John Azor Kellogg
John Azor Kellogg | |
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Member of the Wisconsin Senate from the 21st district | |
In office January 6, 1879 – January 3, 1881 | |
Preceded by | Henry Mumbrue |
Succeeded by | Charles F. Crosby |
District Attorney of Juneau County, Wisconsin | |
In office January 1, 1861 – April 1861 | |
Preceded by | Richard Smith |
Succeeded by | Perry R. Briggs |
Personal details | |
Born | Bethany, Pennsylvania, U.S. | March 16, 1828
Died | February 10, 1883 Wausau, Wisconsin, U.S. | (aged 54)
Resting place | Pine Grove Cemetery, Wausau |
Political party | Republican |
Spouse | Adelaide Worthington |
Children | 5 |
Alma mater | University of Wisconsin–Madison |
Profession | Lawyer |
Military service | |
Allegiance | United States |
Branch/service | United States Volunteers Union Army |
Years of service | 1861–1865 |
Rank | |
Unit | Army of the Potomac |
Commands | |
Battles/wars | American Civil War |
John Azor Kellogg (March 16, 1828 – February 10, 1883) was an American lawyer, politician, and Union Army officer from Wisconsin. He was one of the founders of the Republican Party.
Early life
Born in Bethany, Pennsylvania, Kellogg moved with his parents to Sauk County, Wisconsin, in 1840. At age 18, he studied law at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. In 1852, Kellogg married Adelaide Worthington of Prairie du Sac, Wisconsin. They had five children.[1]
In 1857, he was admitted to the State Bar of Wisconsin and moved to Mauston, Wisconsin, in Juneau County. He was elected District Attorney for Juneau County in 1860, but resigned in April 1861 to enter service with the Union Army in the American Civil War.[1]
Civil War
Kellogg helped raise Company K, 6th Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry Regiment, and was commissioned first lieutenant for that Company on May 3, 1861, under Captain Rufus Dawes. Upon their arrival in Washington, D.C., the regiment was organized into a brigade along with three other regiments from Wisconsin and Indiana. Their brigade later became known as the Iron Brigade, and was attached to the Army of the Potomac for most of the war.[1]
Kellogg was promoted to captain of Company I in December 1861, and was made an adjutant for the brigade in 1863. He returned to his role with the regiment in 1864.
Kellogg was wounded on May 5, 1864, during the Battle of the Wilderness, and was believed dead.[2][3][4][5] He had actually been taken prisoner. He was held in Virginia for a time, then transferred to Georgia. He escaped while en route to Charleston, South Carolina, but was pursued and recaptured. On October 15, while being transferred from Charleston to Columbia, South Carolina, Kellogg escaped again. This time he successfully reached Union forces near Calhoun, Georgia, having traveled 350 miles after his escape.[1]
While a prisoner of war, Kellogg had been promoted to major and then lieutenant colonel. In December 1864 he was made colonel of the 6th Wisconsin Volunteer Regiment. On February 28, 1865, Kellogg was placed in command of the Iron Brigade. He commanded the brigade through the Appomattox Campaign at the close of the war and mustered out in August 1865. He was subsequently given a brevet to brigadier general in recognition for his service.[1][6]
Postbellum years
After the war, Kellogg moved to La Crosse, Wisconsin, and served as a U.S. Pension Agent for La Crosse from 1866 to 1875.[1] In 1875, Kellogg moved with his family to Wausau, Wisconsin, to return to his law practice. Kellogg remained active with the Republican Party throughout his life, and, in 1878, was elected to the Wisconsin State Senate, defeating Democrat M. H. Wadleigh.[1][7]
Published works
Kellogg published articles about his involvement in the Civil War. In 1908, the articles were collected and published by the Wisconsin Historical Commission as Capture and Escape: A Narrative of Army and Prison Life.
Electoral history
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Republican | John A. Kellogg | 4,559 | 60.26% | ||
Democratic | M. H. Wadleigh | 3,006 | 39.74% | ||
Total votes | 7,565 | 100.0% | |||
Republican hold |
Citations
- ^ a b c d e f g "Kellogg, Col. John A." Wisconsin Historical Society. Retrieved July 12, 2020.
- ^ "Letter from Col. Thos. S. Allen—Losses in Wisconsin Regiments". Wisconsin State Journal. Madison, Wisconsin. May 19, 1864. p. 1. Retrieved July 12, 2020.
- ^ "Letter from Col. Thomas S. Allen". The Daily Milwaukee News. Milwaukee, Wisconsin. May 21, 1864. p. 4. Retrieved July 12, 2020.
- ^ "Col. Bragg Killed". Janesville Weekly Gazette. Janesville, Wisconsin. May 27, 1864. p. 1. Retrieved July 12, 2020.
- ^ Dawes, p. 272; ...we have letters from Washington informing us that Colonel Bragg, Lieutenant Colonel Dawes, and Captain Kellogg of the sixth regiment are killed...
- ^ Quiner, p. 481
- ^ "Marathon County History Society-John Azor Kellogg". Archived from the original on 2014-05-19. Retrieved 2014-05-19.
References
- Quiner, Edwin B. (1866). The military history of Wisconsin. Chicago: Clarke & Co. Retrieved July 12, 2020.
- Dawes, Rufus R. (1890). Service with the Sixth Wisconsin Volunteers. Marietta, Ohio: E. R. Alderman & Sons. Retrieved July 12, 2020.
- Kellogg, John Azor (1908). Capture and Escape. Democrat Printing Co. Retrieved July 12, 2020.
- Herdegen, Lance J. (1997). The Men Stood Like Iron: How the Iron Brigade Won Its Name. Bloomington, Indiana: Indiana University Press. ISBN 0-253-33221-4. Retrieved July 12, 2020.
External links
- 1828 births
- 1883 deaths
- People from Bethany, Pennsylvania
- Politicians from La Crosse, Wisconsin
- People from Sauk County, Wisconsin
- Politicians from Wausau, Wisconsin
- People of Wisconsin in the American Civil War
- University of Wisconsin–Madison alumni
- Union Army colonels
- Wisconsin lawyers
- Writers from La Crosse, Wisconsin
- Writers from Pennsylvania
- Wisconsin state senators
- 19th-century American politicians
- 19th-century American lawyers
- Military personnel from Pennsylvania