Part 3

This also from Comrade Wright's letter: "As I write grave thoughts crowd in upon me. I go back in memory to the days of '61. I am again at the war meeting in Newark, where I listened to the thrilling eloquence of Watson until fired by a new born purpose I there resolved to serve my country and, if so it be ordered, to die in the service. I was one of the first to sign the Company roll. We are now widely scattered, but are bound together by the strongest ties. We will hardly meet again in this life, but may we so live that we shall meet around our Father's throne where severed ties of earth shall be re-united in Heaven." To this closing sentiment of our brave Comrade say I, most heartily, Amen. So may we live. Let every Company K man, still left, use this prayer. Comrades Gray and Taylor, join in.

Our Recruits.

TWO SPLENDID ENGLISHMEN.

On the 4th of July, 1861, two young men of good appearance walked into our camp and immediately declared their intentions. They proposed to unite with us. We cordially accepted, and the next day the ceremony was performed.

JOHN BROAD, Schell City, Vernon County, Missouri.

July 5, 1861-November 27, 1861. Born in England. Came to America in 1859. Twenty-two years old when enlisted. Pensioned at rate of four dollars a month for disabilities incurred in service. A carpenter by trade, but now farming. Was brought up an Anglican. At present a member of the M. E. church, South. Formerly a democrat. Now votes with the Alliance.

THOMAS HOPGOOD, Clinton, Henry County, Missouri.

July 5, 1861-July 5, 1864. Born in England. Came to America May, 1859. Twenty-six years old when enlisted. Receives no pension. Politics, republican all the time. Religion, Protestant, a Presbyterian. Has not forgotten the time when we campaigned together. Remembers all the boys and wants to be remembered by all of them.

TWO MORE RECRUITS, BUT NOT OF A KIND.

About the middle of August, 1861, two large and very brave looking men, Bishop and another[1], came down from Kendall county, Illinois, to join Company K. We were then at Cape Girardeau, Missouri, and just at that juncture were in need of re-inforcements. A Confederate army under General Polk had crossed the river at Columbus, Kentucky, and was threatening the town. When the recruits arrived the camp was in commotion on account of the expected attack. Bishop immediately got a gun, took his place in the ranks and was ready for active hostilities. The other became sad and pensive. He did not want a gun, and did not appear so much of a warrior as at the moment of his arrival. He finally went on board of a boat with some women and children and crossed the Mississippi river. After remaining in the woods of Southern Illinois for a few days he came back to camp to get his carpet bag. He did not want to be mustered into the army. He wanted to go to his peaceful home, and he went. He still lives in Illinois. I am not informed as to whether he has succeeded in getting a pension or not. His case will require a special act.

[1] In original manuscript the name of this recruit was given, but it is here omitted in compliance with the very earnest solicitation of the printer.

LEWIS G. BISHOP, Grand Junction, Colorado.

July 16, 1861-August 9, 1862. Born in Yorkshire, Cattaraugus county, New York, on St. Patrick's day, 1838. Was, therefore, twenty-three years old at time of enlistment. Was wounded in left arm and left leg at Shiloh. Was sent down the rivers to hospitals at Paducah and Mound City. In course of time obtained leave of absence and went up to Newark, Illinois. Was then made aware that the people appreciated the soldiers. Was lionized wherever he went in Kendall county, which was a source of embarrassment to him, as he was a modest and humble individual. Was discharged because of wounds and receives pension therefor at rate of twelve dollars a month. He is glad that he still has his left leg, although it is not as good as the other. He is obliged to wear a rubber stocking and use other appliances to suppress inflammation and reduce varicose veins.

Comrade Bishop remembers with minute particularity the events of the Fort Henry and Fort Donelson campaigns. He remembers as though it were yesterday the morning, when, at dawn, we discovered lines of Confederates looking at us from their rifle pits and when Chaplain Button went upon his knees on the ground and prayed with great earnestness for the salvation of the souls of those who should be slain in the impending battle. He thinks that if the Chaplain had taken a fife and stepped out and played "Yankee Doodle" it would have a better effect. He confesses that the prayer depressed him. In the state of mind in which he was at that time he would greatly prefer to live than to die and take his chances for heaven. This was probably the prevailing sentiment among the soldiers of both armies.

Comrade Bishop came West in the spring of 1860; went as far as Fort Larimie, Wyoming, returned in the fall to Illinois, taught school near Newark in winter of 1860-61; in spring of 1861 went to Wisconsin and helped to run a raft of lumber out of the Wisconsin river down to Muscatine; in July, 1861, returned to Kendall county, Illinois. When the disaster occurred at Bull Run he awoke to the fact that the country was seriously menaced and resolved to be a soldier. He was acquainted with many of the boys of Company K, had visited them in Joliet, and he decided to cast his lot with them. He picked up his carpet-bag and went to Cape Girardeau, Missouri, and was mustered in.

After discharge Comrade Bishop became a student and a teacher; later he studied dentistry, and for many years has been engaged in the practice of that profession.

Religion: Agnostic. He neither asserts nor denies any theological dogma.

Politics: Anything to beat the republican party. Believes that the principles and methods of that party should be relegated to "innosuous desuetude." The party is owned and fenced in by syndicates, corporations and factories, and is not worthy of public confidence. The people should rise in their sovereign capacity and decree that capital shall cease to dominate the legislation of the country.

Comrade Bishop has been married and he has been un-married. He considers that St. Paul gave first-class advice when, in his letter to the Corinthians, he wrote, "Seek not a wife."

AUGUSTUS GAY, No. 902 Second Street, Seattle, Washington.

April 5, 1862-April 9, 1865. Was born at Albany, New York, in July, 1846. Was, therefore, fifteen years and nine months old when he enlisted. Was the youngest man in Company K, and looked very honest. No boy in the whole Union army had a more innocent face than Augustus Gay. He came to us at Joliet and was rejected. He followed up the Regiment for about a year and during most of that time had a position on Dr. Bailey's staff. Finally, at Pittsburg Landing, the day before the battle of Shiloh, he was mustered into the service as a member of Company K. Was mustered out at Raleigh, North Carolina, by reason of the expiration of his term of enlistment.

Augustus Gay appeared to court danger. He went into battle with a broad smile on his face and a twinkle of the eye as though he were engaged in something pleasant and agreeable. Was very reckless and daring in action. The wonder was how it happened that he was never killed. Was captured near Atlanta July 22, 1864, and went to Anderson prison, where he spent several months. Was finally transferred by the Confederates from Andersonville to Savannah and was at that place when it was captured by the Union army December 21, 1864.

I am in receipt of a long and interesting letter from Comrade Gay in which he gives facts concerning himself. This is dated March 26, 1894. I had previously written him up for the roster from memory and had classed him among the missing. He says he was very glad to hear from Company K. He has never seen any of the Company since the war, and had never heard from any of them. He was not sick a day while in the army and was never wounded. Since the war he has never been so seriously sick as to be confined to his bed. He is not a rich man and he is not a poor man. He weighs 250 pounds. He lives well. He never chews nor smokes tobacco nor drinks intoxicating liquors and never plays cards. He has been on the Pacific slope for twenty years and has not been back to the States during that time. He has been married for ten years and has now a boy more than half as old as he was when he joined Company K. After the war he studied dental surgery and has followed that profession continuously. Receives pension at rate of six dollars a month. Writes thus: "I want you to put in your roster that if ever a Company K man comes to this part of the world I want him to come and see me."

He says that he is Protestant. But I don't think he is a full-blooded Protestant. If I remember correctly he used to tell us in the army that his parents were Hibernians, and that he was half Catholic and half Protestant, and had by inheritance all the good qualities of both kinds of religion.

JAMES SPRINGER, Eighty-eighth and Throop Streets, Chicago, Illinois.

Born on a farm near La Fayette, Indiana. Enlisted August 28, 1862, at the age of twenty-two years. Joined Company K at Holly Springs, Mississippi, in November, 1862, and served until mustered out at the close of the war in 1865.

After discharge became a student at the University of Chicago, also, law department thereof, from which he graduated in June, 1868, and was then admitted to the bar. Practiced law for sixteen years. For a time was engaged in journalism. Since 1885 has followed a business career.

In politics an independent; in religion a Methodist.

LAMBERT CONNER, Braidwood, Illinois.

Born in Hunterdon county, New Jersey. I think he enlisted in the spring of 1863. Was then eighteen years old. Mustered out July 16, 1865. Receives pension at rate of sixteen dollars a month for disabilities incurred in service. He did not reply to my letter of inquiry.

FOUR KIDS.

Four nice boys, in a bunch, came into our camp at Big Black river, Mississippi, about the first of April, 1864. These were Pease Barnard, Charles Hall, Luman Preston and Fayette Scofield. They were all "Suckers," were separated from their mothers for the first time and, to the old campaigners of Fort Donelson, Shiloh and Vicksburg, they, appeared very fresh and innocent. They had been mustered in several weeks before by a recruiting officer in Illinois, and fitted out with Uncle Sam's uniforms, and were now ready to assist in winding up the war.

NATHANIEL PEASE BARNARD, Newark, Illinois.

February 25, 1864-July 16, 1865. Born in LaSalle county, Illinois. Seventeen years old when enlisted. Served in Georgia, went with Sherman from Atlanta to the sea, and helped to eviscerate the Carolinas. Pensioned at rate of eight dollars a month. Member of M. E. church. An active member of republican party. A lawyer by profession.

CHARLES HALL, Westport, Brown County, South Dakota.

February 24, 1864-July 16, 1865. Born in Kendall county, Illinois. Eighteen years old when enlisted. July, 1864, in Georgia campaign, was shot in the neck, and for a time was supposed to be dead. This recruit was built of good material for a soldier. Did not answer my letter.

LUMAN PRESTON, Dixon, Illinois.

February 16, 1864-July 16, 1865. Born in Kendall county, Illinois. Eighteen years old when enlisted. Is in business. Did not reply to my letter of inquiry. Is probably very busily engaged attending to customers. I meet Luman occasionally. He is always in good shape and happy. I think he is a democrat. Is of the bluest Puritan blood, but has the figure of a Teuton.

Our Missing Members.

The following four Company K men I cannot find. If any Comrade can give me any information concerning any of them I desire to have him do so. They may be living, but I think it is more probable that they are dead:

GEORGE ADAMS.

June, 1861-October 14, 1862. Born in England.

JOHN CONSTANTINE.

May, 1861-August 29, 1861. Born in Ireland. Came to America when one year old. Claimed to have been discharged from the regular army a short time before enlisting in Company K. Was an intemperate, boisterous and quarrelsome man. Was dismissed from the army by sentence of a court martial.

LOUIS MINTZ.

April, 1861-August 24, 1863. Born in Portugal. In religion was supposed to be a Hebrew. I think he came to Newark as a peddler and there joined Company K. He was a good soldier, but was very excitable. On one occasion, when advancing on skirmish line through the woods, he fired into a dead rebel who was hanging on a fence. Comrade Mintz was overheated at Raymond, from which he never recovered, and on account of which he was discharged.

JOHN PEPOON.

May, 1861-December 16, 1862. At time of enlistment he lived in Oswego township, Kendall county, Illinois.

OUR DEAD.

For many years earth has held the ashes of our fallen Comrades in its bosom. We have kept their memories in our hearts.

Slain in Battle.

ANDREW WILSON, Plattville, Illinois.

Born in Ohio. Enlisted June 17, 1861, at the age of twenty-three years. Shot through the head at Fort Donelson, and instantly killed, February 15, 1862, while the Union line was advancing on the enemy.

Early on the morning of the 16th the Confederates surrendered. I was on the detail sent out that day to bury the dead of our Regiment. We went to the place where we had position in the line and there, on a hard hill, through stones and roots we dug a grave. This is the only grave I have ever helped to dig. It was thirty feet long and a little more than six feet wide. When of sufficient depth two men remained in the bottom, and others handed down, one by one, eighteen men of the 20th Illinois Regiment. Andrew Wilson was one of the number. When they had all been placed side by side across the grave, good Chaplain Button spoke solemn, earnest words in exhortation and prayer. Our dead were covered with earth, three volleys were fired over them as a parting salutation, and we then filed away into camp, weary and sad.

CURTIS WANN, Newark, Illinois.

Born in Clarion county, Pennsylvania, October 2, 1843. Enlisted in Company K, April, 1861. Shot and killed instantly in the battle of Shiloh, Sunday, April 6, 1862. I have a clear recollection of Curtis Wann on the morning of that dreadful day, when we were going forward to meet the enemy. His face was aglow with eagerness and courage, but alas! he was the first to fall.

JAMES CRELLEN, Newark, Illinois.

Born on the Isle of Man. Had not been in America many years. Was a shoemaker, and worked at his trade in Newark. Was well thought of by everybody. He was one of the first to sign the Company roll. He said at the outset that he wanted to be killed if he could not come out of the war entire. He dreaded mutilation more than death. At Shiloh, Sunday, April 6, 1861, he was shot through the neck and killed instantly. I had my eyes squarely upon him when he was struck. He dropped to the ground and never moved. Did not even quiver. While lying dead upon the battlefield he was again shot through the face.

MARCUS MORTON.

Enlisted at Joliet May, 1861. Was shot and mortally wounded at Shiloh April 6, 1861. Died in a few days after the battle.

ISRAEL WATERS, Plattville, Illinois.

Enlisted at Joliet in May, 1861. Was shot and instantly killed May 12, 1863, in the battle of Raymond. While we were engaged in the desperate fighting behind the rail fence I turned my eyes on Waters and he was cheering and shouting defiance to the enemy. In a few moments I looked again and he lay perfectly dead. A bullet had passed through his brain.

WILLIAM SHOGER, Oswego, Illinois.

Born in Germany. Came to America in 1855. Enlisted in May, 1861, at the age of nineteen years. Shot and killed instantly in the battle of Raymond May 12, 1863. Was brought up and confirmed a Lutheran. Later withdrew from Lutheran church and became an active member of Evangelical church.

DAVID BARROWS, Newark, Illinois.

Born in New Hampshire. Enlisted April, 1861, at the age of thirty-five years. Shot and killed instantly in the battle of Raymond May 12, 1863. Was a married man and left a wife and three little girls lonely and sad. If I were asked who was the best soldier in Company K the first man I would think of would be David Barrows. He did not waste much powder. A good marksman, and level-headed under the most trying circumstances, he aimed and fired in the heat and fury of battle with the precision and accuracy of target practice.

Comrades Waters, Shoger and Barrows were at my right. They were all shot through the head and, when killed, lay touching each other.

BENJAMIN ADAMS, Newark, Illinois.

Born in Kendall county, Illinois. Enlisted April, 1861, at the age of twenty years. Killed in battle of Raymond May 12, 1863. Comrade Adams was shot at the very beginning of the battle, as we lay in the woods waiting for the skirmishers to rally in, and before we fired a gun. At the close of the battle he was still living. A comrade paused over him and said--

"Can I do anything for you?"

"No."

"Ben, you are badly hurt. Won't I stay with you?"

"They are running, are they not?"

"Yes, we have them on the run. Won't I stay with you?"

"No; go on."

He was taken by an ambulance to the field hospital and died in a few minutes after reaching that place.

HENRY MITCHELL, Na-au-say Township, Kendall County, Illinois.

Born of English parents on Prince Edward's Island January 31, 1836. Came to Kendall county, Illinois, in 1845. Enlisted in Company K May, 1861, at the age of twenty-five years. Killed in the battle of Raymond May 12, 1863.

Henry Mitchell was in every sense a large, strong, brave man, and was highly regarded by all such as have regard for what is true and noble in human life and character. He was scrupulously correct in all his habits. Never played cards, was never profane in speech, and never had any use for whisky, tobacco or beer. He had five brothers in the Union army, all in Company C of the 7th Illinois Regiment, namely, Anthony, William, George, Robert and Samuel. These five in the 7th Regiment and Henry in the 20th were all in the battle lines at Fort Donelson and Shiloh. I do not believe that there is in the whole range of history another instance in which six brothers fought in the ranks of any army in the same great battles. I have read of Roman patriotism and Grecian valor, of Spartan mothers sending out their sons to battle with the injunction to come back either victorious or dead, but I have never read of anything that is equal to the case of the six Mitchell brothers in patriotism, devotion and valor, all of whom responded at once to their country's first call for volunteers.

Of these six brave brothers only three now survive, namely--Anthony, in Kansas, and Robert and Samuel, in Colorado. George was slain on the second day at Shiloh. "We were all within six feet of George when he fell," writes Anthony. That is, the other four of the 7th Regiment; and Henry was close by in the 20th Regiment. William contracted disease in the army, came home sick and died.

ROBERT TAYLOR, Lisbon, Illinois.

Born in England. Came to America when a child. Enlisted in Company K, April, 1861, at the age of about twenty-three years. Shot through hip and mortally wounded in battle of Raymond May 12, 1863. Lived a few days after the battle and died in extreme agony. I lay near him in the hospital. His suffering was the most terrible that I have ever witnessed.

WILLIAM READ, Newark, Illinois.

Was a recruit. I think he came to the Company in 1862. Was shot in head and mortally wounded in battle of Raymond, May 12, 1863. Lived a few days after the battle.

JOHN WOODRUFF, Oswego, Illinois.

Enlisted in May, 1861. Shot and mortally wounded in the battle of Raymond, May 12, 1863. Was shot in leg below the knee. Three different amputations were performed, one below the knee and two above, but each was followed by unfavorable results. He and I were in the same hospital, and not very far apart. I witnessed the amputations. The patient in all his suffering exhibited the most incredible fortitude. He lived nearly three weeks and never groaned nor sighed. At last when informed that mortification was advancing and the end was near, he called an attendant, paid him for extra service rendered and then turned over to the attendant his pocket-book and some other personal effects to be sent to his sister at Iowa Falls, Iowa. This was done with perfect deliberation. He manifested no fear of death. I remember him very distinctly in former battles. He was a very brave soldier.

RICE BAXTER, Na-au-say Township, Kendall County, Illinois.

May, 1861-October 13, 1861. In a few months after being discharged from Company K he enlisted in another Regiment and was killed in the battle of Arkansas Post, January 10, 1863. I have been unable to obtain any information concerning Comrade Baxter from any of his relatives, although I have made persistent efforts to do so.

Died in the Service.

THOMPSON BRISTOL, Newark, Illinois.

Enlisted in April, 1861, at the age of nineteen years. Went into camp at Joliet, became sick, went home on furlough and died June 16, 1861. Buried in Millington. Let his grave be decorated.

WILLIAM ASHTON, Lisbon, Illinois.

Born of English parents in Delaware county, Pennsylvania. Enlisted April, 1861, at the age of nearly twenty-one years. Died at Cape Girardeau, Missouri, September 2, 1861.

STEPHEN JENNINGS, Newark, Illinois.

Born in State of New York. Enlisted April, 1861, at the age of twenty-five years. Died of typhoid fever in hospital at Mound City, Illinois, October 15, 1861.

RICHARD CONNER, Plattville, Illinois.

Born in Hunterdon county, New Jersey. Enlisted June 12, 1861, at the age of twenty years. Died of measles in hospital at Mound City, Illinois, December 23, 1861.

FRANK LEHMAN.

Born in Germany. Enlisted May, 1861. Died at Bird's Point, Missouri, January 11, 1862.

JOHN R. MCKEAN, Newark, Illinois.

Was one of the first to volunteer in April, 1861. Had been in the regular army and, I think, for a short time in the Mexican war. Took a very active part in organizing the Company and drilling the boys. Was elected Second Lieutenant. A very efficient officer. Died at Bird's Point, Missouri, January 23, 1862.

Does any comrade know anything about Lieutenant McKean's burial? If so, report to me, please.

GEORGE MALLORY, Newark, Illinois.

Born at Rome, Oneida county, New York, November 10, 1835. Came to Kendall county, Illinois, in 1838. Enlisted April, 1861, at the age of twenty-five years. Died at Bird's Point, Missouri, January 28, 1862.

WILLIAM CROWNER.

Enlisted in May, 1861. Died in hospital at Mound City, March 10, 1862.

EDWARD ATKINS, Newark, Illinois.

Enlisted April, 1861. Died at Newark, Illinois, March 11, 1862, while home on furlough sick.

AARON PAXSON, Newark, Illinois.

Enlisted May, 1861. Died at Newark, Illinois, May 4, 1862, while home on furlough sick.

WILLIAM BENNETT, Adams Township, La Salle County, Illinois.

Born in England January 4, 1837. Enlisted at Newark April, 1861, at the age of twenty-four years. His vitality was overtaxed at Fort Donelson. He broke down and never recovered. Was sent down the river and died in general hospital at St. Louis, Missouri, May 5, 1862.

ALBERT WILCOX, Lisbon, Illinois.

Born in Kendall county, Illinois, January 21, 1842. Enlisted April, 1861, at the age of twenty years. Died in hospital at St. Louis, Missouri, May 13, 1862.

OTIS CHARLES, Bristol Station, Illinois.

Born in Bristol township, Kendall county, Illinois. Enlisted May, 1861, at the age of twenty-five years. Overcome by the strain at Fort Donelson he went home on furlough sick, and died at his home June 1, 1862.

WILLIAM SMITH, Plattville, Illinois.