- John Dement
Infobox Military Person
name=John Dement
lived=26 April 1804 –16 January 1883
caption=An 1887 engraving of John Dement
nickname=
placeofbirth=Gallatin, Tennessee
placeofdeath=Dixon, Illinois
allegiance=United States
branch=Illinois Militia (United States Army )
serviceyears=1832
rank=Colonel
unit=Fayette County Volunteer Company, Spy Battalion First Regiment Illinois Militia
commands=
battles=Second Battle of Kellogg's Grove , (Black Hawk War )
awards=
relations=Son:Henry Dodge Dement
laterwork=Illinois State Representative
U.S. Receiver of Public Moneys
Illinois Constitutional Convention Delegate
Electoral College electorJohn Dement (
26 April 1804 –16 January 1883 ) was a politician and militia commander from theU.S. state ofIllinois .Born in
Tennessee , he migrated with his family to Illinois when he was in his early teens. His first political office was ascounty sheriff and he later served multiple terms in theIllinois House of Representatives . Dement held the federal Receiver of Public Moneys post with U.S. Government Land Office under five different presidential administrations. During the 1832 Black Hawk War Dement commanded a battalion in combat at theSecond 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 inDixon, Illinois .Early life
John Dement was born in Gallatin,
Sumner County, Tennessee onApril 26 ,1804 . His parents, David and Dorcas Dement (nee Willis) moved to Illinois in 1817 and he moved with them; the family settled on a farm in Franklin County.Armstong, Perry A. "The Sauks and the Black Hawk War", pp. 630–634.]Political career
In 1826 Dement took his first political office when he was elected
sheriff of Franklin County. He went on and served the same area in theIllinois General Assembly from 1828–1830. The General Assembly elected DementState Treasurer in 1831, and he was reelected twice until he resigned the post to serve in the General Assembly once again in 1836. Dement's second stint as astate representative was as the congressman from Fayette County.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. PresidentAndrew Jackson appointed him Receiver of Public Moneys. Dement held the position through the administration ofMartin 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 theElectoral College from Illinois forJames K. Polk andGeorge M. Dallas .Lanman, Charles. "Biographical Annals of the Civil Government of the United States: During Its First Century", ( [http://books.google.com/books?id=WG8sAAAAIAAJ&pg=RA1-PA529&dq=%22John+Dement%22#PRA1-PA529,M1 Google Books] ), J. Anglim: 1876, p. 528–529. Retrieved18 September 2007 .] 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, andFranklin Pierce reappointed Dement to the post in 1853. Dement continued to serve as Receiver of Public Moneys under U.S. PresidentJames 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".
Military career
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 againstSauk 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 acolonel Dement served asaide-de-camp for Illinois Governor John Reynolds. Dement also served as acaptain , and amajor . As a major Dement commanded abattalion during theSecond Battle of Kellogg's Grove .Lusk, David W. "Politics and Politicians: A Succinct History of the Politics of Illinois" ( [http://books.google.com/books?id=Qw4lAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA326&vq=Dement&dq=JOhn+Dement+Black+Hawk#PPA326,M1 Google Books] ), H. W. Rokker: 1884, pp. 326–328. Retrieved18 September 2007 .]As captain, Dement led a Fayette County company of volunteers, formed on
April 20 , from Beardstown to Oquawka and thebrigade of GeneralSamuel Whiteside . The company then moved north toward the mouth of the Rock River. At the river, the company was mustered into federal service under GeneralHenry Atkinson and marched on to Dixon and then Ottawa where they were mustered out of service onMay 28 .Armstong, Perry A. "The Sauks and the Black Hawk War", pp. 430–435.] After the company was mustered out of service Dement offered to stay on duty until the new army, called upMay 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 onJune 19 ,1832 .On
June 16 ,1832 , Dement reenlisted in theIllinois Militia as a private. A spy battalion was formed onJune 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 forKellogg's Grove onJune 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."Autobiography of Ma-Ka-Tai-Me-She-Kia-Kiak", " [http://lincoln.lib.niu.edu/cgi-bin/philologic/navigate.pl?lincoln.3431 Major Dement's Battle with the Indians] ." Retrieved
18 September 2007 .] 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 onAugust 7 ,1832 , which ended John Dement's military career.Dement Town
In 1849, while holding the Government Land Office 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 cranes." [http://www.leecountyhistory.com/articles/930909.htm Dement Town] ," "Lee County Historical Society", Stories & Articles,
31 May 2004 . Retrieved18 September 2007 .]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'scentral business district . The depot's construction dramatically increased Dement'sproperty 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 Dodge , 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.Reynolds, John. "The Pioneer History of Illinois", ( [http://books.google.com/books?id=COvAV4QZXycC&pg=PA139&dq=%22John+Dement%22 Google Books] ), Fergus Printing Company: 1887, p. 139. Retrieved18 September 2007 .] John Dement died at his home in Dixon, Illinois onJanuary 16 ,1883 .Notes
References
*Armstong, Perry A. "The Sauks and the Black Hawk War", ( [http://books.google.com/books?id=2hx_vlW9qkoC&pg=PA630&vq=John+Dement&dq=%22John+Dement%22 Google Books] ), H.W. Rokker: 1887. Retrieved
18 September 2007 .
*Hawk, Black, LeClair, Antoine, interpreter; Patterson, J. B., ed., " [http://lincoln.lib.niu.edu/cgi-bin/philologic/navigate.pl?lincoln.2836 Autobiography of Ma-Ka-Tai-Me-She-Kia-Kiak] ", or "Black Hawk, Embracing the Traditions of his Nation, Various Wars In Which He Has Been Engaged, and His Account of the Cause and General History of the Black Hawk War of 1832, His Surrender, and Travels Through the United States". Also "Life, Death and Burial of the Old Chief, Together with a History of the Black Hawk War", Oquawka, IL: J. B. Patterson, 1882, "Kellogg's Grove Fort." Retrieved18 September 2007 .
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