Eugene Fitch Ware (May 29, 1847July 1, 1911), sometimes publishing pseudonymously as Ironquill, was an American soldier, lawyer, politician, and writer.

Early life

Eugene Fitch Ware was born on May 29, 1847, in Hartford, Connecticut. His family moved to

Burlington, Iowa Burlington is a city in, and the county seat of, Des Moines County, Iowa, Des Moines County, Iowa, United States. The population was 23,982 in the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, a decline from the 26,839 population in 2000 United States ...

, when he was young.

Military career

Ware enlisted in the First Iowa Volunteer Infantry in April 1861 as part of 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 of the collective states. It proved essential to th ...

in 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 state ...

. After completing his term of service with that regiment, re-enlisted in the Fourth Iowa Cavalry. In September 1863, he was commissioned a lieutenant in the 7th Iowa Cavalry Regiment. Ware was with General

Patrick Edward Connor Patrick Edward Connor (March 17, 1820Rodgers, 1938, p. 1 – December 17, 1891) was an American soldier who served as a Union general during the American Civil War. He is most notorious for his massacres against Native Americans during th ...

on the

Powder River Expedition :''This event should not be confused with the Big Horn Expedition during the Black Hills War.'' The Powder River Expedition of 1865 also known as the Powder River War or Powder River Invasion, was a large and far-flung military operation of the U ...

. After the Powder River campaign he was promoted to captain. After coming to the frontier he was detailed for staff duty by General

Robert Byington Mitchell Robert Byington Mitchell (April 4, 1823January 26, 1882) was a brigadier general in the Union Army during the American Civil War and the Governor of the New Mexico Territory from 1866 to 1869. Early life and career Mitchell was born on April ...

. Later, General Connor asked him to serve on his staff, which Ware wanted to do, but General Mitchell objected to his leaving and he was therefore unable to join Connor.

Writing

After the Civil War, Ware moved back to Burlington, Iowa, where he briefly edited the ''Burlington Hawkeye'', a local paper. He moved to Kansas in May 1867, taking up a substantial acreage in Cherokee County. He moved to

Fort Scott, Kansas Fort Scott is a city in and the county seat of Bourbon County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 7,552. It is named for Gen. Winfield Scott. The city is located south of Kansas City on the Marmaton ...

, in September 1870 after receiving a job offer at the ''

Fort Scott Monitor A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''face ...

''. In 1872, Ware became editor of the ''Monitor''. In 1874, he began publishing poems under the pseudonym "Ironquill". His "The Washerwoman's Song", first published in 1876, was widely popular.

Politics and law

Ware served in the

Kansas Senate The Kansas Senate is the upper house of the Kansas Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. State of Kansas. It is composed of 40 senators elected from single-member districts, each with a population of at least 60,000 inhabitants. Member ...

from 1879 to 1885. He also worked as a lawyer in

Topeka, Kansas Topeka ( ; Kansa: ; iow, Dópikˀe, script=Latn or ) is the capital city A capital city or capital is the municipality holding primary status in a country, state, province, department, or other subnational entity, usually as its seat ...

. A Republican, Ware was twice selected as a delegate for 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 ...

. President

Theodore Roosevelt Theodore Roosevelt Jr. ( ; October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), often referred to as Teddy or by his initials, T. R., was an American politician, statesman, soldier, conservationist, naturalist, historian, and writer who served as the 26t ...

named Ware as United States commissioner of pensions on April 11, 1902. He left the post in 1904. He died on July 1, 1911, while on vacation in

Cascade, Colorado Cascade is an unincorporated community and U.S. Post Office in El Paso County, Colorado, United States. The ZIP Code of the Cascade Post Office is 80809. It was a resort town, with 3 hotels, from the 1880s to the 1920s. Tourists traveled thr ...

References

Sources

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Ware, Eugene Fitch 1847 births 1911 deaths 19th-century American poets 19th-century American lawyers 19th-century American politicians Kansas state senators People from Hartford, Connecticut Union Army officers