October 4, 2018 Source: Genealogy Trails JAMES CHAPMAN James Chapman was born on July 14, 1842 in Licking County, Ohio, of Joseph Chapman, who was born March 18, 1803 in Ohio, and Joseph's 2nd wife, Elizabeth Fisher, who was born on November 21, 1808 in Virginia. Joseph was the son of Levi Chapman. Joseph was married 1st to Mary Darrah, by whom he had 7 children. Mary died in 1840 and then Joseph was married to Elizabeth Fisher on July 27, 1841. James was the first of the five children born to this 2nd union. The Chapmans are known to have resided near Lima, Ohio and it was there that James spent his early years, learning how to farm beside his father and older half brothers and sisters. Sometime in the 1850's, at least some of the Chapman family came west to Illinois, where they settled in Palestine Township in Woodford County near Secor, Illinois. At the time of the 1860 census, Joseph amd Elizabeth are found residing in Palestine Township with Joseph's youngest son, Levi, then 21 years of age, along with Joseph and Elizabeth's five children. James is listed as 17 at this time. On August 7, 1862, James Chapman volunteered in Palestine Township to serve in a company which was being raised in the Eureka and El Paso, Illinois area in Woodford County by William S. Magarity, who had been the first man elected to serve as Woodford County Sheriff in the 1840's. He stated he was 20 years of age when he enlisted, his place of birth as Columbus Center, Licking County, Ohio and his place of residence as Palestine Township, Woodford County, Illinois. I LLINOIS CIVIL WAR DETAIL REPORT Name CHAPMAN, JAMES Rank PVT Company A Unit 86 IL US INF P ersonal Characteristics Residence PALESTINE, WOODFORD CO, IL Age 20 Height 5' 7 Hair AUBURN Eyes HAZEL Complexion DARK Marital Status SINGLE Occupation FARMER Nativity COLUMBUS CENTER, LICKING CO, OH Service Record Joined When AUG 7, 1862 Joined Where PALESTINE, IL Joined By Whom CPT MAGARITY Period 3 YRS Muster In AUG 27, 1862 Muster In Where PEORIA, IL Muster In By Whom N/A Muster Out JUN 15, 1865 Muster Out Where SPRINGFIELD, IL Muster Out By Whom CPT MONTGOMERY Remarks PAROLLED PRISONER When Magarity had about 100 volunteers, he took his company across the Illinois River to Peoria, Illinois where they went into camp at Camp Lyon, near present day Glen Oak Park. On August 27, 1862, 96 men of the Woodford County company were mustered into service as Co. A of the 86th Regiment of Illinois Volunteer Infantry. Magarity was elected Captain of Co. A. On September 7, 1862, the men of the 85th & 86th Regiments of Illinois Volunteer Infantry marched out of Camp Lyon through the streets of Peoria to the railroad station where they boarded trains bound for Camp Joe Holt, in Jeffersonville, Indiana, which was located on the Ohio River across from Louisville, Kentucky. About the 1st of October of 1862, the men of the 85th & 86th were assigned to the 36th Brigade, which was being commanded by General Daniel McCook, then Colonel of the 52nd Ohio, also part of the 36th Brigade, and they were sent into Kentucky in pursuit of Confederate troops in Kentucky. On Oct. 8, 1862, McCook's Brigade caught up with those Confederate troops and were briefly engaged withe them in the Battle of Perryville, Kentucky, the 86th suffering their first casualties. There would be many more in the coming years. After the Battle of Perryville, the Confederates withdrew from the State of Kentucky and the men of McCook's Briagde marched on to Nashville, Tennessee, where they would spend the winter of 1862/63. During the next year and a half, Private James Chapman would serve faithfully in Co. A. During this time, James was witness to and a participant in some of the bloodiest fighting of the Western Theatre of the war, including the Battles of Chickamauga, Georgia; Resaca, Georgia; Rome, Georgia; and Kennesaw Mountain, Georgia. As the men of Co. A lay in the trenches on the morning of June 27, 1864 across from Cheatham Hill on Kennesaw Mountain, Georgia, little did they know that when the sun set on that day, Co. A would look drastically different. As the men made preparations for the assault on the Confederate fortifications on Cheatham Hill that morning, Co. A fielded 39 officers and men fit for duty. Thirty minutes after the assault began the men of McCook's Brigade fell back unable to breach the Confederate fortifications. During those 30 minutes, McCook's Brigade suffered over 30% casualties, over 500 men. The 86th Illinois suffered just over 100 casualties, but it was Co. A, the Eureka/El Paso, Illinois company which suffered the most. Co. A lost 11 men killed, 9 men wounded and 6 men were captured, some of whom were also severely wounded. Co. A had suffered 66% casualties. Three of those wounded or captured would die before the war was over. Among the captured was Private James Chapman. Private Chapman is believed to have eventually been sent to the infamous prison camp at Andersonville, Georgia. Where ever he was sent, he would spend the remainder of the war as a Prisoner of War as a "Guest" of the Confederacy. After the war came to a close, Private James Chapman was released from prison and sent north. He was finally mustered out of the service on June 15, 1865 at Springfield, Illinois. He is believed at that time to have returned briefly to Woodford County, Illinois, but he is not believed to have remained there long. After returning from the service, James is known to have moved back east to Licking County, Ohio, where his mother is known to have still been residing. It is not known if his father was still living at this time or not. At this time, it is not known if James ever married or not. On August 29, 1879, Private James Chapman began collecting an Invalid Pension for his service in the Union Army. In 1887, the surviving members of the 86th Illinois organized and held their first reunion in Peoria on the 25th Anniversary of their being mustered into service, August 27th, 1887. For the next 35 years, the surviving members of the 86th held reunions in Peoria on that anniversary. They also made every attempt to locate every surviving member of the regiment. The surviving members eventually located Private James Chapman living in Goshen, Indiana in Elkhart County in the 1890's. James' mother passed away on January 9, 1897 and her earthly remains were laid to rest in the Riverview Cemetery in Aurora, Indiana in Dearborn County. Private James Chapman passed away on August 2, 1901. His earthly remains were laid near his mother's in the Riverview Cemetery in Aurora. Though he stayed in contact with his pards back in Peoria, Private James Chapman never attended an 86th Illinois Reunion. Submitted by From: Deb Kraft