Bismarck weekly tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1943, 1895-11-01

6oL. CLEMENT A. L~oUNsBERRY, mem
K, Der of the Historical Commission,
" president of the North Dakota
Historical Society and editor of
the Record, published under the auspices
of the North Dakota Historical Society
at Fargo, North Dakota, was born at
MELVILLE, Dekalb county, Indiana, March
p, 1843. He was educated at the pub
lie schools at Hicksville, Ohio, where he
went to reside after the death of his
parents which occurred before his
seventh year; also at the public schools
in Michigan. At fourteen years of age
he went to Fort Wayne to learn the ma
chinists' trade but there being no open
ing he started on a tramp in search of
work, landing finally at Marshall, Mich
igan, where he secured work on a farm,
near Albion, and spent three winters in
the vicinity in the country schools.
April 81, 1861, ne enlisted in response to
LincoIn's first call for troops and be-
came a private in Company I, First
Michigan Volunteers, and was mustered
into the United States service for three
months. Three days before the eXpira-
ton of his term he was wounded and
taken prisoner at First Bull Run and
remained a prisoner, at Libby prison in
Richmond, Tuscaloosa, Alabama and
Salisbury, North Carolina, until June
II, 1862, nearly a year. Mustered out
July G, 1862, at Detroit, Michigan, he
enlisted again in the Twentieth Michi.
gan, Aug. 8, 1862, and upon the organ
ization Of the regiment he became First
Sergeant of Company I; Jan. 26, 1868,
he became Second Lieutenant Company
K;Nov. 10, 1868, First Lieutenant Com
pany H; May II, 1864, Captain Company
A; December 2, Major by brevet "for
gallant and m~eritorious services in the
campaign before Richmond, Va" This
appointment was made by President
Lincoln. December 20, 1864 he was ap-
pointed Lieutenant Colonel and March
,, 1865, Colonel. This latter commission
was received by him on his 22d birth
day and his friends claim for him that
he was the youngest colonel in the
service who rose from the ranks. The
%colonelcy was offered him some months
before but declined On the ground that
it belonged to his old captain. His
military record as stated above will be
found on page S75, Michigan in the
War, published by the state Of Michi-
gan. He was wounded, as stated, and
taken prisoner at First Bull Run, again
wounded and taken prisoner, at the
Cumberland river Kentucky in a battle
with Morgan's forces when they we're
starting on their raid into Ohio, but
e%scapedfrom this Imprisonment through
inducing one OF the enemy to desert.
General Burnside sent out a force to re-
capture him under the command of
Lieutenant Colonel Robert Jacobs,
afterward governor of Kentucky. At
the close of the war his was the first
regiment to leave Washington under the
order mastering out the troops. He
commanded the two regiments which
took possession Of Petersburg and re-
ceived the surrender from the three
committees sent out by the city council
to surrender the city. Masons will be
interested to know that a member of
the masonic lodge Of which Washington
was w. NJ, was placed at the head of
each of these committees and by those
signs which n mason may know an
other in the dark as we'll as in the light,
made themselves known to Colonel
Lounsberry, then a master mason, a
member Of St. Adams, Michigan. Ma
sorry received credit for the protection
which was extended to the citizens.
Greeley in his great work on the rebel
lion calls attention to the fact that at
Petersburg there was no disorderly con
duct on the part of the soldiers who
took possession. There was no drunk
enness and in no single instance was
private property disturbed or public
property injured. The war wa over
and under Colonel Lounsberry the
union troops became their protectors.
The mayor and common council and
sixty citizens of Petersburg waited on
General O. B. Wilcox and requested
that Colonel Lounsberry be appointed
provost marshal Of the city but this was
refused on the ground that Colonel
L~ounsberry's services were invaluable
at the front. He marched on with Will
o and was present with the Army Of