Bismarck weekly tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1943, 1890-09-05
CAPT. $. ID. CONOTER.
Scholar, Soldier, and One of Burleigh
County's Prosperous Pioneers.

County's Prosperous Pioneers.
IT the reader will stop off at Menoken
station and call at the postoffice and ask to
see the postmaster, a plain, trim built.
scholarly looking gentleman will appear.
He was born in the state of New Jersey in
1927, and is now 63 years of age. He is not
given to boasting of his experience and do
ment would appear in the TRIBUNE he
probably would not have given your ''spe-
cial" enough OF the inside history to have
made a. interesting sketch, but he did not
suspect, and here it is. Capt. S. D. Conover
acquired a thorough education by hard
study. He became a teacher in the com.
mon school and taught at Girard college
Philadelphia, twelve years. In 1861 he
quit college and offered his services to his
country, and was assigned to the paymas-
ter's department. In 1862, finding thu work
paying troops tame, n wishing to see
more Of real war, he resigned the paymas-
ter's position and joined Company B, 125th
Illinois regiment, commanded by Col. @. F.
Harmon. This regiment was ordered to
| Covington, Ky, at the lime of the Kirby
Smith movement against Cincinnati, and
there they were under Gen. Lew Wallace.
Shortly afterward they moved over to
| Louisville and were there brigaded with
the Eighty-itth and Eighty-sixth Illinois
and the Fifty-second Ohio, and the re-
nowned Dan McCook became their COM
mander. They belonged to the first divi-
sion that Phil Sheridan ever commanded
and were in General Gilbert's corps.
They were at Perryville and in
the hottest part Of that battle.
They moved down toward Cumberland
Gap, after Bragg drove him out of Ken
lucky and then marched by way of Bowl
ing Green and MurfreesbUro to Nashville,
Here General Rosecrans was placed in
command. The regiment remained at
Nashville until September, 1868; then were
ordered forward to Chattanooga and were
in the two days battle at Cllicamauga and
James B. Steedman, who coming upon a
holly contested part of the field at a criti-
cal time, as "Pap" Thomas said in his re-
port, Saved the day"
1t was during this battle that Lieutenant
Conover performed important service and
was captured by General Forrest. lie was
stationed as lookout on Mission Ridge and
was signaling to army headquarters in the
field. Our forces were driven back, leav-
ing COnOver and four men alone. They
were in the midst of the confederate forces,
but by great care they stole through the
lines and reached headquarters, there re-
porting to General Thomas, who was
Standing in a fence corner in company with
General Garfield. After reporting, Thomas
ordered COnOver to return to Mission Ridge.
saying, tits a dangerous position, but its
Importance as a lookout demands your re-
turn" Conover with his detail returned,
and while there, by a lack of vigilance on
by General Forest, who with his staff rode
down upon them sc suddenly that there
T Tnn ended the ie""i fighting eof expe eseape:
of now Cal tain Conover. He was rushed
by rail via Atlanta and Savannah to Rich
mund, in Libby, he spent seven months;
from there to Macon, Ga, he spent three
months, and at Charlestown, s. C., three
months. While here he was under fire of
our own guns during the bombardment.
From here they were moved to Columbia,
5. C., and kept three months, and when
sherman approached thai place they were
sent to Gp!usboro, n. e., and exchanged.
and could write a 500 page book in regard
to prisoners, the prisons and those who
had charge OF them. In July, 1865, he re-
celved his discharge as captain of the COM
pany. This IS a very hasty, imperfect
sketch Of Mr.. Conover's army life At
several different times he met General
Sheridan. and had he not been captured at
the time he was, would have been assigned
to Little Phifs staff. But fate ruled other.
wise. In 1880 he visited this county and
was with the Weaver Lumber company.
lie was married in 1851; has one daughter
and three sons, all grown to maturity, and
are hoeing their own row. The postoffice
at Menoken is a very quiet retreat for one
who has taught for twelve years in a col
lege where 500 orphans were gathered-or
who for three years served in the army
and was for many months in prison. Still,
without a word Of complaint to indicate
his disappointment, this studious Old pro-
fessor conversed of the past and of the tu-
ture freely and cheerfully. He said: My
ten years in Dakota has convinced me
that with proper organization for storing
the surplus water in the lakes and streams
and preserving the natural hay lands and
preventing fires and introducing the best
grades OF horses, cattle and sheep, the
western counties of North Dakota-es-
pecially those on the Missouri range-will
become the best stock breeding fields in
| the n~OrthWpStD