McKINLEY, Squire S. 1840-1905
MCKINLEY
Posted By: County Coordinator
Date: 9/20/2010 at 14:18:12
Squire S. McKinley.
Squire S. McKinley was born at Geneva, Kane County, Illinois, February 9th, 1840. His school days were nearly all passed there, but in 1854 his parents removed to Newburg, Mitchell County, Iowa, and later to St. Ansgar. Later he took a course at the Academy and finally studied law under Daniel W. Lawrence.
Squire had just reached his majority before President Lincoln was inaugurated on the 5th of March, 1861, he offered his services to his country. A company was organized and drilled under John P. Knight as captain. In June, 1861, Squire, with twenty-nine others, were mustered into the service of the United States at Keokuk, Iowa. His regiment, the Third Iowa Regiment of Volunteers, lost nearly half its number in the first battle. It followed Grant to Fort Henry, Fort Donaldson, Shiloh and Memphis.
It was under General Halleck at the second battle of Cornith, and later took part in the battle of Coldwater and Greenville, where Mosby entertained them royally to the extent of half of their depleted ranks.
At the battle of Haines' Bluff, General E. O. C. Ord commanded, but May 9th they met General Grant and took part in the great siege of Vicksburg. Squire was with Sherman at the capture of Jackson, Mississippi, where the division had one of its hardest encounters during the war. His regiment was ordered to charge some cannon on a slope; when they were within a few steps Mr. McKinley was facing one of them.
A discharge followed and the first thing he remembered afterward was that a comrade was washing his face at a little creek. He immediately took his place in the ranks. Next the regiment was with Sherman in a marauding expedition in Alabama. Later, what was left of the boys took part in the ill-fated Red River expedition, and were forty-seven days under fire. The regiment having fought itself out of existence, was mustered out at Davenport, Iowa, in July, 1864.
There were fifteen men in line of Squire's company. During this exciting term of service Squire never lost but one battle, and that was caused by a case of measles which held him bedfast. He never entered the hospital, and the only harm done to him was done by the concussion of the cannon.
He then returned home and later raised a company and was commissioned captain, but this organization was never mustered in.
During the fall of 1865, Squire was elected sheriff of Mitchell County and was the first officer to land a bank robber in Fort Madison.
In the spring of 1880, he, in company with a Mr. Britz, filed on the Rice water-power of Park Rapids, Minnesota, and the following spring sold it to the present owner. June, 1881, found him building a dam across Straight River at Osage, Minnesota, which furnished power for his sawmill.
Osage [Minnesota], the name chosen, was taken from Osage, Iowa, which was conjured from O. Sage, a wealthy New Yorker, who afterwards gave his namesake a valuable library, and we are sorry that he did not serve us likewise.
Squire McKinley was strictly temperate, clear-headed, and an orator of no mean ability. His loyalty was unquestioned. He voted for every Republican President -- Lincoln to Roosevelt.
Lying on his death bed, he closed the interview with the words, "The Shell Prairies are an ideal place for any man to live. The most beautiful country I ever saw." He died February 19th, 1905.
[Based on History of Osage Township ( http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~mnbecker/ch38.php ).
Photo from MITCHELL COUNTY HISTORY, 1989]
Mitchell Biographies maintained by Sharyl Ferrall.
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