John Alexander Logan was born February 6, 1826, in a two-story log house on the Logan farm where Murphysboro now stands. His father, Dr. John Logan emigrated from Ireland to Illinois. His mother, Elizabeth Jenkins, was a native of North Carolina and a sister of former Illinois Lt. governor A. M. Jenkins.
Logan was educated at a country school in his early years and studied at Shiloh Academy, located at Shiloh Hill, Randolph County.
With the outbreak of the Mexican War, Logan volunteered and at the close of the war was an adjutant of his regiment. The First Illinois Regiment formed up at Alton, Illinois in 1847 under the leadership of John Cunningham and walked the entire distance to Santa Fe, New Mexico on foot only to arrive after the war had ended.
After returning home his father decided that he should adopt the profession of law. After studying with his uncle, Ex-Lt. Governor A.M. Jenkins, he went to Louisville to attend the Louisville University of that city. A strict economy and judicious trading in horses and other stock on the farm which had been assigned him as his share for his services, he had saved enough money to pay his own way.
From the day of his graduation to the day of his father’s death, he never received a penny from his father, but contributed toward the consummation of many of his father’s business projects. His father made a will dividing his property between the widow and his children except “John Alexander, whose marked abilities are such that he can provide for himself and aid his mother if necessary, this provision is made not from want of affection, but because of unbounded confidence in his future success.”
Gen. Logan appreciated his father’s trust, and was always mindful of that faith in him.
Traveling as a circuit lawyer over sixteen counties composing his judicial district required untiring energy. Practicing in criminal law and prosecuting criminals was no easy or safe task in the days of the Regulators in Southern Illinois. He was constantly exposed to the vengeance of the friends of the many evil doers whose conviction and punishment he caused. His participation in politics was not of his own seeking, but surrender to the pressure of the better element of society.
Serving as clerk of the Williamson County Court, prosecuting attorney, member of the State Legislature and of Congress by the time he was 32, he threw his whole soul into everything he undertook, never hesitating to assume responsibility or wanting for some else to take the initiative to find out how the public would receive the measure.
In 1855, he was married to Mary Cunningham at Shawneetown.
The new Mrs. Logan was the daughter of Captain John Marion Cunningham, under whom Logan served in the Mexican War as First Lieutenant, and Elizabeth Hicks Fountain, daughter of a wealthy descendant of the French Huguenots.
With the beginning of the Civil War, even the Logan family did not escape the emotional trauma caused by splits in families. At the time that Logan was vying for volunteers for the Union, his wife’s brother, H. N. Cunningham, had raised a company and gone South to join the Confederacy.
After Logan’s speech on the Square in Marion, Illinois in 1861, he and his 31st Illinois Infantry joined General U. S. Grant in Cairo and fought in the battle of Belmont, Missouri, where Logan twice cut his way through rebel lines. He next took part in battles of Fort Henry and Fort Donelson, where he was severely wounded in the shoulder and thigh. His friend and fellow officer John H. White died at Fort Donelson. He later was appointed Brigadier General and marched his command on the evening of April 7, too late to participate in the battle of Shiloh.
On November 29, 1862, he was promoted to Major General. He then took part in the northern Mississippi campaign, marching toward Vicksburg, Mississippi. He also participated in the battles of Raymond, Jackson, Port Gibson, Big Black and Champion Hills, leading up to the great siege of Vicksburg. He took part in the charge of May 22 and blew up Fort Hill. He was also with General Grant at the surrender of General Pemberton. Logan then entered Vicksburg on July 4, 1863 at the head of his army.
In November 1863, Logan was in command of the 15th Army Corps with General Sherman on his famous march to the sea.
Logan fought in the battles of Resaca, Dalton, Big Kensaw Mountain, Little Kensaw Mountain, and on through Marietta and Decatur to the front in Atlanta. When General McPheron, commander of the Tennessee Army, was killed. General Logan assumed command and won the great battle of Atlanta and became the “hero of the battle of Atlanta.”
Much to Logan’s dismay, however, he was superseded by General Howard as commander of the Tennessee Army. After the termination of the Atlanta campaign, Logan returned north to take part in the presidential campaign by request of President Lincoln. He afterward joined his command at Savannah, Georgia.
In January 1865, the long, perilous and toilsome winter campaign of the Carolinas was begun and resulted in the capture of the state capitols of North and South Carolina and on April 2, General Joe Johnston surrendered near Raleigh, North Carolina.
At the war’s end, Logan, again in command of the Tennessee Army rode at the head of the army during the grand review at the National Capitol and garnered more applause than any other general in the review.
Logan was ordered to Louisville, Kentucky, where he mustered out his 60,000 soldiers and tendered his resignation. He was nominated for minister to Mexico and was confirmed by the Senate, but he declined the appointment. He also declined an offer to be minister to Japan.
In 1867 General Logan was chosen commander in chief of the Grand Army of the Republic, a position for which he was chosen three times. During this command, he issued the now famous order No. 11, designating May 30, as a national memorial holiday.
During this time, Logan was also serving as a state Congressman-at-large. In 1873, he was elected U. S. Senator, an office to which he was elected three terms. In the 1880 presidential campaign, Logan was offered the vice-president slot on the ticket with James Garfield. He declined the offer. In 1884 he ran for the office as James G. Blaine’s running mate. The Blaine-Logan ticket was defeated by Grover Cleveland and Thomas Hendricks.
Logan took part in the campaign of 1886 and made his last political speech in Murphysboro on October 30 of that year.
John A. Logan died in Washington, D. C. on December 26, 1886.
(Data extracted from 1905 Souvenir History, WCHS; photos are historical and public domain; Edited by Sam Lattuca on 02/17/2013)