Aralzeman Stanley

  Noted events in his life were:

• Served: in the military during the civil war.

• Family Origin. ⁵³³ Aralzeman Stanley, who resides on section 3, Grant Township, is one of the honored pioneer settlers of the county, dating his residence from the fall of 1836. Very few are left to relate the story of frontier life in Lake County, Illinois, in that early day for many have moved to other States, while others have departed this life. The sketch of Mr. Stanley will therefore be all the more acceptable, for hardly another citizen of the county can relate incidents of so early a period.

The family of which he is a member, was founded in America during Colonial days, and his great-grandfather served in the Revolutionary War. His father, Robert Stanley, was born in Hartford, Connecticut, having attained to mature years, married Huldah King, a native of that cit y.

They removed to Erie County, N.Y., very soon afterward, and Mr. Stanley worked Indian land on the Oneida Reservation. He also owned a large maple orchard and engaged in the manufacture of maple syrup. Their home seemed to be almost on the very borders of civilization. Panthers had their lairs in the adjoining swamps, and wild and unsettled was the neighborhood.

In the fall of 1836, the family emigrated Westward by way of the Lakes to Michigan, which State they crossed, and then took a boat to Chicago, which at that time consisted of only a few log cabins on a wet prairie.

They first located in what is now Avon Township, where Mr. Stanley broke land for Mr. Edwards. He then build a log house 16x24 feet with a puncheon floor, on the peninsula southeast of Fox Lake. The land was purchased from the Government. He had to pay twenty-five percent interest on his money, and afterward lost the entire amount, one hundred and sixty acres.

Hardships and privations were their lot during those earlier years. During the first winter, wolves made it dangerous to venture unarmed away from home. The eldest son was once compelled to make a trip, and for protection, he placed upon his sled a hogshead in which he climbed. He was accompanied by a dog which kept the wolves away from the cattle, and he called to the oxen from out the bunghole and thus he escaped uninjured.

The death of the mother occurred in 1851, after which Mr. Stanley was twice married. He lived to be seventy-eight years of age, and died in Nebraska. He had four children: Monroe, who lives on Nippersink Point with his brother, Robert; Aralzeman, Frances Harriet, deceased wife of James Norton; and Robert, who served in Company D, Ninety-sixth Illinois Infantry, and is now living at Nippersink Point.

Our subject, Aralzeman, was only four years old when the family came to this county. He shared in the hardships and privations of pioneer life in the days when the deep snow would become crusted over so that men and animals could walk upon it. Deer and wild game furnished the meat for the table, and almost their only visitors were the Indians. The red men taught our subject, when a boy, the way to fish through the ice, and to this occupation the family looked in a great measure for their support. The children caught the fish and the father hauled loads to Chicago when it would require three days for the journey. They were in extremely limited circumstances, and in winter time would lay straw upon the ice to keep their bare feet from freezing. Such are some of the hardships which Mr. Stanley underwent during his boyhood. When twenty-eight years of age, he responded to his country's call for troops, enlisting in 1862 in Company D, Ninety-sixth Illinois Infantry, which was organized in Waukegan. He participated in the battles of Chicamauga and Lookout Mountain, those of the Atlanta campaign, Dalton, Kenesaw Mountain and Resaca, Georgia. At Chattanooga, the troops were nearly starved, eating the corn which was given to the mules. At Reseca, Mr. Stanley was wounded, one bullet made a hole through his hat, another tore his blanket off his back, and his right leg was shot through. He was carried to the hospital where gangrene set in, and he suffered all the agonies possible. He was never able to rejoin his regiment and was discharged in Indianapolis in 1865.

On his return to Lake County, Mr.Stanley, in 1867, was married to Miss Elizabeth S. Rix, a native of McHenry County, and a daughter of Samuel and Marian (Smith) Rix. Her father was of English birth and her mother was born in New York. Five children grace the union of Mr. Stanley and his wife - Ora A.; Orville L.; Dottie G., wife of Oscar Norton; Homer V.; and Fred R. Mr. Stanley has made his home in Fox Lake since 1868. He increases his income by serving as pilot upon the lakes and by hunting. He also receives a small pension. In politics he is a Republican. He and his wife are members of the Baptist Church, and by all who knew them are held in the highest esteem. Their excellencies of character entitle them to this universal regard. (Portrait and Biographical Album of Lake County, Illinois) (Lake City Publishing Company (1891))

Kennesaw Mountain June 27, 1864 Estimated casualties: 4,000 (Union: 3000, Confederates 1,000)

An army lives on its stomach. For as long as man has warred, the toughest tactical feat is feeding men who fight battles. Many times important tactical and strategic decisions are based on the ability to provide food. It is this concern that causes General William Tecumseh Sherman to launch a full-scale frontal assault on the entrenched position of General Joseph Eggleston Johnston's Rebels at Kennesaw Mountain.



---------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------- A gunner from this position wrote, "..the valley is full of men coming towards us for as far as the eye can see." From Chattanooga to Atlanta, these two men perform what Civil War historian Bruce Catton called "...a macabre dance." Sherman repeatedly outflanks his opponent, only to be stopped by a small chain of mountains just west of the small northwest Georgia rail center of Marietta. Johnston sits on one side, Sherman on the other.

The red-headed commander from Ohio tries to make a run around the south end of the Confederate line when an "impetuous" attack by John Bell Hood at Kolb's Farm stops him cold in his tracks. Now, for the first time during The Atlanta Campaign, he must fight. The Western and Atlanta Railroad skirts the north end of Kennesaw Mountain. Simply leaving Rebel artillery entrenched on the mountain would doom any hope of using the all-weather lifeline to supply his men south of the peak. Having left the railroad once in Kingston, he feels that leaving it now would spell disaster for his army totaling nearly 100,000 men. The Confederate position must fall. John Scofield's Army of the Ohio holds the southern end of the line, George Thomas' Army of the Cumberland the middle, and John McPherson's Army of the Tennessee the northern end, west and north of Kennesaw Mountain. They go up against John Bell Hood to the south, William J. Hardee in the center and Polk's Corps to the north, now with William Loring in charge after the untimely death of Bishop Polk a few days earlier.

A simple plan is devised, with Sherman giving his field commanders great leeway in their choices for attack. Schofield and Hooker, at the southern end of the line, demostrate to keep Hood in place. Thomas launches the primary attack somewhere along a front nearly two and half miles long south of Pigeon Hill. To the north Mcpherson demonstrates but also launches a secondary attack. With his men in position and the entire Union Army on the move in front of them, Army of Tennessee commander Joseph E. Johnston can not reinforce the actual areas of attack. Sherman wants to split two holes in the Rebel line and drive to the Western and Atlantic Railroad in downtown Marietta.

XV Corps commander John "Blackjack" Logan, from Illinois, decides to attack a salient in the Rebel line between Little Kennesaw Mountain and Pigeon Hill. To the south, Generals George Thomas ("Rock of Chickamauga") and O. O. Howard personally select a salient in the line that appears to be misplaced. The line had formed far enough back on the hill that a "dead area" beneath the Confederates might offer the attackers brief relief from the hail of lead they would surely face. Also, this is the location where the two opposing lines are closest.

"Hell breaks loose in Georgia..."


Fair Oaks was General Johnston's headquarters until June 27, 1864. During the Battle of Kennesaw Mountain artillery shells began to land near the house and he evacuated the home. The morning of the twenty-seventh ranking officer's reconoitering gives way to the artillerymen's bombardment. For fifteen minutes across parts of the eight mile front, Union cannoneers lob shells at Confederate positions. The barrage is designed to "soften up" Rebel defenses, but it may have done more harm than good for it forewarned of the impending attack.

Plans of the Union generals almost immediately go awry. The Army of the Cumberland does not start until an hour after schedule, and the assault on Pigeon Hill runs into unexpected physical barriers.

Pigeon Hill

At 8:15 cannon fall silent, quickly replaced by the staccato bursts of gunfire as Logan's men move forward. Nearly 5,500 infantry pour into a small area to battle the intrenched Rebels. Noyes Creek, which runs north-south just west of Mountain Road, provided the first physical barrier for Joseph A. J. Lightborn's Union infantry. Behind the creek sat the 63rd Georgia Regiment, along with other groups on the skirmish line. Instead of withdrawing when others moved back, the recently transferred 63rd stays on the line. Regiments of Federals, six in all, pour out of the forest and over the line held by the Georgians. Ordered to reinforce the skirmish line, reserves come forward as support. Brief hand-to-hand fighting routs the Georgia Regiment, who head for the Rebel line followed closely by boys in blue. Punishing Confederate cross-fire halts the Federals, and the commander orders retreat within ten minutes.

Just to the north, a second group of Union soldiers under Giles Smith tries to advance across Old Mountain Road, which still exists. The heavy woods, large rocks and a stone palisade at the top of Pigeon Hill doom this assault. Even further north the men of Col. Charles C. Walcutt overrun the skirmish line but fail to take the main line in the heavily wooded gap between Little Kennesaw and Pigeon Hill.

Cheatham Hill


Looking from the Union position towards the Dead Angle, just over the top of the ridge. Protected from fire after the assault because the line was placed at the geographical crest instead of the military crest, Union soldiers dig a tunnel (visible to left of sign) in an attempt to blow up the Rebel line. To the south of Pigeon Hill lies land that gently slopes uphill from the Union positions. Johnston assigns two of his best commanders to defend the area. Both Benjamin Franklin Cheatham and Patrick Cleburne command men who are battle tested, hardened to a fine edge. Supported by an intricate web of earthworks and entanglements, these veterans see the hardest fighting of the day. To the west Union Generals Jefferson C. Davis and John Newton form behind Thomas' line. The plan is to rush the Confederates en masse, hopefully breaking through and routing the boys in gray.

The Union Army charge south of the Dallas Highway launches at nine o'clock on June 27, 1864. 8,000 men are committed to the assault across a two-mile front, many waiting for a breakthough to exploit. Leading the charge for Davis was Daniel McCook, an Ohioan most noted for sharing a law office with his commanding officer, William Tecumseh Sherman. John G. Mitchell would hit the salient from the southern side, McCook from the northern side. Newton's men, led by the able Charles Harker, would try to penetrate the Confederate line to the north.


Parley D. Inman (left) was wounded in the upper left leg by a Confederate mini ball. Parley lay on the field for two days before being picked up; his leg was then amputated. On the right is Chauncey F. Inman. Both men were from Illinois.



Prepared for the attack by the unusual artillery barrage, the Rebel line watches the green valley become a sea of blue as the Union assault sweeps across John Ward Creek below them. Advancing men try to punch holes in the line but word from the battle is not good. Harker falls 15 feet from the Rebel line, shot in the arm and chest by Cleburne's men. Further south, at Cheatham Hill, the Union boys that aren't cannon fodder are repeatedly raked by Cheatham's Tennesseans.

Wave after wave of Federals advance towards the salient in the Rebel line on Cheatham Hill. Withering gunfire kills hundreds of boys, mostly from Illinois and Ohio. Incredibly, McCook and some of his men make it to the Rebel line, only to be shot, stabbed, or captured by the Graybacks. Later both sides would refer to this area as "The Dead Angle."

Just to the north of Cheatham Hill some woods catch on fire during the attack. Wounded Union soldiers, left during the hasty retreat, scream as they burn to death in the blaze. A colonel from Arkansas steps on top of the entrenchments with a white flag and calls to the opposing force, "Come and get your men, for they are burning to death!" Rifleless Federals approach and begin to remove the bodies, aided by men in gray. The two forces that had been killing each other less than fifteen minutes earlier now were working together to save the lives of fallen men. The next day the Union commanders present the Colonel with a matching pair of ivory-handled Colt .45 pistols.

The battle is over. Unable to pierce the Confederate line, what remains of the Union attackers withdraw to safer territory. Some Illinois men remain 20 yards from the Rebel line, trying to dig a tunnel to blow a hole in the intrenchments above them. In an hour and a half the Federals loose more than 1,000 men, the Confederates one-third that total. McCook is returned to the field hospital, badly wounded. He will die shortly after his promotion to general a few days later. Johnston withdraws on the evening of July 2 to a position in defense of Atlanta.

History of 96th Illinois Infantry 96th Illinois Infantry Dyer's Regimental History

Source - "A Compendium of the War of the Rebellion" by Frederick H. Dyer

Organized at Rockford, Ill., and mustered in September 6, 1862. Moved to Cincinnati, Ohio, October 8-10, 1862. Attached to 2nd Brigade, 3rd Division, Army of Kentucky, Dept. of the Ohio, to February, 1863. 2nd Brigade, Baird's 3rd Division, Army of Kentucky, Dept. of the Cumberland, to June, 1863. 1st Brigade, 1st Division, Reserve Corps, Army of the Cumberland, to October, 1863. 3rd Brigade, 1st Division, 4th Army Corps, October, 1863. 2nd Brigade, 1st Division, 4th Army Corps, to June, 1865.

SERVICE - Moved to Covington, Ky., October 10, 1862, and duty there till October 29. Operating against Kirby Smith's threatened attack on Cincinnati, Ohio (Cos. "A," "E," "F," "G" and "H" escort train to Lexington, Ky., October 19-25). Moved to Lexington, Ky., October 29 - November 6. Duty at Lexington till November 14 and at Harrodsburg, Ky., till November 28. (Cos. "A" and "E" at Lexington till January, 1863.) Moved to Danville November 28 and duty there till January 26, 1863. Pursuit of Morgan to Lebanon Junction December 26-31, 1862. Moved to Louisville, Ky., January 26-31, thence to Nashville, Tenn., January 31 - February 8. Repulse of Wheeler's attack on Fort Donelson, Tenn., February 4. At Nashville till March 5. Moved to Franklin, Tenn., and pursuit of Van Dorn March 5-12. Spring Hill March 10. At Brentwood March 27 - April 8. Return to Franklin April 8, and repulse of Van Dorn's attack April 10. At Franklin till June 2. Moved to Triune June 2, Action at Triune with Wheeler June 11. Middle Tennessee or Tullahoma Campaign June 24 - July 7. At Wartrace July 3 to August 12, and at Elk River near Estill Springs till September 7. Chickamauga (Ga.) Campaign September 7-22. Ringgold September 17. Spring Creek September 18. Battle of Chickamauga September 19-20. Moved to Moccasin Point September 23 and duty there till November 1, and at Shellmound till November 20. Chattanooga - Ringgold Campaign November 23-27. Lookout Mountain November 23-24. Mission Ridge November 25. Taylor's Ridge, Ringgold Gap, November 27. At Lookout Mountain till December 1. At Nicka-Jack Cove till January 26, 1864. Duty on East Tennessee R. R. till February 22. Demonstration on Dalton. Ga., February 22-27. Tunnel Hill, Buzzard's Roost Gap and Rocky Faced Ridge February 23-25. At Cleveland, Tenn., March 1 - April 22. Atlanta (Ga.) Campaign May 1 - September 8. Tunnel Hill May 6-7. Demonstration on Rocky Faced Ridge May 8-11. Buzzard's Roost Gap May 8-9. Demonstration on Dalton May 11-13. Battle of Resaca May 14-15. Near Kingston May 1849. Near Cassville May 19. Advance on Dallas May 22-25. Operations on line of Pumpkin Vine Creek and battles about Dallas, New Hope Church and Allatoona Hills May 25 - June 5. Operations about Marietta and against Kenesaw Mountain June 10 - July 2. Pine Hill June 11-14. Lost Mountain June 15-17. Assault 0n Kenesaw June 27. Ruff's Station, Smyrna Camp Ground, July 4. Chattahoochie River July 5-17. Peach Tree Creek July 19-20. Siege of Atlanta July 22 - August 25. Flank movement on Jonesboro August 25-30. Battle of Jonesboro August 31 - September 1. Lovejoy Station September 2-6. Operations against Hood in North Georgia and North Alabama September 28 - November 3. Nashville Campaign November - December. Columbia, Duck River, November 24-27. Battle of Franklin November 30. Battle of Nashville December 15-16. Pursuit of Hood to the Tennessee River December 17-28. Moved to Huntsville, Ala., and duty there till March, 1865. Expedition to Bull's Gap and operations in East Tennessee March 20 - April 22. Moved to Nashville, Tenn., and duty there till June.

Mustered out June 10, 1865.

Regiment lost during service 5 Officers and 111 Enlisted men killed and mortally wounded and 1 Officer and 124 Enlisted men by disease. Total 241

Aralzeman married Elizabeth Rix on 30 Dec 1867 in Salem, Kenosha, Wisconsin. (Elizabeth Rix was born on 16 Feb 1850 in Lake Defiance, McHenry, Illinois, died on 13 Jun 1925 in Council Grove, Morris County, Kansas and was buried in Harsington Cemetery, Council Grove, Kansas.)