James Bintliff (November 1, 1824 – March 16, 1901) was a

colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...

in the

Union Army During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union (American Civil War), Union of the collective U.S. st ...

during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

. He briefly commanded brigades for three weeks near the end of 1864 and during most of the crucial month of April 1865. In 1866, he was nominated for appointment as and confirmed as a

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of volunteers in recognition of his conspicuous gallantry during the

Third Battle of Petersburg The Third Battle of Petersburg, also known as the Breakthrough at Petersburg or the Fall of Petersburg, was fought on April 2, 1865, south and southwest of Petersburg, Virginia, at the end of the 292-day Richmond–Petersburg Campaign (sometimes ...

on the final day of the

Siege of Petersburg The Richmond–Petersburg campaign was a series of battles around Petersburg, Virginia, fought from June 9, 1864, to March 25, 1865, during the American Civil War. Although it is more popularly known as the Siege of Petersburg, it was not a cla ...

, April 2, 1865. On January 13, 1866,

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Andrew Johnson Andrew Johnson (December 29, 1808July 31, 1875) was the 17th president of the United States, serving from 1865 to 1869. He assumed the presidency as he was vice president at the time of the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. Johnson was a Dem ...

nominated Bintliff for appointment to the grade of brevet brigadier general of volunteers to rank from the final date of the fighting at Petersburg, April 2, 1865. The

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...

confirmed the appointment on March 12, 1866. In civilian life, Bintliff was one of the founders of The

Northwestern Mutual Northwestern Mutual is an American financial services mutual organization based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The financial security company provides consultation on wealth and asset income protection, education planning, retirement planning, investme ...

Life Insurance Company. He was editor, publisher and proprietor of three newspapers, one before the Civil War and two after the war. He was a Wisconsin state government official for fourteen years from 1876 to 1891.

Early life

Bintliff was born on November 1, 1824 in

Salterhebble Salterhebble is an area of Halifax, West Yorkshire, Halifax, a town within the Calderdale, Metropolitan Borough of Calderdale, in West Yorkshire, England. The town falls within the Skircoat (UK electoral ward), Skircoat ward of Calderdale Counci ...

West Yorkshire West Yorkshire is a metropolitan and ceremonial county in the Yorkshire and Humber Region of England. It is an inland and upland county having eastward-draining valleys while taking in the moors of the Pennines. West Yorkshire came into exi ...

Eicher, John H., and

David J. Eicher David John Eicher (born August 7, 1961) is an American editor, writer, and popularizer of astronomy and space. He has been editor-in-chief of ''Astronomy'' magazine since 2002. He is author, coauthor, or editor of 23 books on science and American ...

, ''Civil War High Commands.'' Stanford: Stanford University Press, 2001. . p. 131 t
Gershom
an

Bintliff.Butterfield, Consul Willshire
'History of La Fayette County, Wisconsin'
Chicago, Western Historical Society, 1881. . Retrieved February 21, 2012. p. 713. James was the third of nine children and the oldest son. In 1839 at the age of 15, he was employed as a lawyer's clerk in

Halifax, West Yorkshire Halifax () is a minster and market town in the Metropolitan Borough of Calderdale in West Yorkshire, England. It is the commercial, cultural and administrative centre of the borough, and the headquarters of Calderdale Council. In the 15th cen ...

and later as a book-keeper for the Halifax and Wakefield Canal Company. In 1842, accompanied by a younger brother and sister, he joined his father and mother and four other siblings in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

. His parents had moved to New York a year earlier. According to an early biographical sketch, he "engaged in a woollen factory in New York State."Tuttle, Charles Richard
'An illustrated history of the state of Wisconsin: being a complete civil, political and military history of the state'
Madison, Wis.: B. B. Russell & Co., 1875. . Retrieved February 21, 2012. In 1847, he married Harriet Snook, the daughter of James Snook of Somerset, England, at Skaneateles, New York.Butterfield, 1881, p. 714. James and Harriet Bintliff had four children, Edward Hawkins Bintliff, born November 15, 1849, Ida M. Bintliff, born 1855, James Wilkins Bintliff, born about 1858, and Helen Bintliff, born 1861. The birth years indicate that Edward was born in New York State and the other three children were born in Green County, Wisconsin. Bintliff was in business with his father until 1851. In 1851, Bintliff moved to

Green County, Wisconsin Green County is a county (United States), county located in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the population was 37,093. Its county seat is Monroe, Wisconsin, Monroe. Green County is included in the M ...

where he engaged in farming. An

abolitionist Abolitionism, or the abolitionist movement, is the movement to end slavery. In Western Europe and the Americas, abolitionism was a historic movement that sought to end the Atlantic slave trade and liberate the enslaved people. The British ...

, Bintliff helped to found the

Republican Party Republican Party is a name used by many political parties around the world, though the term most commonly refers to the United States' Republican Party. Republican Party may also refer to: Africa *Republican Party (Liberia) * Republican Part ...

. After two years, he moved to

Monroe, Wisconsin Monroe, known as "the Swiss Cheese Capital of the USA", is a city in and the county seat of Green County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 10,661 at the 2020 census. The city is bordered by the Town of Monroe to the north and the T ...

where he was a bookkeeper and cashier in a bank. In 1856, he was elected Register of Deeds of Green County and served for two years. By 1857 he was identified as a newspaper editor when he became one of the founders of The Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company, in which he had an interest for about two years. In 1859, Bintliff was admitted to the bar of Green County. Bintliff purchased a one-half interest in the ''Monroe Sentinel'' in 1860 and the other half in 1861. When Bintliff left the state for his Union Army service in the American Civil War, he sold a one-half interest in the ''Monroe Sentinel'' to E.E. Carr, who edited the paper for the duration of Bintliff's absence for war service.

American Civil War service

On September 1, 1862, James Bintliff was commissioned as a captain in the

22nd Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry Regiment The 22nd Wisconsin Infantry Regiment (nicknamed the "Abolition Regiment") was a volunteer infantry regiment from Wisconsin that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. It was commanded by Colonel William L. Utley, a politician and ...

of the Union Army. The unit served mainly in Kentucky and Tennessee. Detachments of the 22nd Wisconsin Infantry, which included Bintliff, were serving on garrison duty at Brentwood, Tennessee when they were attacked by a superior force led by Confederate Major General Nathan Bedford Forrest. In the

Battle of Brentwood The Battle of Brentwood was a battle during the American Civil War on March 25, 1863, in Williamson County, Tennessee at Brentwood, Tennessee. Battle Union Lt. Col. Edward Bloodgood held Brentwood, a station on the Nashville & Decatur Railro ...

, on May 25, 1863, Forrest captured most of the garrison. Bintliff was captured and taken to

Libby Prison Libby Prison was a Confederate prison at Richmond, Virginia, during the American Civil War. In 1862 it was designated to hold officer prisoners from the Union Army. It gained an infamous reputation for the overcrowded and harsh conditions. Prison ...

Richmond, Virginia (Thus do we reach the stars) , image_map = , mapsize = 250 px , map_caption = Location within Virginia , pushpin_map = Virginia#USA , pushpin_label = Richmond , pushpin_m ...

as a

prisoner of war A prisoner of war (POW) is a person who is held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610. Belligerents hold prisoners of wa ...

. He was released and exchanged in May and rejoined his regiment, which was being reorganized at

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. He resigned his commission on December 27, 1863. At that time,

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appointed Bintliff as Commissioner on the Board of Enrollment for the Third Congressional District of Wisconsin. On April 27, 1864, Bintliff was appointed Colonel of the 38th Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry Regiment. He commanded Brigade 1, Division 1,

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Army of the Potomac The Army of the Potomac was the principal Union Army in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War. It was created in July 1861 shortly after the First Battle of Bull Run and was disbanded in June 1865 following the surrender of the Confedera ...

between November 28, 1864 and December 17, 1864 while Brigadier General

John Hartranft John Frederick Hartranft (December 16, 1830 – October 17, 1889) was the United States military officer who read the death warrant to the individuals who were executed on July 7, 1865 for conspiring to assassinate American President Abraham Lin ...

was in command of the division. He commanded Brigade 3, Division 1, IX Corps, Army of the Potomac, between April 2, 1865 and April 24, 1865. The IX Corps took a prominent part in the storming of Petersburg on April 2, 1865, which resulted in the evacuation of the

Confederate Confederacy or confederate may refer to: States or communities * Confederate state or confederation, a union of sovereign groups or communities * Confederate States of America, a confederation of secessionist American states that existed between 1 ...

capital of

Richmond, Virginia (Thus do we reach the stars) , image_map = , mapsize = 250 px , map_caption = Location within Virginia , pushpin_map = Virginia#USA , pushpin_label = Richmond , pushpin_m ...

, the surrender of the

Army of Northern Virginia The Army of Northern Virginia was the primary military force of the Confederate States of America in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War. It was also the primary command structure of the Department of Northern Virginia. It was most oft ...

at Appomattox Court House on April 9, 1865, and the swift end of the war and dissolution of the Confederacy. During the Third Battle of Petersburg, on April 2, 1865, Colonel Bintliff, in command of his regiment and two others, was ordered to take a fort of five guns, known as "Reeves' Salient," which he and his men accomplished. Bintliff was mustered out of the volunteers on June 26, 1865. Soon thereafter, Bintliff was recognized for his success in commanding his regiment and two others during the Siege of Petersburg, especially for his conspicuous gallantry on April 2, 1865 during the Third Battle of PetersburgHunt, Roger D. and Jack R. Brown, ''Brevet Brigadier Generals in Blue.'' Gaithersburg, MD: Olde Soldier Books, Inc., 1990. . p. 55 when the city fell to the Union Army. On January 13, 1866, President Andrew Johnson nominated Bintliff for appointment to the grade of brevet brigadier general of volunteers, to rank from April 2, 1865, and the U.S. Senate confirmed the appointment on March 12, 1866. Bintliff's brother Gersham, served as a private in the 38th Wisconsin Infantry Regiment, of which James was colonel.Wisconsin. Adjutant General's Office
'Roster of Volunteers in the War of the Rebellion,1861–1865'
Volume 1. Madison, Wis: Democrat Printing Company, 1886. Retrieved February 24, 2012. p. 79. His brother Thomas was a lieutenant in the

20th Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry Regiment The 20th Wisconsin Infantry Regiment was a volunteer infantry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. Service The 20th Wisconsin was organized at Madison, Wisconsin, and mustered into Federal service August 23, 1862 ...

and his youngest brother, Alfred, was a musician in the 5th Independent Battery Wisconsin Light Artillery.

Later life

After he returned from the war, Bintliff sold his one-half interest in the ''Monroe Sentinel'' and considered moving to Missouri. He found the area to be in turmoil and "did not deem it wise to remove any family there." He then bought a book, stationery and wallpaper business which he ran until 1870. In 1868, 1872 and 1876, Bintliff was a delegate to the

Republican National Convention The Republican National Convention (RNC) is a series of presidential nominating conventions held every four years since 1856 by the United States Republican Party. They are administered by the Republican National Committee. The goal of the Repu ...

s at Chicago, Philadelphia and Cincinnati. In 1870, Bintliff purchased a one-half interest in the ''Janesville Gazette'' at

Janesville, Wisconsin Janesville is a city in Rock County, Wisconsin, United States. It is the county seat and largest city in the county. It is a principal municipality of the Janesville, Wisconsin, Metropolitan Statistical Area and is included in the Madison–Jane ...

and became its editor until December 1877.Blair, Emma Helen
'Annotated catalogue of newspaper files in the library of the State Historical Society.'
Madison, Wis.: Democrat Printing Company, 1898. . Retrieved February 21, 2012. p. 128. Wisconsin soldiers orphans home 1870s

Between 1870 and 1877, he also was a member of the board of trustees, and for two years president of the board, of the Wisconsin Soldiers' Orphans' home. In early 1878, Bintliff and R. L. Colvin sold their interests in the ''Janesville Gazette.'' In April 1878, Bintliff bought a one-half interest in the Darlington Republican at

Darlington, Wisconsin Darlington is a city in and the county seat of Lafayette County in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The population was 2,462 at the 2020 census. The city is surrounded by the Town of Darlington. History The first residence within the city limits of ...

and became its editor and publisher.Blair, 1898, p. 109. The other one-half interest was bought by his son, Edward H. Bintliff. Later in 1878, James Bintliff was a founder of the Darlington Literary Club which was established for the purpose of studying, presenting papers on and conversing about English literature.Butterfield, Consul Willshire
'History of La Fayette County, Wisconsin'
Chicago, Western Historical Society, 1881. . Retrieved February 21, 2012. p. 537. Bintliff prepared the list of the first twelve studies ranging from Chaucer to Addison and Steele. In April 1883, James Bintliff sold his one-half interest in the ''Darlington Republican'' to J. G. Monahan. Two years later, Monahan had bought the interest of Edward Bintliff and was running the paper as sole proprietor.Usher, Ellis Baker
'Wisconsin: its story and biography, 1848-1913, Volume 8'
Chicago and New York: The Lewis Publishing Company, 1914. . Retrieved February 21, 2012. p. 2443. In 1876, Wisconsin established the State Board of Health of the State of Wisconsin.Wisconsin. State Board of Health, Wisconsin. State Bureau of Vital Statistics, Wisconsin. Hygienic Laboratory, Madison
'First Annual Report of the State Board of Health, of the State of Wisconsin, for the Year Ending December 31, 1876.'
Madison, Wis.: E. B. Bolens, 1876. . Retrieved February 21, 1876. p. 2. Bintliff was chosen as a member of the Board for four years, ending January 31, 1880. He was the only one of the seven members who was not a doctor. From 1881 to 1891, Bintliff served on the State Board of Supervision of Wisconsin Charitable, Reformatory and Penal Institutions, which was renamed the State Board of Control of Wisconsin Charitable, Reformatory and Penal Institutions in 1891. A brief sketch of his life by the Wisconsin Historical Society states that Bintliff retired to private life to spend time with his family and his studies after his term on the Board of Supervision expired.Wisconsin. ''Proceedings of the State Historical Society of Wisconsin at its Forty-Ninth Annual Meeting''. Madison, Wis: Democrat Printing Company, 1902. . Retrieved February 21, 2012. p. 114. His home was in Darlington, Wisconsin until 1895 when he moved "to Chicago." In the first edition of a book published just before Bintliff's death, the author stated about Bintliff: "It is with much regret that I learn that he is nearly blind and past work at his home in Chicago. (1900.)"Brown, William Fiske
'Rock County, Wisconsin: A New History of its Cities, Villages Towns, Citizens and Varied Interests, from the Earliest Times, Up To Date'
Volume 1. Chicago: C. F. Cooper & Co. . Retrieved February 21, 2012. p. 498. Bintliff died of a

stroke A stroke is a medical condition in which poor blood flow to the brain causes cell death. There are two main types of stroke: ischemic, due to lack of blood flow, and hemorrhagic, due to bleeding. Both cause parts of the brain to stop functionin ...

on March 16, 1901 in

South Chicago South Chicago, formerly known as Ainsworth, is one of the 77 community areas of Chicago, Illinois. This chevron-shaped community is one of Chicago's 16 lakefront neighborhoods near the southern rim of Lake Michigan 10 miles south of downtown. ...

Cook County, Illinois Cook County is the most populous county in the U.S. state of Illinois and the second-most-populous county in the United States, after Los Angeles County, California. More than 40% of all residents of Illinois live within Cook County. As of 20 ...

. James Bintliff was buried in Oak Hill Cemetery, Janesville, Wisconsin. Bintliff's former home in Monroe, Wisconsin, now known as the Gen. James Bintliff House, is on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

Notes

References

* Blair, Emma Helen
'Annotated catalogue of newspaper files in the library of the State Historical Society.'
Madison, Wis.: Democrat Printing Company, 1898. . Retrieved February 21, 2012. * Brown, William Fiske
'Rock County, Wisconsin: A New History of its Cities, Villages Towns, Citizens and Varied Interests, from the Earliest Times, Up To Date'
Volume 1. Chicago: C. F. Cooper & Co. . Retrieved February 21, 2012. * Butterfield, Consul Willshire
'History of La Fayette County, Wisconsin'
Chicago, Western Historical Society, 1881. . Retrieved February 21, 2012.
'The Chicago blue book of selected names of Chicago and suburban towns …for the year ending 1910.'
Chicago: Chicago Directory Company, 1909. . Retrieved February 21, 2012. * Eicher, John H., and

, ''Civil War High Commands.'' Stanford: Stanford University Press, 2001. . * Greene, A. Wilson. ''The Final Battles of the Petersburg Campaign: Breaking the Backbone of the Rebellion''. Knoxville: University of Tennessee Press, 2008. . * Hunt, Roger D. and Jack R. Brown, ''Brevet Brigadier Generals in Blue.'' Gaithersburg, MD: Olde Soldier Books, Inc., 1990. . * Tuttle, Charles Richard
'An illustrated history of the state of Wisconsin: being a complete civil, political and military history of the state'
Madison, Wis.: B. B. Russell & Co., 1875. . Retrieved February 21, 2012. * Usher, Ellis Baker
'Wisconsin: its story and biography, 1848-1913, Volume 8'
Chicago and New York: The Lewis Publishing Company, 1914. . Retrieved February 21, 2012. * Williamson, Harold Francis and Orange A. Smalley
'Northwestern Mutual Life: a century of trusteeship.'
Milwaukee, Wis: Executive Committee of the Company, 1908. Reprint 1976, Arno Press. . Retrieved February 21, 2012. * Wisconsin. Adjutant General's Office
'Roster of Volunteers in the War of the Rebellion,1861–1865'
Volume 1. Madison, Wis: Democrat Printing Company, 1886. Retrieved February 24, 2012. * Wisconsin. Board of Control
'Fourth Biennial Report of the State Board of Control of Wisconsin Charitable, Reformatory and Penal Institutions for the Two Fiscal Years Ending September 30, 1898'
Madison, Wis.: Democrat Printing Company, 1898. . Retrieved February 21, 2012. * Wisconsin. State Board of Health, Wisconsin. State Bureau of Vital Statistics, Wisconsin. Hygienic Laboratory, Madison
'First Annual Report of the State Board of Health, of the State of Wisconsin, for the Year Ending December 31, 1876.'
Madison, Wis.: E. B. Bolens, 1876. . Retrieved February 21, 1876. * Wisconsin. ''Proceedings of the State Historical Society of Wisconsin at its Forty-Ninth Annual Meeting'']. Madison, Wis: Democrat Printing Company, 1902. . Retrieved February 21, 2012.

External links

Bintliff, Col. James (1824-1901) , Wisconsin Historical Society
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bintliff, James People from Halifax, West Yorkshire English emigrants to the United States People from Monroe, Wisconsin People from Janesville, Wisconsin People from Darlington, Wisconsin Union Army generals People of Wisconsin in the American Civil War Wisconsin Republicans American abolitionists Editors of Wisconsin newspapers 1824 births 1901 deaths American male journalists Journalists from New York City