AN AMERICAN HERO - Irving E. Narter

With Memorial Day right around the corner, I thought it would be appropriate to find out the story of someone who made the Supreme Sacrifice for our freedom.  Walking around cemeteries as I do, I have come across literally hundreds of tombstones marking the graves of those who gave their lives in the service of our country.  Telling the story of one does not diminish the sacrifice of the others.  Some were killed in action, some were killed by disease.  Some died close to home, some thousands of miles away from home.  Sometimes there were remains to send back home for burial, sometimes there was not a trace. One thing all of these brave men and women have in common - they all died too soon.  

Most of the porcelain photos that are mounted on tombstones at Jewish Waldheim Cemetery are black and white, so when you encounter a color photo you stop and take a second look.  Walking along the path that divides Gate 15 - B'nai Moshe Congregation, your eyes are immediately drawn to a color photo of a handsome young man in uniform:

His monument is elegant in its simplicity:

Beloved Son

IRVING E. NARTER

Born May 7, 1920

Died Nov 3, 1943

Underneath a sprig of ivy are the following verses:

These are the eyes that smiled at life

When the river of peace ran calm and deep

Eyes that gleamed with the light of hope

Eyes now closed in the endless sleep.

Here is the heart that held a dream

Of life and love in a world of joy

The heart of a lad that sang all day

Now sad and still as a broken toy.

Folded the arms that were made to hold

A loved one close in a fond embrace.

Quiet the feet that in childhood ran

To meet the sun in an eager face.

Where is the soul of this gallant boy

Where has it wandered beyond the skies

Has it gone to dwell on a higher plane

With the spirit of one who never dies?

Let's see what we can find out about the gallant hero Irving Narter.

Irving Edward Narter was born Isaac Narter on May 7, 1920 in Chicago to Louis B. Narter (1884-1958) and Beatrice nee Schaffer (1895-1960).

Irving joined his older brother Sidney (1919-2002) and Beatrice's children from a previous marriage:  Frances (1914-2002), and Sam (1917-).  Younger brother Bernard arrived on November 11, 1922 (1922-).  In 1928 his mother filed a Certificate of Correction indicating that Isaac's name should actually be Irwin Narter:

The family name was originally Natofsky, and they came to the US from Russia in 1875.

Beatrice Schaffer, also know as Rebecca Schaffer had married Sam Gross on January 13, 1912 when she was just sixteen.  As I mentioned, Frances came along in 1914.  In 1916, with Beatrice pregnant with their second child, tragedy struck the young family.  Here's the story from the Chicago Daily Tribune of May 15, 1916:

Later it was found that the horse was spooked, and ran wild.  The wagon turned over on Sam, and he was killed.  It was originally thought that there may have been a robbery, but Sam's money was still in his pocket when his body was searched.  Beatrice ended up a young widow who was going to have a baby.

William Samuel Gross was born in Chicago on July 12, 1916.

Things got much better for Beatrice and her two children when Beatrice married Louis Natofsky on September 25, 1917:

The 1940 Census shows the Natofsky family (now called "Narter") living at 2056 N. Sawyer in Chicago:

2056 N. Sawyer, Chicago

Louis was a collector for the Union; twenty-one year old Sidney was an apprentice in a print shop; nineteen year old Irwin was a clerk in a department store; seventeen year old Bernard was still in school. Frances had married truck driver Hyman Ruthman and they had a two year old son Stuart.

Anticipating that war was imminent, Irwin E. (now called Irving) Narter enlisted in the Air Corps on November 12, 1941 when he was twenty-one years old.  He enlisted as a Private at Camp Grant outside Rockford, Illinois.  He was 5 feet 6 inches tall and weighed 157 lbs.  

His older brother Sidney had already enlisted - on April 10, 1941, although Sidney enlisted in the Army, as opposed to Irving who had enlisted in the Air Force.  When Bernard Narter's time came, he joined up as well - joining the Ninth Army.

By April of 1943 now Sgt. Irving Narter (known as "Lucky Eddie") was flying bombing missions over Bremen, Germany as a ball turret gunner in a B-17 Flying Fortress.  Wikipedia describes a ball turret gunner in this way:  "A ball turret was a plexiglas sphere set into the belly of a B-17 or B-24, and inhabited by two .50 caliber machine guns and one man, a short small man. When this gunner tracked with his machine guns a fighter attacking his bomber from below, he revolved with the turret; hunched upsidedown in his little sphere." 

Here is a photo of Irving with his bomber crew in front of their bomber "The Bad Egg":

The Chicago Daily Tribune reported in May of 1943 that Sgt. Irving Narter participated in a mission bombing industrial targets in Antwerp, Belgium, the second daylight attack on Nazi held Europe.  The Tribune reported that the mission was "perfect" and happily that "not one bomber was lost."

England - June 9, 1943

On September 21, 1943 the Chicago Daily Tribune reported that (now) Tech. Sgt. Irving E. Narter had earned the Distinguished Flying Cross for "Extraordinary Achievement while serving as a ball turret gunner":

  

The last flight for Irving Narter took place on November 3, 1943.  Here are the particulars:  The plane was a B-17F, Serial number 42-30805, named BOOGIE'S REVENGE.  It was part of the 91BG, 401BS.  The plane crashed at Gesellschaftshaus, west of Wilhelmshafen, Germany.

Seven members of the crew, including Irving Narter were killed when the plane crashed.  They are:  Pilot: Bob Pitts, Navigator: Jim McAvoy, Nose Gunner: Irving Narter, Tail Gunner: John Clifton, Ball Turret Gunner: Antone Pacheco, Waist Gunner: Edwin Mason, Tail Gunner: John Montgomery.

Three members of the crew survived the crash and were taken prisoner by the Germans:  Co-Pilot: Arnold Williams, Radio Operator: Larry Yenchik, Waist Gunner: Clarry Edwards.

The luck had run out for Irving "Lucky Eddie" Narter.

A current member of the military sent me the Missing Aircrew Report for the incident where Irving and five of his crew members gave their lives for our Country.  The report has recently been declassified.  Here it is in its entirety:

Prior to World War I, little effort was made to return the bodies of fallen soldiers to their homes for burial.  Preservation and transportation of the remains was not feasible, so soldiers were buried where they fell. Starting after the end of World War I, it was possible to have the remains transported back home at US Government expense, and this policy was continued after World War II.  No bodies were returned, however, until the war was over.  Irving Narter's body was probably buried in a German cemetery until the war was over, at which time his remains were shipped back to Chicago.  It was not until the fall of 1947 that the first bodies of those who died in World War II were disinterred and shipped back to the U.S.  The best I can figure out is that Irving Narter's remains were returned to Chicago toward the end of 1949. There is a notation in the Chicago Daily Tribune of September 17, 1950 about Irving Narter:

When she first heard the news of the death of her beloved son, Irving's mother was horrified to think that he had died on German soil.  By 1943 whispers were starting to come out of Germany about the atrocities being done to Jews.  After the war, one of the survivors of the crash that killed Irving told Mrs. Narter that her son had died in the plane before it crashed, and not on German soil.  Small solace for a grieving mother.

Here is the photo the family chose to use for Irving's tombstone:

In the photo he is wearing the medals he has earned (from left) The Distinguished Flying Cross, The Air Medal (with three oak leaf clusters) and The Purple Heart.

So that is the story of Irving Narter - a Chicago native who enlisted in the Air Corps and gave his life for a cause greater than himself.  The thing is, as great as Irving Narter's sacrifice was, it was no different than the sacrifice made by countless men and women who refused to stand by and let tyranny win.  That is not meant to lessen the sacrifice of Narter, rather it is to recognize the sacrifice of all our brave service men and women.  He is one hero among thousands, and for that we will be forever grateful.

Memorial Day used to be called Decoration Day, because on that day we decorate the graves of those who have made the supreme sacrifice.  This Memorial Day, decorate the final resting place of a patriot - like Irving Narter.

May Irving Edward Narter, Patriot and American Hero, rest in peace.

As I mentioned earlier, Irving's older brother Sidney had enlisted in the Army on April 10, 1941.  Sidney  served with distinction and earned both the Bronze Star and the Purple Heart.  He died in 2002 at the age of eighty-three.  He is buried at the Fort Sam Houston Military Cemetery in San Antonio, Texas.

Bernard Narter was with the Ninth Army in Europe and was a hero at the Battle of the Bulge - although he would say that he wasn't a hero - but that generation never talked about their heroics.  Bernie is still alive at this writing and living in the west.

America is a better place today because of the Narter Brothers.  I saw a sign recently that fits the Narter Brothers perfectly:

All Gave Some,

Some Gave All.

  
The Narter family - heroes all.

I want to take a minute to thank the Narter family for all of their help and support with this article.  Thank you to:

Neil Narter – Sam Narter’s son
Alan Narter – Bernie Narter’s son
Bari Narter - Bernie Narter's daughter
David Narter – Alan Narter’s son
Lisa Narter – Neil Narter’s daughter

Cynthia Narter Eszak - Sidney Narter's daughter
Michael Freitag - son of Rhonda Narter-->daughter of Bernard Narter

I did not know any of the Narters when I originally wrote this article. From the moment it was published, the family was extremely supportive.  They helped me straighten out a few facts and graciously shared some of their photos of Irving and the newspaper clippings about his death.  Irving Narter must have been a wonderful guy, because he sure has a great family.

AKSEL MIKKELSEN - A Message from Norway

You will remember the story I wrote earlier this year of Chicago policeman Aksel Mikkelsen.  Several months after the death of his wife Hulda Olsen Mikkelsen, Aksel killed himself at Hulda's grave in Mount Olive Cemetery in Chicago.  When I am researching families for this blog it is very difficult for me to keep track of everybody so I usually create a family tree on ancestry.com for the family I am researching. That makes it easier to remember all of the relationships and it also gives me access to ancestry's search feature where they search their many databases for information on the people you put in a tree.  So, back on February 10, 2013 I put a family tree on ancestry.com that I called "Aksel Mikkelsen Family."

Imagine my surprise when I got an email last week from ancestry.com that said:

Hello ! 

I'm contacting you on behalf of Kjetil Straume and wife in Norway. They are searching for both acendants and decendants of Aksel Mikkelsen. Would you like to get in contact with them? Aksel was brother of Kjetil Straume's wife's great-great grandmother.

They would be very happy if you could email them.

Best Regards, Liv Christin Markussen, Norway.

I would be happy to contact the Straume family with the information I had, but since the story was a sad one, I was not sure how to approach them.  So, I responded:

Hello from Chicago!

Liv Christin Markussen contacted me through ancestry.com asking about the forebearers and descendents of Aksel Mikkelsen. I am not related to him - I started doing research on his family for a story about him that I wrote for my blog. The story is in two parts:

Part 1:
http://undereverystone.blogspot.com/2013/02/he-couldnt-live-without-his-love-aksel.html

Part 2:
http://undereverystone.blogspot.com/2013/02/but-what-about-children-aksel-mikkelsen.html

Virtually all of the information I have on the Mikkelsen family is contained in these two articles. I suggest you read them and then you can contact me if you are looking for more information. Unfortunately the story of Aksel Mikkelsen does not have a happy ending, but I present it as it happened.

Jim Craig
Evanston, Illinois
USA 

This way I was able to give them all the information I had on the family, and they could answer or not answer as they wished.  The very next day I got the following response from Kjetil and Inger Straume:

Hello from Oslo, Norway!

Dear Jim,

My wife and I thank you so much for your e-mail! The story of Axel and his family is truly sad, and also very touching. We also want to thank you very much for your work and effort to find out, and tell, the story behind a tombstone. In addition to being of interest to anyone concerned with our ancestor's life, this has for us made it possible to get knowledge about " a lost member of the family" and his destiny. We are very grateful to you!

Axel's parents were Charlotte Albertine, nee Berg (1828), and Johan Fredrik Mikkelsen (born about 1824).  

Axel had at least six siblings.  Charlotte and Johan Fredrik's seven children (as far as we know today) were:

1. Olivia Susane, born 4th April, 1847 in the municipality of Sør-Odal, Hedmark County. She is the great-great grandmother of my wife Inger Straume, nee Storm-Nielsen.

2. Carl Thorvald, born 5th February, 1849 in the municipality of Grue, Hedmark Co.. Emigrated to USA, buried 4th Jan at Mt. Olive.

3. Johan Albert, born 3rd February, 1851, at the same place. Emigrated to USA.

4. Ole, born 18th April, 1853, at the same place.

5. Axel Ingvold, born 26th January 1859 in Christiania. Christiania is the earlier name (1624-1925) of the Capital of Norway, today: Oslo, which also was the medieval name of this city.

6. Emmy Marie Wilhelmine, born 28th November, 1862 in Christiania. My wife knew three of her four daughters (one died as a child), the youngest of them died in 1997, 96 years old.

7. Ragna Theodora, born 15th February, 1865 in Christiania.

Here is link to the entry in the church record of the marriage of Axel's parents Charlotte and Johan Fredrik Mikkelsen:

http://www.arkivverket.no/URN:kb_read?idx_kildeid=9145&idx_id=9145&uid=ny&idx_side=-174
(September 15 on the right side page).

Here is link to the entry in the church record of Axel's baptism (No. 129): Kildeinformasjon: Oslo fylke, Trefoldighet, Ministerialbok nr. I 1 (1858-1863), Fødte og døpte 1859, side 61. 

Permanent sidelenke: http://www.arkivverket.no/URN:kb_read?idx_kildeid=691&idx_id=691&uid=n y&idx_side=-65

We have not yet found out where, and when Axel's father was born. He is told to have emigrated to USA, and that he died there before 1875, as Charlotte is registered as a widow in the Christiania (Oslo) census 1875.

We have a picture of Charlotte - but not as a normal portrait! It is a over a hundred years old jig saw puzzle! This is the only picture we have of her, and the same is for her daughter Olivia. I will send you a copy of Charlotte's picture in a separate mail. The picture puzzle of Olivia is now with my wife's sister who lives in Bourgogne, France, and we look forward to have a photo of this too, when she has puzzled it!

Again, thank you so much!

Sincerely,

Inger and Kjetil Straume

Here's the puzzle picture of Charlotte:

Charlotte Albertine Berg Mikkelsen

I was very pleased that they were happy with the articles that I wrote about their family.  Here's my reply to my new friends in Norway:

Hello Inger and Kjetil -

Isn't the internet a wonderful thing? Through it we get to meet and communicate with people all over the world. I am very pleased that you liked the story I wrote about Axel and his family. It was a tragedy, to be sure. I say in my blog that I try not to judge the actions of people I did not know, but it is very hard to imagine what must have been going through Axel's mind just before he killed himself. How could he have done that to his children? They had already lost their mother, a traumatic experience for any age, and now they were going to lose their father as well - and the family would be broken up. It is only by the grace of God, and the strength of their extended family, that they turned out as well as they did.

In my research about your family I tried to find out if any other members of Axel's family were here in Chicago. We know that Hulda had a large family here buit I was never able to find any relatives of Axel's here. There were other Mikkelsens in Chicago, and there are even other Mikkelsens buried at Mount Olive, but I could never connect Axel to any of them.

Do you have any evidence of any of Axel's relatives in Chicago?

Now I have a favor to ask of you: Could I add the information you have given me to the information already on my blog? I would like to tell my readers how a member of Axel's family contacted me, and also include the other family information you have given me. I will not publish your email address, of course, and I don't even need to use you names unless you want me to. I would very much like to add this additional information to Axel's story as I have told it so far. Let me know if this is OK with you. I would also like to include the photo of Charlotte.

I'm sure you have cousins here in the US - Lillie Mikkelsen Hansen had a large family; August had two sons. Have you made contact with any cousins in the US?

That's all for now. Thank you again for your kind words.

Your friend in Chicago,

Jim Craig

As I mentioned when I wrote the article about Axel's suicide that I couldn't imagine how Axel could have felt that his children would be better off with him dead.  They were already grieving over the loss of Hulda, as he was, but how could he leave five young children orphans?  Inger had a very interesting response to my comment:

Hello Jim,

Yes, internet is truly wonderful. Without the internet it would have been impossible to find all the information we can find today, and to communicate all over the world so quickly.

You can of course feel free to use all the information we have sent you (and hopefully will send you later), and the picture of Charlotte. It is also quite OK to mention our names. We will also appreciate if you mention that it was Liv Christin who found out all this for us, if she agree. I will send her a copy of this mail, and believe she will send you a mail and tell if this is OK or not with her.

I think that when a person commit a suicide, he or she is in a situation of total darkness, where it is impossible to think sensibly, to see any alternative, or to overwiew the consequences for others. I think too, it is impossible for us to understand such an action, although we can try to find out what led to it.

Until now we don't know very much about Axel's brothers who emigrated to USA and their families. In Norway we have an internet site to help people to trace their ancestors and families: www.disnorge.no English version: http://www.disnorge.no/cms/en/eng/english-pages It is quite free of charge to use this site. This is where we had the excellent help from Liv Christin.

Here is a link to the subject about Axel:

http://www.disnorge.no/slektsforum/viewtopic.php?t=116754

And to his father Johan Fredrik Mikkelsen:

http://www.disnorge.no/slektsforum/viewtopic.php?t=116736

One has to be logged in to see the names of those who have written a post here. Anyone can sign in as a guest user, and then you will see the names. Without signing in, it shows only "Skjult navn" which means Hidden name. This is because google shall not be able to pick up the names. Therefore we also only use the first name in the posts which are open without logging in.

There is also a lady in Minnesota, Margit Nysetvold Bakke, who is very helpful with the connections between USA and Norway. Here are links to her sites:

http://norwaytoamerica.blogspot.com/

http://norwaytominnesota.blogspot.com/

Here is a link to her advices at Disnorge: http://www.disnorge.no/slektsforum/viewtopic.php?t=72155

Best greetings from your new friends in Norway,

Inger and Kjetil

I think Inger and Kjetil are correct:  Axel was in a situation where it was impossible to think sensibly or to see any alternative.  How sad for him, and his family. 

As Inger and Kjetil suspected, Liv Christin was happy to give her permission to be included in this article as well:

Hello Jim!

And thank You for giving us information about what happened to the Mikkelsen family. Tragic and touching!

It has been a pleasure for me to partisipate in the searchings for Johan Fredrik and Charlotte Mikkelsens story and decendants, and it is okay for me that to be mentioned in Your blog regarding the Mikkelsen Story. This story has truly captured my heart.

Thank You so much for all Your reasearch and work regarding both Mikkelsen family and other familys. that You have been tracking. It means a lot for us that are searching for lost and unknown parts of our familys.

Is there anything I can do in return for Your help, just let me know.

Best regards,

Liv Christin Markussen

Forntunalife AS

Liv Christin is one of the founders of an organization called Fortunalife.  Their website is:  http://www.fortunalife.no/

I checked out the website for Fortunalife and found a quote that I felt was very thought-provoking so I will share it with you:

  

So, through the miracle of the internet, we are still thinking about and talking about Aksel Mikkelsen, the Chicago policeman who died almost one hundred fifteen years ago.  I was glad that my research was able to fill in some of the gaps in the Mikkelsen family tree.  I have a feeling that we have not heard the last of Aksel Mikkelsen and Hulda Olsen Mikkelsen - we shall see!

May all of the departed members of the Mikkelsen Family rest in peace.

ANOTHER TREE TOMBSTONE - William Reisz of the Order of Boy Builders

One of the most widely read posts I have done for this blog was the one I wrote about the tombstone that looked like a tree that marked the grave of Frank Fremont Campbell at Rosehill Cemetery.  Now I am always on the lookout for interesting tree-tombstones.  A recent Find-a-Grave photo request took me to Gate 59 - Dr. Herzl Verein at Jewish Waldheim Cemetery where I found this tree tombstone:

This tombstone marked the grave of William Reisz who died January 14, 1923 just a few months short of his twentieth birthday. Remembering the clues that Frank Campbell's tree tombstone revealed, just what can we learn about William Reisz from his tree tombstone?  

The largest and most obvious part of the tombstone is the Magen David at the top.  From that we can gather that William Reisz was Jewish...of course the fact that he is buried in a Jewish Cemetery told us that already. The Magen David is surrounded by a wreath symbolizing victory in death.  As the hymn says, "The strife is o'er, the battle won." The Magen David is also known as the Star of David, or Shield of David and is the symbol of Divine protection.  Below that is another kind of shield that was unfamiliar to me (more about that shield later).  Next is the abbreviation which stands for po nikbar or po nitman, meaning "here lies", along with the Hebrew name of the deceased and some information about them.  At the end of the Hebrew inscription is the abbreviation of a verse from the Bible, the first book of Samuel, 25:29, "May his soul be bound up in the bond of eternal life".

Unlike many tree tombstones that show a living tree, this one shows a tree that has already been cut down, and is placed on logs at the bottom.  The cut tree symbolizes the newly departed; the logs are those who have gone before.  So the newly departed is joining those who went ahead of him.

At the bottom on the left is a lamb, symbolizing innocence - usually used to denote the death of a young person.  The calla lilies signify the restored innocence of the soul at death.  Next to the calla lilies are ferns which signify humility and sincerity.  As we move around the tree, we can see ivy growing up the side of the  tree trunk.   Ivy signifies friendship.  

The branches cut off the trunk signify a life cut short.  The back of the tree is the name "Reisz" with the letters made out of logs.  

and that brings us back around to the front.

So, what can we find out about William Reisz?  Let's start with his obituary from the Chicago Daily Tribune of January 15, 1923:

REISZ - William Reisz, beloved son of Phillip and Theresa, fond brother of Mrs. Herman Greenburg, Albert and Edward Reisz.  Funeral Monday, Jan. 15, at 2 p.m. from chapel, 2018 W. Division st.  Interment Dr. Herzl Ver. cemetery, Waldheim.  Member of the Order of Boy Builders and Junior auxiliary of Humboldt  Boulevard Temple.  Please omit flowers.

The Humboldt Boulevard Temple, Chicago

His obituary answers one question - that of the shield under the Magen David.  It was the shield of the Order of the Boy Builders.  Here's a better picture of it:

According to their website, The Order of the Builders for Boys was formed in 1921 for young men between the ages of eleven and twenty-one related to Master Masons.  In January 1921 (two years after the formation of the Order of DeMolay in Kansas City) Arthur M. Millard and several members of Van Renssalaer Lodge of Perfection in Chicago founded the Order of the Builders for Boys, an organization for young men between the ages of eleven and twenty-one. Originally restricted to the sons and brothers of Master Masons, membership was soon changed to admit sons, brothers, grandsons, and nephews of Masons who belonged to recognized Masonic Lodges as well as the closest friends of these individuals.

Today it is simply called the “Order of the Builders,” and its objects are:

To promote the mental, moral, physical, and spiritual development of its’ members. To develop their activities in all that relates to individual duty to God and parents. To promote civic, state, and national betterment, by the defense of civil, religious, political, and intellectual liberty, and to provide by means of fraternal association a relationship through which to develop activities aiming for the mutual advancement of those coming within the range of its purpose and plans.

It is reported that in the first year of the Order’s existence over sixty chapters were established in Illinois with a total membership of approximately 4,500, of which William Reisz was one.

We are able to find out a little more about William Reisz and his family. William Reisz was born May 25, 1903 in Chicago.  His father was Phillip Reisz (1864-1933).  His mother was Theresa nee Kiershler (1875-1936).  The family came to the United States from Austria-Hungary in 1899, and became US citizens in 1905.  William had three siblings: Albert (1896-1987), Edward (1899-1980) and Elka (1897-1983).  Elka married Herman Greenburg in 1920.  The 1920 census has the family living at 2707 W. Hirsch Street. 

2707 W. Hirsch Street, Chicago

Phillip was a beer distributor.  Albert owned his own shoe store, and Elka was a stenographer for a fire insurance company. Twenty year-old Edward and sixteen year-old William were not employed, and at least William was probably still in school.

So that brings us up to January 14, 1923 - the death of William Reisz:

It's a little hard to read, but it says that William Reisz of 2707 W. Hirsch Street died of "Acute endocarditis after streptococcus".  He worked as a bookkeeper for Fred C. Cramer & Co., manufacturing agents. 

So, that is the story of William Reisz, bookkeeper, son and brother and member of the Order of Boy Builders.  He must have been a very special guy, so his family wanted to remember him in a very special way - with his own tree tombstone at Jewish Waldheim Cemetery. Their loss gave us another beautiful work of funerary art, and a way for William Reisz to be remembered.

May William Reisz rest in peace.

"LAY ME DOWN AND SAVE THE FLAG" - James A. Mulligan

As you enter Calvary Cemetery in Evanston, Illinois through the main gate off of Chicago Avenue, you can't help but notice an imposing monument topped by a Celtic cross off to your right.

Who is it that is buried by that monument in Section A, Block 1, Lot 1? An Irishman named James Adalbert Mulligan.  A man who led an interesting life prior to the Civil War, but whose war experiences were even more exemplary.  I have to admit that in all my times at Calvary I hadn't paid much attention to that monument, but I am making up for it now by telling you the story of a man born to Irish immigrants who made the ultimate sacrifice for his country - but even more, earned the title of "A Christian Soldier."

James Adalbert Mulligan was born in Utica, New York on June 25, 1820 to Irish immigrant parents.  In the autumn of 1836 Mulligan and his mother moved to Chicago, his father having died when he was just a boy.  After James' elementary and secondary education he was enrolled in the University of St. Mary of the Lake.  He graduated from St. Mary's in 1850, being among the new university's first graduates and then began his study of the law.  In 1851 he accompanied John Lloyd Stephens on his famous expedition to the Isthmus of Panama. Stephens had been appointed president of the Panama  Railroad Company and oversaw the construction of the railway across the isthmus.  Mulligan stayed in Panama about one year, then returned to Chicago and resumed his study of the law in the office of Judge I.N. Arnold.  At the same time Mulligan acted as editor of the Western Tablet, a weekly Roman Catholic publication.  In 1855 he was admitted to the bar, and immediately set up a practice.  Those who knew him at this point in his life spoke of his clearness of perception and remarkable oratorical powers.

In the winter of 1857 he was appointed to a clerkship in the Office of the Secretary of the Interior in Washington.  On a more personal front, on October 26, 1859, James Adelbert Mulligan he was married to Miss Marian Nugent by The Most Rev. James Duggan, the Roman Catholic Bishop of Chicago.

While working in Washington he was at the forefront of events leading to the war, and therefore was among the first to enlist after the attack on Fort Sumter in April of 1861.

In June of 1861, the 23rd Illinois Voluntary Infantry Regiment was raised in Chicago, and young James Mulligan was offered the colonelcy.  The Illinois 23rd was known as "First Irish" or  "Mulligan's Brigade".  He gladly accepted and in July 1861 left Chicago for the front.  During the first month or two, the Brigade was actively engaged in Virginia and Missouri, until September, when it was ordered to the defense of Lexington, Missouri.  At that point in the war, Lexington was threatened by a vastly superior force of the enemy under General Sterling Price.  For nine days, Mulligan and his men held the town against heavy odds, praying for reinforcements.  But no reinforcements were forthcoming, so after nine days of valiant fighting, Lexington fell.   On September 20, 1861 at 2:00 in the afternoon Mulligan surrendered. Combined casualties were 64 dead, and 192 wounded.  General Price was reportedly so impressed by Mulligan's demeanor and conduct during and after the battle that he offered him his own horse and buggy, and ordered him safely escorted to Union lines.  Colonel Mulligan returned to Chicago and was lauded as the "Hero of Lexington."

Upon Mulligan's returned to Chicago, he reorganized his regiment. Then he embarked on a short lecture tour through the Eastern United States.

Colonel Mulligan's next assignment was commander of Camp Douglas, a prisoner of war camp at Chicago  between February 25, 1862 and June 14, 1862.

Camp Douglas at Chicago

The camp had been constructed as a short term training camp for Union soldiers but was converted to a prisoner of war camp for captured Confederate soldiers after the fall of Fort Donelson, on February 16, 1862.  One in eight of the prisoners from Fort Donelson died of pneumonia and various diseases.  The camp had become infamous for its inhumane condition and large death toll.  Upon taking command of Camp Douglas, Mulligan made efforts to improve conditions at the camp while trying to deal with an inadequate budget and bureaucratic indifference.  He may have been influenced in his effort to improve conditions at the camp by his treatment by General Price after he was captured at Lexington, Missouri.

After his stint as commander of Camp Douglas, Mulligan was ordered with his regiment to New Creek, Virginia.  During the remainder of 1862 and 1863, Mulligan and his brigade fought in the battles of Harper's Ferry, Moorfield, Greenland Gap, Gettysburg, Williamsport, Hedgeville, Petersburg Gap, and many other engagements.

Between August and December 1863, Mulligan oversaw the construction of Fort Mulligan, an earthworks fortification located in Grant County, West Virginia.  Confederate Major General Jubal Early would later pay tribute to Mulligan's engineering skill after occupying the fort during his Valley Campaigns of 1864. This fort remains one of the best-preserved Civil War fortifications in West Virginia, and has become a local tourist attraction.

On July 3, 1864, only three weeks before his death, Colonel Mulligan distinguished himself in the Battle of Leetown, fought in and around Leestown, Virginia between Union Major General Franz Sigel and Confederate Major General Jubal Early. Federal troops were retreating in the face of Early's relentless advance down the Shenandoah Valley during his Second Valley Campaign. Hoping to buy time to concentrate Union forces and supplies, Sigel ordered Mulligan to hold Leestown for as long as humanly possible. The colonel was only allotted two regiments of infantry (including his old 23rd Illinois), five pieces of artillery, and 1,000 dismounted cavalrymen; he would face six Confederate infantry divisions, five brigades of cavalry and three battalions of artillery. Mulligan was told to expect no help whatsoever; he was to hold as long as possible, then conduct a fighting retreat as slowly as possible to cover the other withdrawing Union units.

Colonel Mulligan led his minuscule force out of their trenches, driving the attackers back upon the divisions of Generals Robert Rodes and Stephen D. Ramseur. Although the outcome of the battle was a foregone conclusion, Mulligan managed to hold Early's main force at Leestown for the entire day before being compelled to give way—albeit very slowly. Mulligan continued to battle Early all the way from Leestown to Martinsburg, Virginia, buying valuable time for Union commanders to concentrate their forces in the Valley.

On July 24, 1864, Mulligan led his troops into the Second Battle of Kernstown, near Winchester, Virginia. Late in the afternoon, Major General John B. Gordon’s Confederate force attacked Mulligan's 1,800 soldiers from ground beyond Opequon Church. Mulligan briefly held off Gordon's units, but Confederate Major General John C. Breckinridge, a former U.S. Vice President, led a devastating flank attack against the Irishmen from the east side of the Valley Pike. Sharpshooters under Confederate Major General Stephen D. Ramseur then attacked Mulligan’s right flank from the west. Now encompassed on three sides, the Union battle line fell apart.

With Confederates closing from all around, Mulligan ordered his troops to withdraw. As he stood up in his saddle to spur his men on, Southern sharpshooters concealed in a nearby stream bed managed to hit the Union commander.  Mulligan’s soldiers endeavored to carry him to safety, but the unyielding Confederate fire made this an impossible task.  Mulligan was well aware of his situation, and the danger his men were in, and so he famously ordered: "Lay me down and save the flag." Mulligan’s men reluctantly complied. Confederate soldiers captured Mulligan, and carried the mortally-wounded Colonel into a nearby home, where he died two days later. 

Colonel James A. Mulligan was buried with full military honors on August 2, 1864.  The New York Times carried a full account of Colonel Mulligan's funeral in their editions of August 7, 1864:

FROM CHICAGO - FUNERAL OF COL. MULLIGAN

From Our Own Correspondent

CHICAGO, Tuesday, Aug. 2. - The funeral of Col. Mulligan took place to-day, and was one of the largest and meet imposing spectacles of the kind ever witnessed in Chicago, second only to that on the occasion of the burial of Mr. Douglas. The day was beautiful, and our citizens generally, together with all branches of the city Government, a large number of civic societies, and a strong array of military, participated. It was a heartfelt tribute to one who was really loved for what he was in private life, as well as for what he had done in the field for our country.

The religious ceremonies took place in the Church of St. Mary, Catholic. An eloquent sermon was delivered by Dr. McMullen, a classmate and lifelong friend of the deceased. The procession, which took nearly an hour in passing a given point, was they formed and escorted the body, which was borne in a magnificent funeral car, to its resting-place in Calvary Cemetery.

During the services in the church Mrs. Mulligan fainted and remained a long time unconscious. The whole scene was affecting in the last degree. And thus we have "buried out of our sight" another of those gallant men who have gone forth from among us to battle and die for the flag we love so well.

At first, Col. Mulligan was buried under a simple government-issue headstone,

but almost immediately there was a call for a more elaborate monument from Illinois' martyred soldier.  On February 20, 1865, the United States Senate confirmed the posthumous award to Colonel Mulligan of the rank of brevet brigadier general of U.S. Volunteers to rank from July 23, 1864, the day before he was mortally wounded. Although now officially a general, he would always be "Colonel Mulligan" to those who knew and loved him.

The Chicago Daily Tribune from May 24, 1885 announced the good news about the monument to Col. Mulligan:

COL. MULLIGAN

His Monument To Be Dedicated Decoration Day.

This year's commemoration of Decoration Day - which occurs next Saturday - will be marked by an event of unusual interest - the unveiling and formal dedication of the Mulligan monument at Calvary Cemetery. This tribute to the memory of the distinguished Col. James A. Mulligan has long been in contemplation.  A fund of $2,500 was contributed some years ago by the State and a like amount has been raised among the friends and admirers of the dead officer.  The whole $5,000 has been expensed upon a marble shaft which now stands finished at the head of the Colonel's grave.

The dedicatory exercises will be brief, but impressive.  A delegation of Grand Army veterans, Hibernian Rides, and the remnant of the Colonel's regiment, the Twenty-third Illinois, numbering forty men, will form a guard of honor.  At the grave, Vicar-General Conway will offer prayer, William T.   will deliver an oration on "The Life, Character, and Services of Col. Mulligan, and Miss Elza A. Starr will read an ode composed for the occasion.  This program will be interspersed with vocal music.  The committee in charge has issued invitations to a large number of distinguished persons, many of whom will be present.  A special train for the accommodation of those desiring to attend the ceremonies will leave the Northwestern Depot at 10:30 Saturday morning.

The Chicago Daily Tribune from Decoration Day (now Memorial Day) of May 31, 1885 recounted the ceremonies surrounding the dedication of the monument to Col. Mulligan at Calvary Cemetery:

THE SOLDIER DEAD

Dedication of the Mulligan Monument at Calvary

The memorial services at Calvary Cemetery were of a particularly interesting nature because of the dedication of the granit (sic) monument erected over the grave of Col. Mulligan who fell mortally wounded in the engagement at Kernstown, Va., July 21, 1864.  A train of twelve coaches, bearing Company D of the Hibernian Rifles, Major Mulhearn, Mulligan Post G.A.R., about twenty-five survivors of Mulligan's regiment, a delegation of the Sons of Veterans, and about 600 passengers to the cemetery left the Northwestern depot at 11 o'clock and reached the cemetery in about twenty minutes.  When the train left the cemetery the sky was clouded  and a heavy shower of rain seemed imminent, but just as the long train reached Calvary Station, the sun came out.  The procession to the cemetery was headed by Nevins' band, followed by the Hibernian Rifles and Mulligan Post of the Grand Army of the Republic, and the survivors of Col. Mulligan's regiment.  The band struck up a dirge, and the procession moved slowly through the entrance to the cemetery and took up a position surrounding the monument, which stands just inside the main entrance to the cemetery, on the right-hand side.  It is about twenty-five feet high, in the form of a shaft surmounted by a Celtic cross.  The pedestal to the shaft is reached by two broad stone steps.  On the front face of the pedestal is the following inscription:

In Memory Of

JAMES A. MULLIGAN

Colonel 23rd Illinois Volunteer Irish Brigade

Born Utica, N.Y. June 25, 1830

Wounded in Battle

At Kernstown, Va.

July 24, 1864

Died July 26, 1864

“Lay Me Down and Save the Flag”     

On the right side of the pedestal is inscribed: "This monument has been erected by the State and the City of Chicago, July 26, 1884."

Just across the broad walk to the right of the monument and overlooking the soldiers and veterans surrounding it was a commodious platform, upon which were seated guests specially invited by the Monument Committee, among who were the Very Rev. P. J. Conway, (Vicar-General), and Father Agnew, and relatives of Col. Mulligan and members of his family.  Among those were:  Mrs. Col. Mulligan and her daughters, Mrs. Caroll, Miss Adele Mulligan, Miss Alice Mulligan; Col Mulligan's sisters, Mrs. Colby and Mrs. McDonald; Mrs. Nugent, mother of Mrs. Mulligan, Miss Alice Nugent and Messrs. Michael and Charles Nugent, brothers of Mrs. Mulligan.  There were also on the platform State Treasurer Jacob Gross, Judge Tuley. Col. W.P. Head,  John H. Walsh, the Hon. James Taylor, L. Ennis, and John J. Healy.  When the people on the platform were seated, Mr. W.J. Onahan by a wave of his hand signaled the crowd before him to be silent, after which Vicar-General Conway was introduced.  

The Vicar-General, accompanied by Father Agnew, walked slowly around the monument reciting the prescribed prayers from the ritual for a dedication service, and sprinkled the monument with holy water.  After this, the Oriental Quartet, led by Deputy Sheriff Hubbard, sang the martial hymn "Unfurl the Glorious Banner".  As the last notes of the song were dying away Miss Adele Mulligan slowly unveiled the medallion of her father cut in the front of the shaft of the monument which up to this time had been hidden from sight by the silk flag of the regiment.  

Capt. J.J. Healy of the Monument Committee read the report which embodied the history of the formation of the Mulligan Monument Society.  The monument cost $5,000, and thanks to the efforts of the Legislature and the generosity of the citizens of Chicago it has been paid for.

A pathetic ode to Col. James A. Mulligan, written for the occasion by Miss Eliza Ellen Starr, was read with good effect by Miss Molly Prindiville Corse.  Miss Marnie Gross followed with a pretty little recitation entitled: "Scatter Flowers O'er Our Heroes."  

W.J. Onahan then made an eloquent address on Col. Mulligan's life and services.

The Oriental Quartet wound up the program by singing a beautiful selection composed for the occasion entitled "Lay Me Down and Save the Flag", the words uttered by Mulligan when he received his death-wound.  After the singing of this piece the audience around the platform, top the number of about 1,500, dispersed to decorate the graves of their beloved dead.  The graves of the soldiers in the cemetery, of which there are comparatively low, were tastefully decorated under the auspices of the Mulligan Monument Society.

That's the story of James Adalbert Mulligan, a man dedicated to God and Country.  He was a man who lived as he believed.  A Christian gentleman who impressed even his enemies by his fair dealing.  When asked in 1864 how he could reconcile being both a Catholic and a soldier her said: "“I am a soldier, and obey my General; I am Catholic and obey my Bishop.”  

James Mulligan was one of Illinois' finest sons.  We sent him into battle to preserve the Union, and he was returned to us in a pine box. But the people of Illinois wanted to make sure that Col. Mulligan's sacrifice was not forgotten, and so you see his memorial in Section A, Block 1, Lot 1 of Calvary Cemetery.

Colonel James Adalbert Mulligan of the Illinois Irish Brigade - may he rest in peace.