USA > Indiana > Jay County > Historical hand-atlas, illustrated : containing twelve farm maps, and History of Jay County, Indiana > Part 63
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His opportunities for obtaining an education were limited to such means as were afforded hy Virginia subscription schools, and even this source of learning terminated when he was thirteen years of age, after which time, however, he pursued his studies under instruction from his father, in whose guiding and directing judgment he always confided. He was a close observer and attentive reader on all subjects within his reach, though from necessity compelled to ·the severest toil iu clearing land and in the various duties of farming and otber hardships incidental to early frontier forest life; but such was his desire for information that in a jacket prepared hy his motber he carried with him his books, and when driving team, wben plowing, making rails, when camp- ing in the woods, and when others of the family were asleep, in season and out of season, he utilized all his spare moments in storing his mind with use- ful information, and during such intervals of labor as he could occasionally command, he recited to and received instruction from his father, being under the necessity of using the light of fire, candles and oil heing unusual luxuries at the time. His father had been in comparatively easy circumstances, but his ill-advised liberality made him the victim of designing men, who procured his endorsement of their liabilities, and whose debts he often found himself compelled to pay, and yet with a full knowledge of this mistaken kindness of his father, the General, influenced hy a like amiable weakness, has suffered severely from similar error. General Shanks' life was tbus one of severest struggle, his father having settled in the dense forest of eastern Indiana in 1840, and with little means, himself and brothers were under the necessity of laboring for others to gain a livelihood, as well as in the meantime to assist their father in improving their own forest home. The trials and hardsbips consequent on such life at that early day in Jay county, can more readily be imagined tban adequately described. In their journey from Richmond, Indiana, to their place of settlement in Jay county, owing to the exceedingly had roads and swollen streams, a distance of less than fifty miles, mne days were spent, and in view of the many and severe struggles with adverse surroundings during his earlier life, the General has often thought and said that if he had used as much energy to get out of the country in which their destiny was cast as he displayed in order to succeed in it, he might have been better off in this world's goods, but that, after all his travels over states and ter- ritories, and not a little experience in his opportunities of observation, he is well content to remain in Jay county, and satisfied that he settled in it. When a mere youth he was often engaged in hauling with an ox team, which he had first to break in, having frequently to sleep in the woods on such occasions. It was not infrequent that horses brought from a distance to new settlements in acclimating and from other causes, did uot survive the change.
A rule of action formed in early life, and rigidly followed in his after career, was never to yield to misfortune ; adopting as a guide the principle that obsta- cles, as well as misfortunes, are the incidents, and not the objects of our existence.
It was the General's custom, after gathering his father's grain, to go to northwest Indiana, as day laborer, in assisting in the barvesting of the larger crops of that region. These trips he made on foot, resting at night under trees, carrying provisions for the journey in a basket of his own make, from home, and returning the proceeds of his labor to his mother, for the use of his parents. He began to improve a prairie farm in Lake county, Indiana, with the intention of removing his father's family to that place, hut a failure of crops defeated his purpose in that direction.
From his fourteenth to his seventeenth year, he suffered much from rheu- matism ; sometimes for months being unable either to work or even to walk, but at such times, whenever be could use his hands, he employed the time in making baskets, which he sold to merchants and neighbors, and thus con- tributed to his own and family's support. While partially laid up by rbeumatism, he experienced great difficulty in securing the needed material for manufacturing hoth ax handles and baskets; hut hy perseverance and by the slow process of using the ouly locomotion at his command-almost crawl- ing-he succeeded in obtaining the required timber, and from the product of his handy work he was enabled to purchase a few books as well as clothing. During this time he was very seriously wounded hy an ax, from the effects of which accident he has never yet fully recovered.
He also tanned the hides of such game as he could secure, using ashes instead of lime for removing the hair from skins ; pounding instead of grind- ing the oak hark, to complete the process, and using a common wooden trougb
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cut by an ax from a log, for e vat. From the leather thus manufactured be made his own shoes over lasts of his own make.
Not unfrequently cut off from access to distant mills by reason of had roads, the family were compelled either to grind their corn on hand mills, or, as was sometimes the case, do without bread. When yet a mere boy, he was often under the necessity of going a long distance to procure corn for bread, baving first to earn money by days' work to pay for it. On such occasions he drove his ox team till he found a place of supply, when he would meet the purchase price hy day lahor, shell the corn by night, hanl it to mill, exchange his lahor in payment for feed for his cattle while his grist was grinding, aud then return home with the proceeds of the trip. He sometimes rode twenty-five miles to mill with a sack of corn ou his horse, through woods and wator, and often he would join teams with neighbors iu grinding their grists in a mill run by horse power, a process so slow as to provoke from the General the remark, that it seemed as if hut one grain at a time was ground.
Alter recovery from his rheumatic troubles he cleared land for others to aid his parents with his earnings, and in payment for his services as school teacher he accepted the lahor both of his pupils and their parents ou the farm of his father. He purchased and drove a breaking team in the prairies of Porter county, Indiana, afterwards traded his team for a farm in that county, only to find that a prior lien and unpaid taxes, of the existence of which he was not advised, rendered his purchase worthless, when he abandoned that part of the State. In 1847 he worked at the millwright trade in Michigan and afterwards as a carpenter in the construction of the Michigan Central Railroad, and was offered the position of bridge builder on the entire line, which offer he declined, but while in employ of the company he earned enough money to pay his father's debts, and with less than five dollars he be- gan the study of law in November of the same year, having then reached his legal majority. He taught school at the age of 18, and afterwards during the winter months while prosecuting his legal studies, to enable him to continue them and at the same time to aid his father to meet his current liabilities, practicing the strictest economy and indulging in the use neither of intoxi- cants or tobacco, and during the whole time of his pupilage in law studies, he gave to his father one-third of his time in manual labor on the farm, and from his earnings otherwise he also continued to contribute to assist his father during the latter's life-time, to meet his current indehtedness. The General is of active temperament and is as vigorous of mind and body as at any time of his life, and in his early Virginia school days he engaged freely in the active and rough sports of the times, and being of studious hahits he improved rapidly, having a good memory and indomitable will. When quite young he manifested a fondness for horses, and early became a fine rider and driver, and during his military services with General Fremont, the latter pronounced him the best rider in his command, and subsequently in his long and frequent journeys with the Kiowas, Commanches, Apaches, Cheyennes and other un- civilized Indian trihes, his boldness as a horseman was often put to the test by these wild companions, and his courage. skill and endurance on the hunt, over mountains, across plains and through deep and rapid streams, won for him their admiration and rendered him very popular with them. He forins his opinion rapidly and generally correctly, and requires good reasons for chaug- ing them. being a good judge of human nature, though his native kindness often leads him away from his better judgment.
He concentrates his thoughts and actions well and quickly, and bas the power of concentrating the matter under consideration into a few moments and brief sentences. In earlier life, in appearing before an audience, the sun- ject of this sketch manifested timidity, and often became confused and was compelled to quit speaking and dismiss his auditors, and even yet be is not entirely free from a feeling of embarrassment in rising to speak, but he is a strong logical and hold orator, and always holds his hearers without difficulty, whether friendly or otherwise, as he uniformly gives utterance to his well matured and honest convictions. .
When a hoy he often broke cattle to the yoke for the use of them during the process, and by teaming from his home to Ft. Wayne, and though the dis- tance was less than fifty miles, the usual time occupied in the trip was about seven days, he remaining in the woods whenever night overtook him, and his cattle feeding in the forest while he studied his books or manufactured baskets for market by camp fire, his companions being his oxen and prowl- ing and noisy wolves in abundance. His cattle needed to be frequently driven back from their wandering too far and though he was young and by no means rugged he was kept ever on the alert in preventing their escape. Not uncommonly his young and untamed cattle broke away from the yoke and often far from any house with no one to assist him, the task of re-captur- ing theu was one of no small difficulty. He would lasso one of the truants and securing him to a sapling that chanced to be near another one, he placed tbe yoke on this one and then, pursuing the other animal, capture him, some- times a mile or more from his companion, and heading him toward the first ox, be ran with him through brush wood, over fallen tunber, and often in mud and water, until, baving to halt for the purpose of changing direction, the arrest of the affrighted heast could only he effected hy throwing the lasso around a tree and the result awaited, and when organized for another run, the captured ox proceeded till his partner was reacbed and the yoke securely attached to the last fugitive, and, as often happened, when his team became stuck in the mud, the load was carried to a log near by, and tben driving his oxen close to the log, hie re-loaded from the latter, as he sometimes could not from the ground. He often carried extra sacks with which to shift the load- ing when he could not otherwise get through the BAD places as they were called. The General's mother often remarked of him, "he was encouraged hy opposition and strengtbened hy misfortune."
He is six feet two inches in height, erect, of light complexion, brown hair, grey eyes, with kind sympathies, broad and liberal views, a ready and forcible speaker, of much originality, with a stroug tendency to practical usefulness in measures advocated by him, rather than given to visionary fancies and theo- retical schemes, His life has heen a success. He is firm, though kind in manner, has warm friends, uever succumbs to difficulty in the prosecution of a well matured undertaking, and being exceedingly careful in maturing hie conclusions, he seldom has occasion to make excuse for his actions, and it is said of him that when he is expected to yield, he commences to contest, at least when he is fully satisfied of the correctness of his views and the rectitude of his acts.
Since his eighteenth year his physical constitution has been strong, and equal to the endurance of hardships with apparent indifference, and his publio addresses are delivered with entire ease to himself, having, in political cam- paigns, not unfrequently spoken from four to six hours per day for weeks almost continuously, end traveling in wagon or on horse-back from place to place.
As before stated, he began the study of law in 1847. His preceptor was tbe late Hon. N. B. Hawkins, of Portland, Jay county, Indiana, near which place the General has resided since he camo to the State, and where he still lives.
In the year 1848-49 he was Deputy County Clerk, aud in 1850, after an exam- ination by a committee of the har, he was admitted to practice. and during the same year he was appointed Deputy Auditor of his couuty, and Postmaster et Portland, and in the fall of the year he was elected hy a vote of both political parties Prosecuting Attoruey of the Circuit Court.
On the 11th of August, 1850, he was married to his first wife, a Miss Deborah Wilson, a member of the Society of Friends, and by her he had one child, a daughter, now living, and who was educated at the celebrated Moravian school at Liszt, in Pennsylvania. She is married to Mr. Cowgill Wilson, and with him is residing near her father's home. During the General's absence, his wife, in her efforts to save their home from destruction by fire, contracted a severe cold, terminating in bronchial affection, from the effects of which the died March 2, 1852.
In the years 1850-51 he owned and controlled a hotel in Portland, and in the former year, in company with James Bromuagem, he owned, printed and published the first newspaper issued in the county of Jay.
His wife was a true help-mate, and very materially aided him both in the hotel and in the offices he was filling, during her brief married life.
Soon after commencing the practice of law. he entered into partnership with James N. Templer, a well-read and successful attorney, and they continued business together for many years. He was admitted to the bar of the Supreme Court of the State, and of the United States District and Circuit Court for Indiana, and on the 10th of March, 1863, he was admitted to practice in the Supreme Court of the United States.
In 1854 he was elected, over a strong opposition, to the Lower House of the Indiana Legislature for two years, where he served on the Judiciary Com- mittee with ahility. While a member, he urged the injustice of using the taxes paid by colored people for school purposes and not providing schools for their children, and he was active in his support of a prohibitory liquor law ; and his position on these two measures led to his defeat, by a small majority, for the same office in 1856. From 1855 to 1860 he pursued his law business successfully.
Having actively participated in the organization of the Republican party, in 1856 he entered heartily into the Presidential canvass for Jobn C. Fremont, the party's first national candidate : and subsequent events placed General Shanks in such relations with Fremont that they became warin personal friends.
In 1860 he was elected to the Thirty-seventh Congress as a Republican from the then Eleventb Congressional District of Indiana, over Col. A. Steel. His term of office commencing March 4, 1861, his first Congressional service was in the called session of July, 1861, to provide means to protect the Union against armed traitors, and he heartily co-operated with all friends of the nation's integrity in furnishing men and supplying agencies to suppress the rebellion,
His first experience in the army was while a member of Congress, in the first battle of Bull Run, July 21, 1861, and during the battle, as a volunteer, he fought in the ranks of the 69th New York regiment under Colonel Corcoran, in General Sherman's Brigade ; was with the Colonel when wounded, and after the retreat commenced General Shanks succeeded in rallying a number of straggling troops and made a stand near Cuh's Run, covering the retreat. He did not reach Washington till the day following the battle at noon, and was supposed and reported captured or killed.
President Lincoln sent for him and asked how many men were lost in the battle, and was told by Shanks, five hundred killed and one thousand wounded. To the President's remark that the estimated loss was much greater, the reply was, "the rebels lost as many, and as our troops were scattered over much of the field, a thousand dead men on the battlo-field might seem to be more, hut there are not more."
The official report gave the number of killed five hundred and sixty-one, and our wounded eleven hundred.
For his services on the hattle-field, President Lincoln appointed him a Brig- adier General, which position he declined, saying to the President, "No man should he promoted in the armny till he earns promotion by meritorious ser- vices in the field, as human life and a great cause are at stako, and Bull Run battle demonstrates that promotion should he withheld till officers .prove themselves competent to command." Subsequently, at the request of the President, he accepted an appointment on the staff of General Fremont, and served with him through his Missouri campaign, rendering valuable service in
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organizing and moving the forces in that State. He was with General Fremont at the time and sustained his proclamation of August 30, 1861. giving freedom to the slaves and confiscating the property of those in active rebellion against the government, or in any way aiding and ahetting its enemies. The following is a copy of the first manumission papers issued under the proclamation. The original was drafted by General Shanks, and is the form of all that were issued. They were printed for use as occasion might require; but the President's revocation of September II, 1861, rendered the manumission papers useless :
DEED OF MANUMISSION.
"Whereas, Thomas L. Sneed, of the City and County of St. Louis, and State of Missouri, has been taking active part with the enemies of the United States in the present insurrectionary movements against the Government of the United States ;
Now, therefore, I, John Charles Fremont, Major-General commanding the Western Department of the Army of the United States, by authority of law, and the power vested in me as such commanding general, declare Frank Lewis, heretofore held to "service or lahor" by said Thomas L. Sneed, to be free and forever discharged from the bouds of servitude, giving him full right and authority to have, use and control his own labor or service as to him may seem proper, without any accountability whatever to said Thomas L. Sneed, or any one to claim by, through or under him And this Deed of Manumission shall be respected and treated by all persons, and in all courts of justice, as the full and complete evidence of the freedom of said Frank Lewis.
In testimony whereof, this act is done at the headquarters of the Western Department of the Army of the United States, in the City of St. Louis, and State of Missouri, on the 12th day of September, 1861, as is evidenced by the Department seal, bereto attached by my order.
[Signed]
J. C. FREMONT, Major General Commanding.
Other manumissions followed of similar character under the proclamation before revoked.
General Shanks was at Springfield, Missouri, with General Fremont, at the time the latter was relieved, was active in suppressing discontent among the men on account of Fremont's removal, but remained with General Hunter till the troops retired under that General's command. While General Sbanks was serving with General Fremont the question of the surrender of slaves wlio sought refuge with the Union forces to their former masters, was submitted by Colonel Shanks' suggestion to Colonels Owen Lovejoy, R. N. Hudson and Shanks. No slaves were returned to their so-called owners.
General Shanks returned to his duties in Congress in December, 1861, where be took prompt steps to prevent the return of slaves by the army to their masters, and early in the session, December 20, 1861, offered the following im- portant resolution, the first that resulted in definite action touching its sub- ject: Resolved, That the constitutional power to return fugitive slaves to their masters, rests solely with the civil department of the government, and that the order of the Secretary of War, under date of October 6, 1861, to General Wool for the delivery of a slave to a William Jessud, of Maryland, as well as all other similar military orders for the return of slaves, are assump- tions of the military power over the civil law and the rights of the slave." This resolution was objected to by W. S. Holman, but it was referred to the Judiciary Committee, and eventually it was in substance incorporated among the articles of war, and not only was the return of slaves prohibited, but any officers found violating tbis prohibition incurred the penalty of dis- missal from the service.
On the 4th of March, 1862, in a well considered speech in Congress, he vindi- cated General Fremont and upheld his proclamation giving freedom to the slaves of rebels. He spoke to a full house, all the seats and space in the rear of memhers' desks being crowded by Senators and others. The speech and its delivery, in vindication of his commander and friend, General Fremont, evoked the warmest congratulations, not only of members of the House, hnt by the President himself. At the close of the session of Congress, on March 31, 1862, Colonel Shanks again accepted service on the staff of General Fremont in the mountain department of West Virginia, and remained on duty in tbe field till the meeting of Congress in December, 1862, thus, during recess of Congress, taking bis vacation in active duty in the field, and showing an active willingness to defend by arms what he advocated in Congressional Council.
After the expiration of the thirty-seventh Congress, General Shanks, under anthority of the Secretary of War and commission of Governor Morton, of Indiana, under date of June 12, 1863, raised, at much personal labor and expense to himself, the seventh regiment of Indiana volunteer cavalry, of which he was appointed Colonel, and mustered into the service October 9, 1863, and he moved his command to the field December 6, 1863, from Indian- apolis to Columnhus, Kentucky, and was on active duty with his regiment and in command of a hrigade and division of cavalry, the seventh always being part of the same. With the exception of about sixty days absence from his command, rendered imperative by reason of severe sickness, induced by exposure and constant field duty, he served without intermission till he was mustered out, after the close of the war, September 19, 1865, always declining stationary duty on detail as unsuited to his notions of military life, He served in Kentucky, Tennessee, Mississippi, Arkansas, Missouri, Louisiana and Texas, and was breveted a Brigadier-General December, 8, 1864, and while in the service. On the special recommendation of Secretary Stanton, he was breveted Major-General, March 13, 1865, for faithful and meritorious services.
Secretary Stanton accompanied the transmission of the commission to General Shanks, with an autograph letter, of which the following is a copy:
WAR DEPARTMENT,
WASHINGTON, D. C., August 4, 1867. 5
DEAR SIR : Enclosed you will find a brevet appointment, which has been well merited and would long since have been conferred, if your own modesty had uot restrained you from calling my attention to the matter. It affords me great pleasure to offer this testimonial to your faithful service.
[Signed.]
Yours truly, EDWIN M. STANTON.
To Brevet Major-General Shanks.
In the Congressional election of 1862 General Shanks was defeated in con- sequence of his support of the draft, which took place a few days prior to the election of that year, and of the further fact that in the early part of the war the volunteers in his district at least, were largely Republican.
In the political campaign of 1862, a mob in the town of Hartford, in Black- ford county, in tbe Congressional district then represented by him, and in which he was a candidate for re-election, destroyed the box in which the drafting was being couducted, caused much confusion in the place, and threatened the General's life should he attempt to speak in the town in which he was posted to speak, lie having, as a member of Congress, advocated and voted for the draft. Having been announced to speak, the General's friends by messengers advised him not to come to the town, as large numbers of his political enemies were armed and were threatening his life, but in company with a personal friend, a true man and Republican, Joseph C. Maddox, he had started for the forbidden place, and he decided to proceed. Those who had caused the trouble, armed with rifles during the day, forbade him speaking, but arming himself he made his speech despite their noise and protest. In the course of his address lie said: " It is no time to hesitate before those who are counseling treason and denying assistance to the soldiers at the front and refusing to go themselves." He spoke in most bitter and unsparing terms of the conduct of the moh, the treason that engendered, and of the persons who composed it, saying : "The soldiers are fighting at the front and need help, this treason in the rear must he condemued and pun- ished." Troops were subsequently sent to the place and rebel sympathizers were either arrested or intimidated, and recruiting for the defence of the Union proceeded without serious interruption.
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