Part of the Indiana Biographies Project
Thomas W. Bennett
Nothing could have so forcibly demonstrated the unity of this nation as the recent war with Spain, when men from north and south, and east and west, flocked to the standard of the country and marched shoulder to shoulder to the scene of battle, there to gain a glorious victory for the cause of liberty and humanity. Just thirty-seven years before, the nation was involved in throes of a civil war. Aroused by what they believed to be a suppression of their rights, brave men from the south attempted to throw off all allegiance to the national power, but the guns of Fort Sumter awakened the loyalty and patriotism of the north, and thousands of men marched forth to defend the Union and to maintain the supremacy of the stars and stripes. Wayne county furnished her full quota of "boys in blue," but none gained greater prominence or more deserved the honors that came to them than General Thomas W. Bennett, of Richmond.
He was one of Indiana's native sons, and well might she be proud to claim him. He was born in Union county, February 16, 1831, and was the second of the ten children of John F. and Nancy (Burroughs) Bennett. His father was an extensive farmer, stock-raiser and merchant, and was prominent both in political and religious circles. Thomas was busily engaged in the lighter labors of the farm and in attending the common schools until the age of fourteen, when he entered his father's store as clerk. He remained there three years and then became "wagon boy," driving a six-horse team between Richmond and Cincinnati. After continuing in that business for nearly two years, he served as teacher of a district school for one term, and then continued his own education in the county seminary until the fall of 1851, when, at the age of twenty, he entered Asbury University. In 1854 he was graduated in the law department of that institution, and was elected professor of mathematics and natural sciences in Whitewater College at Centerville. He acceptably filled that position until 1855, when he began the practice of law in partnership with Judge John Yaryan, at Liberty. He soon won a prominent position at the bar, and his comprehensive knowledge of the science of jurisprudence and his ability to handle the intricacies of the law enabled him to secure a liberal clientage. He also became a recognized leader in political circles, and took an active part in the campaign of 1856 as a supporter of the new Republican party. In 1858 he was elected state senator from the counties of Fayette and Union, and although the youngest member ot that body he took an active part in senatorial proceedings and exerted a strong influence on the legislation of that period. In the campaign of 1860 he canvassed most of the counties of the state in support of Lincoln, and the following spring resigned his seat in the senate in order to join the army.
General Bennett had watched with keen interest the progress of events in the south and the trend of public sentiment, and had resolved that if an attempt was made to overthrow the Union he would strike a blow in defense of the national supremacy. The very day on which the president called for troops he began recruiting and raising a company of one hundred men in his own town, who with Mr. Bennett as their captain joined the Fifteenth Indiana Regiment under Colonel G. D. Wagner. The command joined General McClellan's army in West Virginia, and there participated in the battles of Rich mountain, Beverly, Greenbrier and Elkwater river. In September, 1861, Captain Bennett was commissioned by Governor Morton major of the Thirty-sixth Indiana Volunteers, then in camp at Richmond.
With this regiment and in General Nelson's division, he participated in the Buell campaign and the military movement in Kentucky and Tennessee, including the capture of Nashville, the battle of Shiloh, the occupation of east Tennsssee, the retreat to Louisville and the pursuit of Bragg out of Kentucky. In October, 1862, he was appointed by Governor Morton to the colonelcy of the Sixty-ninth Indiana Volunteers. In this command he fought under General Grant in all his campaigns from Memphis to the surrender of Vicksburg, embracing the celebrated river expedition under General Sherman, the disastrous defeat of Chickasaw Bayou and Haynes Bluff, the capture of Arkansas Post and the battles of Port Gibson, Raymond, Jackson, Champion Hills, Black river bridge and finally the capture of Vicksburg. During the campaign he received many personal marks of favor from General Grant. He was selected for the difficult and perilous duty of exploring and opening a route from Morganza Bend on the Mississippi above Vicksburg to New Carthage, situated some distance below the city, and he accomplished the work with such swiftness that General Grant had a special order of congratulation sent him. In the winter of 1863, while the army lay at Young's Point, opposite Vicksburg, Colonel Bennett was by General Grant appointed president of a commission to examine and report for dismissal all incompetent officers. After the fall of Vicksburg he was ordered with his regiment to New Orleans to reinforce General Banks, and under that officer participated in the Texas and the famous Red river campaign as a brigadier-general, and in 1865 was appointed to that rank.
Faithful and meritorious service won him continued promotion, and on the field of duty he manifested the most soldierly qualities, inspiring his men with his own courage and dauntless spirit, yet never needlessly exposing them to any danger. After the surrender of Lee he received an honorable discharge and was mustered out of the service, having for four years defended the starry banner upon southern battle-fields.
Returning to Liberty, Indiana, General Bennett resumed the practice of law, which he continued until 1867, when he went abroad, making a tour of Ireland, England, France, Germany, Switzerland and Italy. In 1868 he took up his residence in Richmond, and was an active supporter of Grant during the campaign of that year. In 1869 his fellow townsmen honored him by an election to the office of mayor, and for two years he acceptably administered the affairs of the city, after which he resumed his law practice. At the bar he won distinction by reason of his careful preparation of cases, his clear reasoning, his incontrovertible logic and his forceful oratory. In 1871 he was appointed by President Grant as governor of Idaho, and with his wife removed to that territory, serving as its chief executive for eighteen months. He made an active canvass in the Grant campaign of 1872, speaking through Oregon and California. Returning, he once more took his place in the rank of the leading lawyers of Richmond, and was regarded as one of the leading representatives of the bar until 1877, when he was again chosen mayor of the city, serving until 1881. His long continuance in the office stands in unmistakable evidence of his ability and the confidence reposed in him by his fellow townsmen,—a confidence that was never betrayed in the slightest degree. He labored for the best interests of the city, for progress and reform, and did all in his power to promote the public good. In 1858, in Liberty, General Bennett was united in marriage to Miss Anna Casterline, daughter of Dr. Ziba Casterline, of that town. Socially he was connected with the Masonic and Odd Fellows fraternities, and was a member of the college society, the Beta Theta Pi. He was kind and benevolent, charitable in his opinions of others, yet firm and positive in his convictions. He possessed strongly that characteristic which, for want of a better term, we call personal magnetism, and inspired very strong friendships. The prominence which he attained in military circles, and the fame in political life, was equaled by the respect accorded him by those with whom he was brought in contact through social amenities. He died February 2, 1893, and Richmond mourned the loss of one of its most valued citizens. His widow still resides in this city. Her home is the center of culture and always an 0attractive resort for people of education and refinement.
Source:
Biographical and Genealogical History of Wayne, Fayette, Union and Franklin Counties, Indiana, Volume 1, The Lewis Publishing Company, Chicago, 1899
Thomas W. Bennett was born in Union county, Indiana, February 16, 1831. His father was a farmer, and raised his son to work on the farm. In 1850, at the age of 19, he entered Indiana Asbury University, where he completed his education in July, 1854. Immediately afterward he began the study of the law, and after a full course, graduated in the law school of the Asbury University in July, 1855. During the spring and summer of 1853, he was Professor of Mathematics and Natural Science in Whitewater College in Centerville. He commenced the practice of his profession at Liberty, in his native country in the fall of 1855, and continued in the practice actively until the breaking out of the Rebellion in 1861. On the first call for troops in April, he raised a company of volunteers, and entered the army as a captain, in the 15th Regiment of Indiana Volunteers. He served in that capacity in Western Virginia until Sept., 1861, when he was promoted to Major of the 36th Regiment, in which he served during the whole of Gen. Buell's campaign to Nashville, Shiloh, East Tennessee, the great retreat to Louisville, Ky., and the pursuit of Bragg. In October, 1862, he was appointed by Gov. Morton, colonel of the 69th Regiment. With his command he joined Sherman's army at Memphis and participated in the failure to capture Vicksburg in Dec., 1862, and in the capture of Arkansas Post in Jan., 1863. He was engaged in all the movements and battles which resulted in the capture of Vicksburg, in July, 1863, was in the command of a brigade in the Tesche and Red River campaigns under Banks, and served in that capacity until detailed by the War Department in Sept., 1864, as a member of the military commission which tried and convicted the notorious Bowles, Milligan, and Horsey. At the election of 1864, he was elected a senator from Union and Fayette counties, a position which he had held for two years before the war, and took a leading part in that body. Since 1856 he has been actively engaged in politics, making public speeches in successive campaigns in most of the counties of the state. After the close of the war, and his term in the senate, he made a tour of Europe, and returning, he moved to Richmond in Aug., 1868, and in the spring of 1869 was elected Mayor of that city, serving until May, 1871, when he resumed the practice of the law. In 1871, he was appointed by President Grant Governor of Idaho Territory.
Source:
History of Wayne County, Indiana - by Andrew W. Young. - pub 1872. City of Richmond - Pages 411 & 412