History of Bond and Montgomery Counties, Illinois, Part 25

Author: Perrin, William Henry, d. 1892?
Publication date: 1882
Publisher: Chicago : O. L. Baskin
Number of Pages: 758

USA > Illinois > Montgomery County > History of Bond and Montgomery Counties, Illinois > Part 25
USA > Illinois > Bond County > History of Bond and Montgomery Counties, Illinois > Part 25

Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).

This pioneer railroad, as stated, is now a part of the Wabash system, a division of which di- verges from the main line at Decatur, and ex- tends to St. Louis, passing through the western part of this county, intersecting the townships of Harvel. Raymond, Zanesville and North and South Litehfield. It was completed through in 1870. giving that portion of the county through which it passes increased railroad facilities, and forming a valuable improvement in that section. Further particulars of it will be found in the chapters on Litchfield.

The oldest railroad in Montgomery County is the present Indianapolis & St. Louis Rail- road, whose earliest inception may be traced to the speculative fever of 1835. When the ap- propriations for different roads were made, a route from Terre Haute to Alton was one des- ignated, and work performed on it in many places. Contracts were let, portions of the road were graded, and the workmen were paid in State paper, which, when the internal im- provement system began to decline, partook of a downward tendency, and left the creditors in rather a sad plight. The work dragged for a time, and was at last wholly suspended as a result of the hard times following the panie of 1837. It was not until about 1849, that the country was aroused from its dormant condi- tion, when the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad reached the east line of Illinois, and craved permission to come in and cross the State on its way to St. Louis, its western terminus. At this point, however, it met with a check which took it years to overcome. A "State Policy " party sprang up, denying the right of any for- eign corporation to cross the State, especially when the effect would be to enrich the neigh- boring city of St. Louis, a city Alton was vainly endeavoring to outstrip in the march of progress, and which she then vainly expected to do. The " State Policy " party held several rousing meetings in furtherance of their scheme, a scheme delusive in its effects upon the State

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HISTORY OF MONTGOMERY COUNTY.

at large, and confined mainly to the Alton in- terest. Counter influences were aroused, meet- ings were held, and an antagonistic party, much the inferior at first, began to appear. The cul- mination came when the Terre Haute, Vandalia & St. Louis road asked for a charter. The Baltimore & Ohio road had succeeded in their endeavor to build their track across the State mainly brought about by the press foreign to' the State. It had, with one voice, denounced the "policy " as narrow, selfish, mean, con- temptible and invidious. It was sustained by the press in the northern parts of Illinois, and had already begun to open the eyes of many influential persons belonging to the policy party. When the Vandalia road asked for their charter, the policy party exerted themselves to the utmost to defeat that, and for a time pre- vailed.

While these affairs were agitating the State, Congress had passed an act granting a mag- nificent domain of land in aid of the Illinois Central Railroad. The Senators in Congress from Illinois wrote letters to many influential men at home, urging upon them the necessity of being more liberal in their acts to foreign corporations, and not attempt to arrogate to the State a right she could not expect to possess. They further urged that the donation from the General Government could not have been se- cured had they not pledged their earnest effort to wipe out this disgraceful policy. These in- fluences had their effect. The " Brough " road, so called from its principal projector, afterward Governor of Ohio, gained a charter, and were enabled to begin work on their proposed Van- dalia Line. In the meanwhile, influences were working to build anew the projected roads of the internal improvement period. The grade on the old route from Terre Haute to Alton, was, in many places, in a tolerably good condi- tion, and only needed energy to push it to a conclusion. A company was formed, the name Terre Haute & Alton Railroad adopted, and

work began. Montgomery, in common with other counties on the route, subscribed aid to the enterprise. The road was completed from the west end eastward some distance, and from Terre Haute west to Mattoon, where it inter- sected the Chicago Division of the Illinois C'en- tral, then uncompleted, and in January follow- ing the breach was closed, and a passenger train made the entire trip from Terre Haute to Alton. For awhile, it transferred freight aud passengers here to boats, and sent them to St. Louis, so strong was the Alton interest against that city. This, however, could not always en- dure, and the coal road from one city to the other was purchased, and trains run down on that. That changed the name to the Terre Haute, Alton & St. Louis Railroad. When the route was extended eastward from Terre Haute to Indianapolis, the name was again changed to the Indianapolis & St. Louis Railroad, by which it is now known.

Montgomery County subscribed $50,000 stock in this road, while the city of Hillsboro also took an active interest in it, as will be found in a subsequent chapter. The county has sold her stock to Eastern capitalists, the sale of the last $25.000 having been recently made. The road has become involved in late years, and is at the present writing, we have been informed, upon the eve of being sold. It has been for some time controlled by the Bee Line-an Ohio road -by which the latter makes its connections with roads diverging from St. Louis for the West, and of which system it will in all probability eventually become a permanent division.

Another Montgomery County road, now in course of construction, is the Jacksonville Southeastern Railway. This project has been in process of agitation some twelve or fifteen years, and is now completed, and trains are running from Jacksonville to Litchfield. The original intention was to extend the road from Jacksonville in a southeastern direction to Cen- tralia, or Mount Vernon, or some eligible point,

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HISTORY OF MONTGOMERY COUNTY.

either on the Illinois Central Railroad, or in that section of the State. Several routes have been laid out and surveys made through this and Bond Counties. Through some lukewarm- ness or indifference on the part of the people or cities, both Hillsboro and Greenville have failed in obtaining this road, it passing a little west of Hillsboro and crossing the Vandalia line at Smithboro, some three miles west of Green- ville. The road will, probably, be completed though at no distant day, and if it does no more, will become a valuable feeder to the East and West roads which it crosses. The cities

which sat still and let it pass around them, per- haps, know what they are doing, but to an out- side looker on, their acts seem scarcely up to the present standard of railroad enterprise.

A narrow-guage railroad is also in course of construction through Bond and Montgomery, passing near the line between the two counties. But in this day of railroads and railroad enter- prise, a narrow-guage road is hardly looked upon as of sufficient importance to create even a small ripple of excitement. Of this road we learned but little, except that there is such an enterprise in existence.

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HISTORY OF MONTGOMERY COUNTY.

CHAPTER VI .*

WAR HISTORY - MONTGOMERY COUNTY IN THE BLACK HAWK WAR - MUSTER ROLLS OF COM- PANIES-THE MEXICAN WAR-SOLDIERS FROM THE COUNTY-THE GREAT CIVIL WAR

OF 1861-THE DIFFERENT REGIMENTS, OFFICERS, ETC .- LITCHFIELD'S PARTICIPATION-INCIDENTS, ETC., ETC.

" Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori."

A LL readers of American history are famil- iar with the questions that led to our Revolutionary struggle, and eventually culmi- nated in the independence of the original thir- teen colonies. The results of that war secured to us the liberty and freedom we to-day enjoy. Smarting under the humiliation of defeat, the mother country lost few opportunities to oppress and insult her former colonies and their people. In resentment of these oft-repeated insults, fol- lowed, what is known in our history, as the " War of 1812," and another chastisement of the British Lion. These wars occurred before there were any white settlements made in the present county of Montgomery. Many of the pioneers, however, of the county, had partici- pated in one or the other of these wars, and in the Indian wars of the frontier. As boys, they had fought savages with their mothers and sisters in their cabins ; in youth and ripe man- hood they had fought them in ambuscade and in open fields, and felt themselves a match for any foe, white or red. But it was several years after the close of the war of 1812 before the whites took possession of what is now Mont- gomery County, and hence it cannot be said that the county participated in our last war with Great Britain.

The Black Hawk .- This was the first conflict in which the people of Montgomery County were called upon the take part. As soon as

the war had assumed a serious aspect, Col. Stillman led a small force against the savages, but was signally defeated by overwhelming numbers. Upon the defeat of Stillman, Gov. Reynolds deemed it expedient to call out troops to defend the more exposed settlements of his State, and at the same time check the operation of Black Hawk. He called for volunteers to rendezvous at Peru, in La Salle County, and in response, Dr. Levi D. Boone, a scion of the old Daniel Boone stock, recruited a company in Montgomery County, and was sworn into service April 20, 1832. From the " Rountree Letters " published in the Hillsboro Democrat, we copy the muster-roll of this company, and of a com- pany made up subsequently by Capt. Rountree. The roll of Boone's company is as follows :

Levi D. Boone, Captain ; James G. Human, First Lieutenant ; Absalom Cress, Second Lieutenant ; C. B. Blockberger. First Sergeant ; M. H. Walker, Second Sergeant ; Israel Fogle- man, Third Sergeant ; William McDavid, Fourth Sergeant ; J. Prater, First Corporal ; A. T. Williams, Second Corporal ; C. S. Coffey, Third Corporal ; Newton Street, Fourth Corpo- ral.

Privates-William D. Shirley, Peter Cress, George E. Ludwick, George W. Conyers, A. H. Knapp, J. B. Williams, John Crabtree, Eastin Whitten, Samuel Peacock, Michael Ternan, Robert A. Long, E. Kilpatrick, Daniel Steel, Thomas J. Todd, Johnson Hampton, Stephen Killingworth, MeKenzie Turner, Samuel Ish-

* By. W. H. Perrin.

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HISTORY OF MONTGOMERY COUNTY.

mael, James Brown, Samuel Briggs, James Hawkins, Harrison Brown, Benjamin R. Will- iams, Eli Robb, James Young, John K. Me- Williams, James M. Rutledge, Thomas Mans- field, William Griffith, James Grisham, Benja- min Holbrook, William Jordon, William Rob- erts, Barnabas Michaels, Joshua Hunt and Hiram C. Bennett. They served through the campaign for which they volunteered (one month) and were mustered ont May 28, 1832, at the mouth of Fox River. The Indians being still far from subdued, the Governor made another call for troops, and under this second call, Hiram Rountree raised a company in this county, of which the following is the roll :

Hiram Roundtree, Captain ; John Kirkpat- rick, First Lieutenant ; Thomas Philips, Second Lieutenant ; A. K. Gray, First Sergeant ; John Stine, Second Sergeant ; Samuel Jackson, Third Sergeant ; - Fourth Sergeant ; Spartan Grisham, First Corporal ; Malachi Smith. Second Corporal ; Thomas McAdams, Third Corporal ; Thomas Edwards, Fourth Cor- poral.

Privates -- Luke Lee Steel, Thomas Sturtevant, George Harkey, Jacob Rhodes, John MeCurry, Malcom McPhail, A. Forehand, John M. IIolmes, John K. Long, Joseph Burke, William Harkey, Alfred Johnson, David T. MeCullock, Samuel Paisley, William Young, William Jones, Thomas Evans, J. M. MeWilliams, John Hanna, John Brown, Jesse Johnson, Samuel Bennett, (Quar- termaster), C. C. Aydelot, Thomas Wood, Thomas Johnson, A. MeCullock, James Cardwell. Thos. Early, Willis Rose, Zeb. Shirley, W. S. Williams, Thomas C. Hughes, John Hart, S. W. Booher, Alexander Gray, Thomas W. Heady, Jolin Corlew, Harace Mansfield, Thomas Potter, John Briggs, J. W. Wilson, D. M. Williams, David Copeland, James Potter, James Wilson, Thomas Gray, James M. Berry, John Slater, Thomas Williford, James Lockerman, Robert McCul- lock, John Duncan, Levi D. Boone (Surgeon), William Griffith, Cleveland Coffey and William

McDavid. The men, so far as they were able furnished their own arms, horses and other ac- conterments. and marched to the place of ren- dezvons near Peru, where they arrived abont the 20th of June, 1832. The company continued in the service until the defeat of Black Hawk, at Bad Ax, which terminated the war.

The Mexican War .- After the close of the Black Hawk war, Montgomery County remained at peace with all mankind until Mexico ruffled the feathers of the American Eagle. The war with Mexico grew out of the annexation of Texas, formerly a province of Mexico, to the United States. Texas had revolted from Mexico. and at the battle of San Jacinto, where her army had captured Santa Anna, then Commander-in- chief of Mexico, and most of his army had forced him to acknowledge her independence. Mexico, however, paid no attention to this acknowledg- ment, but continned the guerrilla warfare, and used every means to annoy the Texans. Many people from the States had settled in Texas, and propositions from this time on were made by them to admit Texas into the Union. These propositions were favored by the Democratic party, but strongly opposed by the Whigs. In the Presidential campaign of 1844, the annexa- tion of Texas was made one of the chief issues of the contest, and Mr. Polk, the Democratic Candidate, was elected. This was taken as an endorsement of the question by the people, and early in the year 1845, Texas was admitted into the sisterhood of States. Mexico at once broke off all diplomatic relations with the United States, called home her minister and prepared for war, which soon followed.

Illinois, with that spirit of patriotism that has always characterized her, responded heart- ily to the call for troops. Under an act of Con- gress, the President was authorized to order out 50,000 men, and Illinois was required to furnish three regiments. These were made up without delay, and rendezvoused at Alton. The First regiment was commanded by the

5. 6. Kirkland

LIBRARY OF THE UNIVERSITY of ILLINOIS

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HISTORY OF MONTGOMERY COUNTY.

brave Col. John J. Hardin, of Jacksonville, who fell in the battle of Buena Vista, in the same charge with the lamented Clay and Mc- Kee, of Kentucky. The Second regiment was commanded by Col. Bissell of the southern part of the State, and contained a large propor- tion of Germans, while the Third regiment was commanded by Col. Foreman, of Vandalia. It contained a Company from Montgomery Coun- ty ninety-six strong, under the following commissioned officers : James C. McAdams, Captain ; Thomas Rhodes, First Lientenant; John Burk, Second Lieutenant ; and John Cur- lew, Third Lieutenant. The names of the pri - vate and non-commissioned officers cannot now be given. Many of them are dead, and others have moved away and are forgotten. Under the second call for troops, Illinois furnished another regiment, which was commanded by Col. Baker, of Cairo. These four regiments comprise the quota of Illinois in the Mexican war, and formed the starting point for the numbering of her regiments in the late civil war-her first regiment being known as the Fifth Infantry.

As stated, it is impossible now to give the names of all those who went into the Mexican war from Montgomery County Many are now dead, and others have moved away and are for- gotten. Many have also moved into the coun- ty, who went into the service from other States, and other counties of this State. Suffice it, they did their duty as Illinois soldiers always have done, before, as well as since.

The Civil War .- After the close of the Mexi- can war. the country remained in comparative peace for more than a decade.

A storm, however, had been gathering, and more than once had threatened to burst in fury upon the country, but after spending itself in low-muttered thunder, had passed over. But the political atmosphere was still heavy and oppressive, and it required no prophet to foresee

the approaching tempest. The great question of slavery, which had been in agitation for a quarter of a century, culminated in the election of Abraham Lincoln to the Presidency in 1860, by a party supposed to be hostile to Southern institutions, and the result was the "Great Re- bellion"-a civil war without parallel in the annals of history. To go into the details of this war, would be to open afresh wounds now rapidly healing ; but a history of a county, which said nothing of its war history, would, at least, be incomplete, and hence, a brief space in this chapter will be devoted to the part taken by Montgomery County in the late war be- tween the States. Upon the fall of Fort Som- ter, a blaze of excitement swept, over the loyal States, and aroused the people to instant action. The roll of the drum was heard in every city, town and hamlet, and the sturdy yeo- manry rushed to the defense of their coun- try.

"The herds without a keeper strayed. The plow was in mid-furrow stayed,"

while the men, imbued with the spirit of their Revolutionary sires, gave themselves to the service of the Government.

The Ninth Illinois Infantry, was the first regiment that drew on Montgomery for troops. Company C, of the Ninth, was made up almost entirely in this county, and the Lieutenant Col- onel of the regiment, Judge J. J. Philips, is too well known to our readers to require any eulo- gy here. The commissioned officers of Compa- ny C were Jacob Miller, Captain ; A. J. Shel- don, First Lieutenant ; and George Short, Sec- ond Lientenant. The latter was killed in bat- tle November 23, 1864, and John Droesch pro- moted to Second Lieutenant. Capt. Miller, Lieut. Sheldon and Droesch, were mustered out with the regiment July 9, 1865.

The Ninth Infantry was one of the six regi- ments which was allotted to Illinois under the President's first call for 75,000 men for three

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months .* It was organized at Springfield, and mustered into the service April 28, 1861, when it was ordered to Cairo, and brigaded under Gen. B. M. Prentiss. At the end of its three- months' service, about five hundred of its men re-enlisted for three years, and on the 26th of Ju- ly, 1861, was mustered into the United States' service. The zeal with which reerniting was kept up during the summer of 1861 enabled the Ninth to number 1,040 men by the 1st of September. The regiment was ordered to Paducah, Ky., where it passed the winter, en- gaging in numerous expeditions in Western and Southern Kentucky. In February, it moved up the Tennessee River, and, as a part of Col. MeArthur's brigade, participated in the battle of Fort Donelson, in which it lost thirty-five men killed, and had 166 wounded. March 6, 1862, it embarked for Paducah, from Nashville, where it had been for some time, and proceed- ed to Pittsburg Landing. It engaged in the battle of Shiloh April 6, and sustained a loss of sixty-one killed and 287 wounded. Out of the twenty-six commissioned officers who went into action, twenty-one were either killed or wounded.

The Ninth, during the advance on Corinth, formed a part of the brigade commanded by Brig. Gen. R. J. Oglesby, and on the evacua- tion of Corinth, was attached to the Third Ar- my Corps, under the command of Maj. Gen. John Pope, and pursued the retreating enemy to Booneville. In the battle of Corinth, Oc- tober 3 and 4, it lost nineteen killed and eighty- two wounded and fifty-two prisoners. After this the regiment served mostly in Mississippi, where it performed the most arduous service. The Adjutant General's report of the State, from which these facts are gleaned, sets down

the number of battles and skirmishes, in which the Ninth participated, at 110, beginning with Saratoga, Ky., October 15, 1861, and ending with "near " Neuse River, N. C., April 10, 1865. Tbe regiment was mustered out of the service July 9, 1865, and discharged.

The One Hundred and Seventeenth Illinois In- fantry received a company from the county, principally from Hillsboro, and the immediate vicinity. This was Company B, and was offi- cered as follows : Robert MeWilliams, Captain; Frank H. Gillmore, First Lieutenant, and George W. Potter, Second Lieutenant. Me- Williams was promoted to Major, and resigned January 29, 1865. Gillmore was promoted to Captain, Potter to first Lieutenant, James M. Truitt to Second Lieutenant, and all mustered ont with the regiment August 5, 1865.

The One Hundred and Seventeenth was or- ganized at Camp Butler. in September, 1862, by Col. R. M. Moore, and mustered into the service by Capt. Washington, of the United States Army, on the 19th of the same month. It left Camp Butler on the 11th of November for Memphis, Tenn., where it arrived on the 17th, and where it remained until July, 1863, when it was sent to Helena, Ark., but soon af- ter returned. It was next (in December) sent against Gen. Forrest in Western Tennessee, and, in askirmish with him at La Fayette, lost three men killed. It was engaged in the operations around Vicksburg, and served in Mississippi, Louisana and Arkansas, and September 19, 1864, arrived at Jefferson Barracks. For two months it operated in Missouri, returning to St. Lonis November 19, when it embarked for Nashville, Tenn., and took position in the works there December 1, 1864. It was engaged in the battle of Nashville December 15 and 16, and took part in the pursuit of Hood's army. Afterward it proceeded to New Orleans, where it arrived January 17, 1865. It participated in a number of battles and skirmishes, ending in the capture of Blakely on the 9th of April.

* Under the three months' service, the Montgomery County Com - pany was Il, and was officered as follows : J. J. Philips, Captain ; J. W. Kitchell, First Lieutenant, and William F. Armstrong, Second Lieutenant. Philips was promoted to Major, during its three months' service, and, on its organization for three years, to Lieuten- ant Colonel. Kitchell was promoted Captain in the place of Philips and James Munn became First Lieutenant. Armstrong entered another regiment at the close of the three-months' service, where he served faithfully, and rose to the rank of Major.

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HISTORY OF MONTGOMERY COUNTY.

It marched for Montgomery April 13, and then to Camp Butler, Ill., where it was mustered out of service Angust 3, 1865, by Capt. James A. Hall.

The regiment, during its term of service, traveled by rail 778 miles ; by water, 6,191 miles, and marched 2,307 miles.

The One Hundred and Twenty-sixth Illinois Infantry had also a company from this county. Daniel W. Munn, of Hillsboro, was Adjutant of the regiment, and Company D was from Montgomery County, and went out with the following commissioned officers : L. R. Slangh- ter, Captain; E. T. Somers, First Lieutenant, and J. W. Newberry, Second Lieutenant. Slaughter resigned July 23. 1864. and Somers promoted to Captain in his place, and as such mustered ont with the regiment July 12, 1865. Louis Wagner was promoted to First Lieuten- ant, in the place of Somers, and mustered out as snch. Second Lieut. Newberry died Sep- tember 3, 1863, when James M. Boone became Second Lieutenant, and was mustered out with the regiment.

This regiment was organized at Alton, and mustered into service September 4, 1862, by Col. Richmond, who served as its Colonel until March 3, 1864, when he resigned. It served in Tennessee, Arkansas and Mississippi, and participated in the siege of Vicksburg. It took part in the capture of Little Rock, Ark., and in the fight at Clarendon, Ark., June 26, 1864. It was in active service from the time of its enlistment until the close of the war, and on the 12th of July, 1865, it was mustered ont and discharged.

The One Hundred and Forty-third Infantry, enlisted for one hundred days, contained a company (H) from Montgomery, which was officered as follows: James G. Seward, Captain; William R. Truesdell, First Lieutenant, and George P. Fowler, Second Lieutenant. The regiment was organized at Mattoon, and mus- tered into service June 11, 1864, for one hun-

dred days, under the command of Col. D. C. Smith. It served in Tennessee and Arkansas, and on the 10th of September returned to Mat- toon, where, on the 26th, it was mustered out of service.

The First Illinois Cavalry was represented by a company from this county, viz .: Company E. Its commissioned officers were as follows: Paul Walters, Captain; Isaac Skillman. First Lieutenant, and Morgan Blair, Second Lieuten- ant, all of whom were mustered out with their regiment. The First Cavalry was organized July 1, 1861, and entered the service for one year. Of its operations we have no account, as the Adjutant General's Report of the State gives none, beyond its muster-roll, and that it was mustered out July 12, 1862, at the close of its term of service.

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History of Bond and Montgomery Counties, Illinois, Part 25

Author: Perrin, William Henry, d. 1892? Publication date: 1882 Publisher: Chicago : O. L. Baskin Number of Pages: 758

Author: Perrin, William Henry, d. 1892?
Publication date: 1882
Publisher: Chicago : O. L. Baskin
Number of Pages: 758