OLMSTED, Royal
Major Royal OLMSTED, who resides on section
2, Saratoga township, Marshall county, is a
veteran of the late war with a most honorable record, and well
deserves special mention
in a work of this kind. He was born in
Watertown, Jefferson county,
New York, September 7, 1838, and grew to
manhood on a farm and received his education in the common and
select schools of that locality. At the age of seventeen he
commenced teaching in the public schools of New York, and taught for terms with great
credit to himself and his employers. The greater part of his
time, however, was passed upon the home farm, assisting his
father in its cultivation. He remained at home as a dutiful son
until he reached his majority.
Not being satisfied with life in the east,
and believing his chances for future advancement would be better
in the west, he determined on emigrating to
Illinois. An uncle, Moses KNIGHT, was
living near Whitefield, Bureau county, and to his house he came
in the spring of 1860. Being without capital, he could not
purchase land, but worked by the month for Mr. GREGORY for two
seasons. The war for the union had now commenced and appeals
were made for volunteers to put down the great rebellion.
Accordingly, in August, 1861, he enlisted as a private in
Company D, Forty-seventh Illinois Volunteer Infantry, and was
mustered into the service at Peoria,
and with the regiment went to St Louis,
and was stationed at Benton Barracks, and at that place and
Jefferson City, Missouri,
the winter of 1861-2 was spent. Soon after his enlistment he was
appointed sergeant, and later orderly sergeant of the company.
In the spring of 1862, his regiment was
ordered with others to Island No. 10, thence to New Madrid, then
to Corinth, Mississippi, where it took part in the siege and
battle following. From Corinth it
was sent along the line of the Memphis & Charleston
railroad, and later to
Memphis, where it did garrison duty in
the winter of 1862-3. On the 28th of January, 1863, Mr. OLMSTED
was commissioned second lieutenant, and with that rank went with
his company and regiment back to Corinth
and Inka and took part in the second battle of Corinth. The regiment then joined Grant at Vicksburg, taking part in that celebrated siege, resulting
in the capture of the city and the opening of the
Mississippi river to our fleet of gunboats.
Soon after the surrender of Vicksburg the Forty-seventh Illinois Infantry was sent on
the expedition up Big Black river, and in the spring of 1864
joined Banks’ expedition up Red river
under General A. J. Smith. It joined Banks at
Alexandria
and was with him in all his battles and skirmishes up the river.
Returning, it was sent to open up the Mississippi river, where
the rebels had blocked it at Greenville while the gunboats were up the Red river. At that point the rebel batteries had succeeded
in sinking a number of gunboats and must be silenced. In the
fight following three men in Lieutenant OLMSTED’s company were
killed.
Soon after the regiment was ordered to
Memphis, and was in the fight at Tupelo against Forest.
During the summer it was engaged principally in watching that
general. In the fall of 1864 it followed General Price, who was
making a raid through Missouri, and during that time it saw some
pretty hard service, or until it reached Warrensburg in that
state. It was then ordered to St Louis
and later to Chicago, where it
was thought that an attempt would be made to liberate the rebel
prisoners then confined at Fort
Douglas. From
Chicago it was sent to
Springfield, thence to St. Louis
en route to Nashville, to Mr. Hood, who
was operating in that vicinity. At
Louisville,
Kentucky, it was stopped and ordered to Bowling Green, where it
spent the winter.
From Bowling Green,
in the spring of 1865, the regiment was ordered to New Orleans, thence to Mobile, where it assisted in the capture of
the city. From Mobile it was sent
to Montgomery and
Selma,
Alabama, where it spent the summer
of 1865. Notwithstanding the war was over, the Forty-seventh was
retained in the service and was not mustered out until January
20, 1866, at Springfield,
Illinois.
In all the moves of the regiment our
subject participated, doing his duty fearlessly and
satisfactorily to his superior officers and men. He was promoted
captain of Company A, October 11, 1864, on the re-enlistment and
re-organization of the regiment. As such he served until May 19,
1865, when he was commissioned major and served as such until
finally mustered out. During this time, on account of the
colonel and lieutenant colonel being on detached duty, he
frequently had command of the regiment. It was for a time in the
pioneer corps, and after the close of hostilities, Major OLMSTED
was detailed to look after the government cotton in Montgomery,
Alabama.
On being mustered out of the service, the
major returned to
Marshall
county, and February 22, 1866, he was united in marriage with
Miss Amanda TOWNSEND, a daughter of Captain John C. TOWNSEND,
formerly captain of Company D, Forty-seventh Illinois Volunteer
Infantry, in which the major first served as a private.
Immediately after his marriage, he rented a farm and commenced
what has since been his life work. After renting some three or
four years, he bought his present farm on section 2,
Saratoga
township, where he has since continued to reside. This farm
adjoins the old Captain TOWNSEND farm, and is one of the best in
this section. Four children have been born to Major and Mrs.
OLMSTED – Bessie, wife of James CROFT, of Rock Falls, Oklahoma;
Emily, wife of George PACE, of Bureau county; Edwin, now
assisting his father in the cultivation of the home farm, and
John, who died at the age of four years.
In politics, Major OLMSTED is a thorough
and uncompromising republican, and has ever taken an active
interest in political affairs. He believes it not only a
privilege but the duty of every legal voter to exercise his
rights as such, attending the primaries, looking after the
nomination of good men, and working for their election. For four
years he served his township as supervisor, discharging the
duties of the office in a satisfactory manner. In 1872 he was
defeated for the office of county treasurer.
Major OLMSTED is a practical farmer and
carries on diversified farming, never having been carried away
by any fad for this, that or the other specialty that so often
leads captive the average farmer, frequently to his ruin. He is
not a member of any church, but believes in every man leading
such a life as will merit the good will and confidence of his
fellow men.
Extracted April 2011 by Norma Hass from
The Biographical Record of Bureau, Marshall and Putnam Counties, Illinois,
1896.
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