James S. Alban
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James Shane Alban (October 30, 1809April 7, 1862) was an
American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...
lawyer,
Wisconsin Wisconsin ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest of the United States. It borders Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michig ...
pioneer, and Union Army colonel in 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 died leading the 18th Wisconsin Infantry Regiment at the
Battle of Shiloh The Battle of Shiloh, also known as the Battle of Pittsburg Landing, was a major battle in the American Civil War fought on April 6–7, 1862. The fighting took place in southwestern Tennessee, which was part of the war's Western Theater of the ...
. He also served as a member of the
Wisconsin State Senate The Wisconsin Senate is the upper house of the Wisconsin State Legislature. Together with the Wisconsin State Assembly they constitute the legislative branch of the state of Wisconsin. The powers of the Wisconsin Senate are modeled after those o ...
.


Early life and education

Alban was born in
Jefferson County, Ohio Jefferson County is a County (United States), county located in the U.S. state of Ohio. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 65,249. Its county seat is Steubenville, Ohio, Steubenville. The county is List of Ohi ...
, to William and Elizabeth Alban. At age 8, his family moved to
Stark County, Ohio Stark County is a county located in the northeastern part of U.S. state of Ohio. As of the 2020 census, the population was 374,853. Its county seat is Canton. The county was created in 1808 and organized the next year. It is named for John S ...
, where he worked in farming, received a common education, and read law.


Wisconsin pioneer

Alban married Amanda Harris in 1833 and they had five children together. Alban moved west with his young family in 1836, first stopping near
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, then moving into the
Wisconsin Territory The Territory of Wisconsin was an organized and incorporated territory of the United States that existed from July 3, 1836, until May 29, 1848, when an eastern portion of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Wisconsin. Belm ...
, in 1838. They traveled through Dane County and stopped near the site of what is now Sauk City to watch the negotiations between the United States and the Winnebago which would ultimately lead to the Winnebago ceding all land east of the Mississippi. Before the treaty went into effect, Alban took his family across the frozen
Wisconsin River The Wisconsin River is the longest river in the U.S. state of Wisconsin, at approximately 430 miles (692 km) long. As a tributary of the Mississippi River, it is part of the Mississippi River System. The river's name was first recorded in 1673 b ...
into what was still Winnebago territory. On December 20, 1838, the Alban family settled in the south end of the Sauk Prairie. The Albans are considered to be the first "white" family to settle in the county, and their daughter, Elizabeth, was said to be the first "white" child born in the county. In 1839, while exploring north of his family settlement, Alban discovered Devil's Lake and reported its location to explorer Eben Peck. In the winter of 1839-1840, Alban, along with the handful of other settlers in the area, petitioned the Territorial Legislature to establish their region as a new county— Sauk. His wife, Amanda, died in 1843, and Alban brought his children back to Ohio. In 1844, however, he married his second wife, Clarissa Danforth, and moved back to the Wisconsin Territory. This time, he settled at
Plover Plovers ( , ) are members of a widely distributed group of wader, wading birds of subfamily Charadriinae. The term "plover" applies to all the members of the subfamily, though only about half of them include it in their name. Species lis ...
, in Portage County, where he opened the first law office in the area. In 1847, he became Portage County's first District Attorney, he also served as Treasurer of the county. In 1848 he entered a partnership with
Luther Hanchett Luther Hanchett (October 25, 1825 – November 24, 1862) was an American lawyer, politician, and Wisconsin pioneer. He represented Wisconsin in the United States House of Representatives and was a member of the Wisconsin State Senate. Biogr ...
, who would also marry his eldest daughter, Lucinda.


Wisconsin politics

In 1851, Alban was elected to the Wisconsin State Senate on the Whig Party ticket, representing the vast northeastern corner of the state in the
1852 Events January–March * January 14 – President Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte proclaims a new constitution for the French Second Republic. * January 15 – Nine men representing various Jewish charitable organizations come to ...
and
1853 Events January–March * January 6 – ** Florida Governor Thomas Brown signs legislation that provides public support for the new East Florida Seminary, leading to the establishment of the University of Florida. **U.S. President-elect ...
sessions. In the Senate, Alban sat on the Committee for Incorporations and the Committee for Education, School, and University Lands. On the latter, Alban played an important role in the establishment of Milwaukee University and
Racine College Racine College was an Episcopal preparatory school and college in Racine, Wisconsin, that operated between 1852 and 1933. Located south of the city along Lake Michigan, the campus has been maintained and is today known as the DeKoven Cent ...
. In April 1854, Alban ran for
Wisconsin Circuit Court The Wisconsin circuit courts are the general trial courts in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. There are currently 69 circuits in the state, divided into 9 judicial administrative districts. Circuit court judges hear and decide both civil and crimina ...
Judge against assemblymember George W. Cate, in the 7th judicial circuit, but was defeated. Alban continued his law practice and remained involved in politics. In 1856, he started publishing his own newspaper, the ''Plover Herald'', which he used to advocate for
emancipation Emancipation generally means to free a person from a previous restraint or legal disability. More broadly, it is also used for efforts to procure Economic, social and cultural rights, economic and social rights, civil and political rights, po ...
.


Civil War

After the outbreak of 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 ...
, Alban received a commission as
colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), 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 colon ...
of the 18th Wisconsin Infantry Regiment. He began raising volunteers in late 1861 and, in February 1862, the regiment was organized and trained at Camp Trowbridge, in
Milwaukee Milwaukee is the List of cities in Wisconsin, most populous city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Located on the western shore of Lake Michigan, it is the List of United States cities by population, 31st-most populous city in the United States ...
. The regiment mustered into service March 15, 1862, and proceeded to Tennessee, where they joined general
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 ...
's
Army of the Tennessee The Army of the Tennessee was a Union Army, Union army in the Western Theater of the American Civil War, named for the Tennessee River. A 2005 study of the army states that it "was present at most of the great battles that became turning points ...
. They arrived at Pittsburg Landing, Tennessee, on April 5 and were immediately deployed to the left flank of the Union line, not yet even organized into a brigade. They camped that night, and in the early morning found themselves under attack from Confederate forces on two sides. The regiment eventually was able to find a defensive position with similarly disorganized volunteer regiments from Ohio and Illinois, and were able to repel subsequent Confederate attacks. But at this place, after seven hours of battle, Colonel Alban was shot off his horse by a sharp shooter. He died the next day, one of 23,746 casualties at the
Battle of Shiloh The Battle of Shiloh, also known as the Battle of Pittsburg Landing, was a major battle in the American Civil War fought on April 6–7, 1862. The fighting took place in southwestern Tennessee, which was part of the war's Western Theater of the ...
. His second in command, Lt. Colonel Samuel Beall was also wounded in the battle, and the next in command, Major Josiah W. Crane, was killed as well. He was ultimately succeeded in his command by future U.S. Representative Gabriel Bouck, who led the regiment through the next two years of the war.


Legacy

Colonel Alban's body was returned to Plover and he was interred at Plover Cemetery. Colonel Alban was survived by nine of his ten children. His brother, William, had followed him to Wisconsin and also set down roots in Plover. The town and community of Alban, Wisconsin, in Portage County, is named for him.


References


External links


Col. James Alban
at the Portage County Historical Society , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Alban, James People from Jefferson County, Ohio People from Sauk County, Wisconsin People from Plover, Wisconsin Wisconsin state senators Wisconsin Whigs Wisconsin lawyers People of Wisconsin in the American Civil War Union army colonels Union military personnel killed in the American Civil War 1809 births 1862 deaths Deaths by firearm in Tennessee 19th-century American lawyers 19th-century members of the Wisconsin Legislature