Col. McIlvain

 Col. William W. McIlvain

First Commandant of the North Dakota Soldiers Home

As was common in the early days of Dakota Territory, Civil War veterans looking to make a living in a new, undeveloped region came with the hope to establish themselves. Sheldon had its fair share of veterans, one of whom was Col. William W. McIlvain. He and his wife first settled in Fargo in 1883 while working as a special land agent for the United States government inspecting homesteaders’ claims.

His obituary in the Sheldon Progress of February 10, 1911 credited him with being instrumental with many pioneers successfully settling in the area. The future of farming appealed to him, so the next year in 1884, he and his wife settled on a farm two miles west of Sheldon. A couple of present day farmsteads come to mind where that might have been, but many sites from that day have disappeared, too. He developed the farm into an 800 acre operation, which in horsepower days was sizable. 

The origin of his title “colonel” couldn’t be found, and his only listed ranks found were corporal, sergeant, and 1st lieutenant.  At any rate he joined the 6th Michigan Infantry Regiment in the Union army and fought in some major battles. One of them was the Siege of Port Hudson. A Confederate soldier who had been inside wrote how hungry he and his fellows got. “We eat all the meat and bread in the fort…eat all the beef, all the mules, all the dogs, and all the rats around us.” The 6th Michigan regiment kept them surrounded and hungry for 48 days before they surrendered.

One other battle to mention was the Battle of Baton Rouge in which the Confederates attacked the Union-held capital of Louisiana. It took Union forces by surprise and forced then back until they came within range of Federal gunboats positioned in the Mississippi River. Cannons on the boats were able to provide covering fire and saved the day for Union forces.

While I was taught one shouldn’t speak ill of the dead, the following narrative is history and can’t be ignored. This Michigan unit’s discipline weakened and they defied orders at every opportunity. Around Baton Rouge, the unit engaged in profiteering and plundering and burning plantation buildings. Maybe it was to their saving grace that their bravery under fire that speaks well.

A small detachment of the 6th hadn’t fared well with casualties and when outnumbered in an attack, they answered with a bold counterattacking bayonet charge. In their disease-ridden swamp environment a lot of the men were forced to fight when very ill. What McIlvain’s role in any of the negative aspects of the army is not known, but if it was rampant, we can wonder if he resisted with a Golden Rule attitude. We don’t know.

We’ll return to his Ransom County years when he made his home in Sheldon, Enderlin, and Lisbon. While in Sheldon he became established as a farmer andalso engaged in a general merchandise business in Sheldon with his son, Frank. In older age he went to spend the winter with his daughter in Denver and died there on Feb. 1. 1911. It was in his obituary printed in The Rocky Mountain News that stated “He was prominent in the politics of the state (i.e. N.D.)” that a clue to his future success might point. Colonel McIlvain became the first commandant of the North Dakota Soldiers Home.

As his local obituary states “Colonel W. W. McIlvain was the first commandant of the Soldiers Home, which was ready for occupancy August 2, 1893. The many beautiful drives, walks and flower gardens are the result of his handiwork. He, together with his wife as matron, held this position for ten years, when they resigned and moved to Enderlin and purchased their present home where they have resided since.”

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Baseball season has begun. Baseball stories are filled with statistics and other asides, so who should be talking about them other than a conservative newspaper columnist who writes about the political scene in Washington, George F. Will. His book titled Bunts is filled to the brim with baseball. How about the only pitcher in history whose first name contains all five vowels - Aurelio Lopez or the only pitcher whose last name contains all five vowels - Ed Figueroa.

Everybody loves laughing at Casey Stengel’s utterances. Here Will tells the story of Casey saying, “What about the shortstop Rizzuto who got nothing but daughters but throws out the left-handed hitters in the double play?” Huh?

Casey went on to manage the 1962 Mets when they lost 120 games in their first season. Who knows what he meant when he uttered, “They say you can’t do it, but sometimes that isn’t always true.”