Green Berry Raum (December 3, 1829 – December 18, 1909) was a lawyer, author, and

U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Article One of th ...

from

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...

, as well as a brigadier general in the Union Army during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

. He served in the Western Theater, seeing action in several major battles while leading first an

infantry Infantry, or infantryman are a type of soldier who specialize in ground combat, typically fighting dismounted. Historically the term was used to describe foot soldiers, i.e. those who march and fight on foot. In modern usage, the term broadl ...

regiment A regiment is a military unit. Its role and size varies markedly, depending on the country, military service, service, or administrative corps, specialisation. In Middle Ages, Medieval Europe, the term "regiment" denoted any large body of l ...

and then a

brigade A brigade is a major tactical military unit, military formation that typically comprises three to six battalions plus supporting elements. It is roughly equivalent to an enlarged or reinforced regiment. Two or more brigades may constitute ...

. He also presided over the

Internal Revenue Service The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is the revenue service for the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government, which is responsible for collecting Taxation in the United States, U.S. federal taxes and administerin ...

for seven years and was a prolific author of historical non-fiction books concerning politics and general Illinois history.

Early life and career

Born in

Golconda, Illinois Golconda is a city in and the county seat of Pope County, Illinois, United States, located along the Ohio River. The population was 630 at the 2020 census. Most of the city is part of the Golconda Historic District. History The city is named ...

, Raum attended the common schools. He later studied law. He was

admitted to the bar An admission to practice law is acquired when a lawyer receives a license to practice law. In jurisdictions with two types of lawyer, as with barristers and solicitors, barristers must gain admission to the bar whereas for solicitors there are dist ...

in 1853 and practiced in Golconda 1853–1856. He moved to

Kansas Kansas ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the west. Kansas is named a ...

in 1856 and practiced his profession for two years. He then returned to Illinois and settled in

Harrisburg Harrisburg ( ; ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), U.S. commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat, seat of Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, Dauphin County. With a population of 50, ...

Civil War service

Following the outbreak of the Civil War, Raum enlisted in September 1861 in the Union Army as the

major Major most commonly refers to: * Major (rank), a military rank * Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits * People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames * Major and minor in musi ...

of the

56th Illinois Infantry The 56th Regiment Illinois Volunteer Infantry was an infantry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. Service The 56th Illinois Infantry was organized at Shawneetown, Illinois and mustered into Federal service on Feb ...

, and rose to its

colonelcy Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in char ...

in 1862. He and his regiment served under Maj. Gen. William S. Rosecrans during the 1862

Siege of Corinth The siege of Corinth, also known as the first battle of Corinth, was an American Civil War engagement lasting from April 29 to May 30, 1862, in Corinth, Mississippi. A collection of Union forces under the overall command of Major General Henry H ...

Mississippi Mississippi ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Alabama to the east, the Gulf of Mexico to the south, Louisiana to the s ...

. There, he ordered and led the charge that broke the

Confederate A confederation (also known as a confederacy or league) is a political union of sovereign states united for purposes of common action. Usually created by a treaty, confederations of states tend to be established for dealing with critical issu ...

left and captured an

artillery battery In military organizations, an artillery battery is a unit or multiple systems of artillery, mortar systems, rocket artillery, multiple rocket launchers, surface-to-surface missiles, ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, etc., so grouped to f ...

. In 1863, he was part of the army of

Ulysses S. Grant Ulysses S. Grant (born Hiram Ulysses Grant; April 27, 1822July 23, 1885) was the 18th president of the United States, serving from 1869 to 1877. In 1865, as Commanding General of the United States Army, commanding general, Grant led the Uni ...

that invested and forced the surrender of

Vicksburg, Mississippi Vicksburg is a historic city in Warren County, Mississippi, United States. It is the county seat. The population was 21,573 at the 2020 census. Located on a high bluff on the east bank of the Mississippi River across from Louisiana, Vicksburg ...

. He led the 2nd Brigade, 2nd Division, XVII Corps during the

Chattanooga Campaign The Chattanooga campaign was a series of maneuvers and battles in October and November 1863, during the American Civil War. Following the defeat of Major general (United States), Maj. Gen. William S. Rosecrans's Union Army, Union Army of the C ...

, and was wounded at the

Battle of Missionary Ridge The Battle of Missionary Ridge, also known as the Battle of Chattanooga, was fought on November 25, 1863, as part of the Chattanooga campaign of the American Civil War. Following the Union Army, Union victory in the Battle of Lookout Mountain on ...

in November 1863. During the 1864 Atlanta Campaign, Raum's brigade held the line of communication from

Dalton Dalton may refer to: Science * Dalton (crater), a lunar crater * Dalton (program), chemistry software * Dalton (unit) (Da), a.k.a. unified atomic mass unit * John Dalton, chemist, physicist and meteorologist * 12292 Dalton, an asteroid Ent ...

to Acworth and from

Kingston Kingston may refer to: Places * List of places called Kingston, including the six most populated: ** Kingston, Jamaica ** Kingston upon Hull, England ** City of Kingston, Victoria, Australia ** Kingston, Ontario, Canada ** Kingston upon Thames, ...

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

. He was

brevetted In military terminology, a brevet ( or ) is a warrant which gives commissioned officers a higher military rank as a reward without necessarily conferring the authority and privileges granted by that rank. The promotion would be noted in the of ...

as a brigadier general of volunteers on September 19, 1864. In October of that year, he reinforced

Resaca, Georgia Resaca is a town in Gordon County, Georgia, Gordon County, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, United States, with unincorporated areas extending into Whitfield County, Georgia, Whitfield County. Resaca lies along the Oostanaula River. The town popula ...

, and held it against General John B. Hood. Raum was promoted to the full rank brigadier general on February 15, 1865, and served through the end of the hostilities. He led the 2nd Brigade, 3rd Division, XV Corps during the Carolinas Campaign in early 1865.

Postbellum career

Raum resigned his commission on May 6, 1865, and returned home to Illinois. In 1866 he obtained a charter for the

Cairo and Vincennes Railroad The Cairo and Vincennes Railroad was a 19th-century American railroad that connected Cairo, Illinois, with Vincennes, Indiana. It was chartered by the state of Illinois in 1867 through the efforts of former American Civil War General Green B. Ra ...

Company, aided in securing its construction, and became its first president. He was elected as a Republican to the

Fortieth Congress The 40th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1867, ...

(March 4, 1867 – March 3, 1869). He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1868 to the Forty-first Congress. He then served as United States

Commissioner of Internal Revenue The Commissioner of Internal Revenue is the head of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), an agency within the United States Department of the Treasury. The office of Commissioner was created by United States Congress, Congress as part of the Reven ...

from 1876 to 1883. He was acting chairman of the 1880

Republican National Convention The Republican National Convention (RNC) is a series of presidential nominating conventions held every four years since 1856 by the Republican Party in the United States. They are administered by the Republican National Committee. The goal o ...

Chicago, Illinois Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

. As United States Commissioner of Pensions from 1889 to 1893, he was responsible for overseeing the acceptance or rejection of pension applications for thousands of Civil War veterans. He engaged in the practice of law in Chicago until his death there on December 18, 1909. He and his wife Maria Field (1831–1915) are buried in

Arlington National Cemetery Arlington National Cemetery is the largest cemetery in the United States National Cemetery System, one of two maintained by the United States Army. More than 400,000 people are buried in its 639 acres (259 ha) in Arlington County, Virginia. ...

Arlington, Virginia Arlington County, or simply Arlington, is a County (United States), county in the U.S. state of Virginia. The county is located in Northern Virginia on the southwestern bank of the Potomac River directly across from Washington, D.C., the nati ...

.Burial Detail: Raum, Green B (Section 2, Grave 1230)
– ANC Explorer

Books and publications written by Raum

* ''The Existing Conflict between Republican Government and Southern Oligarchy''. 1884. Reprint, New York: Negro Universities Press, 1969. * "Finance and Labor and the Great Danger of the Hour": Speech Delivered by Hon. Green B. Raum, Commissioner of Internal Revenue, at Peoria, Illinois, October 12, 1878. Washington, D.C.: National Republican Publishing Co., 1878. * ''History of Illinois Republicanism''. Chicago: Rollins Publishing Company, 1900. * "National Development". Speech of Hon. Green B. Raum, Delivered in the House of Representatives, July 13, 1868. Washington: Chronicle Print, 1868. * ''Twenty Years of Republican Rule''. Washington, D.C.: National Republican print., 1882.

Notes

References

Retrieved on 2008-02-10 * Barlow, William, “U.S. Commissioner of Pensions Green B. Raum of Illinois.” ''Journal of the Illinois State Historical Society'' 60 (Autumn 1967): pp. 297–312. * Thompson, Josephine, and Scerial Thompson, ''Fighter: Military, Political—Green Berry Raum. In Idols of Egypt'', edited by Will Griffith, Carbondale, Illinois: Egypt Book House, 1947. pp. 181–201.

External links

Green Berry Raum
at ArlingtonCemetery.net, an unofficial website * at www.generalsandbrevets.com. Retrieved on 2008-09-10 * {{DEFAULTSORT:Raum, Green Berry 1829 births 1909 deaths Commissioners of Internal Revenue Union army generals Illinois lawyers Kansas lawyers Burials at Arlington National Cemetery People of Illinois in the American Civil War People from Golconda, Illinois People from Harrisburg, Illinois 19th-century American railroad executives Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Illinois 19th-century members of the United States House of Representatives