USA > Illinois > Madison County > Centennial history of Madison County, Illinois, and its people, 1812 to 1912, Volume I > Part 39
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nies recruited, out of which Governor Ford, was able to accept but thirty companies, the remainder being doomed to disappointment. From these thirty companies were organized -the First Regiment, Col. John J. Hardin ; the Second, Col. William H. Bissell, and the Third, Col Ferris Foreman, which were mus- tered into the United States service at Alton on the 2nd day of June, 1846. A fourth regi- ment was accepted under Col. E. D. Baker and mustered in July 18, 1846. The First and Second regiments were transported down the river and across the Gulf to Camp Erwin in Texas, and thence marched to San Antonio where they joined General Wool's army of the Centre. . Leaving that city September 26th, they soon entered the enemy's territory and two months later arrived at Agua Nueva, a march of a thousand miles without encoun- tering an enemy. In January, 1847, General Taylor, marching from Saltillo, formed a junction with General Wool. On the 22nd and 23rd of February was fought the famous . battle of Buena Vista, in which the Americans were victorious over a vastly superior force, and the two Illinois regiments especially dis- tinguished themselves. The First Illinois lost one colonel (Hardin), one captain, one subal- tern and twenty-six enlisted men; wounded and missing, two subalterns and sixteen en- listed men. Total loss of the First, 50.
Second Regiment : Killed, two captains, one subaltern and twenty-nine enlisted men; wounded, two captains, six subalterns and sixty-three enlisted men; missing four. Total loss 107 .*
*The Adjutant General's report gives the follow- ing as the officers of Company C, Second Regiment Illinois Volunteers, Mexican war: Captain, James W. Baker; first lieutenant, Turner J. DeButts; sec- ond lieutenants, John Brown and James Smith. These, it seems, were the officers when the regiment was mustered out, not, with the exception of Baker, the officers when it was mustered in. The company was then known as the Alton Volunteer Guards, and the officers at its organization were, Peter Goff, cap-
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These two regiments remained at Buena Vista until May seeing no more active service beyond scouting. They were mustered out at Camargo, Mexico, on June 17, 1847.
The Third and Fourth regiments were bri- gaded under General Shields. On the 9th of March they took part in the advance on Vera Cruz. In the battle of Cerro Gordo, April 17th and 18th, they were hotly engaged, but had the good fortune to meet with few losses. The gallantry of Lieut. G. T. M. Davis, of Madison, was commended in general orders after the battle. General Shields was shot through the lungs, and Lieutenant Davis is credited with saving his life by giving the wound immediate attention. No regiments from any state gained more honor than these four from Illinois and to relate all the inci- dents of their gallantry in their various en- gagements would require pages.
The Fifth Regiment, called out to take the place of regiments whose time had expired, was organized at Alton, June 8, 1847; left by steamer for Fort Leavenworth, July 14th, and from that post marched across the plains to Santa Fe. It was mustered out at Alton De- cember 15, 1848. It was commanded by Col. E. W. B. Newby. On its muster rolls ap- pears the name of Corporal David R. Sparks,
tain; Jas. W. Baker, first lieutenant; E. F. Fletcher and Rodney Ferguson, second lieutenants. But there were changes later on, and at the battle of Buena Vista Baker was captain with Fletcher, Ferguson and Lauriston Robins, lieutenants. All three of the lieutenants were killed at the battle and Captain Baker wounded. The last-named was furloughed home and died of his wounds at Alton. The bodies of Fletcher, Ferguson and Robbins were sent home from Mexico and buried with military honors. Governor French and all the state officials, and many military men of distinction attended the service. The funeral is recorded as the most imposing ever held in the state up to that time. It occurred on the 2Ist of July, 1847. Rev. Dr. S. Y. McMasters, rector of the Episcopal church, preached the funeral ser- mon. These four officers of the Alton Volunteer Guards are buried side by side in the Alton cemetery.
later captain of Company L, Third Illinois Cavalry, in the Civil War.
The Sixth Regiment was organized from the overflow of the Fifth. It was commanded by Col. Jas Collins; was organized at Alton August 3, 1847, and left on the 14th of that month for New Orleans. There it was di- vided, half of it going to Vera Cruz under Colonel Collins and the remainder to Tampico, under Lieutenant Colonel Hicks. On its re- turn from Mexico it was mustered out at Alton, July 20, 1848.
The last company accepted from Illinois was Capt. Josiah Little's company of cavalry, of this county. It was mustered in at Alton September II, 1847; went to Mexico, and on its return, was discharged at Alton, July 25, 1848. Captain Little was from Upper Alton. He also served in the Black Hawk war of 1832.
The names of the commissioned officers from Madison county in the Mexican war, as found in the adjutant general's report, include only those at the organization of the regi- ment. The numerous changes and promotions thereafter are not noted, and hence the record is very incomplete. The editor notes the fol- lowing :
Second Regiment-Adjutant, August Whiteside.
Company D-Captain, Erastus Wheeler ; first lieutenant, George W. Prickett; second lieutenants, Joel Foster and W. B. Reynolds.
Company E-Captain, Peter Lott; first lieutenant, John A. Prickett ; second lieuten- ants, James Catron and Aston Madeira. In this company were A. F. Rodgers, afterwards colonel of the Eightieth Illinois in the Civil war, and W. R. Wright, afterwards captain of Company B, in the same regiment. Two other members, who afterwards became prominent citizens of Alton, were corporals-Joseph Quigley and Dr. I. E. Hardy.
Company I, Fifth Regiment-Captain, Jo- sias Little; first lieutenants, Charles P. Haz-
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ard and Thomas L. Buck; second lieutenants, Josiah Caswell and Robert S. Greene.
No record is found of the company of which Peter Goff was captain and it seems uncertain whether that was an additional com- pany to those named, or whether he was pro- moted to the captaincy of some command already organized.
One great difficulty in obtaining accurate in- formation from the adjutant general's report is that while the place of enlistment is given (in nearly all cases, Alton) no intimation is given of place of residence.
Alton was a lively place during the Mexican war. It was the designated point of rendez- vous for all the troops from the state in 1846 and thence they started for the war. A large body of them were encamped at what is now Rock Spring Park. While there the ladies of Upper Alton baked large quantities of pies which they either gave to the soldiers, or sent to the camp for sale. Hence the volunteers gave the place the name of "Pietown," which appellation is still cherished.
Another detachment was encamped in the woods which then covered the hills about the present site of Lincoln school. A third en- campment was on the bluff near the city cemetery. Colonel Rodgers says the Second Regiment was mustered in at the corner of Fifteenth and Liberty streets, Middletown, on the grounds of Dr. B. S. Edwards and S. G. Bailey.
LAST MEXICAN WAR SURVIVORS
As an instance of the incompleteness of the adjutant general's rolls the editor does not find the names among the commissioned of- ficers of Lieutenants Ferguson, Robbins and Fletcher, who were killed at Buena Vista. Capt. Jas. W. Baker was wounded in the same battle and sent home. He died from his wounds at Alton. The bodies of the officers named were sent home and now the bodies of Captain Baker and the three lieutenants rest
side by side in the Alton cemetery. On the arrival of the remains from Mexico there was a great funeral demonstration at Alton. A movement was set on foot to erect a monu- ment in their memory, but nothing came of it. As Irving said in Rip Van Winkle: "How soon we are forgot when we are gone!"
The last reunion of the Illinois survivors of the Mexican war was held at Alton in Sep- tember, 1911, at the invitation of Colonel Rod- gers who entertained them. It was a slim gathering of old men, more or less decrepit, ranging in age from 84 to 92. It probably marked their last attempt at a similar gather- ing. So far as known Col. A. F. Rodgers, of Upper Alton; John Diamond, of Alton, and Lem. Southard, of Wanda, are the only sur- vivors in Madison county of those who fought in the Mexican war. Capt. D. R. Sparks sur- vived to a good old age, dying in 1907, and Captain W. R. Wright still later, his death oc- curring in 1910.
THE CIVIL WAR
Fourteen years after the close of the Mex- ican war the first gun of the Civil war was fired at Charleston. The nation awoke from its dream of peace to the stern and bitter re- alities of war. Nothing more sublime exists in history than the magnificent uprising of the north to avenge the insult to the flag and to save the Union from disruption; and in no locality was the call to arms responded to with more alacrity than in this county on the border. Across the river from Madison was Missouri, a state divided against itself in the conflict of arms. A man's foes were those of his own household-father against son, brother against brother-each appealing to Heaven for the justice of his cause.
The echo of the firing on Sumter had hardly died away when the flower of Madison's young manhood responded to the president's appeal to the arbitrament of battle. The ranks were filled at once and the overflow of
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those who could not find places in Illinois reg- iments went to St. Louis and enlisted in Mis- souri organizations. This was the beginning. Through the four following tragic years the volunteers continued to fill the broken ranks or to form new organizations until 3,598 were in the field in Illinois regiments and many in Missouri organizations.
The exact number enlisted from this county will probably never be accurately known, as the records of Missouri are incomplete owing to its then disorganized condition, and to the further fact that there were many enlistments in the regular army not credited to the county ; but the known figures bring the total to 4,450. This out of a total population of 30,689 in 1860 and a voting strength of 6,461! These figures of patriotic devotion are more eloquent than any words. Sons followed fathers and young boys their older brothers as the war progressed. It was a wonderful exhibit of patriotism in which all parties and all classes joined. A library would hardly suffice to record the services and sacrifices, the deeds of valor and daring, the sufferings and devo- tion of the volunteers of Madison county. It would require a volume alone to record simply their names, regiments and battle fields. To attempt this would be beyond the scope of this work and for the further reason that it is un- necessary. Their muster rolls have already been published in permanent form by the ad- jutant general's office and also in "Brink's History of Madison County," published in 1882. But even the official records give only a part of the story of the citizen soldiery of Madison county, for the reason given above of enlistments outside the state of which there is no distinctive record. Another reason is that, since the war, hundreds of soldiers of other states have settled in Madison county and become a part of its citizenship.
ALTON, A GREAT MILITARY CAMP AGAIN
At the outbreak of the war Alton was made, as it was in the Mexican war, a camp of rendezvous and instruction-and for the further reason that it was important to rush troops to strategic points on the border. The first regiment to arrive there was the Seventh Illinois Infantry, Col. John Cook. This so- called Seventh Regiment was, in reality, the First Regiment of the Civil war. Six regi- ments were enrolled for the Mexican war and hence the numbering of the Civil war regi- ments began with the Seventh. Colonel Cook was the son of the famous anti-slavery con- gressman of the early days, Daniel P. Cook, and a grandson of Gov. Ninian Edwards. He later became a brigadier general and rendered valuable service.
Other regiments ordered to Alton during the war were: Thirteenth United States In- fantry, Seventy-seventh Ohio, Thirty-seventh Iowa, Fifteenth, Seventeenth and Twenty- fourth Illinois, Thirteenth and Seventeenth Cavalry, and others mentioned previously. The regiment of Col. Lew Wallace, of Indi- ana, came to Alton by rail and after remaining here a short time, took steamers for the south. A cavalry company from Hillsboro was there for a time. The men were finely equipped, each man owning his own horse. They crossed the river at Alton and marched for the scene of active hostilities in Missouri. They were next heard from at the battle of Lexington where they were captured and paroled. They came back homeward and made their reappearance, sans horses and equipments and with a poor opinion of the war. The old penitentiary at Alton was made a military prison early in 1862. The history of that institution is told in another chapter.
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SUPPLIES TRANSFERRED FROM ST. LOUIS
A stirring episode of the opening days of the war was the removal of military supplies from the St. Louis arsenal and their convey- ance to Alton on the steamer "City of Alton." It was conducted by Capt. James B. Stokes, of Chicago, acting under authority of Gover- nor Yates, who had obtained a requisition therefor from the war department at Wash- ington, which had, however, no power to de- liver the goods. The arsenal was closely watched by secessionists and they stood ready to seize the arms the moment an attempt was made to remove them. Captain Stokes volun- teered to undertake the hazardous enterprise. The requisition was immediately put into his hands and he proceeded to St. Louis, where he found the arsenal surrounded by a trea- sonable mob. He at length reached the build- ing and informed the commander of the ob- ject of his visit. The commander informed him that the arsenal was surrounded by spies and that the most trivial movement might bring an overwhelming force down upon them, but he gave the captain permission to make the attempt. His apprehensions were well-founded, for the next day information was received that Governor Jackson had or- dered 2,000 men down from Jefferson City with the evident intention of capturing the arsenal. Two batteries had already been planted by the governor's friends, one near the arsenal and one on the St. Louis levee.
Captain Stokes immediately telegraphed to Alton for a steamer to descend the river and land about midnight opposite the arsenal. He then proceeded to the building with a force of 700 men from the Seventh Illinois and pro- ceeded to lower the heavy boxes containing the guns from the upper stories to the first floor. At the same time to divert attention from the real object, he caused 500 unservice- able muskets to be openly placed on a differ- ent boat. This drew the most of the crowd
from around the arsenal and the Captain had the remainder shut up in the guard house. Meanwhile the telegram to Alton had been received by Col. S. A. Buckmaster and the Packet company. Colonel Buckmaster was in the confidence of the governor and the steamer "City of Alton" was at once made ready for the expedition. Promptly at mid- night the steamer landed at the arsenal and the removal of supplies at once commenced. Cap- tain Stokes' requisition only called for 10,000 muskets, but he proceeded, by permission of the commandant to take 20,000 muskets, 500 pistols, 500 carbines, besides cannon and a quantity of ammunition, leaving but 7,000 muskets to arm the St. Louis volunteers. When the order was given to start the boat could not move owing to the immense weight of the cargo which had been placed about the engines to protect them. Assistance was sum- moned from the arsenal and part of the arms removed to the stern, when the boat floated free and the trip to Alton began. A book en- titled "The Patriotism of Illinois" gives the following account of the upward trip: "Which way?" inquired Capt. Leander Mitchell of the steamer. "Straight in the channel to Alton," replied Capt. Stokes. "What if we are at- tacked?" said Capt. Mitchell. "Then we'll fight," was the reply of Stokes. "What if we are overpowered?" said Mitchell. "Run the boat to the deepest water and sink her," re- plied Stokes. "I'll do it," was the heroic answer of Mitchell; and away they went, past the secession battery, past the St. Louis levee, and on to Alton where they arrived at 5 o'clock in the morning. When they landed, Captain Stokes fearing they might be pursued by some of the secession military companies of St. Louis, ran to the engine house and rang the fire bell. The citizens came flocking to the river in all sorts of habiliments. Captain Stokes informed them of the state of affairs and pointed to the waiting freight cars. In- stantly men, women and boys boarded the
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steamer and commenced the work of unload- ing the arms. Rich and poor tugged together with might and main for two hours, when the whole of the valuable cargo was on the cars, and the train moved off for Springfield amid enthusiastic cheers. These arms, thus res- cued, served to equip the early Illinois regi- ments. This daring exploit occurred on the night of April 25, 1861, ten days after the is- suing of the president's proclamation calling for troops to suppress the rebellion.
Major Franklin B. Moore, later noted cav- alry leader, was a member of the expedition and in his autobiography gives the following matter-of-fact account of the expedition from Alton : "I had hauled a load of lumber that day for the boat and went into the office to get my ticket. John J. Mitchell was there and beckoned to me. He said to me in a low tone: 'We are going down to the St. Louis arsenal to-night to get the arms stored there. Don't you want to go along?' I answered 'Yes.' I was told to keep mum, take my team home and return to the boat at night. I car- ried this out all right. Many of Alton's best men were with us. J. J. Mitchell, Col. S. A. Buckmaster, James Powrie, and others I do not recall. We went down to the arsenal, at the lower end of St. Louis, and landed there all right. Col. Buckmaster and a few others went into the arsenal and captured the watch- men. No soldiers were within. The re- mainder of us stayed on the boat. They re- turned and told us to come on. We were told where we could find the ordnance. We car- ried for several hours and loaded the boat with muskets, cannon and ammunition. We re- turned to Alton about daylight next morning. The cargo was loaded on cars by citizens who gathered at the landing, and sent to Springfield."
Captain Stokes was a West Pointer. He went to war as commander of the famous Chicago Board of Trade Battery and attained the rank of brigadier general.
GALLANT MADISON COUNTY MILITARY MEN
Among the military men who resided in Madison county were many who rose to high command in the service. I have spoken of General Whiteside, who figured in the War of 1812 and commanded a brigade in the Black Hawk war, and of Gen James D. Henry, the popular hero of the latter conflict, but there were others who attained fame in the early history of the state. One was Col. Stephen H. Long, who divided honors with Gen. Zebu- lon H. Pike as an early explorer of the west- ern wilderness. Long's peak, in the Rocky mountains, which he discovered is named for him. He became chief of topographical en- gineers of the United States Army. He died in Alton and is buried in the city cemetery. Colonel Long was a native of New Hamp- shire, son of a soldier of the Revolution, a member of Washington's bodyguard. Several of Col. Long's brothers obtained distinction. Enoch Long was an officer in the War of 1812 and commanded the defenders of the press at the time of the Lovejoy tragedy in Alton; G. W. Long was a major of engineers, United States Army ; Dr. B. F. Long was an eminent physician. Preble Long, a fourth brother, died in early manhood. All the five brothers were residents of Madison county. Capt. H. C. Long, son of Col S. H., was a dis- tinguished civil engineer, and a grandson, Wil- liam L. Breckinridge, is now chief engineer of the entire Burlington railway system. A daughter of Colonel Long, Mrs. M. P. Breck- inridge, still resides in Alton. Several grand- sons of the Long brothers served in the Civil war. One of them, George Frank Long, was a member of the Tenth Illinois Volunteers; marched with Sherman to the sea, and was desperately wounded in the last battle of that campaign, at Bentonville, North Carolina. He eventually recovered, though crippled for life. He now resides in Springfield. He was a son of Dr. Long and was born in Upper Alton.
General Lewis B. Parsons, was a promi-
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nent figure in the Civil war and chief of trans- portation of the western department. His greatest feat was the celerity with which he transferred Schofield's army from Tennessee, in the spring of 1865, to the coast of North Carolina to cooperate with Sherman as he marched through that state in pursuit of Johnston's army. General Parsons was a prominent lawyer in Alton, for several years, but later removed to St. Louis. He was a generous friend of education and an elder in the Alton Presbyterian church. He was a candidate for lieutenant governor in 1880 on the Democratic ticket headed by Senator Trumbull, another Madison county man. Col. Friend S. Rutherford, a brilliant Alton law- yer, went to the war in 1862 in command of the Ninety-seventh Illinois. As related else- where, he died in 1864, just after being com- missioned a brigadier general.
Gen. Loren Kent, at the outbreak of the war, was a dry goods clerk in Alton. He first entered the army as a private in the Tenth Illinois, and his service was such as to win rapid promotion. At the age of twenty-three he was a lieutenant colonel and provost mar- shal general of the Army of the Tennessee. He paroled the 32,000 Confederate prisoners cap- tured by General Grant at Vicksburg. He was subsequently colonel of the Twenty-ninth Illinois and was promoted brevet brigadier general. After the war he was appointed collector of the port of Galveston and died there of yellow fever in 1867, aged twenty- seven years. His remains were brought home for burial in the Alton cemetery.
Another distinguished young soldier who reached high rank was Col. Samuel T. Hughes. He enlisted at the outbreak of the war in an Edwardsville company of the Ninth Illinois and was elected a lieutenant of the company. He won rapid promotion and at the close of the war came back in command of the regiment. That his service was ardu- ous is shown by the fact that the Ninth partic-
ipated in one hundred and ten battles and skirmishes and lost more men killed in action than any other regiment from Illinois.
Col. A. F. Rodgers, who enlisted two com- panies for the Eightieth Illinois and was elected captain of Company B, and subse- quently lieutenant colonel and colonel of the regiment, is spoken of fully and his services noted in the biographical volume of this work. He was succeeded in command of Company B by Captain W. R. Wright, a Mexican war veteran, a gallant officer who endured with Colonel Rodgers the horrors of southern prisons as a part of his military experience.
Another gallant officer of Wood River township was Maj. Frank Moore, the famous cavalry raider and leader. It was said of him by a certain major general, on one occasion : "Maj. Moore has captured more prisoners than my whole army corps."
Among officers who held regimental com- mands were Col. John Kuhn, of the famous Ninth Illinois; Col. Chas. E. Springer ; Lt. Col. John E. Moore, Lt. Col. James N. Mor- gan, lately retired from the United States Army as colonel ; Maj. W. A. Chapin ; Lt. Col. Harrison E. Hart and Capt. W. L. Hurlbut. The last named officer was one of the most brilliant young officers sent to the war from Madison county. After three years' service in all the battles of the Army of the Potomac, being severely wounded at the battle of Get- tysburg, he was killed at the battle of the Wil- derness in command of a regiment. He was only twenty-two years old at the time of his death. He was the only son of Rev. T. B. Hurlbut, of Upper Alton, one of the defend- ers of the press at the time of the pro-slavery riot of 1837.
Among other prominent officers who gave up their lives during the conflict may be named Capt. John Trible, Gen. F. S. Ruther- ford, Lieut. Col. Harrison E. Hart and Adju- tant John S. Robinson.
It is not claimed that the list of commis-
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sioned officers from Madison is complete, but it names those on the records of the adjutant general's office so far as obtainable. The non- commissioned officers and private soldiers are equally entitled to mention, but the limits of this work do not permit publication. of the names of all the 4,450 soldiers who responded to the call of their country from Madison county.
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