Walt Whitman wrote: “The real war will never get into books.”
This page features stories about the Civil War as it relates to persons who had some degree of interaction with the Illinois State Hospital for the Insane. These are the stories that “never get into books.” They are veterans, nonetheless, and should be honored. I hope this page provides some of their stories.
William Putnam
This story is about William Putnam, who served in the 140th Illinois Infantry, Company K, and served guard duty (100 days of service). The excerpt on the .pdf (clink link on name below) is from pp.149-150 of my book. The photo was taken by Samantha Knox, whose Boy Scout son Kyle (Life Scout, Jacksonville Troop 113) is placing a flag at the grave of William in Jacksonville East cemetery in Jacksonville, IL.
“General” A.B. Leeper
The man who fired the last shot at the battle of Chickamauga
His name was Alfred, and he settled in Buckeye Prairie, Illinois, near Taylorville. He enlisted as a private, but was soon promoted as a Sargent, according to the History of the 115th Regiment, Illinois Infantry. Company A was mustered in Taylorville, and “it was made up of the sturdy farmers of Christian County.” The excerpt on the .pdf (clink link on name below) is from pp.152-154 of my book.
Reverend Walter Scott Russell
After serving as Chaplain at the Illinois Insane Asylum, he joined up with the Christian Commission, “but contracted a disease from which he died” while serving in Vicksburg, Mississippi (November 1863). The Christian Commission distributed Bibles and tracts, established reading-rooms at camps, and collected newspapers for the soldiers, furnished free letter writing materials and stamps, and tended the wounded. He is buried in Jacksonville East Cemetery. The excerpt on the .pdf (clink link on name below) is from pp.156-157 of my book.