James River. Grant's eye ran over a battle-front of nearly 5,000 miles, from the Potomac to the Rio Grande. His preparations were made, and soon the railways groaned under the movements of vast bodies of men and supplies.

Before tracing these grand movements, especially those of Sherman and his co-laborer, Thomas, brief space may be given to changes in the State Government, which occurred before their close, and are now introduced to avoid a break in the military narrative when the date shall be reached.

Governor Yates declining a re-nomination as Governor, and becoming a candidate for the United States' Senate, the people chose as his successor

RICHARD JAMES OGLESBY.

He was born in Oldham County, Kentucky, July 25, 1824, was orphaned by the death of both parents when but eight years of age, in consequence of which his early education was much neglected, for he attended school but twelve months before he was twelve years of age, and not more than three months afterward. He removed to Decatur, Illinois, in the spring of 1836; lived during the year 1838 in Terre Haute, Indiana, returned to Illinois and remained until the fall of 1840, when he returned to Oldham County, Kentucky, to learn the carpenter's trade; remained eighteen months, returned to Illinois in the spring of 1842, worked at his trade and at farming until the spring of 1844, when he commenced the study of Law with Judge Silas W. Robins, at Springfield, Illinois; was licensed, as an attorney, in the fall of 1845, and commenced practice in Sullivan, Moultrie County, Illinois.

He returned to Decatur in the spring of 1846, volunteered and assisted in raising Company "C," 4th Regiment (Colonel E. D. Baker), Illinois Volunteers in the Mexican war, of which he was elected 1st Lieutenant-served twelve months-participated in the siege of Vera Cruz, and commanded his company at the battle of Cerro Gordo, where it lost twelve in killed and wounded out of forty-one engaged. Returned to Decatur in 1847, and practiced Law in '47 and '48. The winter of '48 and '49, he attended the Louisville Law School, and received the diploma of the institution. The

next spring he returned to Decatur, and in April crossed the plains from St. Joseph, Missouri, to Sacramento, California, driving a six mule team. He remained in California, mining, until the fall of 1851, when he returned to Decatur to renew the practice of Law. In the spring of 1856, he visited Europe, Egypt and the Holy Land.

He returned to Decatur in the winter of 1857, having been absent twenty months; was elector on the Whig ticket in the year 1852; was Republican candidate for Congress in the 7th Congressional District in 1858, but was beaten by Hon. James C. Robinson, by 1,900 majority. The district had formerly given from 4,000 to 5,000 Democratic majority. In 1860, he was elected on the Republican ticket, State Senator, in a district that was largely Democratic, thus securing the election of the Hon. Lyman Trumbull to the United States Senate. Resigned his seat in the Senate, and accepted a commission as Colonel of the 8th Regiment Illinois Volunteer Infantry, on the 25th day of April, 1861. His regiment was stationed at Cairo, Illinois, until July, 1861, when he was assigned to the command of the United States forces at Bird's Point, Missouri, where he remained six months in command of two brigades of infantry, and a portion of the time was also in command of the forces at Cairo, Illinois.

He commanded a force of 4,000 men sent from Bird's Point to Bloomfield, Missouri, a movement in connection with one made by General Grant, against the rebel forces at Belmont.

On February 1, 1862, he was relieved of the command at Bird's Point, and placed in command of the 1st Brigade, 1st Division, Army of West Tennessee, under command of Brigadier-General Grant. The brigade consisted of his own regiment, the 8th, also the 18th, 29th, 30th and 31st Illinois infantry.

The brigade moved at the head of the army, and was the first to enter Fort Henry. It led the advance from Fort Henry to Fort Donelson during all the skirmishing, and was moved at the head or right of the army in the investment of Fort Donelson, and on the 12th, 13th and 14th of February, was constantly under fire.

On the morning of February 15th, this command was the first attacked by the rebels, maintaining the unequal contest without reinforcements for four hours, with a loss of 500 killed and wounded,

PROMOTION AND RESIGNATION.

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the brigade numbering, 2,500 rank and file, present. It bore an active and most gallant part in the battle, and in the victory.

He commanded a brigade, until the evacuation of Corinth, but was not in the battle of Shiloh, the brigade now consisting of the 9th and 12th Illinois Vols., 22d and 81st Ohio, and the 14th Missouri Volunteers.

After the evacuation of Corinth, he commanded the 2d Division, Army of the Tennessee, some two months during the absence of Brigadier-General Davis, but on the return of the latter, resumed the command of his brigade, which he led through the terrible battle of Corinth, on the 3d day of October, 1862. Oglesby's and Hackleman's brigades of the 2d Division kept the entire rebel army at bay from 3 o'clock p. m., this day, thus saving Corinth to the Union

arms.

While nobly charging at the head of his command, the noble Hackleman was killed, and Oglesby was taken from the field apparently in a dying condition from a wound received by a ball which entered the left lung, and which has never been removed.

On the 29th of November, 1862, for gallantry in the above battle, he was promoted Major-General over the Brigadier-General commanding the Division, and was confirmed by the Senate.

By the 1st of April, 1863, he had so far recovered as to be able to report for duty, and was assigned to the command of the left wing of the 16th Army Corps, consisting of two divisions of Infantry and one division of Cavalry, embracing all the territory in West Tennessee and Northern Mississippi, except a strip along the Mississippi River.

Constant pain, resulting from his wound, compelled him to tender his resignation on the last of June, 1863, which General Grant refused to accept, but gave him a leave of absence for six months. On the 24th of May, 1864, his resignation was accepted.

On the 25th of May, 1864, the Union Convention of the State of Illinois nominated him as candidate for Governor, and on the 8th of November, 1864, he was elected Governor, over James C. Robinson, (his former competitor for Congress), by 32,000 majority, the largest majority ever given in the State for any office.

General Oglesby was inaugurated Governor of the State of Illi

nois for four years on the 16th day of January, 1865. After taking the oath of office, the Governor said:

"I do not disguise the fact, nor do I desire to do so, that I have been chosen to this high position by the Union people of the State, without regard to party, and am expected by them to administer its executive affairs, with a view to no partisan or selfish purposes, and thus relieved of many of the burdens which usually attend a mere party triumph, am left free with you, to follow the path of duty pointed out so clearly that I hope to be able to adhere to it.

"In addition to the large number of troops of every branch of the service, including infantry, cavalry, artillery and engineers, voluntarily furnished by the State, in the last three and a half years, to carry on the war, could anything further have been required of us to have shown to the General Government our original, persistent and unalterable purpose to contribute every energy of the State and the cordial, hearty and soul-determined will of the people to maintain the integrity of the Union, and assist in extirpating from the soil of the republic the last vestige of treason, the recent matured and deliberate expression of an overwhelming majority of the people of the State, at the ballot-box, upon the well defined issues of the contest, reassure the nation and the civilized world that the State of Illinois, true to her instincts of loyalty and constitutional liberty, will remain faithful to her allegiance, true to the Union, an humble participant in the proud history and pure glory of the holy sisterhood of States, sharing their experience and abiding their fortune to the and of time. We say the Republic shall not die, the Union shall not be divided, the rebellion shall not prevail, traitors shall not conquer patriots pledged to the maintenance of these noble and dignified issues, believing their defense essential to the complete enjoyment of all the blessings promised us in the Constitution and laws of of our country-with an entire consciousness of the exacting sacrifices imperiously demanded to support and uphold them-with our eyes upon and hearts full of devotion to the flag of our country, we declare before the world that the rebellion and human slavery shall fall and perish together.

"The biennial message of my predecessor is before you. I invite your attention again to the full and careful statements it contains in reference to the present condition of the government. A faithful service of four years, the most interesting and embarrassing since the organization of the State government, has amply qualified him to study carefully the various interests of the State, and lends a dignity to his statements and recommendations, not to be accorded to those of one less experienced in the affairs of the State. The result of his arduous labors are felt in every part of the State, and everywhere there will greet him, as he retires from the distinguished office he so ably administered, the plaudits of his generous countrymen, "Well done thou good and faithful servant."

"It is a gratifying reflection that, since the commencement of the war, our State has been faithful to all her obligations to the National Government. No call has been made upon her that has not been promptly and fully answered. When it was the custom to fill the quotas of the State by volunteering, she exceeded all calls upon he: by many thousands, and although there was some difference of views as to the