John Dement
Encyclopedia
John Dement was a politician and militia commander from the U.S. state
of Illinois
.
Born in Tennessee
, he migrated with his family to Illinois when he was in his early teens. His first political office was as county sheriff and he later served multiple terms in the Illinois House of Representatives
. Dement held the federal Receiver of Public Moneys post with U.S. Government Land Offic
e under five different presidential administrations. During the 1832 Black Hawk War Dement commanded a battalion in combat at the Second Battle of Kellogg's Grove. Sauk war chief Black Hawk
later commented on the valor displayed by Dement during the battle. Dement died in 1883 at his home in Dixon, Illinois
.
, Sumner County, Tennessee
on April 26, 1804. His parents, David and Dorcas Dement (née Willis) moved to Illinois in 1817 and he moved with them; the family settled on a farm in Franklin County
.
of Franklin County
. He went on and served the same area in the Illinois House of Representatives
from 1828 to 1830. The General Assembly
elected Dement state Treasurer
in 1831, and he was reelected twice, until he resigned the post to serve in the General Assembly once again in 1836, as state representative
from Fayette County
, where the county seat of Vandalia
was about to lose its position as capital of Illinois.
By 1837, Springfield
had become the capital of Illinois, and Dement, unable to prevent the move, resigned his General Assembly seat and moved toward the northern mining region near Galena
. The same year, Dement began his career in U.S. federal government when U.S. President Andrew Jackson
appointed him Receiver of Public Moneys. Dement held the position through the administration of Martin Van Buren
until, in 1841 succeeding President William Harrison
removed him from the post. During the election of 1844 he served as district elector to the Electoral College from Illinois for James K. Polk
and George M. Dallas
. When Polk took office in 1845 he appointed Dement, once again, to the position of Receiver of Public Moneys. Zachary Taylor
removed Dement from his position again in 1849, and Franklin Pierce
reappointed Dement to the post in 1853. Dement continued to serve as Receiver of Public Moneys under U.S. President James Buchanan
, until the position was abolished in 1861.
In another capacity, Dement was elected delegate to every Illinois Constitutional Convention during his lifetime, except the first in 1818, when Dement was 14 years old. At the conventions in 1862 and 1870 he was elected and served as president pro tempore
.
Dement's political career was put on hold by the start of the 1832 Black Hawk War
, which pitted the Illinois and Michigan Territory Militias against Sauk Chief Black Hawk
and his band of warriors. Dement served in three separate capacities during the conflict, during which, he held three different military ranks. As a colonel
Dement served as aide-de-camp
for Illinois Governor John Reynolds
. Dement also served as a captain, and a major
. As a major Dement commanded a battalion
during the Second Battle of Kellogg's Grove.
As captain, Dement led a Fayette County company
of volunteers, formed on April 20, from Beardstown
to Oquawka
and the brigade
of General Samuel Whiteside
. The company then moved north toward the mouth of the Rock River
. At the river, the company was mustered into federal service under General Henry Atkinson and marched on to Dixon
and then Ottawa
where they were mustered out of service on May 28. After the company was mustered out of service Dement offered to stay on duty until the new army, called up May 15, could arrive in the field June 10. Governor Reynolds responded to Dement's offer by appointing him to his staff and promoting him to the rank of colonel. The second army arrived on the Illinois frontier on June 19, 1832.
On June 16, 1832, Dement reenlisted in the Illinois Militia as a private. A spy battalion was formed on June 17 within the First Brigade of the Illinois Militia under the command of General Alexander Posey
, and Dement was elected battalion commander. Governor Reynolds promoted him to major, and Dement took command of the battalion. Dement's command, 170 strong, set out for Kellogg's Grove
on June 25 under orders from General Zachary Taylor.
Dement's actions at the Second Battle of Kellogg's Grove later earned him praise from his adversary, Black Hawk. Black Hawk stated of Dement in his autobiography:
During the battle, Dement's battalion lost five men with another three were wounded, many horses were killed as well. That night American reinforcements arrived under the command of General Posey, who chose not to pursue the attackers and instead reported the situation to Taylor. Black Hawk asserted later that had Posey chose to attack him and his warriors that the blow dealt Black Hawk's band would have been decisive and war-ending. In fact, Dement's opinion was that there were more Native Americans
at Kellogg's Grove than at any other engagement during the war.
Dement's command served on active duty from its inception until the end of hostilities at the Battle of Bad Axe
. The battalion was mustered out of service on August 7, 1832, which ended John Dement's military career.
receiver post, Dement settled in Dixon, Illinois. Dement erected a residence and stone store and later Judge John D. Crabtree settled in the area. Near the center of the area settled by Dement was a well known area called Sandhill Grove. Sandhill Grove contained sandy soil, a large oak stand, and during certain seasons large flocks of crane
s.
Dement helped to persuade the Illinois Central Railroad
to locate its Dixon depot near the western edge of town when the railroad line was constructed in the early 1850s. The depot location was contrary to where most at the time thought it would be located, near the town's central business district
. The depot's construction dramatically increased Dement's property value and much of his land was surveyed into town lots and sold off. The area, which was visibly separated from the rest of Dixon by the rail embankment and vacant lots, became known as Dement Town. The area prospered until Dement's death, when it began to decline. However, the section of Dixon known as Dement Town still exists.
, in 1835 at Fort Leavenworth. The couple had three children, a son, Henry Dodge Dement, who went on to serve as Illinois Secretary of State, and two daughters. John Dement died at his home in Dixon, Illinois on January 16, 1883.
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of Illinois
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,...
.
Born in Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
, he migrated with his family to Illinois when he was in his early teens. His first political office was as county sheriff and he later served multiple terms 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...
. Dement held the federal Receiver of Public Moneys post with U.S. Government Land Offic
General Land Office
The General Land Office was an independent agency of the United States government responsible for public domain lands in the United States. It was created in 1812 to take over functions previously conducted by the United States Department of the Treasury...
e under five different presidential administrations. During the 1832 Black Hawk War Dement commanded a battalion in combat at the Second Battle of Kellogg's Grove. Sauk war chief Black Hawk
Black Hawk (chief)
Black Hawk was a leader and warrior of the Sauk American Indian tribe in what is now the United States. Although he had inherited an important historic medicine bundle, he was not one of the Sauk's hereditary civil chiefs...
later commented on the valor displayed by Dement during the battle. Dement died in 1883 at his home in Dixon, Illinois
Dixon, Illinois
Dixon is a city in Lee County, Illinois, United States. The population was 15,733 as of the 2010 census, down from 15,941 at the 2000 census. Named for its founder, John Dixon , it is the county seat of Lee County. Located on the Rock River, Dixon was the boyhood home of former U.S...
.
Early life
John Dement was born in GallatinGallatin, Tennessee
Gallatin is a city in and the county seat of Sumner County, Tennessee, United States, along a navigable tributary of the Cumberland River. The population was 23,230 at the 2000 census. Named for U.S...
, Sumner County, Tennessee
Sumner County, Tennessee
Sumner County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of 2000, the population was 130,449. Its county seat is Gallatin, but its largest town is Hendersonville...
on April 26, 1804. His parents, David and Dorcas Dement (née Willis) moved to Illinois in 1817 and he moved with them; the family settled on a farm in Franklin County
Franklin County, Illinois
Franklin County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 39,561, which is an increase of 1.4% from 39,018 in 2000. Its county seat is Benton.-History:...
.
Political career
In 1826 Dement took his first political office when he was elected sheriffSheriff
A sheriff is in principle a legal official with responsibility for a county. In practice, the specific combination of legal, political, and ceremonial duties of a sheriff varies greatly from country to country....
of Franklin County
Franklin County, Illinois
Franklin County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 39,561, which is an increase of 1.4% from 39,018 in 2000. Its county seat is Benton.-History:...
. He went on and served the same area 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 1828 to 1830. The General Assembly
Illinois General Assembly
The Illinois General Assembly is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Illinois and comprises the Illinois House of Representatives and the Illinois Senate. The General Assembly was created by the first state constitution adopted in 1818. Illinois has 59 legislative districts, with two...
elected Dement state Treasurer
Illinois State Treasurer
The Treasurer of Illinois is an elected official of the U.S. state of Illinois. The office was created by the Constitution of Illinois.-Current occupant and duties:, the Treasurer of Illinois is Dan Rutherford, a member of the Republican Party...
in 1831, and he was reelected twice, until he resigned the post to serve in the General Assembly once again in 1836, as state representative
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 Fayette County
Fayette County, Illinois
Fayette County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 22,140, which is an increase of 1.6% from 21,802 in 2000. Its county seat is Vandalia...
, where the county seat of Vandalia
Vandalia, Illinois
Vandalia is a city in Fayette County, Illinois, United States, northeast of St. Louis, on the Kaskaskia River. From 1819 to 1839 it served as the state capital of Illinois. Vandalia was the western terminus of the National Road. Today it is the county seat of Fayette County and the home of the...
was about to lose its position as capital of Illinois.
By 1837, Springfield
Springfield, Illinois
Springfield is the third and current capital of the US state of Illinois and the county seat of Sangamon County with a population of 117,400 , making it the sixth most populated city in the state and the second most populated Illinois city outside of the Chicago Metropolitan Area...
had become the capital of Illinois, and Dement, unable to prevent the move, resigned his General Assembly seat and moved toward the northern mining region near Galena
Galena, Illinois
Galena is the county seat of, and largest city in, Jo Daviess County, Illinois in the United States, with a population of 3,429 in 2010. The city is a popular tourist destination known for its history, historical architecture, and ski and golf resorts. Galena was the residence of Ulysses S...
. The same year, Dement began his career in U.S. federal government when U.S. President Andrew Jackson
Andrew Jackson
Andrew Jackson was the seventh President of the United States . Based in frontier Tennessee, Jackson was a politician and army general who defeated the Creek Indians at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend , and the British at the Battle of New Orleans...
appointed him Receiver of Public Moneys. Dement held the position through the administration of Martin Van Buren
Martin Van Buren
Martin Van Buren was the eighth President of the United States . Before his presidency, he was the eighth Vice President and the tenth Secretary of State, under Andrew Jackson ....
until, in 1841 succeeding President William Harrison
William Henry Harrison
William Henry Harrison was the ninth President of the United States , an American military officer and politician, and the first president to die in office. He was 68 years, 23 days old when elected, the oldest president elected until Ronald Reagan in 1980, and last President to be born before the...
removed him from the post. During the election of 1844 he served as district elector to the Electoral College from Illinois for James K. Polk
James K. Polk
James Knox Polk was the 11th President of the United States . Polk was born in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina. He later lived in and represented Tennessee. A Democrat, Polk served as the 17th Speaker of the House of Representatives and the 12th Governor of Tennessee...
and George M. Dallas
George M. Dallas
George Mifflin Dallas was a U.S. Senator from Pennsylvania and the 11th Vice President of the United States , serving under James K. Polk.-Family and early life:...
. When Polk took office in 1845 he appointed Dement, once again, to the position of Receiver of Public Moneys. Zachary Taylor
Zachary Taylor
Zachary Taylor was the 12th President of the United States and an American military leader. Initially uninterested in politics, Taylor nonetheless ran as a Whig in the 1848 presidential election, defeating Lewis Cass...
removed Dement from his position again in 1849, and Franklin Pierce
Franklin Pierce
Franklin Pierce was the 14th President of the United States and is the only President from New Hampshire. Pierce was a Democrat and a "doughface" who served in the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate. Pierce took part in the Mexican-American War and became a brigadier general in the Army...
reappointed Dement to the post in 1853. Dement continued to serve as Receiver of Public Moneys under U.S. 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....
, until the position was abolished in 1861.
In another capacity, Dement was elected delegate to every Illinois Constitutional Convention during his lifetime, except the first in 1818, when Dement was 14 years old. At the conventions in 1862 and 1870 he was elected and served as president pro tempore
President pro tempore
A President pro tempore is a constitutionally recognized officer of a legislative body who presides over the chamber in the absence of the normal presiding officer...
.
Militia service
Black Hawk War
The Black Hawk War was a brief conflict fought in 1832 between the United States and Native Americans headed by Black Hawk, a Sauk leader. The war erupted soon after Black Hawk and a group of Sauks, Meskwakis, and Kickapoos known as the "British Band" crossed the Mississippi River into the U.S....
, which pitted the Illinois and Michigan Territory Militias against Sauk Chief Black Hawk
Black Hawk (chief)
Black Hawk was a leader and warrior of the Sauk American Indian tribe in what is now the United States. Although he had inherited an important historic medicine bundle, he was not one of the Sauk's hereditary civil chiefs...
and his band of warriors. Dement served in three separate capacities during the conflict, during which, he held three different military ranks. As a colonel
Colonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
Dement served as aide-de-camp
Aide-de-camp
An aide-de-camp is a personal assistant, secretary, or adjutant to a person of high rank, usually a senior military officer or a head of state...
for Illinois Governor John Reynolds
John Reynolds (U.S. politician)
John Reynolds was a United States politician from the state of Illinois. He was one of the original four justices of the Illinois Supreme Court, 1818–1825, a member of the Illinois House of Representatives from 1826–1830, 1846–1848, and 1852–1854 , and the 4th Illinois Governor from 1830–1834...
. Dement also served as a captain, and a major
Major
Major is a rank of commissioned officer, with corresponding ranks existing in almost every military in the world.When used unhyphenated, in conjunction with no other indicator of rank, the term refers to the rank just senior to that of an Army captain and just below the rank of lieutenant colonel. ...
. As a major Dement commanded a battalion
Battalion
A battalion is a military unit of around 300–1,200 soldiers usually consisting of between two and seven companies and typically commanded by either a Lieutenant Colonel or a Colonel...
during the Second Battle of Kellogg's Grove.
As captain, Dement led a Fayette County company
Company (military unit)
A company is a military unit, typically consisting of 80–225 soldiers and usually commanded by a Captain, Major or Commandant. Most companies are formed of three to five platoons although the exact number may vary by country, unit type, and structure...
of volunteers, formed on April 20, from Beardstown
Beardstown, Illinois
Beardstown is a city in Cass County, Illinois, United States. The population was 6,123 at the 2010 census. The public schools are in Beardstown Community Unit School District 15.-Geography:Beardstown is located at...
to Oquawka
Oquawka, Illinois
Oquawka is a village in Henderson County, Illinois, United States. The population was 1,539 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Henderson County.Oquawka is part of the Burlington, IA–IL Micropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:...
and the brigade
Brigade
A brigade is a major tactical military formation that is typically composed of two to five battalions, plus supporting elements depending on the era and nationality of a given army and could be perceived as an enlarged/reinforced regiment...
of General Samuel Whiteside
Samuel Whiteside
Samuel Whiteside was an Illinois pioneer, political figure and military leader. He is not the same person as the Major Samuel Whitside who participated in the Wounded Knee Massacre in 1890.-Biography:...
. The company then moved north toward the mouth of the Rock River
Rock River (Illinois)
The Rock River is a tributary of the Mississippi River, approximately long, in the U.S. states of Wisconsin and Illinois. It rises in southeast Wisconsin, in the Theresa Marsh near Theresa, Wisconsin in northeast Dodge County, Wisconsin approximately south of Fond du Lac, Wisconsin...
. At the river, the company was mustered into federal service under General Henry Atkinson and marched on to Dixon
Dixon, Illinois
Dixon is a city in Lee County, Illinois, United States. The population was 15,733 as of the 2010 census, down from 15,941 at the 2000 census. Named for its founder, John Dixon , it is the county seat of Lee County. Located on the Rock River, Dixon was the boyhood home of former U.S...
and then Ottawa
Ottawa, Illinois
Ottawa is a city located at the confluence of the Illinois River and Fox River in LaSalle County, Illinois, USA. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 18,786...
where they were mustered out of service on May 28. After the company was mustered out of service Dement offered to stay on duty until the new army, called up May 15, could arrive in the field June 10. Governor Reynolds responded to Dement's offer by appointing him to his staff and promoting him to the rank of colonel. The second army arrived on the Illinois frontier on June 19, 1832.
On June 16, 1832, Dement reenlisted in the Illinois Militia as a private. A spy battalion was formed on June 17 within the First Brigade of the Illinois Militia under the command of General Alexander Posey
Alexander Posey (general)
Alexander Posey was an American militia officer who served as a brigadier general under General Henry Atkinson during the Black Hawk War, specifically in the later stages of the second campaign as one of the commanders present at the Battle of Bad Axe.-Biography:Born in Orange County, Virginia to...
, and Dement was elected battalion commander. Governor Reynolds promoted him to major, and Dement took command of the battalion. Dement's command, 170 strong, set out for Kellogg's Grove
Kellogg's Grove
Kellogg's Grove is an area in western Stephenson County, Illinois, United States near the present-day unincorporated town of Kent. The grove is considered historically significant because it was the site of two minor skirmishes during the Black Hawk War in 1832. Today, most of the grove is...
on June 25 under orders from General Zachary Taylor.
Dement's actions at the Second Battle of Kellogg's Grove later earned him praise from his adversary, Black Hawk. Black Hawk stated of Dement in his autobiography:
During the battle, Dement's battalion lost five men with another three were wounded, many horses were killed as well. That night American reinforcements arrived under the command of General Posey, who chose not to pursue the attackers and instead reported the situation to Taylor. Black Hawk asserted later that had Posey chose to attack him and his warriors that the blow dealt Black Hawk's band would have been decisive and war-ending. In fact, Dement's opinion was that there were more Native Americans
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
at Kellogg's Grove than at any other engagement during the war.
Dement's command served on active duty from its inception until the end of hostilities at the Battle of Bad Axe
Battle of Bad Axe
The Battle of Bad Axe, also known as the Bad Axe Massacre, occurred 1–2 August 1832, between Sauk and Fox Indians and United States Army regulars and militia. This final battle of the Black Hawk War took place near present-day Victory, Wisconsin in the United States...
. The battalion was mustered out of service on August 7, 1832, which ended John Dement's military career.
Dement Town
In 1849, while holding the Government Land OfficeGeneral Land Office
The General Land Office was an independent agency of the United States government responsible for public domain lands in the United States. It was created in 1812 to take over functions previously conducted by the United States Department of the Treasury...
receiver post, Dement settled in Dixon, Illinois. Dement erected a residence and stone store and later Judge John D. Crabtree settled in the area. Near the center of the area settled by Dement was a well known area called Sandhill Grove. Sandhill Grove contained sandy soil, a large oak stand, and during certain seasons large flocks of crane
Crane (bird)
Cranes are a family, Gruidae, of large, long-legged and long-necked birds in the order Gruiformes. There are fifteen species of crane in four genera. Unlike the similar-looking but unrelated herons, cranes fly with necks outstretched, not pulled back...
s.
Dement helped to persuade the Illinois Central Railroad
Illinois Central Railroad
The Illinois Central Railroad , sometimes called the Main Line of Mid-America, is a railroad in the central United States, with its primary routes connecting Chicago, Illinois with New Orleans, Louisiana and Birmingham, Alabama. A line also connected Chicago with Sioux City, Iowa...
to locate its Dixon depot near the western edge of town when the railroad line was constructed in the early 1850s. The depot location was contrary to where most at the time thought it would be located, near the town's central business district
Central business district
A central business district is the commercial and often geographic heart of a city. In North America this part of a city is commonly referred to as "downtown" or "city center"...
. The depot's construction dramatically increased Dement's property value and much of his land was surveyed into town lots and sold off. The area, which was visibly separated from the rest of Dixon by the rail embankment and vacant lots, became known as Dement Town. The area prospered until Dement's death, when it began to decline. However, the section of Dixon known as Dement Town still exists.
Late life and death
John Dement married Mary Lousie Dodge, daughter of Black Hawk War commander Henry DodgeHenry Dodge
Henry Dodge was a Democratic member of the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate, Territorial Governor of Wisconsin and a veteran of the Black Hawk War. His son was Augustus C. Dodge with whom he served in the U.S. Senate, the first, and so far only, father-son pair to serve concurrently....
, in 1835 at Fort Leavenworth. The couple had three children, a son, Henry Dodge Dement, who went on to serve as Illinois Secretary of State, and two daughters. John Dement died at his home in Dixon, Illinois on January 16, 1883.