USA > Iowa > Dubuque County > History of Dubuque County, Iowa; being a general survey of Dubuque County history, including a history of the city of Dubuque and special account of districts throughout the county, from the earliest settlement to the present time > Part 30
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"Hydrophobia .- The Abolitionists of the city were terribly mad yesterday to think that Secretary Stanton had released Gen. George W. Jones from that American Bastile, Fort Lafayette. They cursed the Administration from the President down to the White House gardener and frothed at the mouth like a lot of mad dogs. Poor fellows, how we pity them."-(Herald, March I, 1862.)
Early in 1862 Lieutenant Dewey left the city with sixty-nine. recruits for the Twelfth United States Regiment, then at Fort Hamilton, New York. Lieutenant Newbury remained to recruit others. The Second, Third, Seventh, Eleventh, Twelfth, Thir- teenth and Fourteenth Iowa regiments were at Fort Donelson. The Second lost close to two hundred killed and wounded in that battle : the Seventh did heroic service there.
"The news yesterday of the possession by the Federal troops of
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the Rebel stronghold, Manassas, spread like wildfire through the city and immediately, as if by magic, the stars and stripes were flung to the breeze from nearly every house and public building in the city. One patriotic overzealous individual who, like Job's warhorse, snuffs the battle from afar, went through the street with his hat in his hand shouting, 'We've got 'em, we've got' em!' "- (Herald, March 12, 1862.)
"For the purpose of aiding and abetting the rebels in their open treason the Dubuque Herald and kindred organs resort to the decep- tive cry that it is an Abolition war originating at the North and not at the South. This is a treasonable fraud which should deceive no honest patriot."-(Times, March 6, 1862.)
"How many times has Samuel McNutt called us a traitor; how many times has he called us a Secessionist ; how many times has he alleged that we were in collusion with Jeff Davis, that we re- ceived money from Richmond to favor the Rebel cause? If we took the heart's blood of the villain who has thus belied us it would be a poor satisfaction for the injuries he has attempted to inflict upon us. McNutt came here, hired, but not yet paid, to belie caluminate, traduce, slander and libel the editor of this paper. He has done his work faithfully and expects his reward from those who brought him here, in the city treasurership of Dubuque."- (Herald, April 1, 1862.)
"Democrats .- Do not forget that Jacob Swivel, the Abolition candidate for marshal, is the same Marshal Swivel who, when a mob roared through our streets and endangered our property and our persons, was quietly with his hands in his pockets looking on when stones flew through the windows of our fellow-citizens and when respectable men were knocked down and abused because they were Democrats."-( National Demokrat, April 5, 1862.)
"When the peace of this city was violated last summer by a mob and when private residences and public business places of citizens were stoned and citizens themselves threatened with personal vio- lence, Marshal Swivel looked on complacently."-(Herald, April 6, 1862.)
Several wounded soldiers of Pea Ridge, Fort Donelson and other western fields began to arrive here in March, 1862. Bodies of dead soldiers also arrived and were buried with much ceremony. The Herald continued to denounce almost every act of President Lincoln's administration. Hayden's battery participated in the battle of Pea Ridge and lost heavily, but fought gallantly. The Herald called Wendell Phillips a traitor and rejoiced when he was mobbed at Cincinnati in the spring of 1862. President Lincoln was denounced for having received Mr. Phillips. Returning sol- diers were cared for at the Peosta Home. At the request of Gov- ernor Kirkwood, H. L. Stout spent one thousand eight hundred dollars for the care of soldiers passing through Dubuque ; he was
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later reimbursed for the outlay. The Germania band, which had been to the front at Springfield, Missouri, returned in April. Lieut. Col. F. J. Herron and his brother, Capt. R. G. Herron. arrived here in April; the former was wounded at Pea Ridge. Of the immense meeting held at Julien theatre early in April. 1862, to celebrate the victory at Pittsburg Landing, the Herald said it was employed to abuse the successful party in this county. The City Council passed the following on April 10:
"Resolved, That we hail with joy the glorious tidings from our victorious armies as indicating a speedy and certain overthrow of secession and its sympathizers in the North as well as in the South.
"Resolved, That Lieut. Col. Frank J. Herron and his associates in arms from Dubuque at the battle of Pea Ridge, will be remem- bered with pride by its loyal citizens, when those who have gone from among us to aid in rebellion will be forgotten or only known with infamy as traitors to their country."
Any suggestion to free and arm the blacks to assist the Federal forces encountered the severest denunciations of the Herald and its supporters. The Ad Hines brought up twenty sick and wounded soldiers from Pittsburg Landing late in April. It was April 14 or 15 before any detailed and reliable news concerning Iowa regi- ments at Pittsburg Landing was received here; the horrors of that bloody battle, the heroic conduct of the surprised Federal troops and the grief over loved ones killed and wounded then, were almost overpowering to the good people of Dubuque. Early in 1862 D. A. Mahony was the real leader of the secession Democracy of Iowa.
"The war as waged by the Abolitionists is for the evident pur- pose of bringing the white and black races to a social. personal and political equality and not for the preservation of the Union nor for the maintenance of the Constitution. The theme of the speeches in Congress and the burden of the arguments of Abolitionists in that body is the negro, not the Union."-( Editorial, Herald, April 30, 1862.)
"The telegraphic dispatches of yesterday brought the mortifying intelligence that it was known at the capital that there was a secret league of secessionists in this city who were intending to resist the collection of the Federal tax. The leaders are known and the eye of the authorities is upon them. Doubtless this is no idle surmise or idle rumor, but the result of actual knowledge. * *
And this is not all. Yesterday private dispatches were received from the seat of government that there was a prospect that the Pacific Railroad would be so located that it would not connect with any tributary to Dubuque simply because it is such a secession hole. So Iowa, the most loyal State in the Union, has become a plague spot." -- (Times, May 8, 1862.)
United States Deputy Marshal Captain Conger began to investi- gate the allegations that a disloyal society was in existence in this
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county, organized, it was declared, to resist the collection of the government tax.
Certain citizens here, or persons elsewhere, having informed the government that there was a secret disloyal organization for resistance to the collection of government tax, the Herald demanded an investigation and denounced the accusation, so far as it was concerned, as false and malicious. From the New York Tribune's correspondence the following was an extract : "It is known here ( at Washington, D. C.) that a secret organization exists at Du- buque, Iowa, to resist the collection of Federal taxes. The ring- leaders in this movement are known to the government and its eye is upon them."-(Herald, May 8, 1862.)
"Dubuque as a recruiting station has been the most productive of any city in the United States. Over five hundred men have been enlisted here for the regular service."-(Dubuque Times, May 8, 1862.) "What on earth has happened to the Times to make this admission? A hundred times or more during the past year the Times has tried to make it appear that Dubuque and vicinity was so disloyal as to withhold recruits for the war."-(Herald, May 9, 1862.) "It is equally notorious that the only other attempt at riot or of a serious disturbance of the peace for years was the attempt last summer of an abolition and Republican mob instigated by the Dubuque Times, an Abolition-Republican paper, to destroy the Herald printing establishment. The other was when the same mobs attacked and in two or three instances broke in the houses and business places of peaceably disposed citizens whose only offense was that they were Democrats in politics."-(Herald, May 9, 1862.)
In the spring of 1862 P. H. Conger became deputy United States marshal here. In April two hundred Rebel prisoners passed 11p on the steamer Evansville, but were not landed at Dubuque.
"We stated and now repeat the opinion that if the government finds that it cannot suppress the rebellion without abolishing slavery the Constitution gives the right and imposes the duty to remove it." -(Times, May 20, 1862. )
General Hunter's proclamation freeing the negroes in his depart- inent was denounced by the Herald, which declared that if Presi- dent Lincoln would annul it the Herald would support the Lincoln Administration. To the Herald and all Southerners residing here the mere suggestion of interference with slavery was sufficient to kindle the severest denunciation ; they hated Abolitionism with an intensity almost unaccountable at the present time; the negro was regarded as an animal. nothing more.
"What have the fanatics of Dubuque and of Iowa to say now to the course of the Herald? Step by step, act by act, the course of this paper has been sustained by the Administration itself. The rebuke of Sewardism embodied in Secretary Stanton's executive
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Order No. I. together with the recent discomfiture of the Rebels (capture of Forts Henry and Donelson) has brought on a crisis in the war and now comes the turning point which will result in the demoralization of the Rebels, the discomfiture of Abolitionism, the restoration of the Union and the establishment of peace on a lasting and irrevocable foundation. Secretary Stanton's order of amnesty is the most important event of the war."-(Herald, Feb- mary 20, 1862.) Stanton's order released all political prisoners. The above article is given to show how utterly mistaken the Herald was on the nature of the order and the intentions of the South and the Administration.
In May, 1862, Lieutenant Colonel Herron was promoted to a brigadier general. On May 26 Lieutenant Dewey left here with seventy-four recruits for the Twelfth United States Regiment. So many soldiers passed through Dubuque, needing assistance, it was determined in May to provide a soldiers' hospital. Captain Case recruited volunteers here for the Nineteenth Regiment in June. As Memphis was captured about this time, steamers began to go down to that city. On June 4 Lieutenant Newberry left with thirty-five volunteers for the Twelfth United States Regiment. The battles in Virginia attracted much attention at this time. The Times openly accused Mahony, General Jones, Sammels, Lewis Jennings, Quigley and others with being secessionists and traitors ; the Herald answered with its usual directness, sarcasm and dis- loyalty.
On June II, 1862, Capt. L. E. Yorke assumed the duties of military commander of Dubuque and vicinity. He proceeded to put his district in good order by seeing that soldiers were properly mustered in or out; leaves of absence properly signed; pay of soldiers attended to; soldiers absent without leave told to report ; paroled Union soldiers were considered on leave of absence until exchanged. etc.
"It is taken for granted by a large portion of the people of the northern States that the Rebellion of the South is primarily and almost exclusively caused and carried on by slaveholders, and the conclusion is formed with very specious reasoning that as slave- holders caused this rebellion the property in slaves should therefore be destroyed. We deny both the premise and the conclusion. Slaveholders did not cause the rebellion, but those who determined to abolish slavery did by personal interference with the institution, so called, of slavery and by the influence which those Abolitionists acquired over the northern State governments and over the Federal government. That is what caused the rebellion and not the slave- holders."-(Herald, June 17, 1862.)
On July 2, 1862, a bogus dispatch that Richmond had fallen and fifty thousand Rebel soldiers captured caused a large spontaneous celebration here; flags were flung out, cannon fired, bells rung,
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stores closed and business suspended. At the Fourth of July cele- bration Judge T. S. Wilson proposed three cheers for "the old flag and the old Constitution"; also "three cheers for McClellan." Rev. Taylor proposed "three cheers for the Union as it is, and will be." More troops being called for, the Herald asked :
"Why? Because Abolitionism has diverted the object of the war, for a restoration of the government, to an emancipation raid, disgusting good men and preventing them from joining in the work. If drafting is resorted to we may look for lively times and great physical disabilities prevalent."-(Herald, July 10, 1862. )
The following is a list of persons subject to military duty in Dubuque county in July, 1862, made out and returned to the adju- tant general as provided by law: Julien township, 1,904; Wash- ington, 127; Prairie Creek, 140; White Water, 200; Cascade, 152; Mosalem, 122; Table Mound, 167; Vernon, 160; Taylor, 159; Dodge, 103; Center, 161 ; Iowa, 106; New Wine, 288; Peru, 107; Jefferson, 206; Concord, 163; Liberty, 156; total, 4,421.
"This war can never, no, never, in our opinion, be brought to a satisfactory close by means of war."-(Herald, July 12, 1862.)
In July, under the new call, another regiment was to be raised in this congressional district. At this time the Herald was saying and doing much to discourage enlistments. The government bounty of one hundred dollars was now in force. The confiscation bill was denounced by the Herald. By July, 1862, nearly three hundred volunteers had been secured here for the Twelfth United States Regiment. This is an important fact not to be overlooked. In less than three weeks in June and July Captain Case enlisted a full company of ninety-nine men. Vallandingham's theories were cxtolled by the Herald which published his speeches in full.
"Our readers will remember that we had a military company here some time ago composed of blood and thunder patriots, better known as Shoddies, and that one evening one of the most innocent and earnest of them proposed that the company tender their services to the government, and that the probabilities of their being accepted were so strong that the entire company disbanded, quaking in their boots from the alarm occasioned by the dangers they had escaped." -(Herald, July 18, 1862.)
"The arrival in this city of several cases, amounting, it is said. to a thousand stand of arms and a quantity of ammunition, fixed as well as loose, has afforded the malignants an opportunity to found upon this circumstance the most alarming rumors and to create a feverish anxiety if not an intense excitement in the public mind. The government can ill afford to have public opinion excited against it at this time, and therefore it becomes it to discountenance the malicious partisanship which alarms the public mind with fears for the security of persons who are alleged to be inimical to the govern- ment by their political adversaries. This is no time to permit or
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encourage trifling with personal rights either of liberty or of prop- erty, for a word unfitly spoken, or an act needlessly or heedlessly committed, might plunge this whole State, if not the whole North- west, into the horrors of civil war. He who becomes the means of producing such a state of things is, we need not say, the worst as well as the most dangerous enemy of his country and of his race. Let the government act openly and trustfully with the people and permit no one to make it appear otherwise than it should do in its relations to any individual, and a world of trouble will be pre- vented: but if it should subject itself to this guidance of the fa- natics hereaway, it will inevitably find itself involved in a conflict which might prove to become irresistible. We kindly, calmly but firmly, warn our rulers and those who have become the minions of power that thrift may follow fawning, to beware of their course in relation to the rights of the people. There is no need of a con- flict between the government and the people in the exercise of their respective rights; neither should infringe upon or violate the rights of the other. To do so at this time by either government or people might result in the worst possible consequences."-(Herald, July 31, 1862.)
"The fairest way to raise troops is by drafting. There are in this city at least a hundred partisan leaders who are urging every Democrat they meet to go to war, but not one of whom volunteers himself to go. It is amusing to see our Stouts, Langworthys, Alli- sons, Adamses and other leading Republicans running to and fro urging their poorer neighbors to go to war. If they will not, let them take their chances at the time of drafting."-(Herald, July 30, 1862.)
Late in July, 1862, the Chicago Journal and other journals of the West called upon the government to suppress the Herald and thrust its editors into "a safe military prison or to furnish them with a pass to the Southern Confederacy." "Its sedition is open and shameless."-"A falsehood," replied the Herald. "It does all in its power to discourage enlistments and to dampen the ardor of the people."-"That is a lie." said the Herald.
"We are pretty reliably informed that a number of young men left this city Monday morning to escape the consequences of a draft and that more are intending to go in a day or two. We have heard both Democratic and Republican names spoken of in this connection. It is the duty of every man to stop and meet it like a man. * We implore every man to remain where he is and meet the issues. There should be no fear of an unfair draft. We will not insult the authorities by premising that such an infamy will be undertaken, but if it should be, the place to meet it is HERE. A draft to be binding on any of us must be fair, above suspicion and legal in every particular."-(Herald, August 5, 1862.)
"Another 300,000 !- It will be seen by the news from Washing-
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ton that a call for three hundred thousand more men has been issued by the Secretary of War in addition to the three hundred thousand required by a recent proclamation. This news spread consternation through this city yesterday and set even fanatics to reflecting upon the state of the country and its probable fate."- (Herald, August 6, 1862.) "Recruiting officers flaunt their flags from almost every block in the city."-(Herald, August 6, 1862.)
In July draft evaders again became alarmed and prepared to leave for Canada. A printer named Lambert enlisted men for a typo-battalion at Chicago. The Herald assumed that drafting would be partial, one-sided and of Democrats only. Much help was given to soldiers' families. "Every cord of wood given to soldiers' families was recorded above," it was paragraphed. When the Irish regiment was first talked of Mahony signified his willing- ness to assist, but when it was decided that he should not become its colonel his ardor cooled. Lieutenant Flint recruited for the Twenty-first Regiment in July and August. Under the new call "Dubuque was the only backward county in the State and has done nothing as yet toward filling her quota, offering bounties, or kin- dling a patriotic fire."-(Herald, August 5, 1862.) On August 4 the Ladies' Volunteer Aid Society sent a large box of hospital stores to Keokuk by the steamer Canada. Shubael P. Adams was an unflinching Union man. Sam Osborn, William Coates, A. Y. McDonald and C. Hill, the first two of whom had served with the First Regiment, were authorized to raise volunteers in August. Captain Horton enlisted fifty sharpshooters by August II. By this time the city and county were alive with meetings to secure volunteers.
"Various and discouraging will be the difficulties in the way of successfully drafting the required number of men in this part of the country for war purposes. The severe ailments, hereditary, chronic and otherwise which now afflict such large numbers of our community is frightful to think of. Men supposed to be in the prime of manhood have within ten days fallen into the 'sere and yellow leaf' with amazing rapidity and in astonishing quantities. Old crutches have been scoured up and are now about ready for action. Some men are lame, blind, have springhalt, spasms, consumption, heaves and much general debility ; others are troubled with a sort of insanity which induces them to imitate gophers and ground moles, by burrowing in mineral holes. The doctors and apothecaries are absolutely overrun with applications for advice and medicines. * *
* The report that those persons who have gone to Canada will be delivered up by the British government to ours, may prove true; if so, these late emigrants to that country will be in a beautiful fix."-(Herald, August 10, 1862.)
"Recruiting .- This city is all ablaze with recruiting. There are some fifteen recruiting offices already and more are in contempla-
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tion. General Harrison has some sixty names on his roll. The general takes the right way to secure recruits. He is not like most of those who address war meetings and who make buncombe speeches."-(Herald, August 12, 1862. )
"Troops are arriving by nearly every boat and train which, with those eight hundred Enfield rifles brought over yesterday from Dunleith, give the city a war-like appearance. All day long and half the night the roll of drums and the shrieking fife salute the ear. Captain Horr arrived from Epworth yesterday with a squad of recruits which will make, with these he has already recruited, a very respectable company."-(Herald, August 13, 1862. )
On Thursday, August 13, 1862, at about 3:30 A. M., Mr. Ma- hony was roused at his residence by lond knocking, and peering from an upper window, saw several armed men at the door and others near. Thinking that a mob had come to attack him, he gave a loud shont to rouse the neighbors and withdrew his head. Deputy Marshal P. H. Conger then came forward and told him that he was there to arrest him and for him to come down and open the door. Mr. Mahony at once complied. He was immediately marched to the steamer Bill Henderson at the levee. He was treated courteously and permitted to see his friends. The arrest caused considerable excitement on the streets and much satisfaction to his enemies in all parts of the State when the news became gen- erally known. He was arrested under a late general order of the War Department.
ON BOARD STEAMER BILL HENDERSON AT DUBUQUE, April 14, 1862.
TO THE PEOPLE OF TIIE STATE OF IOWA :
Readers of the Herald and fellow-citizens of Iowa .- I have been arrested this morning by an arbitrary order from the War Depart- ment, on what grounds I know not, except it be for the expression of my sentiments through the Dubuque Herald, sentiments which, as true as God lives, I believe to be loyal to the Constitution of my country. I have only to commend my wife and children to your care and protection.
Your friend and fellow-citizen, D. A. MAHONY.
Stilson Hutchins, of the Herald staff, said, "The principles which the Herald enunciated and supported, it does not shrink from now. Neither does Mr. Mahony. That he is loyal to the Constitution and the laws we believe as heartily as we believe that we exist. There is no probability of the suppression of this paper ; we have that assurance from the proper authorities."-(Herald, August 15, 1862.)
"For Congress .- The feeling in favor of Mr. Mahony for Con- gress has been excited rather than depressed by his arrest, and we
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may now look upon his nomination as a foregone conclusion. We hope, perhaps without reason, for his speedy acquittal just so soon as it shall be known that his arrest has been brought about by malice and not on account of any violation of law."-(Herald, August 15, 1862.)
"Volunteers .- We visited such of the recruiting offices in this city yesterday as we could find occupied for the purpose of ascer- taining the number of men at each, and our investigations resulted as follows: Messrs. Osborn and Swivel had about 100 men; Gen- eral Harrison, about 80: Captain Horton, about 80; Leonard Horr, 75 ; Captain Greaves, about 50; Messrs. Dixon and Mills, about 35; and probably among all other officers, 50 more-in all, probably 450 men. Besides these, a considerable number have joined the regulars."-(Herald, August 17, 1862.)
"Mr. Mahony is still stopping at the Burtis House under official charge. He was to have gone to Iowa City yesterday, but differ- ent arrangements were made ; General Baker went out in the morn- ing and it is thought that he and the Governor will be in tonight." --- (Davenport News, August 16, 1862.)
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