DEATH OF COL. JOSEPH B. DORR 1865

DORR, KNOWLTON, MILLER, MAHONY, HOLMES, LINCOLN, DOUGLAS

Posted By: Cheryl Locher Moonen (email)
Date: 6/22/2016 at 22:45:03

Dubuque Democratic Herald – June 3, 1865

DEATH OF COL. J. B. DORR
On Thursday, the 1st inst. Rev. Mr. Holmes received the following dispatch from Chattanooga, dated May 31, 1865

“Col. Dorr died at Macon, May 28th. I am on my way home with the body. Communicate the sad intelligence to his family. Knowlton and Miller are with me. I will telegraph from Chicago.” C. Miller

The intelligence of Col. Dorr’s death was wholly unexpected, for though he was known to be in poor health, letters have been received by his friends here from him as late as last Saturday, which spoke favorably of his health. Therefore the blow was more severe because so wholly unexpected.

Col. J. B. Dorr was born in Hamburg, Erie County, New York, in the year 1825, and was at his death, therefore about 40 years of age. He received the ordinary education to be obtained in common schools, and completed his studies at Hamburg Academy, and at the Seminary at Westfield, Chautauqua County, New York. In 1847 Col. Dorr moved with his father to Jackson County, in this state, and soon after entering the store of Briggs & Co., in Andrew, as a clerk. In 1848 the Jackson County Democrat was established with Col. Dorr as editor and one of the proprietors. He afterwards moved his press to Bellevue where he was publishing a democrat journal, when in 1852, he received an invitation from several prominent citizens of Dubuque, and influential members of the party, to come to this city and make an interest in the Herald, which he immediately accepted, and from that time became identified with interest of Dubuque city and county. He continued the publication of the Herald in company with D. A. Mahony, until the winter of 1860, when Mr. Mahony bought out his interest, and Col. Dorr took an active stand in favor of the war then breaking out, and support of the policy of the administration of Mr. Lincoln. He entered the Army as Quartermaster of the 12th Iowa Infantry, and shared in the disasters of his comrades at Pittsburg Landing, he being captured in that engagement, and was confined as a prisoner of war at Montgomery, Alabama. He succeeded in making his escape by donning a private’s uniform and being sent to the Federal lines for exchange, where he succeeded in giving his captures the slip when they were on the point of discovering him in his disguise. When reaching the North he was detailed for recruiting service, and while acting in that capacity received permission from the authorities to raise a regiment of cavalry. This he succeeded in accomplishing, and as the Col. of the 8th Iowa Calvary reentered active service, and was again captured near Atlanta and confined in Charleston. After his release last summer he visited his family in this city, but remained at home a short time only. He was, at the time of his death, with is command in Georgia.

Col. Dorr leaves a wife and three children. His father, now seventy-five years of age, is also a resident of Dubuque.

During his life, previous to entering the Army Col. Dorr was a prominent democrat politician in the state and for a time possessed considerable influence in his party. During the campaign of 1860 he gave his whole of his influence in support of Judge Douglas for president. After the defeat of the Democratic Party in that memorable struggle, Col. Dorr took an active stand in opposition to the party as he had before given in his support, and his whole political associations were thus all broken up. Energetic perseverance was his characteristic, and such men, it is well known, usually meet with more bitter opposition in their enterprises, and incur more personal animosity, then those who are less zealous. His ability was unquestioned, and his talents were of a high order. While we respect him for these, we cannot but consider his political course during the last few years of his life a blot upon his record which otherwise would have been pure and untarnished, an honor to himself and to his party.