Putting a Face on General Ransom

 Putting a Face on General Ransom

I was born and raised in Ransom County and when all is said and done will be buried in Ransom County. The history of the county has long been an interest of mine. One of our historians, Snorri Thorfinnson, wrote something that rang true with me in his book Ransom County History, “Once in a while a farmer crosses ruts in a meadow, and may wonder if this was once a trail.”

A meadow on our farm had rutted tracks over which my tractor always bounced when mowing hay. It made me wonder. I asked Dad about them, and he said they were the old wagon trail between Owego and Sheldon. That only served to whet my interest and curiosity about the county and its history, and since then I’ve been digging for stories.

I wanted to learn about the county’s namesake, General T. E. G. Ransom. Why do we honor his name, this man who never visited the area? The historical record has slowly revealed his character and accomplishments and makes clear that his contemporaries held him in high regards. General W. T. Sherman described Ransom when he wrote, “His appearance was almost boyish, with blonde hair, blue eyes, a fair complexion, and though of slender form, he had the bearing of a gallant soldier.” The one-armed Union General O. O. Howard said Ransom was “the handsomest man he had ever met.”

He made his mark as a fighting general in the Civil War and was wounded four times in as many battles. His bravery and acumen earned him notice by his superiors. For example, one story from “Harper’s Weekly” on March 30, 1863, relates an interesting incident. About 120 miles north of Vicksburg, Mississippi at a place called American Bend the Confederates had stockpiled a large number of cotton bales. Short of cash, they were planning to sell the cotton to Great Britain.

Upon learning of this Ransom led his troop in quick fashion to seize the cotton for Northern mills. Wary Confederate lookouts saw them coming, set fire to the bales, and were last seen high-tailing over the horizon. It was better to let them escape and work at saving as much cotton as possible. The Rebels had been utilizing slave labor for their manual work, but now they seemed willing to aid Ransom’s efforts.

They worked energetically with the ulterior motive of earning a ride north on the waiting steamboats. This must have been hard for Ransom, but he had to tell them they could not ride. General Grant had issued a special order prohibiting it. No provision had been made for an influx of ex-slaves.

These Union troops could not rest long since they had to head south to join Grant at the impending battle at Vicksburg. Several years ago my wife and I toured the Vicksburg battlefield and picked up information describing the conflict. At the time I knew little about the battle and nothing of Ransom’s part in it. While studying the materials obtained at the site, it became clear Ransom’s command played a significant role.

The map produced by the National Park Service showed a few major points of the battle, and Ransom’s point of attack earned mention with the words, “Ransom’s Gun Path.” A notation at the side explained it was important to place cannons closer to the Confederate line even though they were under heavy enemy fire, so he had ordered two 12-pounders dismantled and drug to the desired spot, reassembled, and put into action.

The maneuver did not work and they had to withdraw. According to a battle report written in 1866, to ensure an orderly retreat Ransom, “... in full range of the enemy’s fire, mounted a stump, from which he could see his entire command, folded his arms, and watched the movement, himself the most exposed man of the whole brigade.”

It was at an engagement called the Battle of Sabine Crossroads in April, 1864, that Ransom received his fourth wound, one that forced him out of action. He convalesced for several months in Chicago, then returned to action in October. Things did not go well however, since he contracted a severe case of dysentery for which treatment proved ineffective. Even so, he remained in command until he became so sick he had to relinquish it.

He died on October 29, 1864 at only 29 years of age. General Sherman wrote in his eulogy for Ransom that he found Ransom lying in a shanty and noted his declining condition was very similar to the symptoms his son showed before he died of dysentery.

General Grenville Dodge who later became prominent in building the Union Pacific railroad reminisced a few years after Ransom’s death that U. S. Grant often talked about Ransom with affection and respect. General Sherman kept a portrait of General Ransom on his office wall.

After he had passed, many spoke well of him. His pastor in Chicago said the deeper the peril, the more capable he was. His hometown paper spoke of how in battle he became tiger-like. The Chicago Tribune wrote of Ransom: “A soldier with a record never surpassed, and hardly equaled in the history of this or any other war.”

General Grant’s recognition of Ransom rises to the top with this quote, “He has always proved himself the best man I have ever had to send on expeditions.” With those words, we will conclude. We will never fully know our namesake, but what we know tells us we can wear Ransom’s name with pride in our county.