Martin Beem

First Lieutenant Martin Beem died from the effects of a pistol shot at Stanton, Nebraska, on the 1st of May, 1888.

Lieutenant Beem was born near Pittsburgh, Pa., on the 14th of November, 1845, but soon afterwards his parents removed to Alton, Ill., where he received the benefits of a common school education.

He entered the service as a private in the 13th Missouri Infantry — afterwards designated the 22nd Ohio, commanded by our late comrade, Colonel Crafts J. Wright, — and with this regiment participated in the campaign against Fort Donaldson [sic] and the battle of Shiloh, in which latter engagement he earned his Second Lieutenant's commission, dated May 8th, 1862, and three months later was promoted to a First Lieutenancy, and as such served in the approach to and battle of Corinth, but resigned, or was honorably discharged the service immediately thereafter, October 21st, 1862.

He subsequently visited the West Indies, Central America, Mexico and Montana, but with what purpose or object we are not advised. He then accepted a position in Washington City as correspondent and reporter, and while thus engaged studied law. During the Presidential campaign of 1868, he stumped the State of Arkansas for the Republican party. In 1869, he entered the Union College of Law at Chicago, from which he graduated in 1870, and soon thereafter entered upon the active practice of his profession.

In 1880, he was married to Miss Lula S. Case, of Neenah, Wis. He was the first President of the Chicago Union Veteran Club, a Mason and a member of the Grand Army of the Republic.

He was of a peculiarly nervous temperament, and so eccentric as to defy any correct insight into his personal characteristics, business relations, or family affairs. We can only leave his faults, such as they may have been, and his sorrows and troubles, such as they were, in the hands of Him from whom no secrets are ever hid.

SOURCE: Report Of The Proceedings Of The Society Of The Army Of The Tennessee, At Toledo, Ohio September 5th and 6th, 1888, p. 179

Youthful Bravery

The following account of an incident of the battle near Pittsburg Landing is given by one who is enabled to vouch for its authenticity.

In the battle at Pittsburg Landing young Martin Beem of Alton, Ill. Scarce 18 years old was a Sergeant in the 13^th Missouri having entered the regiment as a private.  On that fatal Sunday the color bearer was shot down at his side and he caught up the flag and carried it through the day and slept that night with its folds around him.  The next morning his Captain appointed him a Second Lieutenant pro tempore.  The first volley killed the First Lieutenant and Martin took his place.  Soon after the Lieutenant-Colonel fell, and the Captain of Martin’s company acted as Major leaving this young hero to carry the company through the battle which he did most gallantly and escaped unharmed.  Young Martin Beem was in a printing office when the war broke out, he went to St. Louis and enlisted among the three months volunteers.  At the expiration of that service he enlisted for the war. – We may hear from him ere the war is over.

– Published in The Burlington Weekly Hawk-Eye, Burlington, Iowa, Saturday, May 10, 1862, p. 4

Statement Of Major McDonald, Of The 8th Missouri, Who Was In The Battle

Statement of Major McDonald, Of the 8th Missouri, Who Was In the Battle

Major John McDonald, of the Eighth Missouri, arrived here on yesterday afternoon, direct from Pittsburgh Landing, having left the battle field on Wednesday evening.

He says the Eighth was in the fight on Monday, only lost six or eight killed, and about twenty-five wounded, none of the officers being hurt. He confirms the Killing of Gen. A. S. Johnson [sic], as was told by one of the prisoners, a confederate Lieutenant, that Gen. Bushrod Johnson, who escaped from Donelson, was also killed. All reports about the wounding of Gen. Beauregard, he thinks are unreliable. An officer of the New Orleans Creole Battalion who was taken prisoner, says that Beauregard, who was then commander, made them a speech on Saturday, before the battle, in which he told them that the result was a sure thing, they could not fail, they would capture Grant and his army, then whip Buell, and by this means hold all their railroads. If they lost the day he told them they might as well lay down their arms and go home.

Lieut. Co. J. F. St. James, of the 13th Missouri, was killed; also Lieut. Col. Gerber of the Twenty-fourth Missouri; also Lieut. Col. or Major Kilpatrick, of one of the Illinois regiments. The Ninth Illinois suffered very severely.

The story of the escape of Gen. Prentiss is not true. He and the greater part of his brigade, probable, 3,500 men, were taken prisoners early in the fight on Sunday.

Gen. Grant was at Savannah on Sunday morning and hearing the firing made his way to Pittsburg in all haste, and got on the field about 11 o’clock A. M. In the action on Monday he was considerably hurt in one of his legs by being crushed against a tree.

The gunboats did fine work and probably saved our army from total disaster on Sunday. – They were placed up the stream where they could have full sweep of the rebel lines, and did a great deal of disconcert and keep back the enemy. All Sunday night they kept up a slow fire which harassed the rebels very much.

The beginning of the fight on Sunday morning was a complete surprise, many of our officers and soldiers being over taken in their tents and either slaughtered or taken prisoners. Some of the companies scattered into the ravines and hallows, and could not be got out, either by expostulations or threats. When the line was at length formed to resist the attack, it was done without much regard to company or regiment. By night the rebels had driven our army entirely out of its camps, and was in full possession of tents, equipage and everything.

So well satisfied were they of their days work, and so confident of the morrow, that they destroyed nothing. They got six of our batteries, all of which were recaptured the following day, and about forty of their cannon taken. Our lines on Sunday night were drawn around the landing in a semi circular shape, protected on all sides by our cannon; [but], if they had been hard pressed after dark by the rebels they would have been penetrated, and our entire army overcome.

The arrival of the reinforcements was very cheering; the rear landing and drawing up in good order and proceeding at once to the front, where they were fresh “cocked and primed” for the fight on Monday. The reinforcing divisions were Generals Nelson’s, Crittenden’s and McCook’s. On Tuesday Generals Wood’s and Thomas’s divisions also of Buell’s army came up.

The Fist Missouri artillery, Major Cavender, did splendidly losing no officers or guns.

Major Gen. C. F. Smith was not in the fight at all, but lying sick at Savannah, and not able to get out of his bed.

Our forces at Pittsburg on Sunday morning, were not over thirty-five thousand men. The enemy’s could not have been less than 90,000 men. One of the rebel prisoners, a quarter master, told Major McDonald that not less than ninety thousand rations were issued before they left Corinth.

Bowen’s brigade was heard from. Two or three of the prisoners belonged to it, but the Major, though he tried to see them was unsuccessful.

The second day’s fighting was not half so desperate as the first. The rebels soon gave way before our fresh troops, and were pursued with great slaughter. The pursuit was not continued far. A few miles beyond our lines, towards Corinth, there was a large creek very much swollen by the rains; the bridges of which the fugitives destroyed after them.

It rained very hard during Sunday Monday and Tuesday nights.

Major McDonald thinks Beauregard is not prepared to make a stand at Corinth and if pushed will retreat south as far as Jackson, Mississippi.

About four hundred of the wounded came down with Major McDonald on the steamer Commodore Perry to Paducah, and the others went up to Evansville. The Minnehaha would soon be down with the wounded.

– Published in the Burlington Weekly Hawk-Eye, Burlington, Iowa, Saturday, April 19, 1862