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Archiver > WEST-CENTRAL-KY > 1998-07 > 0899998478


From: Linda Lane Hedges <>
Subject: Col. A.R. SHACKLETT obit. Island, McLean Co.
Date: Thu, 9 Jul 1998 10:34:38 -0500


VETERAN DIES
---------------------------
Col. A.R. Shacklett Passes Away At Island, KY
- ----------------------------
FOUGHT IN MEXICAN AND ALSO CIVIL WAR
---------------------------------
REPRESENTED HIS DISTRICT IN STATE LEGISLATURE
---------------------------------
WAS IN MILITARY PRISON
----------------------------------

[Handwritten is the date 1910 no page number or newspaper available]

Island, Ky, Sept 1.-(Special.)-Col. A. R. Shacklett, a veteran of the
Mexican War, also a Confederate soldier, died at his home in Island
Saturday afternoon after a lingering illness of several months. The body
was laid to rest in the cemetery of the Baptist church, one-half mile, east
of Island, Sunday afternoon at [unreadable] o'clock.
The funeral services were conducted by the Rev. John Bennett of Utica,
who had been a life-long friend and neighbor of the dead man. One of the
largest crowds that ever attended a funeral at this church followed the
body to its last resting place, but only one of the 1,000 men who Col.
Shacklett commanded during the bloody times of 1861-64 was able to see
their chief laid to rest. This was T.E. Mount of Island, who served with
Col. Shacklett during all of the campaign.*
Col. Shacklett is survived by one sister, Mrs. Sophia Saunders of Meade
County, and six children as follows: Mrs. Sophia Ferguson, Mrs.
[unreadable], Miss Sallie Shacklett, W.W. Shacklett, Jesse Shacklett and
Stonewall Shacklett, all of this place, except Stonewall Shacklett, who is
living in the South now.
***
Born in Meade.
-------------

Col. Shacklett was born in Meade County, Kentucky, December 7, 1826, and
at the age of about 20 years decided that he wanted to see something of
warfare and ran away from home and joined Company A, First United States
volunteers at Louisville, where he served under the command of Gen. P.F.
Smith, a noted army man of that time. He served in several of the important
battles of the war with Mexico, some of which were Molino Del Ray, where he
was wounded, Churubusco and Contraros. He was with Gen. Winfield Scott when
they made their difficult but triumphant entry into the City of Mexico, and
was also present at the often spoken of time when the Mexican commander,
Santa Anna left his wooden leg when he departed in such haste.
After the Mexican War was over he was given an honorable discharge and
returned to his home in Meade county, where he entered the peaceful
pursuits of agriculture and January 23, 1849, was married to Miss Minerva
Humphrey, of a well-known Meade county family. When the Civil War broke out
Col. Shacklett concluded that he would help the cause which he thought was
right, and organized a company of men from McLean county, to which he had
moved before this time, and joined forces under Col. H. P. Lyon, at
Hopkinsville, October 18, 1861. After only one month's service he was made
Captain of Company H, Eighth Kentucky. The first battle in which he
participated was the battle of Fort Donaldson, where his superior officer,
Gen. S. B. Buckner, surrendered his company with several more--in fact,
13,000 men--to General Grant, of the Union forces.
***
Sent To Prison
------------

Col. Shacklett was sent to prison at Johnson's Island, Ill, which his men
were sent to Camp Morton, Ind. Col. Shacklett was kept in prison for seven
months, after which he was exchanged and was then sent to re-enforce the
forces of Gen. Price at Corinth, Miss. In September, 1862, Col. Shacklett
was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel, and in February, 1864, the regiment was
mounted and joined with Gen. Forrest's cavalry. He was promoted to Colonel
in July, 1864. He served with Gen. Forrest in all of his battles , and was
with him when he surrendered at Columbus, Miss, May, 1865. Col. Shacklett
was noted for his bravery while on the field of battle and also for his
wisdom and science in directing the movements of his company, and held the
esteem of the entire 1,000 men whom he had under his command.
He was the only survivor of the Mexican War in the county, and it is said
on reliable information that there are only a few survivors in the entire
state. Col. Shacklett took eight companions with him to the Mexican War
when he left his quiet county home to do service for the good of the
country of which he thought so much.

***
Was In Legislature
_________

Col Shacklett served as Representative from McLean county in the lower
house at Frankfort in 1885 and 1886, and was postmaster at Island for four
years. He was a Whig and cast his first presidential vote for Gen. Zachary
Taylor in 1848. After the Civil War was over he was a staunch supporter of
the Democratic ticket. Col. Shacklett was directly descended from one of
the oldest families in the United States. His father was Gen. Blanchet
Shacklett of Fayette County, Pennsylvania, a soldier of the war of 1812 and
a Brigadier General in the Kentucky State militia. Gen. Shacklett came to
Kentucky in 1806, twenty years before the birth of Col. Shacklett.
He was noted as an Indian fighter of the perilous days when he came to
what was really "the Dark and Bloody Ground."
Col. Shacklett's grandmother was formerly Miss Barbara Quick, who was
born on shipboard en route to American, in the year 1744 many years before
the strife with England was dreamed of coming from France, where the family
was one of the best known in the kingdom. These ancestors first settled in
Pennsylvania after drifting to different parts of the Union, some of them
coming to Kentucky. It is claimed that there is no other family by this
name in the United States.
When Col. Shacklett had to surrender his forces it is notable that he
would not surrender his sword, but broke it and threw away the pieces.

*The transcriber for this newspaper article is the great granddaughter of
T.W. MOUNT who served with Col. Shacklett. T.E. MOUNT was his wife,
Tennessee Elizabeth WARREN MOUNT. Both are buried in Island. T.W. MOUNT
received a Confederate pension until his death in 1922 and his widow
continued to receive benefits until her death in 1943. Their son, my grand
uncle, Charles Sanford MOUNT, married Bertha Willie SHACKLETT in McLean
Co., KY in 1907.

Linda Lane Hedges
or


Linda (Lane) Hedges
(preferred mailing address)

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