War was declared with Mexico in May, 1846, and Illinois, under the call for
volunteers, was entitled to three regiments. The sheriff of Macon County,
under the proclamation of Gov. Ford, called for the enlistment of volunteers.
Under this call Company C of what was afterwards the 4th Regiment was raised,
consisting of 78 men. When the company reached Springfield thirty companies
had already reported, and the three regiments were full.
E, D, Baker [ed., afterwards Senator from
Oregon, Major General in the
Civil War, and who was killed at
Ball's
Bluff] then a prominent man of Illinois, through the influence of Hon.
O. B. Ficklin, our member in Congress [ed.,
Orlando
B. Ficklin], prevailed on President Polk to allow him to raise a 4th
Regiment from Illinois, and by this means the Macon County men entered the
service, Mr. Baker was elected Colonel, Lieut. Gov. Moore was elected Lieutenant
Colonel, and Thomas Harris was elected Major of the regiment.
The late Gen. I. C. Pugh [ed.,
Gen.
Isaac C. Pugh] was elected Captain of Company C, and
Senator
R. J. Oglesby, 1st Lieutenant; Anderson Fromon, 2d Lieutenant; John P.
Post, 3d Lieutenant; Stephen Osborn, 18t Sergeant; G. W. Galbreath, 2d Sergeant;
B. F. Oglesby, 3d Sergeant; B, L, Martin, I St Corporal; James Hollingsworth,
2d Corporal; W. J. Usrey, 3d Corporal; and G. W. Nelson, 4th Corporal.
The following is a list of the volunteers :
J. M. Arwood |
M. M. Henry |
James Rea |
David Bailer |
W. D. B. Henry |
E. Rice |
Richard Barnwell |
Levi Hite |
S. Rice |
P. T. Bebee |
J. Horner |
Wm. Robinson |
Miles Bosworth |
D. Howell |
J. Saunders |
A. Botkin |
David Huffman |
J. A. Shepley |
G. M. Braden |
I. Inman |
J. Sheppard |
Madison Bradshaw |
T. Johnson |
T. Souther |
Jesse Butler |
J. C. Leadbetter |
Dan. Spangler |
George Carver |
A. B. Lee |
Jason Sprague |
J. B. Case |
W. E. Lee |
D. G. Stevens |
Laban Chambers |
H. Lord |
R. H. Stewart |
W. W. Chapman |
Thomas Lord |
F. E. Travis |
G. W. Church |
J. A. Lowrie |
J. B. Travis |
W. P. Davidson |
Wm. McDaniel |
J. D. Travis |
Daniel Davis |
J. C. Malson |
James Turner |
W. Dean |
G. J. Malson |
T. D, Turney |
J. M. Dickey |
Ben. Martin |
Lewis Ward |
G. W. Dillow |
I. Martin |
Robert Warnick |
James Freeman* |
H. Martin |
W. E. Warnick |
A. Greenfield |
Chris. Mayers |
B. E. Wells |
James Greenfield |
Chas. Nelson |
William Wheeler |
S. K. Harrell |
Wm. Nesbitt |
W. R. Wheeler |
Wm. Hawks |
J. Perryman |
J. W. White |
Sterne Helm |
J. S. Post |
B. White |
John Henry |
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*Joined the company at Brazos.
Company C marched from Decatur to Springfield about the middle of June, 1846,
where the regiment was formed. After remaining at Springfield a short time,
the regiment marched to Alton, where arms were in store, which the regiment
procured by a little maneuvering on the part of Col. Baker and Capt. J. S.
Post.
Col. J. J. Hardin, believing that he was entitled to these arms, stoutly
protested against their appropriation by Col. Baker, and a wordy warfare
ensued which came near resulting in a duel. From Alton the regiment was
transferred to Jefferson Barracks, and there placed under charge of Col.
Churchill, commandant, under whom it received thorough discipline and drill.
About the 20th of July the regiment was mustered into service by Col. Crogan
[ed., Colonel George Croghan], of Fort Meigs notoriety. In a few days the
regiment received orders and, embarked for New Orleans, and thence to Brazos,
Santiago Bay, four miles north of the mouth of the Rio Grande, where it
disembarked.
After remaining at this point for about a week, orders were received to march
up the Rio Grande eight miles, where occurred the first death in Co. C, viz:
Second Sergeant George Galbreath. As Col. Baker and a squad of twelve men,
all from Macon County, detailed to bury Mr. G., were about to return to camp,
they heard a disturbance on board of a steamboat near by, and on arriving
at the scene, they learned that an Irish company, in a drunken melee, had
driven from the boat the Kennesaw rangers. Baker ordered his handful of men
on the boat to quell the disturbance; but no sooner had he done so, than
a hand-to-hand encounter ensued, in which the colonel and his squad were
soon overpowered and compelled to retire: but not without loss. Col. Baker
received a rapier thrust, penetrating his mouth and extending through the
back of his neck; Capt. J. S. Post was wounded in the breast, having a rib
broken; Charles Dillow,* killed; R. H. Stewart, bayoneted in the thigh; and
seven others of the squad more or less injured. At this point orders were
received to move still further up the river to Matamoras, on the Mexican
side, where they remained a few days, and then moved on to Camargo, where
a great deal of sickness ensued.
Returning to Matamoras, they then marched to Victoria— marching
on Christmas day forty-five miles. About the first of January, 1847, orders
were received to March to Tampico, two hundred miles distant, at which place
preparations were made for an attack on Vera Cruz. Taking ship at Tampico
about the first of February, Vera Cruz was reached in sixteen days, and Company
C assisted in the construction of the batteries and the bombardment of the
city, which surrendered March 29. After the taking of the city of Vera Cruz,
Scott's army marched for the City of Mexico, and en route met Santa Anna,
at the mountain pass of Cerro Gordo, on the eighteenth of April, where a
battle was fought. Company C had but forty-eight men in this engagement,
two of whom were killed and ten wounded. The killed were J. C. Malson and
George Nelson.
At this battle Santa Anna came near being taken prisoner, and in his effort
to escape left in his carriage $25,000 in silver and his cork leg, which
were captured by Company C, it being at the head of the brigade. The next
morning ensuing the battle. Gen. Scott followed on to Jalapa, where Company
C remained about a month, when the time of enlistment expired, and the company
returned via New Orleans and St. Louis, arriving at home about the first
of June, 1847, bringing with them the banner received from the citizens on
their departure. They were very enthusiastically received. A grand barbecue
was prepared for the returning volunteers, and day of general rejoicing was
had, still remembered with satisfaction by the participants.
*His last words were: " If I have got to go, the road to heaven is just as
near from here as from Macon County. "
Source: Smith, J. W. (1876).
History of Macon County, Illinois, from its
organization to 1876. Springfield, Ill: Rokker's
Printing House. Transcribed and annotated by Judy Rosella Edwards.
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