Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1890-06-07
In MEMORIAM.
The Brave and HOnored Career of
Gen. John BufOrd.
A PROUD MILITARY RECORD.
The Memorial Committee of the Post
or This city, Presents Its Fttttn e
Tribute TO the soldier whose Name
liz so Proudly CherIshes.

243, department OF Illinois G. A. X. APP
pointed committee, composed of Capt.
Joseph W. Bracket Rev. g. w. Cue
and Gen. VIM. A. Schmidt to draft
suitable memorial to Major-Gen-
eral John Buford, United States
army. after whom the post takes its name
The memorial committee has completed
its work and it is well performed. The
sketch Of the life and character of Gen.
Buford which the committee has pre-
sented. was written by VIM. S. Bracket,
native of Rock Island and now inspec.
tor general of the national guard of H.
linois for the committee, and which has
been adopted by it. Gen. Schmidt had
intended to read this memorial as part
of the memorial day exercises at the SOL
diers' monument on last memorial day,
but so much time was occupied with the
other exercises as to make it impossible.
II will be read at q subsequent meeting of
the post. The memorial is printed below
in full
IN MEMoRIAM
Major General John Buford, U. S. Army died
December 10, 1868, aged 81 years.
When the historian of the future shall
record with impartial truth the part per-
formed in our great war by the cavalry of
the army of the Potomac, one name will
shine the brightest of all on the early
pages of that record--the name of Gen.
John Buford. Struck down by death
1npr haf.Nra L. L.
already displayed his magnificent ability
as field marshal of cavalry on many a
we'll fought field, and had stamped upon
the mounted troops of the Potomac army
his own well-mstured and admirable
ideas of military organization and disci-
pline. Never afterwards did the cavalry
of that historic army lose the impress and
character which Buford gave it, and
when his manly form had long since been
laid in the grave, thousands of officers
and men who had been trained and
schooled by him, marched. and rode, and
fought on many bloody fields, ever
mindful of his sterling maxims. ever re
membering in their hearts the skillful
Young general who had taught them how
To fight and win battles.
The city of Rock Island is Justly proud
of Gen. John Buford, for he was her son
Here his father lived, and here his boy
hood was passed Here many of his kim
dred came and made their home at an
early day. and here many of them yet
live among the most honored and re-
spected of Rock Islands citizens. The
history of Rock Island could not be
written without the name of Buford ap-
pesring many times in every chapter of
that history.
John Buford, Jr., Gas he was called
when a bOy). was born in Kentucky,
March 4, A. D.. 1926 His father was
Col. John Buford, so we'll remembered by
all the old citizens of Rock Island coun>
~. The family was of English origin,
and the first Buford who came to this
country settled in Culpeper county,
Virginia. He had six sons, three of
whom were distinguished soldiers in the
American army of the revolution. In
1890, after that war. four OF them emf
grated to Kentucky. Simeon, the grand
father of John Buford, Jr, settled on
large tract of land. which under his in
dustry and skill, became afterwards one
OF the finest plantations in what is now
known as Woodford county in that state.
Col. John Buford went with his ia
ther. Simeon Buford, to Kentucky in 1890,
being then only eleven years old. He
married while quite young and settled
near his father, having three children by
his first marriage, one of whom was the
late Gen. Napoleon B. Buford, who
graduated at West Point in 1927, was an
officer OF the old regular army. and
served with distinction through the civil
war as colonel Of the 9th infantry IlIi-
nois regiment, and as brieadier-general
and brevet>major general U. s. volun>
teers. Gen. n. B. Buford lived in Rock
Island many years, but at the time of his
death resided in Chicago. He used to
talk with the writer about his brother
John, always with marked affection and
pride. He once said that John could
not help becoming distinguished cavalry
officer, because he was almost born on
horseback. and as a boy was the greatest
dare devil of a rider in the whole coun-
try. It is safe to say that young John
Buford understood horses and horse-
flesh pretty well from his infancy, and
this factor was one of many which in af.
ter years helped make him such an able
commander of cavalry. Col. John Bu-
ford left his Kentucky home in his man.
hoods prime and came to Rock Island
Illinois, where he took up his residence,
being among the early settlers of that
town, and one of its foremost citizens
during his entire life. John Buford,
Jr., was the eldest son of Col. John Bu-
ford, his second wife. This lady
was the granddaughter OF Capt. Edward
Howe, who served under Light Horse
Harry Lee of the revolution, in the IA
nous Light Horse Legion" of that per-
iod. The subject of this memoir, early
showing marked preference for the
army, was appointed a cadet from Illi-
nois IN the U. s. military academy at
West Point, in 1874. and graduated with
honor In 1S48. With the blood of one
OF Light Horse Harry Lees captains in
his veins, and in his heart the memories
and traditions of the ''blue grass coun.
try where his kinsmen had been noted
for breeding fine horses of the celebrated
Kentucky blooded stock, john Buford,
Jr., naturally selected the cavalry arm of
the service for bis future career. He
was commissioned as brevet second
lieutenant LIST U. s. dragons, July /.
1S4S, and saw his first service in garrison
at jefferson barracks. Mo. During 1s4S
and 1S49 he was ordered to the western
frontier where now is the state of Kan
sas. and afterwards served with his regi-
ment in New Mexico and Texas. In 1849
he was promoted second-lieutensnt
of the Cd U. s. dragons, and
in 1866 q first-lieutenant in the
same regiment. During these years
Lieut.. Buford had attracted the at
tention of his superiors by his energetic
and thorough manner of discharging