, if
they are not as false to their social ties as they have shown
themselves false to their country, will cease their warfare against
the Union and return to their domestic duties, and that will be the
end of the Rebellion:
“Anthony, I have heard that you were making a great deal of money,
and as we are in Williamsburg and have no support, and William [her
husband] is away and I cannot hear from him, I send you this to let
you know that we are in need of everything. I have no meat, no money
of any kind that will pass. I want you to send me some bacon and
sugar and coffee, and any other things you can get that I need. I
have no money to buy a thing with. You have had twelve months’
freedom to make money in – it is time to do something for me and my
children – they are in want of clothes and the winter is coming. If
you do not send me some money, they will perish with the cold, for
wood is very high, and I am not able to buy any now to cook with. We
have done all in our power for you until you left us, and can you
hear of your master’s children starving, and you able to work and
help them so I cannot think it.
I should like to see you, if you can give me a little help every
month it would keep us from want. Send what you can get for me by
John King, he will bring it safe. He is doing all he can for his
mistress. He does not let them want for anything. I never should you
this, if I had not been in want, as you have not done anything for
me all this time. If you consider yourself free, it is your duty to
do what you can for me and my two little children. I shall expect
you to do all you can, if John King does not come up soon you can
send them by Sam Simpkins. He belongs to Mrs. Eliza Jones. Tell him
to bring them to Mrs. Tilford. We are there now. Send them as soon
as you can. From your Mistress, Hannah D. Westwod.”
LETTER FROM CAMP BUTLER
Source: Alton Telegraph, November 07, 1862
(This letter was received some days since, but we could not find
room for it in our columns until after the election.)
The prospect of a speedy removal to the scene of danger, which
produced great activity in camp three weeks since, has been changed
to uncertainty, and it is now even rumored that we will remain here
for the winter. We, however, hope still soon to be removed. It is
now expected that we will be under the command of General
McClernand, who is at present in Springfield, there are at present
seven regiments stationed here. Two of them lately arrived from the
southern part of the state. They are strong looking men, good
marksmen, and will make excellent soldiers. The members of Captain
Blakeman’s company were favored some days ago with an excellent
dinner from the patriotic ladies of Marine, by the hand of Miss
Blakeman. We valued the dainties much as a change from our rough
fare, but more, as a token of kind remembrance from the sympathizing
friends we have left at home. The thought that our friends are
mindful of our perils will be an incentive to renewed efforts in
“danger’s darkest hour.”
Last Wednesday the three regiments of Colonels Hecker, Moore, and
Judy, under Colonel Hecker, and those of Colonels Hundley, Hardee,
Niles, and Fonda, under Major Newshum, were ordered to Springfield
to be reviewed. We started, fully equipped, at ten o’clock, and
arrived at the prairie east of the city at twelve; here we halted
and ate our first dinner from our haversacks. We then resumed our
march, and having passed through the principal streets of the city –
objects of pleasing interest to thousands of gay belles and gallant
beaux who thronged the windows and the corners of the streets –
returned once more to the prairie, where we were reviewed by General
Brayman. Many beautiful and intelligent faces from the windows of
the high school were seen waving their handkerchiefs in token of
appreciation, showing that the cause of education and the hearts of
the rising generation are allied to the Union. After review, we
resumed our march toward camp, and arrived in as the shades of
evening were closing around us, having marched about eighteen miles,
besides standing two hours motionless on our feet. We would have
relished such a march toward the land of cotton, but such a tramp
merely to gratify the love of display of some officers was not so
well appreciated by some of the men.
We have watched with anxiety for some time the efforts that have
been made by certain parties to prejudice the minds of the western
people against those of the East, and the inactivity of our army on
the Potomac has been used to the prejudice of the Yankee name. The
same heroic valor that distinguished the Yankees in the war of the
Revolution exists now among their sons, and if blame there be, let
it rest with the leaders the government has placed over them, and
not with the men. Let there be harmony between the East and the
West. Woe to the man that sows the seeds of prejudice that may
result in dire war. The true patriot glories most in being an
American, and State pride is humbled in the august presence of the
Republic.
The news from our army in Tennessee is cheering, but while we exult
in the victory of our forces, we must shed a tear for our heroic
dead, whose blood moistens the ground where they so bravely fall.
Thirty brave men from a small town in Iowa fell on the field of
Perryville. Among the mourners of that brave band is an old man of
our company – a man of steady habits and undaunted heart – 68
summers have passed over his now whitened locks, yet his step is
firm and his heart was as merry as the merriest of the band. Three
of his sons have joined the army, and his wife is at home on his
farm. Yesterday the old man received the intelligence that one of
his sons had fallen, and that another was seriously wounded. The
strong heart of the old man refused to weep, and his grief was too
deep for utterance. He told few his sorrow. He was going home today
at any rate, but he resolved to go immediately. There was some delay
in getting his furlough, and at nine last night the old man started
on his lonely walk to Springfield, to reach the train going north.
Poor old man, the winds of that wild night to him wailed a requiem
over the grave of his loved lost son. Yet, his heart falters not.
Let his heroism be an example to those who would falter in devotion
to our cause. Signed by Occasional.
COLONEL COMPTON RETURNS TO ALTON
Source: Alton Telegraph, November 07, 1862
Colonel Compton, who was taken prisoner near Helena sometime since,
by the guerrillas, has been exchanged, and arrived in the city last
evening, much to the joy of his numerous friends. It was some offset
for his sufferings in the Little Rock Penitentiary, to learn that
the chief of the guerrilla party, by whom he was captured, is now in
the military prison in Alton.
GENERAL JOHN A. McCLELLAND IN ALTON
Source: Alton Telegraph, November 07, 1862
General John A. McClelland, the celebrated General who is
universally popular among all loyal men, came into our town on
Saturday night from Springfield, and stopped over the Sabbath at the
Franklin House. None of his old Democratic friends, however, called
upon him, they now denounce him as an abolitionist, just as they do
Ingersoll, Smith, and all others of their party who are in favor of
a vigorous prosecution of the war. We understand that the General
leaves for St. Louis this morning.
126TH REGIMENT HOLDS DRESS PARADE
Source: Alton Telegraph, November 14, 1862
Last evening, we witnessed the dress parade of the 126th Regiment at
their quarters just in the rear of the City Cemetery. They were all
drawn up as in battle array, and presented a fine appearance,
indeed. The orders were given plainly, and were obeyed by the men
promptly as they were given. They showed that they had done
something besides lounge around the camp. We judge from the
dexterity shown there, that the drill book has been a constant
companion among both private and officer. We expect to hear some
noble deeds done yet by that fine-looking regiment, and we wish
them, to take with them when they leave us, our warmest wishes for
their future success.
UNION FOREVER
Source: Alton Telegraph, November 28, 1862
Who that witnessed the unfurling of “Old Glory” last evening at the
Old Folks’ Concert, for the benefit of the Ladies Union Aid Society,
can doubt the loyalty of the major part of our respectable citizens?
Such a furor as was exhibited when the singing of “Rally, Boys,
Rally,” commenced, and the unfurling of our beloved flag took place,
we have seldom, if ever, witnessed before such a waving of
handkerchiefs from the ladies. God bless them, they are always for
the Union – and the storm of huzzas and clapping of hands from the
sterner sex must have made the hearts of secession sympathizers
quall, if any had the hardihood to mix themselves with such a highly
respectable audience as welcomed the Quincy Old Folks in this their
first concert in our city. The large hall was jammed, and all left
there perfectly satisfied with the entertainment, and thanking our
Quincy friends for their very successful efforts in behalf of a
Society that aims to benefit the sick and wounded soldier, and has
already added greatly to their comfort to the different regimental
hospitals opened in Alton.
SLAVEHOLDERS PREPARING FOR EMANCIPATION
Source: Alton Telegraph, December 19, 1862
A correspondent of the New York Tribune, writing from the Department
of the West, says that the Emancipation Proclamation is already
having its effect in the preparations which the slaveholders of
Alabama and Tennessee are making for their future relations to the
slaves. Many of them have already entered into a contract with their
slaves to remain upon the plantations under wages. They have come to
the conclusion that the slaves are as necessary to them as it has
long been asserted, they were to the slaves. Several instances were
noticed by the correspondent where this arrangement has been
effected. One, Mr. Aiken, a cotton planter of Tennessee, said to him
that he and several of his neighbors had already had a talk with
their slaves, and agreed with them to remain and receive wages. They
preferred them to any new set of laborers that they could obtain.
They had advised their slaves to remain, and they were pleased with
the arrangement. Other instances are narrated sufficient to show
that the movement is spreading.
UNION LADIES LEAGUE OF SALEM
Source: Alton Telegraph, January 25, 1863
We have been requested to say that this association of patriotic and
benevolent ladies will hold a festival at Mr. Charles Sebastian’s,
in the American Bottom near Wanda, for the benefit of sick and
wounded soldiers. All those who feel interested in the object they
have in view are invited to attend.
DR. W. A. CHEATHAM SENT TO ALTON PRISON
Source: The Syracuse, New York Daily Standard, May 13, 1863
Dr. W. A. Cheatham and family has been ordered to Alton, Ill, to be
confined during the war. Mrs. Cheatham is the sister of Mrs. John
Morgan.
REBEL SWAMP RANGER AND BUSHWACKER - BRIGADIER GENERAL JEFF
THOMPSON IN ALTON PRISON
Source: Skaneateles, New York Democrat, September 24, 1863
Brigadier General Jeff Thompson, the notorious rebel swamp ranger
and bushwhacker, with his adjutant, Capt. Reuben Kay, are now in the
Alton, Ill. military prison. They will soon be transferred to
Johnson's Island.
TWO TRAINS OF SOLDIERS PASS THROUGH ALTON
Source: Alton Telegraph, October 16, 1863
Two trains of soldiers passed through this city, one of them
yesterday, and the other this morning. They were a portion of
General Pope’s Division, and were found south, but to what
particular point we are not advised. We are also informed that there
will be more along tomorrow from the same Division.
ATTEMPT TO KILL OFF COLONEL RUTHERFORD
Source: Alton Telegraph, October 30, 1863
The Alton Democrat of yesterday, knowing that its commendation would
be most damaging to the character of any loyal man, thus speaks of
Colonel Rutherford:
“Since the Colonels’ entering the service, he has been more of a
fighting man than a wire pulling politician, and probably Secretary
Stanton is fearful of his fidelity to the Constitution and Laws of
the old Union being stronger than it is to the abolition program of
the Administration.”
We should think, the above notice, from such a source, would furnish
good grounds for a suit in court for damages. Or it is possible that
the author of this article is so green, as to believe that the
Colonel holds his principles so lightly as to imitate the writer of
the notice by repudiating them, simply because the Administration
did not give him all the favors he asked?
DESPERATION OF THE COPPERHEADS
Source: Alton Telegraph, October 30, 1863
We received the following letter from William Palmer, living three
miles south from Rockbridge in Jersey County, this morning, in which
he says he found the following threatening notice tacked to his gate
post:
“A grand rally of the Democrats of this and adjoining counties have
resolved that the Union Leagues of this country are responsible for
all the unlawful arrests of our citizens, and for each arrest or
attempt to arrest will have to pay for the same with their lives
threefold, and for the destruction of property in every case, the
match box will be consulted and in this there will be no mistake we
are for peace. Signed by Many Democrats, this October 21st, 1863.”
The above not reflects the feelings of multitudes of poor deluded
creatures in this State, who have been led to believe from reading
such papers as the Alton Democrat, Jerseyville Union, Carlinville
Spectator, &c., that the Administration was not prosecuting the war
for the restoration of the Union, but to liberate the slaves, and to
establish a more intolerable despotism over the free people of the
North, than that of Austria. ___________ [unreadable] supply the
deadly bullet to the persons, and the match to the property, of
their peaceable and quiet neighbors. It would be well, however, for
these poor creatures to understand, that the laws in Illinois can
still be enforced, and that unless they wish to stretch hemp or find
lodgings in the Penitentiary, they had better behave themselves.
REASONS FOR NOT ASSISTING A REBEL PRISONER
Source: Alton Telegraph, October 30, 1863
The following letter, written from Missouri to a man by the name of
Sigler, who is now confined in the military prison in Alton, will
explain itself. It was handed to us by an officer of the 37th
Regiment Iowa Volunteers. It will be seen that the writer makes some
home thrusts, which is not only calculated to make his Rebel friend
smart, but is also applicable to a great many others. We deem it
best not to publish the author’s name:
Trenton, October 17, 1863
D. F. M. Sigler, Esq.:
Dear Sir: In reply to your letters requesting my assistance to get
you released from the Alton prison, I must most respectfully decline
for several reasons. First, I have taken an oath several times since
the Rebellion broke out to support the general government, without
mental reservation or evasion, and not to give aid and comfort to
its enemies. Such you have shown yourself to be by raising arms
against the government. But you say you have seen your folly, and
intend to quit. I ask what right I have to rely on your promise,
when the universal doctrine of those in arms, as well as friends to
rebellion at home, is that an oath is not binding, and they would
not keep it? Yes, have you not violated your parole and forfeited
your oath? But you say your wife and others persuaded you to it. If
you could be persuaded to violate an oath, may you not be persuaded
to forfeit your promise again? In your first letter, you say you
enclose me a letter to your wife, and before your letter is
finished, your mind changes and you do not send it. Surely your mind
changes very suddenly. Again, I acknowledge I know no person who has
been in prison, and taken the oath, who is not as strong and active
a rebel as ever. But you urge the claims of your innocent children
on me (and surely they have claims). But I ask, have not the widows
and orphan children of those who have lost their lives in the Union
army claims on me? Those poor children in Missouri that Governor
Jackson took their State school fund to arm his rebels to murder the
children’s fathers and drive them from their homes. Do you not think
the insane of our State have claims on me, who have been turned out
of the asylum and their money and bedding taken by C. F. Jackson for
his rebel soldiery? My eyes have seen them wretched and perishing. I
ask what does all this? The slave power has undertaken to destroy a
free Government, and have robbed poor children of their School money
and the lunatic of what benevolence had provided for them. Yes,
slavery has done all this! For every rebel says he seeks his rights
– that is slavery – and under that pretense can commit every kind of
outrage. Now, don’t you think the rebels of Missouri ought to make
up the poor children’s school fund, and pay indemnity to the insane,
and restore the interest taken by them (the rebels) due on our State
bonds? Please give those things a serious consideration, and do not
forget you have been a co-worker in the matter, and in making
orphans and robbing the poor of their School fund, in undertaking to
fight for the South. That has brought all this on us. So, excuse me
for declining to assist you under these circumstances. I subscribe
myself your Humble Servant.
COLONEL FRIEND S. RUTHERFORD
Source: Alton Telegraph, November 06, 1863
We are informed on good authority that the dismissal of this brave
and patriotic officer was caused entirely by a mistake, and that
there is no doubt but he will be honorably restored to his command.
This will be very gratifying information to his many friends in
Alton and neighborhood, who felt that he had been unjustly dealt
with when he was dismissed.
Source: Alton Telegraph, November 13, 1863
An order has been issued from the War Department restoring Colonel
Friend S. Rutherford to the command of the 97th Regiment of Illinois
Volunteers, from which he was dismissed a few days ago by mistake.
He will probably return to his regiment within a few days, as his
health has been very much improved within the last month.
COLONEL RUTHERFORD BIDS FAREWELL
Source: Alton Telegraph, November 27, 1863
Colonel Friend S. Rutherford of the 97th Regiment, who has been
detained at home for some months on account of ill health, called
upon us this morning to bid us goodbye, and is off to resume the
command of his regiment. His health is now apparently entirely
restored, and he left in fine spirits, although he could not refrain
from feeling sad over the painful accident which has so lately
befallen his regiment.
COPPERHEAD CITY COUNCIL COLLAPSED
Source: Alton Telegraph, December 04, 1863
The Copperhead City Council has at last caved in, and “Old Glory”
has been flung to the breeze from the spire of the City Hall. It is
a good augury [sign]. It is a badge of the obituaries of Alton
Copperheadism. It shows that the traitors’ last hope of handing the
State over to the tender mercies of the Pro-Slavery Confederacy has
expired, and that the opportunity for substituting Rebel bunting for
the “Old Rag” has gone forever. It is a good sign for us, and a
wholesome humiliation for the craven Rebel sympathizers who have
prolonged their waiting to see which side was going to win. They
have heard the voice and sulkily bowed to its mandate, and left us
not even the privilege of admiring the courage that would dare to
stand by the infamous ensign they secretly loved. We welcome the
banner for its own sake, and because it must be a sore application
to the eyes of those miserable and unpatriotic individuals who
sought to debase and destroy it. Long may it wave and flutter its
reproaches in the face of its guilty enemies until grief and
repentance make them fit to dwell beneath its glorious folds.
CAPTAIN RUTHERFORD APPOINTED CHIEF QUARTERMASTER
Source: Alton Telegraph, December 18, 1863
The Washington correspondent of the Chicago Tribune, in speaking of
the appointment of Captain G. V. Rutherford as Chief Quartermaster
at Alexandria, says this is an excellent appointment, and peculiarly
fitting, as Captain Rutherford has been engaged for some weeks in
ferreting out the outrageous frauds perpetrated by Captain Ferguson
at Alexandria.
FALL IN, FALL IN
Call Goes Out for More Soldiers
Source: Alton Telegraph, January 01, 1864
Yet a few more days remain for filling up the quotas for Illinois. A
few more days for the saving of the draft. A few more days for the
liberal bounties and rewards for the volunteer recruit. Let loyal
men fall in, choosing their own branch of the service, and let us
end this rebellion as we first attacked it, by volunteers rallying
round the flag. Never were offered richer premiums on patriotism.
Never the inducements to serve the country better enforced by reason
of personal advantage. Let the next two weeks see the work
accomplished, and the enrollment list made useless, so far as
relates to the present call for troops.
Lieutenant Colonel Martin, or his aid, Sergeant Hazard, of the 97th
Regiment, can be found at their room in Mercantile Hall, ready and
willing to attend to all who may wish to come in out of the draft.
The people of Madison County would feel mortified if all the rest of
the State should make up their quota, while a draft should have to
be resorted to in this county to make up ours. Let every man,
therefore, step up during the next two weeks.
BOUNTY FOR VOLUNTEERS
Source: Alton Telegraph, January 22, 1864
We have been informed the County Court of Madison have voted to pay
$50 bounty for every volunteer enlisting in the county previous to
the first of March next, except to the citizens of Alton. The Judges
of the Court are deserving of much commendation for their liberal
and patriotic appropriation for this purpose, and it is hoped the
Common Council will increase the bounty which they propose paying to
the same figure. With these liberal inducements held out to
recruits, we have no doubt, with proper activity, old Madison will
soon furnish her quota of soldiers for the army. Let every
individual feel that he is personally interested in this matter and
work accordingly, and the object will soon be accomplished.
A DESCRIPTION OF THE WAR BY A NEGRO
Source: Alton Telegraph, January 22, 1864
We have seen no more masterly pictures of the horrid character of
the Rebellion than the following passages from the speech of
Frederick Douglass, the colored orator, to an audience in the Cooper
Institute, New York:
“We are now wading deep into the third year of conflict with a
fierce and sanguinary rebellion, one which, at the beginning of it,
we were hopefully assured by one of the most sagacious and trusted
political prophets, would be ended in less than ninety days; a
rebellion which, in its worst features, stands alone among
rebellions a solitary and ghastly horror, without a parallel in the
history of any nation, ancient or modern; a rebellion inspired by no
love of liberty and by no hatred of oppression, as most other
rebellions have been, and therefore utterly indefensible upon any
moral or social grounds; a rebellion which openly and shamelessly
sets at defiance the world’s judgment of right and wrong, appeals
from light to darkness, from intelligence to ignorance, from the
ever-increasing prospects and blessings of a high and glorious
civilization to the cold and withering blasts of a naked barbarism;
a rebellion which, even at this unfinished stage of it, counts the
number of its slain not by thousands or tens of thousands, but by
hundreds of thousands; a rebellion which in the destruction of human
life and property, has rivalled the earthquake, the whirlwind and
the pestilence that walketh in darkness and wasteth at noonday. It
has planted agony at a million hearthstones, thronged our streets
with the weeds of mourning, filled our land with mere stumps of men,
ridged our soil with 200,000 rudely formed graves, and mantled it
all over with the shadow of death. A rebellion which, while it has
arrested the wheels of peaceful industry and checked the flow of
commerce, has piled up a debt heavier than a mountain of gold, to
weigh down the necks of our children’s children. There is no end to
the mischief wrought. It has brought ruin at home and contempt
abroad; cooled our friends, heated our enemies, and endangered our
existence as a nation.
Now, for what is all this desolation, ruin, shame, suffering, and
sorrow? Can anybody want the answer? It has been given a thousand
times from this and other platforms. We all know it is slavery. Less
than half a million of Southern slaveholders – holding in bondage
four million slaves – finding themselves outvoted in the effort to
get possession of the United States Government, in order to serve
the interests of slavery, have madly resorted to the sword – have
undertaken to accomplish by bullets what they failed to accomplish
by ballots. This is the answer.
Whence came the guilty ambition equal to this atrocious crime. A
peculiar education was necessary to this bold wickedness. Here all
is plain again. Slavery – the peculiar institution – is aptly fitted
to produce just such patriots, who first plunder and then seek to
destroy their country. A system which rewards labor with stripes and
chains! – which robs the slave of his manhood, and the master of all
just consideration for the rights of his fellow man – has prepared
the characters – male and female – that figure is this rebellion –
and for all its cold blooded and hellish cities. In all the most
horrible details of torture, starvation and murder, in the treatment
of our prisoners, I behold the features of the monster in whose
presence I was born and that is slavery. From no source less foul
and wicked could such a rebellion come. I need not dwell here. The
country knows the story by heart. But I am one of those who think
this rebellion – inaugurated and carried on for a cause so
unspeakably guilty and distinguished by barbarities which would
extort a cry of shame from the painted savage – is quite enough for
the whole lifetime of any one nation, though that lifetime should
cover the space of a thousand years. We ought not to want a
repetition of it, nor can we wisely wish a possible repetition of
it. Looking at the matter from no higher ground than patriotism,
setting aside the high considerations of justice, liberty, progress,
and civilization, the American people should resolve that this shall
be the last slaveholding rebellion that shall ever curse this
continent. Let the war cost much or cost little, let it be long or
short, the work now begun should suffer no pause, no abatement,
until it is done and done forever.
The hour is one of hope, as well as danger. But whatever may come to
pass, one thing is clear – the principles involved in the contest,
the necessities of both sections of the country, the obvious
requirements of the age, and every suggestion of enlightened policy,
demand the utter extirpation of slavery from every foot of American
soil, and the enfranchisement of the entire colored population of
the country. Elsewhere we may find peace. Elsewhere we may find
prosperity, but it will be a transient prosperity. Elsewhere we may
find greatness and renown, but if these are based upon anything less
substantial than justice, they will vanish, for righteousness alone
can exalt a nation.”
SUPPER AT COAL BRANCH FOR RETURNED SOLDIERS
Source: Alton Telegraph, February 19, 1864
We were kindly invited by the members of the Ladies and Gentlemen’s
Leagues at the Coal Branch, about three miles from this city
[Alton], to be present last evening to partake of a supper gotten up
in that place in honor of the noble veteran soldiers who are now at
home on furlough. These grave boys belong to the old and gallant
10th Regiment Illinois Volunteers, and having re-enlisted, are now
at home to visit the mothers, wives, and sweethearts. The supper was
also intended as a tribute of respect and affection for some fifteen
or twenty new recruits, who have volunteered to return to the war
with their veteran associates from that vicinity. The tables were
spread in the Methodist Church, a neat and comfortable building,
which will seat about 250 persons. When we arrived, about half past
seven o’clock, we found most of the seats were removed, and two long
tables were spread from one end of the building to the other. And we
speak nothing but the plain, unvarnished truth when we say they were
the neatest looking tables that we ever beheld. We do not mean by
this there was a greater display of dishes and mere ornament than we
have ever beheld, for that was not the case. But what we mean is
that the tables were groaning under the weight of good things,
cooked in style which at once marked those who got up the supper as
adepts in the art of tickling the palate, while at the same time
there was just sufficient of ornament to make the tables pleasant
and agreeable to look upon. The room even at that early hour was
filled, but before the exercises commenced, it was literally jammed
and packed in every nook and corner, the most of the audience being
compelled to stand. The first exercise was the singing of the
Star-Spangled Banner. Mr. F. B. Cressey of Shurtleff College gave a
very happy and felicitous speech, thirty minutes in length. He
received the undivided attention of the audience, and was frequently
applauded during its delivery, showing that he knew how to strike
the keynote of his hearers. After the singing of another song or
two, the people were invited to partake of the rich repast before
them, which they did with a relish. There were many toasts given,
and other interesting exercises to which we would be glad to allude,
but time and space forbids.
COLORED REGIMENT OF ILLINOIS VOLUNTEERS
Source: Alton Telegraph, March 04, 1864
This regiment, authorized to be raised in this State by the War
Department, is rapidly filling up. Upwards of forty recruits have
been enlisted in Alton and county, with Captain William Flint, who
has been authorized to raise a Company.
Yesterday the committees in charge of the disbursing of the city and
county bounties, commenced paying the colored recruits. They are
mustered into service by Captain Abbott, Provost Marshal, and upon
his certificate the recruits are paid the same as whites. This
morning a detachment of colored soldiers in charge of Captain Flint
left on the Alton and Chicago Railway for the general rendezvous at
Quincy.
The prospects of the regiment are flattering for an early
organization. There are already five companies in camp. Now is the
time, and the opportunity, for colored men to exhibit a patriotism
that will command the respect of all men. Let them come forward and
enlist in a regiment of their own.
A regular camp is established at Quincy. The regiment occupies large
and extensive barracks, newly built for its use, and they are
supplied with everything in the shape of clothing, camp and garrison
equipage the same as the white soldiers.
At the recent celebration of the 22nd, in Quincy, we are informed by
Colonel Breye, who has been authorized by the War Department to get
this regiment up, that some of the regular army officers pronounced
the appearance of the men – the cleanliness of the camp, grounds,
and barracks - in every respect equal to that of any other camp in
the State.
NOTES:
The colored regiment raised in Madison County, was part of Company E
of the 29th U. S. Colored Infantry. Not all in this unit were
African-Americans – some were Native Americans and Asians. The men
were sent to Quincy, Illinois, where they mustered in and learned
basic squad and company drills. They were ordered to Annapolis,
Maryland, and from there to Alexandria, Virginia. The men saw action
in the Battle of the Crater, Battle of Globe Tavern, Battle of
Poplar Grove Church, and the Battle of Boydton Plank Road. They then
served on the Bermuda Hundred front and at Richmond, until
participating in the Appomattox Campaign. They were then assigned
garrison duty until they were moved to Texas in May 1865. They
served in the Rio Grande Valley until November 1865, when they were
mustered out of service. Three officers and 43 enlisted men were
killed in action, while 188 enlisted men died from disease.
Lewis Martin, shown in the photo, was a free black man from Alton
who served in the 29th Regiment, U.S. Colored Troops (USCT), during
the Civil War. He was severely wounded in the Battle of the Crater
before Petersburg, VA, on July 30, 1864, and his right arm and left
leg had to be amputated. Martin lived in Springfield later in life
and was well known. He was a member of the John A. Bross Post
(African-American unit) of the Grand Army of the Republic. During
the funeral services for Captain John G. Mack in October 1887,
Martin fainted at the cemetery, the walk being too much for him. He
lived on a pension from his military service, and in 1889 he
received $6,500 in back pension payments – part of which he used to
buy property along West Jefferson Street in Springfield. Martin was
found dead on January 26, 1892 in a home on that property. His cause
of death was listed as stroke, however newspaper articles stated he
probably died of exposure and alcoholism. He was known to be a “hard
drinker.” Martin was buried in an unmarked grave in the pauper’s
section of Oak Ridge Cemetery. He finally received a headstone on
November 2, 2013.
THE ROBERT G. SMITH ROBBERY ON PIASA
Source: Alton Telegraph, January 01, 1864
Robert G. Smith, Esq., the gentlemen who was robbed the other night,
called upon us this afternoon. He says as near as he could
ascertain, there were some fifty or sixty in the gang which
plundered his store, and thus they represented themselves as
belonging to the 37th Illinois Volunteers. But he thinks that the
most of them were deserters, while there were a few from Missouri
and a portion from Jersey County in this State. He thinks he has
discovered the names of a few of the plunderers, and if the rest of
them entirely escape his vigilance, they will be smart.
Mr. Smith’s loss is much heavier than we at first supposed. He says
they did not destroy anything, but carried off whatever they thought
would prove of value to them. Among the things taken was a horse,
saddle, bridle and buffalo robe, all the ready-made clothing he had
in his store; also, all of his piece goods and as many boots and
shoes as they could carry; two revolvers and a shotgun; and $190 in
money. All amounting to $1,000.
WAS IT A ROBBERY OR A COPPERHEAD RAID?
Source: Alton Telegraph, January 01, 1864
It is a little strange that while the Alton Democrat and the
Jerseyville Union deny that political differences had anything to do
with the plundering of Robert G. Smith, that neither of these papers
manifest the least regret at the atrocious act, but on the contrary,
burlesque it as though it was a good joke, with evident relish. The
article from the Democrat of this character, we have already laid
before our readers. And we observe that the Jerseyville Union
republishes the same infamous piece, with the following additional
remarks:
“A reliable U. L. says that Bob, being much alarmed, started for
Alton, and the 37th, in his socks and drawers, coming all covered
with lather at the rate of 219, thus distancing every competitor. On
a careful examination of the premises, Colonel De Funk Sowser
remarked that Bob was evidently frightened at his own shadow, and
ordered his brave boys to retire in order to their refreshments.”
In another article on the same subject, the Union speaks as follows:
“We are just as heartily for Law and Order as concerns Bob Smith, as
for ‘any other man.’ To be sure, we have no reason to love him much,
and we candidly say we do not, but what can one expect who will
themselves inaugurats such a state of affairs. Everyone recollects
how the ‘spry and informer,’ as he was then styled by our
contemporary of the Alton Democrat, made an unlawful raid upon our
office upon the 5th of last December, and failed. We wish him no
harm and hope the reason of unlawful force he has received will
cause him to cease such efforts against his neighbors in the future.
His rancorous persecution of Barnard, who still unjustly suffers,
will not soon be forgotten by him or others, we opine, but now as
then our advice is leave him to the stings of a guilty conscience.”
No one can read these comments of the Democrat and Union without
being satisfied that the editors rejoiced that the robbery had taken
place.
THE SMITH ROBBERY – AGAIN
Source: Alton Telegraph, March 04, 1864
There was a ball at the house of Harrison Dunn, about half a mile
from Mr. Smith’s house, on the 22d, to commemorate the birth of
Washington. It was numerously attended, and Mr. Smith was there
among the others. About an hour after Mr. Smith arrived at the room,
he saw four men approach him with navy revolvers in their hands. The
leader then seized him by the arm and asked him if he was dancing
tonight. Smith answered in the affirmative, and jumped to his feet,
and placed a lady between himself and the man, whom he recognized at
first as one of the party who robbed him on the night of the 21st of
December. There were a number of other strangers in company with the
four whom Smith recognized, who had pistols in their hands. Smith
then ran into the ladies’ room, drew his revolver and said he would
shoot the first man who should enter the room. By this time there
was great confusion, attended with screams from the ladies, in all
parts of the house. At this crisis, one of the ladies raised a
window, when Smith managed to make his escape from his pursuers –
jumping some ten or fifteen feet to the ground. The robbers pursued
him for some distance, but finally gave up the chase.
Mr. Smith’s workmen, having discovered that he had left the room,
they made haste to reach his house and secure such things as would
be likely to be carried off by the robbers. They just arrived in
time to save Mr. Smith’s horse from falling into their hands.
During this time, Mr. Smith was making all haste to reach Alton,
which he soon did, and procured a squad of the 8th Kansas, under
Captain Leighton, and another squad under command of Lieutenant
Smith of the 10th Kansas. When he returned and arrived at Dunn’s
house about 3 ½ o’clock Tuesday morning. A guard was placed around
the house, and all who were in the building were retained – the
house was then searched, but nothing could be found of the robbers.
Mr. Smith then suggested that the cellar be searched, and he and
Youngblood started down the stairs for that purpose, but when they
had reached the foot of the stairs, they were met by the Rebel,
Meadows (alias Davis) with a pistol in each hand. He fired instantly
at Smith, the shot passing between Smith’s right arm and his body.
Youngblood then fired at him and turned to go back upstairs, when
Meadows shot him in the back. Mr. Smith then fired at him in order
to make his escape from the cellar. Meadows then fired at Smith as
he retired, and wounded him slightly in the hand. He then fired
again and shot one of the 8th Kansas in the hand. The Kansas boys
then fired away at him, when he fell back into the cellar.
Captain Mortimer Scott then said to Mr. Smith that he would disarm
him and deliver him up to us, if we would not shoot him any more –
stating that Meadow’s was a friend of his. About 30 minutes after
the shooting was over, Captain Leighton called attention to a rocket
that was shot up by some person, and wanted to know what it meant,
which could not be answered except on the supposition that it was a
signal to the confederate of the robbers who had been at the house.
They robbed one of Mr. Smith’s men, who took his part of all the
money and papers that he had about him, and also a valuable
revolver.
There have been several skirmishes in that neighborhood since that
time, and we think it is high time that a stop should be put to
these infamous outrages. The military authorities should take the
matter in hand, if the civil law is too weak to arrest the evil.
THE 10TH KANSAS BAND
Source: Alton Telegraph, April 15, 1864
The 10th Kansas band daily discourses the sweetest music in front of
the Franklin House, and are decidedly the best musicians we have
listened to for many days. We understand they are practicing one or
two new pieces which they will shortly produce.
CALL FOR VOLUNTEERS FOR ONE HUNDRED DAYS’ SERVICE
Source: Alton Telegraph, May 06, 1864
There was a large and very enthusiastic meeting at city hall on
Saturday evening for the purpose of raising men for one hundred
days’ service. The meeting was presided over by the aged and
honorable, Cyrus Edwards.
His remarks upon taking the Chair were exceedingly patriotic and to
the point. He was in favor of the call for 100,000 men, and thought
that all should go to the front and put an end to this infamous
Rebellion. Although he was far down the vale of declining years, he
still felt the warm current of patriotic feeling and blood tingle in
his veins. His life, his money, influence, and all was pledged to
the maintenance of the Union. His remarks were listened to with
great interest, and he was frequently interrupted by bursts of
applause.
Captain Burbank explained that the absence of the band was owing to
the refusal of Colonel Weer to allow them to play for any such a
party, and stated that although Colonel Weer still commanded his
regiment, it was a matter of gratification to loyal men to know that
he no longer commended the Post.
Other speakers included:
Brigadier General Copeland and Mr. Taylor. Colonel Weer came forward
and attempted an explanation of the face of his forbidding the band
to play, citing that he intended to keep military discipline. The
audience went into convulsions of laughter and sneers, during which
the Colonel acknowledged his commission would “run out” soon, and
repeated his offer to resign.
UNION RALLY AT COAL BRANCH
Source: Alton Telegraph, May 06, 1864
As intended and expected, the loyal ones at Coal Branch had a
rousing good time last night. We, that is, the report, went out
about dark and found already a large crowd together. We found that
our enterprising recruiters, Cressey and Johnson of the Mercantile
Hall, with their usual energy, had kindly sent out a band of martial
music, the patriotic strains of which added much to the interest of
the occasion.
The meeting was called to order by the President, Mr. James
Mitchell, who made a few introductory remarks, full of true and
earnest patriotism. His words and actions showed that he was not a
whit behind his young friends in the good cause of a righteous
freedom.
Next, all joined in singing the “Battle Cry of Freedom,” and if the
manner in which it was sung is any indication of the purpose of
those present, we have no fears about their springing to the call of
one hundred thousand men.
Dr. Rutherford then took the floor, and spoke with his accustomed
energy and effect. As a matter of course, the peace party did not
escape without a warming. Fortunately for them, however, few of
their crowd were present in person, at least as we had reason to
judge. His manner of “putting the case to the Union boys in regard
to doing their duty now, was forcible and effective. But we all know
the Doctor style of doing such things.
Now came Captain Burbank’s turn, which he improved to the best
advantage. His report from the neighboring villages was full of
encouragement, showing that the loyal sons of this part of “Egypt”
are again raising in the power of their might. If we of this
immediate vicinity would have a share in the coming struggle, we
must be in for it without delay, or we shall be too late.
We were next favored with the roll of drums and the fife’s shrill
notes, which served as a sort of interlude to the exercises.
Mr. Edward K. Cressey of Shurtleff College was next called for and
made his appearance. He spoke for an half hour or so in a manner
which gave evidence that he fully appreciated the nation’s
condition, and was determined to do all in his power, both by
talking and going himself, for the triumph of the right. His speech
had the right ring about it, and like all the others, was received
with continued applause. Our soldier friend, Mr. Mattox, volunteered
a stirring, patriotic song, which was just the thing.
Mr. Carsten of Coal Branch said a few words in regard to the raising
of men there, urging them to take hold and lend a helping hand. A
call was then made for volunteers to come forward, and prove their
sincerity by putting down their names. While this was being done, we
started for home, well pleased with what we had seen and heard, and
assured that the Coal Branch boys were all right.
MEN OFF TO WAR
Source: Alton Telegraph, May 13, 1864
A fine company of men, raised among the students of Shurtleff
College and in Alton and Coal Branch, for the one hundred days’
service, left for Springfield this morning. Many sad hearts were at
the depot to big farewell to husbands, brothers, and kind friends.
We noticed the tear in many eyes, as the brave fellows shook the
hands of their dear kindred.
The organization of the company is only temporary, and the company
is commanded by Captain John Moore. The first Lieutenant is Mr. John
Carson. There were about ninety men in all, and the company is
comprised of the very best young married and single men.
VOLUNTEERS FROM COAL BRANCH
Source: Alton Telegraph, May 13, 1864
There are but few places in this country where the people have
manifested more practical patriotism than our neighbors out at the
Coal Branch. This small neighborhood or village, numbering perhaps
less than five hundred souls, has furnished since the war commenced,
about one hundred and fifteen volunteers – thirty-five of whom left
this morning for Springfield with a Company of one hundred days’
men. But our good friends do not satisfy themselves with giving up
their sons and brothers, but they contribute very liberally towards
the support of the families of those who volunteer.
The following preamble and resolutions in regard to the brave men
who have volunteered to serve their country for one hundred days
were adopted at a succession of meetings held by the citizens of the
Coal Branch, assisted by Dr. Rutherford, Captain Burbank, and
others, to make provision for their families. There is no bounty, no
relief from the county, and probably no pay till they are mustered
out of the service. We have caused a subscription to be opened for
one hundred days for the relief of their wives and children. We have
succeeded in collection $211. The donors have our thanks.
Resolved, That the employers of the Coal Branch employ no men to the
exclusion of those who are about to serve their country in the
present emergency.
2d. That we, the citizens of the Coal Branch and vicinity, do pledge
ourselves to support the wives and families of the men that are
enlisted on the Coal Branch for one hundred days.
3d. That a levy of ten percent of all the earnings of the employers
and working men of the Coal Branch be collected for the support of
said families.
4th. That any man refusing to comply with these resolutions shall be
considered disloyal to our country.
Signed,
James Mitchell, Treasurer
James Maloy, Secretary
H. Maloy, P. Robinson, and W. Smith, Committee
NOTES:
Coal Branch settlement was in the Elm Street – Alby Street
neighborhood, mostly in Godfrey Township. There were many coal mines
along the Coal Branch stream, which provided fuel for steamboats and
trains. Early coal miners included James Mitchell, Thomas Dunford,
Dennis Noonan, Peter Robinson, Charles Crowson, William Watts, Henry
Camp, Peter Taylor Nathan Sydel, Henry Conlon, John Rutledge, and
Joseph and Richard Whyers. James Mitchell, a Scotsman, opened the
first coal mine in the summer of 1848. After the Chicago and Alton
Railroad was completed, large quantities of coal were shipped to
Springfield, Bloomington, and Chicago. By 1882, the vein of coal was
nearly exhausted.
The Coal Branch settlement had a few stores, a church, and a school.
Joseph and Richard Whyers also operated a flour mill. As seen in the
article above, about 115 men volunteered to join the war effort
during the Civil War. The families left behind had little money, and
the Coal Branch employers levied ten percent on the earnings of the
workers, to help support the soldiers’ families.
COAL BRANCH BOYS ENLIST IN 1ST REGIMENT OF COL. PHILLIPS
Source: Alton Telegraph, June 03, 1864
The Illinois Journal of Saturday last says, that it learns "that the
first regiment of one hundred days' men, Col. Phillips, are to be
mustered into the service today at Camp Butler." This is the
regiment to which the Upper town [Upper Alton] and Coal Branch boys
are attached, and we know they will be rejoiced to get into active
service, for they had become very tired lying idle at Camp Butler.
SOLDIER ARRESTED
Source: Alton Telegraph, July 01, 1864
Mr. DeLange, a wide-awake and efficient night watchman, discovered a
soldier this morning about one o’clock, who looked rather
suspicious, and refused to give any satisfactory account of himself
when he observed that he had a bundle with him, which was afterwards
discovered to be wet clothing. Mr. DeLange then, after considerable
difficulty, arrested the soldier and took him to the military
quarters. On an examination of the latter this morning, it was
ascertained that the clothing was stolen, and Mr. DeLange has
requested us to say that the owner can recover them by calling on
him at Mr. R. L. King’s store.
22ND INFANTRY MAKES A STATEMENT
Source: Albany, New York Evening Journal, July 10, 1864
We, the undersigned commissioned officers of the Twenty-Second
Illinois Infantry, having seen an article in the Missouri Republican
of July 9, in which it stated that two hundred and ten men, out of
two hundred and ninety of the regiment were McClellan men - that is
in favor of Geneneral McClellan for the next President, pronounce
that statement to be an unqualified falsehood.
Signed,
F. Swanwick, Lt. Colonel Commanding, Chester, Illinois; Samuel
Johnson, Major, Collins Station, Illinois; J. Norris Morgan,
Captain, Company H., Alton, Illinois; A. J. Welch, 1st Lieutenant,
Co. C., Centralia, Illinois; Samuel T. Malcolm, Captain, Comapny A.,
Carlyle, Illinois; J. W. Brown, Asst. Surgeon, Sparta, Illinois; W.
S. Ford, Adjutant, Carlyle, Illinois; James L. Buchanan, Captain,
Co. K., Greenville, Illinois; Frank Allen, 1st Lieutenant, Company
B, Alton, Illinois; Robert McKenzie, 2d Lieutenant, Company B.,
Alton, Illinois; William Leishman, 2d Lieutenant, Co. K,
Belleville, Illinois; and Anthony Young, 1st Lieutenant, Co. K,
Alton, Illinois.
ALTONIANS PROMOTED
Source: Alton Telegraph, July 15, 1864
Joseph F. Baker, son of Hon. D. J. Baker of Alton, has been promoted
to a Captaincy in the Marine Corps. This is a merited and
well-deserved promotion. Captain Baker has been in the service of
his country through the last three years, and has passed through
several of the hardest fought battles of the east. Among them in the
first battle of Bull Run, and the raid of the Merrimac upon shipping
opposite, Fort Monroe. He was a Lieutenant on the ill-fated
Congress.
Mr. Joseph Brown, son of Thomas Brown, late of Alton, has been
appointed an Ensign in the Navy, and assigned to the gunboat service
on the Mississippi.
ALTON BOYS RECEIVE APPOINTMENTS
Source: Alton Telegraph, August 19, 1864
We are much pleased to learn that two of our Alton boys have
received appointments in the Navy. Mr. Charles Dimmock Jr. has
received the appointment of Master’s Mate in the regular Navy, and
has been ordered to report to Mound City, for which place he takes
his departure this evening. Mr. William Christie has received the
appointment of Purser’s Clerk, and been assigned on the Gunboat
Chillicothe. These fortunate gentlemen will doubtless fill their
respective post with honor to themselves and to the country, to the
service of which they have devoted themselves. Our best wishes go
with them.
HOSPITAL BOAT AT ALTON WHARF
Source: Alton Telegraph, August 19, 1864
The steamer D. A. January is now lying at our wharf with four
hundred sick and wounded soldiers on her. The boat was bound for
Quincy, but the river is so low she had to return. We understand
that she will land them now at Jefferson Barracks.
MILITARY MEETING AT ALTON CITY HALL
Source: Alton Telegraph, August 19, 1864
The meeting at the city hall last evening was a perfect success as
far as numbers were concerned. Notwithstanding the very short
notice, the hall was very nearly filled. Mayor Hullister presided,
and D. D. Ryrie and Henry G. McPike acted as Secretaries. We had
hoped that we would have been furnished with the proceedings from
the proper officers, but as they have failed in this part of their
duty, we shall have to content ourselves with publishing our own
impressions of so much of the action of the meeting as we witnessed.
We had another engagement, which detained us from the hall until
after General Rosecrans and General Copeland were through with their
remarks.
Dr. Rutherford was on the stand when we entered, and how long he had
been speaking previous to our entrance, we cannot say. But he made
some very happy and appropriate remarks after we entered, and also
said some things which had been better left unsaid. After he was
through the inevitable Dr. English took the stand, and the words
flowed out of his mouth with as much ease as water gurgles down the
steep falls of a muddy stream, and with just as little soul in them.
He remarked that everyone was acquainted with his political career,
which was about the only truth he uttered while upon the rostrum. It
is well known that he supported James Buchanan through all of his
imbecile and traitorous career while President. That he defended him
and his Cabinet while they were engaged in transferring all the arms
and munitions of war to the South, so that they might fall an easy
prey into the hands of the Rebels. That he stood with the old mummy
in denying the right of the general government to use force in
enforcing the laws in the Rebel states. That he was the champion of
Kentucky while she was contending that the national government had
no right to use her territory for the transfer of United States
troops to the Rebel states. Yes, Doctor, your political history is
well known, and will be well remembered, and although you may talk
loyalty very fluently, yet it will require a great deal of hard
labor to make the people believe you are sincere. You are too well
known in this community for that. If there were any persons present
last night who were deceived by your plausible speech, it was
strangers, and not those who are acquainted with you.
After the doctor got through with his remarkably modest speech, he
asked for the reading of a resolution, which had been prepared for
the Common Council, but that body, failing to have a quorum, it was
presented to the public meeting. The resolution was well enough of
itself, and recommended certain men as a committee to whom the whole
matter of raising the regiment was to be referred.
But certain gentlemen, not finding their names among those contained
in the resolution, constituted themselves into a committee, and
increased the number to fifteen, and accomplished the very important
matter of including themselves in the list. The names of these
individuals had no sooner been read, then the chairman in hot haste
put the question to vote, without giving anyone of the audience an
opportunity to make a suggestion, or to say a word in reference to
the matter. There are a very few good, reliable Union men on the
committee, and we hope the committee may be guided to wise
conclusions, but the way the matter was conducted, the meeting
really had no more to do with their appointment than the man in the
moon.
PRISON GUARDS NEEDED AT ALTON
Source: The Alton Telegraph, August 19, 1864
General Rosecrans has requested the citizens of Alton to raise a
regiment of soldiers to serve one year as guards for the prison at
this post. The following is the appeal of the General: "By authority
from the War Department and agreement with Governor Yates, I appeal
to you to raise a regiment of infantry to serve twelve months. I
want them for guards of Alton prison, but I want them to be of high
soldierly bearing and to make their qualification and behavior the
condition on which they will be kept on the duty. Each
non-commissioned officer and private will receive a bounty of one
hundred dollars and be exempt from the draft, while he will count on
your quota. The officers will be commissioned on my recommendation
by the Governor of Illinois. As these troops are wanted immediately,
I hope for a prompt response. W. S. Rosecrans, Maj. Gen." The appeal
to the citizens of Alton was received by the undersigned this
morning, and I deem it an eminently fit opportunity for the citizens
to respond cordially and with alacrity, as the occasion seems to
require. The advantages to us are manifest, besides securing mild
service at home, we shall have fill our quota on the last call and
some to spare, and thus maintain the proud pre-eminence of the State
of Illinois in responding voluntarily to all the calls of the
Government. Every man thus employed will help to swell the ranks in
the field with tried veterans, and I confidently appeal to the
citizens of Alton to come forward at this time and thus rally to the
support of our Government. Edward Hollister, Mayor.
ALTON JAEGERS RETURN HOME
Source: Alton Telegraph, September 02, 1864
The survivors of the Alton Jaegers arrived this morning on the train
from Chicago, and were received by the Society of Turners and the
Mayor and Council, headed by the Murphy’s Band. The war-worn heroes
were received with shouts of welcome, and the hearty hand-shaking
and tokens of joy at the safe return of so many of this favorite
company was universal. Amid the smiles of joy, we noticed the tear
of sorrow on more than one manly cheek, shed to the memory of those
who went to battle, but ne’er came back. There were parents and
brothers to meet these brave veterans, and not a few former
comrades, who having lost limbs in fierce strife, were obliged to
remain at home.
The company was escorted through our principal streets to the City
Hall, where two long tables were spread with the choicest production
of our market for their consumption. The Mayor, in behalf of the
citizens of Alton, welcomed them in a short speech, after which the
order was given to “fall in” for dinner. After their dusty and
tiresome trip in the cars, it is useless to state that this order,
like all others received by these men, was obeyed with alacrity.
Hilarity and good, cordial feeling was the programme, and was
strictly adhered to. The war-worn and weather-beaten flag attracted
much attention and comment. The men generally look hearty and
robust, but are doubtless pleased to see the rocks and hills of
Alton again. We will publish tomorrow a roster and historical sketch
of the “old 9th” regiment.
THE ALTON GUARDS
Source: Alton Telegraph, September 02, 1864
There is now only one week more left before the draft, and yet there
has been little accomplished in the way of raising troops, and no
field officers have yet been commissioned. We are not definitely
informed, but we are satisfied that no one of the many who are
raising recruits have anything like a company recruited. Unless
there is much more activity and energy used this week than there has
been for the two weeks which are passed, it is very evident that but
comparatively few men will be raised from the city and county.
From circumstances which have developed themselves within the last
few days, it is evident that the loyal portion of our community have
not confidence in the men who it is reported has been appointed by
General Rosecrans to superintend the raising of this regiment. There
is no escaping from the fact that men will be judged by the company
they keep, and when an officer finds his particular and personal
associates among those who have never raised their hands or their
voices in behalf of their country, it is not surprising if loyal men
should feel indisposed to confide in him, let his professions be
what they may.
Colonel Andrew F. Rodgers may be an excellent and brave officer in
the field, but if he is to be judged by his conduct since he has
undertaken to recruit this regiment, he is certainly not the right
kind of a man to take charge of the Alton Guards. For he cannot
certainly expect the support and sympathy of the loyal portion of
Madison County by the course he is now pursuing, and if he fails to
obtain that, he should not be entrusted with the command.
We have withheld an expression of an opinion on this subject, hoping
and believing that Colonel Rodgers would prove just the man we
wished for the post, but we are now well satisfied that in these
expectations we were mistaken, and that it would be very unfortunate
if he should be commissioned as Colonel of this regiment.
THE ALTON GUARDS
Source: Alton Telegraph, September 09, 1864
The unlisted men for this regiment were partly mustered in today,
and the balance will be mustered in tomorrow. The whole number now
on the rolls is near 450 men. There is no doubt that the regiment
will be filled at once.
We noticed the Alton Guards, recruited by Captain DeLange, marching
through our streets to headquarters this morning. They were a
fine-looking body of strong, full-grown men, and will doubtless be a
credit to the service. The companies are being mustered in as fast
as the proper rolls can be made out.
CAPTAIN RUTHERFORD RELIEVED
Source: Alton Telegraph, September 09, 1864
We were informed yesterday that Captain Rutherford, the Commissary
of this post, had been relieved from duty here, and that an officer
by the name of Porter was ordered to take his place. We have heard
no reason assigned for this strange and unaccountable proceeding,
but a day or two will probably develop the modus operandi by which
the result has been brought about.
CAPTAIN SAMUEL AVIS APPOINTED QUARTERMASTER
Source: Alton Telegraph, September 09, 1864
We have known for some time past that Samuel Avis, one of our oldest
and most trustworthy and competent citizens, had received an
appointment as Quartermaster, but deferred noting the fact until it
was made public where he should be assigned. We are now gratified to
be able to state that he has been assigned to duty at this post
[Alton]. This result is very gratifying, not only to Captain Avis,
but also to his many friends in this vicinity.
ANDERSONVILLE PRISON
Albany, New York Evening Journal, September 12, 1864
From a gentleman lately from Andersonville, and who, from his
acquaintance with the officials there, is in position to speak
knowingly, we learn that the statement that three hundred Yankees
having died one warm day last month, which has been going the round
of the press, it incorrect. The greatest mortality on any one day
has never exceeded 127, and though, in comparison with the statement
referred to, this may seem slight less, a few words will show that
it is in reality almost appalling. There are now at Andersonvilie
something over 30,000 prisoners, and at the rate of 127 per day, the
deaths would amount to 1 in every 237. Did the same ratio of
mortality prevail in New York, computing the population of that city
at 800,000, the deaths there would amount up to 3,326 per day - more
than six times the real number. The greatest mortality among our
prisoners in the North occurred at Alton, Ill., where among 7,000,
the loss was 27 per day, or one in every 111. The difference between
the mortalities North and South is due, however, less to any
difference in rations and treatment, than to that utter prostration
of mind and body which overwhelms the Yankee, but against which the
Confederate soldier bears up as bravely as if facing the bullet and
bayonet in the field.
BLUTHARDT APPOINTED SURGEON OF ALTON GUARDS
Source: Alton Telegraph, September 16, 1864
Surgeon Bluthardt, formerly Assistant Surgeon of the 1st Illinois
Cavalry, and late Surgeon of the 23d Missouri Infantry, has received
the appointment of Surgeon of the Alton Guards Regiment – the 144th
Illinois Infantry. Dr. Bluthardt has been practicing for some
month’s past in Alton, and has gained an enviable position among our
physicians.
GENERAL OGLESBY GIVES SPEECH AT EDWARDSVILLE
Source: Alton Telegraph, October 07, 1864
The mass meeting at Edwardsville on yesterday was a perfect success
in every respect. Although the Madison County Fair was in session at
the time of the speaking, engaged in the most exciting and
interesting portion of its exercises, the number around the stand –
just outside of the Fairgrounds – could not have been less than
1,500 or 2,000 persons! The exercises were commenced with singing by
the celebrated Lumbard brothers of Chicago, who are without doubt
the best vocal musical performers in the West.
The Hon. Mr. Ward of Chicago, who has a wide reputation over the
State as an eloquent and effective speaker, then took the stand, and
although very hoarse from constant speaking for the last month, yet
he elicited from the audience their undivided attention and most
enthusiastic applause during the whole time of his discourse. But
owing to the condition of his throat, he did not occupy the stand
more than thirty minutes. He is well qualified to do most effective
service for the Union cause, as he possesses fine abilities and
shows by his manner that his whole soul is engaged in the work.
Neither is he afraid to call things by their right names, but
expresses himself clearly and distinctly in language which cannot be
misunderstood. He left an excellent impression on the minds of the
people, which they will be very likely to retain until after old Abe
and General Oglesby are elected.
Then “Rally ‘Round the Flag” was sung, as it never was before in
this county, by the Lumbards, the audience joining in singing the
chorus. Such singing could not be produced by more art – northing
but the deep, warm feelings of the heart ever prompts such
soul-stirring music. If there was copperhead within hearing
distance, he must have felt that it was no place for him. None but
patriots could breathe that atmosphere.
General Oglesby was then introduced amid the most enthusiastic
applause. His very appearance spoke eloquently for him, as he stood
looking over his audience while their minds could not well refrain
from adverting to his many bloody conflicts with the enemies of his
country, and to the severe wound which finally compelled him to
leave the field, and which he now bears on his person as a memento
of his patriotism and devotion to his country.
All that we can say of his speech is that it was a masterly effort,
and deeply impressed the audience. We would no more think of
attempting to give an abstract of it than we would of reporting the
streaked lightning or the rushing and impetuous cataract. No one
could hear him, however, without being thoroughly convinced of his
sincerity and honesty. His rebuke of Peace-sneaks,
rebel-sympathizers, bushwhackers, and rebels was withering and
almost annihilating. No man possessing a soul or any self-respect
could listen to him, and afterwards give his vote to men who
acknowledge that our war thus far has been a failure, and who are
willing to treat with rebels with arms in their hands for an
ignominious peace. No, never!
Oglesby conclusively demonstration that General McClellan was not
only the first man to recommend the draft, but that he also ordered
the first arbitrary arrests to be made, and was the first man to
suspend the writ of Habeas corpus (we shall at some future time
publish the evidence of these statements). The General’s style of
speaking is liable to criticism in a number of respects, but for
power and effectiveness, he has few superiors in the country. His
audience listened from the beginning to the end of his remarks in
breathless silence, except when they yielded to their feelings in
bursts of applause, although he spoke something over two hours.
One little incident occurred while he was speaking, which will
illustrate his power over his audience. An elderly country
gentleman, who sat near to the platform, about the close of the
General’s speech, rose up, and after a moment’s hesitation, with
deep emotion remarked: “I must go home now, but General Oglesby you
are right. This war must be prosecuted to a successful issue. The
rebels must be subdued, and if necessary to this end, I am willing
to give my last son, horse, mule, and hog.” This man, we are
satisfied expressed the feelings, in these few remarks, of the great
mass of that audience. Victory or death was the predominate feeling
in that assembly.
After the speech was closed, large numbers of the venerable old
farmers of the county clambered up on the platform ito take the
gallant and brave soldier, and our next Governor, by the hand, and
wish him God speed in his good work.
We never attended a meeting where everything passed off so
pleasantly, or where we had reason to believe that more good was
done than this. The speakers and the Lumbard brothers returned to
Alton last evening, and took the train at seven o’clock this morning
to attend the great mass meeting at Belleville today.
ALTON GUARD
Source: Alton Telegraph, October 07, 1864
Colonel Hall, who has been assigned to the command of the Alton
Guard Regiment, called upon us this morning. He will assume the
command just as soon as the regiment is filled. We understand that
it still requires one more company to complete its organization, and
that company has been accepted, but is now doing duty in Missouri.
The Colonel is from the town of Shelbyville, and had, when he was
appointed to this command, just completed his three years’ service,
acting most of the time as the Colonel of the old and brave 14th
Illinois Regiment, but the latter portion of the time he had charge
of a brigade. Our citizens have much reason to congratulate
themselves, that they have such an experienced, talented, and
gentlemanly officer assigned to the command of our home regiment.
ALTON COPPERHEADS ARMING
Source: Alton Telegraph, October 28, 1864
We have been very credibly informed that the candidates of the Peace
Democracy (Copperheads) of this county, in their electioneering
perambulations, go heavily armed. Why is this, if they think it
wrong to shoot at the rebels in the South lest they should become
exasperated? Are they not afraid they may exasperate Union men at
home by this war-like display of firearms? Or are we to understand
them as not being opposed to the prosecution of wars in general, but
only to the one being waged against their erring brethren in the
South. But if our armies would only turn their guns against the
abolitionists, then they would be willing to have it prosecuted with
the utmost vigor. Down on all such whining sentimentality, and base
hypocrisy, say we. If your sympathies are with the rebels and
against the loyal people of the North, say so like men, and stop
your miserable complaining against the government, our generals, and
brave soldiers for lack of humanity.
It does not look well for men who are eternally crying out against
the inhumanity and cruelty of war, and recommending charity,
conciliation, &c., to be going about with revolvers in their
pockets. It especially looks bad for a minister of the gospel thus
to display his war-like propensities at the very time that he is
advocating the Chicago platform and a cessation of hostilities.
DR. RUTHERFORD
Source: Alton Telegraph, October 28, 1864
We announced some weeks since that this popular and faithful
officer, who had been acting as Commissary at this post [Alton] for
the last two or three years, had been removed from this place and
ordered to Fort Scott. We now learn that this latter order has,
however, been revoked by the Secretary of War, and that the doctor
will remain in Illinois until he receives further instructions from
the War Department. He has been absent from here, visiting his
family in Quincy for some days, but returned here this morning,
looking hale and hearty, and in the best of spirits.
COLONEL HALL ASSUMES COMMAND OF ALTON GUARDS
Source: Alton Telegraph, October 28, 1864
This gallant and experienced officer assumed the command of the
Alton Guard Regiment yesterday. Its corps of officers is now
complete, all of whom have had experience in the army, and have
proved themselves well qualified for the positions to which they
have been appointed. They are all likewise as true as steel to the
Union, and in favor of subduing the rebellion by force of arms. We
congratulate our citizens in their success in securing such worthy
officers to take charge of the regiment which is to be in our midst
for at least a year.
ZEPHANIAH JOB TO SPEAK AT FOSTERBURG
Source: Alton Telegraph, October 28, 1864
Fosterburg, October 11, 1864
It had been announced some six weeks in that miserable copperhead
paper – the Alton Democrat – that Dr. English and Zephaniah Job
would speak in Fosterburg on the 11th inst., on the great issues of
the day. Accordingly, after supper I stopped over to the Burg to
hear what might be said, and not having learned where the speaking
was to be, I inquired of sundry persons, but no one could tell. In
passing Herp’s doggery, a few persons were seen standing about the
steps, and individual, who had probably “imbibed” more freely than
the rest, was talking and swearing. Passing on, however, in search
of the speaking and visiting every place likely to be used for that
purpose, without success, a lucky idea entered my mind. I thought,
perhaps, the squad seen at Herp’s might have compelled to leave the
hall for want of room, either to sit or stand, and that they could
inform me where the great rally was. I accordingly hastened back,
and found that same individual still going on in the even tenor of
his course, talking and swearing. After listening awhile, I asked
one of them where the speaking was. He said he guessed there would
be no speaking tonight, and then added, that is Job talking. Here,
then, in a nutshell, was the great McClellan rally of Fosterburg
precinct, six weeks advertising in a public, and the unwearied
efforts of the high priest of that profession, who for several weeks
previous, and daily gone out into all the hedges and highways about
Fosterburg and the region round about, to compel them to come in,
but they didn’t come. The above affair amounted to fourteen men and
boys, all told, standing and laughing about Herp’s doorsteps,
indeed, you rarely find there a ____ ______ ______ that on any other
night. If any call for _____ _____ _____, the number, I can very
____ ____ _____. Mr. Job had gone _____, he invited the copperhead
______ the street to Ed Bush’s, and had something to drink. After
they had all drank, he called for his bill – sixty cents was the
reply. Now divide seventy-five by five, and see if you don’t have
fifteen. But you said fourteen? I did say there were fourteen at
Herp’s, but they, forming a jubilation with Ed, made fifteen. Mr.
Job declaring it the cheapest liquoring he had done, handed Ed a
dollar bill and started home, thinking, perhaps, that the extra
forty cents might be bread cast upon the water, that might be
gathered sometime in November.
SOLDIERS FROM 144TH ON THE HUNT FOR TWO
Source: Alton Telegraph, November 18, 1864
A posse of soldiers from the 144th Regiment, returned on Saturday
night from Fidelity, where they had been scouting in pursuit of
Simpson and Dr. Jay of that place, who were implicated in the
murders committed in that town on last Monday. They brought in two
prisoners – one by the name of Simpson, a brother to the man who was
with Henderson when the murders were committed, and the other was a
young man by the name of Blackburn. We have not learned what charges
were brought against them. The soldiers are still seeking after Dr.
Jay and the Simpson who participated in the shooting affair on that
occasion, and it is to be hoped they will succeed in taking them.
They and their wicked comrades have kept that neighborhood in a
perfect state of terror for the last four or five months past, and
it is high time their career was brought to an end.
ALTON GUARD REGIMENT
Source: Alton Telegraph, November 18, 1864
The facility with which the citizen changes from the routine of
civil duties to those of a military character is wonderful. It is
but a few weeks since the organization of the 144th Illinois
Volunteers (the Alton Guards), and they now show a great degree of
proficiency in the various maneuvers of the infantry drill and the
manual of arms. Their dress parades are attended by large numbers of
our citizens, and the fairer portion of them seem to be particularly
well pleased with the soldierly and genteel appearance of both
officers and men. Yesterday, a very large crowd witnessed the
parade, and the universal word was that of approbation and pleasure
at the progress made by our favorite home regiment.
RESIGNATION OF CAPTAIN JOHN E. DETRICH
Source: Alton Telegraph, December 16, 1864
We regret to inform our readers that Captain John E. Detrich, who
has been a resident of Alton for something over a year, has resigned
his position as Commissioner of the Board of Enrollment, in the
Provost Marshal’s office, and has returned to his home. He made
hosts of friends the short time that he was among us, and this step
which he has now taken will be regretted by all those who were so
fortunate as to make his acquaintance. He is a man of fine
intellectual ability, unswerving integrity, and of genial and social
feelings, and the good wishes of his friends will follow him to his
retirement, with the confident expectation, however, that they will
soon hear of him occupying a more important position, and more in
accordance with his talent and qualifications than the one which he
has just vacation
Captain Henry of Washington County has been appointed to take his
place, and has already arrived and entered upon his duties. He is a
gentleman of whom we know nothing personally, but have heard him
spoken of as an individual well qualified to fill the office to
which he has been assigned. We welcome him to our city.
TREATMENT OF UNION PRISONERS
Source: Alton Telegraph, January 13, 1865
There is hardly a day passes but we hear of some new recital of the
terrible sufferings and deprivations which our prisoners in Rebel
hands are called upon to endure. Thousands and thousands of them
have absolutely perished from want and exposure; and multitudes of
those who have survived have been reduced to mere skeletons, and
have suffered almost every affliction which it was possible for
fiends to inflict. The very recital of their hardships and
deprivations makes the blood tingle in the veins of every patriotic
and humane person. Those atrocities and the cruel treatment which
our prisoners received was for a long time accounted for on the
ground of the scarcity of provisions, which it was said existed in
Dixie, but since the raid which Sherman has made through Georgia,
this flimsy excuse has exploded. It is now known that food in
superabundance is to be found in the vicinity of Andersonville,
where our prisoners have suffered the most, and there is no excuse,
on that score, for the treatment which our brave boys have received
at their hands. It is the result of the cruel and bitter hatred of
the Rebel authorities against the northern people, and is but the
outgrowth of the system of slavery, which has destroyed every humane
feeling in the hearts of those who were brought up under its
withering and blighting influence. They are as much accustomed, and
as really hardened, to human suffering as the butcher is to that of
the animal creation. And they can never be brought to repentance
except by subjecting their prisoners to some of the hardships which
our men in their hands have to endure. We know that this course will
probably fall hard upon some who are comparatively innocent, but our
government is under solemn obligation to protect its soldiers
against wrong by all the means lying in its power, and if there must
be suffering, let it fall rather on its enemies than on its friend.
But what surprises us, is that while the Rebels are treating our
prisoners in this way, that their officers, which have fallen into
our hands, are paroled and are permitted to run footloose; put up at
our first-class hotels, and live upon the fat of the land. This was
the case a short time since in St. Louis, and is so now in this city
[Alton]. We have been credibly informed that there are several Rebel
officers now at large, who have their names and ranks spread upon
the hotel registers, are received into society, and treated as good,
loyal men. And it has been asserted that at the late ball in this
city [Alton], one of these paroled officers was in the room all
evening, with a Confederate rosette pinned to his bosom. We know
nothing of the truth or falsity of the report. But if it is true, it
is an outrage and insult to loyal people, and demands the immediate
attention of the military authorities.
Familiarity with treason must certainly, to a great degree, have
destroyed its heinousness in the mind of our population, when they
are willing to associate on terms of equality, with those who are
charged with trying to overthrow the government. If a man has stolen
five dollars, he is at once debarred from all good society, while
those confined for the highest crime known to our laws are petted
and feasted as though they had rendered some valuable service to
their country or their fellow men. This is all wrong. Things should
be called by their right names, and men deserve to be treated
according to the enormity and wickedness of their crimes, instead of
by the texture of their clothing or the polish of their manners.
No wonder our brave boys in blue feel like cursing their country,
when they are released from the filthy and dirty prisons of the
South – where they have suffered a hundred deaths – and return home
to find those who sanctioned and encouraged the cruelty visited upon
them, feasted and their society sought, while they are passed by
with a sneer or a curl of the lip, and when the taunt expresses
itself in words, it is that they are nothing but common soldiers.
There is a great wrong here, which calls loudly for a remedy. Will
our military authorities examine into the matter?
NOTES:
Andersonville Prison in Georgia, one of the most notorious of the
South, was established in 1864. It was officially named Camp Sumter.
It was only is use for fourteen months, however, during that time,
45,000 Union soldiers were imprisoned there, and nearly 13,000 died
from disease, poor sanitation, malnutrition, overcrowding, or
exposure. The prison was enclosed by a fifteen-foot-high stockade
wall, called the “deadline,” which if crossed, the soldiers would be
shot. The camp was covered with vermin, mud, maggots, lice, and
filth. One soldier reported, “You could not sit down anywhere. If
you pick all the lice off of you, and sit down for a half a moment,
you would be covered with them again.” Food was scarce, and many
died from starvation. It was so overcrowded, the men were forced to
stand most of the time. In time, gangs were formed inside the
stockade, as desperate soldiers stole what little clothing and food
they had from each other. Usually, the weak and dying were the
victims, until they finally grouped together and fought back. Some
of the gang leaders were tried and hung by other prisoners.
When the war ended, Captain Henry Wirz, the stockade commander, was
arrested and charged with murder, in violation of the laws of war.
He was hanged in Washington D. C. on November 10, 1865. The
Andersonville National Cemetery now stands on the property. In 1865,
an expedition of laborers and soldiers, accompanied by former
prisoner Dorence Atwater, and Clara Barton, went to Andersonville to
identify and mark the graves of the Union dead. As a paroled
prisoner, Atwater was assigned to record the names of deceased Union
soldiers. Fearing the loss of the death record at war’s end, Atwater
made his own copy in hopes of notifying the relatives of some 12,000
dead interred there. Thanks to his list and the Confederate records
confiscated at the end of the war, only 460 of the Andersonville
graves had to marked with “unknown U.S. solder.”
When Union soldiers were exchanged and released and came back to
Alton, they told the stories of the Southern prisons, and as seen in
the article above, were angered when they saw the Confederate
officers on the streets and hotels of Alton, while their comrades
were dying in the Southern prisons.
In the Alton prison, Confederate soldiers and other war criminals
suffered from overcrowding, poor sanitary conditions, and rampant
disease such as dysentery and smallpox. When the Alton citizens
became alarmed at the smallpox outbreak, the military was forced to
open a smallpox hospital on Sunflower Island across from Alton to
try and contain the disease. Those who died there were buried on the
island. Most of the island was flooded when the dam was constructed,
and the graves were lost forever.
DEATH OF LIEUTENANT JOHN S. ROBINSON OF ALTON
Source: Alton Telegraph, January 13, 1865
We regret to announce the death of this gallant and able young man.
He was raised in this city [Alton], and was among the first who
responded to the call of the country when the war broke out, and has
been active in the service ever since. At the terrible battle which
took place at Altoona some months since, where our troops displayed
such unprecedented bravery and skill, and a mere handful of them
foiled Hood’s entire army, he fell wounded through the lungs. It was
hoped for some time that he would recover, but we were informed this
morning that contrary to these hopeful expectations, he had died,
and that his corpse is hourly expected to arrive in our city. We
have been requested to say that on the arrival of his remains in the
city, suitable funeral services will take place. His aged parents
have the heartfelt sympathy in their sad bereavement of our entire
community, and it is hoped they may receive abundantly of that
support and strength which the Christian religion alone can impart.
Funeral of Lieutenant John S. Robinson
Source: Alton Telegraph, January 20, 1865
There was a very large concourse of citizens and soldiers attending
the funeral services of this young and lamented officer, yesterday
morning at the Baptist Church. The house was filled to its utmost
capacity, and many were unable to find admittance. Colonel Richard
Rowett of the Seventh Regiment was present on the occasion, having
come from his home in Carlinville, where he is slowly recovering
from a wound received in the Allatoona fight. The Rev. Mr. Jameson,
the pastor of the church, conducted the services on the occasion in
a very fitting and appropriate manner. After the services were
concluded, the many friends of the deceased were permitted to take a
last look upon his remains. His features were remarkably well
preserved considering the number of days that had elapsed since his
death. The military then took possession of his corpse. A suitable
number of Lieutenants being detailed to act as pallbearers, the
procession moving toward the cemetery, headed by a band of music.
Lieutenant Robinson volunteered in the 7th Illinois Regiment while
it was employed in Alton as a guard for the military prison in 1861,
and again reenlisted as a veteran. He early rose to the rank of
Lieutenant, and was soon made the Adjatant of the regiment, which
position he filled with credit to himself and to the great
satisfaction of the regiment. But for some time previous to his
receiving his fatal wound, he had been acting Adjutant of the
brigade, of which Colonel Rowett was in command. To give some idea
of the terrible fighting which the 7th regiment was engaged when he
fell, it is only necessary for us to state tha tone man out of every
two of that regiment was either killed or taken prisoner at
Allatoona. The remainder of the men are now with Sherman at
Savannah. We are requested, in behalf of the family and friends, to
return thanks to Lieutenant Colonel Kuhn for the military escort and
band furnished on the occasion. [Note: Lieutenant Robinson is buried
in the Alton City Cemetery.]
REBEL PRISONS ARRIVE IN ALTON
Source: The Daily Courier, Syracuse, New York, January 18, 1865
The steamer, Belle of Memphis, brings 35 rebel prisoners from Little
Rock for Alton, Illinois.
SAVANNAH BELLE SIDE-STEPS AMERICAN FLAG
Source: Alton Telegraph, January 27, 1865
It is said in an exchange that a Savannah belle stepped off the
sidewalk the other day with a pouting expression, to avoid walking
under an American flag, which hung in front of an officer’s
headquarters. General Geary, military commandant of Alton,
immediately gave orders to have her promenade back and forth under
the hateful symbol for an hour, as a warning for similar offenders.
We have no doubt but the exercise thus forced upon this fair flower
of Southern soil proved not less beneficial to health than the
discipline was advantageous to her manners.
THE DEATH OF CAPTAIN WILBER HURLBUT
Source: Alton Telegraph, January 27, 1865
Among the many, in the vicissitudes of war, whose fates have for
months been shrouded in mystery, few had acquired a more honorable
reputation for those manly qualities that go to make up the true
citizen soldier than Captain Wilber Hurlbut, of the 6th Michigan
Infantry. The uncertainty which succeeded the first report of his
death, encouraged his family to hope that he might still live,
though wounded and a prisoner. But it is now no longer permitted
them to doubt, what seems conclusive evidence that he fell on the
second day’s battle of the Wilderness, on the morning of the 6th of
May, 1864.
Captain Hurlbut was the only son of Rev. Thaddeus B. Hurlbut, and
was born in Upper Alton, Illinois. He had nearly completed the
Junior year of his college course, when in February 1862, he joined
the army as Lieutenant, and Aide de Camp to the lamented General
Richardson, and while upon his staff, took part in the battle of
Fair Oaks, then of the Peninsular campaign and Antitrain. After
General Richardson’s death, he entered the 5th Michigan Infantry,
and became Captain of Company D, in which capacity he served with
the regiment at the battle of Chancellorsville, Gettysburg (when he
was wounded), Locust Grove, Mine Run, and others, having at the time
of his death participated in nearly a score of battles. He was in
command of the regiment at the time of his fall, owing to the
wounded condition of his superior officers.
During his college term, he occupied a distinguished position as a
scholar, and his talents, attainments, and character were held in
high estimation by his instructors and fellow students. In the
social circle, his graces of mind and person, and his rare virtues
as a son and brother, made him deservedly the idol of his family and
the center of their hopes and affections. It was the privilege of
the writer to know him intimately during his connection with the
army, and to be placed in close relationship with him during some of
the most arduous campaigns in Virginia, where constant opportunity
was afforded of observing the man and appreciating his worth. The
qualities that adorned him in private life were exemplified in the
fearless soldier and Christian patriot.
Prompt and courteous in the discharge of every duty, retiring and
gentle in his deportment, he secured the confidence of his commander
and the affection of his fellow officers. Those who knew him can
sympathize deeply with his family in their great bereavement, as
they will ever cherish for his memory that affectionate regard and
friendship which his rare virtues inspired. His lamented and
uncertain fate must ever add double poignancy in the intense grief
of those who were near and dear to him. To hope against hope and
never to know when, where, and how he died, but always to feel the
dread certainty that he has gone forever in this life. May time
soften the affliction to the bereaved ones, until God in his
providence shall call them together. Signed J. H. T.
A CITIZEN RESPONDS TO THE ALTON DEMOCRAT
Source: The Alton Telegraph, February 03, 1865
The Alton Democrat of last evening contained a communication signed
"Company B., 144th." As a citizen of Alton, I consider the article
an insult to myself, and every other taxpayer and property holder in
this city, and the imported editor of the Democrat will certainly
find out that respectable citizens cannot help to support and
sustain a sheet which insults and endorses such lying and slanderous
charges, and such low, vile threats, as are contained in the letter
of "Co. B, 144th." After referring to the approaching draft, the
writer says: "She (the city of Alton) has fooled us once but she
can't do it again. The boys of 144th credited themselves to her
because they saw flaming hand bills on every corner, promising fifty
dollars city and fifty dollars county bounty. But we don't see
fifty cents."
Now, the truth is, the city of Alton has not deceived any member of
the 144th Illinois infantry. The Council never promised to give a
bounty of any amount to persons enlisting in that regiment. Neither
did any public meeting of the citizens propose to give a bounty to
them. The City Fathers thought, and wisely thought, that the
opportunity of serving their country in the capacity of prison
guards, at home, and receiving pay and bounty paid to other troops,
and thus avoiding the draft, would be sufficient inducement to
persons to enlist without adding the incentive of a city bounty. The
results showed that their idea was correct. The ranks of the
regiment were filled by men who enlisted voluntarily, in most cases
I believe, to avoid being drafted themselves - they at least
volunteered without being promised a bounty by our City Council. The
"flaming hand bills" were procured and posted up by those recruiting
for the regiment, and upon them rests the responsibility of inducing
the patriotic "Co. B, 144th" to enlist. I think it very likely the
writer of the "soldier's letter" had another very strong inducement
to enlist in the Alton Guards - he would be out of danger and exempt
from the draft. I know of some individuals in that regiment who were
drafted before enlisting in it, and seeing their names published,
came to this city and enlisted before they were notified. Is it not
possible that "Co. B, 144th" is one of them? Since the organization
of the regiment - some four months - the officers and members of the
144th have not been paid. The privates who had families depending
upon them for support, in many cases were unable to supply them with
the necessaries of life. A meeting was held in the City Hall, Mayor
Hollister presiding, and a committee was appointed to obtain money
and relieve the wants of such as were needy. Some of the members of
the regiment were dissatisfied with this arrangement, and as it was
about the 8th of November, certain parties tried hard to make
political capital out of the matter. Since that time, as one of the
officers told me some time ago, "the privates who had families have
been better off than the officers, and lived better." Yet this
writer says:
"We hear that there is a great deal of recruiting going on in this
city now, and that these intensely loyal stay-at-home-bounty giving
leaguers are briskly engaged trying to get their credits to this
small town. If these recruits will take the advice of those who
tried them, they will not credit themselves to Alton. If they do the
next they will hear of will be a 'big meeting of loyal citizens'
being held in the City Hall, discussing the propriety of putting
them in charge of the Pauper Committee or some Indigent Committee,
and that will be the last of it. Our advice to men enlisting now is
to go for the precinct giving the largest bounty. "But I (we) have
said enough already, and will conclude by again warning those men
about enlisting, not to give their credits to this small place."
Loyal citizens will do well to keep their property insured while the
vengeful writer "Co. B. 144th" remains within our limits - not that
he would dare do harm to property of loyal men - but that others
might be induced to take the job off his hands. Signed, A Citizen.
NEW COMPANY FORMED FROM EDWARDSVILLE
Source: Alton Telegraph, February 10, 1865
The citizens of Edwardsville have recruited and organized a full
company of volunteers for one of the ten regiments called for from
Illinois, and they took the cars for Springfield this morning. The
officers are: Captain Frank C. Springer, First Lieutenant William R.
Prickett, Second Lieutenant H. D. Wilson. The company is composed of
as fine a looking body of men as has ever been recruited from old
Madison, and the officers are men every way worthy of the positions
assigned to them. We hope to learn that this county is not slighted
by the authorities in the organization of the regiment to which this
company may be assigned. Frank Springer has the talent and energy to
fit him for any position in a brigade or regiment. Shall we have the
satisfaction of calling him “Colonel Springer?”
HOSPITAL REPORT OF THE 144th REGIMENT
Source: Alton Weekly Telegraph, February 10, 1865
Hospital Report of the 144th Regiment: Sick received into the
hospital of the 144th regiment Illinois volunteer infantry for the
week ending February 2, 1865: John Gibbs, erysipelas; Joseph
Faulkner, febris remitt; C. Davis, diarrhea; Marcia Ratekin,
consumption; Henry Schofield, ____; George Curtis, febris remitt;
Daniel D. Williams, dysentery; Quick Williams, erysipelas; A. K.
Mainard, dysentery; Julius Hills?, febria intermitt; J. Lohr,
debiletis. Died during the week ending February 2, 1865: February 2,
Martin Ratekin, consumption; February 1, John Gibbs, erysipelas.
MORTIMER SCOTT
Source: Alton Telegraph, March 10, 1865
We announced yesterday that this somewhat notorious individual,
whose name head this article, had been arrested in Missouri, charged
with horse stealing, &c., and was in the hands of the Deputy Sheriff
of Jersey County, on his way to the jail of that county. It will be
recollected that he is an old offender, having for some time past
been implicated with the Rebel sympathizers of Jersey County, and
accused of acting in concert with such men as Henderson, Carlin,
Jay, Simpson, and others, in resisting the laws, horse stealing, &c.
He has been arrested two or three times previous to this, but
managed (owing to the large number in Jersey County who sympathized
with him) to make his escape. Under this state of the case, we were
not much surprised to learn this morning that while the Sheriff was
on his way yesterday to Jerseyville, he was met by some fifty or
sixty men, supposed to be from Jersey County, who demanded that
Scott should be surrendered up to them. The Sheriff, being
comparatively alone, was compelled to yield him up into their hands.
They took him off in the direction of the Grafton Road [Rt. 3 or
West Delmar], and Scott has not been heard of since. He has probably
suffered the fate of his comrade, Henderson, who was summarily shot
near Fidelity last Fall.
All will admit that it is a desperate state of society, which
apparently makes such lawless acts as these necessary or
justifiable. We say apparently, because we do not believe that they
are either necessary or justifiable. Better suffer almost any or all
kinds of evils rather than to take the law out of the hands of the
regularly constituted authorities. But this state of things is
nothing but the legitimate consequence of such disorganizing and
Satanic inculcations, as have been published in the Jerseyville
Union for the last two years. If the people will support and
encourage papers in their midst which denounces the Government as
despotic, and as aiming to deprive the people of their liberties,
they must not be surprised if all reverence for law and authority
should cease, and that just such criminals as poor Scott should
become common. And when the courts become so weak and imbecile that
the vilest of criminals escape without punishment, it is not
surprising, although it may not be wise, that the people should take
the matter into their own hands.
We do not regard Scott as half so culpable as we do those political
demagogues, who for the vilest purposes, inflamed the minds of such
men as he, to the commission of these crimes. Men who sow to the
wind must expect sooner or later to reap the whirlwind. Once destroy
the confidence of the people in the Government, and there is nothing
left for us but anarchy, violence, murder, and rapine. [Note: see
article below regarding Mortimer Scott.]
THE MORTIMER SCOTT AFFAIR
Source: Alton Telegraph, March 10, 1865
We copy the following statement of this affair from a letter written
by one of the “boys,” who took possession of the body of Scott:
“Word came to Jersey County on the evening of last Tuesday, that the
notorious thief and robber, Mortimer Scott, was to be landed at
Alton on the next morning, in the care of Messrs. Argo and Bird, who
had taken the chap at or near Quincy, where they recovered six
horses that had been stolen from Jersey County, one of them being
found in the possession of Scott. On Wednesday morning, some twenty
men started to meet the men in charge of the Captain of the bandits.
They proceeded as far as the corner of the military prison in Alton
on William Street, where they met a messenger, telling them Scott
had taken the stage in care of Mr. Bird, for Jerseyville. The men
were ordered to right about face, and overtake the stage as quick as
possible. This was done, and Mr. Bird was ordered to quit the stage
and return with the prisoner, which he, at first, refused to do, but
after some plain talk, he complied. We soon met Captain _______
[left blank], who shortly made all right between Bird and the Jersey
boys. As far as we (the boys) were concerned, after resting a short
time at Mr. Wendt’s, we left for Jersey with the prisoner. When we
arrived at the Buck Inn [North Alton], the driver of the team
conveying the prisoner, by mistake or otherwise, took the Grafton
Road. Soon, we began to meet squads of men, which continued
increasing until the road presented a line of men apparently half a
mile long. After passing through the bridge over the Piasa to the
Jersey line, we halted. Captain Smith formed the men into a hollow
square, and Esquire Bartlett began to call out the names of men to
serve as a committee to pump Scott, after which Scott was to be
given up to the crowd. After a long time, the committee rose, but
declined to let Scott pass into the hands of the crowd, saying it
would result in more good to the public to take Scott to
Jerseyville, and keep him in jail, and allow him to point out
others, than it would do to hang him. To this the crowd objected,
each one giving his reasons. After discussing the matter for some
time, it was finally decided to take him to Jerseyville, which was
done.”
END OF THE CIVIL WAR – WHAT HAS BEEN ACCOMPLISHED IN FOUR YEARS
Source: Alton Telegraph, March 10, 1865
As this day is being celebrated in almost every city, village, and
town in the country, except Alton, in honor of the glorious success
which has attended the arms of the Union troops since the last
inauguration day, and especially within the last few months, it
would not be amiss for us to contrast our present condition with
what it was at that time, and in doing so, we shall avail ourselves
liberally of facts furnished by the Chicago Evening Journal of
yesterday.
The 4th of March, 1861, found the government without an army,
without a navy, with little military leadership, and less military
spirit; the rebellion covering nearly half its territory and coast,
and able to marshal an army of three hundred thousand men,
well-armed and equipped for their wicked and atrocious enterprise.
But when Sumter fell, the people rose. At last the Shibboleth of the
demagogues, “There is no North,” was turned in the twinkling of an
eye, from the truth into a lie. There had been “no North,” indeed,
“to speak of,” for a half century. There was a South – exacting,
supercilious, domineering, dictatorial, and there was an apology for
a North – cringing, pusillanimous, with no king but Caesar, and one
her master, even the South. But behind that memorable 4th of March,
there were hopeful signs of better days. Here and there, now and
then, men came to themselves – a great multitude of them at last.
The manhood of the North gradually returned. It was not dead, it
only slept. The shackles gnawed the flesh, the chains wore in, the
lash cut through. We would stand it no longer.
On the morning of the 9th of November, 1860, the North and freedom
drew a long breath, as if waking from a long nightmare, and as if a
new day had dawned. We elected our President, our first President,
and on the afternoon of the 4th of March, 1861, inaugurated him.
Then came the beginning of the end. The South, enraged, mad, furious
at her loss of power, flew to arms, and the North rose, stood erect,
and sternly accepted the dreadful arbitrament. It has been four
years since then.
On the 8th of last November, we did again what the insurgents made
war upon us for doing in 1860 – elected Abraham Lincoln. And today
will be done again what the conspirators plunged us into this bloody
sea for doing in 1861 – inaugurate Abraham Lincoln. Surely, this may
go for pretty strong evidence that there is a North, and a North
which, while hard to rouse, may be aroused, to be an antagonist in
earnest and a formidable foe. Four years ago, then, we were not sure
of even the national capital, while all between that and the Gulf
was in possession of the insurgents. With an extemporized army and
extemporized chiefs to lead it; with a government in chaos and the
administrators of it utterly inexperienced; with the wisest of our
sages at their wit’s end, and the astutest of our statesmen baffled
and perplexed, we set about our work, and the day we celebrate
witnesses the major part of that work done, well done, and done so
as to stay done. We are back to where he started from; the flag is
back on Sumter. The conquered States are Kentucky, Missouri,
Maryland, Tennessee, Arkansas, Louisiana, Georgia, North and South
Carolina – eight out of the thirteen States that are represented in
the rebel congress. The captured capitals are Annapolis, Lexington,
Jefferson City, Little Rock, Nashville, Natchez, Baton Rouge,
Milledgeville, and Columbia. The fallen cities, harbors, rivers,
ports, and forts – you know their names by heart. Their name is
Legion.
Our achievements of these four years are prodigious. The chronicler
of our history will bear us out in out assertion. It is fitting that
we rejoice, then, and it is fitting that the 4th of March should be
selected to be the day for that rejoicing. All hail the Fourth of
March, 1865! All hail the breaking of the morn of the day of the
slaves’ emancipation, the return of peace, and the salvation of the
Republic!
LIFE OF MAJOR FRANK MOORE SAVED
Source: Alton Telegraph, March 17, 1865
We were shown yesterday a photograph of a fine-looking young man
named Samuel Harrison, belonging to Co. B, 26th (?) Illinois
Cavalry, who saved the life of Major Frank Moore lately, by killing
a rebel who was leveling his rifle at him. We are pleased to learn
that no harm has, as yet, befallen the brave Major. May he and his
brave comrades soon return to their homes, with the assurance that
their efforts in behalf of the country have been successful.
THE FALL OF RICHMOND
Source: Alton Telegraph, April 07, 1865
The fall of Richmond, which was officially announced in all parts of
the country yesterday, has probably created more heartfelt joy and
gratitude and thankfulness to Him who overrules and control all
events, among loyal citizens, than any occurrence which has ever
taken place since the formation of the government. It has everywhere
been regarded as the death knell to the Southern Confederacy.
COLONEL LOREN KENT ON SICK FURLOUGH
Source: Alton Telegraph, April 07, 1865
This gallant and worthy officer has been at home on a sick furlough
for the last six or eight days. He had a severe attack of typhoid
fever, and he was afterwards attended with very unfavorable
symptoms, but we rejoice to state that his health began to improve
as soon as he left his command for home. Although quite feeble when
he arrived here, he has improved so fast that he left for his
command again at Fort Gaines this morning. We are also rejoiced to
state that while here, he was informed that he had just been
appointed Brigadier General by brevet, for gallant conduct in the
field. This is a compliment worthily bestowed. Colonel Kent has been
in command of a brigade for some time past, and is regarded as one
of the best officers in the southwest. He entered the army from
Alton in one of the first Companies which was raised on the breaking
out of the war, and has risen step by step, by his intrinsic merit,
without the assistance of any outside influence, to his present
position.
LIST OF KILLED AND WOUNDED IN THE 97TH ILLINOIS
Source: Alton Telegraph, April 28, 1865
We have been permitted through the politeness of our esteemed
friend, Charles W. Dimmock, Esq., to publish the following letter
just received by him from Captain Fred T. Lewis of the 97th
Regiment, Illinois Volunteer Infantry, dated at Blakely, Alabama on
the 10th inst., giving us a list of the killed and wounded in that
regiment. We extend to the friends in Alton who have lost friends in
that battle, our heartfelt sympathy and condolence.
“Dear Friend:
Enclosed I send you a list of casualties that have occurred in our
Regiment during the past week, thinking that it may perhaps be well
to have the same published for the information of the friends of the
boys in that regiment. With three exceptions, these casualties
occurred last evening.
For a week, we have been investing this place, slowly working our
way up to the works of the enemy by gradual approaches – made under
the cover of night. Last evening at six o’clock (Sunday), we were
ordered to charge their works, and did it most successfully. It was
a grand and terrible charge over ground covered with obstruction –
with torpedoes concealed in the brush, which made sad havoc with our
men. One of our Captains had his leg blown off by one of these
hellish concerns. Also, a private in my company – Wyatt Stanton, was
killed instantly by a Minnie ball. The 97th gained for itself a
great and _____ name. Our division attacked the center of their
lines, and our colors were the first from our division to be planted
upon the enemy’s works. The color bearer was shot as he planted the
old flag, and died shortly after. His last words were – ‘Give my
compliments to Colonel Vifquain, and tell him I set the colors
before I fell.’ Our Colonel was foremost in the fight, and a more
gallant or brave soldier never lived. Other regiments suffered
equally with ours, and the lose in the brigade will be 250 killed
and wounded. The captured General Lidell and Cockrell, and several
Colonels and subordinate officers.
Although not in command of Company G, yet I am told they all did
nobly. In fact, the entire regiment covered itself with glory, and
our State will never have cause to be ashamed of us. I ‘went in’
with Colonel Spicely, commanding brigade, and an aid-de-camp who was
with me was mortally wounded just as we reached the parapet. I
thought a great deal of him. As he was shot, he says to me –
‘Captain, I am gone. Send my sword to my mother, and tell her that I
died at my post.’ I helped him to a place where he could lie down,
and bad to leave him to go forward. Such is war.
This is one of the strong approaches to Mobile. Spanish Fort was
taken day before yesterday, after a most terrific bombardment.
Very Truly Yours,
Fred T. Lewis
The following is a report of casualties in the 97th Illinois
Volunteers during the investment of Blakely, Alabama, which
commenced April 2, 1865, and resulted in the capture of the forts,
40 pieces of artillery, and 2,500 prisoners. April 9, 1865”
Company A
Wounded
Captain R. H. Wood; Sergeant Stephen Smith; Corporal William
Patterson; Privates R. S. Bates, H. R. Duncan, Win. Ketchum, Samuel
S. Sprouse, B. F. Sawyer, William Clayton, Private William Ball, and
Charles Johnson
Killed
Private John Jefferson
Company B
Wounded
James W. House, William B. Eveland, William R. Wade, Eli Hildebrugh,
Private J. W. Nicholson, Sergeant Theo Prideman, and Sergeant J. N.
Neese
Company C
Killed
Philip Mulkey
Wounded
Privates O. H. Perry, John Hassan, John Eldridge, A. G. Clark, J.
McCafferty, and G. Stead
Company D
Wounded
Captain James Wisher and Private David Rudley
Company E
Wounded
Captain J. B. Dennan, Corporal Rice
Company F
Wounded
Privates S. A. Beck, Elias S. Osborn
Company G
Killed
Corporal David Stanton
Wounded
First Sergeant C. W. Colby; Privates John Wyant, Charles Johnson,
Frank Depry, John Clarke, Thomas Doyle, Henry Doyle, and Patrick
Finn
Company H
Wounded
Privates John Wiezerman and John M. Tucker
Killed
Privates John Berliew and John Leibfried
Company I
Killed
Martin Scrote
Wounded
Captain S. R. Howard; Private S. R. Howard Jr.; Sergeant M. Hickman;
Privates Augustus Davis, Jacob Lawson, Charles W. May, C. Mendose,
and Jacob McFArlane
Company K
Wounded and since died
Sergeant E. D. Lowe
Wounded
Privates Charles Sush, John Proe, James A. Snyder; Second Lieutenant
S. B. Drew; First Lieutenant and Adjutant J. R. Frierson
Killed
Private ______ Van Pelt
THE CAPTURE OF JEFFERSON DAVIS
President of the Confederate States
Source: Alton Telegraph, May 19, 1865
The news of the capture of the head of the bogus Confederate
government and the grand arch traitor of the Southern rebels, was
received in Alton yesterday morning, about nine o’clock, and was
immediately published in an extra and circulated among our citizens,
creating the most intense joy and gratification. For although there
was but little outward demonstration, still the happiness of the
heart shone forth in the eyes, and the bright and cheerful
countenances of the friends of the government. The flags in various
portions of the city were thrown to the breeze, and the glorious
Stars and Stripes, as they were beautifully unfolded to the gaze of
the beholder, appeared to exult in the fact that the last lingering
hope of the conspirators against the government had now perished,
and they now not only floated over a united, but also over the
freest and best government that the sun ever shone upon.
The glorious news was also read in the Methodist Episcopal Church,
and heartfelt thanks ascended to the Father of mercies from many
loyal hearts, for His favoring providences, which had led to the
capture of the leader of the Rebellion, who had caused the death of
so many hundreds of innocent and noble men; clothed so many families
in mourning; and made so many orphans and widows and otherwise
produced such an untold amount of misery and suffering upon innocent
parties, both North and South. The person who loves his country and
his kind, and would not rejoice over the capture of this fiend in
human form, who has given his official sanction to the diabolical
massacre at Fort Pillow, and the systematic starvation and barbarous
treatment practiced upon our prisoners of war, literally murdering
thousands of them by the most excruciating torture which it is
possible for a human creature to endure, must be as unfeeling and as
stolid as a stone.
The great and absorbing question now arises, what will the
authorities do with Jeff Davis? We have heard but one expression of
opinion among Union men, and that is that he should be tried for
treason, and if found guilty – of which there can be no doubt – that
he should be hung as high as Haman. If he should be permitted to
escape, we should think it an outrage if ever another man was hung
in this country for any crime whatever. The blood of the tens of
thousands of Union soldiers who were slain in this war, is crying to
heaven for justice. That mistaken kindness which would spare the
authors of such diabolical acts would be the most barbarous cruelty
to all lovers of peace and good order.
But someone may ask, if you commence hanging traitors, when there
are so many implicated, where will you stop? The rebels did not stop
to inquire, when they fired on Sumpter, how many lives might be
sacrificed before the war which they introduced by that act would be
stopped. We are willing to leave the matter as to number of these
culprits who should suffer capitally, to the wise discretion of the
executive officers of the Government. But we have no sympathy with
that class of citizens who never complain of severe inflicted on the
rebels. They could hear with the most unfeigned delight of the
hanging of the infatuated John Brown, of the cold-blooded murder of
hundreds of innocent Union men of the South, of the cruelty to our
prisoners of war, without one word of complaint, but let it be
proposed that the traitors should be made to suffer the just penalty
of the laws, and they are at once perfectly horrified, at the
cold-blooded cruelty of the officers of the Government, and denounce
all who are in favor of enforcing the laws upon such cut-throats and
murderers, as being cruel and vindictive, and seeking to wreak their
vengeance upon these high-minded and gentlemanly officers from an
innate love of torture and murder. [Note: Jefferson Davis was never
tried, and was released after two years.]
THE CASE OF CAPTAIN T. W. FRY JR, QUARTERMASTER
Safe Robbed of Over $10,000
Source: United States Congressional Serial Set, Executive Documents
of the House of Representatives 1869-1870
On May 11, 1865, at the city of Alton, Illinois, the office and safe
of Thomas W. Fry, Jr., Captain and Assistant Quartermaster of
Volunteers, were burglariously entered and robbed of the sum of ten
thousand, eight hundred and eighteen dollars and nine cents, the
public money of the Quartermaster's Department of the United States
Army, then and there properly in custody of the said quartermaster,
and for which he was and is lawfully responsible; and whereas it
appears that said robbery was perpetrated without fault or neglect
on the part of said officer: Therefore, Be it resolved by the Senate
and House of Representatives of the United States of American in
Congress assembled, That the Secretary of the Treasury and the
proper accounting officers of that department, in settling the
accounts of the said Thomas W. Fry, Jr., deceased, shall allow to
him such sum as may be satisfactorily proven to have been stolen at
the time and place of the robbery aforesaid.
To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the United
States in Congress assembled: May 25, 1870
Your memorialists respectfully represent to your honorable body that
Thomas W. Fry, Junior, lately held the office of assistant
quartermaster of United States volunteers, and that while stationed
at Alton, State of Illinois, in the discharge of the duties of said
office, the safe in which the funds in his hands were kept was
broken into and robbed of the sum of ten thousand dollars, without
any default or negligence of said Fry, and that all the means in his
power were employed to detect the robbers and recover the money,
without success; that an investigation of the facts connected with
said robbery was had by the United States officers then stationed in
that vicinity, the proceedings of which will be produced, and which
show that said robbery was not the result of any negligence or
inattention of said Fry to the duties of his said office; that said
Fry had been ordered by the proper authorities to use said safe for
the safekeeping of said money, and that at the time of the robbery
he was absent from his office, and at St. Louis upon official duty,
by order of the War Department. They further state that said Thomas
W. Fry, Junior, has been connected with the army of the United
States from the commencement to the termination of the war, and that
in every position he has held he has discharged his duty to the
satisfaction of the government. Your memorialists therefore pray
than an act may be passed by your honorable body relieving the said
Thomas W. Fry, Junior, and his securities, from liability for said
sum of money.
Signed by:
J. S. McClelland, John W. Ross, L. A. Foote, W. B. Carr, Jas.
Heaton, Jr., D. W. Paul, Jas. H. Watson, John Bishop, John W. Blair,
Jr., Geo. W. Robinson, Wilson H. Laymon, Henry S. Jennison, E. R.
Maxwell, Milton I. Swan, P. C. Somerville, E. Totten, J. H.
VanArsdale, J. M. Conway, F. Nichols, B. M. Mills, Sam Ensminger, R.
E. Bryant, A. J. Royalty, W. A. James, John Herr, Frank W. Best,
Chas. D. Huffman, Jno. R. Gerhart, M. Pyke, M. H. Galey, D. C.
Hunter, J. H. Meteer, E. H. Hills, R. H. Galloway, C. L. Thomas,
George W. Snyder, H. S. Braden, John J. Snyder, George Vanardsdall,
E. S. Simpson, Lane Willson, H. Rice Canine, W. W. Simpson, Wm. T.
Brush, Ben. T. Ristine, U. M. Scott, W. S. Galey, James Knox, B.
Wasson, John A. Shanklin, C. M. Crawford, James Heaton, I. C.
Elston, Joseph F. Tuttle, W. C. Vance, James R. Ross, J. P. Watson,
Jere. Keeney, A. Rominger, J. B. Simpson, R. A. Hightower, Jacob
McIntire, and Henry Campbell.
MORTIMER SCOTT AFFAIR
Source: Alton Telegraph, May 12, 1865
The Greene County Patriot says that this notorious individual who
was committed under the charge of horse stealing in Jersey County,
and whose case was transferred to Greene County, was acquitted last
week at the Circuit Court, but was carried back to Jersey County, to
be tried upon another charge, upon which it is thought he will
likely be convicted.
THE DEATH OF SERGEANT WILLIAM HENRY CLAYTON
Civil War Soldier
Source: Alton Telegraph, May 19, 1865
The subject of this sketch was born in the State of Missouri,
February 7, 1837. He was the third son of P. D. and S. D. Clayton.
His parents now live near Upper Alton, Illinois. William was from
childhood peculiarly fond of home, its pursuits, and enjoyments. He
seldom, for any length of time, left its domestic circle unless
compelled to, and then only to return as soon as possible. As a son,
he was distinguished by subordination to parental authority,
performing with alacrity and cheerfulness the tasks assigned; ever
striving to ascertain the will of his parents and conforming his
life to that will. He was, in a peculiar sense, “Mother’s boy.”
As a brother, kind, faithful and affectionate, spreading joy and
bliss in his pathway as a friend, constant and true; as a neighbor,
upright and honorable; as a citizen, loyal and true. Soon after the
rebellion was inaugurated, he was impressed with the duty to
contribute his share in subduing it. Accordingly, he enlisted in
August.
He has passed through a large number of severe battles, with no
other casualty than having the hair from the top of his head shaved
off by a rebel bullet. With Colonel Straight’s command, he was taken
prisoner near Rome, Georgia, and paroled. He lived until the wicked
rebellion was crushed, and was anticipating great pleasure in
mingling again with the “loved ones at home.”
“But God’s ways are not our ways,” and when the hearts of parents,
brothers, and sister were animated with the hope of a glorious and
joyful meeting, the sad intelligence of his death was received. He
died May 5, 1865, near Nashville, Tennessee, of disease of the
heart. His body was brought home, and the funeral attending at Mt.
Olive Church near Upper Alton, May 13, by a large concourse of
sympathizing friends, who were addressed by the writer from I Peter,
V. 4-7: “But the end of all things is at hand; Be ye therefore
sober, and watch unto prayer.” Signed by J. Bulkley
From Company B, 80th Illinois Volunteer Infantry
Camp Harker, Nashville, Tennessee
May 6, 1865
Bereaved parents:
Although circumstances will not admit of our being present at the
closing ceremonies of our much-loved friend and Sergeant, permit me,
in behalf of the Company, to blend my sympathies with yours o’er the
loss of one we held dear and true. That poo “Will” is no more, seems
to us but too strangely true. Scarce ten days ago, he was all life
and merriment. There were but very few of us, indeed, that did not
participate in his happiness, little dreaming then that impatient
death was waiting for him.
The nation has scarce ceased to wail o’er the death of her noble
magistrate [President Lincoln], yet his place has been securely
filled. Not so, with our much-loved Sergeant, his place can never be
filled in this life, and hence comes the sorrowing never to be
relinquished ‘till waffed above where sorrow is no more.
His exemplary conduct as a gentleman has not been excelled by his
soldierly bearing. True to his post, his friends, and his country,
he has lived, only to witness the fruits of his labor rewarded in
the overthrow of that traitors’ scheme, the attempted inauguration
of a Confederate Government. Sorrowfully do our hearts echo these
lines:
Sleep today, thou early fallen,
In thy green and narrow bed;
Dirges of the pine and cypress
Mingle with the tears we shed.
“Will” has been noble in sacrificing his life upon the alter of his
country; let us be noble in willingly submitting to the Ruler of
destinies. We feel he has been called away to receive the reward of
perpetual bliss, for his good stewardship. And all we can ask is,
but to be placed in his company when our earthly pilgrimage is o’er.
Farewell! May God grant you strength to bear your Cross, is the
prayer of Company B.
Signed Andrew G. Clifford, In behalf of Company B, 80th Illinois
Infantry
THE BOYS ARE COMING HOME
Source: Alton Telegraph, June 16, 1865
A long train, loaded with returning soldiers, passed down on the
Chicago and Alton Road yesterday, and in the evening several car
loads of soldiers w3ent through, going north. Our citizens should
welcome home the heroes of this war, in a manner that should impress
them with a sense of the gratitude we feel towards brave men who
have fought and suffered, while we remained at home, enjoying life
and the society of friends.
OUR BRAVE BOYS ARE COMING HOME
Source: Alton Telegraph, July 14, 1865
Quite a number of the brave boys connected with the veteran 10th
Illinois Regiment Volunteers arrived at their homes in Alton and
vicinity this morning. Thrice welcome, say we to those noble braves,
to the peaceful walks of life again, and to their happy homes!
144TH REGIMENT TO MUSTER OUT OF SERVICE
Source: Alton Telegraph, July 14, 1865
The Missouri Democrat of this morning, in speaking of the four
companies of this regiment on detached duty in that city, says they
“have been doing guard duty in the city for six months past, and
left yesterday for Springfield to be mustered out of the service.
They were under command of the Major of the regiment – Emil Adam.
During the service in St. Louis, they have demeaned themselves in a
most soldierly manner, and officers and soldiers, they leave with
the good wishes of all citizens with whom they have been thrown in
contact here.”
And in Alton:
Our citizens generally and particularly those having friends in the
144th Regiment Illinois Volunteers, stationed in Alton, will be glad
to learn that orders have been received for them to report at
Springfield for the purpose of being paid off and mustered out of
the service. They will probably leave tomorrow morning for that
point, provided the four companies belonging to it now on detached
duty in St. Louis, arrive here in time. The men composing this
regiment have done their duty, faithfully to the Government, and
have conducted themselves with remarkable and very commendable
propriety towards our citizens, ever since they have been in the
service. They may rest assured that their orderly conduct and
courteous intercourse with our citizens is appreciated, and they
leave, as far as we are informed, with the best wishes of this
entire community for their future prosperity and happiness. We do
not pretend to know anything about military or financial matters,
but still it appears very bad economy to transport a thousand men to
Springfield, and then, after paying them off, return them to Alton,
at an expense of two or three thousand dollars, when a paymaster
might have been sent here to perform the duty, without costing the
government any additional expense. There may, however, be very
important reasons for this strange proceeding, but we cannot see
them.
144TH REGIMENT MUSTERED OUT IN SPRINGFIELD
Source: Alton Telegraph, July 21, 1865
From Springfield, Illinois, July 15th, 1865
To the Editors of the Alton Telegraph:
Thinking that yourself and some of the many readers of your paper
might be interested in knowing what the officers and men of the
144th are doing, and how they are enjoying themselves in this
pleasant city of Springfield, I write to you. I think I can still
give them the compliment that as soldiers and as gentlemen, they
here, as they did in Alton, have the respect of those with whom they
have come in contact.
And the “Band!” Language is inadequate to express the many thanks
they receive for the soul-stirring music they have given us. On last
Thursday evening, they presented to William I. Allen, our efficient
and worthy Adjutant, two beautiful silver goblets, as a token of
their esteem, and from the Adjutant, received his warmest and most
sincere thanks. On Friday evening, we again had the pleasure of
listening to them. Again, was the Adjutant serenaded at the
residence of his brother, where we had the pleasure of meeting a few
of his many friends, and with them partook of the good things so
kindly furnished.
Today the 144th is being mustered out, and this regiment will cease
to be, except in the memory of those who have made friends among its
members. They expect to be paid off on Wednesday or Thursday of the
present week.
Respectfully, Hammond
144TH REGIMENT RETURN TO ALTON
Source: Alton Telegraph, July 28, 1865
This Alton regiment, with the exception of two companies, was paid
off at Springfield yesterday, and returned to Alton last night. They
are busy shopping today, and are fast assuming the garb of peaceable
citizens. May good fortune go with them into the walks of life.
144th REGIMENT RECEIVES PAY
Source: The Alton Telegraph, August 11, 1865
Good news for the boys of the 144th Regiment - The men of the 144th
regiment Illinois volunteers enlisted for one year's service, with
the promise of $100 each as bounty, from the Government, when paid,
received their bounties only in such proportion as their time of
actual service bore to the time for which they were enlisted. Those
who had served more than six months received two-thirds, or $66.55.
Some of their number submitted their cases to the local claim agent
of the U. S. Sanitary Claim Agency in this city, who forwarded a
statement of the facts to Darius Forbes, Esq., General Claim Agent
of the United States Sanitary Commission, at Washington, and the
following is in answer: Central Office, 244 F Street, Washington,
July 28, 1865. Sir, In reply to yours of the 24th inst., concerning
the bounty of the 144th regiment Illinois volunteers, I have to say
that the Second Comptroller has decided that men enlisted for one,
two and three years, for $100, $200, or $300 bounty, are entitled to
the whole of the bounty, when mustered out and discharged before the
expiration of their time of service, because their services are no
longer needed. Respectfully yours, Darius Forbes., Gen. Claim Agt.
U. S. San. Com. The men of the regiment are requested to be patient
until instructions are received from the department how to proceed,
when these instructions are received they will be published.
RECEPTION OF THE SOLDIERS IN WOOD RIVER (TOWNSHIP)
Source: Alton Telegraph, August 18, 1865
The good people of Wood River (Township), Madison County, gave a
grand barbecue yesterday, and a general welcome home to the boys who
have been periling their lives in defense of our country. The
soldiers present were mainly those from the 80th Illinois Infantry –
many of whom suffered in Andersonville and Libby Prisons. There was
also a few present from the 2nd Illinois Cavalry.
The meeting was called to order about 11 o’clock, when from five to
six hundred persons took their places around the stand, which was
trimmed with American flags with the portraits of General Washington
(the Father of our country), and Abraham Lincoln (the Savior of his
country), prominently displayed. There also appeared on the desk in
front of the speaker’s stand a rooster gaily decorated in red,
white, and blue, which was captured somewhere in Tennessee by the
boys in blue, and which accompanied the regiment in all of its
peregrinations through the Southern country, and finally came up
North to take a look at the suckers. There was considerable
discussion on the ground among the uninitiated as to the political
straits of this rooster. The most of those participating in the
debate regarded him as thoroughly loyal, of the Brownlow stamp, but
we were of the opinion that he was one of the subjugated class,
which had been conciliated and had taken the amnesty oath, for he
acted all the time as though he had something lodged in his throat,
which he wished to get out.
The exercises were opened by prayer, after which the Rev. Mr.
Rafferty welcomed the soldiers home in an address of nearly an
hour’s length. Adjutant Newman of the 80th regiment responded in
behalf of the soldiers, in an eloquent and forcible address,
eliciting the closest attention of his hearers. Captain Hodge of the
same regiment also made a few brief remarks, complimentary to the
people at home for their kindness to the soldiers while in the field
and prison. But, like General Grant, we have no doubt his sort is on
the field, rather than the rostrum.
The audience then adjourned to the tables, which were spread in one
of the most beautiful groves that it has ever been our privilege to
witness – more beautifully covered with green grass than any parlor
spread with Turkey or velvet carpet. On entering it, one might well
imagine that he had been suddenly ushered into a Mohamedan heaven.
The tables fairly groaned under the luxuries and substantials of
life – everything, in fact, to satisfy and tempt the appetite was
there. Soon, the long roll was sounded, and the brave boys fell into
line, each with a lady, as naturally as the elected parties of
Noah’s ark took their places in that vessel of safety. After them,
the rest of the audience mated off in the same way, and took their
places in the procession – except the writer, who was always an odd
one, and who was compelled to walk alone, or do what was still
worse, permit a gentleman to take his arm – thus arranged, the
procession moved off at double-quick, and the tables were soon
completely flanked, and all the spoils which they contained were
captured and confiscated for the benefit of the captors. The whole
management at the dinner table was perfect in every respect. Each
one was well attended to, and the supply was ample and of the best,
and “all did eat and were satisfied.”
After getting through this part of the exercises, the people
separated into small groups, each party enjoying social intercourse
to the full, under the shade of those delightful walnut trees. But
of what was said and done and flashed from eye to eye on this
occasion, even the proverbially impertinent editors have no right to
speak. We are, therefore, mum on this part of the exercises.
About two o’clock, the audience was again called to the stand, and
were addressed by John Fitch, Esq., in a few brief and patriotic
remarks. He made one very important suggestion, which we hope will
not be permitted to pass without further notice. He proposed that an
organization be formed for the purpose of taking measures towards
the erection of a monument at Edwardsville, as a memento of our
appreciation of the worth of the brave soldiers from Madison County,
who fell in battle with the enemies of their country. Let some steps
be immediately taken for the accomplishment of this object. We
suggest that a public meeting be called, to take place at
Edwardsville, during the sessions of the County Fair, for the
purpose of attending to this important matter. He was followed by a
gentleman, whose name we failed to obtain, in a very forcible speech
of nearly an hour’s length. But if he had possessed the eloquence of
a Clay or the logic of a Webster, he could not reasonably have
expected to produce much of an impression upon an audience wearied
and tired out as this one was at that hour of the day.
After he concluded, all returned quietly to their homes. Everything
passed off very well and to the satisfaction of all present. The
only criticism we feel disposed to make is that the speeches were
generally too long, and were greatly deficient in humor and
enthusiasm. People do not generally attend such places for the
purpose of being instructed, but rather for the sake of being amused
and having their emotions quickened.
During the intervals between the speeches, the following young
ladies regaled the audience with some interesting and patriotic
songs, viz: Miss Lucretia Hamilton, Miss Ellen Moore, Miss Mary
Williams, Miss Mary Moore, Miss Delia Kersey, Miss Martha Beeman,
Miss Nancy Culp, and Miss Mary Hamilton. We have no doubt their
melodious voices were much more captivating to the brave men, who
had just arrived at home from the wars, than the eloquence of any of
the speakers.
We were informed that our brave and personal friend, Mr. Henry
Platt, who served three years in the 2nd Cavalry Regiment, under
command of Major Moore, had a very handsome compliment paid to him
at the dinner table, by having a large and tastily trimmed cake
presented to him, with his name baked in full on it. A well merited
gift. We do not know what became of the cake, but we saw the little
flag which was hoisted over it in the hands of Mr. Platt, and we
have no doubt he made a wise distribution of the cake itself. Our
friends on the Wood River will please accept our thanks for the kind
invitation they extended to us to be present on this occasion.
NOTES:
This event probably was held just east of Upper Alton in Wood River
Township, near where the former Alton State Hospital and Gordon
Moore Park are located. The 80th Illinois Infantry was under the
command of Colonel Thomas G. Allen, and Lieutenant Colonels Andrew
F. Rodgers and Erastus Newton Bates. This unit was mustered into
service on August 25, 1862, and assigned to the 33rd Brigade, 10th
Division, Army. They were engaged in the battles of Perryville, Sand
Mountain, Dalton, Resaca, Adairsville, Cassville, Dallas, Pine
Mountain, Kennesaw Mountain, Marietta, Peachtree Creek, Atlanta,
Jonesboro, Nashville, and Lovejoy’s Station. They were mustered out
on June 10, 1865.
Lt. Colonel Andrew F. Rodgers was the son of Rev. Ebenezer Rodgers,
and brother to Edward Rodgers, who founded the Alton Brick Company.
Lt. Col. Andrew Rodgers also had served in the Mexican – American
War.
Lt. Colonel Erastus Bates first served as a member of the Minnesota
State Senate (1857-1858). He became a resident of Centralia,
Illinois, in 1859, where he set up his law practice. He entered the
Civil War as a Major of the 80th Illinois Volunteer Infantry, and
was promoted to Lt. Colonel, and then Colonel. He was brevetted
Brigadier General in March 1865. For fifteen months he was a
prisoner of war, and escaped from Libby Prison in Virginia, only to
be recaptured and exposed to the fire of Union troops in South
Carolina. After the war, he returned to Illinois and was elected to
the State legislature in 1866. He was treasurer of Illinois from
1868 – January 1873.
UNION SOLDIERS STARVED AT ANDERSONVILLE
Source: Alton Telegraph, August 18, 1865
Let it be remembered that more than 15,000 Union soldiers were
starved to death in the Andersonville prison pen alone. Let it be
remembered that the Democratic party of today are the apologists and
friends of the inhuman fiends who authorized and caused the
starvation of 15,000 of the youth and flower of the North. Let it be
written in letters of fire upon the hearts and memories of the men
and women of the North, that the Democratic party are today
perfecting their schemes for an alliance with the blood-thirsty and
heartless men who starved to death during the past four years,
fifteen thousand of their kindred, friends, and neighbors. Let each
mother or father, who has lost sons in this fiendish rebellion,
remember that the Democratic party are today raising funds
throughout the North to aid in procuring the release of Jefferson
Davis, the arch-fiend who authorized the starvation of 15,000 loyal
Americans. Think, you who have lost your sons in this unholy war, of
the agonies and sufferings of 15,000 starved Union soldiers, and
then decide whether you will aid the Democratic party to place in
the grasp of the Southern traitors and inhuman monsters, that which
they failed to gain by the rebellion – the control of the whole
government and the power of veto in every department. The following
dispatch from an officer sent to lay out the soldiers’ cemetery at
Andersonville should now set at rest all doubt, even in the minds of
the infernal copperheads, that near 15,000 of our Union soldiers
were starved to death at Andersonville.
The following is an extract from a letter received in Washington on
August 9, 1865, from Captain J. M. Moore, A. Q. M., in charge of the
party sent to Andersonville, Georgia, to lay out the soldiers’
cemetery there. The letter is dated July 20, 1865:
“We are encamped within one hundred yards of the prison pen of
Andersonville, and it is, in the fullest sense of the term, nothing
more than a pen – a human pen, wherein thousands of our soldiers
were huddled together in an enclosure less than 200 yards long and
100 yards wide, where they were exposed to the rays of an almost
tropical sun and the shivering winds of winter. No less than fifteen
thousand men worn out by exposure and suffering are buried here.
This prison pen should never be permitted to be destroyed, but
should stand until its stockades fall to the ground by decay, that
unbelievers in the North may look on this ground and convince
themselves of the inhuman cruelty perpetrated by the Rebels upon our
prisoners. There are about 14,000 headboards yet to letter.”
SOLDIER ROBBED NEAR PIASA CREEK
Source: Alton Telegraph, August 18, 1865
A soldier named Henry S. Lare was robbed near the Piasa Creek last
night. He was riding with a German in a wagon, and was about turning
off to the left of the road to a farmhouse, when six men halted
them, and presenting a revolver, demanded their money. They got a
certificate of deposit for $90.00, his discharge, and a small amount
of money from Mr. Lare, and only 40 cents from the German. The
soldier advertises his stolen certificate of deposit today.
ARRIVAL OF THE 97th ILLINOIS INFANTRY
Source: The Alton Telegraph, August 18, 1865
Arrival of the 97th Illinois - The gallant 97th Illinois Illinois
regiment arrived in our city yesterday about one o'clock on the
cars. The stirring notes of the fife and drum and the shouts of joy
and gladness from the boys, soon brought the friends and relatives
of the noble fellows to the depot and many and joyful were the
meetings of friends. They looked as they naturally would look, after
a three years' campaign in the South, bronzed with the exposure to
all kinds of weather, and healthy and robust. Many were so changed -
from mere boys to full grown men, that they were at first not
recognized by old friends. The short time allowed by the stay of the
train barely gave an opportunity for handshaking all round, and the
boys proceeded enroute for Springfield. The regimental flags, all
tattered and weather-beaten, were displayed upon the roof of one of
the cars and gave sad evidence of the scenes of exposure and peril
through which this noble regiment has passed. It is supposed that
some ten days will intervene at Springfield before the regiment is
paid off.
General Sherman - This distinguished officer arrived in St. Louis
yesterday on the Ohio and Mississippi Railroad. He had been absent
spending some time at his native place in Ohio.
Reception of the Soldiers - The good people of Wood River, Madison
County, gave a grand barbacue yesterday as a general welcome home to
the boys who have been periling their lives in defense of the
country. The soldiers present were those from the 60th Illinois
infantry, most whom suffered in Andersonville and other prisons.
There was also a few present of the 2nd Illinois cavalry. The
meeting was called to order, when from five to six hundred sons took
their places around the stand, which was trimmed with American
flags, with portraits of General Washington, the Father of America,
and Abraham Lincoln, the Savior of the country, prominently
displayed. There appeared on the desk in front of the speaker's
stand a rooster gaily decorated in red, white, and blue, which was
captured somewhere in Tennessee by the boys in blue, and it
accompanied the regiment in all of its aspirations through the
Southern country. There was considerable discord on the ground among
the uninitiated, as the political straits of this rooster; those
taking part in the debate regard him as thoroughly loyal. The
exercises were opened by prayer, which the Rev. Mr. Rafferty
welcomed soldiers home in an address of nearly an hour's length.
Adjutant Newman, of the regiment, responded in behalf of the
soldiers in an eloquent and forcible address. Captain Hodge, of the
same regiment, also made a few brief remarks, complimentary to the
people for their kindness to the soldiers in the field and prison.
The audience then adjourned to the tables which were spread in one
of the most beautiful groves that it has ever been our privilege to
witness - more beautifully covered with green grass than any parlor
spread with velvet carpet. On entering, it might well imagine that
he had been suddenly ushered into a Mohomedan heaven. The tables
fairly groaned under the luxuries of substantials of life -
everything, in face, to satisfy and tempt the appetite, was there.
Soon the long roll was sounded, and the brave boys fell into line,
each with a lady, as natural as the elected parties of Noah's ark
took their places in that vessel of safety. After the rest of the
audience mated off in the same way, and took their places in the
procession - except the writer, who was compelled to walk alone -
thus arranged, the procession moved off at double quick and the
tables were soon completely flanked. The whole management at the
dinner table was perfect in every respect. Each one was well
attended to, and the supply was ample and of the best, and "all did
eat and were satisfied." After getting through this part of the
exercises, the people separated into small groups, each party
enjoying social intercourse to their full, under the shade of those
delightful walnut trees. But of what was said and done and finished
from eye to eye on this occasion, even the proverbially impertinent
editors have no right to speak. We are, therefore, mum on this part
of the exercises. About two o'clock the audience was again called to
the stand, and were addressed by John Fitch, Esq., in a few brief
and patriotic remarks. He made one very important suggestion, which
we hope will not be permitted to pass without further notice. He
proposed that an organization be formed for the purpose of taking
measures towards the erection of a monument at Edwardsville, as a
memento of our appreciation of the worth of the brave soldiers from
Madison county, who fell in battle with the enemies of their
country. Let some steps be immediately taken for the accomplishment
of this object. We suggest that a public meeting be called, to take
place at Edwardsville, during the session of the County Fair, for
the purpose of attending to this important matter. He was followed
by a gentleman, whose name we failed to obtain, in a very forcible
speech of nearly an hour's length. But if he had possessed the
eloquence of a Clay, or the logic of a Webster, he could not
reasonable have expected to produce much of an impression upon an
audience wearied and tired out as this one was at that hour of the
day. After he concluded, all returned quietly to their homes.
Everything passed off very well and to the satisfaction of all
present. The only criticism we feel disposed to make, is, that the
speeches were generally too long, and were greatly deficient in
humor and enthusiasm. People do not generally attend such places for
the purpose of being instructed, but rather for the sake of being
amused and having their emotions quickened. During the interview
between the speeches, the following young ladies regaled the
audience with some interesting and patriotic songs, viz: Miss
Lucretia Hamilton, Miss Ellen Moore, Miss Mary Williams, Miss Mary
Moore, Miss Delia Kersey, Miss Martha Beeman, Miss Nancy Culp, and
Miss Mary Hamilton. We have no doubt their melodious voices were
much more captivating to the young men who had just arrived at home
from the war, than the eloquence of any of the speakers. We were
informed that our brave and personal friend, Mr. Henry Platt, who
served three years in the 2d cavalry regiment under command of Major
Moore, had a very handsome compliment paid to him at the dinner
table by having a large and tastily trimmed cake presented to him
with his name baked in full on it. A well merited gift. We do not
know what became of the cake, but we saw the little flag which was
hoisted over it in the hands of Mr. Platt, and we have no doubt he
made a wise distribution of the cake itself. Our friends in Wood
River will please accept our thanks for the kind invitation they
extended to us to be present on this occasion.
BOYS OF THE 97TH INFANTRY
Source: Alton Telegraph, August 25, 1865
These brave and gallant boys, who passed through this city about a
week since to Springfield, to be paid off, returned home on Saturday
night last, and we have had the pleasure of taking a good many by
the hand and welcoming them home again. The most of those who went
from Alton have enjoyed good health, and are looking exceedingly
well. We also had the pleasure of meeting their accomplished and
popular commander, Colonel Vifquain. He is comparatively a young
officer, but he is spoken of as being one of the very best
disciplinarians and military men in the Southwest, and has won the
affections of his men to a wonderful extent. He is to leave today
for his home.
The return of these men, however, brings to our mind some painful
memories. Young Samuel Matthews, who left his situation in our
office [Telegraph], so full of life and hope, is not among them. He
was shot at Arkansas. Captain Trible is also missing. He was wounded
at the same battle, but reached his home before he died. Colonel
Rutherford also surrendered his life on the altar of his country in
this regiment. And last, but not least regretted, was David Stanton.
There may have been others, but these are all that we can call to
mind, as being lost in this regiment from Alton. The foul fiend of
slavery has exacted a costly sacrifice from the country, and yet it
cries out continually – Give! Give! Give!
RECEPTION FOR SOLDIERS IN ALTON
Source: Alton Telegraph, September 01, 1865
On August 31, 1865, a reception was given by Alton citizens to the
returned soldiers of Alton and vicinity. The day was most
propitious, being clear, with a very cool and bracing breeze. The
Committee of Arrangements made a most wise and judicious selection
of a location. The grove was all that could have been desired – in
fact, could not have answered the purpose better if it had been made
to order. The road leading to the grounds was in most excellent
order, being smooth and almost entirely free from dust. The crowd
began to assemble soon after ten o’clock, and by twelve, there were
probably from 1,200 to 1,500 persons present. At that hour, the
meeting was called to order by Mayor Hollister. The Silver Cornet
Band then discoursed some sweet and good music, after which the
exercises were opened with a very appropriate prayer by the Rev. J.
A. Robinson, pastor of the Methodist Episcopal Church.
The Rev. Dr. Taylor, who had been selected by the committee to
welcome the soldiers home, in the name of our citizens, on being
introduced to the audience by Mayor Hollister, commenced his
eloquent discourse by inviting the soldiers to the front, remarking
that as they had stood in the front before the Rebel hosts, and
between them and the loved ones at home, it would only be proper
that they should occupy the front on the present occasion. But owing
to the extreme modesty of the brave boys who had fought our battles,
only a few of them came forward. In addressing them, he said in
substance that in welcoming to the bosom of society, the veterans,
who as our representatives, have defended and preserved our homes
and our institutions, he was discharging a pleasant duty. The
dearest of all welcomes to those long absent and in peril, they had
already resolved from the extended arms and loving lips of fathers,
mothers, brothers, sisters, wives, and children in a thousand happy
homes. The welcome he extended was the grateful tribute of a
community whose battles they have fought, whose honor they have
vindicated, and of whose loved and cherished principles and
institutions they were the champions.
While the living have returned, bringing the olive branch of
glorious peace, crowned with victory and honor, to receive the
expression of our gratitude, those who were borne from the
battlefield and hospital to fill the consecrated graves of freedom’s
martyrs have a stronger claim to our grateful remembrance. They are
the nation’s dead, and in the tears of a grateful nation shall their
memory be embalmed.
When our brave boys went forth clad in the glorious hue of heaven,
and their country burring to avenge us of traitors and maintain our
high place among the nations of the earth, their shouting was like
the voice of Omnipotence, speaking terror to evil doers. When they
went forth, it was the wonder of the world to see the mighty army in
the garb of battle, and to know whence they came. With the dawn of
peace, they have as suddenly and mysteriously melted away. If we
seek for them, they answer us from peaceful homes, from the
industries of civil life, and they appear among us in the garb of
citizens, and better citizens, because of the fiery discipline
through which they have passed, and prizing more highly our common
glorious birthright, because of the price they have paid to maintain
it. God’s blessing was invoked to rest upon them, as it does upon
us, because of their sufferings and sacrifices, and still more
abundantly.
It was vain to attempt to analyze the tears that would gather in the
eyes of the brave men as these words of greeting and of thanks were
uttered.
Captain W. H. Collins, Provost Marshal of the 12th Congressional
District, who responded to the first call made by the President for
troops by volunteering, in compliance with a request from the
committee, replied to Mr. Taylor’s address in behalf of the
soldiers, in a most happy, eloquent and forcible manner. He said, as
near as we can remember, that he had spent four years in the service
of the government, three years of the time having been spent at the
front in command of a company. At Chickamauga, a Captain fell at his
side, pierced by three bullets, and as he was borne dying from the
field, he said, “Tell my mother I died like a soldier for my
country, and tell her I believe I die a Christian.” When our troops
had gained Lookout Mountain, and planted the Stars and Stripes upon
its summit, a Sergeant caught the signal of triumph, and tears stood
in his eyes at the thought that the flag he had left home, and
friends and all he held dear, to uphold, was waving over the
fortress of treason. Such was the spirit, the motive of the American
volunteer.
Theirs was no menial service. They loved their country, they loved
their flag – for those they fought, for those many gave their lives.
Those who had been permitted to return with the dawn of peace,
returned with warm and bright anticipations to greet home and
friends. That their welcome was cordial, he could attest, in behalf
of his own wife and family, and judging from the number of young
ladies who had come to join in the welcome of today, they were all
like-minded. The brave soldiers in all ages had been ideal and
practical beaux, and he supposed Othello’s apology for his marriage
with the fair Desdemonia explained the phenomenon: “She loved me for
the dangers I had passed, and I loved her that she did pity them.
This is the only witchcraft that I’ve used.”
When in the field, reading northern papers as they occasionally came
to hand, they read that they were termed Lincoln hirelings and Old
Abe’s minions, that the nation was bankrupt, that Union soldiers
were continually murdered, and the war a failure. They thought their
greetings as they came home would be with bowie knives and pistols,
and that go which way they might, they must be still at the front.
They were happy to find on the contrary, their friends on the day of
enlistment were their friends still in a new and stronger sense and
hosts of new friends have arisen to welcome their return. After the
toils of long and weary marching and desperate battles, they have
returned to rest, but soldiers still in our country’s need, should
it be her pleasure to remove crowned heads from the continent, the
American soldier is still a living reality, and his name is legion.
The first piece sung was “America,” by the audience, let by Mr.
Packer of Upper Alton. Second was “The Battle Hymn of the Republic,”
solo by Mr. Packer, chorus by the audience. Executed with fine
effect. Third was “The Prisoners Hope,” solo by Miss Kate Beiler,
chorus by the audience. The alto was admirably carried by Miss
Sallie Miller.
Miss Beiler, one of the most accomplished singers in this part of
the West, and withal, as modest as she is accomplished, merited, as
she received the hearty commendation of the large audience. In our
judgment, while we admit that many of Alton’s fair daughters have
acted a noble part in welcoming those who have for four years been
their brave defenders, the young ladies above mentioned deserve the
special gratitude of the community.
After dinner was over, there was another impromptu singing company
got together, who entertained the audience with a number of
patriotic and popular airs. The music on this occasion was led by
Mr. James Newman, who, by the way, had the management of all the
singing done on the occasion – Mrs. Malcolm, Miss Mattie Flagg, and
several other Misses. The pieces were touchingly executed, and the
performance was highly appreciated by the audience.
The dinner was pronounced by all present to have been one of the
most bountiful and magnificent ever spread on any public occasion in
Alton or vicinity. The provisions were so abundant, that there was
enough left after all present – both soldiers and citizens – had
partaken, to have fed a thousand or more. The eatables were not only
abundant, but it consisted of the very best to be found in the
market. An epicure from Upper Alton, who had had much opportunity
for testing such matters, remarked to us that he never before
witnessed such an ample provision of good things, spread on any
public table in all of his experience.
SOLDIERS WELCOMED HOME AT PADDOCK’S GROVE
Source: Alton Telegraph, September 01, 1865
Today will long be remembered by the returned soldiers of this
vicinity. We had for some time understood that our friends at home
were preparing a dinner to welcome us back to citizen’s life. And
the long line of buggies and wagons that assembled this clear, cool
and beautiful morning at Paddock’s Grove, realized our hope. The
neighborhood was present en masse. Feeble old age welcoming a loved
and long absent son; bright and blooming beauty tranquilly happy in
the presence of a dear brother returned from “hair breadth escapes,”
or bewitching and gay ‘neath the glance of true lover come home. All
happy in the return of friends’ victories, and the prospect of
national repose. The tables were laden with bread, wholesome and
palatable. Ham, most delicious, chickens without number, cakes –
beautiful and tempting to the taste, pies of all kinds, and of the
quality which has rendered our women illustrious, and other
delicacies too numerous to mention, till they groaned with the
weight of the feast.
A choir of beautiful young ladies, assisted by our talented friend,
R. Price Rider, sang many patriotic and popular songs and added much
to the interest of the day.
We were favored by a patriotic and eloquent address by Judge
Gillespie, which made the heart of many a soldier and citizen proud,
and which, coming from a true and tried friend of our country and
our cause, was highly appreciated by the soldiers present.
Next in order was dinner, to which we did ample justice, but after
400 citizens and soldiers had satisfied a sharp appetite, the pile
of commissaries seemed scarcely less. Many a time have we longed for
these fair bakers when eating parched corn in the South.
After dinner, the meeting was entertained by some appropriate
toasts. Rev. J. Moore expressed the views of the soldiers present in
an eloquent speech, in response to the toasts. The day will long be
remembered by those present. As soldiers, we return our thanks for
some tasteful bouquets, the flowers will soon wither, but the memory
of the gift will be perpetual. We left the scene of festivity and
joyousness fully realizing that we had been readmitted to the
society of home, with its pure and ennobling influences. Long live
our patriotic friends!
Signed, A Returned Soldier
Paddocks Grove, August 26, 1865
ANDERSONVILLE BARBARITY
Source: Alton Telegraph, September 08, 1865
In the trial of Captain Wirz yesterday, a number of Union soldiers,
who had been prisoners at Andersonville, testified that among the
varieties of barbarity practiced at that place were shooting,
starvation, robbery, laceration by hounds, and vaccination with
poisonous matter.
CAPTAIN JOHN P. BAKER PROMOTED TO LIEUTENANT COLONEL
Source: Alton Telegraph, December 08, 1865
Captain John P. Baker, son of the Hon. David J. Baker of Alton, of
the First United States Cavalry, has just received from the
President two brevets – first as Major, and then as Lieutenant
Colonel – for gallant and meritorious services during the war, to
date from the 13th of March, 1865. The Captain is deserving of this
complimentary recognition of his services. He has been through the
war from the beginning. Before actual hostilities commenced, he
assisted in guarding the approaches to Washington; was in the first
Bull Run fight; in the battle of West Point; in the battles of the
Peninsular Campaign; at the battle of Antietam; at the battle of
Fredericksburg; in Franklin’s Texas Expedition; in Banks’ Red River
Expedition; with General Grover in Georgia; conducted the expedition
which captured Augusta; and for the last six months, has been on
duty with his regiment which is acting as bodyguard to General
Sheridan in Texas. He is now in Springfield awaiting further orders,
and expects to return to the South next week, and will probably
spend the winter on the Rio Grande.
MAJOR FRANK MOORE – TRUE NOBILITY
Source: Alton Telegraph, August 31, 1866
We had the pleasure of a few minutes’ conversation with the brave
and gallant Major Frank Moore this morning. It will be recollected
that he was a candidate for the nomination for Sheriff, before the
Union Convention at Edwardsville, last Saturday, and failed to get
it. But like an honest man and a true and devoted patriot, he is
determined to do all that lies in his power to secure the election
of the Republican ticket in the county. We never doubted for one
moment but what he would do this. A man who was patriotic enough to
spend three years in subduing Rebels and capturing guerrillas and
robbers, is not very likely, now that he is at home, tamely to sit
still and see these same rebels and desperadoes placed in power,
simply because he failed to get a nomination, which was contended
for by two other soldiers equally devoted to their country. He says
the selection was fairly and honorably made, and that he honors his
competitor for his bravery and devotion to his country, and is
determined, so far as he is concerned, that he shall be elected. The
Major does not belong to the sorehead and complaining class of
politicians, who are always dissatisfied unless they have some
personal and positive pecuniary interest in the result.
PRESIDENT GRANT RECEIVED IN ALTON
Source: Buffalo, New York Evening Courier, September 08, 1869
Alton, Illinois, Sept. 08 - The party were received here by a dense
mass of persons, many of whom were from the surrounding country and
from St. Louis and other cities. Salutes were fired and the greatest
possible excitement prevailed. The excursionists were conducted to a
stand previously erected, where the President General Grant, Admiral
Farragut, Secretary Seward, Secretary Welles were introduced. The
Mayor of Alton extended a cordial welcome to the President and the
statesmen, and he accompanied him, in a neat speech. The President
responded briefly. He was frequently interrupted by applause. Mr.
Seward was then vociferously called. The party was then squeezed
through a dense mass of human beings to the deck of the steamer Andy
Johnson. Cheers were frequently repeated by the excited multitude.
The President was formally introduced to Mayor Thomas and escorted
to the steamer Ruth, when the bells commenced ringing for the fleet
to turn their heads homeward. The steamers Andy Johnson, Ruth and
Olive Branch, lashed together, made the first move forward, closely
followed by as many other boats us there were original States in the
Union. As soon as the fleet of steamers was under wav, the
Presidential party crossed over from the Andy Johnson to the Ruth,
and passed up to the cabin escorted by a detachment of Knights
Templars, At this point Captain Bart Abel suggested that as the
boats were about to pass the Missouri River the party should be
escorted to the upper deck. The President and party were then
escorted to the hurricane deck of the Ruth where they passed an hour
in a most agreeable manner. Gen. Grant was kept busy in
acknowledging the congratulations that were heaped upon him.
CAPTAIN FRANK MOORE
Company D, Second Illinois Cavalry
Source: Alton Telegraph, May 13, 1875
This brave and most efficient officer, who passed the entire period
of the Rebellion in the most arduous service, had but little, if
any, recognition in the contemporary histories, and is likely, as is
the case with thousands of others whose memory should be permanently
embalmed in the records of those times, to be forgotten. It is true
that the other Frank Moore, who compiled “The Rebellion Record,”
gave him a brief and desultory mention, but no one, we believe, has
ever deemed it worth his while to pay him any just or adequate
tribute. The topic is brought to our notice in reading an exquisite
little volume, just from the press of Osgood & Co., with the
suggestive title of “Whip and Spur.” It is a series of sketches of
scenes and incidents – mostly pertaining to army life – from the
facile and graceful pen of Colonel George E. Waring Jr. The articles
appeared at intervals in the Atlantic Monthly, and are here put into
a most beautiful and attractive volume of “The Saunterer’s Series.”
He speaks frequently in glowing terms of Captain Frank Moore, and
was long under his command. Prompted by these references, the writer
of this paragraph, who also knew the Captain during a year of his
brilliant service (1863), ventures to put on record a few of his own
recollections of that dashing officer. Captain Moore lived in or
near Alton, where he enlisted a company of 100 men, and went into
the Second Illinois Cavalry. He was early sent away from the
regiment on detached service, and we doubt very much whether he ever
rejoined it during all the period of the war. His command was
therefore quite as independent as though he had been at the head of
a regiment, and very few officers gave a better account of
themselves. He was employed mainly in Eastern Missouri and Western
Kentucky and Tennessee, sometimes garrisoning a fort, but generally
in scouting through a country infested with guerrillas,
bushwhackers, and bands in quest of conscripts. He participated in
skirmishes and battles almost without number, and with the most
marked success. When we knew him in 1863, he had already captured
300 prisoners, and killed half as many more, and had not lost a
single man! Other companies had been decimated, but his was full. A
few of his men had been discharged from disability, but he had
enlisted others to take their places. But he and his men seemed to
“bear charmed lives.” If one of his boys happened to be captured, he
always succeeded in getting him back, which was the first thing in
order.
He was very unceremonious in calling upon his friends on the
opposite side, and generally thundered into their camps just as the
day was breaking. On such occasions, a hundred horsemen, with their
wild terrific yells, were easily magnified into a thousand. While he
was at Fort Pillow, in the winter of 1863, he received intelligence
that a rebel Major was in command of 300 conscripts, some thirty or
forty miles in the interior, at a locality known as Knob Creek.
Learning the precise location of this camp, he started out with his
own company and twenty-five or thirty others to “clean it out.”
Going into camp a few miles away, he rested his horses and men until
after midnight, and then cautiously moved forward, reaching the camp
in the dim light of a foggy morning. When he came to where the
sentinels were posted, he ordered his men to charge, and in a
twinkling, they were in the midst of their frightened foes, who
fired a few shots and scattered away in every direction like so many
terrified sheep. He killed sixteen and captured forty-six, among the
last of whom was the guerrilla chief, Captain Cushman, who was long
before, as well as long afterward, a bitter scourge to the loyal
people of that region. Cushman was sent to the military prison at
Columbus, but soon succeeded in making his escape and resuming his
old work. Only one of Moore’s men was wounded, and he in a most
singular and unaccountable manner. A single buckshot entered his ear
without making any external wound! Ranging forward and downward, it
shattered some of his teeth and was taken out of his mouth, and the
man was on duty again in a very few days!
On another occasion, he fought a duel with a guerrilla Captain, whom
he happened to encounter in the midst of a skirmish. They emptied
their revolvers at each other, but Captain Moore proved to be the
best shot, and disabled and captured his man, who died six months
later in the prison at Alton, from the wounds he received on this
occasion.
Captain Moore had a close call, however, for one of the guerrilla’s
bullets passed so close to the top of his skull, that cut its way
through his hair and slightly abraded the skin. At this time Captain
Moore was probably about 35 years of age, a man of stalwart frame,
with little of culture or education, but jovial, generous,
good-humored, quick-witted, and clear-headed, the very ideal of a
dashing partisan. He was really “got up” on a large scale than most
cavalry Captains. He rode a very powerful, heavy-chested bay horse,
carried a saber which had been “made to order,” and was much longer
than the regulation blade. His pistols were the heaviest navy size,
carrying bullets that would make a “cat hole” through a man. He was
a splendid swordsman, as well as a dead-shot. In every one of his
many fights, he led his troop, and was ever in the thickest of it.
He was “a hale fellow, well met,” with his men when off duty, caring
little for discipline, and not noted for style or dignity. But when
work was to be done, he held them closely in hand, filled them with
his own dauntless bravery and enthusiasm, and made them fight like
so many devils. A true narrative of his career from the beginning of
his service until its close would show a record of brilliant and
valuable work, which has seldom or never been equaled by one of that
subordinate rank.
REMINISCENCE OF COLONEL JOHN KUHN
Source: Alton Telegraph, May 15, 1879
As we were coming up from St. Louis, in company with Dr. E. Guelich,
he beguiled the time in relating some incidents of army life, one of
which was a good illustration of how charity is sometimes rewarded.
Some twenty years before the [Civil] war, said the Doctor, the late
Colonel John Kuhn of Alton, then a boy, ten or twelve years old, was
on his way to join his parents in East Tennessee. Traveling up the
Tennessee River, his funds became exhausted and he was put off the
boat at Decatur, Alabama. Wandering up into the town, he sat down on
the porch of a hotel kept by a widow woman named McCarty. There he
sat, forlorn and wretched, without money or friends. The
kind-hearted landlady saw him crying, and asked the cause, whereupon
he told his story which aroused her sympathies, and she took the
friendless boy into the hotel, gave him his meals and lodging, and
next day provided means for him to pursue his journey. Twenty years
after this incident occurred, the Federal armies were approaching
Decatur. In command of the advance column was the same friendless
boy above mentioned, at that time Major (afterwards Colonel) of the
Ninth Illinois. The day before the army occupied the town, Dr.
Guelich entered it under a flag of truce, and was requested by Major
Kuhn to ascertain if a Mrs. McCarty still lived there and kept a
hotel. On receiving information that his benefactress was still
living, Major Kuhn issued strict orders to the troops not to molest
Mrs. McCarty or her hotel. Decatur was burned, only one house being
left standing, and that was the hotel of widow McCarty. Major Kuhn,
when he left the place, obtained protection papers for Mrs. McCarty
from the Provost Marshal, and she drove such a thriving business
during the war by means of the privileges obtained for her by the
grateful Major, that she made a fortune. Such was the return she
received after many years for an act of disinterested kindness to a
poor boy. Unlike many similar stories which are common in
storybooks, this incident has the merit of being an actual
occurrence.
ARTICLE FROM MAJOR FRANK MOORE
Recollections of the Battle at Merriwether’s Ferry
Source: Alton Telegraph, May 06, 1886
Major Frank Moore has received from John Cox, a Sergeant of Company
F, Second Illinois Cavalry, during the War of the Rebellion [Civil
War], a copy of paper called the War Eagle, November 28, 1863,
edited and published by Sergeant H. L. Goodall, Company D, Second
Illinois Cavalry, Columbus, Kentucky. This little newspaper contains
a communication from Major (then Captain) Moore, giving an account
of a lively little fight about November 21, 1863, in which a detail
of 65 picked men under Captain Moore defeated a party of rebel
raiders at Merriwether’s ferry on the Obion River in Tennessee.
Sergeant Cox was wounded at the fight mentioned, and sent the paper
as part of the proof to show him entitled to a pension. The War
Eagle contains a General Order from Brigadier General A. J. Smith,
and one from General S. A. Hurlbut; also, an item stating that the
rebels who were defeated at Merriwether’s Ferry had, the previous
day, made a descent upon Hickman, Kentucky, and plundered the stores
and a number of houses of prominent citizens. Complaint is made that
an officer who was not at the ferry fight at all was given all the
credit for the affair in certain quarters. Accounts are given of
various Thanksgiving celebrations among the boys in blue and others.
The paper is considerably discolored by age, and though small in
size, contains a lot of interesting news. H. L. Goodall, the editor
and publisher, now holds the same relation to Goodall’s Sun in
Chicago. [Frank Moore Jr. held a position on Goodall’s Sun in
Chicago.]
CIVIL WAR REMINISCENCE
Captain Harry B. Starr
Source: Alton Daily Telegraph, September 23, 1886
On June 15, 1864, Captain Harry B. Starr, now of the ferry boat
Altonian, but then in command of the government transport, J. R.
Williams, on the Arkansas River, was captured by the Rebels and
confined for 11 months, or until the close of the war. The
circumstances of the capture are briefly these: On the day
mentioned, while the J. R. Williams was steaming up the river, about
80 miles above Fort Smith, and a similar distance below Fort Gibson,
a Rebel battery of three guns, which were masked on the riverbank,
suddenly opened fire – the steamer making about six miles an hour at
the time. The first shot hit the pilothouse, carrying away a
stanchion, while almost instantly succeeding shots killed the
engineer, fireman, and one of the crew. The escort of 25 infantry
returned the Rebel fire for 20 minutes, but ineffectually, and at
the end of that time the transport surrendered to a force of 1,200
confederate artillery and infantry. The boat was then burned by the
captors, and Captain Starr and the other prisoners were taken by
General Stanweide about 50 miles west of the scene of the fight,
whence, in three days’ time, they were taken to Fort Wachter, where
they remained 30 days. Then they were marched to Doxville and then
to Camp ford, which was reached about the middle of September. There
the Federal prisoners remained until the close of war, being
released in the latter party of May 1865, when Captain Starr
returned to Alton. While in the prison, Captain Starr and party were
treated the same as the other 5,000 Federals, the bill of fare being
one pound of beef and one pound of cornmeal per diem, with
one-fourth pound of salt weekly. The only drink was water, which was
gotten from a spring, and in hot weather, the supply was limited. At
the time of the capture, the J. R. Williams’ cargo consisted of 50
tons of flour, 40 tons of corn, and 20 tons of clothing for the
troops at Fort Gibson. At the time of their release from Camp Ford,
which was near Tyler, Texas, the Federals were so badly off for
clothing that they were almost literally naked, having nothing on
but breech clouts.
EXPERIENCE IN REBEL PRISONS
By Captain James T. King
Source: Alton Telegraph, November 18, 1886
It was a week after the Battle of Chickamauga, for weeks we had been
marching and counter-marching, every day expecting the next to bring
on a general engagement between the two armies, and at last
Company F received its fiery baptism. We had been skirmishing two
days, and on Sunday, September 20(?), received orders that we knew
meant fight to the death for some of us. Knap sacks and blankets had
been piled, and extra rations and ammunition issued. First the long
roll called our division into line; then a double-quick of four
miles through stifling clouds of dust, past and over the dead of
Thomas’ corps that lay in squads as they fell. Our last half-mile
across a little open space, on which rebel batteries played at short
range with grape and cannister, was a rush for shelter. General
officers and staff, with pennants down, line officers and men with
head and shoulders a little lower than when on dress parade; it was
run for the rebs and death to some of us. My rifle was cut through
by a shell that also killed the Captain of Company D, just behind
me. I grabbed the rifle from a rebel we just then captured, stripped
off his belt and cartridge box, and fought the battle out with rebel
gun and powder. The gun was a good one, but the powder was miserable
stuff. Next came a charge up a hill some three hundred feet high,
against infantry and artillery. Elbow to elbow, as when on drill,
guiding on the colors, we went up on the double-quick with a yell,
over Thomas’ lines lying flat on the ground. They were almost too
badly punished to fight, and much too brave to retreat. The rebel
line broke, and we chased them with bullets, but a little later we
came down that same hill, also on the double-quick, but without the
yell, and not so much attention to guide center. From one o’clock
until dark, it was charge and counter-charge, advance, retreat.
Deploy as skirmishers and rally on the regiment, “Steady! Forward!
11th Illinois” sang but old Colonel Moore. “Let’s die boys, but not
run,” said Sergeant Shively in a low undertone, as though he was
afraid we might think he was posting for a hero. When he was shot
through the breast, a few minutes later, we knew he meant it. “Thank
God I got that fellow.” “Give them ____ Tom.” “Getting hot aint it?”
“Oh, God!” “D___ them.” “I’m hit.” The spiteful spitting of the
bullets as they zip past our ears. The dull thud as they strike
comrades on either side of us, the patter on the leaves like heavy
raindrops with exploding shells; the bugle calls, the furgeon and
assistants with their long knives and themselves colored with blood;
the musicians bearing off the wounded on stretchers – these are a
few of the things a Private sees and hears in battle. To me they
were only a sort of introduction to what I was to see and feel for
more than a year to follow. Company F went into action at one
o’clock with forty-four men, at dark it numbered but thirty-one.
One week later, I was detailed for a scout and forager on the south
side of the Tennessee. With one comrade, I paddled across the river
in a small dug out, and was captured at the foot of Lookout Mountain
by a detachment of Longstreet’s Sharp Shooters. I was taken before
an officer, the stars on his collar indicating the rank of Major
General, and we were made to tell some lies about the position of
our division on the other side, and were rewarded by threats of
hanging as they claimed we were captured inside their lines. They
did not hang us, but compelled us at the point of the bayonet to
repair some railroad track we had burned a week before. The
incidents of my capture were striking, but not fit for publication.
From Chattanooga we were shipped in box cars to Richmond, via
Atlanta, Augusta, Columbia, and Raleigh. We were ten days on the
road, and the close, filthy cars were not to be endured in their
crowded condition. There were fifty of us in each, and a few of us
got permission to sleep on top, which we did all night long. Why we
did not roll off I do not know, but if we had, it would have been
better than the stifling air inside. We were without food two days
on our arrival, and were systematically searched and robbed of
money, watches, jewelry, pocket knives, table knives, spoons, match
safes, and trinkets. Good boots we had to exchange for cowhide,
because they had the hair on fine fur hats with gold cord we
exchanged for a sort of monstrosity made of quilted calico. If there
is anything to make a man thank God he lives under the government of
the United States, it is the recollection of one of those guards
from the turpentine district of North “Calina,” with butternut
pants, grey coast, and calico hat, saying, “How did you all git
ketched?!”
In Richmond, the daily ration was, as near as I could guess, about
four ounces of beef and six or eight ounces of good wheat bread, and
sometimes a pint of pea soup. The meat was sometimes good, but often
putrid, having turned blue. The soup would be thick with bugs, and
could not be separated, for the bugs extended to the bottom. I do
not think they were unhealthy, and they tasted good, as did also the
putrid meat, for we were very hungry men. I do not think we could
have lived very long on the ration we there received, and some of
the most robust, to my certain knowledge, died of starvation only.
We became infested with vermin in a very short time, and as there
were no means of fighting them except with our thumb nails, we were
literally eaten by them. Day and night for nearly fifteen months I
had no relief from this pest, that, it seemed to us, must have
improved its pedigree from the time of Pharaoh. The prison floor
would have been a palace but for them. There were four hundred men
in our two-story building, and when we lay down at night there was
hardly room for all. We got some bricks in our squad, and had each
one for a pillow. It was a luxury, and we had to watch that they
were not stolen. The guards used to throw us potato rinds and refuse
pieces of bone and meat, and we fought for them. Our building was a
tobacco factory, and one of the presses had been left screwed hard
down on a box of plug. WE had no lever and no tools, but we got the
tobacco. Our guards and their officers were always on the alert for
green backs, offering at that time $10 “Confed” for $1 in green
backs. Later, they offered $20 for $1, $50 for $1. Maybe this helped
Grant to bring about Appomattox. I know we thought it would. There
were a few greenbacks that escaped our searchers, and one dollar and
ten cents found its way to my squad, composed of myself and three
members of an East Tennessee regiment, whose loyalty was only
equaled by their hate of the rebellion. By a little manipulating, we
converted this into a ten-dollar bill, and that bought ninety-pound
loaves of bread. It was the only time, while in the Confederacy,
that I had enough to eat. Our trick was discovered just as the bread
had been delivered, and nearly cost the life of one of the
Tennesseans.
We had orders to be ready to move next morning, and were told it was
for exchange. Jenkins, one of the Tennesseans, said, “They are not
going to exchange us, Jim, they are going to take us south, and to a
worse place than this, and we are going to jump from the train and
run, and we want you to go. They will shoot, but _____ them, they
can’t hit us, they have shot at us before. We will die anyhow.” The
next morning, we took the cars, but the train pulled south, and then
our guards told us we were going to Danville, Virginia. At dusk it
was raining. The train running ten or fifteen miles an hour. I stole
the cap from the musket of the guard nearest me while he held his
piece at order arms. The fellow wore a calico hat. It took perhaps
an hour of stealthy work, but I got it and tried the same tactics on
his companion. His gun was not capped. I whispered to the other
three, and we four jumped. After eluding the hounds and patrols for
five days and nights, we were recaptured and taken to Danville,
where our quarters were again the floors of the tobacco factories
and ware rooms. The winter of 1863-4 was severe, and as we had no
fire we suffered intensely. Our government at Washington at this
time sent, under flag of truce, a suit of clothes, including a
blanket and overcoat for each one of us. We heard of their arrival,
and expected soon to be warmly clad. The next morning blue overcoats
were so thick among the guards and their officers as to resemble a
Union camp. The oaths that were sent out through chattering teeth
against the thieves were deep and strong, however, we got a portion
of the clothing, and as the ration was a little larger than at
Richmond, our condition was more endurable, though we were crowded
to the same extent, and smallpox was epidemic. We spent the winter
making pipes, toothpicks, shawl pins, chess men, debating, praying,
preaching, holding mock court, etc. It was during this time I got a
Richmond paper containing an article relative to the interruption of
the cartel in which it was proposed to “establish a general prison
in the heart of the Confederacy, remote from the Union lines, where
the Yankee prisoners might be more economically guarded, the chances
of escape reduced to a minimum, and where their ranks would be so
rapidly thinned by the diseases peculiar to the locality that the
Yankee government would be compelled to submit to the terms of
exchange proposed by the authorities at Richmond.” We soon began to
hear our guards talking of Camp Sumpter, sometimes Andersonville,
and soon knew the names were synonymous. It was down in Georgia. The
Yanks there are dying twenty a day, and “you’ns all will soon be
sent there too.” The news horrified us more than when we were there,
and one hundred dead bodies were daily carried from the south gate.
It was while we were in Danville that Colonel Streight made his
escape from Richmond, and forthwith we had a tunnel completed, large
enough to contain a small mule, but while waiting for a dark night,
some spy among our own men gave the think away, and we were starved
forty-eight hours for punishment.
A few nights after, some of the boys in my room made a bold break
through one of the barred windows. They reached the ground, but were
filled with buckshot, and not one got a hundred yards. They were
brought in again, those that were not killed, and one sat near me
shot through the breast, until we could feel the shot between his
shoulders. He sat up while we dug them out with such knives as we
had, and never moaned, but cursed the rebs because, he said, they
shot him again after he fell. On May 16, we were again loaded in box
cars, as they said for exchange. We felt it meant Andersonville, and
laid a plot to capture the guards in the several cars and then run
for it, or fight the relief, as occasion required. They placed all
the guards outside, and told us to run if we felt like it. We did
not run. I think that every one of us entering the gate at
Andersonville left hope of home outside, one glance was enough. We
thought we knew what misery was before, but what we had experienced
in Richmond and Danville was happiness to this, and this was only
the beginning of what was to come. There were eight thousand men
here on eighteen acres of ground. Two months later, there was 23,000
men on the same space, and when they could crowd in no more, they
changed the pen to thirty-five acres, and a month later there were
thirty-five thousand men here, and one-third of the space was swamp
and covered by the ground bounded by the dead line, which it was
death to cross and death to touch if the guard was true to his aim.
I have often thought that among all this army there was not one
perfectly sane. Without shelter, without wood, with scant food and
clothes, swarming with vermin. The rain beat us into the sand at
night, the Georgia sun blistered us during the day. One incident is
the parallel of a thousand. I saw a young fellow one morning,
sitting on the sand where he had laid that night. The sun was
burning hot on his bare head, the little clothing he had spattered
full of sand from last night’s storm. He was scraping with a little
twig the maggots from sun cracks in his bare feet, that seemed to
have bred during the night. “Can’t you keep them out, partner?” I
said. He made no answer, but looked at me with a hopeless despair I
can never forget. My chum, named Reese, from an Ohio regiment,
became moon-eyed, that is he could not see after the sun went down.
I used to lead him about that he might not wander against the dead
line. He had the scurvy badly, and was nearly gone, when we tried to
rally him by telling him he thought he was going to die because he
was moon eyed. He would say, “By _____, I’m not going to die. I’m
going to outlive the _____ Confederacy.” He died at Florence.
Another chum named Williams made a hard fight for life, but had
given it up at the time we left Andersonville for Charleston. He
said he was going to escape or die. I told him I would go too, if
there was any chance, but had tried it once and would not throw my
life away. He jumped from the train in the bright moonlight, and was
killed by the guard. I went to the creek as usual, one day, for a
cup of water. We used to dip from near the dead line, where it was
clearer. Just ahead of me a ma, by some chance, touched the dead
line. I think he was crowded against it. The guard scattered his
brains by a center shot.
The virus with which we were vaccinated poisoned our blood, and arms
rotted off by hundreds. The surgeons, or rather parties purporting
to be such, burned these ulcerations with some preparation using the
same rag and stick on a hundred cases. I think they spread the
trouble rather than checked it. Scurvy attacked all. My teeth became
loose and broke off like chalk, the gums broke away. It was very
hard to eat the cornbread, as it was baked four inches thick and
very hard. It had no salt, and was as full of flies as a plum
pudding of fruit. As we drew rations after dark and ate them
immediately, we ate the flies too, and then there was nothing until
twenty-four hours later. My limbs became swollen and turned yellow.
I used to bury my legs in the sand during the day to cool the fever
in them, and drank a decoction of pine boughs when I could get them,
for the acid contained in them.
In June and July, we had reached the very lowest depths of misery.
The strong began to prey upon the weak. There was no law, no order,
no government; only the stockade, the guards, the sun, the rain, the
dying, and the dead. Hundreds of the strongest were raiding the
thousands of the weak. It was only a little ration of cornbread and
meat once daily, and that was taken away from the weaker ones by our
own comrades. It began among some New York roughs, and spread until
something had to be done. The rebels looked on in glee to see us
murdering each other. Some had been killed, and many badly beaten,
and the raiders went about in gangs taking what they pleased. The
law-and-order prisoners began to organize, and armed with sticks
where they could get them. The raiders turned regulators, and began
to arrest regulators and even non-combatants, to turn attention from
themselves. Wirz had orders posted that if there was any commotion,
he would fire into the camp with grape and cannister. It was all
commotion, these gaunt, starved, half-naked men by hundreds here and
hundreds there, swaying to and fro with sticks and fists for
weapons, the dead and dying all around, trampled on and uncared for;
the rebel regiments under arms and the guns manned, the guards with
pieces cocked and at a ready, waiting for orders to fire; even the
rations neglected. Camp Sumpter was pandemonium those few days – it
was wild. No one can tell what was done. The dense crowds hid the
acts of individuals, and it were better could they have been hidden
from heaven. After several days it ended, with law and order
victorious. A large number of raiders were under arrest. We took the
most guilty of these, organized a court, had a regular trial,
sentenced six of them to be hung, and July 11, 1864, hung them until
they were dead. Captain Wirz kindly furnished the lumber for the
scaffold – the only kind thing I knew him to do. Order was
maintained from that time, and every man’s right to his bread and
meat. The dead were carried daily to the south gate. I used to count
there 20, 40, 60, and more coming from all parts of the stockade.
They were stripped almost, or quite naked. In some instances, where
they had comrades, the eyes closed and jaws tied together with a big
of rag, also the great toes, all to economize the precious clothing,
but in the majority of cases, though, in that dense crowd, they died
alone – the lice, the flies, and the maggots their only attendants,
while the pitiless rain beat full in their upturned faces. There was
much quarreling and some fighting for the privilege of carrying the
bodies out, as we could sometimes pick up a stick, a bit of paper,
or some information about the armies, and if nothing else, it was
something to be talked of for a month that for fifteen minutes we
had been outside of the cursed stockade. It is impossible to enter
into a minute description of many things that occur to me; things
our wives and daughters should not know. The sick call, the
hospital, the dead house, and only volumes could describe the many
incidents that I remember while many I have forgotten. The
tunneling, the stocks, Captain Wirz, old General Winder, and the
most pitiful of all, the chain gang.
Florence was a decidedly worse place than Andersonville, as the
rations were very scant. We had no meat while there. The weather was
very cold, and our sufferings intense. Much that happened there is a
blank to me, as I was very weak at that time. We lay at Charleston,
heavily guarded, while our fleet was shelling the city. Every few
minutes, all night long, a shell, angels of peace, we called them,
would come over, and as they would crash through the brick walls, I
felt a little nearer home because of them. We left Andersonville,
September 10, 1864, for Charleston, from there to Florence, at which
place I was paroled, December 7, and passed the lines in Charleston
harbor on December 10, having been within the rebel lines fourteen
months and thirteen days. To go on board a clean United States
transport, throw our vermin-infested rags into the sea, don a clean
new suit of blue, fall into line and get each a loaf of bread and a
great hunk of meat, raw (the first I had tasted for three months), a
pint of coffee, and then to fall in again and again, and get the
same, was happiness enough, and we began to realize what a great,
good country we had been suffering for. The Captain and his wife,
God bless them, took some of the weakest ones, myself among the
number, into his cabin, dosed us with port wine, and they and the
sailors went among us with little comforts and cheering words. Only
five or six out of the thousand men died on the voyage to Annapolis.
Here we were admitted to the hospital, which was another step
heavenward. What care they took for our comfort there, how they cut
off our filthy hair and scrubbed off the prison dirt – the first
soap we had scented for many months. They placed us between the
clean sheets and fed and watched us. The surgeons, nurses, and
ladies of the Christian and Sanitary Commissions bade us rest and
sleep and dream of home. These have made impressions that the
ex-prisoners of war will carry with them into eternity. WE have a
better appreciation of the comforts of peace and citizenship, and
home and wife and children, and the flag we fought for, perhaps,
than our more fortunate comrades. We cherish no hatred, I think,
against those who fought against us. Some of our guards were as
honest and noble men as ever wore the blue, and if living, are loyal
citizens today. There are those, however, reaching from the head of
the Confederacy down through the Winders, the Captain Wirz’s, and
the Lieutenant Barretts, who carried out the suggestions of their
Commander-in-Chief with such additional cruelties as their invention
could add, whose crimes I do not believe can ever be forgiven.
Thirteen thousand of our number lie buried at Andersonville, these
with the additions of Charleston, Florence, Savannah, Millen,
Richmond, Danville, and Belle Island, form a record that eternity
will not blot out. An ex-Confederate, a short time again, in a
public speech, said (and he belongs to the class above noted), “We
were over-powered, but we take nothing back.” By all these graves
they do take something back, they take it all back, and the Union
that cost so much is going to stand, and we shall not beat our
muskets into plowshares, nor swords into pruning hooks. Steel is too
cheap to make it necessary, but shall oil them carefully and put
them in a safe place and forget that they are there. But if the time
again comes – heaven grant it never may – when they are needed,
perhaps we shall remember, and they will be ready.
NOTES:
Captain Heinrich “Henry” Hartmann Wirz, born in 1823 in Zurich,
Switzerland, was assigned to the staff of General John H. Winder,
who was in charge of Confederate prisoner-of-war camps. In February
1864, Camp Sumter was established near the small railroad depot of
Anderson (now Andersonville) in Georgia. Wirz remained there for
over a year, holding the post of commandant of the stockade. At its
peak, Camp Sumter held approximately 32,000 Union prisoners. The
monthly mortality rate reached 3,000. Close to 13,000 (28%)
prisoners died there. Captain Wirz was arrested on May 7, 1865, by a
contingent of the 4th U.S. Cavalry. He was taken to Washington D.
C., arriving there on May 10, 1865, where he was held in the Old
Capitol Prison. Wirz was charged with “combining, confederating, and
conspiring with John H. Winder, Richard B. Winder, Joseph White, W.
S. Winder, R. R. Stevenson, and others, to injure the health and
destroy the lives of soldiers in the military service of the United
States, in violation of the laws and customs of war.” He was accused
of committing 13 acts of personal cruelty and murders, confining
prisoners in stocks, beating a prisoner with a revolver, and
chaining prisoners together. He was also charged with ordering
guards to fire on prisoners and to have dogs attack escaped
prisoners. Wirz was found guilty of all charges except murder. Wirz
was hanged on November 10, 1865, at the Old Capitol Prison in
Washington D.C. His neck did not break, and the crowd of 200
spectators, guarded by 120 soldiers, watched as he writhed and
slowly strangled. He was buried in the Mount Olivet Cemetery in
Washington, D.C. In 1869, President Johnson gave permission to
rebury Wirz’s body. While the body was being transferred, it was
discovered that the right arm and parts of the neck and head had
been removed during autopsy. As of the late 1990s, the National
Museum of Health and Medicine still had two of his vertebrae. Even
today there is controversy over his guilt.
CIVIL WAR REMINISCENCE
By Captain Harrison Beard Starr
Source: Alton Telegraph, September 30, 1886
On June 15, 1864, Captain Harry B. Starr, now of the ferry boat
Altonian, but then in command of the government transport, J. R.
Williams, on the Arkansas River, was captured by the rebels and
confined for 11 months, or until the close of the war. The
circumstances of the capture are briefly these:
On June 15, 1864, while the J. R. Williams was steaming up the river
about 80 miles above Fort Smith, and a similar distance below Fort
Gibson, a rebel battery of three guns, which were masked on the
riverbank, suddenly opened fire, the steamer making about six miles
an hour at the time. The first shot hit the pilot house, carrying
away a stanchion, while almost instantly succeeding shots killed the
engineer, fireman, and one of the crew. The escort of 25 infantry
returned the rebel fire for 20 minutes, but ineffectually, and at
the end of that time, the transport surrendered to a force of 1,200
Confederate artillery and infantry. The boat was then burned by the
captors, and Captain Starr and the other prisoners were taken by
General Stanweide, about 50 miles west of the scene of the fight,
whence in three days’ time, they were taken to Fort Wachter, where
they remained 30 days. Then they were marched to Doxville, and then
to Camp Ford, which was reached about the middle of September. There
the Federal prisoners remained until the close of war, being
released in the latter part of May 1865, when Captain Starr returned
to Alton. While in the prison, Captain Starr and party were treated
the same as the other 5,000 odd Federals, the bill of fare being one
pound of beef and one pound of cornmeal per diem, with one-fourth
pound of salt weekly. The only drink was water, which was obtained
from a spring, and in hot weather, the supply was limited. At the
time of the capture, the J. R. Williams’ cargo consisted of 50 tons
of flour, 40 tons of corn, and 20 tons of clothing for the troops at
Fort Gibson. At the time of their release from Camp Ford, which was
near Tyler, Texas, the Federals were so badly off for clothing that
they were almost literally naked, having nothing on but breech
clouts.
REMEMBERING ANDERSONVILLE PRISON
By Captain Joseph H. Weeks
Source: Alton Telegraph, December 16, 1886
[Captain Weeks of Upper Alton is a very modest man, and the article
below was not volunteered by him, but was related to a Telegraph
reporter after persistent urging by the latter, and protestations of
reluctance on the part of the gallant Captain.]
The boys of the old Thirty-Second Illinois Infantry will never
forget the return to the front after their veteran furlough. Having
feasted and enjoyed all that mothers, wives, and sisters could do
for them, they were not in a good condition to make a 390-mile
forced march over rough roads, on short rations.
They left Cairo on May 10, 1864, on an expedition under command of
General Frank Blair (composed of the veterans from the 4th and 5th
Divisions of the 17th Army Corps), who had orders to hasten to the
front and reinforce Sherman. They embarked on two gunboats and 12
transports, and arrived at Clifton on the Tennessee River on May 14.
On May 16, they started on a march across the State of Alabama, by
way of Huntsville and Decatur. The route was over a very mountainous
region, Sand Mountain the most prominent. Some places the roadway
was out in the sides of the mountain overlooking a precipice, and so
narrow that it was difficult for a team to pass. A sudden pitch or a
rough jolt against one of the many boulders which lay in the roadway
was sufficient to upset a wagon and send it down the mountainside.
Several such accidents occurred, but no lives were lost. During a
greater part of the route they were annoyed by Roddy’s rebel
cavalry. Having some 200 head of cattle and a large supply train,
they had to be continually on the alert. Near Decatur, the Federal
cavalry, under Colonel Long, had a brisk fight with Roddy’s command,
which resulted in favor of the Union soldiers, who captured forty
prisoners. They joined Sherman’s army at Ackworth, Georgia, about
June 10.
The 32nd found the Union army in line of battle within sight of
Kennesaw Mountain. The Federal and Confederate forces were daily in
conflict, and had been for many days, and there was scarcely a day
that the 32nd was not under fire, from June 10 until early in
September, a period of more than three months. After the fall of
Atlanta, the 32nd was sent to guard a water tank. On October 3,
Hood’s army, having flanked Sherman, captured and destroyed the
railroad between Big Shanty and Altoona, at which time Captain
Weeks, while in command of Company F, and while in advance picket
duty, was captured within a few yards of the rebel rifle pits.
Briefly, the facts were these: Captain Weeks had taken five picked
men of his company, and was feeling his way towards the enemy when a
sudden charge was made by the rebels, and the scouting party
retired, Captain Weeks being the last to retreat. In crossing a
creek at the foot of a ravine, Captain Week’s foot slipped and he
fell, and on rising was confronted by a rebel officer’s cocked
revolver, so he had to submit to the exigencies of the occasion and
yield as gracefully as possible. The following morning, October 4,
Captain Weeks, in company with 300 other Federal prisoners of the
14th and 15th Illinois, and 4 of Company C of the 32nd Infantry, who
were captured under somewhat similar circumstances to Captain
Weeks’, were marched by a rebel guard to Lost Mountain, a distance
of 20 miles. They were quartered for the night in a hog pen near
General Hood’s headquarters, scanty rations of cornmeal and raw beef
being issued, which were cooked without any cooking appliances in
the embers of the campfires. The next morning, the march was
continued via West Point and Columbus, to Andersonville, Georgia.
While marching through Columbus, the rebels seemed to take great
delight in showing their Yankee prisoners to the admiring citizens,
who manifested as much curiosity as if the Federals formed part of
an itinerant menagerie of wild beasts. The prisoners were first
taken to the Columbus Cemetery, where they were on view during the
day, and at night they were quartered in a stable yard, with only
two blankets for every six prisoners, and the nights were already
cold and disagreeable. On October 11, the weary prisoners reached
Andersonville, and were at once placed in the Bull Pen, which was a
piece of swampy ground about thirty acres in extent, enclosed by
three stockades. There were about 3,000 Federal prisoners in the
stockade at this time, a large proportion of whom were sick with
scurvy and diarrhea, and all were reduced to mere skeletons, and the
average number of deaths among the captives was about 40 per diem,
that is in the stockade and at the hospital. The hospital was such
only in name, as it consisted solely of a shed with open sides. In
fact, only a roof perched on poles. Men only went to this place as a
dernier resort, the majority preferring to stand outside rather than
to enter the medical post house, where their treatment was simply
dreadful, no attention being paid to the sanitary state of the
inmates. At the time of Captain Weeks’ arrival at Andersonville, the
rations for the prisoners were cooked outside the camp, and
consisted of four inches square of cornbread, a spoonful of rice,
and a spoonful of molasses with a few black beans occasionally.
Subsequently, the prisoners claiming that even these scant rations
were not honestly supplied them, the raw cornmeal and rice were
issued in an uncooked state. The cornmeal was the only part of the
ration regularly supplied, the rice and molasses being served out
about once a week. About once in a month, a handful of salt was
issued, but the quantity was not more than sufficient to cook one
meal per man. About once in five or six weeks, a ration of one ounce
of bacon was issued to each prisoner, but this was in such a state
as to be unfit for human food. The water in which the prisoners’
food had to be cooked passed through the rebel camp, and was used by
the Confederates as a common sewer. The prisoners, by this dreadful
treatment, were reduced to a state of despair and cared for nothing.
The first thought of the prisoners on entering the stockade was to
find shelter. This consisted of holes in the ground dug out as best
they could with half pieces of empty canteens and scraps of any old
metal that could be got. The holes were covered with boughs of trees
in some cases, and some were mere furrows in the side of a bank. The
men were literally in rags and tatters, and their condition was
simply intolerable. Their clothings, such as was in any ways
comfortable, was taken from them, only enough being left to actually
cover sufficient of their bodies to comply with the demands of
ordinary decency. On account of continued hardship, Captain Weeks
eventually became totally blind, and it was many weary months before
his sight was restored. He also suffered terribly from scurvy and
from chronic diarrhea. At the expiration of his term of captivity,
Captain Weeks was so emanciated, that his hip bones projected
through the skin, and it was several years after the war before he
enjoyed a tolerable degree of health. Captain Weeks was seven months
at Andersonville, and it is wonderful that at this time he is able
to so well attend to his business, and this fact speaks well for his
constitutional vitality.
At one time during the imprisonment of Captain Weeks, a Southern
lady, from motives of pure humanity, tried to supply the Yankee
prisoners with sausage meat, prepared by herself, but she was
stopped in her humane labor by the cowardly Major Birch, who
vilified her in every way and finally used his drawn revolver,
pointed at her head, before he could compel her to desist in her
charitable undertaking.
With regard to Major Wirz, the notorious commander of Andersonville,
Captain Weeks does not hold him personally responsible at all, but
says he was simply the tool of the rebel generals, some of whom are
now in the United States Congress, and others representing this
country abroad. This fact is Captain Weeks’ reason for thus briefly
allowing his prison record to appear in print. Otherwise, he would
prefer to say nothing of what he went through while doing his part
to sustain the honor of the American flag and the integrity of the
Union.
LIBBY PRISON REMINISCENCE
By Captain William R. Wright
Source: Alton Telegraph, December 23, 1886
Captain William R. Wright of Upper Alton first entered the service
of his country during the Mexican-American War, in May 1846, when he
enlisted as a private in Company E and Illinois Infantry. Private
Wright served fourteen months, and took part in the battle of Buena
Vista, in which engagement six men were killed and eight men
wounded, belonging to Company E. Private Wright’s only mishap in the
battle was his being hit in the body by a spent rifle ball from the
weapon of a Mexican sharpshooter.
On May 22, 1862, Captain Wright entered the Federal service as a
First Lieutenant of Company B, 80th Illinois Infantry, Colonel
Andrew Fuller Rodgers of Upper Alton commanding. One year later,
Lieutenant Wright was promoted to the command of his company.
Captain Wright participated in the battles of Perryville, Kentucky,
and Milton, Tennessee, both engagements terminating in victory for
the Union arms. During the Spring of 1863, the 80th Illinois was put
into General Streight’s brigade of mounted infantry. On April 30,
1863, at Day’s Gap, the brigade engaged the enemy under the
celebrated General N. B. Forrest. Two actions were fought during the
day, both resulting favorably to the Federal arms. Private Frank
McIntosh of Alton Junction [East Alton] was shot in the head by a
rebel bullet, and his skull badly fractured. He is still living. On
May 2, 1863, at Blunt Farm, the brigade had another brush with the
enemy and repulsed them, but the next day, while skirmishing with
General Forrests’ command, Streight’s entire brigade, 1,400 strong,
was surrounded can captured by three Confederate brigades. The
fighting was desultory, the weather wet, and unfortunately, all the
Federal ammunition had become wet and unserviceable through the fact
of the men having had to cross several swollen creeks. On the other
hand, the rebels had managed to keep their powder dry, and then had
the Union men at their mercy. For three days, the unfortunate
captives were held at Rome, Georgia, whence they left for Libby
Prison at Richmond, Virginia, reaching that notorious prison on June
16, 1863. At the Libby prison, Captain Wright was confined for
twelve months, only seeing daylight through the prison bars for that
period, except on one memorable occasion when, in company with
sixty-two other Federal captains, he was marched out to take his
chance in a lottery drawing, where the two officers drawing the
black bean were sentenced to be hung. Captain Wright was one of the
sixty who drew blanks, and it is gratifying to know that the death
sentence was not carried into effect upon the officers who drew the
two black beans.
In company with one hundred and thirty-five others, Captain Wright
was imprisoned in a room forty-five feet square. Prisoners were not
allowed blankets, and slept in their clothes. The daily ration per
man per diem was one-quarter pound of beef, one-half pound of bread,
one-half gill of rice (or black peas). This diet was barely
sufficient to sustain life. Scurvy soon developed among the
unfortunates, and the death rate was high. The suffering of the
prisoners was terrible. No glass in the windows, no fire, no
blankets. The only way of keeping warm was by indulging in as much
exercise as was compatible with the dimensions of the room. General
John Morgan, General A. P. Hill, and the Confederate Congressman
Bruce, visited the prison, and through the exertions of the latter,
the condition of the prisoners was very greatly ameliorated – he
using all of his influence to aid them. This relief was of necessity
only temporary. When General Kilpatrick was threatening Richmond,
the rebels placed a torpedo loaded with 1,000 lbs of powder under
the Libby Prison, the intention being to blow the inmates into
eternity if the city was captured. On May 6, 1864, the prisoners
left for Charleston, South Carolina, arriving there on July 18,
after encountering every description of privation and suffering. At
Charleston, Captain Wright and his comrades were first put in the
old, unsheltered jail yard, originally built by the British troops
during the War of the Revolution. The first rations served the
federals here were one-half pound of cornmeal, one spoonful of lard,
and a little molasses. Ten days later, the prisoners were sent to
Roper’s Hospital, where they were housed until October 1864. Here,
they were constantly under the fire of the heavy Federal batteries,
and the prison was twice struck by Union shells, but no one was
hurt. From Charleston, the prisoners were taken to Camp Sorghum near
Columbia, South Carolina, where they stayed till Christmas 1864.
Here, the rebels kept fifty bloodhounds, which they used most
successfully in tracking escaping prisoners, as no one ever
succeeded in eluding the hounds. Many were wounded by the dogs, and
two died from the effects of the bites of the savage brutes. The
water used here was no better than sewage.
In February 1865, the captives were removed to Charlotte, North
Carolina, then to Raleigh, and subsequently to Goldsboro. At
Wilmington, they were released from their long captivity, paroled
and sent to Annapolis, Maryland, whence they shortly departed for
their homes, the war being over. Out of thirty-six months service,
Captain Wright spent twenty-two months in prison, and has nobly
earned the pension he, in common with other comrades now enjoy, but
which should, by right, be trebled in amount, as the least that a
grateful country could do in recognition of her brave defenders.
WAR REMINISCENCE
By Colonel Andrew Fuller Rodgers
80th Illinois Volunteer Infantry
Source: Alton Daily Telegraph, January 10, 1887
Colonel Andrew Full Rodgers was born in Howard County, Missouri, and
is a son of Rev. Ebenezer Rodgers. Fifty-two years ago, when a mere
child, Colonel Rodgers came to Madison County, and with the
exception of five years spent in his country’s service, has ever
since resided here. But comparatively few of the settlers of 1834
are now left with us, but of those who remain, none are better known
or more highly respected than the gentleman whose war record is here
epitomized.
Colonel Rodgers, who was intimately acquainted with the lamented and
gallant Logan, now also finally mustered out, says that the current
reports with regard to the late General’s Mexican-American War
services are incorrect, as General Logan served during that war in
the Quarter Master’s department. This statement is correct, and was
what General Logan personally told Colonel Rodgers. As a memento of
Buena Vista, Colonel Rodgers brought home a grape-shot, which he
picked up on the battlefield.
In August 1862, Colonel Rodgers entered the service for the second
time [Civil War], and was elected Lieutenant Colonel of the 80th
Illinois Infantry, being commissioned as such by Governor Yates, and
on the following April, he was promoted to Colonel of the regiment,
upon the resignation of its first commander, Colonel Thomas G. Allen
of St. Louis. It was at Murfreesboro that Colonel Rodgers succeeded
to the command of the 80th, and at that time the regiment had rather
an unenviable reputation, the precision of its regimental movements
and maneuvers not being all that could be desired, besides being
deficient in the manual of arms and other details. This state of
affairs was very shortly changed, for in two weeks after Colonel
Rodgers took command, his regiment was complimented in general
orders as being the best drilled and disciplined regiment in Major
General Reynolds’ division of the army of the Cumberland, and as
having the neatest and best kept camp.
At the battle of Perryville, Kentucky, while leading his regiment in
that hot engagement, a shell from a rebel battery burst directly
over his head, and a fragment struck the gallant officer on the
head, fracturing his skull. The Colonel was immediately carried to
the field hospital, where his own brother, Dr. Ebenezer Rodgers,
then Assistant Surgeon of the 80th, dressed his wound. From the
effects of this injury, Colonel Rodgers’ right side became partially
paralyzed, and still remains so, the wound being of such a nature
that the Colonel will always suffer from it. After leading his
regiment in many engagements, notably the Union victories at
Perryville and Milton, and after whipping the noted Morgan twice,
the 80th regiment was, in April 1863, assigned to General Streight’s
brigade of mounted infantry, and assisted in winning two victories
in one day at Day’s Gap on April 30. But on May 3, 1863, General
Streight’s brigade was surrounded near Rome, Georgia, by three times
its number of rebel troops, and the entire command was compelled to
surrender to General Forrest. Soon after his capture, Colonel
Rodgers and his officers were taken via Atlanta to Libby Prison at
Richmond. The non-commissioned officers and men of the 80th were
almost immediately exchanged and resumed active service, being known
as the “orphan” regiment, from the fact of its being without
commissioned officers, several companies being commanded by
Sergeants for some time.
For twelve months, Colonel Rodgers suffered imprisonment in the
horrible Libby Prison, in company with 1,200 other officers of all
ranks from General to Second Lieutenant, and all were treated alike.
At night, the room was so crowded that it was impossible to step
without treading on someone. Indeed, the prisoners were crowded
together in a most inhuman way. It was on rare occasions that the
captives ever had enough to eat, their scanty rations being only
sufficient to keep soul and body together.
From the Libby Prison, Colonel Rodgers was sent to Macon, Georgia,
where he remained with his fellow officers five weeks, suffering
much from hardship, exposure, and insufficient food. At Macon, the
Confederates selected from 1,200 Union officers fifty of the highest
rank, and took them to Charleston, where they were placed under the
fire of the Union heavy artillery, which was daily engaged in
pounding away at the city with 100-pounder shells, which very
fortunately injured none of the Union men. Among Colonel Rodgers’
comrades at Charleston were Generals Shaler, Schofield, Wessells,
Neal Dow, Scammon, Seymour, and Hickman. At his residence, Colonel
Rodgers has the autographs of the fifty officers who were under fire
at Charleston with him. The list includes fifteen Brigadier
Generals. At Charleston, the prisoners had a chance to buy food, and
for fifty dollars, Federal money, the rebels would gladly give one
thousand dollars of Confederate money. After sixteen months’
imprisonment, Colonel Rodgers was exchanged.
NOTES:
Colonel Andrew Fuller Rodgers was born October 13, 1827. He was the
son of a pioneer Baptist minister, Rev. Ebenezer Rodgers, who came
to America in 1818, located first in Kentucky. In 1819, Rev. Rodgers
accompanied Cyrus Edwards to Howard County, Illinois. In 1834, Rev.
Rodgers moved to Upper Alton. He was one of the early trustees of
Shurtleff College in Upper Alton, where Colonel Rodgers attended
school. At the beginning of the Mexican-American War, he enlisted in
Colonel Bissell’s Second Illinois Infantry under Captain Lott.
Colonel Rodgers was the ideal soldier, brave and full of fire. After
the war, he returned home, but joined the gold rush to California in
1849. After a year searching for gold, he became Deputy Sheriff of
Sacramento County, and was a member of the famed Sutter Rifle
Company. He returned to Upper Alton for a visit, and on his way back
to California, became shipwrecked in the Pacific in 1853, with a
loss of 250 passengers. Rodgers and a few other survivors were cast
on Margueretta Island. He saved the life of a girl, and fifty years
later, when she was living in St. Louis, she learned of Colonel
Rodgers and paid him a visit, thanking him for saving her life.
Colonel Rodgers returned to Upper Alton to live, and married Jane E.
Delaplain in 1860. In 1862, he entered the military service once
again as Captain of Company B, 80th Illinois Infantry. He was
appointed Lt. Colonel of the regiment. Before he left home, his
mother presented him with a sword with his name engraved on it. His
service during the Civil War was eventful and distinguished. When he
was captured and made a prisoner, his sword from his beloved mother
was confiscated. Returning home, he recruited 500 men for the 144th
Illinois Regiment at the request of Governor Yates. He resigned from
the army on November 25, 1864. Years later, the sword given to him
by his mother was returned to him. It had found a home in a G.A.R.
Post, and when they discovered who he was, brought the sword to him.
Colonel Rodgers lived on Rodgers Avenue in Upper Alton for his
remaining years. His brother, Edward, purchased land east of Upper
Alton (where the Alton State Hospital was later erected), and also
founded the Alton Brick Company. Colonel Rodgers died at the age of
94 years in January 1922, and is buried in the Upper Alton Oakwood
Cemetery.
WILLIAM A. HILDEBRAND
Gallant Civil War Soldier
Source: Alton Daily Telegraph, February 26, 1887
William A. Hildebrand was at New Orleans on April 12, 1861, when
Fort Sumter was attacked. He immediately took passage on the
steamer, John J. Roe, the last boat that arrived in port of St.
Louis before the blockade was established on April 24. His mother
lived at Alton, and fearing lest she would feel bad to have her only
son go to the war, he enlisted in Co. K, first Missouri Infantry,
Colonel Blair’s regiment, on April 25, then at the Arsenal, without
first going home. He was swapped off for another man in an
independent rifle company called Lyon’s Body Guard, also of St.
Louis. He was mustered out about August 12. His age was 19; weight,
140.
On September 1, 1861, he enlisted in Company F, 32nd Illinois
Infantry; drilled the company and officers, and went through
twenty-two battles and skirmishes. He was wounded and carried off
the battlefield at Shiloh, after using up seven or eight muskets. He
refused a recommendation for a commission by Lieutenant Colonel
Hunter, preferring to remain non-commissioned. He had many diseases
that killed others, but was never a day in a hospital, mistrusting
the competency of average army surgeons. He never rode a mile in an
ambulance, as horses had enough to pull without an additional
hundred pounds or so in muddy roads. He trudged it through thick and
thin, and paid as high as $5 for a hard tack on Sherman’s famous
March to the Sea. He was honorably discharged at Savannah, Georgia
on January 1, 1865, having served this latter term three years and
four months, and serving in all about three years and eight months.
He came out weighing 110 pounds with nasal catarrh and affected
lungs. He paid Drs. Hunter and Dunham, at that time in St. Louis,
$35 per month for treatment, and also had treatment from Dr. O’Leary
of Boston, as well as others. His friends wanted him to apply for a
pension, stating, “You are a fool. You can get it without trouble.”
Hildebrand told them, “No! I will first try and get well, and then
see if Uncle Sam owes me anything. I believe I had as many pleasures
as hardships, and as much mental gain from books captured from
southern cities as physical loss from exposure. So I will first draw
a balance sheet, and see later.”
Hildebrand took the ground that it is one’s bounden duty to not only
rally to the rescue of one’s country, but to cheerfully die in its
defense if need be. Having the conviction of having done his whole
duty towards his country is a patriotic comfort, the lustre of which
he would not tarnish for any consideration or reward. “Though I
gladly helped many of the dear comrades by my knowledge of facts
observed in the service, to a well-deserved pension, I waived my
own.”
Soon after the war, Hildebrand started in business with a cash
capital of 50 cents, in the solid little city of Alton, and in
course of a few years, he was able to get partly even with Uncle Sam
by paying to his internal revenue collector for one year’s income
tax, the sum of $35, to balance their accounts, and a cheerful
payment it was.
“I now weigh 190 pounds, Hildebrand said, “have three boys, either
of whom weighs more than I did on coming out of the war, and if
Uncle Sam gets into any trouble while my health lasts, I will wind
up my business on short notice, and shoulder a much-improved gun.
President Cleveland’s veto is in harmony with his policy of economic
government, and in accord with the wishes of an already overtaxed
people, whereas his signature would have plunged the government into
a position of protracted continuance of war taxes, whereas it is
near time the late war should be forgotten.”
[William A. Hildebrand died in July 1887, at the age of 47. He is
buried in the Upper Alton Oakwood Cemetery.]
HOW MAJOR FRANKLIN MOORE
CAME NEAR TO BEING A BRIGADIER GENERAL
Source: Alton Daily Telegraph, June 07, 1887
I have for these many years been the possessor of an official secret
concerning one of the best soldier officers that ever honored the
service, and who has been a lifetime citizen in old Madison. No
eulogies of mine will add a laurel to his already justly acquired
fame. But I should be recreant to a duty I owe him as a companion in
arms, if I should allow a scrap of history to accompany me to the
grave that will be a solace or comfort to him in his declining
years.
During the year of 1864, I had charge of the government printing
office at headquarters, northern division of Louisiana, at Baton
Rouge, and was at the headquarters of Major General Francis J.
Herron daily during all my long stay in the division. General Herron
was a fine soldier, and one of the manliest of men. One day he came
into his office, and addressing his Adjutant General said, “Well,
Captain, I have been thinking of recommending Major Frank Moore, of
the Second Illinois Cavalry, to Lincoln for promotion to Colonel,
and Brevet Brigadier General, and placing him in charge of a cavalry
brigade attached to this division. But this, you known, would stir
up all the officers from Colonel up to the full rank of Brigadier,
who now hold a senior commission, but in the face of all this, I am
almost persuaded to do it for the good of the service.” “But,” said
the Adjutant General, “the Major, from what I can learn, is not a
strict disciplinarian, and is wanting in military training and
education.” To this General Herron replied, “I know what you say is
true, Captain, but we have had so many disasters to our cavalry, and
have had officers in command of experience and well educated in the
science of war, but they lack, in my judgment, push and daring. I
have just returned from General A. Asboth’s headquarters, and there
I saw a report of the number of rebels that Major Moore, with his
command, had killed and captured while attached to the Sixth
Brigade. There is not an officer in the army that can excel this
record, considering the number of men he commanded, rarely over two
battalions. General Asboth regrets exceedingly that Moore was taken
from him. He related to me a circumstance where Moore took his
command forty miles in one night, and attacked an encampment of the
enemy, numbering four to one, and after several hours of hot, close
fighting, compelled them to capitulate, securing more prisoners than
his entire force numbered, together with a large amount of horses,
mules, arms, and military stores. Just at the close of his victory,
he learned that another force was hurrying up to give him battle.
Knowing that he could not retain his prisoners and captured property
and fight, he decided to retreat. Scarcely were his columns in
motion until they were attacked by the enemy in large force. But by
fighting the enemy in detail with a strong rear guard, and pushing
his column forward with redoubled energy, he succeeded in reaching
his camp with all the rewards of the victory.”
“Yes, Captain, a military education is a good thing to have, but no
amount of it will give a man that most desirable thing of all –
courage, determination, zeal, and sagacity. These must be inherent,
and Major Moore has them and this is what the service needs! Why,
when I see General Canby again, I shall call his attention to the
merits of this officer. I know he will acquiesce in my determination
to do as I have indicated – recommend his promotion.”
But eight days after this conversation, Major Moore and his command
were ordered out of the Department of the Northern Division of
Louisiana, and assigned to another command operating in Florida and
Alabama. So you see, Mr. Editor, how near Major Moore came to being
a full Colonel of Cavalry and Brevet Brigadier General. Signed, J.
H. Lowe, M. D., Lowell, Lawrence County, Missouri.
SOLDIERS REUNION TO BE HELD
Source: Alton Daily Telegraph, June 28, 1887
The work of preparation for the reunion next Monday and Tuesday, is
progressing rapidly. The grounds in Middletown are being placed in
fine order, and the G.A.R. are busily engaged in arranging matters
in every department. Twenty-five tents have been ordered from St.
Louis, the post not being able to obtain them from the State. Owing
to the National Guards going into camp on July 9, the tents will be
needed by the State two days prior to that time. The hiring of these
tents involves an additional expense of $75. The only trouble now
appears to be to procure lodging places for those who are expected
to be present. But this will be arranged satisfactorily. Advices
from all directions indicate that an immense throng will be in
attendance.
The cannon purchased by the G.A.R. are called “Thunderers.” They are
small, varying in size, and appear something like mortars. The
smallest is only about 12 inches long, but the reverberations are
increased 60 times, the larger pieces in proportion, thus making a
tremendous report with a diminutive cartridge, and with no chance of
injury to the cannoneers.
SOLDIERS REUNION AND THE 4TH OF JULY
Source: Alton Daily Telegraph, July 05, 1887
The Fourth of July celebration and the reunion of the Central
Illinois Soldiers’ Association in Alton, yesterday, was a great
success. Many thousands of people were present at the Middleton
Grove and in the city, estimated all the way from 15,000 to 25,000.
The procession formed at 11 o’clock on Third Street, Marshals, Major
Moore, Captain C. A. Herb, Colonel Andrew F. Rodgers, and Dr.
Charles Davis. The Spangle martial band from Newbern and the
Bethalto Cornet Band furnished the music. A prominent feature of the
procession was the Sons of Veterans, under command of comrade
Herron. The battery of artillery was in charge of the “sons,” two of
their number being seated on the caisson. The procession was not as
large as many were led to expect, judging from the immense crowds on
the streets, but it must be remembered that many of the veterans (we
might say a majority) from the infirmities of age, the disabilities
caused b wounds received in battle, the exposure during their
campaigns, and the trials incident to the warfare in which they
engaged, are not able to parade with the strength and celerity they
displayed 25 years ago.
On arriving at the grove, the speakers and others took the platform,
and the exercises according to the program took place, Captain David
R. Sparks introducing the participants. After prayer by Rev. R. H.
Manier of the Methodist Episcopal Church, Mayor Henry G. McPike
delivered an address of welcome.
Dinner was served to the visiting Posts at ten long tables suitably
enclosed, every veteran being furnished with a ticket after
registering his name. The Bethalto band enlivened the exercises at
intervals with stirring music.
At 2 o’clock, General John M. Palmer was introduced, and held the
vast throng by his words of eloquence; pathos, and humor. He paid
tributes of respect to the veterans, glorified the cause for which
they fought, and concluded by an “old settler’s” address, telling
how he came to Alton 52 years ago, and some of the incidents
connected with that period. He spoke of the wonderful advancement
made by Madison County in half a century; the number of volunteers
she furnished for the Union army; and the great prosperity manifest
in the county today.
Captain H. D. Dement, Secretary of State, also made an address,
beautiful in diction and thoroughly patriotic in sentiment. He paid
an eloquent tribute to General Grant, and pictured the “Old
Commander” as the great soldier, the unswerving patriot, always
true, loyal, and magnanimous. He alluded to the labor troubles, and
believed we would have no more of the scenes of riot and turmoil
witnessed in the last few years, because men were learning that
liberty and enlightment in their fullest extent included a high
regard for the rights and opinions of others.
Comrade E. H. Dunbar of Ransom Post, St. Louis, sang with fine
effect, “Marching Through Georgia,” the audience joining in the
chorus.
Department Commander, A. C. Sweetser, made a real reunion address by
calling for a show of hands of the veterans by States, by regiments,
and by battlefields, showing that men were present from many of the
States, those who had participated in the numberless battles for the
Union. This was a stirring feature of the day.
After the regular program was ended, the veterans met in groups,
clasped hands, and “fought their battles o’er.”
The platform was splendidly decorated with insignia appropriate to
the occasion, a portrait of General John A. Logan occupying a
prominent position. As a whole, the reunion so far has been a
success in all that constitutes such a gathering. The grounds were
in fine order, and the arrangements for the accommodation of all
were excellent. Large tanks and barrels of ice water were placed at
the most accessible points; refreshment stands were on every hand.
There were two dancing platforms. The ravines in the center of the
grove were bridged, making all points more convenient of access.
An object that excited a great deal of curious comment was the flag
taken from the Alton packet, Reindeer, by the rebels, and recaptured
by Major Franklin Moore of the 2nd Illinois Cavalry, from General
Doyle of the 6th Louisiana Cavalry near Claiborne, Alabama, after a
running fight, partly hand-to-hand, of several hours’ duration.
The Campfire
At a late hour last evening, the veterans met around a “Camp Fire”
at Armory Hall, and had a “glorious old time,” narrating army
experiences, swapping stories, singing sons, and reviving old times,
generally. This was, to the old soldiers, the most enjoyable feature
of the reunion, the Bethalto Band adding to the attractions with
fine music.
July 5th
On July 5th, exercises at Middleton’s Grove were opened with music,
and prayer by Rev. F. M. S. Taylor of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church.
Captain Herb, at the request of Major Moore, President of the
Central Illinois Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Association, announced that
the business meeting would take place. Captain Sparks, being called
on, made a speech replete with patriotism and bristling with fine
sentiment. He expressed the opinion that if the country were
threatened as it was 25 years ago, the old veterans would again
spring to arms and battle for freedom and right. This expression met
with a tumultuous response. He gave a thrilling sketch of the
tremendous import and magnitude of the War for the Union, the
privations, the sacrifices, and the wonderful results accomplished
by the great warriors and statesmen of the Republic. He scored the
English government for her unfriendly action during the struggle to
the “Big Son,” that she should have respected. He is in favor of
spending $15,000,000 to build a navy to enforce the respect of old
England.
Colonel J. R. Miles made an address to the “Boys in Blue,” full of
interesting reminiscences of the battles in which they had engaged.
He claimed that the soldiers knew for what they were fighting. They
were not ignoramuses, but were true, loyal, heroic, and
self-sacrificing. Teach the children to love their country and
appreciate the sacrifices of the Union soldiers. He closed with a
farewell to the veterans present.
Adjutant Hobart read the list of delegates and the business meeting
took place. It was decided to have the President appoint a committee
of six to designate the place of the next annual reunion, as
follows: Captain S. Catts, Jersey County; William Head, Madison
County; Colonel Miles, Macoupin County; T. G. Crouse, Morgan County;
L. Dubois, Sangamon County; A. T. Atchison, Greene County. This
committee was authorized to select the President of the Association.
The Vice-Presidents were elected as follows: John Jones, Greene
County; R. H. Wood, Macoupin County; William Brookman, Brown County;
John E. Wright, Morgan County; George M. Palmer, Scott County; David
R. Sparks, Madison County; S. Catts, Jersey County; Hugh Fullerton,
Mason County; William Hanna, Adams County; John H. Churchman,
Calhoun County; James M. Mitchell, Schuyler County; L. Dubois,
Sangamon County; J. C. Berger, Pike County; John G. Barnard,
McDonough County; and C. E. Jones, Cass County. The soldiers of the
county in which the reunion will meet will select the Secretary and
Treasurer.
Fourteen members of Company D, 10th Illinois Infantry, met at
Middleton’s Park yesterday. Several of them had not seen each other
since they were mustered out of the service in July 1865, just 22
years ago. It was a pleasant meeting to the old soldiers, and one
that will long be remembered. The following are the names of members
of Company D who were present: David Jenkins, John Watson, William
Watts, Frank Long, William P. Cousley, William Hyndman, I. M. Free,
Frank Boyd, William Murphy, Joseph Motley, William A. Bonnell, and
John Smith. S. C. Baker of Company H, same regiment, was also
present. It was probably the largest company reunion on the grounds.
REUNION OF THE 97TH ILLINOIS INFANTRY
Source: Alton Daily Telegraph, September 29, 1887
Through the courtesy of Mr. William Ellis Smith, we have had the
privilege of reading the “Proceedings of the third annual reunion of
the Society of the Ninety-Seventh Illinois Veteran Volunteer
Infantry,” held at Greenup, September 9, 1886. The history of the
regiment is given in the little volume by Mr. Smith, who is
Corresponding Secretary of the society. From this narration, we
learn that the 97th was organized at Camp Butler, near Springfield,
in September 1862, by Colonel Friend S. Rutherford of Alton, and
mustered into service September 16. The commissioned officers were:
Colonel Friend S. Rutherford, succeeded by Lewis D. Martin, also of
Alton, and Victor Vifquain; Lieutenant Colonel L. D. Martin and
Victor Vifquain; Major V. Vifquain and J. F. Buchanan; Adjutant V.
Vifquain, Lewis Davis, Samuel R. Howard, John R. Frierson, and
Thomas W. McClanaham; Quartermaster G. C. Cockrell; Surgeons Samuel
Willard, William D. Turner, and Charles Davis; First Assistant
Charles Davis and C. M. Smith; and Chaplain William M. Baker.
On October 3, 1862, the regiment received marching orders, and went
into active service. In December, it participated in the first
unsuccessful attack on the rebel works at Vicksburg, January 11,
1863. After several hours hard fighting, the boys were among the
first to enter Arkansas Post, in the general assault on that
fortified place. At this battle, Captain John Tribble of Alton
received the wound which afterwards proved fatal. The regiment took
part in the marches, skirmishes, and battles preceding the
investment of Vicksburg, and “celebrated” the 4th of July, 1863, by
entering that captured city. During the siege, the regiment was
under fire for 45 consecutive days.
On September 1, the regiment received a challenge from the 6th
Connecticut and 26th Massachusetts, both crack regiments, to drill
for position at New Orleans, September 10. The 97th proved
victorious. After manifesting its devotion on many bloody fields,
the regiment was mustered out of service at Galveston, Texas, July
29, 1865, and arrived at Camp Butler, August 13.
The last great battle in which the 97th was engaged was the capture
of Fort Blakely. On April 9, 1865, the General commanding decided to
storm the rebel works, and the 97th was selected to lead the
assault. At the command, “Forward 97th, Charge!” the whole regiment,
as one man, rose over the works, and with a gallantry seldom
equaled, started on their dangerous mission. Twenty minutes later,
they were in Blakely, and 5,000 rebels and 35 pieces of heavy
artillery were captured. Eighty killed and wounded in this regiment,
besides the losses in the regiments following, were the sacrifices
of this charge. Among the killed in this assault was David Stanton
of Alton, a remarkably promising young man. On the 15th, the
regiment entered Mobile, thence went to Selma, Alabama, and their
last skirmish with the enemy was on May 2, when they drove the enemy
out of Marion Junction and burned the depot. Thence, they returned
to Mobile, and were then ordered to Galveston. The battle flag of
the 97th, though torn and seamed by shot and shell, was brought back
in triumph. No rebel hand ever touched it. Other Illinois regiments
may have equaled the proud record of the 97th, but none surpassed
it.
Of the 887 noble sons of Illinois, who composed the regiment, and
who marched from Camp Butler, but 463 returned, nearly one-half
being lost. Their graves may be found in the levees by the side of
the great Father of Waters [Mississippi River], and again you will
find them on the hill shaded by the grand magnolia at Champion Hill,
by the Muddy Black, on Vicksburg’s heights, through the Dismal
Swamp, by the forts, and on Mobile Bay.
The gallant commander of the regiment, General Friend S. Rutherford,
after long and arduous service, was taken ill at New Orleans in
1864. His devoted wife went to that city to nurse him, and brought
him home, but he lived only a week after his return, dying June 20,
1864. He had commanded a brigade for some time prior to his death,
and had been commissioned Brevet Brigadier General. His remains are
buried in Alton Cemetery. His widow and children reside in Alton.
Company G and Company I of the 97th Illinois Infantry were raised in
Alton and vicinity. Company G was first commanded by John Tribble,
who was wounded at the capture of Fort Hindman (Arkansas Post), of
which wound he soon afterwards died. He was succeeded in command by
First Lieutenant James W. Davis. Captain Davis resigned after the
capture of Vicksburg, and was succeeded by Captain F. T. Lewis, who
still resides in Alton.
First Sergeant Levi Davis was promoted to Second Lieutenant, and
then to First Lieutenant.
W. P. Hazard was promoted to Second Lieutenant, and C. W. Colby also
received that rank.
It is noteworthy fact that three officers of this regiment, from
Alton, were brothers – sons of Hon. Levi Davis. That is a good
family record of patriotism.
A. Achenbach, a photographer of Alton, brother of a celebrated
German marine painter, was the first Captain of Company I. He
resigned, and was succeeded by Lieutenant Samuel Howard. Company G.
originally contained 80 men. Only 22 returned when the war was over.
The number lost by Company I we have not learned.
The Reunion
The steamer Hudson arrived at noon, bringing quite a large
detachment of the 97th to attend the reunion. They were received at
the landing by Mayor Henry G. McPike, and William Ellis Smith, Henry
Stamps, and H. K. Johnston, members of the regiment, and escorted to
the council chamber, and took dinner at the Central Hotel and at
Hotel Madison. Several ladies accompanied the party. The meeting was
called to order by Mr. T. R. Hancock, President of the Association,
who introduced Mayor McPike to the audience, who welcomed the
survivors of the regiment to the city in eloquent and appropriate
terms, paying special tributes to the memory of Colonel Rutherford
and Captain Tribble. A fitting response was made by President
Hancock. After the address of Captain Hancock, the roll was called
by Secretary William Ellis Smith, and the following members
responded to their names:
Captain R. H. Wood of Woodburn; Lieutenant George W. Larimer of
Wichita, Kansas; Captain James Irwin of Logatee; Captain William
Mathie of Springfield, Missouri; Captain George D. Armstrong of
Wellington, Kansas; Lieutenant Alfred Miller of St. Louis;
Lieutenant C. W. Bradman of Beardstown; Milnor Richmond of St.
Louis; Captain Joseph Wisner of Washington, D.C.; B. H. McDaniel of
Gillespie; S. H. Nichols of Neoga; Andrew Berry of Missouri; F. M.
Johnson of Neoga; N. Crunkshank of Neoga; Owen Reeves of Lebo,
Kansas; L. D. Wood of Bunker Hill; Charles D. Perry of Shobonier;
Sergeant J. E. Hobson of Farmersville; William Bower of Nokomis;
John Groves of Bachtown; D. D. cockrell of Bachtown; J. Elliott of
Toledo; Captain B. F. Slaten of Jerseyville; R. B. Stout of
Vandalia; H. Bowers of Springfield; J. P. Davis; Robert Ewing; and
John Elder. Others present were out at time of rollcall.
Besides Companies G. and I, mainly from Alton, four companies were
raised, all or in part, within 25 miles of Alton. They were: Company
A, Captain William H. Willard of Gillespie, succeeded by Captain R.
H. Wood of Woodburn, and William E. Best of Gillespie. Company C,
with Captain John Nairn of Calhoun County, succeeded by Captain P.
H. Pentzer of Gillespie. Company H, with Captain M. H. Scott of
Delhi, succeeded by Captain J. M. Erwin of Vandalia. Company K, with
Captain B. F. Slaten of Jerseyville, succeeded by Captain T. B.
Spaulding of Edwardsville.
Among those present at the reunion was Lieutenant George W. Larimer,
now of Wichita, Kansas, who commanded Company G at the assault on
Fort Blakely.
Among the ladies present were Mrs. E. B. Stout and Mrs. William
Solomon of Vandalia, and Mrs. Friend S. Rutherford of Alton, widow
of Colonel Rutherford.
The present officers of the association are: T. R. Hancock of Neoga,
President; William Burchfield of Vandalia, Recording Secretary;
William Ellis Smith, Correspondence Secretary; and E. B. Stout of
Vandalia, Treasurer.
From the Alton Telegraph, August 4, 1862
Departure of the 97th Infantry, 25 Years Ago
Yesterday afternoon, several messages from Camp Butler were
received, stating that Colonel Rutherford’s regiment, the 97th
Illinois, would pass through Alton en route to Louisville, Kentucky,
and as our city is well represented in two companies of the
regiment, many were on the qui vive to know when they would arrive.
Anxious parents, sisters and wives thronged the Alton depot from
early in the afternoon until late at night, anxiously awaiting the
expected ones. An observer could see that it was no usual thing that
was to happen. They were there with little tidbits, little things
which when they first left home were lost sight of, things that
would be tempting to the appetite, as also for the comfort of the
dear ones they were to meet. At about 10:30 o’clock, the cry of
“here comes the train” was heard, and all were aroused and watching.
The train consisted of 26 cars, box and passenger. They passed the
depot and stopped on the curve of the levee, to change engines
preparatory to continuing their journey.
It was no use trying to keep the men from coming out of the cars,
for if they didn’t get through the doors, they did through the
windows, and the meeting with friends beggars all description. We
can but faintly touch upon it, it needed to be seen to be
appreciated. There were parents whose sons were there, sisters whose
brothers were there, wives whose husbands were there, and those who
had no immediate relatives still had acquaintances among them. They
knew their stay would be short, and the parcels that had been
prepared with so much care were handed over, and the interchange of
sympathy was good for the heart to witness. All looked well and
hearty, and were anxious for the fray. The train was prepared and
ready to go, the last leave-taking had to be gone through with,
perhaps for the last time on earth, and as they gazed on the faces
of the dear ones so soon to leave them, was it any wonder that the
tears would fall? The parting was sad and impressive, and amid the
cheers, tears, and prayers of that large crowd, they moved onto
their destination. May the God of Battles be with them, and keep
them unharmed, and return them in safety to the friends they have
left behind. We expect to hear noble deeds from the 97th, yet, for
we know that wherever Illinois soldiers are found, there is safety,
there is something to be relied on. We are certain we shall not be
disappointed in our expectations. We say three cheers for Colonel
Rutherford and his noble band of men!
REMINISCENCES OF THE 124TH ILLINOIS INFANTRY
Source: Alton Daily Telegraph, December 06 & 07, 1887
This regiment was raised mostly in northern Illinois in August 1862.
Three companies, H, E, and B, were reported from Aurora and Batavia
in Kane County, including quite a number recruited in Chicago.
Companies A and F were from Kewanee, Henry County; G from New
Boston, Mercer County; D and I from Adams and McDonough Counties; k
mainly from Christian and Wayne Counties; and C from Sangamon and
Jersey Counties, including four good men – William W. Leverett,
Charles F. Mills, Henry H. Hays, and John L. C. Richards from Upper
Alton; four others, including Harrison W. Beck, since an efficient
member of the Kansas Legislature from Putnam County, and a few
scatterings. These from Jersey County were recruited mainly by John
W. Terry, John I. White, and N. C. Beaty. The writer had the honor
of being chosen Captain of this company – an honor which he has
always highly appreciated, for it was a company including many men
of standing and ability (several college graduates), and among them
a number far better qualified at that time, August 25, 1862, than
he, to assume such a position. John W. Terry of Jersey County was
chosen 1st Lieutenant, and James Rickey of Mechanicsburg, Sangamon
County, as 2nd Lieutenant. These both resigned before the siege of
Vicksburg closed, and Lewis Dorlan of Springfield and J. L. C.
Richards were chosen in their places.
Ours was the first company of the regiment to report at Camp Butler,
August 27, 1862. On September 10, our regiment was mustered into
service, about 1,000 strong, and a more substantial or finer-looking
body of men has seldom gone to the defense of any country. It
included men of nearly all trades and professions, eleven ordained
and five licensed ministers, and still our regiment was none too
pious.
On October 6 we left Camp Butler under orders to report to
Cincinnati. Before reaching Decatur, a dispatch was received
changing our destination to Cairo, which changed the entire history
of our military life.
Sunday morning, October 9, we arrived at Jackson, Tennessee, and
were assigned to the First Brigade (Colonel C. C. March) of the
Third Division (General John A. Logan), Seventeenth Army Corps
(General James B. McPherson). Here we first knew what it was to be
in an enemy’s country, and short of provisions. Orders were very
strict, against killing hogs found in the woods. Nevertheless, some
of them died, and Union soldiers found out how they tasted! All
survived the ordeal, and none of our pay was stopped!
Early in November, we moved south to La Grange, Tennessee, stopping
over night at Bolivar, where was massed a large Union force under
General Grant, with Vicksburg in view as our ultimate aim. At
LaGrange we remained nearly a month. At this place occurred our
first grand review before Generals Grant, McPherson, Logan, and
other officers. Here we first saw prisoners of war taken by a part
of our force. Among these the writer had the privilege of a very
interesting chat with Captain Clay, a nephew of Henry Clay, who
occupied a room in the college at LaGrange. He had been wounded in
one arm and captured in an engagement not far south of LaGrange, in
northern Mississippi. Shortly after this, the larger portion of
General Grant’s force was ordered south, and went some distance
below Oxford, the seat of the Mississippi State University. One of
the professors who was still on the ground, though not in a very
high state of enjoyment, showed a party of us through the different
buildings, library, gymnasium &c., of the university.
While on this expedition in northern Mississippi we heard the
startling news of our disaster at Holly Springs, which we had passed
through on our way, where General Van Dorn made his famous capture
of a large quantity of our supplies, and a good haul of prisoners,
including two men of our company left there in the hospital. All was
through the gross inefficiency, if not cowardice and treachery, of
the officer left in command. As a result of this capture, our men
drew no clothing after their first draw at Camp butler early in
September 1862, until February 1863, when some of them were almost
destitute, and their health as well as comfort had correspondingly
suffered.
Our regiment, though having done a good deal of hard marching toward
the enemy, but never had a chance to fire a shot at a rebel. On our
return from this trip, we were ordered to proceed westward on the
Memphis and Charleston Railroad, and distribute ourselves as pickets
at different points along that road. I was given charge of three
companies at one of these points. We went to work to make ourselves
comfortable as possible, but the next day received orders to travel
on farther towards Memphis, we passed through some of the roughest
experiences of our army life. Our regiment camped several days on a
plantation near Collierville, owned by an old Tennessean who had
resided there 40 years, and who told us he had never seen such
weather as we had a part of the time during those days. It rained
almost incessantly one entire day, and the following night the rain
turned into a snowstorm, which came down upon us about the same
length of time, followed by severe cold. Our camping ground, in a
flat, open field, was miserable, and many of the men being almost
destitute of clothing suffered greatly. By carefully tending the
fires at night, we made our condition tolerable. We reached the
suburbs of Memphis on January 21, and went into quarters there for
one month.
Sickness prevailed in our regiment. Twenty men from Company C soon
found their way into the different hospitals, and from other
companies about the same proportion. Many of these men never joined
us again. While here, Mrs. General Logan came down and spent several
days with her husband at the headquarters of our division. Her
presence was a pleasure and inspiration not only to the General, but
to his entire command. During our stay, friends at home remembered
us with many cheering tokens of their regard, some of which it was a
privilege to share with our headquarters. General Logan was always
strongly attached to the soldiers of his command, and had their
respect and attachment in return in a very high degree.
From Memphis, February 22, we went down the river to Lake
Providence, Louisiana, one of the most beautiful places we saw in
all the South, where we spent about three weeks. The residences,
lawns, and gardens bordering on this lake were of surpassing
loveliness. Our next stop was about one week at Milliken’s Bend,
twenty-five miles by river, and fourteen miles by straight line from
Vicksburg, where we were visited on April 22 by Governor Yates,
Ex-Governor Wood, and Hon. E. B. Washburne, who reviewed and
addressed the soldiers. That night occurred the great running of the
rebel batteries at Vicksburg, and we could hear and see the flashes
of their guns. This was one of the exciting nights of the war. Our
chief officers had been very active in their plans and preparations
for what was coming. It was now evident that the scenes and
realities of war were fast approaching. One day, several of our
regimental officers went down the river on a steamer to the Great
Bend, in front of Vicksburg, where with their glasses, they had a
good view of the rebel works, big guns, etc.
On April 25 we left Milliken’s Bend, and traveled south on the
Louisiana side, over some desperate roads to Bruinsburg, about sixty
miles below Vicksburg, where we crossed the river on April 30, near
which place, the day before, a very hard battle had been fought
between our gun boasts, under Porter, and the Confederate batteries,
on the Mississippi shore. That evening, Governor Yates and Mr.
Washburne again addressed the soldiers of our division. All knew
that a battle was pending for the next day, which our “War governor”
assured us was to decide the opening of the Mississippi River. We
were under orders to be ready to march next morning, and of course
many slept but little.
May 1, 1863, the day of our first battle, will not soon be forgotten
by our regiment. What we saw, heard, and felt can never be effaced
from our memories. But as the accounts of battles and of this part
of the war are very familiar, and as our experiences were similar to
those of most other soldiers, I shall not here recount them. Our
next engagement was near Raymond, the county seat of Hinds County,
Mississippi, May 12, where occurred for about an hour the sharpest
and most incessant musketry firing between the right wing of our
brigade and several regiments of Texas soldiers that we ever heard
anywhere, said old officers who were with us.
One incident occurred between these two battles which is not so well
known, but considering the stir it made among the soldiers, is worth
mentioning. Near one place where we had camped, some soldiers (not
of our command) were out in search of chickens, when under a negro
shanty they discovered some loose boards covering a hole, from which
they drew out a coffee pot containing nearly $300 in gold and
silver, which at that time commanded a large premium. Some of this
precious coin found its way into our regiment, and the writer
procured two half dollars, which he afterwards had put on the head
of a rare stick or cane, which was cut near where Grant and
Pemberton arranged for the surrender of Vicksburg, and presented
this cane to the cabinet of Shurtleff College.
May 14, we shared in the capture of Jackson, and May 16, in the
hard-fought battle of Champion’s Hills, where we lost over 60 men,
killed and wounded, in about 30 minutes.
Sunday, May 17, was fought the battle at Black River, in which we
had no share, which was immediately followed by the siege of
Vicksburg, where Sherman’s corps were posted on the north,
McPherson’s on the ast, and McClernand’s on the south, and Porter’s
mortar fleet on the river. Our division was the first to march in
after the surrender, July 4. Here and at Black River we were
quartered, to our regret, not being old enough, as soldiers, to
re-enlist as veterans and share in the marches to Atlanta and the
sea, until February 25, 1865, but during this time we were sent out
on many expeditions in various directions; the most important of
which was that under Sherman to Meridian in February 1864.
January 23, 1864, our regiment was the successful contestant for the
“Excelsior” silk banner, offered as a prize by General M. D. Leggett
for the best drilled regiment in Logan’s Division. Ours was
afterwards known as “The Excelsior Regiment,” a distinction of which
we were justly proud.
The last of February 1865, we went to New Orleans to join General
Canby’s command, as a part of General A. J. Smith’s corps. Here we
camped two weeks at Chalmette, near the old Jackson monument, and
saw the great city of the south, her custom house and other sights,
including the great “Mardi Gras” celebration, March 4,
March 12, we left on a big ocean steamer with four other regiments
and a large quantity of baggage for the mouth of the Mississippi
River, a night on the Gulf of Mexico, near Mobile, which fell into
our hands the night of April 8. We soon started for Montgomery, the
capital of Alabama, where we remained from April 25 until July 17,
when we started for home and were mustered out in Chicago, August
15, 1865, having served our full three years – the last six months
of which the writer served as Major of the regiment.
During our service, we were in 10 battles, 14 skirmishes, and 2
sieges, being under fire of the enemy 82 days and 60 nights; having
marched 4,100 miles and never having retreated a single rod in the
face of the enemy. Our loses in some of these engagements were very
heavy.
The history of our regiment, written by Chaplain R. L. Howard,
having resigned during the siege of Vicksburg, was published early
in 1880, a few copies of which are in the two Altons. September 9,
1887, we had a grand reunion at Aurora, and there formed “The 124th
Illinois Infantry Veteran Association,” of which Charles E. Bassett
of Chicago is President, and expect to hold occasional reunions in
the future.
Signed H. L. Field, Ex-Captain
Eaton Rapids, Michigan, December 2, 1887.
ROUSING CAMP FIRE BY G. A. R.
(Grand Army of the Republic)
Source: Alton Daily Telegraph, March 24, 1888
Owing to the short notice and threatening weather, there was not a
very large turnout last evening at city hall to attend the G.A.R.
campfire, but lack of numbers was made up by enthusiasm as the
repeated bursts of applause testified. It was a genuine loyal
love-fest, thoroughly enjoyable to the veterans.
Mr. S. S. Hobart, Commander of Alton Post, called the meeting to
order, and introduced General J. I. Rinaker of Carlinville, who made
a telling speech to the “boys,” as he designated the veterans. He
said that it was saddening to see that the ranks were thinning out.
He spoke of the wonderful changes in our country since the time when
the boys in blue marched to the front. The life of Methuselah was
but a before-breakfast spell measured by the great events of the
present generation. He paid a glowing tribute to the men who spent
their strength and vitality in upholding the flag. The helpless
soldiers are not beggars, but should be assisted. Is it beggary to
say to the American people “put your hands in your overflowing
pockets and help these men who can never, never be forgotten by a
people who deserve to be free. An honorable discharge from the army
should be the only evidence required in such cases.”
General W. P. Pavey of Mt. Vernon was next introduced. He remarked
that the “boys” are getting closer together, are becoming more
popular all the time. The soldiers were not chicken thieves. They
did not “steal” a chicken, but every rooster that crowed for Jeff
Davis got its neck wrung. A few other “roosters” ought to have been
hung, then the country would have been better off. One principle
fought for was that every man should vote as he pleased, and the
vote should be counted right. The brightest page in all history is
that written by the Grand Army of the Republic from 1861 to 1865.
Worse than the rebels in front, were the men in the rear engaged in
firing paper bullets at the soldiers. Whenever a nation forgets its
defenders, it does not deserve the name of a Nation. It is a grand
thought that the “sons of Veterans” are coming on to take the place
of the men who are passing away. A Union Soldier’s discharge is a
certificate of nobility. To say that we shall not talk of the events
of the war is silly, sentimental twaddle. The helpless soldiers are
the wards of the Nation, and should be treated as such. They can
never be repaid. God pity the man who can veto a pension to a
crippled soldier. Soldiers were paid, partly in money worth $3 cents
on the dollar, and the amount should be made good today. The black
pages on which were written the history of Southern prison pens can
never be obliterated from history. The speaker gave a thrilling
recital of a scene when starving prisoners of Andersonville were
offered food and freedom if they would cast their lot with the
Southern Confederacy. Not a man responded. We do not want to re-open
the wounds of the war, but we cannot avoid speaking of these events.
The “grey” fired on the flag, tried to destroy the Union, shot our
soldiers, starved 60,000 of our soldiers in prison pens. Therefore,
we cannot honor the “grey.”
General John I. Martin of Salem said there was nothing he had rather
do than attend a campfire, for the G.A.R. is the greatest
organization on earth. Would not take all this world in exchange for
the record made during the war for liberty, equal rights, and our
country. The speaker said that he started from Alton to the war when
he was 21 years old. Every soldier is entitled to a pension; the
country owes him one. General Martin gave soul-stirring recitals of
the fights around Atlanta and on the March to the Sea. He told how,
at a bloody battle, a rabbit started up and skedaddled to the rear.
An officer looked after it and exclaimed, “go it, cotton tail! If it
wasn’t for my reputation, I’d go with you.” Rebels can’t hold
offices in the G.A.R. because they can’t get in.
At the close of General Martin’s remarks, the drop curtain was
raised and the “Army deadbeat,” excellently personated by Private H.
F. Reuter of Nashville, was revealed with two crutches, pan, tin
cup, a chicken, and other spoils of war; he was a typical bummer.
The song about “bloody wars that make me cry” was exceedingly sad
and remarkably doleful. It brought down the house.
Captain Sparks then entertained the audience with a brief address.
He said his cavalry company was more excited and fearful when first
ordered from St. Louis to St. Charles in the night than at any
subsequent period. It was the proudest experience of his life when
he left home and went to battle for his country. The “pay” of
soldiers was no recompense. It is a mockery to speak of it as such.
The soldiers fought that the country might live, actuated by motives
of pure patriotism. It is a shame to any rich government with an
immense surplus that helpless soldiers are left to suffer. The
hardships endured on the march, at the bivouac, and on the field
were interestingly depicted. The President, who vetoed a dependent
pension bill, should never get a soldier’s vote. Call it politics or
what you will. Let the old soldiers stand by their guns and all will
be well.
Colonel Miles was called out. The 9th of August 1861, he landed at
Camp Butler with a company of young men from Macoupin County. There
are men who don’t want to hear of the war, but no true Union soldier
is ashamed of his record.
The meeting adjourned at a late hour, all feeling that it was good
to be there.
MAJOR FRANK MOORE
Source: Alton Daily Telegraph, August 03, 1888
Major Frank Moore says that after the surrender of Lee’s army to
Grant, in April 1865, he was in command of the 2nd Illinois Cavalry
in pursuit of Jefferson Davis. Near Eufaula, Georgia, his regiment
belonging to General Grierson’s brigade, was ordered back. Had this
not been the case, the Major has no doubt but that his force would
have captured the arch traitor within two days, for soon after the
retrograde movement commenced, Wilson’s Cavalry was met, a
detachment of which, following the same route Major Moore had
intended taking, apprehended the fugitive chief of the Southern
Confederacy. The magnamity of the Union troops was supremely
manifest in the circumstances attending this affair for Jefferson.
He was so well taken care of that he has lived to see four score
years, and to be honored with a silver crown, “tendered him recently
by some of his Southern subjects.” We may be accused, in this
connection, of “waving the bloody shirt” and injuring Democratic
prospects, for as the Chicago Times said in 1880, narrations of the
war for the Union do not tend to make Democratic votes.
A SOLDIER’S MEMORIAL AT ALTON CEMETERY
Source: Alton Telegraph, June 27, 1889
The members of Alton Post, G.A.R., at the suggestion of William
Eliot Smith, have had the old Parrot gun, formerly lying in the yard
of the Piasa House, removed to the cemetery and intend to have it
mounted on a stone carriage, placed on the ridge overlooking the
spot where the greater number of the Union soldiers in the cemetery
are buried. They have subscribed $73 among themselves for the
object, and this morning Commander King received a check from Mr. F.
W. Drury of St. Louis for $20 to apply to the fund. The total sum
needed to complete the memorial in good shape with suitable
environment is about $250. The old soldiers are not asking any
donations for this object, but we feel that the expense of this
unique memorial ought not to be borne solely by them. They have done
enough.
Commander King is making an effort to have that portion of our
cemetery where the soldier dead are, placed on the basis of a
national cemetery, i.e., to receive a sufficient sum annual from
Washington to cover the expense of caring for the graves and
headstones. 164 soldiers were buried there by the government, not to
speak of the many buried in private lots. In response to Commander
Kings’ letter, the Secretary of War ordered Major Burke,
Superintendent of the National Cemetery at Jefferson Barracks, to
visit Alton Cemetery and report what was needed. That gentleman was
here last Friday, and made the required examination. There is no
doubt that after his report is received, there will be an
appropriation made to put the grounds in good order, and that it
will be continued annually hereafter.
Source: Alton Telegraph, July 18, 1889
The following letter, dated July 11, 1889, to the Board of Trustees
of Alton Cemetery, explains itself:
“I am authorized to expend the sum of $487 upon the two sections in
which the U.S. soldiers are buried in your cemetery, and also to
expend the sum of $16.20 per year in the future (or 10 cent per
grave for the 162 graves) for keeping the sections in order with the
understanding that the board pledge themselves to maintain the
sections in the best of condition. A storm and recruiting flag and
also flag halyards will be furnished you by me to hoist daily in the
cemetery at the soldiers’ lots.
The $487 is furnished for the following purposes upon an estimate
made by me:
Labor and material filling ravine and low graves $150.00
Raising sunken headstones $.75
Grading uneven places in sections $10.00
Cutting grass from graves and around headstones $1.25
Setting section off with gravel or cinder walks, grading to guard
against wash, grade and build a foundation for gun and flag staff
$325.00
Please place me in communication with the engineer of your cemetery,
so I may instruct him with reference to preparing specifications for
information and guidance of bidders. As soon as specifications are
prepared, I will advertise for proposals, 30 days’ notice, and have
the work completed as soon thereafter as possible. I also desire
that you will call a meeting of your board, and make the pledge
herein referred to in the form of a resolution spread upon your
records, and furnish me a certified copy. I will also thank you to
advise the Commander of Alton G.A.R. Post of the action taken in the
case.” Very respectfully, James M. Moore, Deputy Quartermaster
General, U.S.A. Depot Quartermaster.
TURNING POINT OF THE CIVIL WAR
By Major Thomas J. Newsham of Edwardsville
Source: Alton Telegraph, September 12, 1889
“I met General Sherman two years ago at the Lindell Hotel, and in
the course of a long conversation, I asked him what he considered
the critical event or turning point of the Civil War. His reply was
that what he considered the most critical event of the war was a
little incident that occurred in the woods of Tennessee, a short
time after the Battle of Corinth – the intended resignation of
General Grant. While at Halleck’s headquarters, Sherman was informed
that Grant had determined to resign. He got on his horse and rode
direct to Grant’s headquarters. He found Grant with a number of
papers before him on a table. Sherman asked Grant what he was doing,
and also told him that he had heard that he was going to resign.
Grant handed Sherman a paper, which proved to be his resignation
already written out. ‘I can stand this no longer,’ said Grant,
alluding to his ill-treatment by his superiors. ‘If I can’t command
a brigade or a division, I can carry a musket.’ Sherman asked Grant
if he would do him a favor. Grant replied that he would do anything
in his power for Sherman. Sherman took the written resignation, tore
it into fragments, and said that the favor he asked was that Grant
would withhold his resignation for two weeks. Grant agreed to this,
and the resignation was not heard of again. Halleck was removed in a
few days, and Grant was restored to his command. ‘That,’ said
General Sherman, ‘I consider was the turning point of the war.’”
MEMORIAL TO FALLEN HEROES
Source: Alton Telegraph, April 24, 1890
The finishing touches have been placed on a memorial to the fallen
heroes of our country who are sleeping in our cemetery. The memorial
is on the brow of the hill, just above the place where rest the
patriotic dead. The foundation is of Alton limestone, upon which
rests a granite pedestal, which will be surmounted by a cannon. The
cannon has been encased in a covering of copper, and is ready for
mounting. On one side is the inscription, Dei Gratia Vineit Amors
Patria. On the other side, “The Nation’s Dead.” On the east end,
“1890.” A little to the north and east of the pedestal a flag staff
has been erected, which is for use on public occasions. The entire
memorial is a fitting tribute paid by the living to the departed
defenders of the Union.
RECOLLECTIONS OF THE BATTLE OF SHILOH
Written by Francis Marion Johnson of Alton
Member of the 32nd Illinois Infantry
Source: Alton Telegraph, May 22, 1890
Benny Harrison’s death occurred but a short time before the great
Shiloh battle, and I had got comparatively well and was in that
great battle, April 6 and 7, 1862. Our regiment (32nd Illinois) was
terribly depleted on that ever-to-be-remembered spot of ground, by
death from sickness and bullets. Our regiment, in line for
inspection a day or so after the battle, was only one-third as long
as when we marched off the boat (steamboat Empire) on first landing
there. All of the boats (15 or more) had left loaded to crowding
with the wounded but one, the Champion, by Thursday evening, the
19th. She was crowded with the last of the wounded who had been
carried back by the Rebs on the first day’s fight (April 6, 1862),
and left by them on their retreat on April 7 and 8. Among them was a
number of our regiment (32nd Illinois) – one of them being my cousin
and adopted brother, A. J. Johnson, who received two severe flesh
wounds, at about half past two o’clock p.m., Sunday, April 6.
The surgeon requested that nurses should be detailed from the
regiments having numbers of wounded aboard. Our boys requested that
I should be detailed to go with them, and I was. Because of my
position in the regiment, I was well known to every man and boy in
it. The boat started north at sundown, Thursday evening, April 10,
and landed at the foot of Chestnut Street, St. Louis, at 4 o’clock
Sunday morning, April 13. On the trip, the diarrhea and a touch of
the flux came back upon me, caused by drinking the Tennessee River
water, and neglect of self in helping to care for the wounded.
Myself and cousin were taken to the Fifth Avenue Hospital [in St.
Louis], where we met my father, who was waiting to take us home. I
had written and posted a letter to him, giving the name of our boat,
and he knew by the dispatches in the papers about when the boat
would arrive at St. Louis. We were reported at the hospital,
underwent a brief examination, were given a 30-day furlough, and
were turned over to a private, free of charge, repair firm (the
folks at home) to be put into good repair again. Hundreds of
fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters, and other relatives and friends
were about the hospital to care for and to take to their homes their
sick and wounded boys and friends. Tears come to my eyes every time
I think of the piteous, pleading, yearning look, that came to the
eyes of those poor mangled and maimed or badly sick boys, whose
folks or friends had not come yet, or those that had none to come,
upon the witnessing the meeting of us that were more fortunate with
our anxious relatives and friends and our departure home with them.
There were also those that were considered peculiar cases, or in a
too badly injured condition to be permitted to be moved, and were
retained in the hospital to be experimented upon with an attempt at
cure. The soldier sections in our cemeteries show how many were not
cured.
On the way around from Pittsburg Landing, I had 20 men and boys to
wait upon to food and water, and to wash and clean their wounds
until such a time as the insufficient force of surgeons could attend
to them. I had my crowd lying along the larboard side, center of the
cabin, and in the center of the cabin by us was the amputating
tables, using the boat dining tables, and it was saw and slash,
night and day, from Thursday evening to Sunday morning, and numbers
had not yet been touched (only by us as nurses) when they were moved
off of the boat to the hospital. We, that at times had to assist the
surgeons, would carry and cord up on the boat guards each in a
separate pile – arms, legs, hands, feet, fingers, toes, and chunks
of the flesh from almost every part of the human body that was cut
out to get rid of gangrene, and on coming to deep places in the
river, we would shovel them all overboard. The worst wounded among
my twenty was an orderly sergeant, a wiry little fellow of 20 years
of age. His right arm had been torn off at the shoulder by grape
shot, his windpipe had been almost completely severed by a bullet,
and another had passed through his mouth, knocking out all of his
front teeth and coming out just under the base of his brain. I had
to feed him soups, and always be on the lookout for fear that he
would die because of his windpipe being cut. I kept a handkerchief
tied tightly around his throat, and whenever it would slip out of
place, the wind in breathing would escape, so as to endanger his
life. At the very best that I could do for him, it was difficult for
him to breathe, and in feeding him, I had to be very careful not to
strangle him. He gave me so much uneasiness, that I kept after the
surgeons to attend to him, but it was Saturday forenoon before they
could because of the gangrene cases, and he was the only one out of
my twenty boys that they did attend to on the boat. I did it all
myself, and kept them in good condition. None of them had gangrene,
and all had been wounded on Sunday, April 6, and the Orderly
Sergeant was not attended to by the surgeons until April 12 – six
full days. They had to unjoint his shoulder socket because of the
arm portion of the bone being shattered. His windpipe was pasted up,
and the mouth and neck wound dressed and he was set back in his old
place, against the side of the cabin. He had a number of times
previous to this beckoned me to hold my ear to his mouth, and he
would, with great effort, beg me to get him a cigar to smoke. I told
him no, the smoke would strangle him. Now that he was fixed up, he
could talk in a tolerably loud whisper, and he said, “now get me a
cigar.” I went to the bar and got a half dozen (I had been getting
them every day for the other boys that smoked). I lit one and placed
it in his mouth, he leaned back, puffing his cigar, and I can never
forget that peaceful, happy, thoroughly satisfied expression that
came into his countenance, such as ‘tis said those have that are
about to enter the pearly gates of Heaven. I do not smoke myself,
but I do not begrudge the comfort that others may have in doing it,
as this poor, unfortunate boy did.
Nearby my boys, another nurse had two badly wounded men. One a big,
stout German, about thirty years old, and who had left a wife and
children at home, had his left leg badly shattered below the knee.
On examining him, the surgeons said “his leg would have to come off
above the knee.” The German raved and swore that it should not come
off at all. Next day, a number of the surgeons and nurses seized him
and threw him upon the table, holding him until ether and then
chloroform were applied. Neither of them had the desired effect, and
he had to be held by main force until his leg was cut off. Of all
the heart-rending scenes that I ever went through, that was the
worst. The ravings, the piteous pleadings, the bewailing of the
condition of his poor wife and children. Why, people, it was enough
to unstring the nerves of a man of iron. When it was done, and he
was placed back in his place on the cabin floor, he sobbed and
sobbed, his heart was broke, and just because of his love for wife
and children. Probably, and I think certainly, that the loving wife
and children restored that broken heart, if not the amputated limb.
Another poor, badly wounded soldier, an American about 25 years of
age, lay near to this German. His left leg was very badly shattered
just above the knee. He lay there so uncomplaining that it was
thought that he was not hurt very bad. When he was taken up and
operated upon, the surgeons made three different amputations to get
ahead of gangrene – the third time cutting up into his body, and it
was still ahead of them. He was laid back in his place on the cabin
floor, and soon died. That night he was tied up with some weights in
a blanket, and thrown overboard. If he could have had attention in
time, his life could have been saved. Such are the horrors of war,
and this is but a very, very little of it.
My father was taking the Alton Daily Telegraph, and the next evening
after getting home, I saw an account where I had arrived at home
wounded, and my cousin sick. As soon as I was able, I rode downtown
and called upon Mr. Parks (editor of the Telegraph) to correct his
mistake. He said, “I do not see the use of doing that – it is all in
the same family, is it not?” Yes, I said, but I want the honor to be
to him, to whom it is due. Foolish wasn’t it? There has proved to be
no honor in it now-a-days, especially.
NOTES:
Francis M. Johnson’s hometown was listed as Upper Alton. His rank
was listed as Musician. He was mustered in December 31, 1861, with
his cousin, Corporal Andrew J. Johnson. The rank of Musician was a
position just below Corporal, and just above Private. During the
Civil War, military leaders on both sides depended on military
musicians to entertain troops, position troops in battle, and stir
them on to victory. Some performed concerts in forward positions
during the fighting. At times, musicians from both sides played
against each other on the night before a battle.
Francis M. Johnson was born in Alton in 1843, making him 18 years of
age when he mustered in. During his lifetime, he became a historian
of the old No. 2 school building (the first free school in Alton –
later called Lincoln School). Johnson was filled with patriotism,
and marched in every Memorial Day parade, beating the old drum which
he had carried with him during the war. He married and had two sons
– William and Frank Jr. – and three daughters – Fanny May Johnson,
Mrs. Foreline, and Mrs. Grace Layton. He was a long-standing member
of the G.A.R. at Alton. He died in 1912 at the age of 67, and is
buried in the Upper Alton Oakwood Cemetery.
RECOLLECTIONS OF THE BATTLE OF SHILOH
By Alton resident, Francis Marion Johnson
Source: Alton Telegraph, May 22, 1890
Benny Harrison’s death occurred but a short time before the great
Shiloh battle, and I had got comparatively well, and was in that
great battle, April 6 and 7, 1862. Our regiment (32nd Illinois) was
terribly depleted on that ever to be remembered spot of ground, by
death from sickness and bullets. Our regiment, in line for
inspection a day or so after the battle, was only one third as long
as when we marched off the boat (the Empire) on first landing there.
All of the boats (15 or more) had left loaded to crowding with the
wounded, but one, the Champion, by Thursday evening, the 19th. She
was crowded with the last of the wounded who had been carried back
by the Rebs the first day’s fight (April 6, 1862), and left by them
on their retreat the 7th and 8th. Among them was a number of our
regiment (32nd Illinois), one of them being my cousin and adopted
brother, A. J. Johnson, who received two severe flesh wounds on
Sunday, the 6th.
The surgeon requested that nurses should be detailed from the
regiments having numbers of wounded aboard. Our boys requested that
I should be detailed to go with them, and I was. Because of my
position in the regiment, I was well known to every man and boy in
it. The boat started north at sundown, Thursday evening, April 10,
and landed at the foot of Chestnut Street, St. Louis, at 4 o’clock
Sunday morning, April 13. On the trip, the diarrhea and a touch of
the flux came back upon me, caused by drinking the Tennessee River
water, and neglect of self in helping to care for the wounded.
Myself and cousin were taken to the Fifth Avenue hospital, where we
met my father, who was waiting to take us home. I had written and
posted a letter to him giving the name of our boat, and he knew by
the dispatches in the papers about when the boat would arrive at St.
Louis. We were reported at the hospital, underwent a brief
examination, were given a 30-day furlough, and were turned over to a
private, free of charge repair firm (the folks at home), to be put
into good repair again. Hundreds of fathers, mothers, brothers,
sisters, and other relatives and friends were about the hospital to
care for and to take to their homes their sick and wounded boys and
friends. Tears come to my eyes every time I think of the piteous,
pleading, yearning look that came to the eyes of those poor mangled
and maimed or badly sick boys, whose folks or friends had not come
yet, or those that had none to come, upon the witnessing the meeting
of us that were more fortunate with our anxious relatives and
friends and our departure home with them. There were also those that
were considered peculiar cases, or in a too badly injured condition
to be permitted to be moved, and were retained in the hospital to be
experimented upon with an attempt at cure. The soldier sections in
our cemeteries show how many were not cured.
On the way around from Pittsburg Landing, I had 20 men and boys to
wait upon to food and water, and to wash and clean their wounds
until such a time as the insufficient force of surgeons could attend
to them. I had my crowd lying along the larboard side, center of the
cabin, and in the center of the cabin by us was the amputating
tables, using the boat dining tables, and it was saw and slash,
night and day, from Thursday evening to Sunday morning, and numbers
had not yet been touched (only by us as nurses) when they were moved
off of the boat to the hospital. We, that at times had to assist the
surgeons, would carry and cord up on the boat guards each in a
separate pile, arms, legs, hands, feet, fingers, toes, and chunks of
the flesh from almost every part of the human body, that was cut out
to get rid of gangrene, and on coming to deep places in the river,
we would shovel them all overboard. The worst wounded among my
twenty was an orderly sergeant, a wiry little fellow of 20 years of
age, his right arm had been torn off at the shoulder by grape shot,
his windpipe had been almost completely severed by a bullet, and
another had passed through his mouth, knocking out all of his front
teeth and coming out just under the base of his brain. I had to feed
him soups, and always be on the lookout for fear that he would die
because of his windpipe being cut. I kept a handkerchief tied
tightly around his throat, and whenever it would slip out of place,
the wind in his breathing would escape so as to endanger his life,
at the very best that I could do for him, it was difficult for him
to breath, and in feeding him, I had to be very careful not to
strangle him. He gave me so much uneasiness, that I kept after the
surgeons to attend to him, but it was Saturday forenoon before they
could because of the gangrene cases, and he was the only one out of
my twenty boys that they did attend to on the boat. I did it all
myself, and kept them in good condition. None of them had gangrene,
and all had been wounded on Sunday, the 6th, and the Orderly
Sergeant was not attended to by the surgeons until the 12th – six
full days. They had to unjoint his shoulder socket because of the
arm portion of the bone being shattered. His windpipe was pasted up,
and the mouth and neck wound dressed, and he was set back in his old
place against the side of the cabin. He had a number of times
previous to this beckoned me to hold my ear to his mouth, and he
would, with great effort, beg me to get him a cigar to smoke. I told
him no, the smoke would strangle him. Now that he was fixed up, he
could talk in a tolerably loud whisper, and he said, “Now get me a
cigar.” I went to the bar and got a half dozen (I had been getting
them every day for the other boys that smoked). I lit one and placed
it in his mouth. He leaned back, puffing his cigar, and I can never
forget that peaceful, happy, thoroughly satisfied expression that
came into his countenance – such as ‘tis said those have that are
about to enter the pearly gates of Heaven. I do not smoke myself,
but I do not begrudge the comfort that others may have in doing it,
as this poor, unfortunate boy did.
Nearby my boys, another nurse had two badly wounded men. One, a big,
stout, German, about thirty years old, and who had left a wife and
children at home, had his left leg badly shattered below the knee.
On examining him, the surgeons said “his leg would have to come off
above the knee.” The German raved and swore that it should not come
off at all. The next day, a number of the surgeons and nurses seized
him and threw him upon the table, holding him until ether and then
chloroform were applied. Neither of them had the desired effect, and
he had to be held by main force until his leg was cut off. Of all
the heart-rending scenes that I ever went through, that was the
worst. The ravings, the piteous pleadings, the bewailing of the
condition of his poor wife and children. Why, it was enough to
unstring the nerves of a man of iron. When it was done and he was
placed back in his place on the cabin floor, he sobbed and sobbed.
His heart was broke, and just because of his love for wife and
children. Probably, and I think certainly, the loving wife and
children restored that broken heart, if not the amputated limb.
Another poor, badly wounded soldier, an American about 25 years of
age, lay near to this German. His left leg was very badly shattered
just above the knee. He lay there so uncomplaining that it was
thought that he was not hurt very bad. When he was taken up and
operated upon, the surgeons made three different amputations to get
ahead of gangrene, the third time cutting up into his body, and it
was still ahead of them. He was laid back in his place on the cabin
floor and soon died. That night he was tied up with some weights in
a blanket, and thrown overboard. If he could have had attention in
time, his life could have been saved.
Such are the horrors of war, and this is but a very, very, little of
it. My father was taking the Alton Daily Telegraph, and the next
evening after getting home, I saw an account where I had arrived at
home wounded, and my cousin sick. As soon as I was able, I rode
downtown and called upon Mr. Parks [Telegraph owner] to correct his
mistake. He said, “I do not see the use of doing that. It is all in
the same family, is it not?” “Yes,” I said, “But I want the honor to
be to him, to whom it is due.” Foolish wasn’t it? There has proved
to be on honor in it now-a-days, especially. Signed F. M. Johnson.
NOTES:
The author of the above article regarding the recollections of the
Battle of Shiloh was Francis Marion Johnson. Mr. Johnson was born in
Alton in 1843, and lived there all of his life. He was a hard
worker, and had a well-informed memory. He was recognized as the
leading historian of the old No. 2 schoolhouse in Alton – the first
public school erected. When he was a young man during the Civil War,
he enlisted in the 32nd Illinois Regiment, and served in the Battle
of Shiloh. After the battle, the wounded were gathered, and he was
one of the men selected to serve as a nurse to the wounded. In later
years, he marched in every Memorial Day parade with other old
soldiers, and he would beat the old drum which he carried with
General Sherman through Georgia. Mr. Johnson died in August 1912,
and was buried in the Upper Alton Oakwood Cemetery. Surviving him
was his wife, two sons – William and Frank Jr., and three daughters
– Fanny May Johnson, Mrs. Foreline, and Mrs. Grace Layton.
GEORGE WASHINGTON RECEIVES PENSION
Source: Alton Telegraph, January 08, 1891
George Washington “the second,” a colored veteran of the late war
[Civil War], who now resides in North Alton, has been allowed a
pension and today received a check for $550 from the department at
Washington D.C. A few weeks ago, George Washington “the first,”
likewise a colored man and a veteran who resides in this locality,
received a pension with a goodly amount of back pay attached. Both
men fought in the same company during the war, and were designated
“first” and “second” respectively on the army rolls, so as to be
known apart.
WADE JACKSON RECEIVES PENSION
For Civil War Service
Source: Alton Telegraph, January 15, 1891
Wade Jackson of Upper Alton, a colored man who served in a battery
of heavy artillery during the War of the Rebellion, has been granted
a pension, and Agent Platt expects the papers for the payment of the
same to arrive here from Chicago tomorrow. There are two Wade
Jacksons in Upper Alton, however. Both served in the same battery,
each has his discharge, and each has applied for a pension. Which
one was lucky enough to get there first cannot be determined until
the papers arrive, since there is no distinction in their respective
cases, excepting as to the height of their statures, one being
several inches taller than the other. A case parallel with this was
that of the two George Washingtons, each of whom receive a pension a
few days ago. One lives in Alton, the other in North Alton. Both
served in the same company, and were known as George Washington the
First, and George Washington the Second, respectively.
CHICKAMAUGA BATTLEFIELD
Described by Edmond Beall
Source: Alton Daily Telegraph, December 09, 1892
From Chattanooga, Tennessee, December 5, 1892 – In previous letters
to your paper I tried to describe the battlefields of Missionary
Ridge and Lookout Mountain, and spent the day on the famous
battlefields of Chickamauga. These three battlefields have made this
place famous for northern tourists, and as the climate here is very
mild at this season of the year, the hotels are all crowded, more
especially the two hotels on the top of Lookout Mountain, within
sight of this city, and accessible by electric cars and incline road
up the mountainside. As I have described the battle among the clouds
in a former letter, also Missionary Ridge, I will now try and write
you what I saw at Chickamauga. This battlefield is situated about
nine and a half miles from Chattanooga, and is reached either by the
Chattanooga, Rome, and Columbus Railroad, or by carriages, but the
best way is by the latter, as the battlefield covers a large scope
of country, and to see all points of interest it is best to go in
this manner. When you reach the corner of the Kelly farm, you will
enter the battlefield of Saturday, September 18, 1863, and having a
guide, I was shown where brilliant charges were made and where many
of our brave soldiers were killed. Even at this late day, it is hard
to find a tree that is not scarred with bullet holes or marked with
cannon balls, and many trees show a score of wounds. Soon you emerge
in a glade, where the Union soldiers threw up temporary breastworks
on the night of the 19th. The breastworks still remain, and it is no
trouble to scrape up in the dirt any amountof Minnie balls, some
whole, some battered. It is an easy matter in picking up these
relics to distinguish the ”Yank” from the “Reb” Minnie ball. The
“Yank” has three rings or creases, where the “Reb” has only two.
Crossing the Lafayette Road again, you take a county road and drive
to the residence of G. W. Snodgrass, himself a landmark of the
battle of Chickamauga. His house stands at the base of Horseshoe
Ridge, in which General Thomas established his headquarters, and
where the fiercest struggle of that two days’ battle occurred, on
the evening of Sunday, September 20. The Snodgrass residence was
then used as a hospital, and as you stand near this house you can
look up the beautiful valley and think of that terrible time where
in three days, over 27,000 were killed or wounded. Just to think
that in a space of not over two miles so many men were lying either
dead or mortally wounded. I was told by the guide, who was present
during the fight, that it was almost impossible to walk without
treading on the dead or dying. I was also informed, the weather
being warm, it was over three months before all the dead bodies were
taken care of, and then they were buried in long trenches and laid
in piles. The trenches still remain, and are about 100 feet long, 12
feet wide, and 12 feet deep. After the war the government had all
that was left of them re-interred in the several national
cemeteries. Near the railroad station (Crawfish Springs) is the site
of widow Glenn’s house. There remains only the decayed gatepost, the
stone-lined well, scattered bricks of the chimney, and a couple of
peach trees. These are in the corner of a wheat field. This house
was shot to pieces during the fight, and marks the place where the
gallant General W. H. Lytle fell.
The government is now making a National Park of Chickamauga, and all
points of interest are being marked so that in the days and years to
come, any who visit this place can distinguish all the prominent
parts of the battlefield. Before leaving the field, I visited
McAfee’s Church, which was in the midst of the fight. This structure
was riddled with shot and shell, and it seems wonderful how anyone
could possibly escape being hit, as I judge from appearances it
rained lead and iron. I returned to Chattanooga by the National
Cemetery, in the dusk of the evening, and in passing this point
where 13,000 of the nation’s heroes lie buried, I could not help
thinking of the past and hoping that our country may never again be
visited by war. Signed, Edmond Beall, Alderman.
DESCRIPTION OF THE SOUTHERN BATTLEFIELDS
Source: Alton Daily Telegraph, August 01, 1892
The following letter was written by Mr. Charles Bradley, son of Mrs.
Bradley of Upper Alton, who is now in Atlanta. Mr. Bradley is an
artist, and his description both of battlefields and scenery is
wonderfully vivid. The letter is dated July 24, 1892:
“Clark cox, myself, and a fellow boarder by the name of Campbell,
climbed to the summit of Kennesaw Mountain last Sunday, after which
Clark and I accompanied Campbell to his home, which is situated at
the foot of the mountain. This home was Sherman’s fort during the
[Civil] war. I think it the most beautiful place I have ever seen.
It is enclosed by a wall, 100 yards square and 15 feet high, inside
of which are cannon planted on tables just so the muzzles look over
the top, and thus could throw shells all over the country, but their
main object was to dislodge Johnston’s army, which was stationed on
Kennesaw Mountain. The breastworks, rifle and cannon-pits, are just
as they left them when they stepped out of them at the close of the
war. When I first came here it made me very angry to hear the
Southerners talking of the war, but since I have become acquainted,
I’m not surprised. Every piece of woods within twenty miles of here
has a history. You may go out any place and find bullets, pieces of
shells and cannons, and everything else pertaining to war. Sherman
went over this country like fire over a dry prairie, and is hated by
the Southerners worse than Satan hates holy water. Tell sisters to
sing the song of “Sherman’s March to the Sea,” and think that I am
now standing on his starting point.
One mile out of Atlanta stands a brick building called “the Old
Hurst House.” This was the southern headquarters, and Sherman’s
troops, 120,000 strong, were there three days whipping 40,000
southerners. Our men were compelled to retreat a quarter of a mile,
where they threw up breastworks around the southern fortification,
and literally tore it to pieces with shells, and mowed down the
trees with cannon balls. The house now belongs to the city, and
stands just as they left it. The roof is partly gone, the doors and
windows were shot away, and some places where cannon balls struck
the wall, going straight through, leaving a round hole. They then
burned the railroad ties and heating the rails in the center, wound
them around telegraph poles and trees, many of which are still
there.
A southern soldier lectures here every night, and tells us every
detail of the battles. It is just about as interesting as being here
– only not so dangerous. He tells us that their loss in the Battle
of Atlanta was 22,000. These lecutres are given in a large building
here, which is circular in shape, and pictures of battle scenes are
painted on the walls and extend clear around the room, and
everything is pointed out to us by the lecturer as he describes it.
These scenes were sketched by an artist during the war, and when the
war was over, the people sent to Germany for three scenery painters
to paint them, and it is the finest piece of work I ever saw. The
building is 100 feet high and 100 feet across the center, with
nothing in it. The artist put the canvas on the wall from top to
bottom, and painted these battle scenes on it just as they had been
sketched. The canvass has but one seam in it, and weights nine tons.
I never tire of walking through the woods, studying the country, and
these southerners are regular talking machines, so it is no trouble
to obtain information.
We are located about thirty miles from Lost Mount. We went there the
other day with field glasses, and viewed the battlegrounds. Close by
was an old church – I have forgotten its name – where a terrible
battle was fought which was named for the church. We are in a nest
of mountain peaks, some of which are very high. We are ninety miles
from the regular Blue Ridge Mountains. By going up one of the peaks,
you can get a good view of the Blue Ridge and the towns between them
and us. Last Sunday, when we were on Kennesaw Mountain with our
field glasses, we could plainly see a little town called Lenwood,
which was thirty-one miles away. We could see the people moving
about the town, and saw two girls in an apple tree, shaking down the
apples. From the top of Stone Hill, we can see the city of Macon,
which is ten miles from here.
I wish to tell you more of that building that has the beautiful
paintings of the battle scenes in it. The building is round. You go
underground to get in, and go up the steps to the balcony, where you
remain to see the pictures. Half of a wagon is lying on the ground,
and the other half painted on the canvas, and you can’t tell where
the wagon ends or the painting commences. And a bridge in the same
way. A stream of water flows over the canvas, across the ground and
under the balcony to the sewer. I don’t know where the water comes
from, can’t tell where it commences on the ground, the painting is
so natural. They have the railroad track built from the balcony to
the picture, and the rest of it is on the picture, and it is a
mystery where it connects. To give you a better idea of this grand
work, will tell you something else, where is here also. Take a man
lying down, split him lengthwise; one half is wax, the other half
painted on the canvas, and we thought it was all wax. The manager
took Clark and I all around and showed us all, and it is out of
sight. We go every day, free pass, as we are fellow artists. We look
at these scenes and then go out in the woods and view it. They are
exactly alike, the woods, railroad, and all.
As it is time for me to see my physician and have my arms dressed,
must bring my lengthy epistle to a close. Signed, Charlie.”
UNION AND CONFEDERATES BURIED TOGETHER
Source: Clyde, New York Democratic Herald, 1893
In many places elsewhere throughout the country, especially in New
England and in the State of Illinois, the Government purchased
burial places of limited extent, where both Union and Confederate
dead were interred. For instance, in the cemetery near Alton,
Illinois, there is a government plot in which are buried 163 white
Union soldiers, and nearby are buried 1,304 Confederate prisoners.
MAJOR FRANK MOORE SPARES LIFE DURING CIVIL WAR
Source: Alton Evening Telegraph, April 30, 1895
James Webster, the well-known street repairer in Alton, had a narrow
escape during the war from instant death. He was mercifully and most
generously spared, however, by the very man whom he had tried to
shoot, and that man was Major Frank Moore of Upper Alton. Jim,
before the war, was a resident of Staunton, in Illinois, where he
imbibed an ardent love for the cause of the Confederacy. At that
time, and during the entire war, Staunton had a nest of as intense
Southern sympathizers (Copperheads they were then called) as could
have been found anywhere in the South. Jim could not have been
otherwise than a sympathizer, and he, with a number of others,
showed the practical character of his sympathies by going over to
Missouri and enlisting in the Third Missouri (Confederate) Regiment,
of which the late J. Q. Burbridge was Colonel. Mr. Webster enlisted
in the Confederate service on May 10, the day that Camp Jackson was
captured. He was in the battle at Wilson’s Creek, where General
Lyon, the Federal Commander, was killed. He was also at the Battle
of Pea Ridge. After this, he was transferred to Tennessee, where his
company were in the capacity of “bushwhackers.” He says that Major
Moore’s company was on their trail constantly, and one day they came
together in a skirmish. Mr. Webster states that he saw Major Moore,
raised his Winchester, took good aim, and pulled the trigger three
times, but the rifle would not go off. Before he could remedy the
matter, Major Moore was upon him, sword in hand, ready to cut him
down. Instead of running him through with his sword, the gallant
Major mercifully spared the Confederate, captured him, and he was
sent home. Mr. Webster states that he feels that he owes his life to
the magnamity of Major Moore. Mr. Webster says he took an oath of
allegiance as big as a stove. After his arrival home, he began to
think over his career, and the result was that he became not only a
loyal citizen, but a staunch Republican. He says he has tasted the
water that flows from both fountains, and knows that the Republican
sends forth the purest and best.
MILITARY ORGANIZATION DURING CIVIL WAR
Source: Alton Telegraph, March 26, 1896
Dear Editor – The recent futile efforts to enlist a military company
in Alton recalls the recruiting incidents of the Civil War of the
1860s. Then, with less than half the present population, Alton and
vicinity sent several companies at each of the several calls of
President Lincoln. During that time, the volunteers enrolled
together with those who went to St. Louis to enlist would have made
a brigade of several regiments. And at this time were there a valid
reason for military organizations, twice that many troops could be
enrolled. Even that decrepit phalanx, the G.A.R., would “fall in” at
the first sound of the long roll, and the old Reb’s, thirty years
after grounding arms at Appomattox, and after sending Joe Johnston
hundreds of miles to be a sincere mourner and pallbearer at the
funeral of Grant, would promptly rush to the defense of a reunited
and common country. But there is no present or prospective need of
an army on the European plan. Nothing will result from the alleged
“complications” in Venezuela or Cuba. Should, however, the occasion
arise, the great common people, as Abraham Lincoln called them, will
be, as they have heretofore been, equal to any emergency.
All this importuning whine to saddle a standing army on this country
emanates from a handful of aristocracy who somehow fear the
aforesaid common people.
Another reason for popular apathy to military organizations is the
fact that the private military schools have procured State
legislation, whereby the graduates of those schools are to become
officers of the militia, without further qualification, thus cutting
off the private soldier from possible promotion from the ranks. The
hope of promotion has always been a powerful incentive to
efficiency, and valor of the common soldier. General Miles had no
previous military training when he enlisted as a private soldier in
the Civil War, but through good conduct he was promoted many times,
and now he is Commander-In-Chief of the United States Army.
In conclusion, I commend the self-respect of our young men for
keeping aloof from a military system over whose door is written,
“Abandon all hope of promotion, ye who enter here.”
Signed, L. G’Villo
INTERESTING RELICS DISPLAYED - FOUND ON BATTLEFIELD
Source: Edwardsville Intelligencer, May 28, 1897
Harnist & Dale, the druggists, have a window display this week that
is particularly appropriate. It is an exhibition of war-time relics,
mementoes of the Civil and other wars, carefully treasured by the
owners. Bullets of all shapes, grape shot, shells, cannon balls and
belt plates from a dozen different battlefields are piled up.
Officers' swords, cavalry sabers, canteens, a drum and photographs
of troops in the field are shown. Among the interesting articles
are: a flintlock pistol with holster carried by Colonel Samuel Dale
at the time of Perry's battle on lake Erie; drum carried by George
Putnam through the Civil War; a huge revolver found on the field of
Shiloh by Joseph Vollbracht; a Confederate belt plate found at
Nashville by John Amschler; a sword carried in the Revolutionary War
by Major Robert Lusk, and a broad-blade knife picked up on the
Custer battlefield and alleged to have been the property of Sitting
Bull. Alongside of a Winchester repeater of late model, with birds
eye maple stock and brass and nickel trimmings, is an old rusty
musket carried by John Amschler over 8,800 miles during three years
of the Civil War. The collection was made and the window arranged by
Mr. Harnist, and is further evidence of his ingenuity and skill. The
display is one before which the passerby must pause and spend some
time.
LIEUTENANT COLONEL WILLIAM E. MORGAN VISITS UPPER ALTON
Ran Away from Upper Alton to Fight in the Civil War
Source: Alton Telegraph, September 08, 1898
Lieutenant Colonel William E. Morgan, U.S.A., of Cincinnati, is in
Upper Alton on a visit to his sister, Mrs. Dr. E. A. Stone. He has
recently gotten up a colored regiment, now in Cuba. Colonel Morgan
was in the Civil War, and has seen much of military life, having run
away from his home in Upper Alton to enlist in the 10th Illinois
Volunteer Infantry during the Civil War, and served with this
regiment until the close of the war. He again enlisted almost
immediately in the U.S. Regular service, losing a part of one ear
from an Indian arrow, and he also received a severe wound which made
him an invalid for years. Having recovered his health, he served
several months in the China – Japan War, and has lately been engaged
in recruiting service as stated above. Colonel Morgan will spend
several weeks in Upper Alton visiting here. Mr. W. A. Bonnell was a
comrade of Colonel Morgan, and they spent 2 ½ years together during
the Civil War.
MAJOR FRANKLIN MOORE ENTERTAINS G.A.R.
(Grand Army of the Republic)
Source: Alton Evening Telegraph, August 05, 1899
There was a large gathering at the residence of Major Frank Moore
last evening. It was a social meeting of the G.A.R. and their
families and friends. They began to arrive at seven o’clock; at nine
o’clock the house was filled to overflowing, and a large number were
unable to get in, but preparation had been made to entertain them on
the lawn. At 8:30, the meeting was called to order by Justice L. C.
Flanders, the Master of Ceremonies, who introduced the Major, who
gave an address of welcome to his many friends present. The Major
was highly pleased that so many were present, and he gave them his
hearty welcome, and would do his best to entertain them. The address
of welcome was responded to by Hon. A. E. Benbow, ex-United States
Deputy Marshal, who made one of his characteristic speeches. Mr.
Benbow’s brother was with the Major during the Civil War. Miss Lou
Hamilton gave a recitation, followed by F. M. Cox, who addressed the
guests. Amos Hurlbut, the old soldier-singer, sang one of his
popular songs.
Then the gentlemen present were given an opportunity to buy the
boxes of lunch that had been prepared by the ladies for the
occasion. After finding their partners, they retired to the dining
room, which had been elaborately decorated by the Major with flags
and bunting. On the walls hung many of the trophies that the Major
captured in the dashing raids he made through the South during the
war.
After supper, those who wished to dance were given an opportunity.
Major Moore led off in the first set, and gave evidence that he had
not forgotten how to dance. It was after midnight before the guests
began to depart for home. All voted that the Major had given them a
good time, and hoped that he might have many years more of life.
HISTORICAL DREDGE USED IN THE MISSISSIPPI DURING CIVIL WAR
Source: Alton Evening Telegraph, August 24, 1899
An old dredge with a history is being used by the Huse-Loomis Ice
Company in its dredging operations in the slough south of Bayless
Island [across from Alton]. The old boat has survived the ravages
and racking of a busy lifetime, and is still in condition to do its
share of work when needed. General Grant used the dredge to assist
in digging the canal across the land where the big bend of the
Mississippi River was at Vicksburg. General Grant wanted to take his
gunboats down the river past Vicksburg, but the heavy batteries
located there made the attempt too dangerous. To get past Vicksburg
was a problem he attempted to solve by making a waterway from one
side of the bend to the other in the rear of Vicksburg, avoiding the
batteries on the bluffs at the city. The old dredge was one of the
dredges used to assist the soldiers in the work, and the fact is
established without doubt. When the Huse-Loomis Company bought the
old boat, then almost a wreck, a history of the dredge was given
with it, and the authenticity of the story cannot be doubted. The
hull of the dredge is in bad condition, but it still holds up the
heavy old-fashioned machinery that actuates the dredge. The
machinery is the same as was on the boat 36 years ago, and is still
in good condition. A channel 600 feet in length has been dredged by
the boat from the mouth of the lower slough opposite Alton, to the
ice houses, and will be completed within a few days. The old dredge
may not long survive wear and tear, and another year may find it in
the scrap pile.
MAJOR FRANKLIN MOORE’S ANECDOTES
How Upper Alton Was Named “Pie Town”
Source: Alton Evening Telegraph, September 09, 1899
In Major Moore’s address at the campfire in Upper Alton last night,
he related how Upper Alton got the name of Pie Town. He said when
his regiment of cavalry, the 2nd Illinois Infantry, was encamped on
what is now Rock Spring Park, the residents of Upper Alton were
exceedingly patriotic and generous to the boys. They loaded the
soldier boys with all kinds of provisions, especially with pies.
Every day brought a large number of pies from the residents until at
last they dubbed the classic village “Pie Town,” and as the Major
says, “that name has stuck.”
A few years after the Civil War, the Major entertained a number of
his soldier comrades. When evening came the boys sat down and had
what would now be called a “campfire.” They told how they did the
fighting. As the Major says, actually you would have thought there
was no one else in it. During the recital of their achievements,
Major Moore held his boy, Frank, then quite young, on his lap. The
little boy listened and listened to the heroic adventures, victories
and vanquishing of the rebels by the trio of heroies. The child was
lulled to sleep by the stories. The next morning young Frank went to
the kitchen, where his mother was getting breakfast for the Union
heroes. After solemn thought, he said to his mother, “Ma, did
President Lincoln help Pa and those men whip the rebels?” “Why, yes,
my son, of course he did. Why do you ask that, Frank?” “I thought,”
said the boy, “from what I heard lastnight, that Pa and those two
men did it all by themselves, and that President Lincoln didn’t do
anything.”
Major Moore also told of the battle at New Madrid, Missouri, where
General John Pope commanded. The General told Major Moore, in
command of the cavalry, to hold his division in check, and not bring
on an engagement. The Major saw a good chance to get in his work,
and as the boys say, jumped on the rebels with all feet, winning a
big victory. He went back to Pope with ome hesitation, lest the
General might censure him for disobeying orders. However, General
Pope soon put the Major at rest by saying, “Captain Moore, that was
the most brilliant charge I ever saw.” High praise, certainly, from
Pope.
HISTORY OF ALTON COUNCIL 41, UNION LEAGUE OF AMERICA
(Created to protect Alton and to aid in the Civil War effort)
Source: Alton Evening Telegraph, February 18, 1902
Mr. Henry G. McPike has in his possession the charter of Alton
Council 41, of the Union League of America, organized in this city
[Alton] on February 9, 1863. The organization was formed all over
the State and the country for the purpose of offsetting the work of
the Knights of the Golden Circle and Copperheads, and to assist the
government in prosecuting the war. The following were the charter
members: J. H. Murphy, William Hayden, D. C. Martin, Henry G.
McPike, John Chaney, W. G. Pinckard, S. V. Crossman, John Atwood, J.
W. Ash and John W. Hart. These were all prominent citizens and
business men. Of the number, Mr. McPike is the only survivor. The
writer was initiated into the League in the summer of 1863, when J.
H. Murphy was President, and the hall was filled with Alton's most
prominent men, all earnest with patriotism and willing to do and
dare for the salvation of the Union. On several occasions, Colonel
Hildebrand, Commander of the Post of Alton, called upon the League
for men to do picket duty on the outskirts of the city, to give
warning of the threatened raids of Copperheads and Knights of the
Golden Circle from Jersey County, who had formed plans to release
Confederate prisoners, then in the old penitentiary. It was on one
of these occasions that N. C. Travis, the leading foundry man of
Alton at the time, was sent and contracted smallpox in some way,
which proved fatal. There were several hundred members of the order
which met weekly, first over Marsh's drugstore in the third story,
and afterwards in the Ryder building on Second Street [Broadway].
Mr. McPike also has a number of pieces of paper currency of ancient
appearance. One on the bank of Hamilton, dated August 22, 1818; also
on the Bank of Brookville, Indiana, for 50 cents, dated May 27,
1818; another for six shillings, issued by the Commonwealth of
Pennsylvania, dated April 10, 1777. The note contains these words:
"To counterfeit is death."
MISUNDERSTANDING CLEARED UP REGARDING W. H. CATTS
Source: Alton Evening Telegraph, June 03, 1903
An impression has been prevalent among our residents and even among
Grandbury residents that Mr. William H. Catts of Granbury, Texas was
of Southern birth and an ex-confederate soldier. It is presumable
that this impression grew out of Mr. Catts' efforts to bring about a
better feeling between citizens of Alton and the people among whom
he has lived so long in regard to decorating the graves of
Confederate dead in Alton. Mr. Catts was born in Alton, was the son
of S. B. Catts, one of Alton's most prominent business men and
citizens in his day, and an active member and worker in the
Methodist Church of Alton. Mr. Catts Jr. enlisted in April 1861 in a
company of volunteers raised in Alton and vicinity, of which William
Hubbell (father of the present William Hubbell) was Captain. Being
unable to get into an Illinois regiment because the State's quota
was full, this company went to St. Louis and enlisted in the Fourth
Missouri Infantry (sometimes known as Schuttner's Dutchmen). They
served three months in this regiment, or until the expiration of
their term. They returned to Alton, re-enlisted and joined the Tenth
Illinois Volunteer Infantry, and were known as Company D. This
company was officered by Captain Sam Mason of Godfrey, Harry
Scarritt of Alton, First Lieutenant, and William Gallion, also of
Alton, Second Lieutenant. It served three years, re-enlisted as
veterans in August in 1864 and served to the close of the war in
1865, and were mustered out of the service in Louisville, Kentucky
on the Fourth of July of that year, thus serving four years and
three months in defense of their country. No braver soldier than Mr.
Catts was ever enlisted. He was only about sixteen years of age on
his first enlistment. He is not only entitled to the thanks of all
for services as a soldier in war, but for his efforts to bring about
a better state of feeling among the survivors of that great and
dreadful war, as well as among those who had nothing to do with it
in active participation.
NOTES:
William H. Catts was born in Alton on January 17, 1845. He was the
son of Samuel B. Catts, a prominent business man of Alton, who died
in May 1886 (and is buried in Alton). William married in 1890 to Eva
Ione Ennis Adams (1876-1968). William died in March 1923, at the age
of 78. He was buried in the Granbury Cemetery, in Hood County,
Texas.
MAJOR FRANKLIN MOORE PREPARING FOR ANNUAL CAMPFIRE AT HIS HOME -
VETERANS OF CIVIL WAR WILL RECOUNT STORIES
Source: Alton Evening Telegraph, July 15, 1903
Major Franklin Moore is making extensive preparations for is annual
campfire at his home in Upper Alton, when the veterans of the Civil
War will recount some of their old stories and both sides in the
conflict will be represented and will be given a chance to tell how
it all happened. Major Moore, who commanded the 2nd Illinois
Cavalry, will tell how he chased Colonel Farris of the 6th Tennessee
with bloodhounds and finally caught him. Colonel Farris, who is a
St. Louis gentleman and very much alive, will tell how Major Moore
took turns with him in running away. Jim Webster, an Alton man, will
be called upon to tell how Major Moore captured him during the war,
and how Jim tried to kill his captor but failed after discharging
six shots at him. Major Moore now has the revolver that Jim Webster
did the shooting with. Jim is very backward about telling his old
adventures, but Major Moore is determined to have him on the ground
and make him tell the story if he has to be hauled there in an
ambulance. Other representatives of the Confederate side will be
present, and some Union soldiers will be there to tell their stories
too. The date is not definitely set, but Major Moore thinks it will
be August 4 or 5.
Source: Alton Evening Telegraph, July 21, 1903
The annual campfire entertainment will be given by Major Franklin
Moore at his residence on College Avenue, Upper Alton, Tuesday,
August 4, 1903, at 7:30 p.m. An interesting program will be
rendered, consisting of speeches from the Blue and the Gray, L. C.
Flanders, adjutant, and John G. Oulson, chairman. Program: Major
Moore, Address of Welcome; Response by Chairman Oulson of Godfrey;
Music, Shaking of the Dry Bones by the Wide Awake Glee Club of Upper
Alton; Address by Col. James W. Farris (Confederate) of St. Louis;
Address by Capt. Henry Brueggemann, Mayor of Alton; Vocal Music by
the Glee Club of Upper Alton; Recitation by Miss Lou Hamilton of
Wood River; Address by Miss Oulson of Godfrey; Musical selections,
Col. James Pack of Alton; Speech by F. M. Johnson of Alton. Bugle
Calls: Luther Taggart of Upper Alton; The Mountains at Hespidan, L.
C. Flanders; Music by the Wide Awake Club; Fight mit Seigel, Fred
Hammers of Alton; Speech by W. E. Smith of Upper Alton; Music by the
Hoodoo band; Speech by Master Allan Atchison; Speech by Dr. H. R.
Lemen of the Philippines; Music, Prof. Pack and Slifer; Speech, F.
M. Cox of Upper Alton; Music by the Glee Club of Upper Alton.
Miscellaneous speeches and the fireworks will be conducted by Capt.
James Webster of Alton, assisted by Jerry O'Keefe of New York.
Refreshments will be served on the grounds.
JAMES A. McREYNOLDS CLEARS HIS RECORD ..... DID NOT TAKE UP ARMS
AGAINST THE UNITED STATES
Source: Alton Evening Telegraph, February 04, 1904
James A. McReynolds, a well known resident of Upper Alton, has
succeeded after many years in vindicating himself and proving that
he did not voluntarily bear arms against the United States
Government during the War of the Rebellion, prior to his enlistment
as a Union soldier. McReynolds applied for a pension as a veteran of
the 1st Arkansas U. S. Volunteers. When the war began he was working
as mail carrier at a post office where his father was the Federal
postmaster. Later on, the town was taken by the Confederates and the
post office seized by them. It was insisted that he continue to
carry mail in the Confederate service, and he did so under command
of his father, McReynolds at the time being under age. Later he
joined an Arkansas Union regiment and gave honorable service during
his term of enlistment. When he applied for a pension the service as
a Confederate mail carrier was set up by the Pension Commissioner as
a reason why he should be rejected for a pension, on the ground that
he bore arms against the United States Government. Mr. McReynolds
has now, after many years of waiting, succeeded in setting himself
right - that it was not his voluntary act when he carried
Confederate mail, but that he was caused by his father to do so, and
Commissioner Ware notified McReynolds to appear before the examining
board, which he has done.
NOTES:
James A. McReynolds was born in 1845. He died in 1908, and was
buried in the Upper Alton Oakwood Cemetery.
TRIBULATIONS OF FREDERICK RECH - CLASSED AS A DESERTER, HE
THOUGHT THE WAR WAS OVER WHEN LEE SURRENDERED
Source: Alton Evening Telegraph, October 14, 1905
Fred Rech of North Alton, the aged and half blind painter whose wife
died a few years ago, and who has time and again refused to go to
the poor farm where he could be cared for, has sold his little home
in North Alton to Weert Bauer of Alton, and will depart tomorrow
night for New York City, and from there will go to Coblenz, Germany,
probably to spend the remainder of his days. Rech has been trying
for years to obtain a pension from the government, he having
faithfully served the Union in the Civil War, but he is down in the
records as a deserter his efforts to secure a pension failed on that
account. Rech did not desert, and plenty of evidence on that point
has been procured, it is stated. When Lee surrendered at Appomattox,
Rech thought the war was over, as according to his idea and the
opinion of others of his fellows, Lee was the entire Confederate
army. After waiting several days to be mustered out, Rech concluded
to muster himself out and came home. In this way he got himself into
the deserter class and has suffered immensely since, because of his
hurry to get home. Congressman Rodenberg in Congress, and Senator
Cullom in the Senate, introduced a bill to give relief to Mr. Rech
and remove the stigma of desertion (which the facts show to be
undeserved) from his name and place that name in the list of
honorably discharged soldiers who did their full duty in the war,
but the pills were never pushed and the stigma remains. Congressman
Rodenberg has agreed to introduce another bill this winter, and Mr.
Rech has employed Alton attorneys to help get the matter before
Congress for final action. In the meantime, he will go to Germany to
remain with relatives until after Congress adjourns.
NOTES:
Rech did travel to Kirschberg, Germany in October 1905, acquiring
money for the trip from his creditors, using his small home for
collateral. In November 1905, The Telegraph printed an article
stating Rech would be returning to the Alton area, as he found
himself homesick for America, the place he had lived for over 50
years, and Germany was not the place he remembered. His wife, Louisa
Rech, had died in November 1904. She had been a janitor in an Alton
public school building. After the 1905 article on Rech, I never
found mention of him again. I did not find out whether or not he
returned to America, or where he died.
CALHOUN COUNTY FARMER GETS MONEY BURIED BY HIS GRANDFATHER BEFORE
CIVIL WAR
Source: Alton Evening Telegraph, January 12, 1906
Several months ago the Telegraph told of the finding of $800 by John
White of North Alton through the aid of a mineral rod, for a
resident of Scott County in the vicinity of Winchester. Mr. White
and his partner, William Herman, also of North Alton, have since
that time located several small sums of hidden money, buried pieces
of gold and silver, but not until a few days ago did they make any
large find of lost treasure. When the War of the Rebellion broke
out, many people in this and adjoining counties buried their money
before going to war, or through fear that invading soldiers might
loot their homes, and many of them died without letting the hiding
places of the money be known. Some were killed and never returned
from the war. In this latter class was a Calhoun County resident
named John Grimes, who cast his fortune with the Confederacy and
buried most of his ready money he had near the farm he had just sold
in the vicinity of Kampsville. He had a daughter, a baby, whose
mother had passed away in giving her birth, and this child Grimes
left with a sister of his who was married to a man named Charles
Walker. Grimes told his sister he had buried a couple of thousand
dollars for safe keeping on the old farm, but did not tell her the
exact spot. He never returned, and Mrs. Walker has since died. The
little girl grew to womanhood and married, but before her aunt died
she told the girl of the money buried by her father, and in fact a
hunt for it had been made frequently. The Scott County man whose
money was recovered by Mr. White is a friend of the husband of the
Grimes girl, and told him about White and his divining rod, and the
latter was finally induced to go to Calhoun County with the rod. He
succeeded in locating the hiding place of the money in less than an
hour after his arrival on the farm, he says. It was buried near a
cornerstone on the land and near a set of bars that has done duty as
a gate ever since the farm was first settled. It was in an iron
vessel known as an oven, and was much used in those days for baking
biscuits and other bread instead of a stove. It had an iron lid, and
this lid was placed over the oven and kept any dirt or other thing
from getting into the money. Instead of $2,000 as Mr. Grimes had
intimated that he had buried, only $1,500 was found. It was in gold,
mostly, and while tarnished, some is all right. Besides the money
there remains of a pocket testament and some scraps of paper,
presumably the fragments of a letter or of a once valuable paper
were found, all in bad condition. Time and the elements had worked
damage to the iron oven also, but the gold is still intact. It is
possible, the finders think, that some of the paper scraps may have
once been money, and that the remaining $500 of the $2,000 thought
to have been buried was in banknotes.
TRIO OF ALTONIANS LEAVE FOR ALABAMA TO RECOVER TWO POTS OF GOLD
BURIED DURING WAR
Source: Alton Evening Telegraph, April 23, 1909
Two white men, Frank Brown and George Hinshaw, and a colored man, a
former slave, now old and bent, named Vene Henderson, left Alton
Wednesday for Alabama for the purpose of finding a couple of copper
kettles filled with gold buried in or near a swamp during the
rebellion by Henderson's master - a man named Henderson, and
wealthy. Henderson often told of the buried treasure, but no
particular attention was paid to his story until Brown and Hinshaw
heard it in detail. Henderson carried the two kettles from the
plantation mansion during the war to the place where they were
buried, and his master and the latter's son were with him. The
Federal soldiers were crowding things about that time, and the money
was buried for safety. The two masters of Henderson fled to the
Confederate lines and were killed before the war closed. Henderson
was taken by Union soldiers and brought north, where he has been
since. He has lived in Alton for many years, but it was several
years after the war before he learned of the death of his master,
and it then dawned upon him that he is the only living person who
knows of the location of the money. Brown, Hinshaw and John White
began to sit up and take notice after Henderson told his story
without variance, time after time, and finally he offered to take
them to the place if they would pay expenses. They accepted the
offer, and John White, of Cherry street, who claims to have located
considerable buried treasure in this part of Illinois and in
adjacent Missouri counties during the past five or six years with
the help of divining rods, sent one of the latter along with the
white men to expedite the finding of the money. Henderson, if the
money is found, will be given a sufficient sum of it to keep him
comfortable the balance of his life.
CAPTAIN J. T. KING MAKES TRIP TO BATTLEFIELD WHERE HE SERVED
DURING CIVIL WAR
Source: Alton Evening Telegraph, July 28, 1909
Captain James T. King of Upper Alton writes the Telegraph that he is
making a trip over the battlefields of the Civil War, forty-six
years after he was there, a young man, a soldier in the Union Army.
He had long cherished a hope to make the trip, and now he is
realizing his desire's fruition. The letter follows:
"A cherished wish of twenty years found its fruition when, July 25,
1909, forty-six years later, I started to visit some of the old
battlefields of the Civil War. Daylight following found us 150 miles
north of Nashville. The soil here is of a reddish clay, with
out-cropping of stone and shale, making it unproductive of anything
but scrum timber and tobacco. Sickly attempts to grow corn led one
to wonder why people waste time in planting crops that will not
grow. In the vicinity of Hopkinsville, Ky., the soil is somewhat
improved. But what an Illinois farmer would characterize as barren
is the condition of the land following the line of the L & N
railroad from this point through to the mountains. At Hopkinsville
the population apparently is largely black. The hogs we see grazing
are of a reddish yellow, the color of the soil, and the kind that
makes bacon, three streaks of lean and another of lean. At one town
south of Hopkinsville not a white person was in sight. Taking it all
in all the country is just the same as in 1863, when one of the boys
in the regiment said, "I would not give a forty acre Ohio farm for a
whole county down here." This was replied to by another who said, "I
would not give a farm in Illinois for the whole country here." The
Confederate cemetery, eight miles north of Nashville, is a beautiful
spot in the woods and appears well cared for. Outside of the towns
the country has not improved since Civil War days. It is a God
forsaken territory as regard agriculture, and one wonders why they
do not raise sheep to eat the weeds. They cut cedars along the line
for posts and poles that would be called culls in a first class
country lumberyard. Many of the log cabins still exist. They are of
logs, chinked with stone chimneys. At rare intervals a new cabin
appears, built after the old fashion - two rooms and a drive way
between. I failed to locate our camping ground along the line of the
Nashville and Chattanooga, but I could again in imagination people
those hills with Confederate cavalry, with ___oping carbines and
whistling bullets, with an occasional shell from their artillery
which kept us always on the alert as we pushed the Confederates back
to Chattanooga. At Cowen's station, the road runs through the
mountains. In 1863 we marched over it. The mountains here are very
rugged and the Chattanooga campaign was a stupendous task. Forty-six
years after I find myself wondering how it was accomplished. I can
recall how the mountain roads were strewn with broken wagons and the
wheels of artillery and caissons. And when the guns were brought to
the front to take part in the fighting, they came on a full gallop,
the guns bounding in the air and the gunners holding on to the rails
for their lives. The air was sulphurous with the oaths of the wagon
masters and the army mules had stars and stripes pictured on their
sides with the blacksnakes of the drivers." J. T. King
NOTES:
Captain James T. King was born in 1844 in Ft. Russell Township in
Madison County. His mother died when he was 16, so he took a job in
a Decatur book store to earn money. At the age of 18, he enlisted in
Company F, 115th Illinois Infantry, going to Kentucky to oppose the
Morgan raiders who were menacing the state of Ohio and causing
terror. His unit was, for a time, with the Army of the Tennessee,
and it was kept busy combating Confederate forces in Kentucky and
Tennessee. He participated in the bloody battle of Chickamauga, and
was part of the Granger reserves who made a 35 mile march to rescue
General Thomas. King was wounded severely at Chattanooga, but was
not disabled and did not leave the firing line. Later, while out
with a foraging party, he and his party were ambushed and King was
captured. He was taken prisoner and held in Libby, Danville,
Andersonville, Charleston, and Richmond prisons. With three other
soldiers, he made his escape from a moving train, but was
recaptured. He was released on parole in 1864, weak and emaciated
from his prison experience, but was nursed back to life in Union
hospitals. Before he was sent back to the front, he came down with
pneumonia, which disabled him until the close of the war.
After being released from the army, he engaged in farming and school
teaching, and entered the mercantile business. He was in business in
Colorado for a time, then returned to Illinois. For a number of
years he was in charge of the local powerhouse at Sixth and Piasa
Streets in Alton. He engaged in the mercantile business on College
Avenue in Upper Alton in 1902, and retired in 1925, turning the
business over to his granddaughter, Marjorie Dietiker. The Upper
Alton Post Office was located in his building. He then left Alton to
stay with his daughter in Denver, Colorado, Mrs. F. H. Gibson.
King was a strong patriot. In Alton he took a prominent part in
public affairs, and was gifted with a talent for public speaking and
writing. He contributed much to the authentic facts of the Civil War
history. While in Alton he devoted much time to the improvement of
the Upper Alton Oakwood Cemetery. He died September 2, 1934 in
Denver, and his body was brought back to Alton and buried in the
Oakwood Cemetery.
80TH ILLINOIS REGIMENT MEETS IN REUNION IN ALTON
Source: Alton Evening Telegraph, October 13, 1910
The reunion of the 80th Illinois Regiment, which began today at the
Madison Hotel in Alton, was filled with many incidents that were
pathetic. Men who had not seen each other since they were discharged
from the army forty-five years ago, got together, shook hands,
recounted their experiences and had a good time. Colonel Andrew F.
Rodgers, Irby Williams, John S. Culp and E. K. Preuitt, who were the
local committee in charge of the plan for the reunion, were in fine
spirits. The attendance was good, perhaps not as good as they hoped
for, but still considering the age of the old soldiers and their
growing decrepitude, it was remarkable. There were some from long
distances who had traveled to Alton to attend the gathering. H. M.
Wagar of Ocean Grove, Cal., was on hand, and so was W. K. Carson of
Colorado Springs, Colo., J. J. Lyons of Muskogee, Okla. The veterans
arrived at 12:45 o'clock on an interurban car from East St. Louis,
and went to dinner at the Madison hotel. After dinner they went to
view the Confederate cemetery at the North Side, and later were
entertained at the Western Military Academy, a special car carrying
them around. The Madison hotel where the events of the reunion are
to take place was gaily decorated with flags and bunting. Capt.
Fowler had done his best to make the hotel look as attractive as
possible. An excellent dinner was served, and for this evening, when
the campfire and banquet is held, a splendid menu will be served,
such as will delight the old soldiers. H. M. Wagar of Ocean Grove,
Cal., thought this noon he had lost a $500 badge given to him when
he became past commander of Columbia post, G. A. R. of Chicago. Mr.
Wagar had served as commander three years. He brought the badge with
him. Before leaving he told his wife that if any one robbed him it
would be necessary to kill him before he gave up the badge. The
badge is of gold, with six fine diamonds in it. Great was Mr.
Wagar's chagrin as he sat at the dining table this noon to discover
that he had lost the badge. He knew he had it when he left the
street car in front of the hotel. He thought the chance of
recovering it was slim. Great was his joy when a short time after he
discovered the loss, Paul Smith of Upper Alton, a member of the 80th
Illinois association, brought it to him. Smith had found it at the
foot of the stairs leading to the hotel. Col. A. F. Rodgers
exhibited two interesting relics which were made in Libby prison by
Capt. T. W. Segar of Elsah, when the two officers of the regiment
were in prison there. Capt. Segar, who is an engraver, used the
bones of beef served in Libby prison as the base of his work, and
from the bones he carved two neat objects, a fork and a knife. The
handles of the two implements were engraved with the words, "Libby
Prison," "Capt. T. W. Segar" and "Col. A. F. Rodgers." Capt. Segar
had never seen the two implements since he made them nearly fifty
years ago. The knife is broken and the blade missing, but the fork
is intact. Col. Rodgers this evening will exhibit the sword captured
from him in 1863 when he was made a prisoner with half the regiment,
and which was returned to him a few years ago by the brother of the
man who captured it, after it had served for years as the tyler's
sword in a Masonic lodge in Texas. Col. Rodgers name and the Masonic
square and compass were on the blade of the sword, which was
responsible for the return of the trophy. The sword had been given
to the young lieutenant colonel when he left home by his mother. The
following is a roster of the veterans who are assembled at Alton
today:
Colonel Andrew F. Rodgers; Captain T. W. Segar, Elsah; H. M. Wagar,
Ocean Grove, California; S. W. Reynolds, Pickneyville; G. D.
Shaffer;
J. B. Fenstermann; W. H. Shaffer, Edwardsville; L. Gvillo; J. S.
Culp; Irby Williams; E. K. Preuitt; Jasper Dillon; Walter Thompson;
J. F. Thompson; A. L. Hodge; T. N. Harris, Bethalto; Captain William
Wright; Philip Hebner; Paul Smith, Upper Alton; S. B. Hood; S. W.
Patterson; T. F. Alexander; Archie Stewart; James F. Hanson; G. M.
Reed; J. R. Alexander; J. G. Crawford & wife, Sparta; James M.
Torrens, Oakdale, Illinois; John Lyons, Muskogee, Oklahoma; W. K.
Carson, Colorado Springs, Colorado; J. H. Oliver, East Alton; R.
Linder, Alton; T. McDonald, Ft. George; N. P. Frost, Bunker Hill; D.
L. Stahl, Moro; Louis Ralph, Edinburg, Illinois; J. H. Stahl,
Dorsey; Edward Weber, Godfrey; N. A. Edwards, Jerseyville.
OLD SOLDIERS ENJOYED RIVER RIDE
Source: Alton Evening Telegraph, October 14, 1910
When John I. Lyons of Muskogee, Oklahoma, one of the old soldiers
who is attending the twenty-second annual reunion at the Madison
Hotel, heard that they were to be given a ride on the river, he was
greatly elated. He said that he had not had a ride on the river
since 1865. A little after ten o'clock this morning the veterans
formed in front of the hotel and proceeded to the river front where
the four yachts that were to take them a short distance up the river
were waiting. The yachts whose owners so generously loaned them for
the benefit of the old soldiers, were the "Sparks 2," owned by
Charles F. Sparks, the "Minnehaha," owned by H. M. Schweppe run by
William Thorn and Ben Garde, the "Kiskiminitas," belonging to
William King, and the "Guzzle," belonging to H. L. Black. The old
soldiers just comfortably filled the last three, and the ladies went
aboard the Sparks 2. They were gone until twelve o'clock, taking the
party up the river far enough to give them a nice sight seeing trip.
The day was ideal, and the veterans enjoyed themselves immensely.
OLD, BUT WANTED TO WALK
Source: Alton Evening Telegraph, October 14, 1910
Captain William Wright, who is one of the four Mexican War survivors
in Madison County, tried to do his part in walking with the old
soldiers of his regiment, the 80th, yesterday afternoon. He scorned
to ride, insisting that he walk, but he was unable to complete the
walk with the boys. Today he enjoyed a yacht ride. Captain Wright is
far past ninety years of age, and while his physical strength is no
longer great, his will is as strong as ever.
OLD SOLDIERS HOLD CAMPFIRE
Reunion of Veterans is Dampened by Tears
Source: Alton Evening Telegraph, October 14, 1910
When the members of the 80th Illinois Volunteer Infantry Association
held their campfire last evening at the Madison Hotel, following a
delightful banquet, there was very little powder burned, mighty
little of anything that could be remotely construed as boasting. The
talk around the banquet board was largely in the nature of a
farewell, such as brings tears to the eyes. It was a modest bunch of
heroes, who had little to say of deeds of valor, confessing when
called on for speeches that they could think of little, and then
would wind up with some little touch of sentiment. There was no
fighting of battles over, no professional old soldierism about it.
Anyone could see that the men of the 80th and the men of the 22nd
had been somewhere when brave deeds were done because they had so
little to say about them.
H. M. Wagar of Ocean Grove, California, served as toastmaster, and
between the speeches on the program, the Philharmonic Trio sang
musical selections. Mr. Wagar made an ideal presiding officer. Rev.
H. M. Chittenden, who was named as brevet chaplain of the regimental
union, made the address of welcome to the visitors, Captain Hood of
Sparta was the opening speaker on the program and represented the
22nd Illinois. He paid a tribute to Company B., which went from
Alton under Captain John Seaton. In closing, he expressed his
appreciation of the patriotic medley which had been played, and
particularly was he glad to hear Dixie. Captain Hood said that early
in the war the Union bands played the tune. Later, this remark was
to call forth from Mr. Wagar the opposite expression of sentiments.
Colonel Andrew F. Rodgers was called upon for a talk, and he
modestly disclaimed the credit that was given him for valor, and he
laid the credit to the men behind the guns. He told of his failing
eyesight, and how he did not expect to see another reunion, as he
feared his sight would be completely gone by that time, but he
expressed the purpose of attending the next reunion, if he had to be
led by the hand.
Captain John R. Cunningham, who was said to be the man who had kept
live the annual reunions, made a brief talk, and was followed by
Clay Medill, who was introduced as the "monkey" of the 80th. He told
some funny stories.
Lieutenant Tom Alexander told how the 80th happened to be captured
and become known as the "orphan" regiment, since few of its officers
were ever returned to it from prison. J. J. Lyons was the last
speaker on the program, except the toastmaster.
The closing address by the toastmaster, Mr. Wagar, was a pathetic
thing. Mr. Wagar told of his 7-day journey necessary that he might
be with his old comrades, and said this would probably be the last
time. This brought up the subject of farewell, and he launched into
a beautiful speech in which he told of future reunions and of the
lessening ranks at each one. Dramatically he began to call the roll
of some of the valiant dead who had been loved by their fellow
soldiers, and addressing each by name, talked as if the dead had
come to attend the campfire. It made tears come to the eyes of many
an old soldier, and likewise to those who had never smelled a
battle. It was in the course of this speech that Mr. Wagar took
issue with Captain Hood, and declared that the tune of Dixie made
cold chills run down his back, and that to him every note of the
piece fairly breathed and smelled of treason.
Today the old soldiers took a boat ride in yachts furnished by
Charles F. Sparks, H. L. Black, H. M. Schweppe and Captain W. H.
King. On their return about noon they had dinner, and this afternoon
attended the Lyric Theater. The association of the 80th and the 22nd
Illinois regiments elected the following officers at a second
campfire in the hotel, which kept them up until 2 o'clock in the
morning: J. R. Cunningham of Dix, Illinois, president; J. W.
Caldwell of Sparta, vice-president; J. R. Alexander of Sparta,
adjutant. Sparta will be next meeting place. It was said that there
were 45 of the 80th at the meeting and 13 of the 22nd. The names of
all were taken down. The attendance was the largest of any reunion
in six years, as the attendance has been steadily declining for a
number of years. The Alton meeting was a complete success, and the
visitors expressed themselves as being very grateful for all the
courtesies shown them, especially by their hosts, and the Alton
business men, the owners of yachts, and the management of the
Madison hotel. Just before adjourning to the music of Auld Lang
Syne, the following resolutions were adopted by the members of the
different regiments.
SURVIVOR OF THE MERRIMAC DIES
Source: Albany, New York Evening Journal, December 11, 1911
E. A. Jack, First Lieutenant of engineers, retired, of the revenue
cutter service, and one of the few survivors of the crew of the
Merrimac in its famous Civil War battle with the Monitor in Hampton
Roads, died at Alton, Illinois, today, according to word received
here. He was (71?) [hard to read] years old, and a native of
Portsmouth, Virginia.
WILLARD C. FLAGG HOME SERVES AS HAVEN FOR ALL UNION SYMPATHIZERS
WORKING NORTH
Source: Alton Evening Telegraph, February 23, 1912
Representative Norman G. Flagg came into Alton this week to call
upon Mrs. Elizabeth Clarkson of 210 East Second Street, and hear
from her lips a remarkable story of how Mr. Flagg's parents kindly
sheltered Mr. and Mrs. Clarkson in war times, when they were, they
believed, in the land of the rebels. Mr. and Mrs. Clarkson were
residing in Missouri, and the depredations of the guerilla bands
became unbearable, and they started for Illinois in a prairie
schooner. They crossed the Mississippi River down at St. Louis, and
started up the State Road into the Illinois prairie, believing they
would come to the homes of northern sympathizers. Mrs. Clarkson
recited to Mr. Flagg how after they had driven quite a time on the
State Road, they could see in the distance a flag flying from a flag
pole of a residence, and it was a Union flag. The team of one ox and
a cow was turned into the barnyard of the farm place, and a man and
woman came out and greeted Mr. and Mrs. Clarkson and invited them to
come in. Their hosts were Mr. and Mrs. Willard C. Flagg, both now
deceased, parents of the present representative, and the house they
stopped at was on the site of the residence Mr. Flagg now resides
with his family. Mr. and Mrs. Clarkson were given a log cabin on the
Flagg place, and remained there for some time, later coming to
Alton, where Mrs. Clarkson has resided ever since. The story of Mrs.
Clarkson's trip had never reached the ears of Mr. Flagg until
lately, and he immediately came in to see Mrs. Clarkson and hear the
story from her own lips, which he heard this week. Mrs. Clarkson has
never been back to the Flagg farm since that time, and will go to
the scene of her wartime experience this summer when the weather
permits. She does not believe she can ever see a house that looked
better to her than that one did over fifty years ago, especially
with that Union flag fluttering from its gable. Mrs. Clarkson stated
she found after she stopped at the Flagg home that the home was a
haven for all Union sympathizers working north, and that the flag
was a signal to drive in, that friends were inside, and that many
took advantage of the invitation.
OLD SOLDIER (RICHARD LINDER) SHOWS PAROLE PAPERS - RECALLS
HARDSHIPS OF WAR OF THE REBELLION
Source: Alton Evening Telegraph, September 09, 1912
Richard Linder, who lives at No. 1000 McKinley Avenue in Alton, has
in his possession the parole paper given him in 1865 by Confederate
officers at Belle Island in front of Richmond, Virginia, when he and
his companions in General Strait's brigade were paroled. Mr. Linder
was a member of Colonel Andrew F. Rodgers' regiment, and the Colonel
and his men were taken prisoners in February 1865 in Alabama, about
30 miles from Rome, Georgia. They were moved around from prison to
prison, and finally landed at Belle Isle. They were in prison about
three months, and suffered all of the privations and rough usage
accorded generally to prisoners at that time. After they subscribed
to the parole, they were sent to Camp Chase, Ohio, and afterwards to
St. Louis, and it was about two months after the paroles were signed
that the conditions were complied with and fighting could have been
resumed under the terms. Below is a copy of the parole. It is dated
Rome, Georgia, May 4, 1865, and was sworn and subscribed to by Mr.
Linder, before A. W. Caldwell, the Colonel commanding that post, and
G. H. Snyder, an adjutant and justice of the peace:
"I, Richard Linder, private of Company K, 80th Illinois Regiment,
Infantry, of the United States Army, captured by Brigadier General
Forrest, solemnly swear before Almighty God, the Sovereign Judge,
that I will not bear arms against the Confederate State government,
or help, aid or assist, either directly or indirectly, any person or
persons in making war against them, until regularly exchanged as a
prisoner of war, and that I will not at any time communicate to any
person information received within the Confederate lines detrimental
to the same."
EXHIBITING RELIC OF CIVIL WAR
Source: Alton Telegraph, May 15, 1913
L. J. Hartman today put on display in the Schweppe Company [Alton]
windows in the Third Street store, a section of a tree trunk
belonging to Senator Beall, which was cut on the battlefield of
Chickamauga. The tree trunk is filled with balls and pieces of
shells. Senator Beall has had it many years, and he has consented to
allow it to be exhibited during the G. A. R. Encampment.
STORY OF DR. O. P. S. PLUMMER, AND THE MOVE OF ARMS FROM THE ST.
LOUIS ARSENAL TO ALTON DURING THE CIVIL WAR
Source: Alton Evening Telegraph, December 26, 1913
The Telegraph has received a copy of the Portland Oregonian from J.
B. Thomas, formerly of Alton. It contains an article which is a
verbatim report of an address given at the funeral of Dr. O. P. S.
Plummer, formerly of Alton, telegraph operator for the Chicago and
Alton Railroad in 1861, when the steamer "City of Alton" brought the
arms here from the Arsenal at St. Louis. The article will be read
with interest by many Alton people, so the Telegraph republishes it
in full. Rev. C. S. Cline, who conducted the funeral services, read
the following:
"When the Civil War came in 1861, the United States Government had
had an arsenal in the southern part of St. Louis on the Mississippi
River. It contained about 30,000 Harper's Ferry muskets, 1,000
rifles, some cannon of little value, and a large amount of
ammunition and other army stores. It was the policy of the seceding
States to seize the arsenals everywhere, with all their contents.
The struggle, therefore, for the arsenal at St. Louis began early.
Each side saw that whoever held the arsenal would hold the city, and
whoever held the city would hold Missouri. Not only so, but the
United States Sub-treasury was in St. Louis, and contained $400,000
in gold, a big amount of money at that time. The city was tossed and
torn with fear and doubt. That the disloyal were making a mighty
effort to get control of the arsenal, custom-house, post office and
sub treasury, was plain. After the firing on Fort Sumter, April 12,
1861, the struggle in this direction was intensified. The
secessionists, embrazoned by the fall of Fort Sumter, openly
declared: 'come what may, we'll take the arsenal.' The other side
said: 'We'll defend it.'
Captain Nathaniel Lyon, in command of the arsenal without adequate
force for its defense, was cool and clear-headed. He saw intuitively
the dangers by which he and his little command were beset. April 16,
he sent a messenger to Governor Dick Yates of Illinois, that it
might be a good plan for him to make a requisition on the arsenal
for a big supply of arms to equip troops than gathering in
Springfield under Mr. Lincoln's first call for 75,000 three-months
volunteers. Governor Yates (God bless his memory) quicker than a
flash caught on, and made a requisition without waiting for the
red-tape formalities of the War Department at Washington authorizing
the same. Getting the arms out of the arsenal was the next problem,
a problem both difficult and dangerous. Secession spies were
swarming about the arsenal with a battery planted by them on the
hill above it. As the arsenal could not be defended by the force in
it, no time was to be lost in the getting the gun, ammunition and
other stores away. Governor Yates summoned to his aid a man named
Stokes, who had been a captain in the Regular Army. Stokes was the
right man in the right place. To accomplish his purpose, Stokes
dropped down the river to Alton, 25 miles on the river above St.
Louis, where he first investigated the telegraph operator, through
whose hands messages between Stokes and Governor Yates must pass. In
putting some decoy secession question to the young operator, he
(Stokes) came near being ejected from the office. The young fellow
would not stand for it. After satisfying himself that the operator
was all right, Stokes proceeded to charter a big river steamer lying
at the dock known as the "City of Alton," instructing the captain to
wait with steam up for a visit from the telegraph operator of the
place. He then arranged with the latter to deliver in person such
word as he might transmit from the arsenal at St. Louis to Captain
Mitchell.
In plain clothes Stokes then dropped down to the arsenal 25 miles
below, which he found surrounded with a perfect jam of sullen,
secessionists. For some time he was unable to get through the
throng, but by good nature and patience he succeeded in elbowing his
way through, handing Captain Lyon a confidential note from Governor
Yates. He then wired the young operator at Alton to have the boat
proceed silently down to the arsenal by midnight. This was done, and
the big steamer pushed her nose into the bank at the arsenal at 11
p.m. Every available man in and about the arsenal, aiding the boat's
crew, quickly began moving the boxes of muskets, sending first some
old Mexican War flint-locks up the bank, as if things were being
moved that way. These were worthless old guns, were seized by the
secessionists, who made the air ring with their shouts. A few
suspicious characters, however, remained watching the steamer at the
bank. These Captain Lyon arrested and locked up. In an incredibly
short time, 20,000 muskets, 500 new carbines, 100,000 musket
cartridges, with a vast amount of army equipment, were on board the
steamer. When they attempted to push her off, her prow was fast in
the mud. 'Move the boxes aft,' said the captain of the steamer. This
was done, and she floated out on deep water. 'Which way?' called the
captain. 'Up the river to Alton,' said Stokes. 'What if the rebel
battery on the shore fires on us?' 'Get away if you can, and if you
can't escape, run her out to the deepest place and sink her!' 'I'll
do it,' said Mitchell, 'to a dot, if I go down with her.'
The big steamer plowed through the water, past the rebel battery,
with everybody asleep onshore. At five o'clock in the morning, the
steamer reached Alton dock, where Stokes was met by the young
telegraph operator, the two running to the market house where the
fire bell was rung ferociously, causing the people to pour out of
bed by hundreds, some of them half dressed, to see what was up.
'There is no fire,' said Stokes, 'but at the landing is that
steamboat you all know, loaded with arms we are getting from the
arsenal at St. Louis to Springfield, and we are afraid the
secessionists from St. Louis will follow and be on us before we get
her unloaded. We want every one of you to help us.' With a shout,
men, women, and even the children laid hold with a will, the
enthusiasm running higher and higher, and by 7 o'clock - two brief
hours - that immense steamer load of arms and war material was
safely locked in the cars of the Chicago and Alton Railroad. The
bell rang, the whistle sounded, the engine coughed and tugged up the
steep grade out of Alton, and the train was off for Springfield. In
the meantime, the wires had been kept hot all night by the operator
in Alton, receiving from the arsenal and transmitting to Springfield
information of events as they transpired.
Time works wonderful changes. It was in this same Alton where
Lovejoy, fighting against human slavery and for the freedom of the
press, poured out his blood, and on the very same spot where the
eager citizens that morning, with a cheer and shout, hurried forward
the arms to be used in the abolishing slavery in the awful conflict,
into which we were rapidly drifting. And out of that lot of arms my
regiment, the first that went from Illinois, was speedily equipped.
That night's work decided the destiny of the Government arsenal, the
City of St. Louis, and the State of Missouri, and one of the men
whose intelligence and capabilities contributed to that national
result, was the young telegraph operator at Alton - O. P. S.
Plummer. Two days after the events just described, the Seventh
Illinois Volunteer Infantry, to which I belonged, dropped down from
Springfield, going into camp at Alton, where we were visited by Mr.
Plummer, an aristocratic, dressy-looking fellow, with a
characteristic grin on his face, as he shook hands with us all
around. The regiment gave three rousing cheers to the operator, who
helped us to secure the arms we carried and which we later used at
Fort Henry, Fort Donelson, Shiloh, and Vicksburg.
On account of his loyalty and skill, Mr. Plummer was transferred to
Cairo, Illinois, at the juncture of the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers,
and the end of the Illinois Central Railroad, at the time the most
important military point of operations in the west. From this point
he transmitted reports of the engagements alluded to above, and down
the river. These historic facts concerning our late honored citizen,
Dr. Orlando Pleasant Shields Plummer, Hon. Levi W. Myers, my old
friend, who was associated with Mr. Plummer at Cairo, but now
residing in Portland, can affirm."
WEERT BAUER OF ALTON SEES CONFEDERATE BATTLE FLAG IN SPRINGFIELD
HIS UNIT CAPTURED IN 1865
Source: Alton Evening Telegraph, April 10, 1917
Last Friday, Weert Bauer of Alton, a member of the 97th Regiment
Illinois Volunteers, took a look at a Confederate battleflag which
his regiment captured April 9, 1865 at Fort Blakely, near Mobile. It
was the first time Mr. Bauer had seen the flag since his regiment
took it fifty-two years before. The 97th Regiment was selected to
lead the assault on Ft. Blakely. That morning General Lee had
surrendered, but the fact was not known by the 97th Regiment for two
days. In the meantime, an unnecessary battle had been fought after
the surrender. The 97th lost 80 men in storming the fort. Mr. Bauer
was one man who crawled through a porthole of the fort as the
gunners inside were loading their cannon to fire it. The cannon was
never fired by the Confederates. It is said that the flag the 97th
took is the only Confederate flag that was captured by an Illinois
regiment alone. Mr. Bauer took a number of Alton people who were in
Springfield last Friday, to see the flag and he rehearsed to them
the story of the part the 97th Regiment had in the last battle of
the Civil War. In this fight were a number of other Alton men,
including H. J. Johnston, who was promoted to Sergeant Major, but
never received a commission, as the war was over.
SHELL OF CIVIL WAR DAYS IS FOUND
Source: Alton Evening Telegraph, November 29, 1918
A shot-shell, evidently fired by one of the armies in Civil War
days, found its way to the Duncan Foundry last week, and was
discovered in time to prevent it working damage in the blast
furnace, on the way to which it was when discovered. The shell is
deeply pitted with rust and shows every evidence of being an old
timer, even to the shot which was enclosed within the iron case. The
shell is about 6 inches in diameter. It was shipped with a carload
of scrap iron from Paducah, Kentucky, to Rubenstein Brothers at
Alton, and by them the car was sold to the Duncans. It was while the
scrap iron was being transferred from the car to the blast furnace
that a man noticed the ball and examining it closer he discovered
that if it ever had any meanness incased within it, evidently
everything was still there, as the cap was still on the shell. This
caused Howard Gray to have the shell drilled out and inside of it he
found 173 grape shot, all imbedded in rosin. The method of making
the shell was evidently to fill it with rosin and grapeshot,
imbedding the shot in the rosin. Then a sufficient boring was made
in this mass to make a chamber for an exploding charge. When the
shell was bored out the black powder taken therefrom was burned to
test out if it was still active, and apparently it was still good.
Just what damage would have been done by the shell to the blast
furnace had it exploded when a heat was on is a matter of
speculation. The results might have been appalling had the furnace,
filled with molten metal, been wrecked by the explosion of the old
time shell. It is probable that the shell was made fifty-five years
ago, or thereabouts, and that for many years it has been rolling
around in obscure places until picked up and thrown into the car of
scrap iron which was being shipped to Alton to help make iron
articles to win the war of modern days. Civil War veterans, who
looked at the shell, recalled having seen many such objects fifty
years or more ago. They were regarded as being the last word in
deadliness then, but today they would be of little if any value as
life destroyers in a war such as has just closed in Europe. The
shell was being exhibited today at the Crivello store on Piasa
Street.
59 YEARS AGO TODAY, COLONEL PACK WAS "KILLED"
Source: Alton Evening Telegraph, August 10, 1920
Fifty-nine years ago today - August 10, 1861 - Colonel James Patrick
Pack, politician, former Sherlock Holmes and Police Officer, Fiddler
(the best ever), G. A. R. and Good Feller, was killed by the Rebels
at Wilson Creek, Missouri. That is, he was supposed to have been
killed, a Rebel bullet having knocked him over the fence at that
fight. He says he was not knocked unconscious; in fact, was
conscious enough to know that the best thing for him to do after
being shot down was to remain on the ground and do a lot of
possumming. He did that for some time, while Rebel cavalrymen were
riding over and around him. Finally the bullets began landing in his
neighborhood a little too freely to suit him, and he crawled and
wiggled and wormed himself along until he thought it was safe to
stand up. The bullet that struck him in the face and knocked him
down was kind enough to strike below the eyes so that the blood,
which was flowing freely, did not blind him, and he struck out
running. "I was in a cow path," he says, "and going some when I
noticed a scared deer in front of me and going the same direction. I
overtook that deer and as it was going too slow to suit me, and as I
needed the path, I reached over and shoved the animal out of my way
and sped on." He is not sure whether he ran all of the 12 miles from
Wilson Creek to Springfield, but he thinks he did. He was given
surgical and medical attention at Springfield, and afterwards
rejoined his regiment which had retreated from Wilson Creek to
Rolla, Missouri. He says that as far as he knows, J. H. Hurst of
Venice and himself are the only survivors of one company in the
Wilson Creek fight. The Colonel, for a man who was killed 59 year
ago, is mighty lively and optimistic, and has every prospect of
making a century run of life.
OLD CIVIL WAR SOLDIER NEAR DEATH - CARLOS COLBY WAS GIVEN
CONGRESSIONAL MEDAL OF HONOR FOR HEROIC CONDUCT
Source: Alton Evening Telegraph, May 17, 1922
The Telegraph has received a copy of the Peoria Transcript which
contains an account of the serious condition of Carlos W. Colby, a
blind soldier of the Civil War, formerly of Alton. He passed his
birthday and is still in a bad way, but the danger is not believed
to be immediate. The transcript said in part:
"Death threatens Carlos W. Colby on this, his eighty-eighth birthday
today. A veteran of the Civil War, who besides winning the
Congressional Medal of Honor, the highest recognition of bravery the
United States gives, is an interesting character chiefly of his grit
and tenacity under great adversities. Mr. Colby lies ill at the home
of his son, Charles Colby, 1209 Deciman Avenue. A great desire to
live until his birthday buoyed up his failing strength, so he has
achieved his wish, but it is not believed he can keep up the fight
much longer. He has been ill for six weeks. The Congressional Medal
of Honor is only awarded for volunteer acts of heroism. The medal
was given to Mr. Colby because he was one of a party, which on May
22, 1863. at the siege of Vicksburg, lay under the Confederate forts
throughout a day in order to protect an unexpected advance of the
main party. Mr. Colby was invited by the government to be one of the
guard last Armistice Day, at the funeral of the unknown soldier at
Washington. On account of ill health, he was unable to accept the
invitation. For 11 years he has been blind, but he never let that
destroy his courage or cheerfulness. He learned typewriting and how
to weave rattan work baskets in order to occupy his time. On the
typewriter, he wrote a full account of his experiences in the war.
He made 140 of the work baskets, which it was his delight to give to
friends. In was in the Battle of Fort Blokely, Alabama, at the end
of the war, that he was shot through one leg below the knee. The
loss of his sight is attributed to this injury. He enlisted in
Company G, Ninety-Seventh Illinois Infantry in August 1862. He was
discharged from service in July 1865. During his enlistment, he rose
from a private to First Sergeant. After being mustered out of the
army, he returned to North Alton and lived there until 1883. Then he
moved to a farm near Buckley. In 1900 he retired from farming and
came here. Besides his son Charles, he has a son, Henry, living at
Waterloo, Iowa, a daughter, Faye, 1209 Dechmor Avenue, and another
daughter, Mrs. W. H. Fish of Fort Worth, Texas."
THE STORY OF WASHINGTON H. BOYD, JAMES SQUIRE, AND OTHERS
Source: Alton Evening Telegraph, December 28, 1923
The passing of Washington H. Boyd, who died in Godfrey on Christmas
Day, is made the occasion of a letter from Dr. James Squire of
Carrollton, an old Godfrey boy. Dr. Squire was a schoolmate of Boyd,
and they went into the army together during the Civil War. Boyd's
father helped build Monticello Seminary. Boyd and Dr. Squire always
went to Grand Army encampments together. Dr. Squire calls attention
to the fact that Mr. Boyd named his son, William, for Colonel
William R. Morrison of the regiment in which he served, the 49th
Illinois. Dr. Squire said in his letter: "Washington H. Boyd, who
died Christmas Day at his home in Godfrey, was the first Civil War
soldier to enlist 'for the duration of the war.' He enlisted with
his neighbor boy, Lieut. James Maguire, and me, in Company F of the
49th Illinois, under Col. William R. Morrison. Boyd was flag
sergeant of the regiment, and carried the regimental flag. That
regiment was first in the battle at Fort Donelson. Next they were in
the Battle of Shiloh on April 6, 1862. Both Boyd and Maguire were
wounded, each in the left leg, at the same time. Maguire was sent to
Cincinnati and placed in a hospital. After being there a few days he
was told that they would amputate the leg. Inquiring whether he
could go back in the service minus a leg, he was told he could not,
and he refused then to have the amputation done, saying he would
rather die. He did die a few days later from gangrene. He was the
first Civil War soldier from Godfrey to die. He was a fine looking
Irish boy, a son of Patrick Maguire. Sergeant Boyd was sent from
Shiloh to St. Louis, placed in a hospital and a few days later, with
his shattered leg still unattended, he came on to his home in
Godfrey. He was in bed four months, pieces of bone and the bullet
coming out. His son, Will Boyd, has the bullet. After five months he
returned to the service and served clear through the war. He
suffered all through life from the wound in his leg. Yet he lived to
be 84 years of age. Those two Godfrey boys were brave heroes. Boyd
carried the regimental flag in many battles thereafter. Over 140 men
enlisted from Godfrey. No draft was needed, as our quota was full.
Only four of them are left there now - Frank Boyd, a brother of
Washington Boyd, John Ulrich, Ed Webber and William Hynrman."
SMALLPOX ISLAND BEING DESTROYED
Source: Utica, New York Observer, June 30, 1935
A Mississippi River island, which once was shown as a dueling ground
for Abraham Lincoln and later was the cemetery for Confederate
victims who died of smallpox while in the military prison at Alton
during the Civil War, is being removed piecemeal from the Missouri
shore of the river to provide as base of operations for the federal
government's work on a dam across the river at Alton. About 40,000
cubic feet of earth has already been removed from the piece of
ground. It is no longer an island in reality, having been joined to
the Missouri mainland by the action of river currents. The earth is
being removed from a point about 200 yards from the dam. When
Lincoln was supposed to have gone there for a duel, the land was
known as McPike's Island [actually it was called Sunflower Island at
the time]. It was chosen as the site of a duel between Lincoln, then
a country lawyer, and James Shields, brigadier of the Mexican War.
Shields challenged Lincoln after the latter wrote an article which
offended him. Tradition has it that Lincoln, given the choice of
weapons, picked Calvary broadswords, a selection which his
challenger did not particularly favor. The day of the duel, Lincoln
"warmed up" by by slicing off a small willow tree with his immense
weapon, at which Shields burst out laughing. Before they returned to
the Illinois shore, their quarrel was made up, without the duel
having been fought. During the Civil War, its use as a cemetery
followed an outbreak of smallpox at the prison camp at Alton, where
numerous Confederate soldiers were confined. After that episode, it
was known as Smallpox Island. The dam now under construction by the
government is one of many being built along the length of the river
to control the effects of river currents and aid navigation.