MEN WHO SERVED WITH DISTINCTION: History of La Salle County, Illinois: by Hoffman pages 131-137

แบ่งปันข้อมูลโดย

ambaird

History of La Salle County, Illinois :

by Hoffman, U. J. (Urias John), b. 1855

Publication date 1906

Publisher Chicago : S.J. Clarke Pub. Co.

Collection allen_county; americana

Digitizing sponsor Internet Archive

Contributor Allen County Public Library Genealogy Center

Language English

MEN WHO SERVED WITH DISTINCTION.

GENERAL WILLIAM IIERVEY LAMME WALLACE.

La Salle County’s most distinguished soldier is Gen. W. H. L. Wallace. In his death at the Battle of Shiloh the career of one of the greatest generals of the war was cut short. His rise from colonel of a regiment to major-general was rapid and due to the recognition of superior officers of his military ability shown in actual work.

The people here at home know too little of the life and character of General Wallace. By the kindness of Miss Isabel Wallace, daughter of the general, I have been given access to private papers which I hope will enable me to tell the story of his life so that young and old may learn to know him as he was. Not to admire and to love him then will be impossible.

When twelve years of age he came with his father’s family of eleven children to La Salle County from Champaign County, Ohio, in 1834. The lad helped to drive a large drove of sheep all the way. They settled on a farm in Deer Park Township, near the junction of the Ver¬ million and Illinois rivers, south of the Illinois and east of the Vermillion. Here he lived four years, helping on the farm. He was a thoughtful and refined boy, and it was his delight when not at work to roam through the woods exploring the canons and picking up arrow heads. The story of the extermination of the Ulini was fresh in the minds of the people. This tragic story and the picturesque scenery appealed to the heroic and poetic in his soul. His father, John Wallace, determined to have better facilities for schooling his children than La Salle County afforded. He moved to Mt. Morris, where the Rock River Seminary was opening its doors to students. He bought a farm near the village and did much to build up this school which did so much for the children of the pioneers. William did his full share in doing the work of the farm, while attending the seminary and helped to pay his way as a tutor in the school. Young as he was, he took part in ridding the county of a den of horse thieves that infested the region.

He decided to study law. In 1844 he went with Samuel Hitt, a member of the Legislature, to Springfield, expecting to apply to Logan and Lincoln for the privilege of studying law in their office- On the long journey by stage he became acquainted with T. Lyle Dickey, a lawyer, who was on his way to try cases at Springfield. They rented a suite of rooms together, and young Wallace helped him prepare his cases for trial. This led Mr. Dickey to ask him to study with him. The application to Logan and Lincoln was never made and Wallace went to Ottawa and began to study with Mr. Dickey. In a year he was admitted to the bar.

Then came the Mexican war. Mr. Dickey raised a company and was made captain. Entering Col. Dickey’s regiment he was soon made orderly sergeant and then second lieutenant. When Col. Dickey was obliged by sickness to resign, Capt. Prentiss took his place and Wallace was made adjutant of the regiment- He was at the side of his almost idolized Col. J. J. Hardin when that intrepid soldier fell in the battle of Buena Vista. After a year’s campaign he returned to his law practice in Ottawa and rose rapidly in his profession.

In 1850 he was appointed Deputy U. S. Marshall and took the census of the county. In 1851 he married Martha Ann, daughter of T. Lyle Dickey. In 1852 he was elected State’s Attorney. During his four years’ term he grew strong in his profession and attained high standing in the community. In 1856 he joined the Republican party, was a delegate to the convention that nominated Fremont and a member of the committee to notify him of his nomination. He was a warm supporter of Lincoln both for the senate and for the presidency.

In February, 1861, fearing as did many others that the president might be assassinated he went to Washington as a secret body guard to help protect him if necessary. A letter dated March 5. 1861, shows what his feelings were: “Yesterday I looked upon a scene and realized my dearest political hopes. I saw an honest and able man stand up before his countrymen in the presence of the representatives of the civilized world and surrounded by the insignia of power without mental reservation, take the oath to protect and defend the constitution of our country and to take care that the laws are enforced. It was an imposing scene. It seemed to me that our country had passed the darkest hour of her history and that the future was brightened by the dawn of a happier day. The fearful feeling of foreboding that seemed to pervade the whole atmosphere is changed to one of confidence and trust in the future.”

He had been at home only a few days when the news of the firing on Fort Sumter came. Mr. Wallace began at once to prepare to enter the army. In May he was commissioned colonel of the Eleventh Illinois. At Bird’s Point in Missouri he was placed in command of the post and Col. T. E. G. Ransom took charge of the Eleventh. In February General Grant placed him in command of a brigade in Gen. McClernand’s Division. On the day of his death he was com¬ manding a division. His responsibilities were alwavs greater than his rank. His commission as major general was on its way to him when he fell. He was promoted to brigadier general after Fort Donelson. He was in the thickest of the fight at both Fort Henry and Fort Donelson. In the account of the Eleventh Illinois a quotation is given from one of his letters showing how he fared in the contest.

He was winning laurels on every hand. But it was true with him. “The path of glory leads but to the grave.”

At Pittsburg Landing, Gen. Wallace and Gen. Prentiss were each in command of a divi¬ sion and were stationed in the front. They were attacked early in the morning at the point called the Hornets’ Nest. They held the confederates back all day. Had they given way the whole of Grant’s army would have been driven back into the river. About 5 p. m. Gen. Wallace was falling back to place his men in a better position, having been outflanked because of the inefficiencv of Gen. Sweeney. He was coolly directing the movements of his men, being between them and the enemy, who were only seventy-five yards distant. A ball struck him, passing through his head and he fell from his horse. Gen. Prentiss’ command was then captured but the stubborn fight had saved the day. During the night General Grant was able to get his forces in shape to meet the enemy next day.

William Preston Johnson, in an article in the Century Magazine, said:

“On the Federal left center W. H. L. Wallace and Hurlburt were massed with Prentiss’ frag¬ ments in position so impregnable and thronged with such fierce defenders that it won from the Confederates the memorable title of Hornets’ Nest. These generals have received scant justice for their stubborn defense. They agreed to hold their position at all odds and did so until Wallace received his fatal wound and Prentiss was surrounded and captured with nearly 3,000 men. This delay was the salvation of Grant’s army. ”

Another Southern writer in a Philadelphia paper, a member of the Mobile bar, says: “Toward four o’clock in the afternoon the troops of Bragg and Polk engaged in a death struggle with Prentiss and Wallace. These Federal generals were dealing blow for blow- They felt keenly their responsibility. On them depended the safety of General Grant and the rest of the army. Wallace fell mortally wounded, the hero of this battle on the Federal side. The total loss of Shiloh will show this. Many northern writers have tried to make Sherman the hero of this fight. It is the old story of the living dog and the dead lion.”

General Walter 0 . Gresham, who was in the battle of Shiloh, said on hearing of his death, “We have lost our General.”

When General Grant returned from his trip around the world and was at Chicago, Captain Town, of Rockford, asked him, “What did you think of the abilities of Gen. W. H. L. Wallace?” Reflecting a moment, he said, “Had Gen. Wallace not been killed at Shiloh, I would not be where I am.” The reason for this statement was, after the battle Gen. Grant was out of favor with Gen. Halleck, the commander-in-chief, and was deposed from command. Gen. Wallace had so distinguished himself that he was in high favor with Gen. Halleck and President Lincoln and would undoubtedly have been made commander of the western army. Thus the career of General Grant would have been open to General Wallace. There is no doubt it would have been as distinguished.

Speaking of the capture of Fort Donelson, Captain Rumsey says, “I remember well at this time his remark, his face glowing with satisfaction, as we sat on our horses, ‘Rumsey, this is glorious!’; to which I replied, ‘Yes, General, but my heart aches as I think of the comrades and true soldiers lying on the field who forty-eight hours ago were with us.’ To which he replied, ‘Yes, but they died in a noble couse.’ So all through the dreadful three days’ battle, he showed his tender and loyal soul.”

The 17th of March, 1862, the day after the capture of Fort Donelson, Gen. Wallace wrote to his wife:

“This has .been a day full of sad sights, collecting and caring for the wounded, burying the dead, and doing what could be done to allay the distress of those who suffered in the terrible fight. But among the saddest duties is one just accomplished of writing to Mrs. Irwin and Mrs. Captain Shaw the details of the death of their husbands. Thank God, Ann, no man has been called to do this sad duty for me. I will not attempt to give you the details of the terrible conflict through which we passed. The papers will fully advise you of that. It was the greatest battle ever fought on this continent. I hope the fruits of victory may be the speedy restoration of peace.”

The life of General and Mrs. Wallace must have been ideal. His letters are full of the most tender expressions of the home love, as the following extract shows:

“I have read over and over again your very dear letter of Tuesday evening last wherein you give me an account of your first lesson to Blossom and her first prayer. I have been unable to read it through without a swelling heart and a damp eye and you are the truest and best woman in the world. I feel that I am unworthy of so great, devoted and powerful love as you bear me, yet I know I am a better man from the consciousness of possessing it, and would sooner part with life than lose it.”

Under all the multiplied perplexities of the camp and din, conflict and carnage of battle, his thoughts reverted to the dear ones at home. He speaks scarcely at all of the honors to be won and glories to be achieved. He speaks mostly of anxiety to do his whole duty and that longing to be at home, to walk under the trees with wife and child. The trust which he had in the care of a Divine Providence was often the theme of his letters. How he looked upon the fate that befell him is shown from the following:

“Don’t let thoughts of me prevent your enjoyment of matters passing around you. If I am successful and come out safely it is all right. If I fall its is glory enough to die in such a cause, and furnishes no reason for regret. Man must die sometime and to die nobly is a boon granted to few. Not that I am tired of life, dearest—the hope of spending the future with vou makes me wish for long life more than ever —but in the soldier’s existence death is always a contingency that must be regarded. Of course, the ordinary chances of life are diminished in such a calling and it would be folly to overlook it. You may rest assured, Ann, darling, that you have no occasion to blush for me whatever may befall.”

After the battle of Fort Donelson Gen. Wallace was much exhausted and sick for a few days. His letters to his wife showed his depression. This affected her very deeply. She had frequently asked to be allowed to visit her husband in camp. His reply was that the presence of officers’ wives interfered with the service and being in command he could not refuse others if his own wife were in camp. Strict orders had also been given to allow no women to pass Cairo.

But Mrs. Wallace was so deeply impressed with the tone of her husband’s letters that she determined to go to him without his consent. Judge Caton gave her a letter to Gen. Strong at Cairo asking for a pass for her. The general was absent but his adjutant took the risk and gave her a pass, though this was against the strictest orders. Mrs. Wallace arrived while the battle was in progress and was on the boat under fire which was ferrying Buell’s men across the river.

Shortly after the death of Gen. Wallace she wrote the following letter to a paper called “The Loyal People of the Northwest”:

“The lower deck of our boat and that of others were used to ferry the reinforcements over. Over and back, over and back, we moved. I was earnestly watching these scenes, more hopeful than most around me. Elder Button came up the steps with a worn, depressed look, for he had been partially disabled by a spent ball while caring for the wounded on the field. I felt sorry for him, knowing he had looked on so many loved faces that day for the last time, and that he was suffering somewhat from his own injuries. Looking still more depressed, he came near me and a little behind me, and said, ‘This is an awful battle!’ I replied, ‘Yes, but these fresh men will yet win the day.’ He said, ‘You have a great many relations on that field today—you cannot hope to see them all come in safe.’ I answered, ‘They all came safely through Donelson, and today my husband is in command of a division and is comparatively safe.’ He repeated from behind my shoulder, ‘It is an awful battle.’ My heart was touched by his depressed tones, but I thought his exhausting day’s work had caused them. I turned to console him and raising my eyes to the face of Hartley, who sat in front of me, and whose countenance reflected horror as he gazed full in the face of Elder Button, the dread truth fell on my heart like a thunderbolt—like the cold hand of steel.

“Words needed not to tell it; ’twas before me! I was stunned— chilled— almost paralyzed! Suffering came hours afterward- Very soon Brother Cyrus came to me self-charged with the duty of telling me my life had been darkened. He was spared the task; his work was already done. He gave me some of the details. Will’s division was falling back under orders and in order, he leading them. They had been outflanked by the enemy and at the time were under a heavy cross-fire of rebel musketry. Cyrus had just directed Will’s attention to some move of the enemy and he raised in his stirrups apparently to see better; but a shot had reached him, and the next moment he fell upon his face on the ground. He was in full view of the whole division at the time and from that moment confusion reigned. Their hopes of success had gone; Cyrus and an orderly (one who loved Will) carried him—whom they supposed dead—over a quarter of a mile. They had passed by their own lines and the enemy was madly upon them. To remain was to court death and with no hope of finally saving their precious charge. They laid him tenderly beside some ammunition to shield him from the trampling feet and tearfully left him— narrowly escaping with their own lives.

“My husband was dead, and the enemy had possession of the ground where he lay. ’Twas all they could tell and it was enough!

“In a few minutes Cyrus left me to go to Col. Ransom of the Eleventh, who lay wounded on a steamer near by, and he was by mistake car¬ ried down to Savannah. So I was quite alone that fearful night. God gave me strength and I spent much of the night in bathing the fevered brows and limbs of the sufferers around me. Action was a relief to me and some slight help to aid men who were suffering in the cause for which ‘Will’ had given his life.

“On Monday morning about 10 o'clock, as I was sitting beside a wounded man just brought in, Cyrus came to me with the word that Will had been brought in (after the rebels were put to flight) and—oh, joy,—he was breathing! I flew to the adjoining boat where lie was. There on a narrow mattress on the floor in the middle of the cabin, he lay mortally wounded. His face was flushed, but he was breathing naturally, so like himself, save that fearful wound in the temple. A ball had passed through his head in a manner that made it marvelous that he could still live. But the greatest joy was yet to come— Will recognized my voice at once and clasped my hand. I was thrilled and exclaimed, ‘He knows me—he knows me!’ Others said that could not be, but Will’s lips moved and with difficulty uttered ‘Yes.’ Words fail to tell how sweet it was! I believed my husband dead, and he is alive and knows me! Father, I thank thee! I could appreciate the feelings of Mary and Martha at the tomb of Lazarus. The boat was now taken to Savannah, and we were permitted to place him in a large room at post headquarters. Brother Cyrus Dickey, Martin Wallace, Hitt Wallace, and several of Will’s staff were there, and all was done that ready hands and loving hearts could do. He seemed so happy and satisfied to have me near him, but lay in calm self- control even in death, conscious that his moments of life were continued only by this rest. But hope with us grew brighter until after periodical delirium, caused by excessive inflammation, passed away, and his pulse began to fail; we knew his moments with us were few. My darling knew that he was going and pressed my hand long and fondly to his heart. Then he waved me away and said, ‘We meet in heaven.’ They were the last words upon those loved lips, and he faded away gently, and peacefully, and hope¬ fully. My father snatched a moment to come to my side, as he was breathing his last. I had now lost him in very deed, but the blow was not so heavy as when I first heard he was killed on the battle-field. Those last days had been so cherished, so unexpected. I raised mv heart in grateful thanks for this, and also that the dearest friends of both were with him at his death. God had led me there, so that I should not meet the great sorrow alone. He had permitted me to soothe the last hours of my husband and had given him appreciated knowledge of the act.

“After he could no longer see me, he would pass his fingers over every hand he touched to assure himself by the ring that he held mine. In his restlessness he would drop the hand for a moment, but the next instant he would reach for it and search for the ring. If the took the right hand and found no ring, he would pass quickly on the left hand, and touch the ring as evidence of my presence.”

The body of General Wallace was brought home. Thousands of people paid their tribute of respect and he was laid to rest in a private burying ground at his home on the north bluff of Ottawa. Honored in the history of his country, his memory cherished by the soldiers who knew him and to be loved bv all who shall in future learn of his kindly, gentle, brave and faithful soul, he sleeps well.