Civil War Union Brevet Brigadier General. Born in Pennsylvania, he received a basic education and was employed as a mechanic before moving to Ohio then to Iowa, and eventually settling in Illinois. He was a carpenter, architect, and contractor until he was elected sheriff of Carroll county in the mid-1850's. When the Civil War broke out, he responded to President Lincoln's call for volunteers to help preserve the Union and was assigned as a captain of the 15th Illinois Volunteer Infantry. After training near Alton, Illinois, he served with his unit in skirmishes in south-central Missouri including those around Sedalia and Springfield. After wintering at Ottersville, Missouri, the 15th Illinois was sent to Kentucky where it participated in the surrender of Fort Donelson. He was then sent to Pittsburg Landing and fought in the intense fighting of the first day of the Battle of Shiloh. At that battle, he was wounded seriously in the right foot and was captured. After eighteen days, his right leg was amputated at Memphis and he was sent to Jackson, Tennessee. In October of 1862, he was exchanged and returned home to recouperate. He was promoted to the rank of major and was determined to continue his military service. He accompanied the 15th Illinois to Vicksburg, where he remained until the capture of that city in July of 1863. Because of difficulty in mounting and dismounting his horse, he decided to resign from the service but continued his recruitment efforts. Toward the end of the war, on March 13, 1865, he was brevetted brigadier general "for meritorious services." At the end of the war, he was elected Clerk of the Circuit Court and Recorder of Carroll County. He was also elected to the state legislature in 1868 and was appointed by President Grant to be an internal revenue collector.