John Benton Callis Sr. (January 3, 1828September 24, 1898) was an American businessman, politician, and

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. He served as a Union Army officer 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 ...

and was then elected to the as a reconstruction-era U.S. representative from

Alabama Alabama ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South, Deep Southern regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gu ...

. As a member of Congress, he was the author of the first

Ku Klux Klan Act The Enforcement Act of 1871 (), also known as the Ku Klux Klan Act, Third Enforcement Act, Third Ku Klux Klan Act, Civil Rights Act of 1871, or Force Act of 1871, is an Act of the United States Congress that was intended to combat the paramilit ...

, but his version was defeated in the He later served one term in the

Wisconsin State Assembly The Wisconsin State Assembly is the lower house of the Wisconsin Legislature. Together with the smaller Wisconsin Senate, the two constitute the legislative branch of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The Assembly is controlled by the Republican ...

(1874), representing

Grant County, Wisconsin Grant County is the most southwestern county in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census, the population was 51,938. Its county seat is Lancaster and its largest city is Platteville. The county is named after the Grant River, in t ...

. Politically, Callis spent most of his political career as a member of the Republican Party, but his stint in the Wisconsin State Assembly occurred while he was affiliated with the short-lived Liberal Republican Party, part of Wisconsin's Democratic-backed Reform coalition. His nephew George Barnett became the 12th Commandant of the United States Marine Corps (1914–1920).

Early life

John Benton Callis was born in

Fayetteville, North Carolina Fayetteville ( , ) is a city in and the county seat of Cumberland County, North Carolina, United States. It is best known as the home of Fort Bragg, a major U.S. Army installation northwest of the city. Fayetteville has received the All-Ameri ...

, in 1828. As a child, he moved with his parents to

Carroll County, Tennessee Carroll County is a county located in the western division of the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 census, the population was 28,440. Its county seat is Huntingdon. The county was established by the Tennessee General Assembly on Novembe ...

, where they settled from 1834 to 1840. In 1840, they continued west to 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 ...

, and settled a homestead in the vicinity of what is now

Lancaster, Wisconsin Lancaster is a city in and the county seat of Grant County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 3,907 at the 2020 census. History Lancaster originated as a planned community to serve as the county seat for Grant County. Anticipating t ...

. He attended the common schools around Lancaster, though they were quite primitive in this era. As a young man, he studied medicine under of Lancaster, but ultimately chose not to pursue that profession. In 1848, he went to

Minnesota Minnesota ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north and east and by the U.S. states of Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the so ...

for work and was employed on the construction of Fort Ripley. After that, he joined the

California gold rush The California gold rush (1848–1855) began on January 24, 1848, when gold was found by James W. Marshall at Sutter's Mill in Coloma, California. The news of gold brought approximately 300,000 people to California from the rest of the U ...

in 1851 and engaged in

mining Mining is the Resource extraction, extraction of valuable geological materials and minerals from the surface of the Earth. Mining is required to obtain most materials that cannot be grown through agriculture, agricultural processes, or feasib ...

and

mercantile Trade involves the transfer of goods and services from one person or entity to another, often in exchange for money. Economists refer to a system or network that allows trade as a market. Traders generally negotiate through a medium of cred ...

business. He abandoned the effort in 1853 and returned to Wisconsin by way of

Central America Central America is a subregion of North America. Its political boundaries are defined as bordering Mexico to the north, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the southwest. Central America is usually ...

. Upon returning to Lancaster, he resumed his mercantile pursuits.

Civil War service

At the outbreak of the

, Callis helped organize a company of

volunteers Volunteering is an elective and freely chosen act of an individual or group giving their time and labor, often for community service. Many volunteers are specifically trained in the areas they work, such as medicine, education, or emergenc ...

from the Lancaster area, known as the "Lancaster Union Guards". He was initially elected lieutenant of his company, but when it was organized as of the

7th Wisconsin Infantry Regiment The 7th Wisconsin Infantry Regiment was a volunteer infantry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. It was a component of the famous Iron Brigade in the Army of the Potomac throughout the war, participating in mos ...

, Callis was commissioned as

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

of the company. The 7th Wisconsin Infantry was mustered into federal service on September 2, 1861, and assigned to the brigade of General

Rufus King Rufus King (March 24, 1755April 29, 1827) was an American Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father, lawyer, politician, and diplomat. He was a delegate from Massachusetts to the Continental Congress and the Constitutional Convent ...

. The 7th Wisconsin was the last to join the brigade in the vicinity of

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

, joining the 2nd Wisconsin Infantry, the 6th Wisconsin Infantry, and the 19th Indiana Infantry. Their brigade would soon earn fame as the "

Iron Brigade The Iron Brigade, also known as The Black Hats, Black Hat Brigade, Iron Brigade of the West, and originally King's Wisconsin Brigade was an infantry brigade in the Union Army of the Potomac during the American Civil War. Although it fought ent ...

of the West" (or the "Iron Brigade of the Army of the Potomac") due to their stoic endurance in their first major battle at Gainesville on August 28, 1862. Due to the high number of casualties among the regiment's officers from Gainesville, Callis led the through the battles of the subsequent

Maryland campaign The Maryland campaign (or Antietam campaign) occurred September 4–20, 1862, during the American Civil War. The campaign was Confederate States Army, Confederate General (CSA), General Robert E. Lee's first invasion of the Northern United Stat ...

, including the

Battle of South Mountain The Battle of South Mountain, known in several early Southern United States, Southern accounts as the Battle of Boonsboro Gap, was fought on September 14, 1862, as part of the Maryland campaign of the American Civil War. Three pitched battles ...

and the

Battle of Antietam The Battle of Antietam ( ), also called the Battle of Sharpsburg, particularly in the Southern United States, took place during the American Civil War on September 17, 1862, between Confederate General Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virgi ...

. He was promoted to

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 ...

on January 5, 1863. At the

Battle of Gettysburg The Battle of Gettysburg () was a three-day battle in the American Civil War, which was fought between the Union and Confederate armies between July 1 and July 3, 1863, in and around Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The battle, won by the Union, ...

, the Iron Brigade was one of the first units to engage the Confederates on the first day of battle, July 1, 1863. Callis was shot in the chest during that bloody morning of fighting before the Iron Brigade withdrew along with other Union forces to the hills south of the village. Callis laid wounded in the field for three days until the Confederate forces were defeated and forced to withdraw. After a long medical recuperation, he was appointed by President

Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln (February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was the 16th president of the United States, serving from 1861 until Assassination of Abraham Lincoln, his assassination in 1865. He led the United States through the American Civil War ...

to serve as a military superintendent of the

War Department War Department may refer to: * War Department (United Kingdom) * United States Department of War The United States Department of War, also called the War Department (and occasionally War Office in the early years), was the United States Cabinet ...

He was promoted to lieutenant colonel February 11, 1865, and was subsequently granted a double brevet to brigadier general of volunteers.

In Alabama

After the war, he was granted a commission as a captain in the regular

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

and assigned to the 45th U.S. Infantry Regiment. With his regiment, he was assigned to work on reconstruction affairs in

Huntsville, Alabama Huntsville is the List of municipalities in Alabama, most populous city in the U.S. state of Alabama. The population of the city is estimated to be 241,114 in 2024, making it the List of United States cities by population, 100th-most populous ...

. During his service, he was called to a property where the landowner continued to hold people as slaves and treat them as if slavery were still legal. When Callis saw the man preparing to whip a girl, he stabbed him through the chest. For his act, several citizens of Huntsville presented him with gold watch with an inscribed case, depicting scenes of his act. He resigned his commission on February 4, 1868, but remained in Alabama. Upon Alabama's readmission to the United States, Callis was elected to the 40th U.S. Congress, representing

Alabama's 5th congressional district Alabama's 5th congressional district is a U.S. congressional district in Alabama, which elects a representative to the United States House of Representatives. It encompasses the counties of Lawrence, Limestone, Madison, Morgan, Jackson, and ...

as a Republican. He served from July 21, 1868, to March 3, 1869, and did not seek re-election. During his brief time in Congress, he was the author of the first

, which passed the House but was defeated in the .

Return to Wisconsin

He returned to Lancaster and engaged in the real-estate business. He was elected to a single one-year term in the

in 1874 as part of the short-lived Liberal Reform Party. He retired from active pursuits, and died in Lancaster on September 24, 1898. He was interred in Hillside Cemetery.

Personal life and family

John Benton Callis was the eldest child of Henry Callis and his wife Christina (' Benton) Callis. Callis had two younger sisters. His nephew, George Barnett, was a career

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines or simply the Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is responsible for conducting expeditionar ...

officer and became the 12th

Commandant of the Marine Corps Commandant of the Marine Corps may refer to: * Commandant of the Marine Corps (Indonesia) * Commandant of the Netherlands Marine Corps * Commandant of the Philippine Marine Corps * Commandant of the Republic of Korea Marine Corps * Commandant of th ...

during the presidency of

Woodrow Wilson Thomas Woodrow Wilson (December 28, 1856February 3, 1924) was the 28th president of the United States, serving from 1913 to 1921. He was the only History of the Democratic Party (United States), Democrat to serve as president during the Prog ...

. John Benton Callis married Martha "Mattie" Barnett of

Brookville, Pennsylvania Brookville is a borough in Jefferson County in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania, northeast of Pittsburgh. As of the 2010 census, the population was 3,933. Founded in 1830, it is the county seat of Jefferson County. History The area was initial ...

. They had five children together.

References

External links

Retrieved on 2008-02-14 , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Callis, John Benton 1828 births 1898 deaths Businesspeople from Wisconsin Iron Brigade Members of the Wisconsin State Assembly Politicians from Fayetteville, North Carolina People from Lancaster, Wisconsin Politicians from Grant County, Wisconsin People of North Carolina in the American Civil War People of Wisconsin in the American Civil War Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Alabama Union army officers Wisconsin Reformers (19th century) 19th-century American businesspeople 19th-century members of the Wisconsin Legislature 19th-century members of the United States House of Representatives