Record of the Services of Illinois Soldiers in the Black Hawk War, 1831-32, and in the Mexican War, 1846-8, Containing a Complete Roster of Commissioned Officers and Enlisted Men of Both Wars, Taken from the Official Rolls on File in the War Department, Washington, D.C.
Springfield: H.W. Rokker, 1882. Hardcover. Small 4to. Black cloth with gilt spine lettering. xxxi, 343pp. Good plus. Mild edgewear and tiny chips at head and tail of spine, with spine gilt rubbed; expertly, discreetly rebacked, with new endpapers. Item #40003
A tight and nice first edition of this useful and scarce Black Hawk War reference. Discrete ex-library, with barely visible number at tail of spine and, on the title page, the circular blind-embossed imprint and inkstamped name of the library that recently deaccessioned it -- in a town germane to the Black Hawk War: Galena, Illinois, the Jo Daviess county seat and adopted hometown of Ulysses S. Grant. This particular copy belonged to George S. Avery (1835-1923), a notable Galenian whose boldly pencilled ownership signature appears on an inner flyleaf and on the title page. To quote one standard source, "In the spring of 1861, at the first call for volunteers to put down what proved to be the great rebellion of the century, he left the sack from which he was sowing wheat in the field and enlisted in the first company that was organized in Jo Daviess County, Illinois,on the nineteenth day of April, 1861 (Company F.,12th Illinois Volunteer Infantry, ninety days' service). Was first sergeant of said company. In September, 1861, he enlisted in the three years' service in Company I, 3d Cavalry, Missouri Volunteers, U.S A., and was soon elected first lieutenant of said company. On the fifth day of July, 1862, he was promoted to the rank of captain and assigned to the command of Company "H"*of the same regiment. On the second day of September, 1864, he was promoted to the rank of major of the same regiment. He was honorably discharged from the service, March 18, 1865. He served in the Western Army, in the 7th Corps, and participated in all the engagements of that command. He was slightly wounded at the battle of Hartsville, Missouri, January 10, 1863, and at a skirmish at Hurricane Creek, Saline County. Arkansas, October 23, 1864, at which latter place his horse was killed in the engagement. During the three years' service he had three horses wounded under him while in battle." The 12th Illinois Volunteer Infantry was also the first company to be drilled by none other than the then-obscure U.S. Grant. A nice association copy.
Price: $175.00