These were the first soldiers to leave Richland county, for the Civil
war: Company D, was organized by Bryant Higgins and John Lynch. Fort Sumpter
was stormed Friday, April 12, 1861 . Higgins and Lynch sat up until midnight
April 14, 1861, to get a copy of a little paper printed in St. Louis in the
evening, to see if the President had issued his proclamation for troops. On
getting the paper we went up Walnut street to a printing office managed by a
deaf and dumb man, named Spurgeon. After knocking on the door and getting no
response, we went around to the back of the office, pushed up a window and
crawled in and struck a light, but finding the printer absent (it being
Sunday night, April 14, 1861), we began trying to get into form, matter for
handbills, with big wooden type. About that time the printer came in about I
o'clock on Monday morning, April 15th. We showed him the paper, and it did
not take him long to get the matter in form and ready for the press. Higgins
worked the roller to ink the type and Lynch made a pot of paste. Lynch then
wrote an enlistment paper and signed it. He was the first commissioned
officer to enlist in this company; then I signed it, being the first private
soldier to enlist in the company, of which act I am exceedingly proud. We
went to the courthouse and rang the bell, woke up Reuben Kinney, sexton of
the Methodist Episcopal church, and he rang the church bell. We posted our
bills and by that time the whole town was up and men, regardless of
political affiliations, signed the paper. By this time it was after
daylight, and Lynch and myself started to the old Olney House for breakfast.
We met Arch Spring, who signed the paper, being the sixty-third on the list
in less than two hours. When we reached the hotel, William Harrah, of
Vincennes, Indiana, who had just came in, said: "Boys, if you want to get
your company in, one of you must go to Springfield at once, because when I
came through Lawrenceville I saw old Dan Grass (an old Mexican soldier)
drilling a company with a lantern." In those days a train left here for St.
Louis at 7 o'clock in the morning. Lynch took the train for Springfield and
I kept on taking enlistments. When Lynch reached St. Louis and changed cars
for Springfield, a well dressed man with a silk hat and other clothes to
correspond, took a seat beside him and the following conversation took
place:
"Where are you going, young man?"
"Going to
Springfield."
"What for?"
"To tender the governor the
services of a company to help put down this rebellion."
"That is
about what I thought; now young man, go home and attend to your own
business."
Lynch being a very positive man, answered:
"Who
the hell are you, anyway?"
"Look out, there, young man; do you see
that big warehouse across the river?"
"Yes."
"See that name,
'D. A. January?' "
"Yes."
"See those two steamboats tied
there?"
"Yes."
"Well, young man, that is my warehouse and
those are my boats; now go home and mind your own business."
"Now,
look here, I will tell you something," replied Lynch. "We will bring some
cannon down here and just shoot hell out of you, your warehouse and your
boats."
By this time the train reached Alton and the man of the
warehouse and boats left the train. Lynch went on to Springfield, reported
to the governor, who was much pleased with the patriotism of Richland
county, Company D being the first to tender its services as a company except
an organized company of militia in the city of Springfield. Lynch came back
at once. In the meantime I had one hundred and twenty-three names on the
roll. Then it became necessary to devise ways and means to get that many men
to Springfield. There was a meeting called at once at the court-house, to
provide means of transportation. In less than half an hour the money was
raised. It took nearly one thousand dollars to pay the fare of one hundred
and twenty-three men that far in those days.
We marched from Elliott's hall to the depot, lined up for the people to
bid us good-bye. The whole county I think was there at 7 o'clock in the
morning. Rev. John Crozier presented every man with a copy of the New
Testament. Our best girls of course were there. I remember Jake Mushrush,
who was like myself at that time, about as long as a bean pole and about as
big around. His girl was rather short. When she came to him she took hold of
his hand in both of hers and said, "Good-bye Jake, good-bye, Jake,
good-bye." Jake was looking over the top of her head; finally he dropped her
hand and kissed her good-bye. Poor Jake was fighting a harder battle than he
ever fought afterwards. The stores in Olney did not open that day. The
people sat and stood around on the streets all day, so I was told, and did
not leave town until about night. You may think strange I received no
office. Lynch and I had our plans laid higher up, and as Lynch has passed
away and they were only known to us, it is not meet to divulge or tell them
now; they miscarried.
We went to Springfield and were there sworn
into the service, given a musket, and forty rounds of ammunition were loaded
on a long train of freight cars and started for Cairo, Illinois. When we
arrived there were no tents nor accommodations of any kind. We went into
camp at the junction of the two levees. By this time there came a battery of
artillery from Chicago and Benjamin M. Prentiss took command of all the
troops there. The camp now began to look like war, sure enough. Orders were
issued to the troops to let no more boats go down the river. I think I am
safe in saying this was the first blockade of the war. Shortly after the
order by General Prentiss, there came a boat down, the artillery men fired a
blank charge. The boat kept on as though nothing unusual was at hand; they
then fired a shot, skipping across the water in front. Still the boat kept
on; then they fired two guns for damage. About a wagon-load of the upper
part of the boat flew off and she began to whistle, came to the landing, and
we took possession of her, I being one of the privates and William Bower was
another; and the strange part of it was that this was one of the boats shown
to Lynch about ten days before. She was loaded with munitions of war: twelve
hundred stands of arms, hundreds of kegs of powder, tons of pig-lead and
hundreds of thousands of percussion caps.
I have no doubt but this was the first act of confiscation of the war.
When we were unloading the boat I remember hearing this conversation between
Colonel Oglesby and General Prentiss:
Oglesby said: "General, is
there any law for this?" Prentiss: "Damn the law; take the goods; they are
contraband, then look for the law." At that time we were not as familiar
with the word "contraband" as we were afterward.
We were then sent
into Johnson county, Illinois, to guard a railroad bridge on the Illinois
Central, across Big Muddy river. We then returned to Cairo and after doing
camp duty we were duly discharged from the three months' service, I going
into the infantry again and Lynch into the cavalry. Lynch, after serving one
month as captain of the company, resigned and served the other two months in
the ranks as a private. In the cavalry, after passing the different grades
in promotion, he reached the office of colonel of the Sixth Illinois
Cavalry. Lynch has passed into the other life. He was a very positive man,
very strict military disciplinarian. He commanded, and no mistake, while on
duty. At the battle of Nashville he commanded five regiments of cavalry. He
was ordered by General Thomas (Old Pap) to take and hold a certain point. He
took it, but that brought him in range of a Confederate fort, which opened
on him at once. He ordered his men to dismount, draw sabres, and ordered the
buglers to sound the charge. Away went the five regiments (less the horse
holders) on foot; took the fort, turned the guns on the retreating enemy and
turned the entire Confederate wing, changed the entire alignment of the two
armies. Shortly after the Confederate rout was complete. After the battle
was over Thomas sent for him and they had this conversation:
"General Thomas, my name is Lynch you sent for me."
"Thomas replied:
"Are you Colonel Lynch, of the Sixth Cavalry ?"
"Yes, sir."
"Where is your uniform, Colonel?"
"I never owned one."
"Are
you the man that took that rebel fort with cavalrymen on foot?"
"Yes, sir."
"What did you order a charge of cavalry on foot for?"
"That damned rebel fort was shelling hell out of my men, and I did
not propose to stand there and take it and not fight back."
"Don't
you know that nowhere on record is mention made of cavalry charging on
foot?"
"Well, you can now put it on record."
And so ended
the conversation. Of that one hundred and twenty-three men, Andrew J.
Robinson was the first man killed. He met his fate at Fort Donelson. Some
were killed at Pittsburgh Landing; some in front of Corinth; some at Corinth
on October 4th and 5th, 1862; some at Raymond and Dalton; some at Champion
Hill, at Big Beach, at Vicksburg, in front of Atlanta and on the March to
the Sea. There is left of the one hundred and twenty-three only about
fourteen.
During the war the writer was at home a short time on
business. Olney was then the headquarters for drafting men of this district.
There were some very dissatisfied men here and in adjoining counties, and
other counties not adjoining. They organized a raid to destroy the enrolling
papers for the draft. The command of that expedition was given to a man by
the name of Isaac Gibson, who now (November 10, 1908) lives in St. Louis
county, Missouri, or did a few months ago. The citizens were informed of the
raid, and hastily arming themselves, put themselves under my command. The
first thing to do was to preserve the enrollment papers. Myself and some
others put the papers into wheat sacks and into a buggy and were driven by
Jacob May out of the county. Mr. May long ago passed away. At that time
there was a high picket fence around the old wooden court-house. We made the
court-house our headquarters. William T. Shelby brought out the old flag I
carried away from Olney in 1861 over the first company that left. I took it
and climbed up into the cupola, knocked out a slat in the blind and let the
flag float. I put pickets out on the roads leading to town, and gave them
military instruction how to proceed.
In a few nights here came Gibson and his bushwhackers. At a given signal,
firing of the anvil, all the pickets were to come in quick. Gibson and his
gang surrounded the court-house, but when he sized up the crowd I had inside
that picket fence, he found I had about two to his one, and he was like the
officer who led his men up the hill and then led them clown again. He
withdrew his forces. We heard no more of him. We guarded the enrolling
office until the government sent five companies of cavalry here, and this
ended the war in Olney as far as I was concerned. I went back to where there
was trouble for sure. In the process of time. 1 like others, was mustered
out of the service of my country. I saw many hardships and much hard
fighting, but if I was of the proper age, and the same circumstances
presented themselves, I would enlist again, knowing as I know just what it
is to be a soldier.
The writer has a letter from the War Department
in which, among other things, this language is used: "You were certainly a
good soldier for the records show you were fifteen months in active hard
field service before you took a dose of medicine; you was never in a
hospital nor absent from duty."
In closing this military sketch, I
wish to say, not boastfully, but in all sincerity, I tried under all
conditions and all circumstances to serve my country honestly and faithfully
to the best of my ability. Now I am living here in the place of my early
manhood, in the enjoyment of the fruits of our labor. My wife and I have
reached a reasonable, and I hope, an honorable old age. Let us say to all
our friends and neighbors: We wish you well, and may the good Lord smooth
the rough places in your life's uneven journey.
Richland county was part of Clay and Lawrence counties. At the
organization of the county, there was no town here, what is now Main and
Walnut streets and Whittle avenue, was a cross-road, called Lilley's
crossing. The land was owned by Thomas Lilley and Hiram G. Barney, who
proposed to give ten acres of land each, to be laid out in lots and sold at
public sale, the money thus raised to be used to build a court-house and
jail. The lots were laid out and platted by A. T. David, a surveyor, the
20th day of September, 1841.
Commencing on the north side of Main
street, opposite Coen's Hotel, was the first lot west, and occupied by a
saloon, owned and kept by Louis Sawyer, the first Sheriff of the county. The
next was the residence of G. F. Powers, the next was a building occupied by
the American Fur Company, where they dressed the pelts, put them into
bundles and shipped them direct to Leipsic. Germany. The next was the
residence of Joseph Harmon, the next was John Von Gunten's Bakery, the first
regular bakery in Olney. Old man Ross, an old Revolutionary soldier, baked
gingerbread before Olney was laid out. Mr. Von Gunten made "spruce" beer out
of persimmons and some other truck unknown to the writer. The next was the
residence of William Alkire, the next was a little building in which Dr.
Ridgeway afterward had a "drug store" and his office, next came the hotel,
kept by Thomas Lilley, next was a one-story building, planked up and clown,
in which K. D. Horrall learned the tinner's trade, next was the drug store
and office of Dr. Haynie, next was the store of Henry Spring. Redman's store
is now on that site. Where Schultz's store is lived Jonas Notestine, a
tanner by trade, where Elliott's Hall and Hyatt's Opera House now stand
lived John H. Gunn; where the Metropole is now lived Dr. Graig; where
Landenberger's buildings are now, "Uncle" Jimmy Briscoe conducted a small
saloon and the post-office in the same building, next was the store of
Newell and Darling; next was the store of A. L. and R. Byers, next was their
warehouse, over the front of which was painted: Iron, Nails, Stores, Plows,
Flour, Salt, Bacon, Castings and Whisky.
Castings here mentioned
were skillets and lids, pots and other cast-iron utensils for cooking by the
old fire-place. The next was their pork-house, about thirty feet wide by one
hundred and eighty feet long, the next was the residence of John Garret,
then a two-story building occupied below by P. Shaw as a book store and
watchmaker's shop, the first in Olney. In the upper story was the "Olney
Dollar Weekly Gazette" office, which was owned, edited and printed by J. J.
Bunting, Milo Powers and James Nabb, The next was Tom Nettletor's store.
Where the Sanitarium now stands lived Frank Heap, and the old Union Hotel
was located on a part of the ground. Next was the residence of Thomas
Ratcliff and his good wife. Where Dan Geatheart now lives lived William
Newell; next was a long (about one hundred feet) low building, in which
lived many families. It was called "Hugel Row," after the owner; next was
the residence of William Kidd, and that is as far east as the town was
platted at that time and from Walnut street east only one tier of lots deep.
On the south side of Main street, opposite Mr. Kidd, lived "Uncle" Jimmy
Briscoe, in a big-two-story house (going west), next was the residence of
Michael Stauffer, also his tailor shop, the first tailor in Olney. Next was
Mrs. Heifner, the first milliner in Olney.
In those days the ladies wore white Leghorn bonnets, which had to be
"bleached" every spring and rebuilt. The bleaching process was performed by
burning sulphur and sending the fumes through the straw by a process unknown
to the writer, but if you were in the immediate vicinity of the "kiln" when
it was opened you would think there was a fresh crack in the roof of hell.
The next was the residence of Mr. Benclel, a very highly educated man; next
was the building in which the writer and many others went to school to Mr.
Bendel. The next was a large building where Frank Heap made furniture by
hand. Then came Uri's blacksmith shop, where Tom Ratcliff learned his trade.
Ashiel Powers painted a sign, for Mr. Uri, of himself, nearly as large as
life and perfect in every particular as to Mr. Uri. He was represented as
working on a plow on the anvil, and on the opposite side, on his hind legs,
stood a big bear with the sledge drawn, and around his neck was an iron
collar fastened with a padlock, a chain fastened to the collar, the end of
the chain fastened to the collar, the end of the chain fastened to a tree
just behind the bear. Now this picture, to the ordinary reader who was born
later on, may not have much meaning, but to us old men it means something.
Mr. Powers was born and reared in Vermont. He was a humane man. In
those days a boy was "indentured" that is, bound out to a tradesman for a
certain number of years, the boss having the right to follow and bring back
the "indentured," and in many cases the poor boy was treated very, very
badly. The indentured to a trade was called a "cub." Now you can see what
Mr. Powers represented in his picture of the bear, the collar, the chain and
the tree to which he was firmly fastened. Mr. Uri's treatment of Mr.
Ratcliff was good, which was rather an exception. The next was the residence
of S. H. Gunn, whose widow is living there now; the next was Gunn's store.
On Saturday, Mr. Gunn took a tub, put in about three gallons of whisky and
two gallons of molasses and stired it up. He called the mixture "black
strap." This was free for his customers.
The next was a small house
in which the telegraph office was kept. The line was from Baltimore to
Washington, to Pittsburg to Cincinnati to Louisville, to Vincennes, then
along the old state road to St. Louis, Missouri. Reuben Gardner, now living
in this county, helped to build this line. I think beyond doubt, he is the
only man now living who helped to put it up. He is now over ninety years of
age.
The next (where Cooksey is now was a harness shop, owned by
John Allen. Where McShane and Meunch is now, was the residence of John M.
Wilson, the founder of the Olney Republican in 1848. The next was the
residence of Ashiel Powers, then Henry Springs's residence. Where Foskett &
Gafner are now was the blacksmith shop of J. H. and Henry Johns; then a
small room about twelve by sixteen in which K. D. Horrall began business in
1856; then the harness shop of Henry Barney, then a big low, one-story
building in which Louis Hugel kept a clothing store, the first exclusive
store of this kind in the county, back of which was a building originally
built for a stable, but was remodeled by Hugel, and into which the "Olney
Dollar Weekly Gazette" was moved, and there sold to William M. Beck, and by
him moved into another building, and the name changed to "The Olney Times,"
and in 1859 Mr. Beck put at the head of his columns, "For President in 1860,
Abraham Lincoln, of Illinois," the first paper to publicly announce Mr.
Lincoln's name for the Presidency. He was elected November 8, 1860. Mr. Beck
passed into the other life December 17, 1860. The next was the harness shop
of W. P. Laird; then a little short street, called "Lilley" street, running
from Main to Market, one block: A. Darling lived at the Market street end,
then a building sidewise to the street in which G. F. Powers and Nelson
Cobley made furiture by hand. Where the head of Whittle avenue is now, stood
the saloon of Andrew J. Saulsbury. Where the first National bank is, was the
store of William Alkire; then the old wooden courthouse, then the office of
Horace Hayward, and that was as far west as the town was platted. South of
Hayward's office lived Judge Alfred Kitchell, then Levi Notestein. Where the
jail and stables belonging thereto are now, was the tanyard of Jonas and
Levi Notestine, across the vats of which the wife of the writer jumped in
her girlhood days. Where the four courts are now, lived Robert B. Mamey, the
first Judge of the Probate Court of this county, and where the writer found
his wife, now almost forty-seven years ago, south of the building and loan
office lived M. B. Snyder, the Clerk of the Circuit Court, whose son,
Samuel, was the first boy baby born in Olney.
North on Walnut, from
Main at York street on the west side, lived George Lutz, whose daughter,
Sarah, was the first girl baby born in Olney. Next Jonas Spanglor, next
Jacob Hofman, Clerk of the County Court. On the east side was a big
two-story house in which lived many families. North on Mulberry street from
Main, lived Henry Spanglor; north of Butler street was the old log
school-house in which the writer's wife and many others got their first
rudimental knowledge of the English language. This house was used as a
court-house until the first one was built. It was also used as a Methodist
Episcopal church, until 1855, when the first Methodist Episcopal church was
built here. Of all the people living in Olney at that time, there are only
about ten persons living November, 1908.
Then came the building of
the old Ohio & Mississippi (now the Baltimore & Ohio Southwestern Railroad,
and Olney took on new life; then the old Peoria, Decatur & Eastern, now the
Illinois Central; then the Cinncinnati, Hamilton & Dayton (old Danville &
Olney). Olney has grown from a small village to a city of about six thousand
five hundred people.
I remember some of the early lawyers of Olney, among whom was Lindes Usher Ficklin, of Charleston. Charles H. Constable, of Mt. Carmel; Judge Wilson, the first judge of this circuit, and Judge F. D. Preston, who was born in old Fort Barney, in Wabash county. Also I was personally known to Silas Bryan, of Salem, Marion county. He was the father of William J. Bryan. There is a good joke told on Silas. He was a very devout man, given to much prayer. He was elected to the State Senate from that district. I think he was a Presbyterian. Mortimer O'Kean was elected to the State Senate from this district. He was a Catholic. Salem, Mr. Bryan's home town, was the mecca for divorces, it being on the stage line, and about the center of the state, east and west, and for the purpose of getting a divorce a residence of three months was all that was necessary, and the geographical location of Salem was fine for all persons concerned, and that part of the law practice made much bread and butter for the lawyers of Salem. O'Kean being a Catholic, he was eternally opposed to divorces, and about the first thing he did was to introduce a bill requiring twelve months' residence. That was striking deep and hard at the flour barrel of the lawyers of Salem. When the bill came up in the Senate for passage, Silas made a long speech against it. As soon as he was through, O'Kean arose in his seat, to reply. He was a quickwitted Irishman. He said: "Misther Prisidint, I have been for a long time thrying to find out what church Brother Bryan belongs to; now I know; he is a Mormon," and sat down. Never before was there such a tumult in the Senate chamber, whooping, yelling and stamping so much so that the House members came in to see what the fun was and on finding out, joined in the hurrah. As soon as the president of the Senate could get quiet enough to be heard, he put the bill on its passage and there was but one vote against it, and from that day to this, one year has been the limit.
HIGGINS' PIPE DREAM
From the Olney Times of April 9, 1908.
"In the fall of '66 or '67
Bryant Higgins asked Wilson and Hutchinson for desk room in this office
during the winter which request was granted. He was then always very busy,
figuring and plotting. One day, when no one was in he asked if we wanted to
know what he had been doing, and, expressing our curiosity, he read us what
we thought to be the wildest, weirdest and most improbable scheme ever
proposed or ever dreamed of by a sane man. He proposed that the Russian
government should build a railroad commencing at Orenberg on the Ural river,
which is the dividing line between Europe and Asia, thence east to Harbin,
thence build a branch south to Pekin, China. From Harbin, east to
Vladivostock, on the Pacific Ocean, a distance of six thousand miles. This
road has been built exactly as mapped and planned by Higgins, except they
ran the southern branch to Port Arthur, which at that time was unknown, and
they ferry Lake Baikal, while Higgins mapped his road around the north
shore.
"To meet this road he planned a road to start at Duluth, west
to Seattle, north from Seattle to Cape Prince of Wales, north of the
sixty-seventh degree, near the mouth of the Yukon river, along the trail now
traveled to reach the Klondike; then across Behring Strait, either by ferry
or bridging into Asia. He said this bridging should be done with concrete
cassions for piers from island to island, like that now being done on the
Florida coast.
"He had a chapter on isothermal lines by the trend of
which the Japan current he claimed Alaska was destined to become thickly
populated; that strawberries grew and ripened on the Yukon bottoms and that
river did freeze until one hundred and fifty miles from the mouth. You who
are old enough to remember if you look back forty years, can see how wild I
deemed this when it was first read to me. After a few days, I said: 'Bryant,
what are you going to do with your scheme?' He did not know.
"At
that time S. S. Marshall was the representative of our district in Congress.
I proposed we should send it to him to see what he could do with it.
Marshall submitted it to the Russian minister at Washington and that part
pertaining to Russia, I was informed was translated and sent to the
government of Russia, and I have no doubt was the origin of the
Trans-Siberian Railroad. Afterwards Marshall gave the papers to a member of
Congress from New York. Shortly after Higgins received a long letter from
Charles Villard, whom he had never heard of, and they had quite a
correspondence. I read that Charles Villard demanded of his friends ten
million dollars in ten days; no questions to be asked. He got the money and
out of that grew the Northern Pacific, the Oregon Short Line, and later the
roads running up into Alaska through British Columbia, and now building to
Behring Strait. I had not thought of this matter for years until lately I
met Higgins and asked him to allow me to record the article over again, when
he informed me he had sent the only copy he had ever made with all his maps
and figures to Marshall.
"This scheme of Higgins' contemplated the building of miles of railroad
starting at Duluth, crossing Behring Straits, and connecting on the Asiatic
shore with the Russian end, and thus giving an all rail route from any point
in the United States to any point in Europe. Since then eleven thousand
miles have been built and in a few years more Higgins' dream will be a
reality by the completion of his entire proposition, even possibly of the
bridging of Behring Strait.
"The best of prophets of the future is
the prophet of the past. So far he has never been known as the originator of
the idea, and it was a mere accident that brought it to my mind.
"E.
S. WILSON."
"Since the above was put in print, one thousand five
hundred miles more of railroad in Siberia, running northeast from
Vladivostock, has been opened up for traffic."
Fifty years ago the following persons held a May-day picnic on Fox river,
at Watertown. (Watertown has long since faded out):
K. D. Horrall
and Sarah Baird: Devius Baird and Rose McWilliams, Clark Richard and Lizzie
Nesbit. Arch Spring and Mary Spring, J. H. Roberts and Manda Gunn, Frank
Powers and Sue Hofman, S. P. Connor and Ella Hofman, T. W. Scott and Lib
Hofman, Charles Hollister and Lib Corrothers. Dan Edmiston and Hetty
Whitney, Bryant Higgins and S. E. Marney.
Of the above, Mr. Baird
married Rose McWilliams, who is now deceased; Mr. Rickard married Miss
Nesbit, both deceased; Mr. Roberts married Miss Gunn, the latter deceased.
Arch Spring and Miss Spring are living. Mr. Powers, now deceased,
married Miss Hofman. He is dead. Mr. Connor married Ella Hofman. She is
dead. Lib Hofman is dead. Charles Hollister was killed at Corinth, October
5, 1862. K. D. Horrall married Miss Baird. Dan Edmiston married Miss
Whitney. Both are dead. The writer married Miss Marney, and of the couples
here mentioned, eight married and of the eight, the writer and his wife, K.
D. Horrall and his wife, are all that are now living, who were afterward
married.
Extracted 21 May 2019 by Norma Hass from 1909 Biographical and Reminiscent History of Richland, Clay and Marion Counties, Illinois, pages 419-429.
| Jasper | Crawford | |
| Clay |
 |
Lawrence |
| Wayne | Edwards | Wabash |
