John Hotaling John Ritter Hotaling ( March 3 , 1824 – October 12 , 1886 ) was an American soldier , engineer , and businessman . He served as a dragoon in the Mexican - American War and as a cavalry officer and senior staff member of General John Logan ' s during the American Civil War . After the war , Hotaling was elected postmaster of Rochelle , Illinois ; a position he occupied for 15 years , after which he retired and moved his family to Huron . He died there in 1886 of a heart attack . Early Life and career . Hotaling was born in Sharon , New York , the eldest of ten children . His father , Robert ( 1796 – 1886 ) , was a farmer and at the age of 15 , the younger Hotaling began training in printing . After completing 18 months of his apprenticeship , Hotaling ' s father allowed his son to move to New York City , where he began working in a printing office . After a year of employment , Hotaling traveled to Europe ; visiting Antwerp , Rotterdam , and other European cities , possibly while doing genealogy research . Upon returning to New York , he took work in a wire factory for several years . On March 20 , 1847 , Hotaling enlisted in the NY militia as a dragoon , with the intention of serving in the Mexican - American War . Hotaling landed in Veracruz as part of the army that was under the command of General Winfield Scott , and fought his way inland toward Mexico city . During guerrilla action in the Battle for Mexico City , he was severely wounded by a slash to the throat and would have died , were it not for the medical attention of a fellow soldier . On July 21 , 1848 , Hotaling was discharged due to the end of the war . In 1849 , at the height of the California Gold Rush , Hotaling , now a civilian and veteran , accompanied 60 other men on a trip to California by sea . Their ship proved to be very cumbersome , and they were forced to dock for a period in Brazil , where they were invited guests at the birthday celebration of Brazilian Emperor Pedro II . Eight months after initially setting sail , the group finally arrived in California . Hotaling lived for two years in California , but then returned to New York . He married Sophia Waterhouse of Brooklyn , and the newlywed couple moved West , settling in Lindenwood , Illinois , where they lived as farmers . In 1852 , Hotaling was contracted to build a two - mile stretch of track through Ogle County . In 1855 , Hotaling built what was said to be the first brick building in Lane , Illinois ( now Rochelle ) : a three - story office building which also included an elevator . Civil War . In 1861 , at the start of the American Civil War , Hotaling helped raise a company of Union cavalry men that was recognized by the Army as Co . A , 2nd Illinois Cavalry Regiment . His brother Nick , who had also moved to Ogle County from New York , enlisted and served along with him . Three of Hotaling ' s other brothers served in Eastern Regiments . Hotaling , newly commissioned as a captain , was one of the commanding officers of Company A . He would also command company B of the same regiment at various times . Union General Grant made frequent use of both companies in battle , considering them very mobile and efficient . Hotaling ' s skill later caught the eye of Union General Edward Ord , who appointed Hotaling and his men as his personal escort group . Hotaling commanded both companies A & B at the Battle of Fort Donelson . Hotaling and Capt . Larison commanded 126 men in the Battle of Shiloh . On November 19 , 1863 , Hotaling was promoted to the rank of major . After Ord was wounded , Hotaling and his men served as escort to Union General John A . Logan , who later appointed Hotaling as his personal chief of staff . In the summer of 1864 , Major Hotaling served under Logan in the ranks of the XV Corps in the Battle of Atlanta . As a part of the Atlanta force , Hotaling may have taken part in Sherman ' s march to the sea ; though , since General Logan had temporarily passed command of the XVth to General Oliver Howard after Atlanta , it is not certain . Major Hotaling did serve under General Logan once more in the Carolinas Campaign . Those who served with and under Hotaling regarded him as a born leader ; charismatic , intelligent , and friendly . There soon began talk within the higher ranks of promoting Hotaling to the rank of Colonel and a command of his own , but Logan so well - liked his adjutant that he would hear nothing of it . Hotaling was repeatedly passed over for promotions , and would stay at his rank of Major until the end of the war . After the war , during Army reunions , Logan was regularly heard praising Hotaling ' s bravery and resourcefulness . In 1868 , General Charles C . Walcott said of Hotaling : " Our forces owed their success before Atlanta more to him than any other man . " In February 1863 , Hotaling received word that his wife Sophia had died in Illinois of tuberculosis . Postbellum career . Hotaling retired from service after the war and returned to Illinois , where he married a 39 year old widow named Carrie Cass on December 9 , 1868 . In the fall of 1869 , Hotaling was elected postmaster of Rochelle , a position he occupied until 1884 . In 1871 , Hotaling appointed his wife postmistress pro tempore and ventured to Central America , lured by an opportunity in the railroad business . However , the tropical environment proved too harsh for Hotaling , and he returned to the States after six months . In February 1874 , perhaps nostalgic about his earlier experiences in Brazil & California , Hotaling traveled to South America with an interest in gold mining . The climate and complex obstacles involved in the trade took their toll once more , and Hotaling returned home after a mere two months . It would be his last known expedition outside the United States . In the 1880s , after purchasing some land in the Dakota Territory , Hotaling moved to Huron but died of a heart attack in 1886 , at the age of 62 . His body was returned to Rochelle , where it is buried in the Lawnridge Cemetery . His grave , to this day , is routinely decorated on Memorial Day . A 2004 article in the Rochelle News - Leader suggested Hotaling may have played a part in the holiday ' s creation , due to his close work relationship with General Logan ( Logan is regarded as a " founding father " of Memorial Day ) ; however , evidence of this claim is scant . Hotaling had two children with his first wife Sophia , and one son with his second wife Carrie .