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John Logan
Erin Couch John Alexander Logan, born in Jackson County, Illinois, served as a soldier as well as a statesman during the Civil War. Throughout the war, he built himself a very impressive war record and was regarded as one of the most able officers to enter the army from civilian life. Although unattached and unenlisted, Logan fought at Bull Run. When the Battle at Bull Run was finished, he went to Washington and resigned his seat in Congress. Then, upon returning to Illinois, Logan joined the Union army and raised a regiment of volunteers of which he was made colonel. This regiment was called the 31st Illinois or, as Logan referred to them, the "dirty-first." John Logan and the 31st were part of McClernand's brigade along with two other Illinois regiments. One of the first major battles that Logan and his men fought was the Battle of Belmont in Missouri. By nine o'clock on the morning of November 7, 1861, the Union troops were ashore three miles above Belmont, ready to march to the Confederate camp. McClernand's three regiments took the lead in the advance on Belmont. Logan's men, suffering terribly from the lowland humidity, threw off their overcoats. Following them, each regiment down the line did the same. When the clearing where the Confederates were camped was finally reached, the Confederates were already prepared for battle. With McClernand still in the lead, the Union soldiers filed across the field, the 27th Illinois on the far right, the 31st to its left and slightly out of line, and the 30th on the left of the formation. There was some delay before the fighting began because Logan momentarily refused to get into formation. General Logan was wounded at Belmont, but still fighting gallantly and commanding skillfully, he took his regiment into action early. He commanded the Army of the Tennessee, First Brigade, First Division, District of Jackson, from July
through September 1862. Then, starting November 29, 1862, he served as major-general USV commanding the 3rd Division Right Wing. Logan, like many other western officers, was a reckless fighter. During the Vicksburg campaign in Raymond, however, he was a tough western general in charge of some equally tough western regiments: the 8th, 20th, 45th, and the 81st Illinois. Together Logan and his regiments fought well, and years later Logan loved to recall how the Battle at Raymond was won. On May 12, 1863, Logan became the commander of McPherson's Third Division. There he was nicknamed "Black Jack" because of his dark eyes, complexion, and hair. He was regarded with awe by his troops as he spurred his black horse into the midst of the wavering line. With what one soldier called the "shriek of an eagle," Logan gathered the men and launched a counterattack. At the Battle at Champions Hill, a group of Union soldiers was starting for the rear when General "Black Jack" Logan appeared. He attempted to get them to go back up and fight. When the soldiers protested and said, "the rebels are awful thick up there," Logan yelled back, "Damn it, that's the place to kill them, where they are thick!" The soldiers came together and Logan led them forward. A major campaign for Logan was the invasion of Georgia. Logan was again on hand to cheer on the men of the XV Corps by riding up and down in front of the lines, his hair fluttering in the breeze. When his men could go no further, they could hear the Confederate officers ordering their men to stand fast. On July 22, 1864, at around noon, McPherson was killed. Logan succeeded McPherson on the battlefield. At three o'clock in the afternoon, just as Hardee's attacks were coming to a close, Hood sent Cheatham's corps and General G. W. Smith's five thousand Georgia militia troops on a frontal attack upon Logan's XV Corps. It was a situation made for General Logan. A member of the 5th Illinois, who was standing near Logan at the time, recalled years later that his face actually seemed to light up as he walked up and down the lines shouting, "Hold them steady boys, we've got them now!" Illinois provided a number of heroes in the Battle of Atlanta. Among them was Logan. One young Illinois soldier, writing in his diary a few days later, was able to recount a number of impressions of Logan including, "Saw Gen. Logan about 4 p.m. was in the best of spirits [some alcoholic too] damning the rebels . . ." Although Logan succeeded McPherson as commander of the Army of the Tennessee, he was relieved by Lincoln five days later upon General Sherman's recommendation. There is much speculation as to why Sherman wanted Lincoln to relieve Logan. Some say Sherman had Lincoln relieve him of his command because Sherman was prejudiced in favor of West Point graduates. Another reason may have been Sherman's distrust of Logan's active political interests. Yet another theory of Logan's discharge from command of the Army of the Tennessee is that General George H. Thomas disliked Logan. Because Thomas was commander of the Army of the Cumberland, Sherman feared that the two men would not cooperate. He replaced Logan with Howard, a move that caused bitterness among people who believed Logan deserved the post. Whatever the real reason, Logan, without complaining, simply asked to be returned to the command of his XV Corps. Eventually Logan returned to the corps, leading it from July 27 to September 1864 and January 8 to May 23, 1865, during the remainder of the Atlanta campaign and on Sherman's March to the Sea through the Carolinas. On February 17, 1865, the Iowa and Illinois soldiers of Logan's XV Corps entered Columbia, South Carolina, singing, "Hail Columbia, happy land - If I don't burn you, I'll be damned." A fire did break out, and aided by a favorable wind, it swept over the unfortunate town. Some of the Union troops quartered in the city attempted to put the fire out; others were seen setting fire to different spots that were untouched by the flames. Generals Logan and Howard diligently labored to put out the flames, and Irish soldiers from Illinois regiments worked hard to save the convent in town. Contrary to his actions the night before, Logan cursed over being denied the privilege of burning the same convent the next morning. After that battle, Logan commanded the Army of the Tennessee from May 10 to August 1, 1865. He then declined a permanent commission in the regular army and was discharged in 1865. He helped organize the society of the Army of the Tennessee and the Grand Army of the Republic. After his military career ended, he once again returned to politics. Logan was indeed a great general, even if he was a volunteer rather than a West Point graduate. Logan should be remembered because he played an important role in the Civil War, although he is not as well known or recognized as other Illinois generals.—[From Mark M. Boatner III, The Civil War Dictionary; Time Life Books, Brother Against Brother; Victor Hicken, Illinois in the Civil War; Theodore Calvin Pease, The Story of Illinois.]
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