from a Mercer County, Illinois History
"Tis midnight in the camp,
The tired soldiers sleep, and dream, perchance
Of home, perchance of conflicts past, and others
Coming on the morrow. Braves, sleep on !
Let the cool night winds soothe your slumbers deep,
That you may rise refreshed. Your country looks
To you, and such as you, to guard her honor
from traitors' foul contaminating touch.
Yet, one is vigilant ;
With measured tread he paces on his beat-
The midnight sentinel. The moonbeams play
Upon his burnished bayonet, and its rays
Fall gently on a calm, sweet, upturned face,
That smiles upon the soldier from its frame."
---- E.H.N. Patterson, 1862.
The war of the rebellion had been in progress something over a year when recruiting for the 102d regiment began; but as more men enlisted from Mercer county in that organization than in any other, we assign it the largest space.
Company C. --- Frank Shedd commenced enlisting men on August 5, 1862, and on the 21st had eighty-nine enrolled. The company assembled at Berlin (Swedona) on the 26th, and taking wagons, went by the way of Oxford and Galesburg to Knoxville, and were assigned quarters in Camp McMurtry on the fair grounds. Ninety-six men went into camp, but ninety-two, including officers, were all that were mustered in. Shedd was elected captain, Almond Shaw, first lieutenant, and Watson C. Trego, second lieutenant. Alfred H. Trego was appointed first or orderly sergeant, Byron Jordan, second sergeant, George W. Gregg, third sergeant, George W. Allen, fourth sergeant, and Sampson M. Tenny, fifth sergeant. The corporals were Isaac N. Roberts, S. F. Fleharty, Rodney C. Manning, Henry Bridgford, Jacob Clause, Brainard Vance, Phoenix R. Briggs, and John Lippincott.
Company E. --- On August 7 a meeting was held at Brown's school house in North Henderson township, at which Dan. W. Sedwick enlisted eighteen men. Thomas Likely, of the same township (now of Norwood), was present and stated that he had enrolled eight men, and proposed to unite with Sedwick, which was done. By the 14th they had eighty-four. On that day the men met at the same place and organized by electing Likely captain, Sedwick, first lieutenant, and T. G. Brown, second lieutenant. The following were the non-commissioned officers appointed: Sample B. Moore, first or orderly sergeant; John Allison, William J. Abdill, Jonathan E. Lafferty, and Albert Bridger, sergeants; Thomas Simpson, Henry M. Carmichael, John Tidball, Lyman Bryant, Allen Dunn, Henry W. Mauck, Robert Godfrey, and John T. Morford, corporals. Some time in the last week of August Lieut. Sedwick started from Bridger's Corners (now Suez) with thirty-two men, and going through Scott's grove, met Capt. Likely one mile south of that place with about the same number, from whence they proceeded in wagons through Galesburg to Knoxville, arriving there in the evening, where the rest of the company joined them.
Company G. --- This company was raisied by Joseph P. Wycoff; assisted by Isaac McManus. David Lloyd had begun a company, but as he did not make it up his recruits, eight or ten in number, came into Wycoff's. Enlistments for this company were commenced in Keithsburg on the 6th of August; on the 15th over one hundred were enrolled, and runners were sent out to notify the men to meet on the 17th to organize. One hundred and twenty assembled at the opera house and Wycoff was elected captain. On the 19th the company embarked on a steamer for Burlington where it arrived at midnight. The Hotels were full and the men slept that night in a livery stable. Next day they took the cars and reached Knoxville going into barracks on the north side of the fair ground. The organization of the company was next completed, the choice for first lieutenant falling on Isaac McManus, and that of second lieutenant on William H. Bridgford. The non-comissioned officers were also elected by the company, Capt. Wycoff promising to appoint whomsoever the men should declare were their preference. They were Luke P. Blackburn, Aaron G. Henry, John C. Reynolds, John McHard, and Robert B. Seaton, sergeants; and Wesley Hunt, Lemuel S. Gruffy, Elisha J. Grandstaff; Andrew J. Douglas, Richard H. Cabeen, John G. Poague; George W. Thomas, and Andrew J. Campbell, corporals. Company G went into camp with 120, rank and file; but 101 was the maximum number allowed, and the excess were distributed among other companies.
Company K. --- James M. Mannon, Sanderson H. Rodgers, and William A. Wilson raised this company in the month of August, and it was composed of men from the north part of the county, and chiefly from those residing in Eliza and Millersburg townships. It was organized in Aledo by the election of Mannon, captain, Rodgers, first lieutenant, and Wilson, second lieutenant. Late in the month the company went across the country by private conveyances to Knoxville, where the regiment was assembled and about ready to be organized. The original non-commissioned officers were: James Y. Merritt, orderly sergeant; L. Volney Willits, second sergeant (names of the.....
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