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Born: February 9, 1826
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Died: December 26, 1886
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Complete HarpWeek Biography:
Nicknamed "Black Jack" or "Black Eagle" as an adult, John
Logan was born in Jackson County, Illinois, the eldest of eleven children. His
father, a Scotch-Irish immigrant from northern Ireland, was a physician. Young
Logan interrupted his legal studies to serve in the Mexican-American War as a
lieutenant. After the war, he resumed the study of law, and practiced it for a
few years before being elected to the Illinois legislature. A Douglas Democrat,
Logan was elected to Congress from Illinois in 1858. In Congress, he took a
stance against the Lecompton Constitution of Kansas, which denied the Northern
Democratic position of popular sovereignty on the slavery issue. He represented
the southern Illinois district sometimes called "Little Egypt." In
1860 Logan supported Douglas for president and was himself reelected to
Congress.
When the Civil War began, Logan joined the Union fight, first at the Battle of
Bull Run. He then returned to Illinois to become colonel in the 31st Illinois
Regiment. After Fort Donelson, he was promoted to brigadier-general, and after
Vicksburg, he was named a major-general. He eventually became commander of the
Army of the Tennessee, but was removed from that position by President Lincoln
at General Sherman's request. Logan believed this was due to West Point
prejudice against a volunteer. Sherman argued that Logan's political activities
took him from the field and that, although a tough fighter, Logan had expressed
contempt for logistical preparations. Despite his distinguished military record
for the Union, Logan would have to face rumors of his Confederate sympathy for
the rest of his life. After the war, he helped found the Society of the Army of
the Republic and in 1868 sponsored Congressional recognition of Memorial Day as
a national holiday.
In 1866 Logan was reelected to Congress as a Republican, and was selected as one
of the House prosecutors of impeachment charges against President Johnson during
the removal trial in the Senate. After being reelected twice, Logan was chosen
to represent Illinois in the U.S. Senate in 1871. He lost the seat in 1877 to
David Davis, but gained the other Illinois Senate seat in 1879. A supporter of
Grant's unsuccessful bid for a third term in 1880, Logan was himself nominated
as vice president on the Republican national ticket in 1884. He was returned to
the Senate in 1885. In his final years, Logan worked on two military books, The
Great Conspiracy: Its Origin and History (1886) and the posthumously published
The Volunteer Soldier of America, With a Memoir of the Author and Military
Reminiscences from General Logan's Private Journal (1887). He died in
Washington, D. C. |
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Warning
1860
