Civil War Soldiers of Edgar County, Illinois: Harrison and William Nay

By W. Edward Rolison

Civil War Soldiers of Edgar County, Illinois: Harrison and William Nay tells the story of two brothers who served in the Civil War and wrote home to their sister from their places of duty. One was young, single, and a volunteer in 1862. The other was forty, married with six children and one on the way, when he was drafted in 1864. The younger was captured in the Battle of Chickamauga and spent nine months in Confederate prisons, finally dying of scurvy at Danville, Virginia. The older was drafted three months after his brother died in 1864 and served in the Army of the Cumberland participating in the Battles of Franklin and Nashville. With the end of the war in April 1865, the older brother was mustered out of the service and returned to his home in time to celebrate the Fourth of July.  There he became a large and prosperous farmer until his death in 1898.

This is also the story of their sister, Lucinda (Nay) Yowell and her descendants, who preserved the letters until they came to the attention of the author some 150 years later. The author presents this volume in recognition of the 158th anniversary of the end of the Civil War and in recognition of all the ordinary soldiers who have served “so that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom—and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.”

The author, Dr. W. Edward Rolison, is Professor Emeritus and former Head of the Department of the Social Sciences at Southwestern Oklahoma State University at Weatherford, where he taught political science and history for thirty-five years. He recently published On Democracy: Essays on Principles Fundamental to American Government and the 2020 Presidential Election (2023).

“Old Abe is a hard man to work for and he pays his hands when he gets ready.” --- Harrison Nay, December 26, 1862.

“Harriet informs me she is trying to get me a substitute. If she does, it would suit me very well as this is rather rough for a delicate constitution like mine.” ---William Nay, December 5, 1864.

“I heard this morning that old Abe was dead. I don’t think it is so. I am afraid it ain’t. . .. I would pull off my coat and holler a big holler, but I am afraid it ain’t so. Then they would laugh at me. So, I will wait a while.” ---Nay cousin John Lawler, April 16, 1865.

“I found the stories to be both interesting and informative from eyewitness accounts of Civil War events. I congratulate the author on his in-depth research in writing this compelling family history.” ---Chris D. Caldwell, JD, Attorney-at-Law and Civil War buff, 2023.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Outskirts Press
• Release date: Oct 30, 2023
• ISBN: 9781977270023

W. Edward Rolison

W. Edward Rolison is Professor Emeritus and former Head of the Department of the Social Sciences at Southwestern Oklahoma State University at Weatherford, where he taught political science and history for thirty-five years. He recently published On Democracy: Essays on Principles Fundamental to American Government and the 2020 Presidential Election (2023). 

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Civil War Soldiers of Edgar County, Illinois

Harrison and William Nay

All Rights Reserved.

Copyright © 2024 W. Edward Rolison

v4.0

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Library of Congress Control Number: 2023914417

Cover Photo courtesy of Fred Delap and the Edgar County Historical Society.

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PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

This work is dedicated to the memory of

Lucinda (Nay) Yowell

1827-1876

And

John Bennett Yowell

1888-1959

Table of Contents

PREFACE AND ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

INTRODUCTION

PART I: HISTORICAL CONTEXT

CHAPTER ONE: EDGAR COUNTY AND KANSAS TOWNSHIP AND VILLAGE

CHAPTER TWO: HARRISON AND WILLIAM NAY, THEIR FAMILY, AND FRIENDS

CHAPTER THREE: MILITARY CONSCRIPTION, BOUNTIES, AND PAY

CHAPTER FOUR: THE 79TH AND 59TH ILLINOIS INFANTRY REGIMENTS

CHAPTER FIVE: THE CONFEDERATE PRISONS AT RICHMOND AND DANVILLE

CHAPTER SIX: THE DANVILLE HOSPITALS AND THE DEATH OF HARRISON NAY

PART II: THE LETTERS OF HARRISON AND WILLIAM NAY

CHAPTER SEVEN: MEASLES, CHRISTMAS, OLD ABE, AND STONES RIVER

CHAPTER EIGHT: COOKING, FORTIFYING, ROSEY, AND SUPPORT FOR THE TROOPS

CHAPTER NINE: HARRISON NAY AS COOK, TOURIST, AND POLITICAL COMMENTATOR

CHAPTER TEN: CROSSING THE CUMBERLAND MOUNTAINS, MORE RUMORS, AND MORE COOKING

CHAPTER ELEVEN; HARD TRAVELING AND THE BATTLES OF FRANKLIN AND NASHVILLE

CHAPTER TWELVE: WAR’S END AND THE ASSASSINATION OF ABRAHAM LINCOLN

CHAPTER THIRTEEN: CONCLUSION

APPENDIX A: THE OLDEST LETTER

APPENDIX B: THE STORY BEHIND THE PHOTOS OF THE NAY BROTHERS

APPENDIX C: AMERICA’S LONGEST WAR

BIBLIOGRAPHY

AUTHOR’S BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH

LIST OF IMAGES, MAPS, AND ILLUSTRATIONS

[Author’s Note on Sources: Most of the images used in this book are in the public domain and were found on Wikimedia Commons. A few are courtesy of the Library of Congress. Some were photographed by the author. Maps 1, 2, and 3 were developed by the author with the assistance of SWOSU graphic designer Kyle Wright. They are based on maps found in Scott Parkinson, Edgar County, Illinois in the Civil War, 1861-1865, (master’s thesis, Eastern Illinois University, 1988). Maps 4 and 5 were used with permission, courtesy of Gary Lee Hall and F. Lawrence McFall, Jr. and are from Danville in the Civil War by McFall. Map 6 is from Wikimedia Commons. All illustrations are in the public domain. Illustration 1 is from Frank E. Moran, Colonel Rose’s Tunnel at Libby Prison, The Century: A Popular Quarterly 35 (March 1888), 786-87. Illustration 2 is from the Library of Congress. Illustration 3 is from George Haven Putnam’s book, A Prisoner of War in Virginia, 1864-65 (1912). Illustration 4 is from Edward Pollock, Illustrated Sketchbook of Danville, Virginia (1885).]

IMAGE 1: Possible photo of Harrison Nay

IMAGE 2: Photo of William Nay

PART I

MAP 1: Counties and Cities of East-Central Illinois

MAP 2: Townships of Edgar County in 1861

IMAGE 3: General Ulysses S. Grant at Cold Harbor

IMAGE 4: Senator Stephen A. Douglas

IMAGE 5: Abraham Lincoln circa 1860

MAP 3: Villages and Transportation Routes in Edgar County in 1861

IMAGE 6 & 7: Possible photos of Harrison Nay

IMAGE 8: Jobe W. Brown

IMAGE 9: William and Harriet Nay

IMAGE 10: Nay brothers from Harrison County, Virginia

IMAGE 11: Early picture of the Harrison County, Virginia, Nays

IMAGE 12: Major General Arthur St. Clair

IMAGE 13: Again and Again, Painting by Zogbaum

IMAGE 14: A Group of New York State Militia During the Civil War

IMAGE 15: Charles W. F. Dick

IMAGE 16: General Braxton Bragg

IMAGE 17: Union General William Rosecrans

IMAGE 18: Colonel Allen Buckner

IMAGE 19: Andersonville Prison

IMAGE 20: Libby Prison

IMAGE 21: Major General John A. Dix

IMAGE 22: Federal Soldier Returned from Confederate Prison

IMAGE 23: Libby Prison, Richmond, Virginia, in 1865

ILLUSTRATION 1: Cross-Section of Libby Prison & Col. Rose’s Tunnel

MAP 4: Confederate Danville Virginia, 1861-1865

IMAGE 24: Brig. General Stand Watie

ILLUSTRATION 2: Depiction of Danville Prisons 1, 2, 3, and 4

IMAGE 25: Danville Prison No. 3: Officer’s Prison

ILLUSTRATION 3: Depiction of Union Prisoners in Danville Prison

ILLUSTRATION 4: Artist Sketch of Danville Prison No. 6

IMAGE 26: Danville Prison No. 6 in 2010

MAP 5: Confederate General Hospital, Danville, Virginia

IMAGE 27: Henry Van der Weyde

IMAGE 28: Entrance to Danville National Military Cemetery

IMAGE 29: Grave site of Harrison Nay

PART II

IMAGE 30: Sample page from the Nay Family Letters

IMAGE 31: Cooking for the Union Troops

IMAGE 32: Old Abe

IMAGE 33: Major General William Rosecrans

IMAGE 34: Major General George Thomas

IMAGE 35: Major General John Scofield

IMAGE 36: Lt. General John Bell Hood

MAP 6: Movement of Armies during the Franklin-Nashville Campaign

IMAGE 37: Photo of Union Line at Battle of Nashville

IMAGE 38: William & Harriet Nay Grave Marker

IMAGE 39: Yowell Family Plot in Pleasant Hill Cemetery

IMAGE 40: Lucinda (Nay) Yowell Grave Marker

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PREFACE AND ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The magic of discovery occurred as I was doing genealogical research in the Vigo County Public Library in Terre Haute, Indiana. A few months earlier I had been motivated to investigate the history of my family. This led to a series of research fishing expeditions to discover my family’s roots. One of the ponds in which I fished was the Vigo County Public Library. I was on my way to Ohio and decided to spend an afternoon in this library mainly just to touch base, not expecting to find much.

The Vigo County Public Library is sizeable and has a relatively large and well-organized genealogy and special collections section. As is my custom, one of the first things I check in such a library is whether there are any family files. These are often vertical files under family surnames. It was no surprise that the library had nothing under Rolison, but another name I usually check is Nay since my father had a first cousin, Dr. Ernest Omar Nay, M.D., who was a committed genealogist and who had published two books on the genealogy of his own family. His grandparents on his mother’s side were my great-grandparents on my father’s side of the family. Dr. Nay had practiced medicine in Terre Haute for many years, so I checked his name just to see what I might find.

The library did have a file on Nay in which I found little of consequence until I came upon a manila envelope with the following notation: "Old Letters (circa 1860’s). Some of these were brought into the library by John B. Yowell of R. R. 5, Paris, Illinois in May 1956. Some are reputed to have been written by ‘Dr. Nay.’ Some of the letters were found in a large envelope with the return address of Dr. Ernest O. Nay…Terre Haute, Ind., Nov. 23, 1953."¹ John Bennett Yowell, who was Lucinda Yowell’s grandson, deposited the letters only a few years before he died on November 16, 1959.²

Upon opening the envelope, I was amazed to find not letters written by Dr. Nay, but rather Civil War letters written primarily by Harrison Nay, but also by his older brother, William, from their places of duty during their service. I never imagined that I would stumble onto what seemed to be a treasure which had been languishing for half a century in a family genealogical file. There were ten letters in all. Four were from Harrison Nay and two from William Nay, both Union soldiers writing home to their sister, Lucinda (Nay) Yowell. Two were clearly from their cousin, John Lawler, to Lucinda. There was one much older letter written to Lucinda by their cousin, Mary, from Johnson County, Indiana, in 1848. Finally, there was a dated, but incomplete and unsigned letter fragment. This appeared to be in John Lawler’s handwriting and, considering the content, I have attributed it to him. In addition, there were three documents concerning Harrison Nay’s estate.³

The letters were in remarkably good condition although they showed the effects of acid and folds and fading. Obviously, they needed to be transferred to the library’s archives where they could be placed in acid-free containers and professionally protected. This was done and they are now in the care of the archives section of the Vigo County Public Library.

I felt that Providence had led me to these letters. Being a Ph.D., who presumably should appreciate their historical value, I felt an obligation to follow through with some sort of scholarly treatment. The result is this small monograph.

The work was slow, and what was originally expected to be a journal article turned into something much lengthier. Numerous trips to Vigo County, Indiana, and Edgar County, Illinois, were required. Two days were spent at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library in Springfield, Illinois, and three days at the National Archives in Washington, D. C. Trips to Louisville, Kentucky, and Danville, Virginia, were also required. Much of the delay was due to the problem of deciding how best to organize and present the material. Once that hurdle was passed, the project fell into place.

I would like to acknowledge the assistance of Mr. Fred Delap and the Edgar County Historical and Genealogical Societies, who were instrumental in supplying images of William Nay, his wife, and possibly Harrison Nay. I would also like to acknowledge the Vigo County Public Library for permission to publish images of the letters and for access to the documents. The assistance of Mr. Jim Gilson, the archivist there, was much appreciated, as was the competent storage and care of the documents. Other Vigo County Public Library staff who were most helpful were Library Director Kristi Howe, Community Connections Coordinator Brittany Michaels, Special Collections Librarians David Lewis and Nancy Sherrill (now retired), and former archivist, Kris Ligget. Research was also done in the Paris (Illinois) Public Library, the Edgar County (Illinois) Genealogical Society Library in Paris, the Eastern Illinois University Library in Charleston, the Charleston (Illinois) Carnegie Public Library, the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library in Springfield, Illinois, and the National Archives in Washington, D. C. Thanks to the staffs of those institutions. I also used the resources of libraries at the University of Oklahoma at Norman; Southwestern Oklahoma State University at Weatherford; the Western Plains Public Library System in Clinton and Weatherford, Oklahoma; the Western Oklahoma Historical Center and the Western Plains Weatherford Genealogical Society in Weatherford, Oklahoma; the Oklahoma History Center in Oklahoma City; the University of Louisville (Kentucky); the Danville (Virginia) Museum of Fine Arts and History; and the Virginia-North Carolina Piedmont Genealogical Society in Danville, Virginia.

Harry Lawrence Nay of La Crosse, Wisconsin, shared his knowledge of the Nay family as well as tips on publishing. Betty E. Smith, Ph.D., Professor Emerita in Geography, Eastern Illinois University, made helpful suggestions. Robert Franklin Parker, Ph.D., of Clinton, Oklahoma; Frederick B. Gates, Ph.D., Professor in American History and Head of the Department of the Social Sciences, Southwestern Oklahoma State University at Weatherford; Bob L. Blackburn, Ph.D., former Executive Director of the Oklahoma Historical Society; and Richard L. Millett, Ph.D., Professor Emeritus in Military History, Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville read early versions of the entire manuscript and made valuable critiques. Chris D. Caldwell, J. D., read the final version of the manuscript and made useful suggestions. Fred Delap, Edgar County historian and genealogist, read the chapters on Edgar County and the Nay and Pinnell families and contributed photographs. Kyle Wright, graphic designer at Southwestern Oklahoma State University, assisted in developing some of the maps. I appreciate the time that all of these individuals spent and the suggestions they made. Of course, any errors of commission or omission are the responsibility of the author.

The greatest acknowledgment should go to Mrs. Lucinda (Nay) Yowell and her descendants who preserved the letters, and, in particular, her great-grandson, John Bennett Yowell, who had the foresight to deposit them in the Vigo County Public Library. It is to their memory that this book is dedicated. They had the sense of history to preserve these letters so as to remind us of the debt we owe the veterans of not only the Civil War, but all the wars Americans have fought to secure a new birth of freedom.

Ed Rolison, Ph.D.

Weatherford, Oklahoma

July 15, 2023

[IMAGE 1: Possible photo of Harrison Nay in uniform. Harrison was born in 1840 and died while a POW at Danville, Virginia, in 1864. See Appendix B for history of the photo. Image courtesy of Fred Delap and the Edgar County Historical Society.]

INTRODUCTION

This is the story of two brothers from Edgar County, Illinois, who served their country in the Civil War, and their sister who preserved letters they wrote home from the field. Their service was unremarkable. They won no medals. They were only privates. One spent most of his time sick or as a cook, and the other was usually only in sight and earshot of the guns although he eventually was in the thick of the fight at the Battle of Nashville in December 1864.

Yet, in many ways they were representative of thousands of soldiers who fought in the great conflict that was the Civil War. They were both farmers, one young and single, the other forty with a wife and six children at home. One volunteered relatively early in the war; the other was drafted toward its end. One would die in a Confederate prison while the other would survive to become a farmer of 530 acres and a leader in his community.⁴

This is also the story of a rural county in eastern Illinois and the small, rural community of Kansas, Illinois, where the two brothers lived---a community and county which may have contributed as many as three thousand men to the war effort and suffered at least seventy killed-in-action.⁵ It was also a county in which the larger national conflict between the North and the South played out on a local level. For example, the Kansas-Nebraska issue influenced the naming of Kansas Township, and the political divide between pro-Southern Copperheads and Union troops resulted in gunplay in the Edgar County seat of Paris and spilled over into adjacent Coles County in the Charleston Riot.⁶

It is the story of two infantry units of Illinois soldiers—the 79th Illinois Volunteer Infantry Regiment and the 59th Illinois Infantry Regiment. These units were engaged in some of the most significant battles in the western theater of the war, including the battles of Pea Ridge, Stones River, Shiloh, Chickamauga, Franklin, and Nashville as well as at Atlanta.⁷

Finally, it is the story of letters written home by these brothers to their sister, Lucinda, who faithfully saved and preserved them. These letters were supported by others preserved by Lucinda and which revealed some of the thinking of the time.⁸

The book is divided into two parts: The first part attempts to give historical context to the Civil War experiences of the Nay brothers. The second part addresses its primary objective, which is to present the letters written home by Harrison and William Nay to their sister, Lucinda, and her family. The book is presented as the United States commemorates the 158th anniversary of the end of the Civil War.

I have given considerable thought to the audience for this book. A wise professor once told me that an author should have a clear conception of the audience for whom he is writing.

Thus, while this is a scholarly book, it is not addressed so much to the scholarly community, who might think the Nay brothers and their letters rather small potatoes when considered in the grand scheme of the Civil War. Therefore, the book’s targeted audience includes those citizens of Edgar County and the State of Illinois who have an appreciation for their geographical place and an interest in its history.

Not much attention is given by scholars to local history, much of which is produced by local non-scholars, committees, and journalists; this work was designed to help fill that gap. It is also directed toward not only the descendants of the Nay family but also the families of other ordinary people whose lives have been touched by the sacrifices of war. Its audience includes those Civil War buffs who might appreciate the story of ordinary soldiers who made great sacrifices in serving their country.

One could ask, Who might buy or read this book? I would expect that people who are interested in the history of Edgar County and the surrounding region would appreciate and want the book. Libraries, especially in Illinois, should be in the market. Civil War buffs should find it interesting. Even Civil War scholars might learn something from it. While this is not a textbook, it is not inconceivable that it could end up on a professor’s adoption list. Anyone who expects to make a killing on this book will probably be disappointed. Monetary reward was not the motivation for writing the book, nor is it the motivation for publishing it. Both the writing and the publishing are scholarly endeavors focused on educating and preserving, not on making a buck.

One might also ask, What other books have been published on this topic or a similar subject? On this topic, this book is unique---one of a kind. I would venture to say that on the specific topic of the Nay brothers there will never be another book. The Nay brothers were not the kind of Civil War soldiers about whom books are written. There are hundreds of books based on Civil War letters and diaries, but most of these are by or about well-educated officers, not ordinary privates. I know of only one that chronicles the experiences of a native of Edgar County, Allen Buckner, who was the commander of the 79th Illinois when Harrison Nay was captured. Of course, there are thousands of books on the generals and the Commander-in-Chief. Most likely, the recent one by Doris Kearns Goodwin, which was a big success, will not be the last.

Finally, one might ask, How will this book be different from competing books? On the one hand, this book is on two specific individuals who had their own unique experiences; on the other hand, in general terms, their experiences were not dissimilar to those of thousands of other ordinary soldiers. I doubt that there are many competing books to be concerned about.

[IMAGE 2: Photo of William Nay as an elderly man, circa 1885. William was born in 1824 and died in 1898. He was buried in the family plot in the Pleasant Hill Cemetery in Kansas Township, Edgar County, Illinois. Photo is courtesy of Fred Delap and the Edgar County Historical Society.]

PART I: HISTORICAL CONTEXT

The book is divided into two parts: Part I deals with various issues raised by the experiences of the Nay brothers during the Civil War. It includes six chapters. Chapter One deals with the two brothers as sons of Kansas Township in Edgar County, Illinois. It describes the general history of their county, township, and village so as to understand better the geographical, social, and political milieu from which they came. Chapter Two describes the Nay family, how they came to Edgar County, their friends and relatives, and each of the two brothers along with their service in the Civil War. It includes information about their friends, the Pinnell family, as well as the contribution that the extended Nay family made to the Civil War. Chapter Three discusses the government’s military conscription, bounty, and payment policies which had a bearing on the experiences of the Nay brothers. This is important in understanding Harrison’s enlistment and receipt of a bounty and William’s conscription into the service. Chapter Four relates the wartime activities of the regiments that Harrison and William Nay joined. Harrison’s unit was the 79th Illinois Volunteer Infantry Regiment, and William’s unit was the 59th Illinois Infantry Regiment. Their experiences while with their units, as revealed in their letters home, are described along with the historical context of the battles in which they participated. Chapter Five describes the Confederate prisons at Richmond and Danville, Virginia, and what life might have