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Sunday Nothing, May 5, 1912.Hi ’La.Did Big Things In WarIN the ruili and hurry of other ■* things, the notable career of the . . 'Seventh Illinois cavalry., pne company of. which was . .almost entirety raised lit Macon county, has been unintentionally slighted by local histories', Yet Moses In his “Patriotism of Illinois** says. “Few regiments have done the service required of the Seventh with so little noise, or newspaper puffing or did better service or ntarch-ed more miles in the enemy’s country.*' - ■BATTLES WITH FORREST.The history of the regiment largely one of constant activity and hard fighting. Twice it engaged General N. B_ Forrest** entire force,, coming outSecond heat both times, It. is true, but nevertheless giving a splendid account of itself against superior numbers. Ones the regiment was surrounded by Forrest's forces and had to cut its way out, leaving 100 dead, wounded, and missing behind. The Seventh was also one of the three regiments which participated in Grierson’s raid, by many histories considered the most dashing, and withal foolhardy, move of the entire war.COMRADE MARTIN A MEMBER.It is further worthy of note that W, F, Martin, familiarly known as “Comrade” to G. A. R,, men the country over, was a member of this regiment.The Seventh Illinois cavalry waft organised at Camp Butler and was mustered into United States service Oct. 13, 1861. Company I was largely made tip of Macon county men. with a scattering of enlistments from surrounding counties. A preponderance of the men of this company gave Decatur astheir home address, however. CompanyA was enlisted in Edgar county, B In Ogle county, C In LaGaIJo county, D in Knox and CJark counties. 35 In the Southeastern part of the state, a number of the men In the company being from Indiana, F In Fayette and Effingham counties, G In Gallatin county, with contributions from various counties named. H In Shelby and Coleft counties. K in Fulton county, L In McDonough county, and M In Randolph county, a good part of this company Hailing from the little town of Red Bud.CHAPLAIN FROM DECATUR.William Pitt Kellogg, the colonel, was from Canton, Edward Prince, the lieutenant-colonel was from Quincy, while the two majors, Cyrus Hall, a Mexican war veteran, afrerwards colonel of the 144th, and Jonas Rawalt, were from Shelhyvljie and Canton, respectively. The adjutant, Sidney Stock-dale, and the battalion adjutant, Alftn W. Held, both hailed from Canton, while Clark D. Rankin, the surgeon, was frora Peoria, and Simon G. Miner, the chaplain, from Decatur.Colonel Kellogg had been a presidential elector from Illinois in 1866 and was chief Justice of Nebraska when the war broke out. Later he was to be governor and senator from Louisiana. Born in Orwell, Vt., Dec. 3, 1831, Kellogg came to Illinois in 1848 and was admitted to the bar in Peoria In 1854. Governor Yates offered him the command of the Seventh while It was forming and Kellogg Immediately resigned the chief justiceship of Nebraska. but did not get to Illinois In time to participate in the drilling and instruction of his regiment.KELLOGG RESIGNS.Colonel Kellogg was a brave and .efficient officer, but ill health dictated his resignation June i, 1862. He was made collector of the port of New Orleans in 186$ and In. 1868 was elected senator from Louisiana and in 1S72 governor. Near the end or Kellogg's term ae governor there .was a strong rooveiAent to impeach him, but nothing came of It. Kellogg was returned to the senate in 1677 and fn 1863 accepted an election to the lower house.- ENGINEER AFTER WAR.Edward Prince was Kellogg's successor as colonel. Prince was born in Bloomfield. N. T.. Deo. Bf 1B32 and graduated from Illinois college in 1652 and was admitted to the bar fn 1853. When the war broke out he offered hi a service* to Governor Yates and was made a drill master of cavalry, with the rank of captain. On the formation of the Seventh he was made lieutenant-colonel. Prince was mustered out with the rest of the three-year men Oct. 15, 1864. He took up engineering after leaving the army and was the builder of Quincy's water-wa ter works system.John M. Graham of New Harmony was the third and last colonel of the regiment. He had been a major.The regiment had four lieutenant colonels, one of whom, William XX Blackburn nf Paris, died of wounds May 17, 1863. /KILLED IN BATTLE.Major Zenae .Apllngton of Pole was the only regimental officer killed in bgttle. He was born fn Broome county. S'. Y., Dec. 24, IS 15 and emigrated toeight other In January, C, I and L. from whichBuffalo Grove in Ogle county in 1*37. By turns he was successively farmer, blacksmith, carpenter, and ^ merchant*, He was also the founder of Polo and the Increase in the value of land in that vicinity made him wealthy, But he was reduced to poverty by the panic of 1857, At one time he represented Ogle, Carroll, .Winnebago and Boone counties in the state senate.Major Arlington was killed May 15, IR62 in leading a charge on a concealed force of Infantry at Farmington, Ten it. The regiment was engaged In corduroying road at the time and a confederate regiment concealed In a wood was causing considerable trouble, . A charge was ordered, a rather foolhardy affair, and Major Aplingicm was killed Instantly-by a shot below the ej'e just as he had split a confederate’s head with hi* sword. It Je said that Arlington had reip.onfttrated against the chargfe just before going forth to death. 4 *AT CAPE GIRARDEAU.Three weeks after muster at Camp Butler. Oct, 13. 1861, Lieutenant Colonel Princt, Major Rawalt. and companies A, C. I and G, were ordered \ to Bird’s point, where the Companies arrived Dec. 25, all except companies B. moved to Cape Girardeau, point they did scouting, giving protection to union citizens and running out guerilla bands. The. companies at Bird's Point were similarly employed during the winter.Early in the spring of 1862, the section Of the regiment at Gape Girardeau joined the forces under Pope at Commerce, and took the advance of the army against Now Madrid, capturing a battery of steel breech-loading guns from the famous Jeff Thompson. -TDK A AND CORINTH.At New Madrid the regiment again Came together and operated south of that place on the Miseries Ippi river, keeping an eye on the batteries along Its banks and watching the operations of the confederate fleet of six boats, until the fall of Island No, 10. After that It moved up the Tennessee river with the forces under General Pope to Hamburg Landing, and thence In the direction of Corinth. In -a skirmish at Farmington, in the Interludes of corduroying road*, Major ApHngton waa killed.After the evacuation of Corinth the regiment occupied the Memphis Charleston railroad from Tuseumbia to Decatur, Ala., a distance of over forty miles, defending It from the guerrilla bands of Co lone! Roddy. It fought In the battle of Iwka anH Corinth. losing about forty officers and men killed, wounded and missing.C APT1JR ES PR IfiONE RS.Shortly afterward* seven companies captured seventy men and two stands of colors from Colonel Richardson’s forces near Summerville, Three weeks later the regiment was assigned to CoJone! Dickey's command of cavalry at Holly Springs, Miss. Shortly after-wards Price was pursued as far south as CoffwHTe, where Price made a stand and threshed the federate with severe loss. About 1.300 prisoners were taken from Price,in this running fight...On Dec, 21, 1862. 500 men from the Seventh Illinois and 300 from the Second Iowa, under Colonels Dickey, Hatch and Prince, marched from Oxford to Pontotoc, and thence toTupelo on the 22nd. proceeding as far south a* the Mobile Ohio at Okalona. destroying immense quantities of stores and all the bridges between the two places. The command returned to LaGrange, Tenn.. Jan. I. 1863, havingmarched over 900 miles in one monthandhaving engaged the enemy nearly every day.Clashes in Tennessee.At La Grange the Sixth and SeventhIllinois .**nd brigaded togetherthe..‘ pecendy;I«wav:;w«fr*; under ColeheS Grierson., Frequent. foray* were 1 'made Into.West^Tennease*,'^vhere fine horses and.. mule*A were-{ abundant * . Colonel Richardson the ceitfederate cavalry was operating itt rthl0%e8jic'n;‘aleo looking out for horse* and mu lea. mild many lively tilt* occurred,. One* hia quartermaster was killed arid Richardson himself narrowly escaped capture, , being wounded in'the leg, =• •••AprilMT,''186$, the Seventh started with ♦the/-brigade , bri; Grierson’s raid. The country traveled by the .three regiments was • Itt many placed'nearly ltp-'passable, owing to swamps and bayous, and it AWftrmed/'with con federate troop*. Swung 10o*e from u communication. destroying everything behind them so their return • wae impossible, the gallait banrl made it A way to Baton Rouge, Not a d.ay had passed that tbV three regimen!*; were not.In clanger of being cut off and annihilated. .After the fall.of Vicksburg and Port Huron, the river being open, the regiment was ordered, with tthe rest of Grierson’* command, to Memphis, by steamer, whence it was distributed along the Memphis Charleston railroad. $COMES OUT SECOND BEST.At Byhalta, Lieutenant Nicholson, company M, was killed and Lieutenant MeCausTand, company* B, seriously wounded, in an encounter with General Chftmlers‘ forces. December 26 the regiment fought Forrest unaided and came out second best. A few days later Captain Style* of company.O was seriously . wounded at Moscow, Tenn. Whgn Forrest made hi* raid on Memphis. sevBtr companies of the Seventh engaged the entire force on the Hernando road, losing several men killed, wounded and missing,In October, 1864, General Forrest’s forces surrounded the regiment and 100 .men were loat. Shortly afterwards It charged a division of Infantry and drove it across the Harpeth rive A OFFICERS WOUNDED.At Brentwood Hills, Dec. 14, Major Graham was seriously wounded, Captain McCausland mortally wounded, Captain Brant and Lieutenant Skinner seriously wounded, and twenty-three men killed and wounded In charge on a line of breastworks.Ten days in January, 1865, the regiment subsisted -on parched corn at Gravelly Springe. After the surrender of the confederate armies the regiment was sent to Okalona, M!sn.t where It remained until July l. It was mustered out of service at Nashville and paid and discharged at Camp Butler, Nov. 17, 1865.A. J. GALLAGHER IN COMMAND.Company I, the Decatur company, went out under Arthur J. Gallagher, who had been a private Illinois in the Mexican later was judge of the here. In later years he judge. Captain Gallagher the service June 20, 1R62,In the Second war and who circuit court was a circuitresigned from .and was succeeded by William Aehmead. Ashmesd was mustered out Oct, 15. 1864, and Byron H, Tuller, who had been commissary sergeant of the regiment, commanded the company until the end Of the war. All these men Were from Decatur. Ash mead had gone out originally a* second lieu ton ant of the company.William H Stratton, of Decatur, was first lieutenant of the company from the original muster until Oct, 16, 1864. Horace K. Rice of Mason then succeed-pd him,Stephen succeeded ant when musteredO, Washburns of Decatur Ashmead as second lleuten-he was promoted, He was out Oct. 15, 1864 and Oliver L. Kendall of South Wheatland. township succeeded him,First Sergeant William F. Clark was killed in action March 1, 1862. Corporal Keorge W. Kay lor. Marion Aaftmead. and Abner H. Jordan were also killed in action, while Privates Frank H-wort h and# James . Ha. fr an’ 61 ed 1 n An -dc rBonvill p.•Edward ’ M, Gfbbs principal musician of a time, while Joseph member of the band.bf Decatur- was the regiment for J. Strong was aMOUNTINGS.None better and price Is reasonable. Before vou decide on .what kind of Eye GIiihm mountings you are going to wear, consult with us and see the great advantages offered in this wonderful piece of gold.The neatest, most comfort**ble. easiest to put on and hardest to *|1n offmounting-manufactured today.We are hcin.dqunrf.erfl for it. ...Scientific Examination to ex'ery one. No Drngii UaetLFrames fitted,, lenses ground, broken lens duplicated (bring qa the pieces}, '- The Optical Shop.WALLACE WEATHERBYOPTOMETRISTS AND OPTICIANS*100 E. North 5*.Both Phone*.
Newspaper Details
Decatur Daily Review
Decatur, Illinois, US
Sun, May 05, 1912
Page 11
Full Page
Clipped by
Decatur P.
IL, USA 13 Aug 2020
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