History of Bureau County, Illinois, Part 46

Author: Bradsby, Henry C., [from old catalog] ed
Publication date: 1885
Publisher: Chicago, World publishing company
Number of Pages: 776

USA > Illinois > Bureau County > History of Bureau County, Illinois > Part 46

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Perhaps this one fact will forever re- main as the true index of the public mind during the war times that so tested the

nerve and patriotism of our people. To pre- serve the Union in its integrity-to puuish treason-to subdue rebellion, and, in the lan- guage of the Center Prairie Home Horse Company, "repel invasion," or, as the other proclamation said of the "Princeton Armory," "to watch suspicious characters skulking about the country." Solemn as is the great story of the war, it could not be otherwise than that many absurd aud some amusing things would occur. These only indicate how nervous men were, and how their imag- inations were heated, and what wild and reckless stories were told by the imaginative. To " repel invasion " in Illinois, and " watch suspicious characters skulking around " the by-ways of Bureau County, men, invoking the protection of heaven, greased up the old match-locks that had lain among the rubbish for years and years, and grimly looked fate in the face. " Wars and rumors of wars" was the mental pabulum that all served up to each other. Many good men in northern Illinois supposed that in the southern part of the State every bush and bunch of grass secreted a cannibal rebel, while many in southern Illinois supposed that Lovejoy and his follow- ers had hoofs and horns. The political cam- paign that had just been passed through had left many Republicans ready to suspect their Democratic neighbors, and vice versa, Democrats imagined Republicans wanted civil war and blood letting. The cry "to arms!" instantly melted down the barrier, and side by side all vied together in their activity in war measures-devotion to the Union and respect for the country's flag.

In the latter part of May Col. Taylor's cavalry organized, J. I. Taylor, Captain; Z. K. Waldron, Second Captain; W. Vannatta, First Lieutenant, G. W. Stone, Second Lieu- tenant.

In the early part of June R. F. Winslow

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was calling for volunteers to join Col. C. C. Marsh's regiment, then forming at Joliet, which became the Twentieth Illinois. On the 12th he took twenty-one men to Joliet. Among them was John Ed Thompson, who afterward by his merit rose to be Adjutant of the reg- iment. He was a splendid soldier, a great favorite with all in his regiment, and there is not a doubt that he would have continued to rise had his life been spared. He was killed at Shiloh.

About June 20, the Templeton Guards were formed in Princeton, Captain, J. Vander- griff; First Lieutenant, C. D. Trimble; Sec- ond, C. L. V. Parker.

Our great national day, July 4, 1861, was Bureau County's great soldier day. A camp was formed called Camp Lyon. In this camp were the Limerick Home Guards, Capt. Vick- ery, 90 men; the Union Home Guards (Wy- anet), Capt. Knight, 69 men; North Prairie Home Guards, Capt. Hayes, 63 men; Bureau Rangers, Capt. Carter, 54 men; Bureau County Tigers (Malden), Capt. N. B. Page, 40 men; Templeton Guards (Princeton), Capt. Vandergriff, 50 men; Ellsworth Guards (Princeton), Capt. Robbins, 63 men; a cav- alry company, Capt. J. I. Taylor; Princeton Cadets (boys), Capt. L. K. Thompson, 40; Heaton's Point Home Guards, Capt. L. Blanch- ard, 56 men; Providence Home Guards, Capt. F. Horton, 60; Yates Home Guards (Hollo- way), Capt. J. W. Hopkins, 64; Dover Tigers (boys), Capt. D. Wolf, 30; North Prairie Dragoons, Capt. Terwilliger. N. B. Page was elected Colonel; J. Robbins, Lieutenant- Colonel, and A. J. Knight, Major.

On the same day, July 4, two companies went into camp in Tiskilwa, Capt. Barney's company of horse, and Capt. Townsend's Whitfield Guards.

In Mineral, at the grove near Col. Buswell's, were encamped a company from Sheffield and one from Neponset.

July 12, 1861, Capt. Ferris and about twenty of his men returned from Cairo, they having re-enlisted for three years and come home on a furlough for fifteen days to fill up the company and return.

July 20, the . Bureau County Cavalry re- organized under its old commander, Capt. J. I. Taylor.

July 20 came the terrible news of the dis- astrous battle of Bull Run. This shocked the whole North, and it was plain to be seen that the first announcement had a depressing effect on the public mind. It was like the angry wave beaten back by the rocky cliff- the dash and the roar, and then the recession- but soon the mighty ocean of public opinion gathered its strength again. The people were by the reaction once more roused, and the determination to retrieve the day was deeper than ever. Then for the first time even the thoughtless began to feel the mag- nitude of the contest, and the cry ran over the land "to let slip the dogs of war," and recruiting went on with accelerated speed.

July 25 Capt. Ferris returned to Cairo with about sixty meu to fill his company.

Julian E. Bryant opened a recruiting sta- tion at this time, calling for a company to join a Teacher's Brigade. This company was to become a part of the Thirty-third Regiment.

The great Union Army was now forming in earnest, and men, women and children talked and dreamed of little else than war. In the meantime the politicians of the country were once more standing at their guns, loading the boxes with ballots while the soldiers were loading their guns with bullets. The great- er the war raged the fiercer became the poli- ticians. Congress concluded it was the great- est general in the world and began to take the command of the army. Newspapers fired the most terrific paper guns, and every Fal-

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staff in the land bewed down whole heca- tombs of men in buckram and Kendall green daily and hourly-at least, morning and eve- ning. And Greeley, like Peter the Hermit, raised aloft his paper flag and cried "On to Richmond!" Politicians rushed to Spring- field, to every State capital and to Washing- ton, to organize the army and get their friends in so they could step up the political ladder themselves. Old friends were traded off and sacrificed, worthy and capable sol- diers were pushed aside, humiliated and out- raged, and there was soon a wheel within a wheel whenever there was a regiment, a brigade or a corps to be formed. And with some patriotism became a trade, and loyalty a pretense and cover for schemes that the country's self-respect would do well never to drag to the light of day. Some of the poli- ticians feared they might not reap all the glory the boys in the field were winning, and the air was ladened with charges and counter charges, slanders and responsive epithets, vituperation and falsehood until foolish men seriously wanted the soldiers recalled from their death struggle with armed treason in the field, to turn them loose upon their neigh- bors, for the crime of not singing the peans of the same politicians that they did.

About this time it was noised all over the North that our land was overrun with "Knights of the Golden Circle." We are in- formed that the primary object of this extra- ordinary organization was the Conquest of Cuba and Mexico. And it is also said the original members (antedating the late war) were Protestant slave-holders. Of course, the ultimate idea was to form in extreme southern portion of the northern hemisphere, a great and powerful slave oligarchy, and it may be that this when once established would detach itself from the free States and thus rid itself of the meddling of the North. The

war put a sudden end to this scheme and it was said that their emissaries were scattered through the North making converts and enlist. ing men in the cause of first protecting their ownership of slave property and then when the peace was gained, they might renew the original scheme. Fuel thus was added to the flames, and had not the fact come about that the scales in the bloody contest began to swing toward the North there is no telling what the internal controversies in the North would eventually have resulted in.

We are giving no history of these various things that were remotely at least a part of the late war, of which we are giving an ac- count of the county's home operations there- in. They are merely referred to. They with thousands of other things will be well scanned by the historian of the future, when that long time comes for the real history of the war.

August 15, 1861, Capt. Swain came home for recruits to fill up his company.

The Secretary of War had commissioned Col. R. F. Winslow to raise a regiment for the war. August 24 he called a meeting of the officers of all the different military organ- izations in the county for the purpose of forming a full Bureau County regiment. At the time Winslow made his call William Vannatta was organizing a company of cav- alry. On the 19th of August Capt. I. H. Elliott had departed for Bloomington with his company: September 2, Col. Winslow had completed arrangements for a camp for ren- dezvous and instruction at Princeton, in the fair grounds. Here Capt. Page's company of Bureau County Tigers had gone Septem- ber 14.

At this time the Secretary of War author. ized a regiment of cavalry-Col. Brackett's regiment. Capt. S. A. Paddock was author- ized to fill a company for this command.

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This at once took about every one of the bold riders of Col. Taylor's and Vannatta's squads that were really anxious to go the front.

Capt. G. W. Stipp was also recruiting a company. September 26 he left with forty- five men. Lieut. R. R. Gibons remained for the purpose of getting more recruits to fill Capt. Stipp's company.

September 27 Capt. E. A. Bowen with sixty-five men left for Geneva, and became a part of the Fifty-second Regiment. Capt. Merriman's Wyanet company joined the First Kansas Cavalry, better known as Jen- nison's Jayhawkers.

R. F. Winslow received directly from the Secretary of War authority to raise a regi- ment, and established a camp at the fair grounds in Princeton, calling in several of the organized companies that had taken part in the 4th of July, and several from adjoining counties. Pending the organization of the regiment communications were had with Col. Berdan, who was raising a regiment of sharp- shooters in St. Louis, and it was proposed that the Bureau Regiment should join them and form a brigade. The proposition was favorably entertained by all, from Col. Wins- low to the drummer boys, and everything was working to that end. A steamboat was chartered to convey the command from De Pue to St. Louis, aud on being notified of its arrival at De Pue orders were issued by Col. Winslow for the regiment to be ready to march early next morning. While all these movements were progressing other mat- ters were attracting attention. Although the regiment was being formed under authority conferred upon Col. Winslow, and although there was a general understanding that he was to be the Colonel, it became evident dur- ing the weeks that he was in charge of the camp that most of the officers and a large portion of the men were not satisfied with

the prospect of having him for Colonel. Perhaps any other man under the opportun- ity for criticism that a sort of trial period gave would have been equally unsatisfactory, but whether that be so or not it is certain that he became extremely unpopular, and it was rather an open secret about the time of leaving for St. Louis that probably it would not be Winslow that would be elected Colonel. It is presumable that Winslow did not realize this until the St. Louis movement had reached its climax, and until after he had ordered the march out of camp. On the Sunday morning appointed, at an early hour, he head- ed the march, and all went well until the public square was reached, when he ordered a halt, and proceeded to address the men, rather urging them that it would be better for all concerned not to go to St. Louis, but instead to march back to camp and think it over. His talk was not very pointed, and at a pause some one at the head of the column gave the order in a loud, clear voice, " forward march!" and as the troops were pointed toward the east the march was taken up, and Col. Winslow saw his men march off without him; still, however, under the orders issued by himself the night before, and not counter- manded. He attempted to stop them by calling after them, but they did not hear him.

It was found that the telegraph would not work at Princeton, so a messenger was sent to Malden, and the Governor appealed to to stop the runaways, as they were called. Up to this time there had been no objections made to enlistments in any State of men be- longing to other States, and the proposition for a squad, company or regiment to go to another State to enlist caused no surprise nor raised any objection. But just at this time it began to be looked into somewhat as to what each State was doing toward its quotas

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under the calls for troops, and Gov. Yates ordered that no more Illinois men should go out of the State to enlist, and the order was fresh when our men were on their way to St. Louis. The circumstances were not fully explained to the Governor, and he ordered the party stopped at Alton, and when the boat hove in sight a cannon was fired for it to round to and land. The men mistook this for a salute of honor, and again cheered and shouted in great glee. What heroes they were already! And the boat whistled and steamed along in the current, and another and another gun were fired in front of it. At last a whizzing cannon ball plunged into the water just in front of the vessel. The transformation scene on the boat was instantaneous-the next shot would tear through it unless it promptly started to- ward land. " And then there was hurrying to and fro, and whisperings of distress, and cheeks all pale that but a moment ago blushed at the sight of their own loveliness," and the boat started for the shore. The behavior of a single individual may serve as an index to the whole. A man who was accompanying the soldiers expecting to be Chaplain, had arrayed himself in a cocked hat and tall plumes, and looking like George Washington. He supposed the salute at first was in his exclusive honor, but when the tune changed and the solid facts of the case were realized, his hat was off in a jiffy, the chicken feathers taken out and trampled under his feet, the cock taken out of his hat and he shrank back upon himself, and no Quaker ever was more a man of peace than was this erst Continen- tal hero. The regiment was arrested the moment the boat landed, disarmed of their swords and guns, and they were headed for the old building of the Alton Penitentiary.

Another camp follower that was out " for a barrel of fun " grew unhappy in the walls of

the gloomy prison. He sought the man who seemed to be in command of the prison and asked for his liberty. He protested he had been arrested by mistake; he had done noth. ing. "Done nothing," said the command- ant, "you were stealing a regiment." "What, me steal the regiment! No; the regiment stole me."

This was a great surprise to all concerned, and a grievous disappointment. The men were soon ordered to Springfield, and after matters were explained to the Governor were relieved of any imputation of having at- tempted an improper act, for at the time they left Princeton none knew of the order against leaving the State. Shortly afterward they were sent to Chicago, and became a part of the Fifty-seventh Regiment. Col. Winslow did not seem to be recognized as having any sort of claim upon the men by anyone. He perhaps expected that they would be sent back here, or that he would be ordered to re- sume his command, but his connection with them ended on that bright Sunday morning.

The Ladies' Relief Society of Bureau County can never be too highly commended for the efficient part it took in the humbler, perhaps, yet far nobler part of ministering angels to the soldiers in the field and the hospital. These noble women sent the warm and genial sunshine to many a cheerless heart, to many a dreary cot, and everywhere where there was a Bureau soldier. Their gentle hands bore aloft the weighty cause, and their loving hearts, their prayers, their soothing words and noble deeds will live forever. They relieved pain, saved lives, buoyed the despondent, and from every camp fire, from every sick cot, from the strongest and the roughest came the hot tears and the aspira- tions, "God bless them." They never wearied in well doing, and among them were no side questions or political interests to mar

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their unanimity of action. To name them in detail, and tell the story of the blessed labors of each and all would be a great book of itself, with a complete war biography of every woman nearly in the county.

January 8, 1862, Daniel Holmes, A. P. Bass, M. C. Triplett, of the First Kansas Cavalry, were killed in a skirmish at Columbus, Mo.

In the battle of Fort Donelson, one of the earliest and hard fought great battles of the West, there were about 1,000 men from the county in the fight-Capts. Swain and Ferris' companies in the Twelfth Regiment; Capt. Brown's in the Twelfth; Capts. Man- zer's, Robbins', Battey's and Barry's, in the Fifty-seventh Regiment; and in Marsh's Regiment and in Dickey's Cavalry. Henry Weaver was of the killed.

February 18, 1862, Lieut .- Col. S. A. Pad- dock, of the Ninth Illinois Cavalry, died in Bloomington, Ill., aged thirty-eight years. An extended sketch of Mr. Paddock appears elsewhere.

Capt. I. H. Elliott was captured in Mis- souri by Jeff Thompson, and returned to Princeton February 28. He was the first man the people had yet seen who had been a prisoner of the enemy. Of course he was the lion of the hour. The people gave him a hearty reception, and presented him with a sword and soldier trappings to replace the rather common ones he had borrowed of Gen. Thompson.

In the yet greater battle of Shiloh, April 6, there were between 500 and 600 men from Bureau. Maj. N. B. Page, of the Fifty- seventh Illinois, and Lieut. Wright Sea- man, of the Twelfth Illinois, were of the killed. * Wright Seaman was born December 8, 1829. He was killed in the first day's fight, April 6. In the Fifty-seventh Regi- ment were the following among the killed: James Farley, J. W. Weeks, of Arlington;

P. A. Johnson, of Princeton; G. B. Earl and Joseph Manning, of Tiskilwa; J. Leek and William Griffin, Wyanet; W. A. Zink, Buda; James Marvin, of the Twelfth Regi- ment; E. Doran, Thomas Donnelly and the Scovilles, Alphonso Adams, Edward Chi- chester, C. H. Gross, C. Abliss. Capts. Fer- ris and Swain were mortally wounded. Fer- ris died April 18 and Swain the 19th. Lieut. R. K. Randolph was taken prisoner while undertaking to recover Capt. Ferris, wounded.

April S, 1862, appeared Caleb Cushing's letter addressed to L. D. Whiting, editor of the Bureau County Republican, calling for a monument to be erected to the patriotic dead.

June 5, 1862, Princeton was called upon for a company to serve ninety days. A. Lash took charge of the enlistment. They were sent to Chicago for camp duty to guard rebel prisoners.

Dr. M. A. Isaac, of Dover, died in the service July 25.

In August, the following companies went into camp at the fair grounds: Capt. Lloyd's, of Clarion; Capts. Wilkinson and Kinney, of Tiskilwa; Capt. Fisher, Prince- ton; Capt. Hopkins, Dover; Capt. N. C. Bus- well, Neponset; Capts. Brown, Sparks and Hall, Neponset, and Capt. Knight's, from Whiteside. These companies organized as the Ninety-third Putnam regiment, and elected Col. Holden to command; Lieutenant- Colonel, N. C. Buswell; Major, J. M. Fisher. This regiment, after a rendezvous in Chica- go, left for the front November S.

August 28, Calvin E. Winship died in camp.

November 25, 1863, Henry Leeper, Com- pany E, Ninety-third Illinois Volunteers, was killed in a charge at Mission Ridge, aged twenty-one years. He was a son of Charles and Della Leeper, and is buried in Oakland Cemetery.

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HISTORY OF BUREAU COUNTY.

September, 1862, appeared notices for a draft for yet more men for the county. The Commissioner was L. D. Whiting; Enrolling Officer, Charles Baldwin; Surgeon, J. R. Jones.

The total enrollment of the county was 6,075, of which 1,753 had enlisted.

*Twelfth Regiment .- Companies H and I were Bureau County men. The Captains of Company H were William T. Swain, August 1, 1861, died of wounds April 18, 1862; John M. Mills, April 19, 1862, resigned Sep- tember 3, 1862; Wheelock S. Merriman, of Wyanet, November 18, 1862, promoted Major July 12, 1864, and Alexander Brandon, of Sheffield, July 12, 1864, mustered out July 7, 1865.

The First Lieutenants of this company were John M. Mills, Tiskilwa, August 1, 1861, promoted; Wheelock S. Merriman, Wyanet, April 19, 1862, promoted; Alexander Bran- don, September 3, 1862, promoted. The Sec- ond Lieutenant was Wheelock S. Merriman.

The Captains of Company I were Frank B. Ferris, Princeton, August 1, 1861, killed at Pittsburg Landing ; George L. Paddock, April 7, 1862, who resigned as First Lieuten- ant June 16, 1862, and William D. Mills, April 17, 1862, whose term expired August 8, 1864, when Robert Bruton became Captain August 8, 1864, and mustered out July 10, 1865. The First Lieutenants were George L. Paddock; William D. Mills, April 7, 1862, promoted; Addison A. Jackson, June 7, 1862, term expired October 24, 1864, and Walter L. Odell, October 24, 1864, mustered out July 10, 1865.

The mortality in Company H was as fol- lows: George W. Jackson, Musician, of Shef. field, died July 22, 1862; Alphonso Adams, Sheffield, killed, Shiloh, April 6, 1862; Thom- as Donnelly, Sheffield, killed in this battle;

John Williams, Sheffield, killed himself at Corinth, May 18, 1862; James H. Howard, died of wounds August 8, 1864, and Hiram Underwood, the same, July 22, 1864.

And in Company I the following: John W. Butt, Wagoner, died of wounds December 16, 1862; John Casner, Princeton, died No- vember 15, 1861; Jacob Hassan, died of wounds, October 5, 1862; William Maring, died of wounds, November 5, 1862; Edward Steier, died October 21, 1861; William H. Holeman, died at Chattanooga; William R. Kearns and Cyrus N. Shepherd, died at Jeffersonville.

The Twelfth Regiment served under the following commanders: Brig .- Gen. McArthur, Gens. Pope, Thomas A. Davies, R. J. Oglesby, Sherman, G. M. Dodge, T. M. Sweeny and J. B. McPherson; and were in the following battles: Fort Donelson, Shi- loh, siege of Corinth, and battle of Corinth, Lag's Ferry, and Rome Cross Roads, Dallas, Kennesaw, Nickajack Creek, Bald Knob, De- catur, Ezra Church, siege of Atlanta and Allatoona.

Twentieth Illinois Infantry .- Of this regi- ment Company I was in part Princeton men (eleven men). William Wheaton died April 25, 1862. We find no promotions to note of men from Princeton.

Twenty-seventh Illinois Infantry .- Com- pany I was a Bureau company. First Captain, Joseph W. Merrill, Neponset, August 28, 1861; resigned March 7, 1863. Then Will- iam B. Young, Tiskilwa, September 19, 1863; died December 16, 1864.

First Lieutenants: Thomas Sumner, Au- gust 28, 1861, resigned March 1, 1862; John A. Russell, March 1, 1862, resigned April 5, 1862; Charles Grow, April 3, 1862; resigned November 23, 1863. Second Lieu- tenants: John A. Russell, September 28, 1861, promoted; Charles Grow, March 1,

*Adjutant General's reports authority for much of the fol- lowing history of the regiments.

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1862, promoted; William B. Young, Tis- kilwa, October 23, 1862, promoted from Cor- poral.

J. H. Patrick, First Sergeant, Neponset, died November 18, 1863, of wounds. Charles K. Russell, Corporal, killed at Belmont, No- vember 7, 1861. George L. Adams, Cor- poral, killed at Mission Ridge, November 25, 1863. Thomas B. Aldrich, Tiskilwa, killed at Belmont. L. Bigelow, Neponset, died of wounds November 18, 1862. Charles M. Owen, died of wounds January 16, 1863. James H. Shears, killed at Resaca, May 24, 1864.

The Twenty-seventh Regiment was in Bel- mont, Fort Donelson, Shiloh, Island No. 10, Fort Pillow, Farmington, Corinth, Stone River, Shelbyville and Tullahoma, Chica- mauga; Mission Ridge and Knoxville; and in the Army of the Cumberland in the Atlan- ta campaign, in the Battle of Mud Creek, Kennesaw Mountain, Chattahoochee, Peach Tree Creek, and in numerous skirmishes and sieges.

The Thirty-third Regiment was mustered August, 1861, in Bloomington-Charles E. Hovey, Colonel; W. R. Lockewood, Lieuten- ant-Colonel; Edward R. Roe, Major; Fred- erick M. Crandall, Adjutant; Simeon Wright, Quartermaster; George P. Rex, Surgeon.

Company E .- Captain, I. H. Elliott, who, when promoted Major, was succeeded by Lyman M. Pratt, who was mustered out July 5, 1865, and William H. Bryan was commis- sioned; the latter mustered out November 24, 1865. First Lieutenant, Clarendon A. Stone, resigned June 18, 1862, and he was suc- ceeded by Julian E. Bryant, who was pro- moted in a Missouri regiment, June 22, 1863.

The Colonels of this regiment in the order named were: Col. Hovey, promoted to Brig- adier; Col. Charles E. Lippincott, and Col. J. H. Elliott.

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History of Bureau County, Illinois, Part 46

Author: Bradsby, Henry C., [from old catalog] ed Publication date: 1885 Publisher: Chicago, World publishing company Number of Pages: 776

Author: Bradsby, Henry C., [from old catalog] ed
Publication date: 1885
Publisher: Chicago, World publishing company
Number of Pages: 776