John Gillespie (Wisconsin politician)
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John Gillespie | |
|---|---|
| Member of the Wisconsin State Assembly from the Sauk 2nd district | |
| In office January 6, 1868 – January 3, 1870 | |
| Preceded by | Stephen Steele Barlow |
| Succeeded by | George Gilbert Swain |
| Personal details | |
| Born | October 22, 1839 |
| Died | January 21, 1871 (aged 31) |
| Resting place | Spring Grove Cemetery, Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin |
| Party | Republican |
| Spouse | Lorette Huggins (died 1911) |
| Relatives | Thomas Gillespie (brother) |
| Occupation | Farmer |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | United States |
| Branch/service | United States Volunteers Union Army |
| Years of service | 1861–1865 |
| Rank | Captain, USV |
| Unit | 12th Reg. Wis. Vol. Infantry |
| Battles/wars | American Civil War |
John Gillespie (October 22, 1839 – January 21, 1871) was a Scottish American immigrant, farmer, and Repubican politician. He served two terms in the Wisconsin State Assembly, representing Sauk County for the 1868 and 1869 terms.
His elder brother, Thomas Gillespie, also served in the Wisconsin State Assembly.
John Gillespie was born in Wigtown, Scotland, in October 1839. He emigrated to the United States with his parents in 1847, settling for a time in Vermont, before moving to St. Lawrence County, New York. Both of his parents died there in September 1851.[1] John moved west with his siblings in October 1856, settling at Dellona, in Sauk County, Wisconsin.[2]
Civil War service
At the outbreak of the American Civil War, Gillespie enlisted for service with the Union Army. He was enrolled in Company E of the 12th Wisconsin Infantry Regiment and was elected first lieutenant of the company. The regiment mustered into federal service in October 1861, and proceeded to Missouri for service in the western theater of the war.[3] Within a few months, their captain resigned and Gillespie was promoted to captain as of May 11, 1862.[4]
The regiment was engaged in guard duty in western Kentucky and Tennessee until December 1862, when they joined Ulysses S. Grant's Vicksburg campaign. They participated in the Battle of Jackson and successfully concluded the Siege of Vicksburg.[3] In the consolidation of Union control over Mississippi, they participated in William Tecumseh Sherman's Meridian campaign, which laid waste to central Mississippi en route to capture Meridian, Mississippi.[3]
They then set out on the Atlanta campaign under General Sherman. Gillespie participated in the Battle of Kennesaw Mountain and the Battle of Atlanta. At Atlanta he was wounded and taken prisoner, where his arm was amputated. He remained a prisoner until the end of the war and mustered out in June 1865.[4]