USA > Illinois > Jo Daviess County > The History of Jo Daviess County, Illinois, containing a history of the county, its cities, towns, etc., a biographical directory of its citizens, war record of its volunteers in the late rebellion history of the Northwest, history of Illinois Constitution of the United States > Part 45
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HISTORY OF JO DAVIESS COUNTY.
Those whom I represent are under special obligations to the Hon. Geo. Hatch, Mayor of your city; to Chas. Stevens, of the Relief Committee of the I. O. O. F .; to Captain N. H. McLean, and to the Managers and Directors of the Marine Hospital, who have been most unremitting and assiduous in their devotion to the cause of humanity. I shall return to Galena, the city of my residence, with the strongest emotions of gratitude toward Cincinnati, the memory of whose noble conduct will never be effaced from the tablets of recollection.
Gen. Mitchell, Commander of the United States Army at this point, has very kindly placed at my disposal passes, with the dead bodies of Company I, over the different roads to the place of their final interment in Illinois, and has acted in a manner worthy of his high reputation, and becoming the government he so worthily serves.
ROBERT BRAND, Mayor of the City of Galena, Ill.
" I not only found attention, aid and sympathy from all the citizens I came in contact with, but S. S. L'Hommidue, President of the Hamilton & Dayton R. R., presented me with free passes over his road, and the con- ductor, H. O. Hoyt, Esq., delayed the train in advancing our interests. At Chicago, H. D. Colvin, Superintendent of the U. S. Express Co., without charge, conveyed the bodies to the Galena & Chicago Union R. R. Depot, where Dr. Edward Williams, the Superintendent, not only furnished a special car, but in like manner passed us free over his road. I am also under many obligations to John Drew, Esq., of Chicago, for his attention and assistance; and the officers of the Ill. Central R. R., and their gentle- manly conductor, J. A. Poland, and Geo. Blanchard, General Freight Super- intendent of the Ohio & Mississippi R. R .; each and all did every thing in their power to facilitate the sad duty I was engaged in-of bringing our dead to rest among us.
" I can not close this report without a just tribute to the ladies of Cin- cinnati for the manner in which they garlanded the dead, and their atten- tion to our wounded-such attention as only women know how to bestow, and men to appreciate. The coffins in the vault of the cemetery were literally covered with flowers, placed there by the kind hands of fair women, attesting their sympathy at the sad bereavement. On visiting the Marine Hospital, I found some fifty of our brave boys, more or less injured from the same accident. The wounded were the objects of special attention, not only from the kind managers and directors of the hospital, but from the overflowing kindness of the citizens. No comfort that money could purchase, or sym- pathy that the purest love and charity could offer, was withheld. The hos- pital was attended by the best surgical skill, and every thing that would add to the comfort of the afflicted was extended without stint or price, while the fair ladies covered with wreaths and bouquets, and cheered and comforted by words of affection the mangled heroes that laid on their couches of afflic- tion. Such kindness tends to bring forth all the best feelings of the human heart, and in this instance it was every where overflowing.
This report would be incorrect were I to omit the names of Colonel Turchin and his heroic wife. To the Colonel. for his care and attention in providing for his soldiers, and the facilities he extended in the performance of my sad duties to. the dead. But to hear the wounded men speak of the- heroic conduct of the brave Mrs. Turchin when the accident occurred ! When the dead, dying and mutilated lay in one mass of ruin-when the bravest heart was appalled, and all was dismay, this brave woman was in the water rescuing the mangled and the wounded from a watery grave, and tearing from her person every available piece of clothing as bandages for the wounded, stamps beyond all question that she is not only the right woman in the right place, but a fit consort for the brave Turchin in leading the gallant sons of Illinois to battle. Such misfortunes bring forth heroic
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HISTORY OF JO DAVIESS COUNTY.
women, whose services may be frequently needed if this fratricidal war shall continue to the bitter end.
" In conclusion, allow me to add that the city officials, the Odd Fellows' Lodges, military men, and all men and women with whom I came in con- tact, seemed to have but one object-the doing of some act of kindness for the wounded men and the friends of the dead. Such noble conduct elevates humanity and places our city under a deep debt of gratitude that will not soon be forgotten. Yours, with respect,
"ROBERT BRAND, Mayor.
" At the final meeting of the committee appointed on the part of the City Council and the citizens of Galena, held at the custom house on the 1st day of October, A. D. 1861, to express their feelings of profound grati- tude and admiration for the eminently kind manner in which the Hon. Robert Brand, Mayor of the City of Galena, and a delegation of our citizens were treated by the several individuals and corporations which they came in contact with, in the discharge of the melancholy duty imposed on them in recovering the bodies of our dead soldiers from the accident of the 17th of September, slain in the discharge of their duty as citizen soldiers hasten- ing to defend the Capital of our late happy and prosperous nation against the attacks of the enemy, the following resolutions were read and unani- mously adopted :
Resolved, That the thanks of the citizens of Galena are hereby tendered to the Hon. Geo. Hatch, Mayor of the City of Cincinnati; Brig. Gen. O. M. Mitchell, U. S. A .; Capt. N. H. McLean, U. S. A .; Capt. J. H. Dickenson, U. S. A .; Lieut. Col. A. E. Jones, U. S. A .; Chas. Stevens, Esq., Chairman of the Relief Committee of the I. O. O. F .; the Managers and Directors of the Marine Hospital; J. P. Eppy, Esq., of Cincinnati; and John Drew, Esq., of Chicago; and each of them, for the many attentions and acts of kindness rendered on their part to our Mayor and the delegation of our citizens in the performance of the sad duty im- posed upon them.
Resolved, That the thanks of the citizens of Galena are hereby tendered unto S. S. L'Hommidue, President of the Hamilton & Dayton R. R .: H. O. Hoyt, Esq., conductor on the same; H. D. Colvin, Esq., Superintendent of the U. S. Express Co., Chicago; Dr. Edward Williams, Superintendent of the Galena & Chicago Union R. R .; the officers of the Illinois Central R. R., and J. A. Poland, Esq., the gentlemanly conductor on the same; and George Blanchard, Esq., General Freight Agent of the Ohio & Mississippi R. R .; and each of them for their kind and disinterested attention on the sad occasion.
Resolved, That the citizens of Galena are under a deep debt of gratitude to the ladies of Cincinnati for the cordial sympathy and kind. attention bestowed on our wounded and dead; and that to Col. Turchin and his heroic wife we tender our most profound regard.
Resolved, That the foregoing resolutions be printed, and a copy be forwarded by the Mayor to the several parties above named.
Resolved, That this joint committee could not adjourn and do justice to their feelings without tendering to his Honor, Robert Brand, Mayor of this city, the thanks of our com- munity for the very efficient and kind manner in which he discharged the onerous duties devolving on him in his recent trip to Cincinnati and return. We also commend to the grateful remembrance of our citizens the magnanimous manner in which the members of Schreiner's Band tendered their aid. And to the livery stables and citizens who furnished carriages and conveyances for the use of the friends of the deceased and conveyance of the dead to their final resting place, on the day of the funeral, free of charge, we tender the thanks of a grateful people.
S. CRAWFORD, C. R. PERKINS,
WM. FIDDICK,
H. H. GEAR, J. C. SMITH, J. EBERHARDT, R. SEAL, J. WELDON,
J. PAUL,
N. CORWITH, Committee of Citizens. Committee of City Council.
STEWART CRAWFORD, Chairman. W. W. HUNTINGTON, Secretary.
Of the killed, the remains of fourteen were delivered to Mayor Brand for interment at their homes. One of the bodies was left in the vicinity of
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HISTORY OF JO DAVIESS COUNTY.
Dixon to be delivered to friends. Thirteen other bodies were brought to Galena. From here the remains of William Frost were taken to Bellevue, Iowa, for burial. Two others, Henry Connor and were buried in the Catholic cemetery, and the remains of the following named ten-Captain B. B. Howard, Samuel J. Clark, Jerry Ingraham, H. H. Painter, H. C. Barras, John Douglas, Joseph Smith, William Ringer, Antoine Raffner and John Brown-were buried in the new Galena Ceme- tery, their remains being followed there with imposing funeral ceremonies and sincere demonstrations of respect.
Of Captain Howard the Chicago Tribune, about the date of the acci- dent, said:
Capt. Howard was a leading democrat in Jo Daviess County, and during Buchanan's administration was Postmaster of Galena. At the breaking out of the rebellion he warmly espoused the popular and patriotic cause, and was made Captain of the fine company that Galena sent to fight the battles of the country. He had served with great gallantry in the Mexican war, and was a popular and efficient officer. His death will be greatly lamented in the western part of the state, where he was so well and favorably known.
SWORD PRESENTATION TO GENERAL GRANT.
In the Summer of 1863 the people of the county inaugurated a measure for the purchase of a costly sword to be presented to General Grant. A petition was prepared and numerously signed, asking the Board of Supervi- sors to make an appropriation from the county funds for that purpose. On the 15th of September the Board of Supervisors being in session, the petition was called up for action, when the following preamble and resolution were offered and unanimously adopted :
WHEREAS, The people of the County of Jo Daviess, in the State of Illinois, being desirous of manifesting to Major General U. S. Grant, a citizen of said county, their appre- ciation of his inestimable services to the country in the suppression of the rebellion, and particularly in opening to the people of the valley of the Mississippi their great pathway of commerce to the ocean; and also, their regard for him as a man and a citizen; be it therefore
Resolved, That an appropriation be and is hereby made of ONE THOUSAND DOL- . LARS for the purpose of procuring a sword to be presented to Major General U. S. Grant, and that the clerk be authorized to pay the same when required by the Committee of the Board, appointed to procure said sword.
Messrs. Packard, Napper and Townsend were then named as the com- mittee to purchase the sword. This committee entrusted the order for its manufacture to the Ames Manufacturing Works, Chicopee, Massachusetts. It was very elaborate in design, the grasp and guard ornamented with classical designs representing highly finished heads of Jupiter, Mars, Mer- cury and Minerva. The grasp inlaid with tortoise shell, held in place by gold studs-the pommel handsomely finished and encircled by' a ring of diamonds, costing $1,400, which were set in. pure gold. Underneath the circle of diamonds was a shield bearing the motto "Sic Floret Republica." On the cross guard, surrounding General Grant's name is the following inscription : Jo Daviess County, Illinois, to Major General Ulysses S. Grant, the hero of the Mississippi." The sword also bears the names and dates of the battles in which the recipient bore a part, as follows:
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Palo Alto, May 8, 1846.
Resaca de la Palma, May 9, 1846.
Monterey, September 19, 20, and 21, 1846.
Vera Cruz siege, March 7 to 27, 1847.
Cerro Gordo, April 18, 1847.
San Antonio, August 20, 1847.
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HISTORY OF JO DAVIESS COUNTY.
Cherubusco, August 20, 1847.
Moline del Rey, September 8, 1847.
Chepultepec, September 13, 1847.
Goula San Cozana, September 14, 1847. City of Mexico, September 14, 1847.
Belmont, November 8, 1861. Fort Henry, February 16, 1862.
Fort Donelson, February 13, 14, 15, and 16, 1862.
Shiloh, April 6 and 7, 1862.
Corinth, siege, April 23, to May 30, 1862.
Iuka, September 19, 1862. Hatchie, October 5, 1862.
Corinth, October 3 and 4, 1862.
Tallahatchie, December 1, 1862.
Port Gibson, May 1, 1863.
Raymond, May 12, 1863.
Jackson, May 14, 1863.
Champion Hill, May 16, 1863.
Black River Bridge, May 17, 1863.
Vicksburg, July 4, 1863.
" Chattanooga, November 23, 24, 25 and 26, 1863.
These battles embraced a list of all in which General Grant had par- ticipated from his first battle at Palo Alto, Mexico, May 8, 1846, up to the time the sword was completed and ready to be presented. It was received here the first day of March, 1864, and was carried South by Messrs. S. T. Napper and H. S. Townsend, and presented to General Grant at Nashville, Tennessee, on Friday, March 18, 1864.
In his visit to the capitols of the old world and at the receptions ten- dered him by the titled courts of the European people, this sword, the gift of the people of Jo Daviess County, is at his side, a cherished souvenir of the confidence and respect entertained for him by the people among whom he lived and moved only a few short years ago without ostentation or vanity-characteristics that have always and under all circumstances marked his public, as well as his private life.
In making the appropriation for the purchase of the sword above described and presented, the supervisors also ordered that the proceedings in relation thereto "be engrossed on parchment, and that the same be pre- sented to General Grant with the sword." These instructions were carried out by the county clerk, and a copy of the engrossed order, handsomely framed, may be seen in the office of the county clerk.
All is Well that Ends Well .- During the war, party and political feeling ran high, and, as a natural consequence, many things were done in hours of excitement that, looked upon now, when the smoke of battle has cleared away and passions cooled off, seem harsh, if not unnecessary and inexpedient. When the life of the nation was at stake, men did not always stop to inquire about justice or expediency, but bowed to the popular feel- ing without stopping to think of future results. Justly maddened at the attempted destruction of the Union, the dominant party looked only to the strength of the war power for support. The right of Americans to criti- cise the acts of their public servants was considered as treasonable and free speech of doubtful and dangerous propriety. Friends of long standing became alienated, and many an outspoken man brought vengeance and
James I Raw Lin, GUILFORD TP.
THE LIBRARY OF THE
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HISTORY OF JO DAVIESS COUNTY.
death upon himself for the expression of honest convictions and criticisms. Such has always been the case in all countries in times of war, and such, in all human probability, will always be the case. During the war with Mexico, Thomas Corwin, of Ohio, as true a patriot as ever drew freedom's breath, brought political ruin to himself when he made that famous speech in which he declared that, if he were a Mexican, as he were an American, he would welcome the American soldiers with bloody hands to hospitable graves. Many years passed before he recovered from the political disaster the honest convictions of his heart brought upon himself. Had his words and their meaning been properly understood and interpreted, they would have been received as harmless and ineffective. So in many cases in the American Union's great struggle against treason and rebellion. But when men are not understood, their motives are misinterpreted. Misunderstand- ings and misinterpretations brought arrest and imprisonment to many northern men in the years of the war. Some of these arrests were made , in the county whose history we are writing, and naturally form a part of that history. We would that it were otherwise, but truth to history directs our pen to the following record:
On the 28th day of August, 1862, David Sheean was arrested in Galena, without warrant or process of law, or charge of offense, on a tele- gram from Edwin M. Stanton, Secretary of War, at Washington, and taken from thence to Fort Lafayette, in New York, where he was detained until December 13 following, when he was unconditionally released. No charge of any offense was ever made; he was not informed why he was arrested and detained, nor at whose instance it was done. Borrowing money sufficient to pay lıis own expenses back to Galena, he determined to vindicate himself and the law violated in the acts against him, by a suit for false imprison- ment against the guilty parties concerned in his arrest. He suspected that the influence of the Hon. E. B. Washburne, then the inember of Congress from this district, was procured, through Daniel S. and Robert S. Harris, to induce the Secretary of War to send the telegram, and accordingly his suit was brought against those three persons, and against J. Russell Jones, United States Marshal at Chicago, and his deputy, Geo. L. Webb, the officers making the arrest. In the progress of this suit, it was disclosed, in the deposition of Maj. L. C. Turner, Judge Advocate, taken in Wash- ington by the defendants, that the reason for his arrest was, that, as the attorney of one Bernard Donnelly, he brought suit in the Circuit Court of Jo Daviess County, Illinois, for false imprisonment against Daniel S. Harris, Robert S. Harris and John C. Hawkins-the Harrises making the affidavit for that purpose. Before this was done, they assaulted him at the court house for commencing the suit, and Robert S. Harris threatened him with the arbitrary proceedings that were soon after visited upon him. The facts in the Donnelly case were, that, while intoxicated, le declared his pur- pose of not enlisting in the army unless he received the county bounty in advance-citing instances where his acquaintances, who had enlisted, had not received it. For this he was assaulted and beaten by Daniel S. Harris, and taken to jail, without any warrant or complaint made against him, and there detained for several weeks. Donnelly employed Mr. Sheean as his attorney to procure his release, and, after several ineffectual attempts to do so, Mr. Sheean finally brought the suit that the Harrises inade affidavit to as a pretense for his own arrest. While he was confined in Fort Lafayette, the defendants in this Donnelly suit succeeded in getting it dismissed, for
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HISTORY OF JO DAVIESS COUNTY.
want of prosecution; but on Mr. Sheean's return he again renewed the suit, and on the final trial, Robert S. Harris and John C. Hawkins were found guilty, and a judgment of $510 and costs was rendered in favor of Don- nelly for falsely imprisoning him.
In the suit commenced by Mr. Sheean for his own vindication, he charged the defendants with falsely procuring his arrest and detention with- out cause. The defendants, Jones and Webb, defended on the ground that, under the war power, the telegram of the Secretary of War, issued by authority of the President of the United States, was a sufficient author- ity to them to take the plaintiff into custody to New York; and they also set up other matters in their pleas against the plaintiff. On this issue the case went to the Supreme Court of Illinois, where it was decided, by a unanimous court, that the defense set up was unlawful, " without con- stitutional support, and inconsistent in every principle of liberty and free government." In passing upon the questions, the Supreme Court, after referring to the Constitutional provisions in favor of liberty, say, " It can not be denied, that when this plaintiff was arrested without writ or war- rant, and conveyed by the marshal to the City of New York, and there delivered, not into the custody of the law upon a criminal charge, but to a military officer, to. be imprisoned in a military fortress, withont judicial investigation, and without even the charge of crime, the letter and spirit of all the foregoing provisions of the constitution were plainly violated." * * " If the President could rightfully arrest him, by military force, and consign him, without process or trial, to a fortress in the harbor of New York, he could do the same thing to any other person in the State of Illi- nois. * * As no charge is made, no judicial investigation had, it is left entirely to the caprice of Government to determine what persons shall be seized. The power to thus arrest being once conceded, every man in the state, from the Governor down to the humblest citizen, would hold his liberty at the mercy of the military officer in command." * * " This theory, then, puslied to its logical results, is this: That whenever the gov- ernment is engaged in suppressing a rebellion in Florida, or waging war on the frontiers of Maine, martial law may be enforced in Illinois, where there is neither war nor public enemy, and where the courts are daily adminis- tering justice; and every citizen of the state shall hold his liberty and his property at the whim and discretion of the military officer in command. The proposition thus stated in its nakedness, may well startle us, when we remember how liable we are to be involved in war. But it is not true, for it is utterly at variance with the most cherished objects of the constitution and its most solemn prohibitions." One of the Judges in giving his opin- ion, says: "I do not suppose pecuniary considerations influenced the plaintiff to bring this action, but rather to vindicate the constitution and the laws so grossly violated in his person. This he has effectually done, by the unanimous judgment of this court, in holding that the proceedings of which he complains were without any warrant, and in direct and palpa- ble violation of the letter and spirit of the constitution." The case is re- ported in the 44th volume of Illinois Reports, at page 167. After the decis- ion of the Supreme Court the case came back for trial in the Circuit Court of Jo Daviess County, where the following final judgment was rendered, as appears from its proceedings, taken from book "U," of Court Records, page 541, viz:
" David Sheean, plaintiff, vs. J. Russell Jones, Daniel S. Harris,
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HISTORY OF JO DAVIESS COUNTY.
Robert S. Harris, Elihu B. Washburne, and George L. Webb, defendants. Trespass for false imprisonment.
And now come the said defendants, Jones and Webb, and admit that the said pleas, heretofore filed by them in said case, and the matters and things therein set forth against said plaintiff, are untrue in substance and in fact; and the defendants ask leave of the court to withdraw the same, which is granted by the court. And the said defendants further confess the wrongful trespass and imprisonment set forth in said declaration; and that the said defendants are guilty in manner and form as therein stated and set forth; and that said plaintiff has sustained great damage thereby, as is alleged in said declaration. And said defendants further confess that the said seizure and imprisonment of said plaintiff was wrongful, unjus- tifiable, and without cause, and that said plaintiff was innocent of the violation of any law, or of doing any act inimical to the government of the United States; and that said plaintiff did no act, used no expression, or exercised any influence, to the knowledge of said defendants, that was not in support of the government of the United States, its constitution, and laws. And inasmuch as said suit was brought by said plaintiff for the purpose of a personal vindication of his character and conduct as a citizen, he releases the said damages, except as to the sum of one thousand dollars, for expenses incurred by said plaintff on account of said wrongful seizure and imprisonment. It is thereupon considered by the court that the said plaintiff have and recover of and from the said defendants the said sum of one thousand dollars and costs of suit, and that execution issue therefor.
AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY.
In the month of August, 1855, a call was made through the columns of the Galena newspapers for a meeting of the farmers and others inter- ested to consider the advisability of organizing an agricultural society. The meeting was held at the court house on the 13th of September of that year. F. A. Tisdall, Sr., of Courtland, now Warren, Township, presided, and W. B. Green, of West Galena, acted as secretary. After some discus- sion, it was resolved to organize an agricultural society, to be called the " Jo Daviess County Agricultural Society," and H. Newhall, S. S. Brown, Joseph Finley, William B. Green and E. B. Washburne were appointed a commit- tee on Constitution and By-Laws. At a subsequent meeting the constitu- tion was accepted and adopted.
The first officers were: S. S. Brown, President; F. A. Tisdall, Sr., A. Edgerton and Joseph Finley, Vice Presidents; John E. Smith, Treas- urer; W. W. Huntington, Corresponding Secretary; R. S. Norris, Record- ing Secretary.
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