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DECATUR was stunned Sunday
morning, April 14, 1861, when the news came that Fort Sumpter had
fallen. It was almost unbelievable. Though war had been
threatening, few believed that an open break between the north and
the south would come.
The news was read from the pulpits of the churches, and it was
received in awe and silence. Though people recognized its
significance, they had not the faintest idea that it was the
beginning of a long four year bloody struggle.
But the American Flag had been fired open. The fort had
surrendered. That was enough. They day patriotism burst
forth as it had never been seen before.
Every family in Decatur hunted up its flag. Within a short
time the banner was waving in the breeze from public buildings and
from homes.
When the news was confirmed the following day and the president's
proclamation asking for 75,000 volunteers came, Decatur was
aroused. The spirit of war had entered. Patriotic zeal
spread as the hours passed by. Printing presses were put into
service to make flags. Every man and woman was supplied with
an individual flag to wear. It was almost unsafe to be without
one. Every bit of red, white and blue material to be found was
brought forth. Patriotic speeches filled the air.1
Within an hour after Governor Richard Yates had issued his call
for Illinois volunteers John P. Post had opened a recruiting office
in Powers hall. Enlistments poured in as fast as the names
could be written. The next day I. N. Martin opened a
recruiting office in the court house.
By Tuesday night two full companies of 100 men each had been
sworn into service. They hurried to Springfield and became
Companies A. & B. of the Eighth Regiment, of which Richard J.
Oglesby was made colonel2.
Isaac C. Pugh was captain of Company A.
MADE FLAG
The women folks couldn't enlist but there was something they
could do and they lost no time in doing it. That was the
making of the flag for the "boys" to carry into the war. F. L.
Hays was rushed to St. Louis to buy the silk needed for the emblem,
and as soon as he was back work began. Every woman wanted to
have a hand in the making of that flag. So determined were
they to have a share, that it was found necessary to let each do
only a few stitches. No one was allowed to compete even one
star. In many of the stars each point was made by a different
one. The women met at the Revere house to make the flag, and
more than 100 put stitches into it.
When the Eighth Regiment was sent to Cairo a stop was made in
Decatur for the presentation of the flag. The two Decatur
companies were given an hour's leave from the train for the
exercises. The presentation of the flag took place in Central
park in the presence of a huge crowd.
Following the singing of "America" by the crowd and prayer by
Father Stamper, the presentation speech was made by Mrs. Cal Allen,
while Hattie White (Mrs. Hays) held the flag staff. The
eloquent response made by Richard J. Oglesby swayed the emotions of
the crowd to a high pitch. Tears and prayers and shouts were
mingled. Gifts were showered on the departing soldiers.
Finally the hour was up, the order to march came, and Decatur's
first contingent of soldiers was off to a war!
It would take volumes to tell the complete story of Macon county
in the war. Only brief mention can be made here of the part
this county played in the great conflict. The lists of men who
participated are to be found in all the histories of Macon county
heretofore published in book form and are easily available, so space
will not be take for them here. Before the war was over, Macon
county had furnished about 2,500 men for the army.
EIGHTH REGIMENT
The Eighth Regiment was put on guard duty at Cairo. Besides
the two Decatur companies in this regiment were the following.
Company C, recruited at Charleston; Company D, at Olney and
Springfield; Company E, at Peoria; Company F, at Pekin; Company G,
at Pittsfield and Griggsville; Company H, at Vandalia; Company I, at
Lawrenceville, and Company K, at Bloomington.
The enlistment period was for three months, and at its expiration
the regiment was mustered out. Most of the men reenlisted for
three years.
The regiment had four different commanders during its war
service. R. J. Oglesby, the first colonel, was promoted to
brigadier general, later to major-general. Succeeding him came
Colonel Frank L. Rhodes, Colonel John P. Post, and Colonel Josiah A.
Sheetz.
Isaac C. Pugh left the regiment to organize the Forth-first
Regiment and his place was taken by Herman Lieb, who later became
brigadier-general.
Among the engagements in which the regiment participated were
Fort Henry, Fort Donelson, Shiloh, and Corinth.
The regiment was mustered out on May 4, 1866, at Baton Rouge.
TWENTY-FIRST REGIMENT
The Twenty-first Regiment, usually called Grant's Regiment, was
the second regiment recruited in Decatur.
It was composed of Company A, from Macon county/ Company B, from
Cumberland county; Company C, from Piatt county; Company D, from
Douglas county; Company E, from Moultrie county; Company F, from
Edgar county; Company G, from Clay county; Company H, from Clark
county; Company I, from Crawford county and Company K, from Jasper
county.
The regiment was assembled at Mattoon. It was mustered into
state service for thirty days, May 15, 1861 by Captain U. S. Grant,
who had been assigned to duty as a muster officer.3
During this period of service it was known as the Seventh
Congressional District Regiment.
The regiment was mustered into United States service on June 28,
with Colonel U. S. Grant in command. He was with the regiment
two months, until he was made brigadier-general. Then J. W. S.
Alexander became colonel.
The first few months of service of the Twenty-first Regiment were
in Missouri and Arkansas. It then become a part of Buell's
Army of the Ohio. Among the well known frays in which it
participated were the siege of Corinth, and the battles of
Perryville, Ky., Murfreesboro, Tenn., and Chicamouga.
The Twenty-first had a brilliant career. It was mustered
out at San Antonio, Tex., Dec. 16, 1865.
THIRTY-FIFTH INFANTRY
The Thirty-fifth Illinois Volunteer Infantry, which was organized
at Decatur July 3, 1861, was known as Colonel G. A. Smith's
Independent Regiment of Illinois Volunteers. As such it was
accepted in the army on July 23, 1861, and six months afterward it
became the Thirty-fifth.
The regiment served several months in Missouri, trying to drive
the confederate general, Price, out of that state. It was in
the battle of Pea Ridge, March 6, 7, 8. There Smith's horse
was shot out from under him and he was badly wounded. The
Thirty-fifth regiment participated in the siege of Corinth, the
engagements of Perryville, Stone River, Chickamauga, Mission Ridge,
and others, under Major McIlwain. McIlwain was killed at
Kenesaw Mountain, June 22, 1864. The regiment was mustered out
at Springfield, Sept. 27, 1864.
FORTY-FIRST ILLINOIS
The Forty-first Illinois Infantry led by Colonel Isaac C. Pugh,
later brigadier-general, won its title. "The Fighting Forty-first",
deservedly. It participated in a score of bloody battles and
made such an outstanding record as to make itself famous in war
annals. Two of the companies in this regiment, A and B, were
recruited from Macon county.
It was organized by Colonel Pugh in August, 1861.
Decatur and vicinity furnished many officers. Besides
Colonel Pugh, there were Lieutenant Colonel Ansel Tupper, Lieutenant
Willis S. Oglesby, Adjutant Bartley J. Pugh, Quartermaster Henry C.
Bradsby, Surgeon William Gray, Captain John H. Nale, First
Lieutenant M. F. Kanan, Lieutenant George R. Steele, all of Decatur;
Major John Warner of Clinton, and Captain John Armstrong of Blue
Mound.
Among the battles in which they participated were Fort Henry,
Fort Donelson, Shiloh, Pearl River, the siege of Corinth and the
siege of Vicksburg.
Seventy or more men of the Decatur companies lost their
lives. Lieutenant Colonel Ansel Tupper and Lieutenant Willis
Oglesby were killed at Shiloh, April 6, 1862. Both were buried
on the field of battle, the bodies later being brought to Decatur,
and now they rest in Greenwood cemetery.
The Forty-first returned to Vicksburg, Dec. 16, 1863, and went
into camp on Big Black river. Two hundred of the men
reenlisted and took part in the battle of Kennesaw Mountain, and
were with Sherman in his famous march from Atlanta to the sea.
CAVALRY COMPANY
Company I of the Seventh Illinois Cavalry was recruited in
Decatur by Arthur J. Gallagher, who was elected its captain.
This was the only company for the cavalry service which was recruited
in Decatur. It was mustered into service, Oct. 13, 1861, at
Camp Butler, and became a part of Colonel William Pitt Kellogg's
regiment.
Captain Gallagher resigned his post on June 20, 1862.
The Seventh Illinois cavalry was in service in Mississippi,
Missouri, Tennessee, and other states, making a fine record.
It was mustered out Nov. 17, 1865.
IN SIXTY-THIRD REGIMENT
Company H, which was attached to the sixty-third Regiment was
made up mostly of Macon county men. This regiment was
organized at Anna, Ill., in December, 1861, with Francis Moro
commanding. It was mustered into service April 10, 1862, and
was sent first to Cairo.
Later the regiment was sent into Kentucky and was assigned to the
Fourth Brigade, Seventh Division, Seventeenth Army Corps,
Brigadier-General John A. Logan commanding the division.
Moro resigned as colonel of the regiment Sept. 29, 1862, and was
succeeded by Lieutenant Colonel J. B. McCown. The regiment
made a fine record of service during the war. It traveled a
total of 6,453 miles, marching for 2,250 miles, the rest being
covered by water or railroad. The regiment was mustered out
July 13, 1865.
ONE HUNDRED FIFTEENTH REGIMENT
Decatur had a "fighting parson" as well as fighting laymen.
He was Rev. Jesse H. Moore, able Methodist preacher, who felt that
he could do his country more good at the front than at home in a
pulpit. He was popular as a patriotic speaker, and his
patriotism went far enough to take him into the thick of the fight.
Assisted by Captain Frank L. Hays and several other men, Rev. Mr.
Moore organized Companies E and F in Decatur and they became a part
of the One Hundred Fifteenth Regiment.
The regiment was mustered into service Sept. 13, 1862, and
ordered to the field Oct. 4. Its first few months of service
were in Kentucky. The men underwent such hardships during the
first six months that 200 were lost by death or disablement, yet
there was not one casualty in fighting. The regiment took part
in the Chicamauga campaign, being part of what became known as "The
Iron Brigade of Chickamauga". The adjutant-general's report
says of this campaign: "The One Hundred Fifteenth was in the most
exposed position of any regiment in that bloody battle and held its
place against great odds". It received special recognition for
its gallantry.
This regiment remained in Tennessee, when Sherman's army marched
to the sea. It was mustered out at Nashville, Tenn., June 11,
1865.
THE ONE HUNDRED SIXTEENTH
Macon county furnished nearly the entire personnel of the One
Hundred Sixteenth Regiment. Of the 980 men and officers, 730
were from this county. The rest came from Piatt, Moultrie,
Shelby, Christian, Sangamon and Dewitt counties. Nineteen men
from Macon county served as captains. Two were killed and
three died of wounds.
The One Hundred Sixteenth mobilized at the Macon county fair
grounds, known as Camp Macon, (now Fairview park) and was mustered
into service Sept. 30, 1862. The regiment became a part of
General W. T. Sherman's army and saw its first fighting at Chickasaw
Bayou. Other engagements in which it made a brilliant record,
were Vicksburg, Chickamauga, Mission Ridge, Chattanooga, Lookout
Mountain, Kenesaw Mountain and Stone Mountain.4
The regiment took part in the grand review before the president in
Washington in May, 1865.
When General Giles A. Smith was wounded in the fighting at
Mission Ridge, the command of the brigade fell to Colonel N. W. Tupper. The ability he showed in that command would no doubt
have led to his promotion to brigadier-general, but he became ill
and was obliged to return home to die.
The last fighting done by the regiment was at Bentonville.
It was mustered out June 7, 1865.
SHARON WICK'S NOTE: My grandmother
penciled in a note: "Charles Grinnell Co. C. 116 Reg."
------------------
1. As
an illustration of the excitement that prevailed at the beginning of
the war, the story is told that one day V. H. Parke was conducting
an auction sale of the consignment of bankrupt goods form
Indianapolis. A big crowd had collected for the sale, and
everything was going merrily when suddenly the sound of a fife and
drum coming down the street was heard. The crowd rushed out to
see, leaving the auctioneer with a piece of goods half sold.
That was the last he saw of his crowd. It was following the
fife and drum and never came back. The auction sale had to be
abandoned.
2. The Eighth regiment
was really the first regiment offered Governor Yates, but it did not
receive that rank owing to the delay caused by the formalities of
the resignation of Richard J. Oglesby as state senator in order to
accept the colonelship of the regiment.
3. One day
early in the war, before General Grant had become known, according
to a story told, he tried to purchase a uniform in Decatur at the J.
R. Race clothing store, and was refused credit for it, not being a
promising looking candidate for credit. He had been brought
into the store by George W. Baker, but he was a stranger here.
Mr. Race afterward said that the reason Grant didn't get a uniform
was that the store did not have one to fit him. Mr. Race got
acquainted with Grant later, one time walking from Camp Yates to
Springfield with him. Grant was in Decatur another time early
in the war, when he spent some time here between trains on his way
to Springfield. During the wait being here he took the
opportunity to drill his company of men recruited in Galena, using a
plot of ground north of the Wabash. Staves borrowed from a
cooper shop took the place of guns during the drill.
Grant purchased his first war horse in Decatur, buying the animal
from John Slaughter.
4. The original flag carried
by the One Hundred Sixteenth was destroyed by a shell at
Vicksburg. Remnants of it, stained with the blood of Samuel Baty, are now in the state museum at Springfield.
Baty was
carrying the flag and was killed when the shell exploded. When
the women of Decatur learned of the fate of the flag, they
immediately made a new one for the regiment, meeting in Powers hall
for the work. Many women put stitches in that flag. The
emblem went through the rest of the war with the regiment, and the
remains of it, torn with bullet holes, has been ever sine a
cherished possession of survivors of the regiment.
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AT GETTYSBURG DEDICATION
Like a voice from the past is an account of that
memorable day, Nov. 19, 1863, when Abraham Lincoln delivered the
dedication address at Gettysburg cemetery, the address now familiar
to every school child. The account was written by a Decatur
woman, Mrs. Clarissa Sterrett, who was there to see and to hear for
herself. At that time she was Miss Clarissa Cline, and her
home was at Petersberry, York county, Pa., about thirty-five miles
from Gettysburg.
The trip to Gettysburg was a big one for that
day. It took three days to make the journey there and
back. The party traveled in a rockaway (buggy), and the roads
were poor. The young woman was so impressed with the events at
Gettysburg that she wrote down her impressions at once.
It was not only the speech, but the setting for it
that one could not forget. The blood-covered ground plowed up
by cannon balls, the broken tombstones, the graves with loose dirt
still upon them, three and buildings bullet-marked-- no wonder it
was impressive when Lincoln said; "We cannot consecrate, we
cannot hallow this ground."
The account written of the trip was as
follows:
"Three miles from Gettysburg, Wednesday, Nov. 18,
1863.
"Have taken lodging at a farm house for the
night. Several persons stopped since we did and inquired for
lodging but could not be accommodated. The sky is overshadowed
with clouds and it is pretty cold. Our host's name is
Brinkerhoff.
"Thursday evening, 5?20, Left our teams at Mr.
Brinkerhoff's this morning and walked to Gettysburg and beyond to
the battlefield. Took a look at rifle-pits on Cemetery hill
and then passed on half a mile to where some of the hardest fighting
was done. There on the top of a hill in the woods
fortifications were thrown up and the trees were completely riddled
with bullets. We spent some time on this hill and while there
the artillery on Cemetery hill fired a salute of twenty-five guns,
giving the different military companies encamped around the town the
signal to march into town. After some time we crossed over to
the cemetery and examined that ground, and thinking the procession
would soon arrive we entered the ring which was guarded and got a
position near the stand. The crowd was immense and by the time
the procession came it had become difficult to stand. After
the president, governors, heads of department, reporters, etc., had
been seated a space of a few feet which had been kept clear for the
procession to pass around was allowed to be filled up and a rush was
immediately made for the platform. Fortunately we were near it
when the rush was mad and gained a position on the platform.
We then had a fine opportunity not only of seeing the people and
position but also of hearing the oration.
"The band played an air after which a prayer was
offered, followed by "Old Hundred' by the band. The oration
was then delivered by Hon. Edward Everett, after which a dirge
composed by Professor Longfellow for the occasion, was chanted by
the choir. Mr. Lincoln was then, introduced to the assembled
thousands when three deafening cheers rent the air, and as he
commenced speaking the crowd again burst into loud huzzas.
"The president made a few very impressive dedicatory
remarks and on taking his seat, was again enthusiastically
cheered. The choir then chanted another dirge, after which
three cheers were given for each of the different governors present,
when the benediction was pronounced and the company was
dismissed.
"The procession again formed headed by a band of
music, followed by the distinguished men present. The military
came into town by another road and marched through the town. A
representative was present from each state. Each branch of the
military service was represented, infantry, cavalry and
artillery. The marine band of Washington was present.
Gettysburg was completely jammed up.
"A delegation from the army of the Potomac was
present with a flag bearing the inscription, 'Army of the Potomac,
July 1st and 2d,' on the one side and on the other 'In Memory of Our
Fallen Comrades.'
"The cemetery is considerably damaged, tombstones
broken, large holes in the iron fence broken by cannon balls and the
ground ploughed up in places. This is a beautiful place.
It overlooks the town and the ground ploughed up in places.
This is a beautiful place. It overlooks the town and the
battlefield; Roundtop off in the distance with a large flag
floating from its summit. Culp's hill, which we had been on
before, in full view. At the foot of Culp's and a dead horse
is still lying in the stable. Everything torn up about the
house, window panes all gone and all the fences.
"Almost every house in Gettysburg had a flag flung
to the breeze. In the center of the diamond a long pole was
erected with a large flag, 20 by 30 feet on the top."
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