: ''For entries on other people named John Wesley, see

John Wesley (disambiguation) John Wesley (1703–1791) was an Anglican cleric and theologian, the founder of Methodism. John Wesley may also refer to: * John Wesley (artist) (1928–2022), American modern painter * John Wesley (guitarist) (born 1962), American rock singer an ...

.'' John Wesley Posey (1801–1884) was a significant figure in the

Underground Railroad The Underground Railroad was a network of clandestine routes and safe houses established in the United States during the early- to mid-19th century. It was used by enslaved African Americans primarily to escape into free states and Canada. T ...

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...

, America. Posey was one of the organizers of the Anti-Slavery League of Indiana. A significant source of information on the Underground Railroad in Indiana is William Cockrum's 1915 work, ''History of the Underground Railroad, as It Was Conducted by the Anti-Slavery League''. According to Cockrum, Posey owned a

coal mine Coal mining is the process of extracting coal from the ground. Coal is valued for its energy content and since the 1880s has been widely used to generate electricity. Steel and cement industries use coal as a fuel for extraction of iron from ...

that served as a way station for as many as 1000 escaped slaves. (This is one of the rare instances in which the underground railroad was actually subterranean.) Posey also helped to organize the activities of the Anti-Slavery League. According to Cockrum, the League operated a spy network in

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia to ...

. Agents of the League masquerading as traveling peddlers would make contact with slaves and help the slaves escape. Posey was a medical

doctor Doctor or The Doctor may refer to: Personal titles * Doctor (title), the holder of an accredited academic degree * A medical practitioner, including: ** Physician ** Surgeon ** Dentist ** Veterinary physician ** Optometrist *Other roles ** ...

. He volunteered as a

surgeon In modern medicine, a surgeon is a medical professional who performs surgery. Although there are different traditions in different times and places, a modern surgeon usually is also a licensed physician or received the same medical training as ...

for 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 ...

, and served at the

Battle of Shiloh The Battle of Shiloh (also known as the Battle of Pittsburg Landing) was fought on April 6–7, 1862, in the American Civil War. The fighting took place in southwestern Tennessee, which was part of the war's Western Theater. The battlefield i ...

. He was also politically active, and was elected as a Whig to be

Treasurer A treasurer is the person responsible for running the treasury of an organization. The significant core functions of a corporate treasurer include cash and liquidity management, risk management, and corporate finance. Government The treasury o ...

Pike County, Indiana Pike County is a county in the southwest portion of the U.S. state of Indiana. As of the 2010 United States Census, the population was 12,845. The county seat is Petersburg. It contains the geographic point representing median center of US popu ...

, serving from 1844 to 1848. Posey married Sarah Blackburn in 1838. He was the father of Francis B. Posey.

External links

*https://web.archive.org/web/20060117021813/http://www.freedomcenter.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=home.viewPage&page_id=31259840-D0B7-88DE-94919F3C9B675DD4 1801 births 1884 deaths American abolitionists Union Army surgeons People of Indiana in the American Civil War Underground Railroad in Indiana Indiana Whigs 19th-century American politicians People from Pike County, Indiana {{AmericanCivilWar-bio-stub