Rollin Valentine Ankeny (May 22, 1830 – December 24, 1901) was an American soldier from

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

. Raised in Ohio, Ankeny came to

Freeport, Illinois Freeport is the largest city in Stephenson County, Illinois, United States, and its county seat. The population was 23,973 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, and the mayor of Freeport is Jodi Miller, elected in 2017. Freeport is k ...

, as an adult to farm. Upon the outbreak of the

Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

, Ankeny raised eight companies of volunteers before fighting with the 46th Illinois Volunteer Infantry Regiment. Twice wounded, Ankeny was lauded by his superiors for his topographical maps of battlegrounds and 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 ...

a brigadier general. After the war, Ankeny returned to Freeport before purchasing a large farm north of

Des Moines, Iowa Des Moines is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities in Iowa, most populous city in the U.S. state of Iowa. It is the county seat of Polk County, Iowa, Polk County with parts extending into Warren County, Iowa, Wa ...

Biography

Rollin Valentine Ankeny was born in

Somerset, Pennsylvania Somerset ( ) is a borough in Somerset County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. The population was 6,046 at the 2020 census. The borough is surrounded by Somerset Township and is located off the Pennsylvania Turnpike (I-70 an ...

, on May 22, 1830. Shortly after his birth, his parents moved the family to

Millersburg, Ohio Millersburg is a village in Holmes County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. Located south of Cleveland, it is in the heart of Ohio's Amish Country and is part of a large regional tourism industry. The population was 3,151 at the 2020 ...

. Ankeny grew up on the family farm and also worked in his father's store. He attended public schools, then moved to

in 1854. When the

broke out in 1861, Ankeny helped to raise Company A of the

11th Illinois Volunteer Infantry Regiment The 11th Regiment Illinois Volunteer Infantry was an infantry regiment from Illinois that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. In April 1861, it was formed as a three-month volunteer unit, and in July 1861 it was reorganized ...

and transferred it to Smith D. Atkins. Ankeny then helped to raise seven companies of troops for the next call for volunteers. Ankeny was named first lieutenant of Company B, 46th Illinois Volunteer Infantry Regiment. He fought with the regiment, was wounded at the

Battle of Fort Donelson The Battle of Fort Donelson was fought from February 11–16, 1862, in the Western Theater of the American Civil War. The Union capture of the Confederate fort near the Tennessee–Kentucky border opened the Cumberland River, an important ave ...

and 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 was named captain of Company B in 1863. His superiors utilized his skills in drawing topographical maps of battlegrounds. When the 142nd Illinois Volunteer Infantry Regiment was raised in June 1864, Ankeny was named its colonel. When the war ended, Ankeny was

a brigadier general. After the war, Ankeny returned to Freeport and continued to farm until 1868. He then moved to

, where he purchased a plot of land north of the city. He moved to

Winterset, Iowa Winterset is a city in and the county seat of Madison County, Iowa. The population was 5,353 at the time of the 2020 census. Winterset is part of the Des Moines metropolitan area. History Winterset was platted during a cool spell in the summ ...

after the

Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad The original Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad (CRI&P RW, sometimes called ''Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railway'') was an American Class I railroad. It was also known as the Rock Island Line, or, in its final years, The Rock. At ...

connected to the city and traded in lumber. While there, he was named a deputy

United States Marshal The United States Marshals Service (USMS) is a Federal law enforcement in the United States, federal law enforcement agency in the United States. The Marshals Service serves as the enforcement and security arm of the United States federal judi ...

. He returned to Des Moines in 1882 but was forced to retire soon after following an injury sustained in a train wreck. After a failed enterprise in the

Black Hills The Black Hills is an isolated mountain range rising from the Great Plains of North America in western South Dakota and extending into Wyoming, United States. Black Elk Peak, which rises to , is the range's highest summit. The name of the range ...

South Dakota South Dakota (; Sioux language, Sioux: , ) is a U.S. state, state in the West North Central states, North Central region of the United States. It is also part of the Great Plains. South Dakota is named after the Dakota people, Dakota Sioux ...

, he took a job with the

United States Department of the Interior The United States Department of the Interior (DOI) is an United States federal executive departments, executive department of the Federal government of the United States, U.S. federal government responsible for the management and conservation ...

. He retired and returned to Des Moines. Ankeny married Sarah Irvine on August 9, 1851. They had four children: Irvina, Harriet, Rollin, and Mary. Ankeny was a

Mason Mason may refer to: Occupations * Mason, brick mason, or bricklayer, a worker who lays bricks to assist in brickwork, or who lays any combination of stones, bricks, cinder blocks, or similar pieces * Stone mason, a craftsman in the stone-cutti ...

—a member of the Des Moines Commandery—and attended the

Christian Church In ecclesiology, the Christian Church is what different Christian denominations conceive of as being the true body of Christians or the original institution established by Jesus Christ. "Christian Church" has also been used in academia as a syn ...

. He was also a founding member of the first lodge of the

Knights of Pythias The Knights of Pythias is a Fraternal and service organizations, fraternal organization and secret society founded in Washington, D.C., on . The Knights of Pythias was the first fraternal organization to receive a charter under an Act of Co ...

and post of the

Grand Army of the Republic The Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) was a fraternal organization composed of veterans of the Union Army (United States Army), Union Navy (United States Navy, U.S. Navy), and the United States Marine Corps, Marines who served in the American Ci ...

in Des Moines. He died from pneumonia in Des Moines on December 24, 1901, he is interred there in

Woodland Cemetery A woodland cemetery is a cemetery where the original landscape, with existing trees, is given much influence on the landscape architecture of the cemetery. A woodland cemetery is designed so that the landscape is given a more prominent position, ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ankeny, Rollin V. 1830 births 1901 deaths Burials at Woodland Cemetery (Des Moines, Iowa) People of Illinois in the American Civil War People of Ohio in the American Civil War People of Pennsylvania in the American Civil War People from Des Moines, Iowa People from Freeport, Illinois People from Millersburg, Ohio People from Somerset, Pennsylvania People from Winterset, Iowa Union army colonels Military personnel from Iowa Deaths from pneumonia in Iowa