Milton Alexander
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Milton King Alexander (January 3, 1796 – July 7, 1856) was an American politician and militia officer who served during the
War of 1812 The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States of America and its indigenous allies against the United Kingdom and its allies in British North America, with limited participation by Spain in Florida. It bega ...
, the
Seminole Wars The Seminole Wars (also known as the Florida Wars) were three related military conflicts in Geography of Florida, Florida between the United States and the Seminole, citizens of a Native Americans in the United States, Native American nation whi ...
and, most notably, as a
brigadier general Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...
during the
Black Hawk War The Black Hawk War was a conflict between the United States and Native Americans led by Black Hawk, a Sauk leader. The war erupted after Black Hawk and a group of Sauks, Meskwakis (Fox), and Kickapoos, known as the "British Band", crosse ...
.


Early life

Born to John Brown Alexander and Barbara King in
Elbert County, Georgia Elbert County is a county located in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 19,637. The county seat is Elberton. The county was established on December 10, 1790, and was named for Samuel ...
, he moved with his family to
Williamson County, Tennessee Williamson County is a county in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 247,726. The county seat is Franklin, and the county is located in Middle Tennessee. The county is named after Hugh Williamson, ...
in 1804 and, seven years later, moved to Lincoln, Tennessee. During the
War of 1812 The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States of America and its indigenous allies against the United Kingdom and its allies in British North America, with limited participation by Spain in Florida. It bega ...
, he served with the
Tennessee Mounted Volunteers Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...
under General
Andrew Jackson Andrew Jackson (March 15, 1767 – June 8, 1845) was an American lawyer, planter, general, and statesman who served as the seventh president of the United States from 1829 to 1837. Before being elected to the presidency, he gained fame as ...
and eventually rose to the rank of
first lieutenant First lieutenant is a commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces; in some forces, it is an appointment. The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations, but in most forces it is sub-divided into a s ...
remaining with Jackson until the capture of Pensacola on November 6, 1814. As Jackson left to prepare the defense of
New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans
Merriam-Webster.
; french: La Nouvelle-Orléans , es, Nuev ...
, Alexander stayed behind in Florida. He later served with Jackson during the
First Seminole War The Seminole Wars (also known as the Florida Wars) were three related military conflicts in Florida between the United States and the Seminole, citizens of a Native American nation which formed in the region during the early 1700s. Hostilities ...
, however he was discharged after becoming too ill for active duty. Returning to Tennessee, he married Mary Shields and lived in Giles County for several years before moving to the
Illinois Territory The Territory of Illinois was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from March 1, 1809, until December 3, 1818, when the southern portion of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Illinois. Its ca ...
in 1823. Settling in
Paris, Illinois Paris is a city in Edgar County, Illinois, south of Chicago and west of Indianapolis. The population was 8,291 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat and largest city of Edgar County. History Paris was established in 1826 on land donated by ...
, he became involved in farming and mercantilism before being appointed the town's first
postmaster A postmaster is the head of an individual post office, responsible for all postal activities in a specific post office. When a postmaster is responsible for an entire mail distribution organization (usually sponsored by a national government), ...
, a position he would hold for the next twenty-five years. In February 1826, he would become appointed clerk of the county commissioner's court. He would hold this position until September 1827, when he resigned to accept a commission in the Illinois Militia from Governor
Edward Coles Edward Coles (December 15, 1786 – July 7, 1868) was an American planter and politician, elected as the second Governor of Illinois (1822 to 1826). From an old Virginia family, Coles as a young man was a neighbor and associate of presidents ...
as a colonel in the 19th Regiment Illinois Militia. He was eventually appointed an aide-de-camp to Governor John Reynolds in December 1831 and, shortly before trouble began to appear on the frontier, he was required to go with Reynolds to Rock Island early the following year.


Service during the Black Hawk War

During the first weeks of June 1832, he was one of hundreds of volunteers to report at
Dixon's Ferry Dixon's Ferry was the former name for Dixon, Illinois, United States. It was located on the bank of the Rock River (Illinois), Rock River near present-day Illinois Route 26. John Dixon operated a rope ferry service to transport mail from Peoria, I ...
as General Henry Atkinson was organizing a second campaign against
Black Hawk Black Hawk and Blackhawk may refer to: Animals * Black Hawk (horse), a Morgan horse that lived from 1833 to 1856 * Common black hawk, ''Buteogallus anthracinus'' * Cuban black hawk, ''Buteogallus gundlachii'' * Great black hawk, ''Buteogallus ur ...
. On June 16,
Alexander Posey Alexander Lawrence Posey (August 3, 1873 – May 27, 1908) was an American poet, humorist, journalist, and politician in the Creek Nation.Schneider 190 He founded the '' Eufaula Indian Journal'' in 1901, the first Native American daily newspaper ...
and Milton Alexander were elected by the brigades they helped organize to command, respectively, the First and Second Illinois Militias. In the aftermath of the
Second Battle of Kellogg's Grove The second (symbol: s) is the unit of Time in physics, time in the International System of Units (SI), historically defined as of a day – this factor derived from the division of the day first into 24 hours, then to 60 minutes and finally t ...
, Alexander was ordered by Atkinson to search the banks below the
Galena Galena, also called lead glance, is the natural mineral form of lead(II) sulfide (PbS). It is the most important ore of lead and an important source of silver. Galena is one of the most abundant and widely distributed sulfide minerals. It cryst ...
in order to prevent a possible retreat of Black Hawk's band across the
Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the second-longest river and chief river of the second-largest drainage system in North America, second only to the Hudson Bay drainage system. From its traditional source of Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota, it f ...
. However, after a fruitless search, Alexander continued along the eastern side of Rock River with Colonel Jacob Fry until reaching a
Winnebago Winnebago can refer to: * The exonym of the Ho-Chunk tribe of Native North Americans with reservations in Nebraska, Iowa, and Wisconsin ** Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska, a federally recognized tribe group in the state ** The Winnebago language of the ...
village on Whitewater, a tributary of Rock River. Rejoining General Atkinson at
Lake Koshkonong Lake Koshkonong is a naturally occurring lake that acts as a reservoir in southern Wisconsin. Its size was augmented by the creation of the Indianford Dam in 1932, making it one of the larger lakes in the state. The lake lies along the Rock Rive ...
on June 3, they were joined by General Posey and Colonel Henry Dodge the following day. That evening, Atkinson received a report from scouts that they had located the main trail three miles upriver and the main force set out to investigate early the next morning. With Alexander and Dodge searching the west bank of Rock River, they travelled 15 miles before turning back finding no trace of Black Hawk's band. Eventually running low on provisions, he was sent to get supplies from
Fort Winnebago Fort Winnebago was a 19th-century fortification of the United States Army located on a hill overlooking the eastern end of the portage between the Fox and Wisconsin Rivers east of present-day Portage, Wisconsin. It was the middle one of three fo ...
with General Henry and Colonel Dodge. While there, they received news that Black Hawk had been sighted in the area and it was decided that Dodge and Henry would pursue Black Hawk while Alexander would return to the main force with the supplies. At the
Battle of Bad Axe The Bad Axe Massacre was a massacre of Sauk (Sac) and Fox Indians by United States Army regulars and militia that occurred on August 1–2, 1832. This final scene of the Black Hawk War took place near present-day Victory, Wisconsin in the Unit ...
, he and Posey led the right flank and was part of the final charge with Dodge, Henry and Posey which ended the battle. His brigade suffered no casualties with the exception of one soldier who was wounded.


Later years

Following the war, he resumed his duties as postmaster and, in 1837, he was elected by the joint vote of the General Assembly of Illinois to serve as a member of board of commissioners of public works. He was also a longtime member of the
Presbyterian Church Presbyterianism is a part of the Reformed tradition within Protestantism that broke from the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland by John Knox, who was a priest at St. Giles Cathedral (Church of Scotland). Presbyterian churches derive their nam ...
. A prominent member of the community, Alexander was also an acquaintance of
Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln ( ; February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln led the nation thro ...
when he practiced law in
Edgar County, Illinois Edgar County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. As of the 2020 United States Census, the population was 16,866. Its county seat is Paris. History Edgar County was formed out of Clark County in 1823. It was named for John Edgar ...
during the early 1850s. Due to the disease he contracted as a soldier in Florida, he remained an invalid during the last ten years of his life. He eventually died on July 7, 1856.


References

*Blanchard, Rufus. ''History of Illinois, to Accompany an Historical Map of the State''. Chicago: National School Furnishing Co., 1883. * Ford, Thomas. ''A History of Illinois, from Its Commencement as a State in 1818 to 1847''. Chicago: S.C. Griggs & Co., 1854. *Stevens, Frank E. ''The Black Hawk War: Including a Review of Black Hawk's Life''. Chicago: Frank E. Stevens, 1903.


External links


Edgar County IL Archives Biographies: Paris Township, Biographies
{{DEFAULTSORT:Alexander, Milton 1796 births 1856 deaths American militia generals American militiamen in the War of 1812 American people of the Black Hawk War People from Elbert County, Georgia People from Edgar County, Illinois American people of the Seminole Wars People from Williamson County, Tennessee Military personnel from Illinois