Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1906-04-14
RecoIIections of Gen. Buekner.

my recollection said the Old
Timer, lis that the Capt. Mcclellan
who was here in charge of the harbor
works in 1876 was John, not George
B. The former graduated from West
Point in 1922 and George B. in 1872
Both were from Pennsylvania, both
were engineers, and both were in the
Mexican war. Capt John Mcclellan
died in 1854, at least two years before
Capt. George B. Mcclellan came to
Chicago to become associated with sew
eral men who won distinction in the
civil war.
Among these were Ambrose E.
Burnside and John B. Turchin, en-
ployed on the Illinois Central railroad,
and Simon Bolivar Buckner of Ken
lucky, who later took important COM
mand in the Confederate army. But
in the years just previous to the civil
war Buckner was a member of and
drill master of the national guard bat
talon here in Chicago, and also of the
National Guard of Zouave cadets, I'M
der Capt. Joseph R. Scott.
AT that time the armory of the Ma
tional Guards battalion was on the
top floor of the Mccarthy building,
northeast corner of Dearborn and
Washington streets. 1 saw Buckner
there often and knew him quite well.
He married the daughter of Maj. Julius
Jesse Backus Kingsbury, who owned
the Kingsbury hall. as well as the Ash
land block site. The major died in
1856, the year his son Henry gradu-
ated from West Point. The latter re-
manned in the Union army and was
killed at Antietam in September, 1862.
'Buckner's antecedents and his asso-
Citations here Che was superintendent
of construction of the Chicago Gus
tom-house and in 1858 was colonel of
the Illinois volunteers enlisted for the
Utah expedition led most of the old
military circle to believe that he would
stand by the Union. l am confident
that I saw him at the Tribune Office
here after Fort Sumter was fired on
and after the president had called for
troops. DR.. Ray of the Tribune had
written a strong article on Fort Sum-
ter, and he sent for Joseph Dana Web
ster (afterward Grants chief of staff
to come and pass judgment on it. Web
ster took Buckner, and possibly Burn
side, with him. Webster strongly ap-
proved the editorial and Buckner
made no protest
Il happen to know said the cap
tain, that even after Buckner re-
turned to Kentucky in 1861 the Union
lists of that state hoped that after the
neutrality craze had passed he would
stand with them. l know also that as
late as Aug. II, 1861, President Lin
coin ordered commission as brigadier
general made out for Simon B. Buck
ner. This was to be put in the hands
of Gen. Robert Anderson, to be deliv-
cred to Gen. BuckneT or not, at Ander-
sons discretion. Buckner remained
in the Kentucky state guard until
few days after the battle of Bull Run,
when he resigned, went South, to re-
appear in Kentucky in command of the
rebel army that occupied Bowling
Green Sept. 18, 1861.
Before this, however, while in COM
mand of the Kentucky state guard, he
had two or more interviews with his
old Chicago acquaintance, George B.
Mcclellan, in regard to observing the
neutrality of Kentucky. Gen. Polk
broke the neutrality Sept. 8, and Gen.
Grant occupied Paducah Sept. 5. Be
fore Dec. 81, 1861, twenty-eight Union
Regiments of infantry and six of cav
airy had been organized in Kentucky,
and 1T soon became a battle-ground. As
soon as Buckner advanced to Bowling
Green Gen. William T. Sherman ad-
vanced to Muldraugh's hill."-Chicago
Inter Ocean