History of Jefferson County, Illinois, Part 31

Author: Perrin, William Henry, d. 1892?
Publication date: 1883
Publisher: Chicago : Globe Pub. Co., Historical Publishers
Number of Pages: 570

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21st of August, when the movement began against Chattanooga. The Twentieth Corps moved down toward Rome, Ga., when the balance of the army was attacked near Chicka- manga by Bragg and Longstreet. The Forty- fourth was ordered to return at once and join the main army, and after three days and nights of forced marches, it arrived on the field in time to take part in the desperate conflict of Septem- ber 19th and 20th. Falling back to Chattanooga, it remained there until the latter part of No- vember, when it again advanced, and on the 25th was one of the foremost regiments in the bloody charge on Mission Ridge, Gen. Sheri- dan bestowing unmeasured praise upon it for having placed one of the first flags on the ene- my's works. Following the enemy next day, it captured many prisoners and several pieces of artillery. On the 27th, it was ordered back to Chattanooga, to prepare for a forced march to Knoxville, 150 miles distant, to relieve the forces then besieged by Gen. Longstreet, but arrived three days after the siege had been raised by Gen. Burnside. The Twentieth and Twenty-first Corps were consolidated at Chatta- nooga, and the Forty-fourth was assigned to the First Brigade, Second Division, Fourth Army Corps, Col. W. T. Sherman commanding the brigade, Gen. Sheridan the division, and Gen. Granger the corps. After considerable manenvering, the troops went into camp at Blain's Cross Roads, where they were several times on the point of starvation, having, for days at a time, nothing but corn in the ear, and hut a limited supply of that. Said a writer upon the subject : " Nothing could more fully prove the patriotism of the men than the fact that here, on the point of starvation, exposed to the most inclement weather (it being so cold that the ink would freeze to the pen as the men signed their names), over three-fourths of the regiment voluntarily consented to serve three years more, for that Government for which

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they had suffered so much during the past two and a half years."

The regiment remained at Blain's Cross Roads until the 12th of January, 1864, and then marched to Dandridge, Tenn. On the 16th and 17th an attack was made by the ene- my in full force, and the Union forces fell back to Knoxville, and from there marched to Kingston, where they remained until the 30th, when the Forty-fourth was ordered to Chatta- nooga to receive veteran furlough. It arrived there on the 3d of February, and drew full rations for the first time in four months, and started home on the 18th, arriving at Chicago on the 1st of March. On the 4th the men were furloughed and started for their homes. From the time the regiment left its rendezvous in September, 1861, to the time of its re-enlistment, it had marched over five thousand miles.

The Forty-fourth reached Nashville April 14, 1864, on its way back to the field, and two days later marched toward Chattanooga, where it arrived on the 30th, moving from there to Cleveland, Tenn., where it was immediately ordered to the front with the main army, then moving toward Atlanta. It passed through nearly all the battles and skirmishes of the Atlanta campaign, among which were Buz- zard Roost, Rocky Faced Ridge, Resaca, Adairsville, Dallas, New Hope Church, Ken- esaw Mountain, Culp's Farm, Chattahoochie River, Peach Tree Creek, Jonesboro and At- lanta. From the 28th of September it was on act- ive duty, engaged nearly every day in scouting, skirmishing or fighting until the 30th of No- vember, when it took part in the battle of Franklin, Tenn. This was one of the most desperate battles, while it lasted, in which the regiment was engaged during the war. The honor of winning the battle and saving the ar- my, in a general order, was given to the bri- gade of which the Forty fourth was a part. The next day the army reached Nashville, and the Forty-fourth took part in the battle of

Nashville, December 15 and 16, and fol- lowed the broken columns of the rebel army to the Tennessee River. The army went into camp at Huntsville, Ala., on the 5th of Janu- ary, 1865, where the battered old Forty-fourth enjoyed a few weeks' rest. Its fighting was now about over. The confederacy fell soon after, and with the tableau at Appomattox, the curtain went down on the bloody drama. But the war-worn veterans of the Forty-fourth were not yet permitted to lay aside the trappings of war. On the 15th of June, it started, under orders, for New Orleans, arriving on the 22d, and after remaining there until the 16th of July, it was ordered into Texas. It remained on duty in Texas until September 25, 1865, when it was ordered home, arriving at Springfield on the 15th of October, and was paid off and discharged ..

The Forty-ninth Infantry is the next body in which we find Jefferson County represented. Company K was from this county, and its commissioned officers were as follows : Benja- min F. Wood, Captain ; Joseph Laur, First Lieutenant, and James G. Gilbert, Second Lieutenant. Capt. Wood resigned June 10, 1862 ; Lieut. Laur was promoted to Captain in his stead, and mustered out with the regi- ment September 9, 1865. Upon the pro- motion of Lient. Laur, Second Lient. James Lemmon became First Lieutenant. Ilis term expired January 9, 1865, and Second Lieut. Jonathan Foster was promoted in his stead. Lieut. Gilbert resigned March 5, 1862, and James Lemmon was promoted to the vacancy, and afterward to First Lieutenant. Edward Barbee became Second Lieutenant upon the promotion of Lieut. Lemmon ; he resigned July 5, 1865, and Jonathan Foster was promoted to fill the vacancy. Foster was promoted to First Lieutenant, when John S. Brooks became Second Lieutenant, and as such was mustered out with the regiment.

The Forty-ninth Infantry, Col. William R.

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Morrison commanding, was organized at Camp Butler December 31, 1861, and mustered into the United States service. On the 3d of Feb- ruary, 1862, it was ordered to Cairo, Ill., and on the 8th it moved to Fort Henry, where it was assigned to the Third Brigade of MeCler- nand's division. It moved to Fort Donelson on the 11th, and participated in that battle, losing fourteen men killed and thirty-seven wounded. Among the wounded was Col. Mor- rison, who commanded the brigade to which the Forty-ninth belonged. The regiment re- mained at Fort Donelson until the 4th of March, when the army was put in motion, and on the 6th the Forty-ninth, with other troops, embarked for Pittsburg Landing. It bore an active part in the battle of Shiloh April 6 and 7, and lost in the two engagements seventeen killed and ninety-nine wounded. Among the wounded in this engagement were Lieut. Col Pease, commanding the regiment, and Maj. Bishop. It was engaged in the siege of Cor- inth, and on the 4th of June it moved to Bethel, where it was assigned to the division of Gen. John A. Logan. district of Jackson, Maj. Gen. McClernand commanding. On the th of March, 1863, the regiment moved from Bethel to Grand Junction, and from thence to Germantown, and ou the 12th to White Station, where it was assigned to the Fourth Brigade, First Division, Sixteenth Army Corps, Col. Sanford commanding the brigade, Gen. Smith the division, and Gen. Hurlbut the corps. It was ordered to Helena, Ark., August 21 to join Gen. Steele's expedition against Little Rock. September 2, it joined the main army at Brownsville, Ark., and on the 10th partici- pated in the capture of Little Rock. From here it proceeded to Duval's Bluff, and from thence it returned to Memphis, where it arrived on the 21st of November.

On the 15th of January, 1864, about three- fourths of the regiment re-enlisted, and were mustered as veterans, and were assigued to the

Third Brigade, Col. Wolf commanding, Third Division, Gen. Smith, and the Sixteenth Army Corps. It remained on active duty, was with Gen. Sherman on the Meridian campaign, was assigned to the Red River expedition and served in Louisiana until June 24. when it was ordered home on veteran furlough. The non-veterans remained in the field, commanded by Capt. Logan, and participated in the battle of Tupelo July 14 and 15 while their comrades were at home enjoying themselves. At the expiration of their furlough, the veterans ren- dezvoused at Centralia, and proceeded to Cairo, and from thence to Memphis and Holly Springs, where they joined the command. August 12, they participated in the Oxford expedition, and on the 30th of September embarked for Jeffer- son Barracks, Mo., and proceeded to Franklin. They drove the enemy from that place, and with the main army went in pursuit of Gen. Price, after which the Forty-ninth returned to St. Louis on the 18th of November. From St. Louis they were ordered to Nashville, Tenn., where they arrived December 1, and took part in that bloody battle on the 15th and 16th. It was ordered to Paducah, Ky., on the 24th of December, where the non-veterans were mus- tered out of the service, their term of enlist- ment having expired. The veterans remained on garrison duty at Paducah until September 9, 1865, when they were ordered to Camp But- ler, Ill., and on the 15th were paid off and dis- eharged.

The Sixtieth Infantry contained more Jeffer- son County men, perhaps, than any other regi- ment of the war. Its second Colonel, William B. Anderson, is a native of the county, has al- ways lived here, and is known to nearly every man, woman and child ; the last Colonel of the regiment, George W. Evans. is now a promi- nent citizen of Mount Vernon ; the last Quar- termaster, James H. Rogers, was also from the county ; while Jefferson contributed to nearly every company, and very largely to C, D and

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G, furnishing more than half the men in those companies.

William B. Anderson, who, upon the death of Col. Toler-the First Colonel of the Sixtieth -succeeded to the command of the regiment, was born in Mount Vernon April 2, 1830, and is a son of Gov. Stinson II. and Candace the common schools of Jefferson County, and at MeKendree College, Lebanon, Ill., and at the age of twenty-one years began the study of the law under Judge Seates, then on the Su- preme bench. Mr. Anderson was admitted to the bar in 1857, but owing to failing health re- sulting from a too close application to study, he gave up a profession in which he was emi- nently fitted to shine as an ornament, and be- took himself to the more humble life of a farmer. Thus was lost to the legal profession a man who, had he remained at the bar, would no doubt have become one of the leading law- yers of Sonthern Illinois.

Mr. Anderson soon displayed an interest in the political affairs of the county, and in 1856 was elected Representative in the Lower House of the State Legislature, and re-elected in 1858. He took an active part in both sessions, which were rather stormy, as political controversy, consequent upon the recent organization of the Republican party, ran high. Snch were the strength and solidity of his abilities that he won the most honorable position among the members of those bodies. He introduced a resolution in the session of 1856 to prohibit special legislation, and to make all legislation general, as special legislation had been carried to snch excess as to become a nuisance, and greatly retard business. He fought it all the way to the end, but was overpowered at last. But he could not give it up, and in the Consti- tutional Convention, some fifteen years later, he again brought it up, and sueeeeded in hav- ing it engrafted in the new constitution. It was a sore stroke to Chicago, and still rankles

in her people. The only way that Chicago can now seenre special legislation is through a gen- eral aet "applying to counties of 100,000 in- habitants and upward."

But it is as a soldier, perhaps, that Mr. An- derson is best fitted for a noble and brilliant career. It has been said "that the poet is (Chickering) Anderson. He was educated in i born, not made," and to the soldier does the saying apply with equal truth, as proven by many of our citizen soldiers during the late eivil war. Scores of officers could be enumer- ated who never saw West Point, and who re- tired from the army at the elose of the rebell- ion, the equal in military talent and ability of any graduate of West Point that ever wore sword. It is the natural talent for a trade or profession that qualifies a man to adorn that trade or profession, and, while edneation may the better fit him for them, yet education alone will not make a mechanic, a lawyer, or a sol- dier.

In February, 1862, Mr. Anderson enlisted as a private soldier in Company B, of the Sixtieth Illinois Volunteer Infantry. But upon the organization of the regiment, which took place on the 17th, at Camp DuBois, Illinois, he was made its Lieutenant Colonel, Silas C. Toler, of Jonesboro, being Colonel. Col. Toler died March 2, 1863, and Lieut. Col. Anderson was promoted Colonel in his place. March 13, 1865. he was promoted to Brigadier General for brave and meritorious service, a promotion more than merited, though long deferred. Un- fortunately for Gen. Anderson's military pre- ferment, he was of the wrong politieal faith, and unlike some of his brother officers from Southern Illinois, he refused to change his poli- ties for the sake of official advancement. Ile adhered to the principle that " the leopard can- not change his spots, nor the Ethiopian his skin " (consistently, at least), and saw freqnent examples of men selling their political opinions for military rank. Loyal to the core, and brave as a Roman warrior, he was doomed to the hu-

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iniliation of witnessing promotion upon promo- tion over his head wholly for political reasons. And, when, in view of his long and faithful service, promotion conld no longer be withheld, it came somewhat grudgingly, or indifferently rather, much as we might throw a bone to a dog. The war then, was. in a measure, over, and the hard fighting about through with, and Gen. Anderson, soon after his promotion as Brigadier General, resigned, and returned to his home in Jefferson County.

Gen. Anderson was a brave and efficient soldier, and seemed born for military service. That he did not receive his just deserts, is a shame and a reproach upon the Government he faithfully served through four long and terri- ble years. As a Major General, he would have won a name and a fame equaled by few and surpassed by none of Illinois' citizen soldiers. But his political principles, to which was no donbt added a jealousy of his growing rep- utation, conceived by other officers, whose ambition led them to covet his hard-earned laurels, kept him in the background, while those less worthy and less qualified rose to prominence. The language of the late George D. Prentice seems eminently appro- priate here :

" The flame

Had fallen, and its high and fitful gleams Perchance had faded, but the living fires Still glowed beneath the ashes."

After his return from the army, Gen. An- derson again entered upon farm life, but in 1869 he was elected to the Constitutional Convention, and in 1871, upon the death of Hon. S. K. Casey, he was elected to fill out his unexpired term in the State Senate. In 1874, he was elected upon the Independent Greenback ticket to the National Congress, and in 1876 came within two votes of being elected to the United States Senate, instead of Hon. David Davis, and but for a little

private jealousy perhaps would have been chosen to that honorable position. In 1892, he was elected County Judge, which position he now occupies.

Col. George W. Evans, who was mustered out as the commanding officer of the Sixtieth Infantry, was a citizen of Johnson County, Ill., at the breaking-out of the war. He there recruited Company E. of the Sixtieth, of which he was made Captain. He was promoted Major of the regiment March 2, 1863, and on the 21st of May following, was promoted Lieutenant Colonel, in place of Col. Hess, who had resigned. Upon the res. ignation of Gen. Anderson, Col. Evans snc- ceeded to the command of the regiment, and was promoted to Colonel May 11, 1865, but never mustered as such. He was mustered out with the regiment, July 31, 1865, as Lieutenant Colonel.

Col. Evans was a brave, gallant and faith- ful soldier. During his whole term of serv. ice, he never missed a march or a battle in which his regiment participated. He was in all the principal battles from Nashville to the sea, and was at the surrender of Gen. Joe Johnston, and with his gallant old reg- iment went to Washington via Richmond, participated in the grand review at Washing- ton, and was finally mustered out with it at Louisville, Ky. He then returned to Illi- nois, and has since been a citizen of Jeffer- son County.

Company C, of the Sixtieth, in which Jefferson County was largely represented, was enrolled with the following commis. sioned officers : John R. Moss, Captain ; Thomas J. Rhodes, First Lieutenant, and Mark Hailes, Second Lieutenant. Capt. Moss resigned December 19, 1862, and Sim- eon Walker was promoted to the vacancy. His term expired March 14, 1865, and John R. Allen was promoted Captain, but de-

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clined the commission, and resigned as First Lieutenant, April 5, 1865, when Francis L. Ferguson was promoted Captain, and as such was mustered out with the regiment, July 31, 1865. First Lieut. Rhodes was promoted to Captain of Company A, and Mark Hailes be- came First Lieutenant. December 20, 1862, John R. Allen succeeded him as First Lieu- tenant, and upon his resignation Francis L. Ferguson becames First and was promoted Captain, when James H. Guthrie was pro- moted First Lieutenant, and was mustered out with the regiment. Second Lieut. Mark IIailes was promoted, and Simeon Walker became Second ; he also was promoted and was succeeded as Second by John Tweedy, who resigned January 25, 1864, and Edward A. Patterson was promoted to Second Lieu- tenant, but mustered out with the regiment as Sergeant.

Company D, which contained some forty odd men from this county, went into the service with the following commissioned offi- cers : Alfred Davis, of McLeansboro, Captain ; Edmund D. Choisser, of Moores- ville, First Lieutenant, and James Stull, Second Lieutenant. Capt. Davis resigned, and was succeeded by Capt. L. S. Wilbanks, who also resigned, and was succeeded by John B. Coleman. Capt. Coleman was killed July 26, 1864, during the Atlanta compaign. Green S. Stuart then became Captain, re- signed, and William H. Thorp was pro- moted Captain and mustered out with the regiment. First Lieut. Choisser resigned, and was succeeded by Lieut. Coleman, who, upon promotion, was succeeded by Anozi Kniffen. Lient Kniffen was killed May 12, 1864, and Green W. Stewart became First Lieutenant, who was promoted, and suc- ceeded as First by William H. Thorpe ; he was also promoted and Eli Webb became First Lieutenant. Second Lieut. Stull re-

signed and Anozi Kniffen was promoted in his stead, and upon his own promotion was succeeded by Alfred Kniffin, who resigned January 9, 1864, and was succeeded by M. W. Smith, who was mustered out with the regiment.

Company G also contained a number of Jefferson County men, and the following com- missioned officers from the county: Jehu J. Maxey, the First Lieutenant and the second Captain of the company; Cornelius N. Breeze, the second First Lieutenant, and E. H. Red- burn the third Second Lieutenant of the com- pany; while Company I also contained men from the county, and the following com- missioned officers: John Frizell, the first Captain, Asa Hawkins, the second Second and the second First Lieutenant, and John W. Moses, the third and John A. Johnson the fourth Second Lieutenants of the company.

The Sixtieth Infantry was organized at Camp Du Bois February 17, 1862, and mustered into the United States service. On the 22d, it was ordered to Cairo, and March 14 it moved to Island No. 10. After the surrender of that place, it returned to Co- lumbus, Ky., and afterward to Cairo. It was ordered to the Tennessee River on the 7th of May, and on the 12th arrived at Hamburg Landing, where it was assigned to the Sec- ond Brigade, First Division, Army of the Mis- sissippi, Col. Charles M. Lynn of Michigan commanding the brigade. The Sixtieth was engaged in the siege of Corinth, and was a part of the force that pursued the enemy beyond Booneville, Miss. July 21, it was ordered to Tuscumbia, Ala., thence to Nash- ville, where it arrived September 12, and where it remained during the siege. On the 7th of November it was engaged in repelling an attack on Edgefield, made by Gen. Mor- gan. December 12, it was transferred to the Second Brigade, Third Division, Fourth

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Army Corps, and on the 5th of January, 1863, it had a skirmish with Wheeler's cavalry, between Nashville and Murfreesboro, in which the latter were repulsed. After the battle of Murfreesboro, the Sixtieth returned to Nashville, and on the 2d of March Col. Toler died, and Lieut. Col. Anderson suc- ceeded to the command. July 20, the regi- ment moved to Murfreesboro, and August 26 it proceeded via Columbia, Athens, Huntsville and Stevenson, to Dallas, Tex., where it arrived the 12th of November. Here the Sixtieth was assigned to the First Brigade, Second Division and Fourteenth Army Corps, and participated in the battle of Chattanooga and took part in the memorable march to Knoxville. Ragged and footsore, the tat- tered regiment returned to Chattanooga, arriving December 24, and going into winter quarters at Rossville. February 22, 1864, about three fourths of the regiment re-en- listed, and on the 26th took part in the reconnoissance toward Dalton, Ga., which resulted in the battle of Buzzard Roost. In this battle the Sixtieth suffered severely, forty-two being killed and wounded. On the 6th of March, the regiment, or the veterans of it, was sent home to Illinois on furlough. When its veteran furlough had expired, the regiment returned to the field via Louisville, Nashville and Chattanooga to Rossville. The Atlanta campaign commenced on the 2d of May, and the Sixtieth bore an honorable part in those stirring times. It participated in the battles of Ringgold, Dalton, Resaca, Rome, Dallas, New Hope Church, Kenesaw Mountain, Nickajack, Peach Tree Creek, Atlanta and Jonesboro. For its brave and gallant conduct at Jonesboro, September 1, the regiment received the highest praise, of both the division and corps commanders. It remained in camp at Atlanta until Sep- tember 20, when it moved to Florence, and

October 10 it proceeded to Chattanooga. On the 18th it marched from La Fayette, Ga., to Gatesville, and from thence to Atlanta. It took part in the famous march to the sea, and was in many of the battles and skir- mishes of that hard campaign, that at Ben- tonville, March 19, 1865, being as severe as any in which the regiment was engaged dur- ing its long service. At one time, it was surrounded on all sides, but behaved gallant- ly, and finally extricated itself and escaped capture. April 10, it moved to Raleigh, N. C., and remained there until after the sur- render of Gen. Joe Johnston, when it pro- ceeded to Richmond, the quondam confederate capitol, and from thence to Washington, where, on the 14th of May, it participated in the grand review.

The war was now ended, and the boys were eager to exchange the sword for the plow. On the 12th of June the regiment was ordered to Louisville, Ky., where it performed provost guard duty until July 21, when it was mustered out of the United States service. It then proceded to Camp Butler, Ill., where it received final payment and discharge.

The Eightieth Infantry is the next regi- ment in which the county was represented. Company E was a Jefferson County company, while Company H contained some Jefferson County men. Company E was enrolled with the following commissioned officers: Stephen T. Stratton, Captain; Newton C. Pace, First Lieutenant; and Charles W. Pavey, Second Lieutenant. Capt. Stratton resigned De- cember 22, 1862, and was succeeded by Lieutenant Pace, who was honorably dis- charged May 15, 1865. Lieutenant Pavey was promoted to Captain, but was absent on detached duty at the muster out of the regi- ment. He is now Collector of Internal Rev- enue for this district. William Randall was

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ing and shoes. January 27, 1864, it broke camp and moved to Blue Springs, via Chat- tanooga, Cleveland and Charleston. It was engaged in the Atlanta campaign, and par- ticipated in the battles of Dalton, Resaca, Adairsville, Cassville, Dallas, Pine Mountain, Kenesaw Mountain, Marietta, Peach Tree Creek, Atlanta, Jonesboro and Lovejoy Sta- tion. During this stirring campaign, the Sixtieth lost twenty-five killed, and sixty wounded. It pursued Hood in his long re- treat, and December 15 and 16 took part in the battle of Nashville, where it behaved with great gallantry. On the 5th of January, 1865, it arrived at Huntsville, Ala .. where Maj. Bates, who had returned from captivity, assumed command of the regiment. The remainder of its service was in marching and skirmishing, and June 10, 1865, its term of service having expired, it was mustered out of service, and sent home to Camp Butler for final discharge. During its term of service, the Sixtieth traveled over 6,000 miles, and took part in more than twenty bat- tles. Only four of the captured officers every returned to the regiment.

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History of Jefferson County, Illinois, Part 31

Author: Perrin, William Henry, d. 1892? Publication date: 1883 Publisher: Chicago : Globe Pub. Co., Historical Publishers Number of Pages: 570

Author: Perrin, William Henry, d. 1892?
Publication date: 1883
Publisher: Chicago : Globe Pub. Co., Historical Publishers
Number of Pages: 570