Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1906-06-08
MCCLELLAN IN CHICAGO.
Impress of the Young officer on the
Military Affairs of the City
in 1861.

Eyes, said the major, "I remem-
ber when George B. Mcclellan was
elected captain Of the old Chicago
light guard. Capt. ]. B. Wyman, the
organizer of the company. was called
away from the city by business. In
looking about for hfs successor men,
bers of the company and citizens in
terested In military affairs turned to
George B. Mcclellan, who had resigned
from the regular army to become chief
engineer of the Illinois Central rail-
road.
Mcclellan was at that time about
80 years old. He was, through his visit
to the Crimea and his book, published
soon after his return, one of the best
known of the younger officers Of the
regular army. The light guard was
then the crack military company Of
the northwest, and 1t was natural that
the men should turn to the former
army officer who had just located In
Chicago and who carried himself like
thorough soldier.
Mcclellan did not remain long
enough in Chicago to leave his i'm
press on the local companies. When
the war came In 1861 the light guard
was not In existence as military or
ganization, and Mcclellan entered the
service as commander and organizer
of the Ohio troops and was appointed
major general in the regular army be
| fore the real work of the war had be-
gun. Most of his old military friends
in Chicago went into service early in
the western regiments, Turchin going
to the Nineteenth Illinois, Barker to
the Twelfth Illinois cavalry, Forsyth
and others to the Eighth cavalry.
'Of all the old military circle OF
1857 and 1858, Capt. Barker. of the
Chicago dragons, was the only one
to be closely associated with Capt. Nc
Clellan of the light guard, in the early
months of the civil war. After partici-
pating in the Cairo expedition Bark
er, through the Intervention of Nc.
Clellan, took the dragons east to be.
come the escort or bodyguard of Lit
tie Mac" the most popular soldier o.
the. day. After three months service
the dragons scattered into various
regiments. several going to Farms
worth's Eighth cavalry. A score or
more of the dragons, who served with
Mcclellan, became commissioned Off
GERS and won distinction.
"McClellan's acquaintance in Chi
cago Che had been here before the
Mexican war, and attended the first
nf An ny
took another Chicago military conn
pany east for special service early in
1861. This was the Sturgis guards.
armed and equipped as sharp shooters
by Solomon Sturgis, and assigned to
duty as McClellan's bodyguard in the
army of the Potomac. 1t would be in
teresting to trace the influence of Nc
Clellan's military experience in Chi
cago on his acquaintances here.
wonder If there is anyone living who
can do it?"
"If Ellsworth had lived few
months longer" said the colonel, "a
good many Of the zouaves who went
into Turchin's regiment would have
gone east. The story of the military
companies in existence in the several
states in 1860 Is curious one But
in no state was the history of such or
ganizations more highly spiced with
romance than in Kentucky. During
the excitement preliminary to the
outbreak of hostilities in 1861 com.
panies in many counties were organ
lied for both armies. In Lexington
John Morgan, captain Of a crack COM
pany, went into the confederate serv-
ice. Sanders d. Bruce, captain of the
Chasseurs, another crack company of
Lexington, went into the union serv.
ice.
Bruce was given command Of the
Twentieth Kentucky, and later Of
brigade under Nelson. Morgan was
given an important cavalry command,
and made several raids in Kentucky.
In 1863 he surrounded one battalion
of the Twentieth Kentucky with 5000
men, and after stubborn fight cap
tured it. This gratified him exceed
ingly, but the several Kentucky cav
airy regiments galloped after him
through Kentucky and Ohio, and In
turn captured Morgan and his immedi-
ate command.
"I saw those Kentuckians when,
after their long ride, they made their
last charge on Morgan's men, and it
was worth remembering. In all my
war experience never saw men SO
eager to make capture as were these
Kentuckians-some of them Morgan's
old neighbors. They were not malevo-
lent. In their own language, they
simply wanted to take John in out of
the wet" But they went at 1t In
way to make Morgan feel that he
would like to surrender to somebody
else.