46th Illinois Infantry

Organized at Camp Butler, Ill., December 28, 1861, and duty there till February 11, 1862. Moved to Cairo, Ill., thence to Fort Donelson, Tenn, February 11-14. Attached to 2nd Brigade, 3rd Division, District of Cairo, February, 1862. 2nd Brigade, 4th Division, District of West Tennessee, and Army of the Tennessee to July, 1862. 2nd Brigade, 4th Division, District of Memphis, Tenn., to September, 1862. 2nd Brigade, 4th Division, District of Jackson, Tenn., to November, 1862. 2nd Brigade, 4th Division, Right Wing 13th Army Corps (Old), Department of the Tennessee, to December, 1862. 2nd Brigade, 4th Division, 17th Army Corps, to January, 1863. 2nd Brigade, 4th Division, 16th Army Corps, to July, 1863. 2nd Brigade, 4th Division, 13th Army Corps, to August, 1863. 2nd Brigade, 4th Division, 17th Army Corps, to April, 1864. 2nd Brigade, 1st Division, 17th Army Corps, to August, 1864. 1st Brigade, 2nd Division, 19th Army Corps, Department of the Gulf, to December, 1864. 2nd Brigade, Reserve Division, Military Division West Mississippi, to February, 1865. 2nd Brigade, 1st Division, Reserve Corps, Military Division West Mississippi, February, 1865. 2nd Brigade, 1st Division, 13th Army Corps, Military Division West Mississippi, to June, 1865. Department of Louisiana to January, 1866.

SERVICE. – Investment and capture of Fort Donelson, Tenn., February 14-16, 1862. Occupation of Fort Henry, Tenn., February 19 to March 6. Moved to Pittsburg Landing, Tenn., March 6-18. Battle of Shiloh, Tenn., April 6-7. Advance on and siege of Corinth, Miss., April 29-May 30. March to Memphis, Tenn., via LaGrange, Grand Junction, Holly Springs, etc., June 10-July 21. Duty at Memphis, Tenn., till September 6. March to Bolivar and Hatchie River September 6-14. March to relief of Corinth, Miss., October 3. Battle of the Hatchie or Metamora October 5. Grant's Central Mississippi Campaign. Operations on the Mississippi Central R. R. November 2, 1862, to January 10, 1863. Garrison duty at Moscow, Tenn., January 13-February 5. Moved to LaFayette, thence to Memphis, Tenn., March 9. Expedition to Hernando, Miss., April 2:24. Moved to Young's Point, La., May 13-15. Siege of Vicksburg, Miss., May 18-July 4. Assaults on Vicksburg May 19 and 22. Advance on Jackson, Miss., July 5-10. Siege of Jackson, Miss., July 10-17. Assault on Jackson July 12. Reconnoissance to Pearl River July 15. Duty at Vicksburg till August 12. Moved to Natchez, Miss., August 12. Expedition to Harrisonburg, La., September 1-7. Action near Harrisonburg and capture of Fort Beauregard September 4. Moved to Vicksburg, Miss., September 16, and duty there till January 12, 1864. Red River October 14. Expedition from Natchez to Red River October 20. Regiment veteranize January 4, 1864. Veterans on furlough January 27 to March 2. Return to Vicksburg March 2. Duty there and at Big Black till July. Expedition to Benton and Yazoo City May 4-22. Actions at Benton May 7 and 9. Luce's Plantation May 13. Yazoo City May 13. Expedition to Pearl River, Miss., July 2-10. Near Jackson July 5. Jackson July 7. Ordered to Morganza, La., July 29, and duty there till August 23. Expedition to Port Hudson and Clinton, La., August 23-29. Moved to mouth of White River, Ark., September 3-8, Non-Veterans mustered out September 13. Moved to Duvall's Bluff, Ark., October 7-9. Thence to Memphis, Tenn., November 28-December 1, and duty there till December 21. Expedition to Germantown, Moscow and Wolf River, Tenn., December 21-31. Moved to Kenhersville, La., January 2, thence to Fort Gaines, Dauphin Island, Ala., February 8-10, 1865. Campaign against Mobile and its defences March 18-April 12. Siege of Spanish Fort and Fort Blakely March 26-April 8. Assault and capture of Fort Blakely April 9. Capture of Mobile April 12. Expedition to Meridian, Miss., May 12-21. Moved to New Orleans, La., May 27-28, thence to Alexandria, Natchitoches and Shreveport, La., on Red River. Moved to Grand Ecore, La., June 19, and duty there till November 20. Moved to Shreveport November 20, thence to Baton Rouge, La., December 27. Mustered out at Baton Rouge, La., January 20, 1866, and discharged at Springfield, Ill., February 1, 1866.

Regiment lost during service 7 Officers and 74 Enlisted men killed and mortally wounded and 1 Officer and 253 Enlisted men by disease. Total 335.

SOURCE: Frederick H. Dyer, A Compendium of the War of the Rebellion, Part 3, p. 1066-7

James H. Read

JAMES H. READ, grocer, Osceola, established his business at this point in 1867. Soon after he formed a partnership with J. C. Harrison under the firm name of Read & Harrison. This partnership continued until 1878 when he sold out and went to Kansas, returning in the fall of 1880, and January 1, 1881, opened up his present business. He is well established and carries a complete stock of groceries. He is well known to the public, and defies competition.  Mr. Read was born in Beardstown, Illinois, August 2, 1839. His father, Haywood Read, was a native of Maine, and his mother, Ann (Black) Read, was a native of Kentucky. They settled in Beardstown where his father carried on the mercantile trade, and also operated a flouring mill. His business was carried on very extensively. At one time he was elected Mayor of Beardstown. He died in California in 1851, and his wife died in Henry County, Iowa, in 1852.  James remained at home until eleven years of age, then lived with a farmer until he was fifteen, then went to Wisconsin pineries, working in mills and as a raftsman, and in the fall of 1859 went to Texas and served one year as a cow-boy. In the fall of 1860 he returned to Illinois, and enlisted as a private in Company K, Forty-sixth Regiment, Illinois Infantry, and served until May, 1863, when he was promoted to First Lieutenant, Third United States Heavy Artillery, and was mustered out with the rank of Captain, April 30, 1866, having served four and a half years.  September 16, 1866, Mr. Read was married to Miss Hannah M. Waller, of Henderson County, Iowa [sic]. They removed to Osceola April 1, 1867. He has served one year as alderman in Osceola. He is a member of the Odd Fellows order, the Knights of Pythias, Grand Army of the Republic, and Good Templars.

SOURCE: Biographical and Historical Record of Clarke County, Iowa, Lewis Publishing Company, Chicago, Illinois, 1886 p. 293-4

From Cairo

CAIRO, Feb. 18. – Gov. Yates, Lieut. Governor Wood, auditor Dubois and many prominent citizens from all parts of Illinois are here to look after the wounded Illinois soldiers from Ft. Donelson.

Gov. Morton and many prominent citizens of Indiana are also here for a like purpose on account of the gallant men of that State who participated in the battle.

A salute of fifteen guns was fired this morning by order of Brig. Gen. E. A. Paine in honor of the arrival at this place of Governor Yates, commander-in-chief of Illinois troops.  It was answered at Bird’s Point at 2 o’clock P. M.

His Excellency held a public reception at the St. Charles Hotel, and all of the officers paid their respects to the Governor.  He was received by Col. Buford and the officers of the 27^th Illinois, and the officers of each regiment came up in a body lead by their several regimental bands.  Col. Beauford [sic] said they came to welcome the man who had so supplied the wants of the Illinois boys and so nobly cared for all the troops he had sent forth to avenge the wrongs and injuries of our country.

Gov. Yates responded briefly but with deep feeling, paying a handsome tribute to the memory of the fallen at Fort Donelson, and congratulating their brethren in arms for the achievement of this late victory of our arms over a traitor foe.

About 7,000 of the rebel prisoners from Fort Donelson have arrived here and departed up the Mississippi river to be disposed of by Gen. Halleck.  The question of what to do with them was discussed among the Commanding officers here last night, and the conclusion seems to be that they will be divided, a portion going to Alton, another portion to Chicago, and probably a third portion going to Fort Wayne and Detroit.

Troops are continually arriving and departing for the seat of war, and our army will soon again be in readiness to advance.

It is believed, that if permitted to do so, very many of the rebel prisoners would gladly take up arms on the side of the Union.  The privates, almost to a man, declare that they have seen quite enough of the secession elephant. – The officers, however, are generally very morose and bitter in their expressions relative to the North.

In addition to the list of killed and wounded previously reported, are the following:

46^th Illinois, Commissary Sergeant Traverse, Killed; Lt. Col. Maltby, ball in the leg; Cornelius Shay, flesh wound in the thigh; Lieut. H. H. Boyce, severely wounded in the hip from a Minnie ball; George P. Appleton, severely wounded in the foot.

– Published in The Burlington Weekly Hawk-Eye, Burlington, Iowa, Saturday, February 22, 1862, p. 3