Richard Rowett (November 17, 1830 – July 13, 1887) was a leading political figure of nineteenth-century

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 ...

, a famous animal breeder and an officer 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 was born in East Looe, Cornwall in 1830, the son of William Rowett, a cooper and Jenny nee Williams. Richard was the eighth child in a family of ten (five boys and five girls) and was christened in the Anglican parish of Saint Martin, Looe, on March 24, 1831. In the early 1850's two of the Rowett brothers and a sister emigrated to Australia and in 1851 Richard decided to make a new life in the United States following in the footsteps of his brother Joseph. He arrived in New York in July of that year, and first settled in Johnson County, Indiana but by 1854 he had moved to Carlinville, Illinois. Rowett entered the war 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 Company K of the 7th Illinois Ihnfantry Regiment, which is considered the first unit from Illinois to answer 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 ...

's call for volunteers. Colonel Rowett fought with distinction at the battles of

Fort Donelson Fort Donelson was a fortress built early in 1862 by the Confederacy during the American Civil War to control the Cumberland River, which led to the heart of Tennessee, and thereby the Confederacy. The fort was named after Confederate general Da ...

, Shiloh, and

Corinth Corinth ( ; , ) is a municipality in Corinthia in Greece. The successor to the ancient Corinth, ancient city of Corinth, it is a former municipality in Corinthia, Peloponnese (region), Peloponnese, which is located in south-central Greece. Sin ...

and fought against Confederate guerillas in northern Alabama at war's midpoint. His most notable service came at the

Battle of Allatoona The Battle of Allatoona, also known as the Battle of Allatoona Pass, was fought October 5, 1864, in Bartow County, Georgia, and was the first major engagement of the Franklin-Nashville Campaign of the American Civil War. A Confederate divisi ...

in Georgia on Oct. 5, 1864, when he led the defense of a pivotal Union supply depot. When the war ended 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 ...

Brigadier General of

United States Volunteers United States Volunteers also known as U.S. Volunteers, U.S. Volunteer Army, or other variations of these, were military volunteers called upon during wartime to assist the United States Army but who were separate from both the Regular Army (United ...

. After the war, Rowett returned to his adopted home of

Carlinville, Illinois Carlinville is a city in and the county seat of Macoupin County, Illinois, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 5,710. It is the home of Blackburn College, a small college affiliated with the Presbyterian church. The city ...

and established himself as a nationally recognized breeder of thoroughbred horses at his farm, ''The Meadows'', one mile north of town. The Rowett colors of orange jacket and blue cap were known across Western and Southern tracks, but his outstanding production at ''The Meadows'' was

Spokane Spokane ( ) is the most populous city in eastern Washington and the county seat of Spokane County, Washington, United States. It lies along the Spokane River, adjacent to the Selkirk Mountains, and west of the Rocky Mountain foothills, south ...

, the winner of the

1889 Kentucky Derby The 1889 Kentucky Derby was the 15th running of the Kentucky Derby, won by Spokane. The race took place on May 9, 1889. The winning time of 2:34.50 set a new Derby record for a distance of , and remains the Derby record for the distance (which ha ...

. Rowett is also credited by many as the first to introduce the true-bred

beagle The Beagle is a small breed of scent hound, similar in appearance to the much larger foxhound. The beagle was developed primarily for hunting rabbit or hare, known as beagling. Possessing a great sense of smell and superior tracking inst ...

hound to America from his native England. The Rowett strain of beagles was recognized as a leader in the field of beagling around the turn of the century. Rowett was also one of three men who drafted the first-ever beagle standard for bench and show judging in 1884. A one-term member of the Illinois House, Rowett held several statewide appointive posts and was a vocal member of the Illinois Republican party. But his health began to fail in his later years, and he died suddenly at Washington Park (Chicago) on July 13, 1887. As a measure of his national stature, news of his death was reported on page one of the ''

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' the following day.DIED IN HIS STABLE.; THE SUDDEN DEATH OF GEN. RICHARD ROWETT
''The New York Times'', July 14, 1887.

References

External links

Soldier History: Richard Rowett
''American Civil War Research Database''
Richard Rowett (1830-1887)
''Beagles Unlimited'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Rowett, Richard 1830 births 1887 deaths Union army colonels Dog breeders People from Carlinville, Illinois People from Looe Military personnel from Illinois