Elias Smith Dennis
Encyclopedia
Elias Smith Dennis was a lawyer, politician, and soldier from the state of Illinois
who served as a general in the Union Army
during the American Civil War
.
. He moved to Carlyle, Illinois
, in 1836. He married the Mary Kain Slade, the widow of Charles Slade
, a U.S. Representative
from Illinois. One of his stepsons was future gunfighter Jack Slade.
Dennis served in the Illinois House of Representatives
from 1842 to 1844 and was an Illinois State Senator from 1846 to 1848. In 1857, President James Buchanan
appointed Dennis as U.S. Marshal of Kansas
. He remained in office until the outbreak of the Civil War.
of the 30th Illinois Infantry. He participated in the capture of Fort Donelson
, Tennessee. He was promoted to colonel
in May 1862 and to brigadier general in November 1862, commanding a brigade of infantry in the Army of the Tennessee
.
During the 1863 Vicksburg Campaign
, he was accused of selling army provisions to the Confederates near Vicksburg while his own men were underfed. In April 1863, he fought in the Battle of Port Gibson
and in May 1863, at the Battle of Raymond
. Later in May, he was placed in command of the District of Northeast Louisiana when guerillas were causing problems on the leased plantations there. Troops from his command participated in the Battle of Milliken's Bend
in June, one of the first battles to involve United States Colored Troops
.
He served as the commanding officer of the Union militia
in Louisiana until the end of the war. Dennis was mustered out of the volunteer army on August 24, 1865. On January 13, 1866, President Andrew Johnson
nominated Dennis to receive the brevet grade of major general
, to rank from April 13, 1865, and the U.S. Senate confirmed the nomination on March 12, 1866.
after the war. His estranged wife died in 1873, and two years later Dennis married a widow in Madison Parish who owned a plantation
. Dennis moved back to Carlyle, Illinois, in March 1887 and lived on a small farm with his son.
He died from pneumonia
in Carlyle in 1894 and was buried in the City Cemetery.
A bronze bust of Dennis was erected in 1915 on the Vicksburg National Military Park
.
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
who served as a general in the Union Army
Union Army
The Union Army was the land force that fought for the Union during the American Civil War. It was also known as the Federal Army, the U.S. Army, the Northern Army and the National Army...
during the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
.
Early life and career
Dennis was born in Newburgh, New York, and grew up on Long IslandLong Island
Long Island is an island located in the southeast part of the U.S. state of New York, just east of Manhattan. Stretching northeast into the Atlantic Ocean, Long Island contains four counties, two of which are boroughs of New York City , and two of which are mainly suburban...
. He moved to Carlyle, Illinois
Carlyle, Illinois
Carlyle is a city in Clinton County, Illinois, United States. The population was 3,406 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Clinton County.Carlyle is located approximately 50 miles east of St...
, in 1836. He married the Mary Kain Slade, the widow of Charles Slade
Charles Slade
Charles Slade was a U.S. Representative from Illinois.Born in England, Slade immigrated to the United States with his parents, who settled in Alexandria, Virginia. He attended the public schools. He moved to Carlyle, Illinois. He engaged in mercantile pursuits. He held several local offices...
, a U.S. Representative
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
from Illinois. One of his stepsons was future gunfighter Jack Slade.
Dennis served in the Illinois House of Representatives
Illinois House of Representatives
The Illinois House of Representatives is the lower house of the Illinois General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Illinois. The body was created by the first Illinois Constitution adopted in 1818. The state House of Representatives is made of 118 representatives elected from...
from 1842 to 1844 and was an Illinois State Senator from 1846 to 1848. In 1857, President James Buchanan
James Buchanan
James Buchanan, Jr. was the 15th President of the United States . He is the only president from Pennsylvania, the only president who remained a lifelong bachelor and the last to be born in the 18th century....
appointed Dennis as U.S. Marshal of Kansas
Kansas
Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
. He remained in office until the outbreak of the Civil War.
Civil War service
When the war began, Dennis was selected as the lieutenant colonelLieutenant Colonel (United States)
In the United States Army, United States Air Force, and United States Marine Corps, a lieutenant colonel is a field grade military officer rank just above the rank of major and just below the rank of colonel. It is equivalent to the naval rank of commander in the other uniformed services.The pay...
of the 30th Illinois Infantry. He participated in the capture of Fort Donelson
Fort Donelson
Fort Donelson was a fortress built by the Confederacy during the American Civil War to control the Cumberland River leading to the heart of Tennessee, and the heart of the Confederacy.-History:...
, Tennessee. He was promoted to colonel
Colonel (United States)
In the United States Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps, colonel is a senior field grade military officer rank just above the rank of lieutenant colonel and just below the rank of brigadier general...
in May 1862 and to brigadier general in November 1862, commanding a brigade of infantry in the Army of the Tennessee
Army of the Tennessee
The Army of the Tennessee was a Union army in the Western Theater of the American Civil War, named for the Tennessee River. It should not be confused with the similarly named Army of Tennessee, a Confederate army named after the State of Tennessee....
.
During the 1863 Vicksburg Campaign
Vicksburg Campaign
The Vicksburg Campaign was a series of maneuvers and battles in the Western Theater of the American Civil War directed against Vicksburg, Mississippi, a fortress city that dominated the last Confederate-controlled section of the Mississippi River. The Union Army of the Tennessee under Maj. Gen....
, he was accused of selling army provisions to the Confederates near Vicksburg while his own men were underfed. In April 1863, he fought in the Battle of Port Gibson
Battle of Port Gibson
The Battle of Port Gibson was fought near Port Gibson, Mississippi, on May 1, 1863, between Union and Confederate forces during the Vicksburg Campaign of the American Civil War. The Union Army was led by Maj. Gen. Ulysses S...
and in May 1863, at the Battle of Raymond
Battle of Raymond
The Battle of Raymond was fought on May 12, 1863, near Raymond, Mississippi, during the Vicksburg Campaign of the American Civil War. The bitter fight pitted elements of Union Army Maj. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant's Army of the Tennessee against Confederate forces of Lt. Gen. John C. Pemberton's...
. Later in May, he was placed in command of the District of Northeast Louisiana when guerillas were causing problems on the leased plantations there. Troops from his command participated in the Battle of Milliken's Bend
Battle of Milliken's Bend
The Battle of Milliken's Bend, fought June 7, 1863, was part of the Vicksburg Campaign of the American Civil War. Confederate Lt. Gen. John C. Pemberton and his army were besieged in Vicksburg, Mississippi, by Union commander Maj. Gen. Ulysses S...
in June, one of the first battles to involve United States Colored Troops
United States Colored Troops
The United States Colored Troops were regiments of the United States Army during the American Civil War that were composed of African American soldiers. First recruited in 1863, by the end of the Civil War, the men of the 175 regiments of the USCT constituted approximately one-tenth of the Union...
.
He served as the commanding officer of the Union militia
Militia
The term militia is commonly used today to refer to a military force composed of ordinary citizens to provide defense, emergency law enforcement, or paramilitary service, in times of emergency without being paid a regular salary or committed to a fixed term of service. It is a polyseme with...
in Louisiana until the end of the war. Dennis was mustered out of the volunteer army on August 24, 1865. On January 13, 1866, President Andrew Johnson
Andrew Johnson
Andrew Johnson was the 17th President of the United States . As Vice-President of the United States in 1865, he succeeded Abraham Lincoln following the latter's assassination. Johnson then presided over the initial and contentious Reconstruction era of the United States following the American...
nominated Dennis to receive the brevet grade of major general
Major general (United States)
In the United States Army, United States Marine Corps, and United States Air Force, major general is a two-star general-officer rank, with the pay grade of O-8. Major general ranks above brigadier general and below lieutenant general...
, to rank from April 13, 1865, and the U.S. Senate confirmed the nomination on March 12, 1866.
Postbellum career
He was a parish judge and sheriff in LouisianaLouisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
after the war. His estranged wife died in 1873, and two years later Dennis married a widow in Madison Parish who owned a plantation
Plantation
A plantation is a long artificially established forest, farm or estate, where crops are grown for sale, often in distant markets rather than for local on-site consumption...
. Dennis moved back to Carlyle, Illinois, in March 1887 and lived on a small farm with his son.
He died from pneumonia
Pneumonia
Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung—especially affecting the microscopic air sacs —associated with fever, chest symptoms, and a lack of air space on a chest X-ray. Pneumonia is typically caused by an infection but there are a number of other causes...
in Carlyle in 1894 and was buried in the City Cemetery.
A bronze bust of Dennis was erected in 1915 on the Vicksburg National Military Park
Vicksburg National Military Park
Vicksburg National Military Park preserves the site of the American Civil War Battle of Vicksburg, waged from May 18 to July 4, 1863. The park, in Vicksburg, Mississippi, and Delta, Louisiana, also commemorates the greater Vicksburg Campaign, which preceded the battle. Reconstructed forts and...
.
See also
- List of American Civil War generals (Union)
Further reading
- Eicher, John H., and David J. EicherDavid J. EicherDavid John Eicher is an American editor, writer, and popularizer of astronomy and space. He has been editor-in-chief of Astronomy magazine since 2002...
, Civil War High Commands. Stanford: Stanford University Press, 2001. ISBN 0-8047-3641-3. - Wickliffe, Helen Sharp, Brigadier General Elias S. Dennis is Carlyle's Forgotten Hero of Civil War.