USA > Michigan > Monroe County > History of Monroe County, Michigan > Part 64
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As before stated, Governor Barry was re- elected and served from January, 1850, to Jan- uary 1, 1852. During this his third term the bill was passed that established the State Nor- mal School, which was endowed with lands and placed in charge of the board of education, con- sisting of six persons.
The removal of the capital transpired dur-
ing his term and another event of great im- portance-the trial of the " great railroad con- spiracy " case. A series of unlawful acts had been committed on the property of the Michi- gan Central Railroad Company along the line of their road, and especially at Leoni and Michigan Center in Jackson county, culminat- ing in the destruction by an infernal machine in 1850 of the depot in Detroit. Of the thirty- seven brought to trial, twelve were convicted. The conspirators were defended by Hon. Wil- liam H. Seward, of New York ; the prosecu- tion conducted by Alexander D. Frazer, . of Detroit. The judge who presided on this occa- sion with great ability was the late Warner Wing.
The successor of Governor Barry was the Hon. Robert McClelland, of Monroe, who entered upon his duties January 1, 1852, was re-elected and inaugurated January 5, 1853. His admin- istration terminated in March, 1853, when he resigned to accept a seat in the cabinet of Presi - dent Pierce as Secretary of the Interior, when Andrew Parsons, lieutenant governor, became acting governor the rest of the term. He be- came a citizen of Michigan in 1833; was for a number of years a member of the Monroe bar, and co-partner of the late Warner Wing ; was a member of the legislature and speaker of the House of Representatives in 1843 ; also a rep- resentative of the State in Congress, 1847-1849; a member of the constitutional convention from Monroe county of 1835 and 1850, and the convention of 1867.
During his administration the pupils that attended our common schools numbered 175,- 000, an increase in four years of over 43,000. Such victories of peace are what Michigan has always prided herself upon, and are in harmony with the victories of war in behalf of the Union, upon which she justly prided herself in the Mexican War of 1847, and in the war in behalf of the Union from 1861 to 1865.
From January 1, 1855, to January, 1859, the executive chair was occupied by Hlingsley S. Bingham, who arrived in Michigan in 1833, settled in Green Oak, Livingston county, was postmaster, supervisor, judge of probate and brigadier-general of militia. Represented his county in the State legislature in 1837, 1838 and 1839, and 1841 and 1842. Was Speaker of the House in 1838 and 1839, and Representative in Congress from 1847 to 1849 and 1849 to 1851.
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Died at Oak View, Livingston county, Michi- gan, October 5, 1861.
The most notable event of his administration was the completion of the ship canal at the Sault Ste. Marie. August 26, 1852, an act of Congress was approved granting to the State of Michigan 750,000 acres of land for the pur- pose of constructing a ship canal between Lakes Huron and Superior. February 5, 1853, the legislature of Michigan accepted the grant made by Congress and provided for the ap- pointment of commissioners to select the donated lands and to arrange for the building of the canal. A company of enterprising men was appointed, and a contract entered into by which the canal was to be completed in two years. Every article of consumption, machinery, working implements and material, timber for the gates, stone for the locks, as well as men and supplies, had to be transported to the site of the canal from Detroit, Cleveland, Chicago and other lake ports. The stone for finishing the locks was brought from Marblehead, near Sandusky City, and from Detroit River. The rapids which had to be contended with had a fall of seventeen feet and were about one mile long. The contracting parties completed the work in May, 1855, accepted by the commis- sioners and formally delivered to the State authorities. In consideration of its national character as a highway between the lower lakes and Lake Superior, and in view of the sound character of the work, the originators and builders of this work deserve the gratitude of the country. The disbursements in the con- struction of the canal and selection of the lands amounted to $999,802, which absorbed the full amount of the Government grant.
The successor of Governor Bingham was Moses Wisner, elected November, 1859; en- tered upon the duties of executive January, 1860. Ile was born in Anrelius, Cayuga county, New York, in 1818; received a good education ; removed to Michigan in 1839, set- tled in Pontiac, studied law and entered upon the practice of his profession in 1842. In 1843 was appointed prosecuting attorney for Lapeer county. Continued to practice law until elected. Soon after his term expired the mutterings of the great rebellion began to be heard.
Governor Wisner, on retiring from the exec- utive chair at the close of his term, delivered an eloquent and patriotic address to the legis-
lature of 1861. After presenting in the usual way full and well-considered summaries of all the essential facts regarding the important and varied interests of the State, he took up the discussion of the grave condition of the country at that time, over which a dark cloud had been cast by the recent passage in several Southern States of ordinances of secession, foreboding most dire results. In his language there was not a shadow of faltering, no tinge of disaffection, no uncertain sound. With in- tense earnestness he breathed devotion to the Union and the flag in every sentence. Every paragraph was a stirring counseling the main- tenance of the Union, denouncing treason and invoking patriotism. We quote from these in- spiring utterances words which fell upon the ear of patriots amid doubt, disloyalty and danger: "This is no time for timid and vacil- lating councils, when the cry of treason and rebellion is ringing in our ears. The consti- tution, as our fathers made it, is good enough for us, and must be enforced upon every foot of American soil. Michigan cannot recognize the right of a State to secede from the Union. We believe that the founders of our Govern - ment designed it to be perpetual, and we can not consent to have one star obliterated from our flag. For upwards of thirty years this question of a right of a State to secede has been agitated. It is time it was settled. We ought not to leave it for our children to look after. I would calmly but firmly declare it to be the fixed determination of Michigan that the Federal constitution of the States must and shall be preserved."
It was but a short time before personal ex- ample followed these glowing words, this noble advice. His fidelity to the Union and the honor of his State prompted him soon to take the field, offered his services, was assigned to the com- mand of the Twenty-Second Michigan Regi- ment of Infantry, where a short and promising career gave the name of Moses Wisner to the long list of Michigan martyrs to American liberty, for while on his way to the seat of war he was prostrated by sickness in Lexington, Kentucky, where he died January 5, 1863, a man of fine mind, a good friend and worthy citizen.
Following the valedictory of Governor Wis- per, the legislature of 1861 listened with in- tense interest to the inaugural of Austin
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Blair, his successor, who in a profound and philosophical address set forth the true nature of our system of government, and the real meaning of the present and impending issues, and closed with these emphatic and forcible utterances :
"We are satisfied with the constitution of our country, and will obey the laws enacted under it, and we must demand that the people of all other States do the same; safety lies in this path alone. The Union must be preserved, and the laws must be enforced in all parts of it at whatever cost. The President is bound to this by his oath, and no power can discharge him from it. Secession is revolution, and revolution in the overt act is treason and must be treated as such. The Federal Government has the power to defend itself, and I do not doubt that that power will be exercised to the utmost. It is a question of war that the seced- ing States have to look in the face. They who think that this powerful Government can be disrupted peacefully have read history to no purpose. The sons of the men who carried arms in the seven years' war with the most powerful nation in the world, to establish this Government, will not hesitate to make equal sacrifices to maintain it. Most deeply must we deplore the unnatural contest. On the heads of the traitors who provoke it must rest the responsibility. In such a contest the God of battles has no attribute that can take sides with the revolutionists of the slave States.
" I recommend you at an early day to make manifest to the gentlemen who represent this State in the two houses of Congress, and to the conntry, that Michigan is loyal to the Union, the constitution, and the laws, and will defend them to the uttermost; and to proffer to the President of the United States the whole mili- tary power of the State for that purpose. Oh ! for the firm, steady hand of a Washington, or a Jackson, to guide the ship of State in this perilous storm. Let us hope that we shall find him on the 4th of March. Meantime, let us abide in the faith of our fathers -' Liberty and Union, one and inseparable, now and for- ever.' "
The sentiment of the people of the State had by this time been educated up to expecting prompt and decisive action by the legislature, and they were not disappointed. Inspired by its own steadfast and invincible amor patric, it
was quick in defining its position and unfur]- ing its colors to the breeze, declaring in joint resolutions passed February 2, 1861, the adher- ence of the State to the Government of the United States, pledging and tendering all its military power and material resources, and also declaring that concession or compromise was not to be entertained or offered to traitors.
Nothing, however, was definitely attempted by the State authorities, and no actual defen- sive or aggressive measures were undertaken until the gigantic struggle was fully inaugu- rated by the fire upon Fort Sumter of the en- circling batteries of the rebels in Charleston Harbor, when all hope of evading an inevitable conflict gave place to prompt and needful ac- tion.
Those awful tidings were received on April 12th, creating the wildest excitement all over the State, and in Detroit, the people, much alarmed, commenced estimating how united the public officials and people would be in the cause of the Union. On the following day a meeting of the bar, with other citizens, was held, presided over by the venerable Judge Ross Wilkins of the United States Court, when the United States officials were required to take the oath of allegiance, and resolutions were adopted denouncing and repudiating the treason, and pledging the community to " stand by the Government to the last." By the fol- lowing Monday (April 15th), the surrender of the South Carolina fort was known throughout the land, and Michigan had received the Presi- dent's call for 75,000 volunteers, assigning her own quota. The emergencies and duties of the hour were then fully realized by the people of the State, and the uprising was universal. Most cities and towns were holding meetings in open air, in public buildings-even in Christian churches - pledging fidelity and pecuniary assistance to the Nation in its hour of great peril, and volunteers in large numbers were congregating and demanding instant ser- vice for the Union, while the watch-fires of patriotism had been kindled on every hillside and in every valley, burning and flashing with intense brightness, at once cheering and in- spiring.
Michigan was extremely fortunate in her Executive. His example and utterances in public and private, full of loyalty, patriotism, and conrage, gave an abiding tone to public
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HISTORY OF MONROE COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
sentiment, and inspired the troops. And al- though the intense prevailing patriotism of the people of Michigan was undoubtedly the main source of the high standard reached by her troops in this respect, yet it being so eminently inherent in her " War Governor," Austin Blair, and which he so eloquently imparted to them on every fitting occasion, impressed it on their minds with so much earnestness as to produce most beneficial and enduring effects.
The State was equally fortunate in her legis- lative bodies, being composed of men thor- oughly in sympathy with the Union canse, op- posing with great earnestness and ability any measures tinctured in the least with secession or even a shadow of compromise, and as a re- sult their declarations in this respect were " stalwart " and decided, not minced in clipped or timid words, nor faint in expression, but bold, pronounced, and defiant.
In the management of her interests at the National capital the State was well represented, having in the several departments of the Gov- ernment men of influence who esteemed the reputation of their State, and were ever anx. ious and prompt to advance her cause. In her representatives in both houses of Congress she was especially favored, and with these ad- vantages Michigan unhesitatingly, but reluct- antly, although hopefully and fearlessly, launched her bark on the turbulent sea of war on rebellion.
Governor Blair reached Detroit on Tuesday, April 16, 1861, and in the afternoon, at the Michigan Exchange, met by arrangement the State military officers and a large number of leading citizens and capitalists of that city.
The President of the United States had called upon the State to furnish one regiment of infantry fully armed, clothed, and equipped, to aid the Government in suppressing the ex- isting rebellion. It was then estimated that $100,000 would be at once required for this purpose, but the treasury was comparatively empty, and the condition of the State finances was such that this pressing call could not be immediately met. When this condition of affairs was laid before the meeting by the Hon. John Owen, State Treasurer, a resolution was unhesitatingly passed pledging Detroit to loan the State $50,000, at the same time calling up- on the State generally to make a like advance. At this meeting a subscription paper was at
once circulated, and $23,000 pledged by those present, and to complete the whole amount committees were appointed to solicit further subscriptions in the city. Such prompt and liberal action could not fail to be successful, and furnished the sinews of war for the time being at least. Mr. Owen, with these pledges of the people in hand, coupled with his own good credit, succeeded in negotiating a loan which was mostly taken by our own citizens, sufficient to warrant the executive to under- take uniforming and equipping troops. The amounts thus raised, as well as all other in- debtedness incurred in like manner, were assumed by the State on the assembling of the legislature.
The necessity for such action on the part of citizens of Michigan, when contrasted with the present substantial condition of the State, financially, sets forth in the strongest light her rapid advance in prosperity and wealth, even in the face of a large war debt, which is now virtually canceled.
April 16th a proclamation was issued by the governor, calling for ten companies of volun- teers, and directing the adjutant-general to accept the first ten that should offer, and mak- ing it the duty of that officer to issue all neces- sary orders, and give such instructions in detail as might be required. The movement thus in- augurated was at once successful, the com- panies responding promptly, the tender of troops far exceeding the number required by the General Government. Thus all the duties of the hour were prompty met and discharged.
The governor had also issued a proclamation on April 2d, convening the legislature in extra session at Lansing on the 7th of May. The legislature met pursuant to the call, when a stirring address was delivered by the governor, in which he gave a detail of the work already accomplished, and at the same time asked the legislature to legalize his past action, and to invest the State authorities with sufficient power for the future.
A session of four days resulted in the passage of laws endorsing the acts of the governor, and clothing him with full authority to raise ten regiments ; also to effect a loan of one million dollars, which was speedily accomplished.
The legislature, fully appreciating the patri- otic and perilous services required of the troops, and the sacrifices which must be made
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by their families in their absence, especially as to means of support, and at the same time an- ticipating that some might be unprovided for, or might be left in want by the contingencies or casualties of war, wisely enacted the " Sol- diers' Relief Law," to contribute aid to their families by counties; this allowance to be made in the discretion of the supervisors according to circumstances, but not to exceed fifteen dol- lars a month, and in case of the death of a sol- dier, to continue one year thereafter.
This relief was unquestionably administered with that generous liberality which the law contemplated. Yet the duty was neither easy nor desirable, as it required much labor, good judgment, discrimination, and delicacy, at the same time giving opportunity for much cen- sure. While imposition on the counties had to be guarded against, respect for the claims of applicants was demanded, and in its distribu- tion there was a degree of delicacy requisite in barring the least idea of a charity, and in establishing one of a right.
The quartermaster. general, J. H. Fountain, a faithful and energetic officer, who had been appointed in March, was charged with cloth- ing, equipping, and subsisting the troops on contracts made by the " Military Contract Board," organized May 15th by legislative authority, and composed of Colonels E. O. Grosvenor, Jonesville; Jerome Croul, Detroit ; and William Hammond, Tekonsha. Individual ability and great energy, coupled with exem- plary economy, characterized this board, re- lieving the quartermaster-general of much labor and responsibility.
General A. S. Williams and Colonel H. M. Whittlesey, of Detroit, Colonel A. W. Wil- liams, of Lansing, and Colonel C. W. Leffing- well, of Grand Rapids, constituted the State Military Board, with the adjutant-general and quartermaster-general as members ex officio.
Colonel William M. Fenton, of Flint, was in June following appointed a member of the board in place of Colonel Williams, who had gone to the field with the Second Infantry. Soon after, Colonel Fenton entered the service as colonel of the Eighth Infantry, and was succeeded by Colonel E. H. Thomson, of Flint, who, on the 13th of August, was elected presi- dent of the board.
Jabez H. Fountain, of Manchester, was com- missioned quartermaster-general April 1, 1861,
serving until March 25, 1863, and was a faith- ful and energetic officer.
Friend Palmer, of Detroit, was appointed assistant quartermaster-general in May follow- ing. His experience of several years in the quartermaster's department of the regular army rendered him a valuable officer, and to him the State was greatly indebted for the efficient and economical direction given to the administration of that department.
General William Hammond sneceeded Gen- eral Fountain March 25, 1863, and served until March 25, 1865, when he was relieved by the appointment of General O. N. Giddings of Kalamazoo. Both these officers served with marked ability and faithfulness. General Gid- dings having resigned in March, 1867, was succeeded by General Palmer, who served until September, 1870.
On the 21st of May, 1861, Colonel James E. Pittman, of Detroit, was appointed State pay- master, and served in that capacity, making large disbursements as pay to troops while in the service of the State, a duty which he faith- fully performed. He was also a member of the State Military Board from September 19, 1861, until November 1, 1862, when he was appointed inspector-general of the State, serving until March, 1867.
At the commencement of the war General John Robertson held the appointment of adju- tant-general of the State; has served continu- ously since that time to the time of his death, which occurred at Detroit in 1888.
Captain Heber LeFavour was appointed as- sistant adjutant-general April 1, 1861, which appointment he held until June 15th following, when he was commissioned as a captain in the Fifth Michigan Infantry, and took the field with that regiment. Captain DeGarmo Jones succeeded him and served until May 6, 1862, when he resigned. Both these officers served with marked efficiency.
Colonel Frederick Morley was commissioned May 6, 1862, as assistant adjutant-general, serv- ing with eminent ability and distinction until March 11, 1865, rendering arduous and valu- able service to the State.
The President's call upon Michigan for troops was promptly met by the muster in of the First Regiment and its carly movement to the seat of war in Virginia.
In the meantime, authority had been re-
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ceived from the War Department to raise three other regiments, but at the same time stating that it was "important to reduce rather than increase that number." This authority only covered the Second, Third, and Fourth In- fantry, already in process of recruitment, while many companies throughout the State, not in- cluded in the organizations referred to, had been recruited without authority in the hope of obtaining place in those or other regiments, but were disappointed, and most of them sought and found service in the troops of other States.
This limited policy of the Government was extremely at variance with the views of Gov- ernor Blair regarding the necessity of the country at that time, and deeming immediate preparation to meet emergencies necessary, he established the " Camp of Instruction " referred to in another part of this work.
The great pressure for the acceptance of companies continued unabated, while the appli- cations for appointments as commissioned officers had reached the maximum, and the Governor was continuously importuned by in- fluential citizens of both political parties to a most unbearable degree, while men were being forced by them upon his attention for favor- able consideration, regardless of natural or ac- quired qualifications for the place. In fact, this continued during the entire earlier part of the war, and although much care was uni- formly exercised in making selections, both as to original appointment and promotion in the field, it is but reasonable to expect that some mistakes were made.
In his perplexing and responsible position, Governor Blair always recognized qualifica- tions for the office, and loyalty to the cause, as the tests, more than personal friendship or political status.
Under a law of Congress of August 3d, the President was authorized to receive into ser- vice 500,000 volunteers, and while the propor- tion of Michigan was understood to be 19,500, the State was charged with 21,337 on an adjust- ment of credits.
Michigan, in response to this requisition, continued a vigorous recruitment, sending regi- ment after regiment to the field, and up to December, 1861, had sent to the front thirteen regiments of infantry, three of cavalry, and five batteries of light artillery, with a total strength of 16,475 officers and men. Ten of
these regiments, one battery, and one company had been subsisted, clothed, and partly armed by the State. In addition to this, thirteen companies had gone into service in regiments of other States, failing, as before stated, to find service in those of their own.
Governor Blair, on January 2, 1862, deliv- ered his message to the legislature, then in extra session, from which the following extract is made, and which was accepted at the time as an expression of the people of the State on the war question :
" I cannot close this brief address without an allusion to the great object that occupies all men's minds. The Southern rebellion still maintains a bold front against the Union armies. That is the cause of all our complica- tions abroad and our troubles at home. To deal wisely with it is to find a short and easy deliverance from them all. The people of Michigan are no idle spectators of this great contest. They have furnished all the troops required of them, and are preparing to pay the taxes and to submit to the most onerous bur- dens without a murmur. They are ready to increase their sacrifices, if need be, to require impossibilities of no man, but to be patient and wait. But to see the vast armies of the repub- lic, and all its pecuniary resources used to pro- tect and sustain the accursed system which has been a perpetual and tyrannical disturber, and which now makes sanguinary war upon the Union and the constitution, is precisely what they will never submit to tamely. The loyal States having furnished adequate means, both of men and money, to crush the rebellion, have a right to expect those men to be used with the utmost vigor to accomplish the object, and that without any mawkish sympathy for the inter- est of traitors in arms. Upon those who caused the war, and now maintain it, its chief burdens ought to fall. No property of a rebel ought to be free from confiscation- not even the sacred slave. The object of war is to destroy the power of the enemy, and whatever meas- ures are calculated to accomplish that object, and are in accordance with the usages of civ- ilized nations, ought to be employed. To undertake to put down a powerful rebellion, and, at the same time, to save and protect all the chief sources of the power of that rebellion, seems to common minds but a short remove from simple folly. He who is not for the
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