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Source: Frankfort, Clinton Co., Indiana, Newspaper
Submitted by: Diana Umlauf
Civil War Veteran Claimed By Death (contributed)
John E. Rishel, the last of Clinton county's Civil war veterans, passed away at his home in Lafayette, Monday morning at the age of 95. He had been ill for a year, but was able to sit up as late as Sunday afternoon.
Mr. Rishel was born near Hamilton, Clinton County, Indiana, on March 22, 1845, and managed to get into the Union Army at the age of 16. He enlisted August 22, 1861, in Company C of the Tenth Indiana Volunteer Regiment of Frankfort, this regiment being made up of men from Clinton County. It encamped at Lafayette Junction in August 1861, and went south the camping place being Bardstown, KY. Here the regiment drilled and went into battle for the first time at the Cumberland river, later at Mill Springs, and then Shiloh.
Private Rishel was then taken ill and left at Bowling Green, KY, where he joined Company 1 of the Marine regiment on March 9, 1863. During this period of enlistment he served on boats, which patrolled the Mississippi. He witnessed the surrender of Pemberton to Grant at Vicksburg, July 4, 1863, when 32,000 rebel prisoners were taken. He was discharged at Vicksburg on January 24, 1865.
Following the war he operated grist mills at Burlington and Battle Ground, and also at times he was a painter and contractor. He came to Lafayette from Battle Ground in 1890, and was for many years a painter, retiring on account of advanced age. He was interested in the G. A. R. and served as commander of the Logan-Taylor post of Lafayette.
Mr. Rishel was married to Juliette Seaward on February 4, 1869; she died in 1926. Surviving are four daughters; Mrs. Nellie Dick of Kokomo, Mrs. Norah May Wooten and Mrs. Bertha Snyder of Lafayette, and Mrs. Ethel McLeod of Springfield, Ohio; a son Lee Rishel, of Delphi and twenty-six grandchildren and twenty-eight great-grandchildren.
The last rites were held Wednesday afternoon, marking an historic occasion in the city of Lafayette. He was buried in the Spring Vale cemetery, the exercises being conducted by patriotic organizations. Revs. T. F. Williams and C. L. Harper officiated during the services at the Soller-Baker funeral home.
Cyrus Clark a Civil War veterans who died last year at the home of a son near Frankfort, was said to have been the last survivor of the Grand Army of the Republic in Clinton County. This was not true, however, as Mr. Rishel was still living at the time of the formers death.
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