History of Sangamon County, Illinois, together with sketches of its cities, villages and townships, educational, religious, civil, military, and political history, portraits of prominent persons, and biographies of representative citizens, Part 51

Author: Interstate publishing co., Chicago. [from old catalog]
Publication date: 1881
Publisher: Chicago, Inter-state publishing company
Number of Pages: 1084

USA > Illinois > Sangamon County > History of Sangamon County, Illinois, together with sketches of its cities, villages and townships, educational, religious, civil, military, and political history, portraits of prominent persons, and biographies of representative citizens > Part 51

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"O, gales that dash the Atlantic's swell Along our rocky shores! Whose thunder diapason well New England's glad huzzahs-

" Bear to the prairies of the West The echoes of our joy, The prayer that springs in every breast, ' God bless thee-Illinois.'

" Oh! awful hours, when grape and shell Tore through the unflinching line; Stand firm, remove the men who fell, Close up and wait the sign.

" It came at last, 'Now, lads, the steel" The rushing hosts deploy ;

'Charge, boys" the broken traitors reel- Hurrah for Illinois!

" In vain the rampart, Donelson, The living torrent bars;

It leaps the wall, the fort is won, Up go the stripes and stars.

" The proudest mother's eyelids fills As dares ber gallant boy; And Plymouth Rock and Bunker Hill Yearn to thee, Illinois "

The Colonel concluded his speech amid loud and long continued applause. Springfield and Sangamon county had spoken for the Union.

The year 1863 witnessed an effort on the part of many to secure peace between the States. On the 17th of June a mass convention was held at Springfield, presided over by Senator Richardson, which passed the following resolu- tion:

" Resolved, That the further offensive prosecu- tion of this war tends to subvert the Constitu- tion and the Government, and entails upon this nation all the disastrous consequences of misrule and anarchy. That we are in favor of peace upon the basis of a restoration of the Union, and for the accomplishment of which we pro- pose a National Convention to settle upon terms of peace, which shall have in view the restora- tion of the Union as it was, and the securing by constitutional amendments such rights to the several States and people thereof as honor and justice demand."

The effect of this meeting was to rouse the unconditional Union men to renewed action. A mass convention was, therefore, called and held in Springfield, Thursday, September 3, which was addressed by a number of the most eminent men of the country, among whom were Zachariah Chandler, of Michigan; J. R. Doo- little, of Wisconsin, and General McClernand, of Springfield. Strong resolutions were adopted pledging all to faithfully stand by the Govern- ment until the last traitor was disarmed. Among the resolutions were the following:

" Resolved, That we will lay aside all party questions and forget all party prejudices, and devote ourselves unreservedly to the support of our Government, until the rebellion shall be finally and forever crushed.

'. Resolved, That whatever else may die, the Union shall live, to perpetuate civil liberty; whatever else may perish, the Government shall survive in all its Constitutional integrity; what- ever else may be destroyed, the Nation shall be preserved in its territorial unity; and to this end we pledge anew our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor."

In the winter of 1863-4 much was done in Springfield in aid of soldiers' families. On Sat-

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urday, December 12, 1863, the farmers of the county, notwithstanding the condition of the roads, hauled to the city and distributed among the needy, ninety-three loads of wood. The Board of Supervisors during the same winter appropriated $5,000 to aid the suffering.

The gallant Seventh Regiment, an account of whose departure to the seat of war is given on a preceding page, in December, 1863, re-enlisted as veterans, and in Jannary following, received a furlough to visit their homes. On Monday, Jan- uary 18, the regiment arrived in Springfield. At an early hour that morning, flags were flung to the breeze from many of the business houses and offices around the square, and also from pri- vate dwellings, in anticipation of the arrival of the regiment. At about two o'clock the boom- ing of cannon and the ringing of bells an- nounced the fact they were near at hand. The streets were immediately crowded with men, women, and children, all surging in the direc- tion of the Great Western depot, to witness the debarkation of the regiment from the cars and their march to the State House. So great was the interest felt to see this veteran and gallant regiment, that had sustained the flag of the country with so much honor to themselves and the State, that the teachers of the public schools allowed their pupils to go to the place of ren- dezvous to gratify their curiosity.

On the arrival of the cars at the depot, cheer after cheer was given to the veterans. After leaving the cars, they formed into line, and were escorted by the Fire Department, preceded by bands of music, to the Hall of Representatives. The galleries were crowded with ladies, to give the veterans a patriotic welcome home to Illi- nois. After the arrival at the Hall, Governor Yates was introduced to the regiment and large audience present. Three cheers were proposed for Governor Yates and three cheers for the "Old Seventh," which were given with a will.

The Governor addressed the assembly in a speech of about three-quarters of an hour in length, in which he spoke of the regiment as being one of the first that entered the field at the call of the country -their gallantry in many a hard-fought field, and welcomed them home to Illinois. At the close of the Governor's speech, General John Cook was called for, and pro- ceeded to address them in a speech of about one hour in length, in which he gave a history of the regiment from the time of its organization and its march from Camp Yates to that time. Colonel Rowett, commander of the regiment, was next called to the stand, and delivered a

brief and appropriate speech, in which he thanked the citizens of Springfield for their friendly welcome, as being totally unexpected, not having heard anything about the matter until about twelve miles of the city. He said the question of re-enlisting was propounded on the 22d of December, and the regiment said as Dave Lee said, "they would not stop fighting until the rebels did first." They did not say as some others did, "that they had tried it for two years and nine months, and now let others try it," but they were determined to fight until this rebellion was crushed out. His remarks were received with much applause. Major Estabrook delivered a short and telling speech which was well received. The exercises were interspersed with several patriotic airs from the band present, which added much to the interest of the occa- sion.

Never was there a more cordial and heart-felt reception than was extended by the citizens of Springfield to this veteran regiment. They seemed to vie with each other in their expression of gratitude to the brave men who had risked their lives in the defense of their country and homes. The regiment brought with them the National colors of the regiment, riddled and torn with shot and shell, showing the deadly nature of the conflict in which they had been engaged.

During the year 1864, a Presidential campaign occurred, in which the issues virtually were: Shall the Government be sustained in the prose- cution of the war? The result of the election was such as to nerve the President to renewed action. Several calls were made for volunteers which were quickly responded to, and vigorous measures were pursued in the prosecution of the war.

The " Ladies' Loyal League of Springfield " was organized May 13, 1863. Two hundred and sixteen names were enrolled at the first meeting. At the expiration of the first year it numbered five hundred and twenty-nine. From the an- nual report of the secretary, Mrs. Paul Selby, in 1864, the following extract is taken:

"At its first organization, the League was simply designed as an associated expression of loyal sentiment, in which its members pledged themselves to an 'unconditional support to the National Government in its present struggle against rebellion, and to do whatever may lie in their power for the maintenance of our Gov- ernment and the Union.' Beyond this, it had no distinctive object. But ' faith without works is dead.' It soon became evident that, to give

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vitality to the organization and fulfill the design of its creation, it must have some object for which to labor. This, indeed, was required by our further pledge to 'encourage our brave sol- diers in the field by the language of patriotism, and to soothe the anguish of the sick and wounded by deeds of kindness; to discounten- ance every tendency to disloyalty, and to evince on every proper occasion our determination to stand by the flag of the Union; to honor those who bravely hazard their lives in its defense, and to express our abhorrence of every enemy, open or disguised, who would trail its proud glory in the dust.' This requires something more than professions-it requires action.

"In looking around for a field of operations, one opened to us at the very outset. In our midst were many families of those who, having patriotically offered themselves upon the altar of their country, had been compelled to leave those dependent upon them illy provided to carry on the ' battle of life' in their absence. The diffi- culty of their situation was still further increased by the expeditions continually advancing farther and farther into the enemy's country, separating soldiers still farther from their families, and ren- dering communication from them less frequent; from the unfrequent visits of paymasters to dis- tant commands, often leaving the men compos- ing them unpaid for several months at a time; by the fortunes of war, resulting in the capture and protracted imprisonment of many of our sol- diers; and last, and saddest of all, the surrender of the lives of many in protecting that flag which they had volunteered to defend. The field here opened was a wide one,-and it expanded as we proceeded to explore it.

" The county Board of Supervisors had already done much to prevent distress which must other- wise have resulted, among this class of persons, by liberal appropriations of money; but it was practically impossible that this system should reach some of the most deserving cases. In some cases, those who needed and deserved as- sistance most, were most reluctant in making their condition known. Committees were there- fore appointed in the various wards of the city, to seek out and investigate cases requiring at- tention. Besides, there were, almost weekly, ar- riving many individuals and families from the rebel States-refugees from their homes on ac- count of Union principles. These often came among us in actual want of the common neces- sities of life, food and clothing-penniless, sick, dispirited, and suffering. Their condition ap- pealed to every loyal heart, and to the best of

our ability we have en levored to extend to them some portion of the aid to which they stood in need.

" In this field, so nearly allied to that of the noble organization of patriotic and Christian women, the Ladies' Soldiers' Aid Society, we have labored for a year past, as we, hope, not without results for good. Up to the first of June, when our fiscal year closed, as shown by the report of the Treasurer, the League has re- ceived into its treasury $817.90, of which $794.35 have been expended. About seventy-five per- sons and families have received aid from the association. This does not include donations of dry goods, groceries, shoes, clothing, etc., to the amount of several hundred dollars, contribu- tions from various sources during the year.

" It is proper in this connection to state that the Ladies' Loyal League of Springfield is purely a local organization, and that its revenue has been derived solely from the citizens, churches, etc., of Springfield and its immediate vicinity. In no case has it received contributions from distant parts of the States.

" In these times, when our country is passing through the perils of the most causeless, wicked and most stupendous rebellion, there seems to be an especial demand for associated, organized effort. While the husbands, brothers, sons and fathers of the loyal women of America are baring their breasts to the foe upon the field in defense of our homes and all we hold most dear, is it not fitting we should do our part by en- deavoring to lighten the burdens of war, to re- lieve the fatherless and the widow, to encourage and sustain the soldier as he goes to meet the enemies of our country. We have done little, it is true, in comparison with what was de- manded of us. The demand for effort still re- mains. May it be said of each of ns, 'She has done what she could.' MRS. P. SELBY,

Secretary Ladies' Loyal League."

For 1864-5 the following named officers were elected: Mrs. S. H. Melvin, President; Mrs. John P. Reynolds and Mrs. McCulloch, Vice Presidents; Mrs. R. S. Lord, Treasurer; Mrs. Paul Selby, Secretary; Mrs. L. Niles, Mrs. H. Post, Miss R. H. Beach, Mrs. G. S. Mendell, Mrs. J. K. Dubois, Mrs. R. B. Zimmerman, Mrs. James L. Lamb, Mrs. M. Brayman, Mrs. A. M. Gregory, Mrs. George Boynton, Mrs. L. M. Snell, Mrs. J. G. Ives, Managers.

The year 1865 opened auspiciously for the Union armies. Evidences that the rebels were weakening were daily shown. In order to make one last grand effort to suppress the rebellion,

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President Lincoln issued his proclamation for more men, and ordered a draft if not complied with by February 15. Previous to this time, Sangamon county had honored every call and had always an excess. In order to provide for this last call without resort to a draft, the Board of Supervisors were called together and passed a series of resolutions, among which was the fol- lowing:

"Resolved, That the county of Sangamon, State of Illinois, in its corporate capacity, will pay a bounty of $500 to each volunteer who may enlist and be properly mustered into the United States service, and duly credited to any sub-dis- trict in said county, in arrears under said call; that the said county will pay a like bounty of $500 to any man who has heretofore or who may hereafter furnish a substitute, who has been or who shall hereafter be accepted, mustered into the service, and duly credited to any sub-district in said county in arrears under said call; and that said county will pay a like bounty of $500 to any man who may be drafted in said county and mustered into the United States service un- der said call."

N. W. Matheny, N. M. Broadwell and J. G. Ives were authorized to negotiate a loan for the connty to enable it to pay the bounty offered.

MAJOR-GENERAL JOHN ALEXANDER M'CLERNAND.

Every public man becomes, in the highest and most sacred sense, the embodiment of his con- stituents, whose number expands in direct ratio with the dimensions of the position he is called to fill and the height he attains as a representa- tive of the ideas, desires and interests of a peo- ple. He being thus an epitome of the commu- nity, State or Nation whose servant he is, his acts and his life become the property of the common- wealth with whose history his deeds are inter- woven. Biography, then, of every public man is history ; and so interblended is it with the important events of this American Republic that the complete biographies of a score of its repre- sentative officials would furnish a pretty satis- factory history of the Nation. . The biography of Maj. Gen. John A. McClernand is of this character. Being a citizen of Sangamon county, the military life of Gen. McClernand will be of interest to every citizen of the county, especially as it embraces several campaigns and many bat- tles in which Sangamon connty men participated.

John Alexander McClernand is the only child of John and Fatima McClernand, and was born in Breckenridge county, Kentucky, in 1812.

Soon after the birth of John, the family removed to Shawneetown, Illinois, where subsequently the elder McClernand died, his son then being only four years of age.

The boyhood and youth of eminent men, though frequently devoid of interest, is often pregnant with instruction. We shall be pre- pared to form some estimate of the energy and indomitable will of young McClernand when we reflect that at the early age of twenty, he had already overcome difficulties which weaker minds would have shrunk from as insurmountable, and that he was in consequence enabled to take a respectable position at the bar in the practice of the legal profession. The same year, 1832, he volunteered as a private in the Black Hawk War, where he served with honor till its close. In his experience in the field, he laid that foun- dation of military knowledge, and gained that practical insight into human character, which have been so valuable to him in after life, and which, in the rebellion enabled him to serve his country so well in the important positions which he was called upon to fill, first as a Brigadier, and subsequently, as a Major Gen- eral.

In 1835 he established the first Democratic press that ever existed in Shawneetown; and in the same year re-commenced the practice of law, which he continued with success, up to the time of his election to Congress, in 1843.

In 1836, he was elected to the State Legisla- ture, from the county of Gallatin. In this ses- sion he successfully vindicated the character of the President (Jackson), from certain charges preferred against him by Governor Duncan. In this session he also advocated that mode of con- structing the Illinois and Michigan Canal which was known as the "Deep Cut Plan," and which was finally adopted. He was elected, we believe, unanimously, by the legislature, as Commis- sioner and Treasurer of the canal, and so faith- fully did he discharge the duties confided to him, that various public meetings throughout the country complimented him by resolution, recognizing the value of his services.

In 1838 he was urged by his friends to accept the nomination for Lieutenant Governor, but declined, on the ground that he was under the Constitutional age-thirty years.

Among the resolutions adopted at the same convention in which he was offered the nomina- tion for Lieutenant Governor, Mr. McClernand prepared and offered the following, which he regarded, most justly, as breathing the spirit of true Democracy :

John A. M.lemand Maj. Gen. U.S. Volo

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" Resolved, That the Democratic principle is founded on an imperishable basis of truth and justice, and perpetually striving to sustain society in the exercise of every power which can pro- mote honor or happiness, and elevate our condi- tion; that, instead of warring against order, and encroaching on the privileges of others, the spirit of Democracy maintains an active princi- ple of hope and virtue.

" Resolved, That we recognize no power but that which yields to the restraints of duty, and is guided by mind: That we only seek to obtain influence by means of free conviction; that we condemn all appeals to brute force and the exer- cise of violence, and that our only means of per- suasion are reason and truth.

" Resolved, That our first aim is to connect our party with the cause of intelligence and morality; to seek the protection of every right consistent with the genius of our Constitution and the spirit of the age. We desire to extend moral culture, and to remove, as far as possible, all inequalities in our human condition, by em- bracing all improvements which can ameliorate our moral and political state."

These resolutions tell their own story, and they have only to be read to be appreciated by all lovers of liberty, all true Democrats every- where. They are chiefly remarkable as emanat- ing from so young a mind, and they are appli- cable to all times and all circumstances :- for though they were written some forty years ago, when the political atmosphere was calm and serene, they yet embody the only principles on which a free government can stand anywhere. For these reasons, and because these principles have actuated their author through his whole life, both civil and military, as this record will attest, they demand our highest consideration and respect.

In 1840 Mr. McClernand was elected a second time to the legislature from the county of Gal- latin. In this session, one of the Judges of the Supreme Court, Theophilus W. Smith, took ex- ception to some remarks made by Mr. McCler- nand in a debate on a reform of the Judiciary, and sent a challenge to Mr. McClernand, which he accepted; but the Judge failing to appear, the meeting did not take place.

In 1839 Mr. McClernand was nominated by a State Convention, as one of the electors to sup- port Van Buren and Johnson in the Presidential election. The result was a majority of about four thousand votes for Van Buren and Johnson in that part of the State.

Mr. McClernand was re-elected to the legisla- ture in 1842, from the county of Gallatin. As Chairman of the Committee of Finance, he brought forward several measures calenlated to relieve the State from those financial troubles which he attributed to the banking system; and he had the good fortune to see all these meas- ures adopted.

In 1843, while still a member of the legisla- ture, he was elected a Representative to the Twenty-eighth Congress.

Before taking his seat, he married Sarah, daughter of Colonel Dunlap, of Jacksonville, Illinois, of one of the most reputable and influ- ential families in the State.

His first speech in Congress was on the bill to refund the fine imposed on General Jackson by Judge Hall, and it evinced the warm affec- tion which he had cherished for that illustrious man.

During the same session, he delivered a speech on the Rock Island controversy, which was very extensively published.

During the second session of the same Con- gress, as a member of the Committee on Public Land, he brought forward a comprehensive and interesting report, accompanied by a bill for a grant of land to and in completion of the Illi- nois and Michigan canal.

By an act of the legislature, a change in the usual time for holding elections had been made, and Mr. McClernand was re-elected to Congress in 1844.

He was one of the members who insisted on the maintenance of the extreme claim to fifty- four degrees, forty minutes, in the Oregon con- troversy with Great Britain; and he was earn- estly bent on its assertion. As Chairman of the Committee on Public Lands, he brought for- ward a bill, accompanied by a report, to grant to the State of Tennessee the public lands of the United States lying within her borders. This bill became a law.

He gave a zealons support to the Administra- tion in its measures touching the Mexican war. lle voted to place at the disposal of the Execu- tive all the men and money required to give suc- cess to our arms. His views as to the justice of the war, the plan of prosecuting it, and its con- sequences, were fully explained in a speech de- livered by him in Congress on the 16th of June, 1846.

During the first session of the Twenty-ninth Congress, he brought forward the bill to reduce and graduate the price of the public lands, upon

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the principles and details of which he had be- stowed much labor and reflection.

In the ensuing session, as Chairman of the same Committee, he took an active part in favor of the bill to bring into market the mineral region lying around Lake Superior. valuable for its extent and the quantity and rich quality of the copper found there. This bill became a law.

During the same session, he was called upon by the Jackson Monument Committee to present their memorial, which he did. On that occasion, he pronounced a eulogy on General Jackson, which was highly esteemed, and an extract from which we give below.

" This is not the occasion to pronounce a for- mal eulogy on the man whose last aspirations were for the welfare, the glory and happiness of his country. But I may be allowed to say, that Andrew Jackson was a man of no common order. Left fatherless and friendless in his youth, he wrote the word excelsior on his crest, and pushed his way upward and onward to power and distinction, from the rank of a private to that of a general, and from the position of a citizen to that of Chief Magistrate of the Re- public. The name of Jackson, the indomitable, the strong willed, the honest, the unflinching,- the man of iron, -has become a household word to his countrymen-an invocation of patriotism and duty to all lands. What he said and did is written in that word of wordsand deeds aceumu- lated from the wisdom and heroism of ages; and as a lesson and incentive of posterity, it will re- main written forever. Endowed, perhaps, with a less bold and subtle philosophy than Jefferson, with a less dazzling and theoretic genius than Napoleon, he was the equal of either in energy and concentration of purpose-the superior of both in the attribute of common sense. His principles were lofty and stern-proof alike against power and corruption. Like Susticles, he could have written, unmoved, the ballot of his own ostracism, or watched by the flickering torches of night, untempted over the treasure which strewed the field of Plato. As a General he was active and daring, yet vigilant and judiciary; to constancy and fortitude he added impetuous, almost romantic valor. At the bat- tle of New Orleans, he won the crowning glory of his military career. There be confirmed the great truth proclaimed upon the classic plains of Marathon-the pre-eminence of free States in defense of their hearth-stones and independ- ence, over the unwieldy empires of crowned conquerors. As it is the habit of a free people to delegate great authority to one man who is

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History of Sangamon County, Illinois, together with sketches of its cities, villages and townships, educational, religious, civil, military, and political history, portraits of prominent persons, and biographies of representative citizens, Part 51

Author: Interstate publishing co., Chicago. [from old catalog] Publication date: 1881 Publisher: Chicago, Inter-state publishing company Number of Pages: 1084

Author: Interstate publishing co., Chicago. [from old catalog]
Publication date: 1881
Publisher: Chicago, Inter-state publishing company
Number of Pages: 1084