Yale University Library

39002003924801

M E MO 1 R

YALE UNIVERSITY
LIBRARY

^feS^Ss?^^^^

7

MEMOIR

Gen. A. C. Ducat.

CHICAGO:
RAND, McNALLY & CO.
1897.

PREFACE.
It was the wish of General Arthur C. Ducat,
definitely expressed some time before his
death, that a record of his life, both civil
and military, should be prepared for his family
and for distribution among his personal
friends here and in his native country. In
fulfillment of his request, the following me
morial has been compiled, largely from the
General's own papers, and the writer trusts
that this imperfect sketch of a strong and
many-sided personality may yet commend
itself to those best qualified to judge of its fi
delity to the original, and to impart from their
own inner remembrance, life and color to this
silhouette of Arthur C. Ducat, the sagacious
man of business, the gallant soldier, the loving
parent, and the true and faithful friend.
"As when a painter, poring o'er a face,
Divinely thro' all hindrance finds the man
Behind it, and so paints him that his face,
The shape and color of a mind and life,
Lives for his children, ever at its best
And fullest."
"Lindenwald," September, 1897.

Arthur Charles Ducat.

CHAPTER I.

PARENTAGE AND EARLY TRAINING.
Arthur Charles Ducat was born at Glena-
garry, near Kingstown, County Dublin, Ire
land, February 24th, 1830. He was the young
est of four children of Mungo> Murray Ducat
and of Dorcas Julia, his wife. The Ducat
family had its origin in the Scottish Highlands,
but this particular branch had long been
settled in Forfarshire. Mungo Murray, a scion
of the house, after completing his education at
the University of St. Andrews, and studying,
without practicing, law for some time in Edin
burgh, went over to Ireland, where he thought
he could more easily realize his ambition to
own a landed estate and lead (to him) the
ideal life of a country gentleman.
There, in the gay capital of Dublin, he first
met the lady who afterwards became his wife,

6 iptcmtftr*
Dorcas Julia, the bright and accomplished
daughter of Captain Atkinson of the English
Navy— one of Nelson's officers, who fought
by his side in the battle of Trafalgar and there
lost an arm, — where the hero lost his life.
Strong is the power of heredity, and it
was doubtless to this parentage that Arthur
Charles Ducat owed that blending of Saxon
sagacity and Celtic dash and daring which all
through life were salient features of his char
acter and potent factors in his successful busi
ness career.
Shortly after their marriage the young
couple settled at Glenagarry, a leasehold prop
erty, overlooking Kingstown Harbor, where
they resided for a number of years and where
all their children were born. Some years
after, Mr. Ducat also purchased a long lease
of Turvey Place, a fine old Elizabethan de
mesne in Dublin County, a few miles from the
city. The house, with its long stone front,
is picturesquely situated on high terraced
grounds, sloping gently down to rich pastures
and shady woodlands. Here Arthur Charles
Ducat commenced his education with a pri
vate tutor under the wise supervision of his
father, who combined his love of out-door

TURVEY PLACE

life and field-sports with the tastes and habits
of the student, and made it an unvarying rule
to spend at least two hours of every day in
his library. A small but choice collection of
pictures adorned the house, and in this atmos
phere of literary and artistic culture the Ducat
children passed their early years.
Newlawn, another leasehold property, which
Mr. Mungo Ducat added to Turvey Place,
was also for a time the family home. There
he died, in 1842, leaving his extensive lease
holds to be cared for by his widow, — but very
little clear property besides to support a fam
ily brought up in luxury and refinement.
This sudden change of fortune had the inevit
ably unsettling effect on young Arthur's char
acter and career, and it is not surprising to
see in the next few years the chaotic elements
of a strong nature constantly warring with
itself and with those who sought to lead and
control what they did not understand. At
the age of fifteen he was apprenticed to Messrs.
Findlater & Co., merchants in Dublin and old
friends of his father, but one year's trial con
vinced both him and them that not that way
lay success, and greatly to his own relief and
no doubt to that of his worthy employers, he

8 pfcmttftr*
was released from his indentures and again
resumed his studies at Belmont College. There
he spent two years, taking a mixed course of
classics and mathematics with special atten
tion to civil engineering. But again the rest
less spirit rebelled against the trammels of
civil life, and in a fit of disgust or impatience
he enlisted in the army as a private in the
Duke of Cambridge's own Regiment of Lan
cers, where his fine physique and natural
military bearing made him a welcome recruit
and soon attracted the favorable notice of his
superior officers. Rapid growth, however (he
was then over six feet in height), had for a
time weakened his fine constitution; and
threatening symptoms of pulmonary disease
compelled him to apply for his discharge,
which was reluctantly granted, and with great
regret he left the service which by nature and
inclination he was eminently fitted to adorn.
"But there's a divinity that shapes our ends,
rough hew them how we will."
Resolved to be no longer dependent on his
widowed mother's slender resources he, after
a weary period of inaction, baffled in his re
peated efforts to win freedom and independ
ence, resolved to seek his fortune in the new

Qncat. 9
world. He sailed for the United States, work
ing his passage before the mast, partly from
economy and partly from a love of adventure,
and landed in New York October 28th, 1850,
with very little money in his pockets, but gifted
with a clear head, a light heart and the indom
itable will that recognizes difficulties only to
overcome or circumvent them.
CHAPTER II.

BEGINS LIFE IN AMERICA.
Arrived in New York and having a good
theoretical knowledge of civil engineering,
and being determined to put that knowledge
into practice, he had little to do but to look
about him to find employment. The year
1850 was almost the first year of extensive
railroad construction in this country. It was
then just beginning in the southeastern por
tion of New York State, and thither Mr.
Ducat went and soon obtained his first re
munerative work in the new country. There
he remained but a few months, when he
learned that railroad building on a yet more
extensive scale was projected in the West, and

10 jpumutt?*
that civil engineers were greatly in demand
there. He had heard and read much of the
West, and was convinced that in that part of
this immense country lay his prospective for
tunes. Full of courage and hope he started for
Chicago — a long and tedious journey — and
at that time an unsightly and insignificant city
of about twenty-eight thousand inhabitants.
It had not a mile of completed railroad — its
small commerce was all done on the lakes and
canal — but long lines of railroad were pro
jected, and on some parts of them surveys
were actually being made. One of these was
the Fox River Valley Road, and with the
company that had this project in hand Mr.
Ducat engaged to go out as one of a survey
ing party.
With the assurance of steady and profitable
employment he decided to bring over his
mother, sister and brother. His intention to
meet them in New York was nearly frustrated
by the failure of the company to pay him his
salary when due. But chancing to be in Ken
osha, Wisconsin, where was lying at the
wharf a vessel destined for Buffalo, which was
waiting for a wheelsman to be secured, Mr.

fPumt* 11
Ducat volunteered to fill the vacancy, was ac
cepted and safely steered the vessel to Buffalo,
thus securing a free passage to that city and
sufficient remuneration to carry him to New
York in time to welcome his mother on her
arrival in the new world. This anecdote is
given as an illustration of his filial devotion
and the indomitable energy of his character
even in early years. Returning immediately
to the West, he settled his relatives at Belvi-
dere, Illinois, and then went back to his sur
veying. From the Fox River Valley Railroad,
the entire line of which was now nearly lo
cated, he changed to the North-Western Rail
road, with his headquarters at Racine.
CHAPTER III.

FIRST FIVE YEARS IN CHICAGO— IN
SURANCE.
It was in 1856 that Mr. Ducat decided to
settle permanently in Chicago, where, both
from personal and business qualifications, he
had already secured many valuable connec
tions. His first appointment was as assistant
to Mr. Julius White, an insurance agent and

12 %$Unt0iv*
head of a feeble Board of Underwriters. The
energy and ability with which Mr. Ducat dis
charged the duties attached to his office soon
brought him into prominence. His position
naturally led him to take great interest in the
City Fire Department and brought him into
contact with its chief, Silas McBride, who at
that time labored under great disadvantages
in the working of his department, having only
volunteer firemen, and engines worked by
hand. Both McBride and Ducat were con
vinced that to secure the safety of Chicago it
was absolutely necessary that the Fire Depart
ment should be reorganized and the recently
invented steam fire engines at once obtained.
The next year increased life was found to have
been infused into the Board of Underwriters,
and it was determined to reorganize it on more
extended lines. Mr. Ducat was elected Sec
retary and Surveyor and so was in position to
have practically the control of the board's
business. He was the first secretary and sur
veyor to give his entire time to the duties at
tached to those positions. He did more— he
continued his efforts to improve the Fire De
partment, considering it part of an under
writer's business to secure an efficient fire ser-

glttjcat, 13
vice. In 1857 a great fire in the then busi
ness center of the city came opportunely to
his assistance. The consequent loss of life and'
property roused the interest of the citizens as
to the best means of averting a similar calam
ity in the future. The introduction of two
steam fire engines precipitated a revolution in
the Fire Department and brought on some
thing like a riot in the streets. The volunteer
firemen were not willing to give up their hand-
working machines, and they had many friends
who sympathized with them to the point of
forcible resistance. The entire police force was
barely able to prevent a general uprising and
Mr. Ducat was, for a time, the most unpopu
lar man in the city, but undeterred by ill will
and opposition, he still urged the necessity of
reorganization and improvement of the Fire
Department. The loss of goods from exposure to the ele
ments and depredation of thieves in the great
fire of 1857 was in excess of anything before
known in Chicago, and served as a challenge
to the insurance companies and the Fire De
partment to meet like perils in the future by
some new and adequate arrangement. Mr.
Ducat proposed to organize a salvage corps,

14 gljBUmrtr*
but as the name did not please he called it a
Fire Brigade. This move, too, was angrily
opposed by firemen jealous of their customary
privileges, and to some extent by citizens who
regarded with disfavor any change in the old
order of things. Mr. Ducat had to stand in the
breach, and carry his measure by sheer force
of will. To will he added enthusiasm. Other
citizens contributed money; the city officers
consented; and the Fire Brigade became an
assured organization. Mr. Ducat was elected
the first Captain, and he took command with
military promptness and handled his men as
though they were all soldiers whose destina
tion was the battle field. The brigade was
very successful in protecting property endan
gered by fires, and both the insurers and the
insured, and finally even the firemen, gave
Mr. Ducat the credit which was justly his due.
He was now in position to attack the whole
organization of the Volunteer Fire Companies,
and it was plain that public opinion was at
last on the side of the modern system of a
paid fire department under responsible di
rection. The change was advocated before
the council by Mr. Ducat, among others, and
the council acted on the advice, but some-

gJttJCttt. 15
what reluctantly; the old firemen were "good
fellows,'7 some of them were rich and influ
ential, and their organization died hard. At
last the city had a proper and full equipment
of defense against fires, her citizens could,
with all confidence, accept the guaranties of
the insurance companies, and Mr. Ducat, hav
ing striven hard and accomplished much, was
now at liberty to give exclusive attention to
his duties as Secretary of the Board of Un
derwriters. He thought deeply on the gen
eral subject of underwriting, and evolved ideas
and plans that were new, if not startling, to
a good many. The need of the profession,
as well as the interest of the people, was uni
formity of rates, definite classification, and a
settled order of surveys — this was his firm
conviction, after long pondering on the sub
ject. He made his conclusions known and
they were opposed by many underwriters and
regarded with suspicion by large numbers of
insurance companies.
Undeterred by opposition, wherever he
could find hearers he s.tated his views and en
forced them with arguments which ultimately
brought conviction to the minds of the ma
jority of underwriters. It was not so easy to
win over the companies.

16 ^Hemciv*
During the year 1858 he found leisure
apart from his official duties to write a book
on insurance. It was published in the follow
ing year and at once ranked as an authority
on the subject and it is apt to surprise those
outside of the circle of underwriters that so
much could be said and said so well on the
subject. It had an extensive sale — four
editions were called for in rapid succession;
and it was everywhere accepted as authority
in the business. It is just as much an authority
at the present time, as is shown in the fact
that there is a continuous demand for it.
Progress was made towards scientific meth
ods, but still there remained a busy minority
of underwriters who persisted in the go-as-
you-please way, and would on no account give
up the policy of scattering. This minority
appeared to be growing, and Mr. Ducat began
to doubt if the Board of Underwriters could
much longer be kept together. But one pos
sible attempt he had not essayed — he had not
tried systematically to bring over the insur
ance companies. He was well and favorably
known in the Eastern States, and' with courage
he went thither alone and laid the entire case
before every one of the companies that was

|Jwjcat. 17
doing business in Chicago. His visit resulted
in a complete triumph, and the following reso
lutions were signed by the officers of all the
principal insurance companies of New York,
Massachusetts and Connecticut:
"At a meeting, held this day, of the various
insurance companies interested in and doing
business in the City of Chicago, Illinois, the
following resolutions were unanimously adopt
ed and ordered signed by said companies:
"Resolved, That the companies here repre
sented highly approve of the action of their
respective agents in Chicago in forming an
association for sustaining the rate of premium
on fire risks in that city, and feel great pleas
ure in acknowledging the wisdom and dis
cretion exhibited in the classification of risks,
and the various additional charges enumerated
in the Chicago tariff.
"Resolved, That the maintaining the Chi
cago Association is, in our opinion, a mat
ter of vital importance to the agents them
selves, and decidedly to the interests of the
various companies transacting business in
that city; and that we each agree to require
from our respective agents to adhere strictly
to all the rules and rates defined in said tariff;
and the stipulations connected therewith.

18 jplemjoitr*
"Resolved, That we will agree to give to
the board above named a notice of at least
thirty days before we withdraw from the ob
ligations we assumed above.
"Resolved, That we regard the existing
union of all insurance agents in Chicago, and
all the- companies represented by them in the
association for sustaining uniform rates, as a
subject for congratulation; and we gladly rec
ognize the able agency of Mr. Ducat, the sec
retary of the board, in procuring this desir
able result."
These documents Mr. Ducat submitted to
the board, and they have been carefully pre
served and bear this general endorsement in
Mr. Ducat's own handwriting:
"All the above signatures were procured by
me as above set forth. Arthur C. Ducat, Sec
retary and Surveyor, Chicago Board of Un
derwriters." He felt a just pride in his achievement, and
from that day onward the board stood firm
and united against all hostile comers. In
stantly all objections were silenced; every
form of dissension ceased.

gJumt* 19
CHAPTER IV.

FIRST YEARS OF SOCIAL LIFE IN
CHICAGO— ST. ANDREWS SO
CIETY—HIGHLAND GUARDS.
Arthur Charles Ducat possessed a highly
social nature, but not all socially-inclined per
sons were permitted to know of its depth and
breadth. Some thought him distant, if not
haughty; others deemed him exclusive, and
nearly all, at times, found him reserved in
manner. But he recognized no lines of social
distinction among his worthy acquaintances.
He was never a society man in the ordinary
acceptance of the word — but always welcomed
the company of his friends whenever he had
leisure to enjoy it. Among his friends were
many Scotsmen who afterwards became highly
successful business men and some of them
distinguished in public life.
About this time he joined the St. Andrews
Society and formed there friendships which
he cultivated and retained through all the
years of his life in Chicago.
Another organization composed wholly of

20 ipteTOatr*
Scotsmen, of which he became a member, was
the Highland Guards, a fine volunteer mili
tary company of the early days of Chicago,
which was the pride of all resident Scotsmen
and one of the boasts of the city.
Engrossed in business as he was, ambitious
of the distinction which success in business
gives, he yet found time for reading and for
efficient membership in literary associations
and societies. He took no part in minor pol
itics, but in large public questions and in emi
nent men he was greatly interested. He knew
Senator Douglas personally, but he believed in
Lincoln ; and when Richard Cobden or Smith
O'Brien, or any other foreigner of distinction,
visited the city, he was sure to be found among
those who called to pay their respects.
The books which he read in those times
were many of them works on military science
and strategy. Perhaps there was something
in the atmosphere of the years just preceding
the Civil War to induce him to take up such
studies. At all events he did give his mind
to them; and also, at the same time, took in
creased interest in the discipline and drills of
the Highland Guards. A short time after
wards it was seen that he had been all along

gjttcat* 21
a soldier in preparation for active and impor
tant service.

CHAPTER V

HIS EFFORTS TO GET INTO THE
ARMY— FIRST SERVICE.
The moment that the news of the hostile
firing on Fort Sumter was received in Chi
cago, Mr. Ducat resolved to personally en
gage in the war, which was then seen to be
inevitable. He had been for rather more than
a year a member of the Highland Guards, as
engineer, and something like a staff officer to
the captain. War meetings were the order of
the day, and one of the first war meetings held
was notified that the Highland Guards, under
Captain John McArthur, were actively pre
paring to tender their services to the Govern
ment, as soon as the expected call for troops
should be made. The meeting received the
notice with approving cheers and then for
mally "Resolved, That this meeting approve
the course taken by the Highland Guards to
place their company in an efficient and avail
able condition, and that we extend to them

22 ^Slemoiv*
our hearty co-operation and sympathy, and
recommend the young men of the city to en
roll their names in that or some similar or
ganization." Further, the meeting proposed
to give financial aid, and appointed a commit
tee to represent the people, which was partly
selected from the company and partly from
the citizens, as follows: A. C. Ducat, Major
Wallis, A. A. Wylie, J. Lyle King, and S. B.
Perry. The preparations went on rapidly;
but the call for troops soon came — there was
hurrying of volunteer soldiers from every part
of the State, to the capital, more than could
be accepted, and the Highland Guards were
told to wait.
Mr. Ducat was not in a waiting mood, and
he determined to try an independent move
ment, in the line somewhat of his former pro
fession. He raised and enlisted a corps of en
gineers, sappers, and miners of three hundred
men, all of them engineers by profession, or
soldiers of experience abroad in that branch
of military service. Many of them came from
a great distance, some of them from the ex
tremes of the country, to enlist in this corps.
It was a fine body of men, and its leader hoped
that the Government would put it to important

pucat* 23
uses. He first tendered it to the Governor of
Illinois; it was rejected. Next he made
a tender of it to the General Govern
ment; again it was rejected, but the refusal
was accompanied with compliments and
thanks. Still he was not discouraged. His
friend McArthur had been called to Spring
field and commissioned as colonel of the
Twelfth Illinois Infantry, then just formed of
companies from various parts of the State.
Here was his opportunity at last. He at once
hastened to Springfield and volunteered in
Colonel McArthur's regiment and was by
that officer appointed regimental adjutant.
He soon after succeeded to a vacant lieu
tenancy in Company A, one of the Chicago
companies, and later became first lieutenant,
retaining the adjutancy at regimental head
quarters. May ioth the regiment marched out of
Camp Yates at Springfield over eight hundred
strong and was transferred by rail to Casey-
ville, Illinois, a station on the Ohio & Mis
sissippi Railroad near St. Louis. The duty
here was to guard about sixty-nine miles of
the railroad east of that city and to maintain
an out-post of forty men at East St. Louis

24 tjBtemaicv
in communication with the Union forces,
under Colonel Blair and Captain Lyon, across
the river. The service at Caseyville was very
useful to the regiment as exercise and prepa
ration for the more serious conflicts that were
to come. In this work of discipline Colonel
McArthur had an efficient assistant and the
regiment a conspicuous example of soldierly
activity in Adjutant Ducat.
One of the first labors of the Adjutant at
Caseyville was the laying off of the encamp
ment. The region was a pleasant one. From
the edge of a bluff at the left, looking west
ward, one saw cultivated farms here and there
in the valley, separated by streams bordered
with broad belts of forest. Beyond these and
beyond the unseen Mississippi could be dis
cerned the distant spires of St. Louis. The
camp named by Colonel McArthur, Camp
Bissell, was set upon high and undulating
ground, and the easy slopes over which the
men had traced its regular streets, were man
tled at that season with a smooth elastic turf
— Kentucky blue grass speckled with blos
soms of white clover. This natural lawn cov
ered all the clear spaces. Better parade and
drill ground regiment never had.

Qxtcat* 25
June 3d, 1861, the regiment left Caseyville
for Cairo, via St. Louis, by steamer. At Cairo
the term of enlistment — three months — ex
pired. Meetings were held among the men
and the question of re-enlistment discussed.
With few exceptions the regiment re-entered
the service for three years.
Lieutenant Ducat was commissioned as
Captain of Company A. In this more respon
sible position Captain Ducat, as always before,
did his full part. The Government having de
cided to put an end to the attitude of neutrality
assumed by the authorities of Kentucky, Gen
eral Charles F. Smith, with a command of
western troops, including the 12th Illinois, was
ordered to seize and occupy Paducah at the
mouth of the Tennessee River. This impor
tant movement was promptly accomplished.
In August, 1861, the regiment went into camp
at Paducah near the Marine Hospital as a part
of General Smith's division and under that of
ficer's command joined in the demonstration
in the rear of Columbus during the battle of
Belmont. A vacancy having about this time
occurred in the majority of the regiment Cap
tain Ducat was appointed to fill it. He was
with the regiment in the reconnoissance of

26 ^Hemciv*
Fort Donelson, and also in the battles of
Forts Henry and Donelson in the following
February. While riding along the lines with Colonel
McArthur and other officers across some open
ground near one of the out-works of Donel
son Major Ducat had the distinction of being
the first man in the regiment hurt by the en
emy's fire. Several shells were sent in rapid
succession and a fragment of one stunned and
dismounted him, but fortunately the injury
proved slight and he immediately returned to
duty and was in command of the left wing of
the regiment a day or two later in the battle
preceding the surrender of the rebel army.
For his gallantry at Donelson he received
honorable mention in the report of the general
commanding. That winter this division of
the army was not aggressive, and Major Ducat
spent some of his time in instructing the sol
diers in both defense and field tactics. In
April, 1862, he was appointed lieutenant-col
onel. The command proceeded to Clarks-
ville and Nashville under General Grant in a
general forward movement. It was in the op
erations at Pittsburg Landing and in the ad
vance on Corinth.

gJttmt. 27
Up to this point things had gone well with
him; he had received three promotions which
he valued, and was conscious that he was at
tracting more and more the notice of his su
perior officers.
He was appointed to a staff position which,
as it would interrupt, if not finally prevent his
further rising in rank, was not fortunate. At
the time he was no doubt gratified; but be
fore very long he realized that it was no favor
that was thus done him.
He was attached as senior officer on the
staff of Major-General E. O. C. Ord; he
served in that capacity at the battle of Iuka
and after until Major-General Rosecrans took
command of the army at Corinth and ordered
him to his staff in command of grand guards
and outposts. At the severe battle of Corinth,
and in the subsequent pursuit' of the enemy,
he served as senior aid-de-camp, and received
warm congratulations from the general com
manding, not only for bravery in the field, but
for military efficiency before and during the
battle and pursuit. He was, while in pursuit
and on the return, sixty consecutive hours in
the saddle, with the exception of short halts
while writing dispatches or changing horses,

28 %$lem&iv.
an achievement which, regarded as an in
stance of physical endurance, stands, it is be
lieved, alone in the whole course of the war.
A war correspondent of a New York news
paper furnished an erroneous account of this
incident, which Colonel Ducat corrected as
follows :
"How untrue are the anecdotes of history;
and if history is in part to be made up from
anecdotes, how untrue is history! For in
stance, this paragraph, picked up by a news
paper man somewhere, I presume from a third
or fourth telling, is in few ways correct.
"What are the facts? After the battle of
Corinth, and returning from the pursuit of the
enemy from Ripley, Mississippi, I was in the
advance of the staff, with my orderlies and two
or three officers of my own department. It
was my duty to make a reconnoissance of the
bridge in front over the Hatchie River, which
I did in person, on the gallop, and there being
about ten to fifteen feet (I never measured it)
of planking out of the rickety old wooden
structure, my horse, a thoroughbred, 'Red
Oak,' jumped it. Lieutenant Lyford, next
after me, jumped it, but Colonel Kennett, who
came third, went through the hole, as well as

gJttmt. 29
two orderlies, into the river, which luckily was
not over four or five feet deep, but deep
enough to break the fall, and no damage was
done but the ducking, and all had a hearty
laugh. We shouted to the General and bal
ance of the staff with the escort of cavalry to
go down the river two miles to a ford, which
the topographical map indicated, and to come
up on our side of the river. I thought I would
take a snooze in the interim, so getting some
rails from a rail fence, and slanting them in
comfortable form I unstrapped my blanket
and horse blanket, and wrapping myself and
horse, laid down with my arm through the
bridle and was fast asleep in a minute or two.
"When General Rosecrans came up, he
found me there in this position, and it was he
that took me by the collar and jerked me upon
my feet and said, 'Ducat, get on your horse;
he has been pawing your face, and we can
not leave you here all night in the swamps
with the enemy's cavalry within two miles of
us.' I had ridden sixty consecutive hours,
which is, I believe, as long as any ride of
record in the United States Army, and replied
to General Rosecrans in a dignified way that
as a rule he knew I obeyed orders, but it being

30 %$snt0iv,
my horse and my face I declined to obey now,
and desired to be left alone. The. result was
that I was left there and slept until long after
daylight the next morning; got upon my
horse, followed the trail, fell fast asleep on my
horse again, and was only awakened by his
going into a stream to drink, when the over
hanging boughs of a beach tree knocked my
hat off and came near dismounting me. I got
off, recovered the hat about one hundred yards
down the creek, and followed the trail of the
staff to Kossuth, where I found them
bivouacked in a farm yard that night. This
is the. true anecdote.
"I might add that on my ride to Kossuth I
came plump into a regiment of the enemy's
infantry that had been m at Corinth to bury
their dead, and of which I was not aware.
My conversation with the commanding officer
of that regiment until I knew his mission and
that he was under 'a flag' can be fancied."
Previous to the battle of Corinth, Ducat was
appointed by General Grant, Inspector-Gen
eral of the Second Division of West Tennes
see, but the battle prevented his joining an
other command. Shortly after the battle he
conducted a flag of truce to the enemy at Holly

fJJwmt. 31
Springs, a distance of sixty-three miles
through a country infested with a superior
number of guerrillas, he being sent on a mis
sion requiring diplomacy and good manage
ment. While out with this flag of truce an incident
occurred of a most unpleasant nature, one
which, in fact, came near having serious conse
quences. Colonel Ducat was attacked in his
hotel at Holly Springs by some rebel officers
of a Tennessee regiment, and was compelled
to barricade himself in his room. He with his
aides lay prostrate on the floor, and at inter
vals all through one night answered with shots
from revolvers the fire of his assailants. Next
morning he informed the commander of the
rebel post of the outrage, and received the fol
lowing reply: Headquarters of Post,
Holly Springs, Oct. 20th, 1862.
Colonel: I learn with regret that discourtesy
was shown you last night at the hotel by certain
soldiers or officers of the Confederate Army. This
is to request you to give me a full statement of the
facts, and, if possible, the names of the parties.
They shall be punished for their rudeness. Very
respectfully, J. A. ORR,
Colonel Commanding Post.
Lieut-Col. A. C. Ducat, of Federal Army.

32 %$tsmoxv.
It is unnecessary to describe at length the
battle of Corinth further than to notice the
part taken by Colonel Ducat in that important
event. Iuka, a few days previously, had been a
hard-fought field, but the numbers engaged
were few on either side, and the victory de
cided nothing. Colonel Ducat had important
and hazardous duties in that fight, and in dis
charging them showed both courage, good
judgment, and gallantry. Corinth was the first
great battle he was engaged in as a member
of the staff of the General in command and
there he greatly distinguished himself by his
coolness and daring.
It had been the order of General Rosecrans,
in forming the line of battle, that General
Hamilton's division was to touch with his left
the right of General Davies' division on the
first day. Colonel Ducat, finding the left and
center driven, went to see what General Ham
ilton was doing, or could do, and found he
had not closed the line, and was away to the
right so far that the enemy had actually de
ployed a strong skirmish line, feeling its way
around the Union right. Ducat rode through
this line of skirmishers to find Hamilton, and

gJttJCCtt 33
ordered him to close in and attack the enemy's
left flank. Hamilton declined to obey without
General Rosecrans' written order. Ducat
again rode through the skirmish line to Gen
eral Rosecrans, procured the order and rode
again through the line and exposed to its fire,
to Hamilton, where he delivered the order and
had the pleasure of seeing the attack success
fully made at the time it was so critically need
ed. The two orderlies sent after Ducat, with
similar written orders, in case Ducat couldn't
reach Hamilton, were killed on the way. This
service is mentioned in General Rosecrans'
paper on the battle of Corinth in the Century
Magazine of October, 1886.
Some field dispatches written or carried by
Colonel Ducat were preserved by him, and
these may now be given.
In the Battle of Corinth,
On General Hamilton's Right,
3.30 P. M., Oct. 2nd, 1862.
General Rosecrans: General Sullivan has gone
down to attack on General Davies' right. General
Buford commands the right and is rapidly closing
in on the enemy's flank. As I write General Sulli
van is engaged.
I have recommended General Hamilton to keep
his artillery well in. He can not use it now. One
battery I have sent down to Sullivan.
3

34 ffietnoiv.
They are shelling the place where I write. I
doubt if I shall be able to reach you by the Purdy
road. I send a copy of this round out of fire.
We are losing many men, and the engagement is
general and fast increasing. I have accomplished
all you sent me to do and superintended all the
movements and formations as you directed.
A. C. DUCAT,
Lieutenant-Colonel and Chief of Grand Guards.
Headquarters Army of the Mississippi,
10 A. M., October 3rd, 1862.
Brigadier-General Davies, Commanding Second
Division:
General: Rush forward your skirmishers on
your front and feel of what you have got to handle,
if anything.
We may assume the offensive very soon; it de
pends upon the pressure that may come on the
right. The Purdy road is guarded by cavalry.
General Hamilton is on your right on the Purdy
road at the rebel works.
A battalion of cavalry will be sent out to scout
from front towards Chewalla by Bolivar road and
then to left.
By Order of MAJOR-GENERAL ROSECRANS.
Arthur C. Ducat, Lieutenant-Colonel and Chief
of Grand Guards.
Headquarters, Army of the Mississippi,
11 A. M., October 3rd, 1862.
General: If you have not already sent out a

Qncat. 35
party of skirmishers on your front, where are the
rebel works, the General recommends that you do
so, and feel the woods on their flanks on the Bolivar
road. A short distance beyond the abatis on your
front on the Bolivar road there is a good command
which needs watching. There is also a road to the
left from the Bolivar road at the above-mentioned
ridge. There is a bridle path on your left going through
the rebel works and the abatis which will need
your attention. It is between the Bolivar and Che-
walla roads.
By Order of MAJOR-GENERAL ROSECRANS.
A. C. Ducat, Acting Assistant Ins. Gen.
Headquarters, Army of the Mississippi,
12 O'clock noon, October 3rd, 1862.
Brigadier-General Hamilton:
General: Rest your left on General Davies, and
swing round your right and attack the enemy on
their left flank. Reinforce on your right and cen
ter. Be careful not to get under Davies' guns.
Keep your troops well in hand. Get well this way.
Do not extend too much to your right. Would be
well to put your artillery, well supported, on ridge
where your skirmishers were when Colonel Ducat
left. This may be too far to the right. Use your
own Judgment.
By Order of MAJOR-GENERAL ROSECRANS.
A. C. Ducat, Lieutenant-Colonel and Chief of
Staff.

36 ptemtftrv
Headquarters, Army of the Mississippi,
Jonesboro, Tenn., October 7th, 1862.
Major-General Hurlburt:
General: I dispatched you last night. Our ad
vance is now at Rugersville or near there. I have
been trying to determine whether Price and Van
Dorn stick together, and what are the routes of re
treat. The question is still unsettled, but a portion
of Price's train camped west of the Hatchie, and a
large portion of Van Dora's train is reported to
have come west of the Muddy. From the front the
news is that they have not separated. You are a
fighting general. You must support us. We have
watched railroads and points long enough. Now
is the time to make the enemy watch. Now is the
time. Move Heaven and earth to get what you
want — your artillery in shape, etc., and let us go
into them. We can do it and others must look
after the country we leave in the rear.
Sunrise dispatch received. Sherman must move
on Pillow and the other people who rally to him.
We want you. If we are pressed we must fight and
whip. At the very least you must not leave your
present position now. Your position is a good one.
You say it is my victory. I consider the one-half
of it yours. You have gained the last point and
certainly not the least. I have ordered fifty wagons
of provisions to you. Let us go on. We have the
whole thing before us. What says Grant?
By Order of MAJOR-GENERAL ROSECRANS.
A. C. Ducat, Lieutenant-Colonel and Acting Ins.
Gen.

gJwjcat, 37
CHAPTER VI.

COMES NORTH WITH GENERAL
ROSECRANS.
General Rosecrans was ordered to proceed
northward and take command of the army
heretofore in command of Major-General
Don Carlos Buell, and known as the Army of
Ohio. At the same time Colonel Ducat was
ordered by the War Department to accompany
General Rosecrans, and in the order was
named as chief of staff. He had received no
previous intimation of a. purpose to transfer
him from the Army of the Tennessee, to which
he was much attached; but he had great ad
miration for and confidence in General Rose
crans, and was quite willing to follow him and
partake in his fortunes. The headquarters of
the army were practically at Louisville, but
the greater portion of the army itself was at
Bowling Green. It was a reduced and discour
aged force. Originally it had numbered one
hundred thousand men, but greatly less than
that number were now on its muster rolls ; and
upwards of twenty-four thousand were absent

38 ^tetnoiv*
on leave ; six thousand four hundred and eigh
ty-four men were absent without leave. The
effective force which General Rosecrans had
succeeded to was, therefore, about sixty-five
thousand strong. This army required to be re
organized. The commanding general entered
upon this duty with promptness and zeal, and
he found in his chief of staff an assistant of sur
prising skill and energy. Colonel Ducat was
in his true element — he had been a student of
military organization, and he regarded disci
pline as the chief requisite of military success.
Opportunely he was relieved of the duties of
chief of staff, as he all along had known he
would be, upon the arrival of his intended
successor, the gallant and accomplished Julius
Garesche. Now he was given engineering
work — employment he had been familiar with
from boyhood — upon the Louisville & Nash
ville Railroad, which had been half destroyed
by the enemy. The army drew some supplies
from Louisville, and with difficulty proceeded
to Nashville. General Negley, who afterward
became one of Colonel Ducat's warm friends,
was already there. But the railroad was not
yet fully re-opened, and though the enemy
were operating in the vicinity, in a manner to

fPimrt 39
annoy General Rosecrans, he was not able to
at once assume the offensive. Meantime Col
onel Ducat, what with his engineering and his
studying how to better some of the conditions
of the army's organization, was extremely
busy. He then and there, in his capacity of
inspector-general, devised a new system of
division and brigade enumeration, and a new
description and ordering of flags. He had the
approval of General Rosecrans, who adopted
them in an official order.
Let it be repeated, this is not a history of the
war; nor is it the purpose of this writing to
include and describe all of Colonel Ducat's
actions and labors in the war. Only such and
so many incidents and actions, personally at
taching to him as soldier and patriot, as are
best calculated to mark and illustrate his
character, is it attempted here to present. The
battles of Stone River and Tullahoma, hard
and bloody conflicts that they were, can only
be mentioned in passing. They resulted in
added reputation to Rosecrans; in them he
achieved glory his detractors have not been
able to dim. At his side was Colonel Ducat,
or only absent from him in different parts of
the hotly contested fields, while executing

40 H^teTOxrtr.
faithfully and fearlessly orders received direct
from him. The Chief of Staff Garesche had
fallen, but his friend and associate was un
harmed, and proudly witnessed the skillful and
daring conduct of his commander. That splen
did conduct so impressed him that ever after
when some enemy to "Old Rosy" would
spring up, and in a public speech or in the
press assail him, Ducat became suddenly
angry and rushed in with a reply. For in
stance in answer to an article published long
after the war in a Chicago newspaper he said,
also in a Chicago newspaper, this, among
other indignant things:
"General Rosecrans is a great and successful
soldier and a generous friend. Rich Moun
tain, Carnifax Ferry, Iuka, Corinth, Stone
River, Tullahoma, Chattanooga, and Chicka-
mauga would be glory enough for one man,
and would entitle him to the respect and grati
tude of a people for what he has done, in al
most any other country or time, and it is not
his fault that devotion to his family, sore afflic
tion, and the necessity of earning a support,
together with the sensitive nature that is al
ways found to exist in men of his bravery and
genius, have prevented him from coming for-

gJttCCtt* 41
ward to resist the attacks of calumniators
whose chief object is to filch from him his well-
earned glory and build up their smirched repu
tations on his deeds."

CHAPTER VII.

CHATTANOOGA AND CHICKA-
MAUGA.
After the successful and glorious fighting at
Stone River, and having made secure of Mur
freesboro', it was General Rosecrans' next
business to advance and clear Middle Tennes
see of the enemy. The rebel Bragg was in
that section with a superior force, and he with
other rebel officers held a number of strong
points. General Rosecrans moved forward,
fighting every mile of the way and always
pushing Bragg until finally without a serious
engagement — simply by masterly strategy —
Middle Tennessee was cleared of the enemy.
Chattanooga, held and strongly fortified by
the rebels, and the objective point of Rose
crans' army, was abandoned by Bragg's order;
he could no longer hold that place, and he
hoped to take up a new position, that he could

42 pterooti?*
make equally strong, near the Chickamauga.
Chattanooga was entered by Rosecrans' army
and Colonel Ducat's first important duty there
was made known to him in an official order.
Headquarters, Department of the Cumberland,
Chattanooga, Sept. 11th, 1863.
Colonel: The General commanding directs you,
in company with Brigadier-General Morton, to
make a thorough examination of the defensive
works in and about this place, and the available
position for troops, and make a written report of
the result of your examination. Very respectfully,
G. GODDARD, A. A. G.
Lieut-Col. A. C. Duoat, Asst. Ins. Gen.
The report was that Chattanooga could
be defended against any assault. But soon the
accumulation of the enemy's forces on the
Chickamauga, the greater portion of Rose
crans' army was required to move out and
challenge Bragg, with his army seventy thou
sand strong, to a decisive battle. In concen
trating Rosecrans' forces some unfortunate ac
cidents occurred, but at last fifty-five thousand
men were all posted to advantage. The battle
commenced and raged fiercely throughout the
day (Saturday, September 19th). When night
fell neither army had much the advantage.

fptwrat. 43
Next morning Breckenridge, on the rebel
side, began the conflict, and was quickly fol
lowed by all the rebel divisions. The principal
weight of their attack was upon the right wing
of the Union army which stood wonderfully
for a time, but at length was crushed and its
fragments driven on the road to Chattanooga.
Rosecrans re-entered Chattanooga and from
there resumed the direction of the army, mean
time the left wing did not share the demorali
zation to a fatal extent, but finally it moved
from the field. Rosecrans was in possession of
Chattanooga, the place the fight was for, and
the rebels had gained a fruitless victory on
the field. It is a question with military critics
and historians to this day whether Rosecrans
sustained such a defeat as justified his removal
from command. Colonel Ducat held strongly
an opinion on this question; Rosecrans was
removed. General Thomas was appointed to
succeed him and Colonel Ducat was assigned
to his staff with the old rank and duties.
Among General Ducat's papers were found
some copies of Chickamauga's field dispatches
which have a personal as well as military in
terest, but as they deal with questions that
might revive old controversies it has been
deemed wiser to suppress them.

44 |#Um<*ttr*
At the great battle of Chickamauga, when
the right was turned and driven, Colonel
Ducat refused to leave the field with the staff,
asking for volunteers from it to remain with
him and assist in rallying the right wing, which
he believed to be possible. Captains Burt and
Hill, Lieutenants Porter and Reynolds, and
Captain Garner, commanding the cavalry es
cort, and his company responded to his urgent
appeal. He succeeded in making a stand in
the Dry Valley, reforming the commands,
and when joined by General Sheridan, Colonel
McKibben, et al., went with the troops to the
support of General George H. Thomas, then
holding the left against tremendous odds.
Having taken so distinguished a part in the
battle, General Rosecrans requested him to
write out a formal report of his actions and ob
servations on the field.
In the great fire of Chicago, October 9th
and 10th, 1871, many dispatches were burned,
indeed in that conflagration General Ducat
lost the greater part of his military treasures.
This fact he afterwards communicated to Gen
eral Rosecrans, who was then in Mexico, and
received the following sympathetic reply:

ipurot* 45
Mexico, April 5th, 1873.
General A. C. Ducat: •
Dear Friend: It is a great pity that nearly
all the original papers of your military record,
so precious to yourself and friends, were destroyed
in that terrible conflagration. But there is some
satisfaction that the records of the War Depart
ment have enough to attest them, and to verify
what your friends will be glad to say of so gallant
and useful a soldier as yourself during the late War
of the Union against the Rebellion.
Your services with me began when I was in com
mand of the Army of the Mississippi, just previous
to the battle of Corinth, in which you acted as an
Inspector-General on my staff, and bore a gallant
and distinguished part during the two memorable
days of the contest, as well as during the subse
quent pursuit of the enemy.
Soon after the battle I was assigned to the com
mand of the Department of the Cumberland and tbe
Fourteenth Army Corps, and you were offered and
accepted the position of Inspector-General on my
staff. In this capacity you elaborated the details of that
valuable system which gave such vigor to the In
spector-General's Department of the famous Army
of the Cumberland, and the forms of which, with
trifling alterations, were subsequently adopted by
the United States Army. The importance of this
work will be the better appreciated when it is un
derstood that the Inspector-General's Department
of the Army of the Cumberland was a new creation,

46 ptemottr*
that of the old regular army having been buried in
the mass of volunteer armies improvised and
thrown into the field to meet the national danger,
and to organize as best they could.
After what I have said in official reports in com
mendation of your abilities in your department,
gallantry in action and tried fidelity to duty, it will
not be much to repeat here, my dear General, that
while under my command you were distinguished
for organizing capacity, clearness, method, dili
gence, promptitude, untiring industry, irreproach
able morals and great gallantry. I remain yours always,
W. S. ROSECRANS.

CHAPTER VIII.

ON SICK LEAVE— THE COLONELCY
OF THE TWELFTH— RESIGNS.
Colonel Ducat was warmly received by Ma
jor-General Thomas into his military family.
The Inspector-General had been observed and
admired by him long before he personally had
his assistance on that wild Sunday at Chicka
mauga. Among Colonel Ducat's military pa
pers are two letters, both of antecedent dates,
from General Thomas, one, bearing date of
November 8, 1863, expressing concern at the

Qucat. 47
former's illness and wishing him a speedy re
covery, and another of a date one month ear
lier, enclosing a letter to the Secretary of War
recommending him for appointment as Briga
dier-General. General Ducat had been very
ill of camp dysentery in the fall of 1863, and
was permitted to return to Chicago for twenty
days to recruit bis health. He did not recover
as rapidly as he had hoped, and his furlough
was extended; and when, after two months'
absence, he did rejoin the army, he was far
from being strong. In the summer of 1864
his malady returned upon him, and he was
again ordered by the army surgeon to proceed
north for rest and recuperation. Accordingly
he wrote to General Thomas, resigning his po
sition on the General's staff, and received the
following written response:
Chattanooga, Tenn., July 22, 1864.
Colonel: Your favor of the 20th was received
this morning. I regret deeply that your health
compelled you to resign, as we can not spare our
efficient and energetic officers. Be assured of my
warmest sympathy, and with the hope that quiet
and care may in a short time restore you to health,
so that you can return to the service, where your
energy and zeal will always ensure you a welcome.
I remain, yours very truly,
GEO. H. THOMAS,
Major-General.

48 ffimtciv.
On the occasion of Colonel Ducat's finally
retiring from the army, Major-General
Thomas wrote him:
Colonel: Your favor of the 20th is just received.
I regret exceedingly that your health has com
pelled you to resign from the army. You have
my sincere sympathy. You have been an efficient
and energetic officer, and can illy be spared from
the service. I trust that health may return to
you speedily, and that you may have a long and
prosperous life. I remain truly yours,
GEO. H. THOMAS,
U. S. Army Commanding.
Lieut.-Col. A. C. Ducat, Chicago, 111.
And on the same occasion General U. S.
Grant promulgated the following:
Headquarters Military Division
of the Mississippi,
Nashville, Tenn., February 19, 1864.
Lieut.-Col. Ducat leaves the service in conse
quence of ill health alone. His services have been
valuable and fully appreciated by all those under
whom he has served, as is shown by the fact that
he rose from the position of private, then first
lieutenant and adjutant of his regiment to lieu
tenant-colonel of it, and finally to be inspector-
general of the Department of the Cumberland.
U. S. GRANT,
Major-General.

gJwmt* 49
The date of Colonel Ducat's resignation was
February 19, 1864. He immediately returned
to Chicago, but not at once to business activi
ties, as he was advised by physicians to devote
himself exclusively for some time to the re
gaining of his health. It is certain, too, that he
looked forward with more or less confidence
to a possible appointment to a position of rank
in the regular army, after the war should be
over, and so was doubtful as to his ever going
again into any business pursuit.
CHAPTER IX.

CHIEFS OF STAFF — DUCAT, GAR
ESCHE AND GARFIELD.
General Ducat performed, as has been seen,
double duty in the battle of Corinth; he was
Assistant Inspector-General on General Rose
crans' staff, and also Acting Chief of Staff.
It was known to all who were near to the
Commanding General that he was only await
ing the arrival of Colonel Julius Garesche" to
make that accomplished soldier his Chief of
Staff. During the short time Colonel Ducat
and Colonel Garesche" were together on the
4

50 ffiemciv*
staff, they conceived a great liking for each
other, and a genuine friendship was growing
up between them, when intercourse was closed
by Garesche's death. Some letters written by
him and his brother to Colonel Ducat seem to
demand a place in this narrative. When in
1863 Colonel Ducat was about to leave head
quarters on sick leave, he was expecting to
come north by way of Cincinnati, and Gar
esche^ learning this, wrote him a letter of in
troduction to his brother, who was in religious
duty at St. Xavier in Cincinnati. The letter
was not delivered in person, but sent in the
mails from Chicago. Afterwards it was re
turned to Colonel Ducat. This is it:
Camp near Lavergne, Tenn.,
Sunday, December 28, 1863.
My Dear Brother: I have had no time to write
to you. But let me now introduce to you one
whom in a very short time I have learned to
esteem and regard as an old friend, and whom I
have requested to call on you. Receive him as
my friend, dear brother. He will tell you all
about me, and that I have no leisure now to write.
I forgot to name Lieut.-Col. Ducat, Assistant In
spector-General on General Rosecrans' staff. The
General thinks all the world of him; and there is
but one thing wanting in him — which is, that he

Qxtcat. 51
should become a Catholic. Kind regards to all
the Fathers, and believe me as ever,
Your affectionate brother and friend,
JULIUS GARESCHE.
Garesche's brother having received the fore
going letter in due course of mail, acknowl
edged the receipt of it in the following touch
ing epistle: St. Xavier, Cincinnati, Ohio,
February 17, 1863.
Lieut.-Col. Ducat, U. S. A.:
Dear Sir: Your kind letter of the 29th ult., was
duly received, and makes me regret that your
route did not lie through Cincinnati. If you, who
knew him for so short a time, became so much
attached to him, think what must be our love for
him, whom we have always regarded as a model
in our family. In this unhappy war, families have
been cruelly divided, and I have seen a brother
cursing another, though he supposed him mor
tally wounded; but such was the attachment to
Julius that he was loved if possible even more
than before, by those of his family who did not
approve his judgment, though they defended his
course. The letter which you enclosed to me was like
a voice from the tomb. I have heard before of
the feelings which such incidents excite, but I
did not anticipate how melancholy and yet how
consoling they are. You say the letter is mine.
I thank your kindness for allowing a claim which

52 ffiemviv.
I could not have made, since it permits me to re
turn in some slight measure the favor you have
conferred. I have delayed this answer in hopes to send
you a photograph of poor Jules, but I have not
yet received the copies which were sent me. As
soon as I do so, I will take the liberty of forward
ing one to your address.
I hope, my dear sir (I was about to write
friend), that you will ponder the hint contained
in the last paragraph of the letter which you so
highly prize. I cannot more than allude to the
subject, for I should be doubtful of the propriety
of so much, were it not for the circumstances of
the case. Yours gratefully, F. P. GARESCHE.
The third chief in succession of the staff of
General Rosecrans was General James A. Gar
field (afterwards President of the United
States), who entered the service as Lieutenant-
Colonel of an Ohio regiment. He was con
stantly with Colonel Ducat, and came to know
him well, and afterwards he had this to say of
him: "I never knew a man who hated humbug,
red tape and circumlocution as much as Ducat
did.. He made short cuts to whatever was
to be done, or whatever he had to do, he was
direct and forcible, restless under long instruc-

gJttmt* 53
tions, discussions and iteration. He had a
quick and comprehensive mind, and was so
prompt that we had to consider things were,
before they were given to him to do. He never
disobeyed an order, but supported his superi
ors to his fullest ability, even when his judg
ment did not approve. He was in himself a
model example of thorough discipline."
As early as 1863 many of the commanding
officers of the Army of the Cumberland united
in recommending him for appointment as
Brigadier-General. This was at a time when
Ducat would have been satisfied with having
the colonelcy of his regiment, to which he was
entitled and which had been so many times
promised him. General Garfield wrote:
Winchester, Tenn., August 1, 1863.
E. M. Stanton, Secretary of War:
Dear Sir: Lieutenant-Colonel A. C. Ducat has
been inspector general of this department since
November, 1862. He may be justly said to have
originated and set in operation our whole system
of inspection, which has done more for the effi
ciency of this army than any other influence. He
is a most thorough and able soldier, who has
adorned every position he has filled. I know of
but few men anywhere so worthy to fill the posi
tion of brigadier-general as he, and I earnestly
recommend his appointment. He has served with

54 $$lgnx0iv.
marked distinction in other fields before entering
this department. JAMES A. GARFIELD.
CHAPTER X.

AGAIN IN THE INSURANCE BUSI
NESS—MANAGER OF A GREAT
COMPANY.
General Ducat's health was more seriously
impaired than he was told by his physician, or
than he was willing to believe. He was, how
ever, advised against engaging in any exacting
business; but he had long neglected business
matters that needed to be put in order
and so, though he regarded himself as without
an occupation, he was not altogether idle.
And in the meantime his friends in the regular
army and particularly the officers with whom
he had served were using their influence to
bring him back into the service. They be
lieved they would succeed in their friendly pur
pose and as health improved he had more and
more hopes of returning to army life. His ap
plication was for brigadier-generalship in the
active service. At last an appointment as brig
adier-general was received by him, but it was

QKCCA* 55
for the Invalid Corps, and he promptly de
clined it. He was now as well as he ever could
expect to be, and he preferred going into busi
ness than into the army on such terms. Fi
nally, on July 12th, 1866, he received his ap
pointment brevet brigadier-general "for meri
torious services during the war," which was
purely complimentary. As soon as it was
known that General Ducat's health was suffi
ciently restored to permit him resuming busi
ness, a number of the greatest insurance com
panies, having their homes in New York, New
Haven, Hartford or Boston, or in London,
each made him advantageous proposals, look
ing to secure his influence and services
exclusively at Chicago for that city and
a large part of the West. It was an
affluent field of promise thus spread out
before him, and no matter what his choice
might have been of a company to represent
in it, he could not have failed of splendid suc
cess. To make a choice was difficult, but the
proposal of the Home Insurance Company of
New York impressed him as being more fa
vorable than any other, and accordingly he en
tered into contract with them in 1866, and im
mediately opened up in Chicago commodious

56 jpUrooitr,
and handsome offices, and began operations
with even more than his old judgment and vig
or. From that date, and as long as General
Ducat represented the "Home" company, its
record in city and country, within the Western
Department, was one of the most comprehen
sive successes. In a short time he easily
placed his company at the very head of all the
companies then doing insurance in this exten
sive region. Through the connection he at
tained great prosperity, and the company
through him gained large profits. He was by
all that were acquainted with the facts of un
derwriting regarded as a most judicious and
safe agent, and equally a safe and true friend
of the holders of policies. He ever recognized
the equities as between insurers and the in
sured, and consistently acting on those equi
ties, he obtained the confidence of the owners
of insurable property, and at the same time
made solid the position of his company before
the public.
Subsequently he was offered and accepted
the agencies of the Manhattan, Howard and
Citizens Insurance Companies of New York,
and with this additional support to his repre
sentation of the Home, in the West, he very

gJwmt- 57
greatly increased his professional influence and
importance. The year 1866 was a prosperous one for in
surance companies, and especially was it so in
relation to their transactions in Chicago. The
population of the city had increased to 200,-
000 and was rapidly growing; the money value
of individual buildings was constantly and
vastly increasing; and so, not only the num
ber of policies written, but the amounts they
represented, were doubled twice over those of
any former year. Agents from all quarters be
gan suddenly to pour into the city. The sharp
ness of the competition between companies
was now felt as never before. Again, there
fore, there was danger that the rules and regu
lations established by the Board of Under
writers, and approved by the most prominent
Eastern companies, would be, in many in
stances disregarded, and that the board itself
might be broken up. It required all of Gen
eral Ducat's energies and skill and all his in
fluence to hold the majority of agents in line.
The other leading agents of intelligence were
of course with him and greatly assisted. Many
an agent was a leader, but General Ducat was
THE leader, and as such he was universally re-

58 gjaentciv.
garded. If battles were to be fought in the
board he was among the first to be selected to
direct the forces of union and discretion and to
conduct negotiations. If important measures
were to be attempted with the great companies
by personal visits to the East and elsewhere,
he was, in most instances, chosen for the serv
ice. If legislation was desired in and for this
State, bearing on the business of insurance,
he was among those delegated to visit the
State capital to suggest and watch bills, and
to inform the members of the Legislature as
to the needs of the profession, if the interests
at once of the companies and the people at
large were to be safeguarded.
It has to be said that the lingering prestige
of the Board of Underwriters, more than the
positive assertion of its powers, carried the
whole body of underwriters over the confused
period from 1861-2 to 1867. That saving pres
tige was greatly owing to splendid efforts put
forth by General Ducat in the time before the
war. During the interval the strongest among
the companies were able to maintain for the
most part their rates, the old rates of the
board. But there was cutting by the weaker
companies, and the dozens of new and mostly

fPttJCCtk 59
clientless companies, that about that time
made their appearance in Chicago, had a most
demoralizing effect. Now, again, and with a
conquering will, General Ducat strove to have
adopted for one and all a definite and binding
tariff. A majority of the board, which was a
majority of all the agents in the city, once
more agreed to abide by a fixed classification
of risks; but not so the minority, made up of
representatives of certain Eastern companies,
who became restive under the board's unde
viating control. They were the weaker East
ern companies, and they hoped for some ad
vantage in revolt. There were a number of
regretted secessions from the board; but the
resolute majority, with General Ducat at their
head, stood and fought the battle out. The
struggle lasted for nearly a year, between the
board and its opponents — the interference of
the National Board was asked for; upon
what decision the National Board should ren
der depended apparently the very existence of
the Chicago organization. The decision was
not forthcoming, and fortunately at last it
was not needed, as the opposition relented and
came back into the board, and afterwards all
the members worked together in a community

60 mstemaiv*
of interest, for mutual protection under a fixed
tariff of rates and rules, of sound and healthy
practice of underwriting.
All this time General Ducat was not once
unmindful of the importance to insurance in
terests of a competent city fire department.
His suggestions to the fire chief were many
and timely and generally were well taken. He
continued to strengthen, out of contributions
by the insurance companies, the fire brigade
which originally was his own creation, and of
which he was the first captain. He was also
a member of the Citizens' Association, one of
whose objects was to better and encourage
the organization of firemen. While thus de
voted to the public interest, and to the general
interest of the Board of Underwriters, he did
not at all neglect those of his own companies.
At the time of the great fire, which was now
about to come upon Chicago, he had out for
the Home alone between two and three thou
sand policies, representing nearly $9,000,000.
Nearly a thousand policies covered buildings
that were destroyed in the conflagration. Some
$3,500,000 were promptly paid to policy hold
ers, and every dollar without a word of quib
bling, nor the delay of an hour longer than

gjwmt. 61
was necessary. The cheerful alacrity dis
played by General Ducat in the settlement of
all claims, and his painstaking assistance ren
dered in their adjustment where policies had
been destroyed by the fire, and his liberality
shown in every way, made a magnificent rec
ord for him and for his companies.
Long before this time the city had become
too large for the Fire Brigade, under its organ
ization of narrow scope. An organization of
somewhat a similar nature, but a hundred-fold
larger and stronger, was imperatively required,
in the interest both of the insurance companies
and the citizens. General Ducat suggested a
Fire Patrol, to be modeled after something of
the kind in New York City. The Board of Un
derwriters considered the matter, and after
such information as could be had from New
York, a committee, of which General Ducat
was chairman, was appointed to organize and
perfect a Fire Patrol, and to procure a fitting
equipment for it. The work of the committee
was completed September 29, and the Patrol
made its first appearance on the streets Octo
ber 2, 1871. But it was not in possession of a
full equipment till a few days later. On the
Saturday immediately before the great fire its

62 ffistnciv.
new and brilliantly painted carts arrived, and
the carefully selected horses were harnessed to
them, all the men turned out in clean uniform
suits and hats of glaze, and with considerable
pride and pomp showed themselves to the pub
lic. It was exclusively the affair of the insur
ance companies; they jointly purchased the
equipment; they proposed alone to pay the
cost of maintaining the Patrol. They appoint
ed — at General Ducat's request — Benjamin B.
Bulwinkle to be the head of the Patrol. A
home for the carts and stabling for the horses
and bunks for the men, these had all been pro
vided in a convenient quarter. But unfortu
nately it was in a quarter that was early
reached by the conflagration which began the
next day, and the Patrol and its belongings
was consumed in it. Some of the companies
that had contributed to organize and support
it were rendered insolvent, and for a short
time its reorganization was delayed; but the
original friends, who had once given it body
and life, were equal to the task of reviving and
perpetuating it. For two or three years the
task was hard, but by 1875 the organization
was secure, and measures were taken to render
it perfect. A committee of the Board of Un-

fPttmt* 63
derwriters was appointed to prepare rules and
regulations for the government of the Fire
Patrol. General Ducat was at the head of the
committee, consisting of himself, General C.
W. Drew and Thomas Buckley, and the rules
and regulations were largely of his devising.
They had a military cast, and were promul
gated in true military fashion. The Fire Pa
trol thus organized, equipped and started on its
career of unsurpassed usefulness, was a great
achievements; and while the credit of its crea
tion and promotion has to be divided among
several, it is only bare justice to say that Gen
eral Ducat is entitled to a large share of it.
He lived to see the Patrol brought to a stage
of development which even he, possibly, never
at the beginning dreamed of. He watched it
incessantly, so long as he did live, and the
chairman of the Fire Patrol Committee for
some years past and the present year, Mr.
James L. Ross, imparts the information that
the General was to the last a frequent visitor
to the different offices and stations of the or
ganization, giving helpful advice to the chair
man and cheering the men. It has grown to
be an organization commanding from con
venient points the entire city, and though the

64 gstemciv.
cost of its maintenance is upwards of $75,000
annually, its saving to the insurance compa
nies in salvages is often, at a single fire, as
much or more than that large sum.
General Ducat was alone in the manage
ment in the West of the Home Insurance
Company of New York and his other com
panies, until 1873, when he took Mr. George
M. Lyon into partnership. The partnership
continued until the General's death. The firm
of Ducat & Lyon was highly prosperous the
whole time of its existence, and had the un
wavering confidence of the entire public.
An incident connected with General Ducat's
administration of the Home Insurance Com
pany's affairs in Chicago is presented for in
sertion here by Mr. W. L. B. Jenney, an archi
tect of high standing and celebrity. It relates
to the style of steel construction of huge city
buildings, and goes far to prove that General
Ducat was in part the inventor of that order
of construction, while it proves absolutely that
Mr. Jenney was, if not the sole, unaided in
ventor, then that he had the greatest share in
the invention, and was the first who ever erect
ed an important structure on that system. Fol
lowing is the letter:

gjujcat* 65
Chicago, 111., April 19, 1897.
I first met General Charles Arthur Ducat at
Cairo in the early days of the rebellion. I was in
charge of the engineer works at the junction of
the Ohio and Mississippi, and at the time was
building a fort at Cairo Point. Colonel J. D. Web
ster, Chief of Staff to General Grant, introduced
us and informed me that General Ducat, who was
then Major of the Twelfth Illinois Infantry, was
an engineer, and that he had kindly offered his
services whenever he was off duty, which I was
only too glad to accept, and until the Fort was
completed Ducat spent considerable of his time in
charge of certain portions of the work.
In 1868, when I first came to Chicago, I found
General Ducat, and we renewed old associations.
In 1883, when the Home Insurance Company pro
posed to erect a building in Chicago, Ducat kindly
recommended me to be their architect.
The problem presented by the owners for the
first time, was to erect on a very compressible
soil a tall heavy building, divided above the sec
ond floor into the maximum number of small offices
and necessitating a large number of windows of
moderate size, reducing the piers between windows
to dimensions too small to carry the loads, if
built of ordinary masonry; hence, it became nec
essary to build metal columns in the piers. To
avoid the inconvenience from expansion and con
traction and to make the construction more homo
genous, the outside walls and floors were to be
carried, story by story, independently on the col
umns. 5

66 ipumirir*
General Ducat was the company's representative
in Chicago for the construction of this building,
and we were daily in consultation. I explained to
him the construction I proposed to adopt, which
was then entirely new, and which grew out of the
necessities of the case presented for the first
time. He evidently gave the matter considerable
thought. I often noticed him studying over the
drawings an hour at a time, without, however, ex
pressing any opinion in regard to the merits of
the new system.
At length the designs were completed. The
president of the company, Mr. Charles J. Martin,
the chairman of the building committee, Mr. Car
ter, and the other members of the committee, met
in my office. I explained th© designs. President
Martin asked where there was such a building.
I replied, that that building would be the first.
As business men, they naturally asked how I
knew that it would be successful, and the best
that could, under the circumstances, be devised?
I replied that I was ready to submit my designs
and calculations to any eminent bridge engineers;
that the construction resembled to a considerable
extent iron railway bridges standing on end, side
by side. General Ducat, as he was not a member
of the committee, requested to be allowed to make
a few remarks. He stated that he was an engi
neer before he was an insurance man; he had
carefully studied the designs, during their prog
ress from their first incipiency to their comple
tion; that he had informed himself in regard to
every detail; that up to the present time he had

Qtxcat. 67
given no opinion, but now he was ready to en
dorse the designs, constructively and economically,
and recommend that they be adopted and the work
commenced. The motion to that effect was made,
seconded, carried unanimously, and the contracts
were awarded.
During the entire construction of the building
i he was the representative of the building commit
tee in Chicago, and as the company's architect I
reported directly to him. He took a most active
interest in every minutia of the details, and otten
made valuable suggestions.
Yours very truly,
W. L. B. JENNEY.

CHAPTER XI.

ARMY-MADE FRIENDS— MILITARY
ORDER OF THE LOYAL LEGION.
Though deeply immersed in business, and
now become a man of mark in civil life, Gen
eral Ducat still did not once forget his old
army friends. Many of them at a distance, he
corresponded with; and those who lived in
his own city or section he ever sought to be
on friendliest terms with. He warmly approved
of the organization of the Grand Army of the
Republic, and was, in the early days of it, a

68 gemote.
frequent visitor at some of its posts. And he
hailed with enthusiasm the Military Order of
the Loyal Legion, as one in which ex-officers
would be sure to renew and perpetuate army-
made friendships. A few words of the history
of this order will suffice to show how much he
had to do with the procuring to be organized
in Chicago the Commandery of Illinois.
In 1865, the year in which the war closed,
and one day after the assassination of Presi
dent Lincoln, a few ex-officers of the army —
some authorities say their number was as low
as three, and all residents of Philadelphia, Pa.
— met in Independence Hall, of that city, and
devised a scheme for a commemorative and pa
triotic society, whose members should all have
held commissions in the army or navy or ma
rine corps of the United States. A constitution
and by-laws were framed, officers elected, and
from that day the Military Order of the Loyal
Legion, U. S., was established. The first elect
ed member of the society was Abraham Lin
coln, and he, at the moment of his election,
was lying dead in the Executive Mansion at
Washington, He never having held a com
mission in the army, although he was constitu
tional commander-in-chief of the military and

gittmt* 69
naval forces of the United States, he was neces
sarily elected as an honorary member only.
The order was of slow growth for some time,
and at first there seemed a purpose in many
influential quarters to discourage its projectors
and advocates. Here and there the historical
fact was recalled, that the very similar order
that Washington and the officers of the Revo
lutionary Army founded — the Society of the
Cincinnati — was in the time of it unpopular,
and that its members were accused of designs
inimical to the democratic character of popular
institutions. The principle of succession, by
which the eldest son of a member should be
entitled to his father's place on his death, it
was pointed out, was regarded in the former
time with general and extreme disfavor; and
that very principle of succession was in the
constitution of the Loyal Legion. But times
had a good deal changed, and institutions
somewhat, and soon it was seen that the ob
jection was not sustained by the general judg
ment. One gallant general after another be
came members, and here and there a popular
colonel or major or captain or lieutenant joined
the order; and soon it appeared certain that

70 pUm^ir.
nothing was likely to interrupt the order's
progress. For a considerable period the Pennsylvania
Commandery, at Philadelphia, was the only
one, and old soldiers residing in other places
were obliged to make application for member
ship in the "Acting Chief Commandery," at
Philadelphia, if they would share in the privi
leges and honors of the order. Many did so
make application, and among them was Lieu
tenant-General P. H. Sheridan. He had
known General Ducat well in the service, and
now he was stationed at Chicago, and had op
portunities of seeing his friend almost daily.
He was desirous that this particular army
friend of his should too become a member of
the Loyal Legion, and so expressed himself,
and volunteered to recommend him to the
Pennsylvania Commandery. He accordingly
wrote the following letter: Chicago, June 9, 1878.
My Dear Col. Mitchell : It gives me great pleas
ure to recommend for a companionship of the
first class, in the Military Order of the Loyal Le
gion of the United States of America and of the
Commandery of Pennsylvania, General Arthur C.
Ducat. I have known General Ducat for many years.

IPucat* 71
He served as Inspector General of the Army of
the Cumberland, during most of the time I was
connected with that army. He was an officer of
high standing and distinguished merit during that
time and for the period of the war. He now
commands all the military organizations of this
state, and possesses all the qualities necessary to
make him a desirable member of the order.
Yours truly, P. H. SHERIDAN,
Lieutenant-General.
To Lieut.-Col. S. B. Wylie Mitchell, Secretary
of L. L. U. S.
This application was of course successful,
both on account of the influential source of it,
and the good reputation of the gentleman so
proposed for membership. In due course Gen
eral Ducat was advised of his election; he
qualified as an enrolled companion, and more
than once made trips to Philadelphia on pur
pose to be present at meetings of the order.
He soon became greatly interested, and wished
for the establishment of a Commandery at Chi
cago. He made sure that other old soldiers
of this city would be glad to join a local Com
mandery, and then wrote to the Pennsylvania
Commandery for information how to proceed
in the matter. To his letter he received a reply,
which was as follows:

72 ipterouii?.
Military Order Loyal Legion U. S.
Headquarters, Commandery No. 1,
State of Pennsylvania.
Philadelphia, January 8th, 1879.
Col. Arthur C. Ducat, Chicago, Illinois:
Sir: Your communication of the 29th ultimo,
addressed to Brevet-Major-General Wm. D. Whip
ple, U. S. A., asking how to proceed in the estab
lishment of a Commandery of the Loyal Legion
in Chicago, has been referred by the general to the
undersigned, as the Recorder of said order, with
the request to communicate the necessary infor
mation. Accordingly I take pleasure in sending you a
copy of the constitution and by-laws, and respect
fully invite your attention to the following arti
cles: V., p. 9, on members.
VI., sec. 1, p. 10, on election of members — and
XXL, sec. 1, p. 33, on district commanders.
If, therefore, you forward to these headquarters
an application for the institution of a Commandery
in the State of Illinois, it should be signed by, at
least, thirteen (13) officers or ex-officers of the
army or navy, residents of Chicago; and be ac
companied with the military history of each. As
for the required recommendations, I will unite
with General Whipple; and from the manner in
which my friend Brevet-Lieut.-Col. Kilburn Knox
of the army has on several occasions spoken of
you, in this connection, to me, I am fully assured
he will vouch for any one that you may propose
for membership.

gJttJCat* 73
The enclosed forms explain themselves.
On reference to Art. VI., sec. 1, p. 55 of the
by-laws, you will perceive that this order is neith
er now, nor never will be, a political organization.
Its purposes are somewhat similar to those of that
almost extinct society of the Revolution, the Order
of the Cincinnati.
Any assistance that it may be in my power to
render you in this matter will be most cheerfully
accorded. The next meeting of the acting commandery-
in-chief of the order will be held on February
3d, proximo.
I have the honor to be, Colonel, very respect
fully, Your obedient servant,
S. B. WYLIE MITCHELL, Recorder.
Acting' on information contained in the
above letter, General Ducat and the gentlemen
interested with him in the enterprise, immedi
ately began work upon the preliminaries for
the organization, and establishment in Chi
cago, of the Commandery of the State of Illi
nois, of the Loyal Legion. The organization
was effected and. the Commandery instituted
May 8, 1879. Four officers and ten ex-officers
appeared, and qualified as charter members.
These were — Lieut.-Gen. Philip H. Sheridan,
U. S. A., Bvt.-Maj.-Gen. Delos B. Sacket, U.

14 jptemuit?.
S. A., and Bvt.-Maj.-Gen. Rufus Ingalls, U. S.
A. ; together with the following, all of the U.
S. Volunteers: Bvt.-Maj.-Gen. John M. Corse,
Bvt.-Maj.-Gen. Augustus L. Chetlain, Bvt.-
Brig.-Gen. Arthur C. Ducat, Brig.-Gen. Luther
P. Bradley, Col. John Mason Loomis, Bvt-
Lieut.-Col. James J. Hoyt, Bvt.-Maj. Taylor P.
Rundlet, Bvt.-Lieut.-Col. Henry W. Farrar,
Bvt.-Maj. George T. Burroughs, and Capt.
James C. White. The first commander was
Lieut-Gen. Philip H. Sheridan. The order
rapidly increased its numbers after the first
few months of its existence. Of elected mem
bers, Capt. Roswell H. Mason is the senior,
he having been first to join after the organiza
tion. Gen. U. S. Grant was an early member;
Rutherfcrd B. Hayes soon joined, as also did
General Logan and many other distinguished
officers, who were also eminent as citizens.
Captain Richard Robins was the first recorder.
He served one year, when Col. C. W. Davis"
was chosen such officer, and he held the post
continuously until within the present year
(1897), when he resigned, and Capt. R. H. Ma
son was elected to succeed him. The member
ship, which at the beginning was only four
teen, is now five hundred and ninety-six.

Qttcat* 75
General Ducat was proud of his connection
with this patriotic order, and for his fellow
members he ever entertained very warm feel
ings of friendship and regard. These feelings
were reciprocated by the members, as was
shown in many ways and from time to time.
The principal offices of the Commandery were
by promotion conferred upon him, he having
been elected Junior Vice-Commander to serve
from May, 1879, to May, 1880, and again to
the same office to serve from May, 1884, to
May, 1885. He was Senior Vice-Commander
in 1885 for one year, and Commander from
1886 to 1887. It is the testimony of all the
members, that no commander the order has
ever had has surpassed him in popularity and
influence. Reference has been made to the principle of
inheritance in the constitution of the Loyal
Legion. It will perhaps be a surprise to some
of the best informed members, upon matters
connected with the order, to learn that since
the Illinois Commandery was instituted, there
have been one hundred and thirty-four cases
of membership by succession. And one of
these is that of Arthur Charles Ducat, Jr., who
was educated at West Point, and is Captain
in the Twenty-fourth Infantry, U. S. Army.

76 ffisntciv.
CHAPTER XII.

BUYS TRACTS OF LAND— TRAVELS
ABROAD.
In 1868 General Ducat first began to gratify
his inherited passion for ownership of lands.
Since commencing business at Chicago his
home had been in the city, and sometimes in
the West Division, sometimes in the North
Division, but his constant longing was to
have an establishment in the country. The
suburban towns were then all new, and hardly
to be distinguished from the open country
which surrounded them. Evanston, now the
largest of Chicago's suburbs, had, in 1868,
not many inhabitants, and handsome improve
ments there were few and far between. Its
situation close by the great lake proved very
attractive to him, and accordingly he pur
chased lots there in the finest portion of the
town, which he liberally improved by the
planting of trees and shrubbery, and the laying
off and cultivating an extensive lawn. He
built a house there and for a number of years
it was his home. Evanston was growing and

Qvtcat* 77
improving, his property was increasing in
value, and now he saw, and improved, oppor
tunities to invest in other blocks and lots in the
vicinity, as a speculation. In time he became
a large owner of land at different points along
that region of the lake shore. Finally he dis
posed of the homestead and removed from the
town, though he still owned a good deal of
landed property there.
General Ducat had always a great liking for
Geneva Lake, Wis., to which his attention
was first called when he was employed in rail
road surveys, and about 1870 he purchased a
small but beautiful tract of land on the lake
front. His improvements, however, were very
modest, consisting only of a cottage, boat-
house and other buildings. He was exceed
ingly fond of boating, and he organized a
Yachting Club, of which he was the chief and
which prospered under his direction. He de
lighted in handling the boats and spent a great
deal of time on the water. This place he after
wards sold, but purchased a larger tract of
land in the vicinity further up the lake. He
did not improve this, but added to its size by
additional purchases, as he always had great
faith in the attractions of the charming lake

78 jplemair*
and its beautiful borders, and so, at the time of
his death, he was the owner of many choice
sites there for country seats.
General Ducat was also at the same time
interested with a number of friends in the Lin
den Heights Association, which secured
about eight hundred acres of magnificent farm
and forest land near Downer's Grove, Du
Page County, Illinois, and of this tract he
eventually became the sole owner by purchase
from the other stockholders.
Preferring a country residence for his fam
ily he built a house on his property in Down
er's Grove. There he lived the life of an Eng
lish country gentleman, so far as business
would allow him. An enthusiastic sportsman,
he took great interest in his horses and dogs.
Indeed he was as proud as he was fond of his
dogs, and one of them, "Brow" by name, he
thought fine enough for General P. H. Sheri
dan to own. Accordingly he sent him as a
present to the general at Washington, where
he arrived safely, as the following letter will
testify : Washington, D. C, April 23rd, 1888.
My Dear General Ducat: The dog Brow came
through to us all right, and turns out to be a beau-

LINDENWALD.

gJttcat* 79
tiful animal. Mrs. Sheridan and myself, and all
the children, send to you our sincere thanks for
your kindness and consideration. We fully ap
preciate your gift, and will always keep you in our
memories, and on my part not only from the old
ties of the War, when we served together, but also
from the pleasant relations of friendship which
have always been in our hearts. Yours very truly,
P. H. SHERIDAN.
The only drawback, at this period, to Gen
eral Ducat's happiness was his bad health.
Disease that he contracted in the army was
still troubling him and he found it necessary to
give up business for a time and travel; for if
he remained at home, so pressing and pros
perous was his business, that he could not well
give it up for even a week. It was not the first
time he had been in Europe since he left Ire
land for the United States. In 1873, he, in
company with Mr. Martin, the president of the
Home Insurance Company of New York (the
company which the General particularly repre
sented in Chicago), had gone to Ireland to
view the old homes and to visit in Dublin; and
he afterwards traveled on the continent. Thus
he was to enjoy and profit by a second ex
tensive tour in foreign lands. He made a con-

80 jpterotfir*
siderable sojourn in Paris, and was there treat
ed for his ailments by the best physicians.
After an absence of several months, he re
turned home apparently improved in health,
and resumed business.
In 1888 a pleasant incident occurred at
"Lindenwald," for so he had named his home
at Downer's Grove, in a visit that his comrades
and friends of the Loyal Legion paid him.
It was shortly after the expiration of his term
of office as Commander of the Order in Illi
nois. They came out in force and were cor
dially, even affectionately welcomed, and royal
ly entertained. He liberally provided them
with pleasures that by some are not forgotten
to this day.
An imperial photograph, finely executed, of
the ex-officers of the Union army, grouped in
the shade of old trees at "Lindenwald," is
made one of the historical decorations on the
walls of the rooms of the Loyal Legion, Illi
nois Commandery.
Upon the company's return to the city, a
committee, of which General William E.
Strong was chairman, was raised from among
the gentlemen named in the foregoing list to
make to General Ducat some acknowledgment

Qncat. 81
of his splendid hospitality. The letter which
the committee sent him shows the form which
the acknowledgment was made to take:
Chicago,  14th, 1888.
General Arthur C. Ducat,
Downer's Grove, 111.
Dear General: In behalf of all your companions
of the Illinois Commandery of the Loyal Legion,
your guests at Downer's Grove, on Saturday, June
23rd, last, I send with this a "loving cup." It is
but a trifling gift, yet it may serve to remind you
of the high esteem and tender regard in which you
are held by all your companions of the Loyal
Legion. In sending this token of our remembrance,
we also bear in mind that the pleasure of that most
hospitable occasion was largely due to the pres
ence of one near and dear to you; and speaking for
those whom I have the honor to represent, and by
their direction, I desire to convey to Mrs. Ducat
through you, their grateful appreciation of her
grace and courtesy towards your friends.
Accept, then, dear General, this cup, and with it
the love and admiration of all your companions.
They hope for you many years of happiness at
your beautiful home, and the fullest measure of suc
cess in every enterprise in which you may engage.
Ever sincerely yours, WILLIAM E. STRONG, Chairman.
6

82 ffiemciv.
But General Ducat did not allow himself
many holidays, appointed either by himself or
his friends ; and after three years more of close
attention to business, his health seemed about
to fail him again, and he was advised by his
physicians to take another vacation. He ac
cordingly made a third trip to Ireland, Eng
land and the continent. Again after a few
months' absence, he returned to his home,
having derived some benefit from his travels,
and took up once more his business cares.

CHAPTER XIII.

ILLINOIS MILITIA— DIVISION OF
NATIONAL GUARD OF ILLINOIS.
(If successive dates were followed, the present
and the two succeeding chapters should have place
at a distance back in this volume. But as the sub
ject of which they treat is military, but having to
do only with a single State, it has been thought best
to separate them by some space from the chapters
relating to the War of the Rebellion and to the
Army of the United States. Besides, it would ap
pear to be inconvenient to interrupt the general
narrative at any other point than this, to insert the
present chapters.)

Qxxcat* 83
Illinois, which had been one of the first of
the States to send her quota of fighting men
into the war to suppress the Rebellion, was,
after the close of the war slower than many of
the States to provide herself with an improved
and adequate militia. Illinois was by no means
exhausted by the war; but there was a result
ing lassitude as regarded military exertion felt
by nearly all the people that occasioned the
almost total loss of interest in the remains of
the old militia. The law under which the en
feebled militia was with difficulty kept organ
ized, was not then of recent date and was held
to be antiquated. In 1874 there was observed
to be a degree of socialistic unrest in certain
sections of the population, which was thought
to bode evil, and which before the year was
out, actually produced evil and peril in the fre
quent assemblage of angry and desperate per
sons, who threatened to disturb the peace for
the purpose of plunder. People of Chicago
were the first to be made aware of the perilous
discontent, and to take the alarm.
The thoughts of all were of a revived militia.
General Ducat was among the foremost of
good citizens to promote the raising of new
military companies under the State law, in

84 ptjemxrtr*
place of those that had been disbanded or re
duced in numbers and disciplined below the
point of efficiency. During the year six com
panies were recruited and equipped by individ
ual subscription, and indifferently armed by
the State. They were regimented and named
the First Regiment. In the winter of 1874
the Legislature revised and put new life into
the existing militia law, and authorized the
raising of a certain number of battalions, and
the appointment of as many brigadier-generals
as the Governor might deem best. There was
now a full brigade of soldiers in Chicago and
vicinity, but there was no general to command
it. Arthur C. Ducat was the unanimous choice
of the brigade, and of the non-military portion
of the people as well, for the position — he
was the Governor's choice, too — and accord
ingly, on April 8th, 1875, Governor Beveridge
appointed and commissioned him Brigadier-
General of the Illinois Militia. In the mean
time the First Regiment had not been formally
received by the executive of the State, and now
a day was appointed for the ceremony, which,
it was arranged, should take place in South
Park, then just outside the limits of Chicago.
The command was reviewed by Governor Bev-

glttJCat* 85
eridge, Lieut.-Gen. P. H. Sheridan, and Brig.-
Gen. Ducat. This was his first appearance
before the brigade.
General Ducat never undertook to do any
thing that he did not think worth the doing
well; and above all things, he regarded an in
efficient body of military with contempt. He
saw by a glance at the militia law that no really
good results could be had under it. He re
solved quickly that if his exertions could avail,
a better law should be enacted. For a year
and more he bent his energies to that end.
But in the meantime he labored diligently to
introduce discipline into the force as it came
to his hand, and it is impossible not to credit
him with doing much. Military discipline is a
term that was not well understood by militia
men at the time, and numbers of them thought
to give their General trouble on that score. No
doubt some of the General's measures were of
a positive and radical character — he was not
a man to permit any question or hesitation
where he was rightfully in command — and yet,
he was ever submissive to superior authority,
exercised in the interests of the service. Hence
he had a perfect understanding with the Gov
ernor, who is the commander-in-chief. When

86 ipUrotCritr,
he was complained of to the Governor for
some of his acts of discipline, he waited re
spectfully while the complaints were being in
vestigated, but at the same time he had ready
his resignation in case the decision should be
against enforcing his orders. But that was not
the decision; the Governor sustained him in
every particular. Thereupon General Ducat
drew up and submitted a more perfect plan for
the organization and discipline of the State
troops, which the adjutant-general acknowl
edged was of immense service to him. In that
officer's report to the Governor for 1875-6 is
this paragraph : "I desire here to say that great
praise is due to Brig.-Gen. Arthur C. Ducat,
and his staff officers, for the able and effi
cient manner in which they have performed
their duties. This department is largely in
debted to these gentlemen for their able assist
ance and generous advice." General Ducat
made many visits throughout the State, for the
purpose of inspecting and reviewing the differ
ent local commands, and he was everywhere
received with enthusiasm. This encouraged
him to prepare a bill to be submitted to the
Legislature, for a militia law that should af
ford a revenue sufficient to pay for the necessi-

glttmt* 87
ties of the service, and a sanction for the en
forcement of discipline. He called to Chicago
the commanding officers of the regiments and
battalions to assist in the preparation of the
bill. The officers did not heed the summons in
sufficient numbers, but so much in earnest was
the general that he, with his staff, did the work
he had intended the commission should do,
and by the time the Legislature assembled
the new bill was ready. His staff was com
posed of his friends, and all of them experi
enced soldiers of the late war, namely, Colonel
Waterman, General Strong, Major Coe, Lieu
tenant-Colonel Collins and Dr. Ben C. Miller,
surgeon. Then the General prepared and is
sued a circular addressed "To the members of
all organized companies and battalions of Il
linois Militia" announcing:
At our next Legislature a new militia bill will
be introduced, of which the principal features will
be a yearly appropriation to meet the expenses for
rent of armories, ordnance stores, camp equipage
and transportation of all battalions for at least one
yearly muster, and for ammunition and a rifle range
for practice, with an allowance per diem for every
man who shall turn out upon order, and with such
provisions for the perfection of the discipline as
may secure an effective and creditable soldier.

88 pteroMr*
I need not dwell upon the necessity of a better
militia organization in Illinois, for it is plain to
you all in case of any disturbance or riot, especially
in our large cities, the community would be com
paratively helpless, and at the mercy of mob vio
lence, but for the individual efforts already put
forth, which cannot much longer be sustained with
out State support.
This circular is sent to all commanders of com
panies and battalions throughout the State, in the
earnest hope that this movement will have the
hearty co-operation of all. If every company as a
body, will take such action, so that it may be
known that its influence will be given to that can
didate for the Legislature who will pledge himself
to vote for a new militia bill, it will be carried by
an overwhelming majority, and we shall then enter
upon an entirely new phase of military experience.
The General commanding, hopes to be able to an
nounce before long that all infantry troops with
out an exception, will be armed with the gov
ernment breech-loader, and that a general muster
will be had as early as in the summer of 1877.
ARTHUR C. DUCAT,
Brigadier-General.
The General sent a copy of the bill to the
adjutant-general, and a letter explaining its
provisions, and urging upon him the impor
tance of its becoming a law. He did not think
it perfect. "There was nothing left for me to

gJujmt* 89
do but to get up a bill myself, or let the matter
entirely go by default. The result was that,
by giving my personal attention to it, and
being seconded by the suggestions of my staff,
I fixed upon the present bill now in your
hands. We none of us think it perfect." But
he did not want it amended in committee or in
open session. The point with him was, to get
something passed as an entering wedge.
"When we have it enacted into a law, then at
a future time you may come forward with
amendments." He had never been a member
of a legislative body, but he knew legislative
tactics and chances as well as though he had
practiced them, and not military tactics, all
his life. Largely by his insistence the bill was
passed, and received the Governor's approval
May 1 8, 1877. There was a new Governor —
Shelby M. Cullom — and under the new law he
was required to appoint and commission a ma
jor-general of the Illinois National Guard.

90 puroirtr.
CHAPTER XIV.

COMMISSIONED MAJOR-GENERAL-
ACTIVE DUTY TO SUPPRESS THE
RIOTS OF 1877.
Governor Cullom at once appointed Briga
dier-General Ducat to be Major-General of
the Division of Illinois National Guard, and
on July 7 he received his commission. The
great "railroad riots" which began at Pitts
burg, Pa., the last of June, 1877, and caused
there the loss of many lives and the destruc
tion of three millions of property in buildings,
and then swept on towards Chicago, reached
here with apparently unabated fury on July
28. The responsibility, so far as the military
was concerned, of suppressing them, fell upon
General Ducat. He was at Geneva Lake, Wis.,
when a telegram reached him relative to the
threatening attitude of affairs. He lost no
time in coming here, arriving that same day,
and immediately assuming command of the
militia quartered here.
That night a meeting of so-called working
men was being held on Market Street. Gen-

glttmt* 91
eral Ducat, considering the inflammable condi
tion of public sentiment among that class,
thought it unwise to permit the gathering and
recommended that it be dispersed by force,
if necessary. Mayor Heath replied that hav
ing given permission for the meeting to be
held he thought it unwise to interfere, as it
would infringe on popular rights and might
precipitate violence.
General Ducat then suggested that the
Mayor proceed to the place of meeting and
quietly request the people to go home. If
they were law-abiding citizens they would
obey their chief magistrate ; if not, they should
be driven with bayonets, or bullets, or both.
The Mayor, however, refused to interfere.
On the 24th, General Ducat telegraphed to
Governor Cullom, recommending the concen
tration of troops at Chicago in view of the out
rages committed at the East, and for fear the
railroads might be unavailable for their trans
portation later on.
Up to the next day the Mayor was opposed
to army concentration, but at that period, mat
ters became more threatening and he urged
the sending in of all United States and other
troops that could be found.

92 jpUmtfitu
On the 26th General Ducat telegraphed
Governor Cullom information that there were
six companies of the Ninth United States In
fantry at Rock Island, which could be used at
once if the War Department were so request
ed. He added that things in Chicago "look
nasty." Governor Cullom made the necessary
request and the troops came.
In fact, every order issued by General Ducat
was in favor of action. He urged the Mayor,
at the outset, to let the militia settle the mob.
Mayor Heath did not allow it. He told the
Mayor that the mob would gain strength if
not at once dispersed.
On the 27th the following peremptory order
was issued to General Joseph T. Torrence
commanding the First Brigade:
Division Headquarters, I. S. G.,
Chicago, July 27th.
General: In the event of any violence toward
the police or military in dispersing the mob in the
southwest part of the city, attack with vigor, dis
perse and drive them, making all the arrests possi
ble. By order of ARTHUR C. DUCAT,
Major-General Commanding.
George J. Waterman, Chief of Staff.

gJwmt. 93
When the fight broke out at the viaduct the
Mayor was asked if the police wanted support.
General Ducat offered to lead a regiment in
person, but that was considered unnecessary.
In regard to the distribution of troops at
threatened points detachments were sent to
Chicago Avenue and Milwaukee Avenue to
support the police. Three companies were
sent to Halsted Street viaduct and three com
panies to the Twelfth Street station.
The other troops were held in mass, so as
to be available in case of an attack in force
by the insurgents on the business portion of
the south side, where banks, express offices,
and stores would be in danger of being gutted.
It was thought best not to split the soldiers up
into small detachments as the force numbered
only five hundred men all told, certainly not a
very gigantic body of defenders for so large a
city. The General asked no advice in the dis
position of his troops, and did not consider
any necessary. He was at all times prepared
to disperse mobs, if permitted, as the orders
and recommendations on file plainly showed.
He would have defended the city without per
mission if it had been seriously threatened, and

94 %$lema<iv.
he considered it would b.ave been poor military
policy to have acted in any other manner.
The presence in the city at the head of the
military of General Ducat, ready and vigorous
as he was, necessarily dwarfed for a time the
civil authorities, and some of them naturally
sought occasion to attach blame in some way
to him for his energetic conduct. The news
papers professed to quote the Mayor as having
expressed himself in disparaging terms of the
General. He was out of town on the day of
the publication but as soon as he had returned
he sent to the offending newspapers the fol
lowing correction:
Mayor's Office, Chicago, August 13th, 1877.
A statement reflecting upon the character of Gen
eral A. C. Ducat during the late commotion in Chi
cago, and prominently published in your paper of
31st, July ult., has been handed to me to-day. I
take my earliest opportunity, after an absence from
the city of ten days, to personally write you and
refute the charges and insinuations in that article.
The conduct of General Ducat in the late riots in
this city was that of a brave and conscientious sol
dier, and in that respect he is entitled to the thanks
of the entire law-abiding community, and not to
censure. MONROE HEATH, Mayor.

gJttJCat. 95
The foregoing paragraphs are, in the main,
but a summary of Major-General Ducat's of
ficial report upon the suppression of the riots
which duty required him to submit to the Ad
jutant-General of the State. This report con
tains the only authentic account extant of
what took place in that anxious time.
The expedition commanded by General
Ducat was directed to Braidwood, against the
riotous miners at that point. At other coal
mining and manufacturing places over the
State the insurrection was general and ugly,
and the men engaged in it were all in a way
connected. It was the policy to mass the
troops against them at a principal seat of their
operations and crush them, believing that that
would dishearten all the others. When it is
considered that the territory of Illinois is
larger than Ireland and Scotland put together,
and one-third as large as France, and that the
troops commanded by General Ducat num
bered only about three thousand, it will be
seen that his task was a difficult one. But he
succeeded perfectly at Braidwood, and in a few
days the rioters everywhere subsided. Peace
was restored and manufacturing industries
were resumed.

96 ipterojprtr*
Appended to General Ducat's official report
were the following recommendations:
Headquarters Division, I. N. G.
Chicago, November, 1878.
General: I have the honor to respectfully rec
ommend as follows:
That the infantry of the State be raised to ten
thousand men, consisting of twenty regiments, in
four brigades and one division; that to each regi
ment be added one Gatling gun, to be manned
from a detail of each regiment; and that to each
brigade be added one field battery of six guns,
consisting of four Napoleon and two three-inch
rifle guns.
That the cavalry be raised to two regiments,
one regiment at Chicago, one battalion at Quincy,
one battalion at Peoria, and one battalion at
Springfield. That full field equipage for two brigades be pro
vided and kept ready for service, one at Spring
field and one at Chicago.
That two State arsenals and magazines be built,
one at Springfield and one at Chicago.
That State armories be built at points where
there is a regiment.
That every effort be made to have a well di
gested and sufficient military code adopted by the
State, making full provisions for the support and
equipment of the troops and the enforcement of
proper military discipline, in which the present
code is very deficient.
That steps be taken to influence the appropria-

Qncat. 97
tion by the General Government of a sufficient sum
to arm and equip and help sustain the militia of
the States upon a thorough and efficient military
footing. That steps be taken to influence the change of
laws and, if necessary, the constitution, to prevent
the carrying of arms by bodies of men other than
the army of the United States, the militia of the
States and municipal forces, and to prevent the
meetings of bodies of men who are professed agi
tators or of dangerous character, likely to disturb
the peace or threaten the lives and property of the
people. The constitution and laws of the United States
were framed for patriots, and at a time when al
most the whole population was a unit in its desire
for the welfare, success and peace of the new re
public. Since then many agitators and advocates of the
ories dangerous to the peace of the country and
to society have drifted to our shores, invited, per
haps, by the liberty so freely offered and which
they are disposed to abuse. Our country is no
longer new; it is subject to all the dangers of sur
plus population; and, if law and order and peace
are to be maintained, there must be power and
force. Laws are of little value without the power
to enforce them.
It is very probable that much confidence would
be restored, and the present depressed state of
business much relieved, if the people felt that they
were secure and protected in working the indus
tries of the country.
7

98 ffiemoiv.
I have the honor to be, very respectfully, your
obedient servant, ARTHUR C. DUCAT,
Major-General Commanding Division.

CHAPTER XV.

POLITICS— GENERAL DUCAT RE
SIGNS FROM THE MILITIA.
During the progress of the riots, which
caused great excitement throughout the State,
the militia, organized as a division of the Na
tional Guard, was seen to be the only depend
ence of the people for the restoration of order
and the future preservation of peace. The
prompt manner in which it responded to the
call of the Executive of the State and its splen
did, though prudent, conduct in the field,
earned for officers and men the applause and
thanks of the citizens. Heretofore politics had
not entered into calculations or plans of those
who composed the Guards, nor of their best
supporters and friends. But now that the
Guards had become a powerful and admired
body, mostly of young men, with homes and
local influence in every town and precinct, the
politicians began systematic scheming to get

Qncat. 99
possession of the source of authority over the
entire organization. Two years before, when
the bill for a new militia law was in the Legis
lature, some of the more grasping politicians
then saw the possibilities to them in the law,
if amended in their interest. But for the time
they were forced by General Ducat to keep
their hands off; his urgent appeals by letter
and in person, to the Legislature and the pub
lic, secured the passage of the bill — a bill which
was not perfect, as its framer admitted.
The imperfections of the law were made still
more evident while the sporadic insurrection,
known to history as the riots of 1877, gravely
troubled the State. Plainly the law needed to
be amended; the question was, should it be
amended by the enemies or the friends of a
non-partisan militia? General Ducat took the
initiative, by calling a convention of all the field
officers, with a view to the drafting a new
bill that should, at any rate, have none of the
defects of the then existing law. The conven
tion harmoniously prepared such a bill, and
when the Legislature came together it was in
troduced and sent to the committee. A great
deal too much time, General Ducat thought,
was taken for its consideration in the commit-

100 pleroate.
tee; and he wrote to the chairman, and influ
ential members of the two houses, requesting
and urging that it be looked after, reported,
and put in the way of a speedy passage. At
last it was reported, and there was rejoicing
among the Guards everywhere, and no less
was there gladness among the people at large.
But the friends of the militia were to have
a bitter disappointment. The bill that went
to the committee was not the bill that came
from the committee — it had been materially
chang-ed — "amended" out of recognition by its
original framers. As soon as the nature of
this bill became known, there was a loud pro
test from the militia. The newspapers through
out the State exposed its sinister features ; and
the Citizens' Association of Chicago, which
embraced a hundred or more of the leading
citizens, took up the matter, and caused a pro
test and petition to be circulated for signatures
in all the large cities, as follows:
To the Members of the Legislature of the State of
Illinois:
We, the undersigned, citizens of the State of
Illinois, have seen during the past two years the
friendly and successful efforts of the Major-Gen
eral commanding the division of the National
Guard, and the brigadier-generals commanding the

gJumt* 101
brigades, to bring the Illinois National Guard to a
state of commendable efficiency.
We understand a bill is before the Legislature
of the State of Illinois providing a military code
for the State, and purporting to be a bill from a
committee of the officers of the National Guard,
legislating out of office the Major-General com
manding the division, and in no manner fairly rep
resenting the views of that committee, nor those
of the officers and men composing the National
Guard, nor of the citizens interested in its well
being. That we hereby desire to remonstrate against
any bill abolishing the office of major-general com
manding the division of the Illinois National
Guard, and placing his authority in the Adjutant-
General, an officer appointed by the Governor and
removable at his will, as being unmilitary and cal
culated to destroy the efficiency of the Illinois Na
tional Guard.
We therefore petition your honorable body to
retain the office of major-general commanding the
division, and to reduce the rank of the Adjutant-
General from major-general to that of colonel.
General Ducat, in a letter, hit the nail on the
head by saying that the bill was "not only in
opposition to all the principles involved in cor
rect military organization, but it was a danger
ous accumulation of power in the hands of a
politician — for such would be the position of
the Adjutant-General in case this monstrosity

102 fj&rourtv*
became law." But all to no purpose; the pol
iticians were bent on having it their own way.
One feature of the bill was popular, that dis
arming independent military companies when
on parade. Pending the consideration of the
bill in the Legislature, there was, on Sunday,
April 20, the anniversary of the Paris Com
mune, a great communistic parade in Chicago.
In the parade were twelve hundred uniformed
men in companies and battalions, four hun
dred of whom were armed with breech-load
ing rifles. This demonstration caused much
excitement in the city and State, which served
to concentrate attention upon the disarming
clause of the pending military bill, which soon
passed both houses of the Legislature, and
was approved by the Governor. The new law
was not immediately to go into effect, but Gen
eral Ducat immediately resigned. On June,
1879, ne with ^is staff retired from the military
service of the State.
Major H. O. Collins, who was a valued
member of the staff, has paid this tribute of
praise to his commander: "During the time
General Ducat was in command, the greatest
cordiality prevailed between him and the offi
cers and men of the different regiments and
brigades. Many of them had fought with

Qucat. 103
him through the campaigns of the war, and
they were quick to seize upon his ideas for the
organization of the militia, and they afforded
him assistance without which his efforts would
have been futile. The general rules for the
government of militia, established by him,
have been practically adopted in the Adjutant-
General's Department, and their influence will
be felt in the control of the troops as long as
our present system of State militia shall exist."
Upon the receipt of General Ducat's resig
nation by the Governor he addressed to the
retiring officer the following letter :
State of Illinois, Executive Mansion,
Springfield, June 15, 1879.
Dear Sir: Your favor of the 9th inst. has been
received tendering your resignation as Major-Gen
eral Commanding Division of Illinois National
Guard, which is accepted.
Thanking you for your attention and devotion to
duty while you have held the commission as Major-
General, and regretting that I shall be deprived of
your aid in the military service during the re
mainder of my term of service as Chief Executive,
I am, with great respect, very truly yours,
SHELBY M. CULLOM, Governor.
Major-General Arthur C. Ducat,
Chicago, Illinois.

104 fjBUmrtv*
CHAPTER XVI.

TRIP TO CALIFORNIA— LIFE AT LIN
DENWALD.
During the years 1892-93, General Ducat's
health again failed and he felt compelled to ex
ercise great care to preserve such strength of
body as he still retained. He continued to give
attention to business and was not many days
absent from his office desk; but his physical
condition warned him that he must abate
somewhat his professional activities. His
friends, and especially his old army friends,
visited him often at his country home and a de
gree of good fellowship was maintained. So
matters went on with him until the fall of 189 1,
when his ailments increased, and he was
obliged to take the advice of his physicians and
intermit his labors in the city. In Decem
ber he was further advised to make a trip to
California, with a view to the improvement of
his health. Taking his family with him, he
went to San Diego, Cal., and spent the winter
there and in the vicinity.
Returning in the following spring to the
East, General Ducat and his family again took

gJwmt* 105
up their residence at Lindenwald. The Gen
eral was now able to re-engage in business, but
he found it necessary to be more sparing of his
strength than formerly, and gave considerably
less attention to the details of the business.
He had therefore more time to devote to his
family, and to the enjoyments of art and litera
ture. He was a clever artist and an expert
amateur photographer.
He had not forgotten California, and in the
autumn of 1893, he, with his family, went out
there again, to repeat the riding and the boat
ing, and some of the excursions of two years
before. On this visit to the golden coast he
was so well pleased that he decided that he
would like to make a home somewhere there
for himself, and before the wmter was out
(1894) he had purchased an acre lot on the
villa-crowned hill back of San Diego, upon
which it was his intention to some day build
a suitable house. He selected well, for from
his lot are had glimpses of the beautiful bay,
and grand views of the mountains in the rear
and of the ocean in front. In the spring,
again, he returned to Lindenwald.
Still his health was poor, and he was ex
tremely disinclined to resume work. He gave

106 ptemMtr.
increased attention to Lindenwald, to add, if
possible, to its attractions; and he gave some
care to another tract of land adjacent to the
homestead, which he had lately purchased. He
read more and more in his library, and his vis
its to the city were made at longer intervals.
In November, 1895, he asked his business
partner and friend to relieve him of even a
nominal connection with the office; and in that
month and year the long-existing partnership
was dissolved. And now once more he began
to think of California, and he actually com
menced planning to build on his property at
San Diego, where he hoped to settle down with
his family.
CHAPTER XVII.

LAST ILLNESS AND DEATH.
MEMORIAL NOTICES.
During the last days of January, 1896, Gen
eral Ducat was not much in Chicago, and when
he did occasionally go into the city, he told
one or another of his friends that he was not
feeling well. These friends thought him look
ing as well as usual and said as much to him;
but all they could say, did not rouse him out of

gJttmt, 107
his state of evident depression. On the 22d of
January he was in the city, and though he ap
peared in his usual health he complained of
being ill. It was a cold afternoon, but he was
obliged to ride some distance in a street car,
and as the car was crowded, he stood on the
front platform. Arrived at his home that
evening he was taken with a chill and soon re
tired to bed. The next day the physicians pro
nounced it a case of pneumonia, and although
everything that medical skill could suggest
was tried to arrest the disease, he rapidly grew
worse till the 27th, when he rallied and seemed
to improve; but on the next day the malady
with which he was stricken became compli
cated with heart failure, and he rapidly sank
until the 29th, when he died.
The news of his death was received in the
city as a shock, for very few had heard of his
illness. The newspapers all had extended
notices of his death, and eulogistic observa
tions upon his life and character; and on the
same day, or shortly after, several organized
bodies of citizens, civil, benevolent and mili
tary, met and adopted memorial papers in re
gard to the deceased.
The funeral services were held on January

108 ffiemoiv.
31st in the chapel at Rose Hill. Bishop Mc
Laren of the Protestant Episcopal Church
(the church to which General Ducat belonged)
officiated. The immediate relatives in attend
ance were the widow, Lieutenant Arthur Du
cat and Mrs. C. R. Stivers.
The pallbearers were:
Maj. G. L. Paddock,
E. C. Waller,
R. N. Trimmingham,
Judge Eugene Carey,
Gen. Wm. Sooy Smith,
Gen. John McArthur,
Col. C. W. Davis,
Chas. F. Grey,
George M. Lyon.

MEMORIAL NOTICES BY ASSOCIA
TIONS AND PUBLIC BODIES ON
THE DEATH OF GENERAL DUCAT.
The action taken by the Underwriters' As
sociation was reported in the city newspapers,
as follows:
The Underwriters' Association yesterday (Jan.
29) met in special session to take action relative

glumt. 109
to the death of Gen. A. C. Ducat. A large number
of representative insurance men were present. A
committee consisting of Thomas Goodman, H. H.
Brown, A. J. Harding, Charles W. Drew, and W. H.
Cunningham presented the following memorial of
General Ducat, and it was ordered spread on the
records of the association:
The underwriters of this city were yesterday
shocked to hear of the death of our friend and fel
low-underwriter, Arthur C. Ducat — a warm-heart
ed, generous, noble Christian man, one whose life
was never tainted by any conduct which was un
manly or unprofessional. As an underwriter and a
man he was without reproach, and constituted a
worthy example for others in the same profession.
He was born in Dublin, Feb. 24, 1830, of Scotch par
ents. After enjoying the advantages of good schools
in his native city, he emigrated to this country.
At the age of nineteen he became a civil engineer.
Before the Civil War he became secretary and
general surveyor of the old Chicago Board of Un
derwriters. At the breaking out of the war in 18bl
he enlisted in the military service of his adopted
country. His courage, zeal, and good judgment
were such that from one step to another he was
promoted till he became a general.
After the war, the Home Insurance Company of
New York secured his services as local agent in
this city, and after a while as general agent for
several States, in which service he was associated
with George M. Lyon, under the firm name of
Ducat & Lyon.

no IBUmoir*
The General had his trials and beveavements,
but amid them all he bore himself as one who real
ized that this world is not an abiding place. Years
ago he united with the Presbyterian Church at
Evanston, from which place he removed his resi
dence to Downer's Grove. Therefore,
Resolved, That this Association sincerely
mourns the loss of one so highly esteemed, and
who for so many years was a reliable underwriter;
and Resolved, That we tender to his widow and
family our sympathy, and we trust that He who
does not willingly afflict, will give the consolation
of His grace and help them to bear their affliction.
The newspaper report continues:
Brief speeches were made, expressive of the
feeling that was manifest in the meeting, by E. M.
Teall, J. C. Griffiths, Thomas S. Chard, Abram
Williams, Conrad Witkowsky, C. H. Case and
Thomas Goodman.
It was voted to engross the memorial and send
a copy to the family; also to contribute floral of
ferings, and to attend the funeral at Rosehill in
a special car provided for the members of the as
sociation. September 29-30, 1896, the Fire Under
writers' Association of the Northwest held its
twenty-seventh annual meeting. On the sec
ond day the association listened to a report of

the obituary committee on the death of Gen
eral Ducat. It was lengthy and able, recount
ing his services in both military and civil life,
and closing with this paragraph:
The committee feel that it is fitting here at this
time thus to recall the various acts of usefulness
done by our associate. As we recall the life-work
of our friend, his faithful service to his adopted
country, his zealous labors as a citizen of this
State and city, and his contributions to the busi
ness of underwriting, we feel more deeply the great
loss we have sustained by his death. Those of us
who knew the General more intimately, and whose
acquaintance with him was in social intercourse,
know how sincere and faithful he was in his friend
ships, and how generous and charitable he was in
his dealings, and how loving a heart he had, and
how ready he was to aid in all benevolent work.
We revere his memory, and we tender his fam
ily our sincere condolence. ABRAM WILLIAMS,
J. C. GRIFFITHS,
H. H. WALKER, Committee.
At the first regular meeting of the "Loyal
Legion," after the death of General Ducat, ap
propriate action was taken, and certified to
in a formal manner. The certification and me
morial are the following:

112 ipterotfir*
MILITARY ORDER
of the
LOYAL LEGION OF THE UNITED STATES,
Commandery of the State of Illinois.
Chicago, 111., March 20, 1896.
At a stated meeting of this Commandery, held
on the twelfth day of March, eighteen hundred and
ninety-six, the accompanying report of a commit
tee appointed to prepare a tribute of respect to the
memory of our late Commander, Lieut.-Col. and
Bvt. Gen. Arthur Charles Ducat, was read and
adopted. By order of Lieutenant-Colonel.
ALDACE F. WALKER,Commander.
CHARLES W. DAVIS,
Lieut.-Col., Recorder.

ARTHUR CHARLES DUCAT.
Arthur Charles Ducat was born February 24th,
1830, near Dublin, Ireland, to which place his fa
ther had some years before removed from Scotland.
In Dublin he enjoyed the benefits of a solid edu
cation. Before reaching the age of twenty-one he
resolved to come to America; he carried out that
purpose and eventually took up his permanent
abode at Chicago. Here and hereabouts he spent
some time in study and field work as a civil en
gineer before entering upon his lifelong pursuit —
that of fire assurance. In this vocation at the out
break of the war he was fast gaining the respect
of his associates and superiors, and through the

glttmt. 113
discipline of obedience fast acquiring the capacity
for leadership.
In 1861 he heard the call of his adopted country,
and gave to her appeal a clear and instant re
sponse. Enlisting at Chicago April 17, he was, a
few days later, mustered into the Twelfth Illinois
Infantry Volunteers. Promoted Second Lieuten
ant, he became Adjutant of that regiment on May
2d, 1861; he was commissioned Captain of Com
pany A, August 1st, 1861; Major, September 24th,
1861; Lieut-Colonel, April 1st, 1862. During the
period of his duty with the Twelfth Illinois he
served in Southern Illinois, Missouri, Kentucky,
and in the movements of General Grant's forces in
Tennessee and Mississippi, and was especially dis
tinguished at the siege and capture of Fort Donel
son. But shortly after the taking of Corinth there
opened for Colonel Ducat that larger military ca
reer for which by character and education he was
so admirably fitted — a career in which he was des
tined to render great service to the Union cause.
Detached from his regiment, he was ordered upon
staff duty at the headquarters of Major-General
Ord, and with that officer was present at the oper
ations near Iuka in September, 1862.
At the battle of Oorinth, in the following month,
he served under General Rosecrans as acting Chief
of iStaff and Chief of Grand Guards and Outposts,
at the headquarters of the Army of the Mississippi,
an active and responsible position as understood
and filled by so intelligent and enterprising an offi
cer. Sparing in this arduous service neither labor
8

114 ptumxrixr*
nor personal risk, he did much to improve and reg
ulate that important branch of the service.
When General Rosecrans, on October 24th, 1862,
was ordered by the War Department to relieve
General Buell after the battle of Perryville, Lieu
tenant-Colonel Ducat accompanied him to Bowling
Green, and was assigned to duty as Chief of Staff
and Assistant Inspector-General at the headquar
ters of the forces afterwards known as the Army
of the Cumberland. He continued to act as Chief
of Staff until November 13, 1862, when he was re
lieved in that position by Lieutenant-Colonel and
Assistant Adjutant-General Julius P. Garesche. To
these new duties Colonel Ducat brought the same
qualities of activity, courage and thoroughness
which had distinguished him under the same com
mander in his former service.
With Chattanooga as its objective point, the
Army of the Cumberland rested and reorganized,
marched out of Nashville to meet and drive back
General Bragg at the battle of Stone River, Dec.
31st, 1862. After the occupancy of Murfreesboro
there occurred, in June, 1863, the nine days' cam
paign of Tullahoma. During the following Septem
ber the Army of the Cumberland was called upon
to perform those laborious, strategic marches which
finally forced the abandonment of Chattanooga by
the Confederate Army and brought on the battle of
Chickamauga. For brave and meritorious conduct
at Chickamauga he was honorably mentioned by-
General Rosecrans in his official report of that mo
mentous event, as a "faithful officer — brave, prompt
and energetic in action."

gJujcat. 115
Officers who served in the Army of the Cumber
land at this period unite in saying that to the
energy and organizing skill of Colonel Ducat, and
to his active example of fidelity, was due in large
part the efficiency of the grand guard and outpost
service of that army. It can be added that the
general efficiency and discipline of the same army
were largely advanced by the able and consci
entious performance of his duties in the Inspector-
General's department.
Upon the succession of Gen. Thomas to the com
mand of the Army of the Cumberland, Colonel Du
cat was retained on duty in his former position,
and on January 9th, 1864, was promoted in gen
eral orders as Inspector General of the department.
Broken in health by the fatigues and exposures
of the previous years, Colonel Ducat found himself
no longer physically able to bear the hardships of
active service, and, resigning his commission, he
returned to his home in Chicago in February, 1864.
From that time to the moment of his death, Janu
ary 29th of the present year, his friends and fellow
citizens can bear testimony to his high character
and exemplary conduct in every relation in life.
His services in the war were appropriately recog
nized by the brevet of Brigadier-General of Vol
unteers. The Commandery will remember him as its
fourth Commander, and remember also the loving
and repeated hospitality with which he welcomed
his companions to Lindenwald, his beautiful home
at Downer's Grove. Present at the organization of
this Commandery, he sympathized with all its as-

116 ^jstsmciv.
pirations, all its joys and sorrows, during its entire
existence. In concluding this brief memorial of affection
and respect, we desire to place upon record our
deep sense of the loss sustained by his family, by
his personal friends, and by our Commandery, in
the death of our late companion and friend.
GEORGE L. PADDOCK,
JOHN M' ARTHUR,
JOSEPH B. LEAKE,
RICHARD S. TUTHILL,
EPHRAIM A. OTIS, Committee.
The committee of the Loyal Legion submit
ted the foregoing memorial sketch to a full
meeting of the Society, and it was adopted
unanimously, and amid many expressions of
sorrow by individual members. The mourn
ing in that body of old soldiers of rank was sin
cere and deep.
Similar action to that taken by the two or
ganizations above reported was likewise had in
the St. Andrews Society. At a special meet
ing of the Society, called for the purpose of
noticing the death of General Ducat, after a
preamble setting forth the fact of his demise
and lamenting its suddenness, the following
resolutions were adopted:

Qttcat. 117
Resolved, That in the death of General A. C.
Ducat this Society has lost one of its old and val
uable members. He was a man of high honor and
integrity, combined with great executive ability.
He attained a leading position in the community
and especially in the business of fire insurance, in
which he was conspicuously engaged. He was
born of Scotch parents in the city of Dublin, Feb
ruary 24, 1830, and there he was educated. At the
age of 20 he came to this city, and for some years
was engaged as civil engineer in railroad building
in the vicinity. At the outbreak of the war, in
1861, he was among the first to enlist in the army
for the defense of the union of his adopted coun
try. In that army his soldierly qualities and great
ability soon brought him to the front in important
positions. He won high distinction, but was com
pelled by ill health to leave the service before the
war closed. Disease contracted in the service lin
gered with him to the end. And thus has been
added another life lost to the country because of
the war to maintain inviolate the union of the
States as a legacy to all coming generations of
Americans. Resolved, That these resolutions be entered on
the records of the Society, and a copy of them be
forwarded by the secretary to the widow and fam
ily of the deceased.
JOHN M' ARTHUR,
JOHN ALSTON,
HUGH RITCHIE, Committee.
Chicago, 111., January 29, 1896.

118 ffilemciv.
CHAPTER XVIII.

CONCLUSION.
The foregoing chapters contain all the ma
terials toward a biography of General Arthur
Charles Ducat that have been found available
for the purpose. It will have been learned by
the reader that the most of his military papers
were destroyed in the great fire of 1871. Gen
eral Rosecrans has written that the War De
partment has preserved a complete record, but
recourse could not well be had to that quarter.
Enough, however, is given in this account of a
distinguished and useful life to enable his rela
tives and friends to realize what kind of a man
he was.
His business successes when he was little
more than a youth were but the forecast of the
greater achievements of his later years. A
more honorable business career has not been
run in the vast community in which he passed
the principal part of his life.
In the army, during the War of the Rebel
lion, he won a good deal of fame, but did not
attain to the rank that his merits and achieve-

Qvtcat* 119
ments entitled him. All who peruse these
pages must feel, as it is certain General Ducat
himself felt, that it was to him, personally,
extremely unfortunate that he was selected
by discriminating commanders to do staff
and inspection duties although, as Inspector-
General of the army and Commander of Grand
Guards and outposts he rendered invaluable
services. The Grand Guard was the very eye
of the army which did not close either day or
night. As chief of staff on the field of Cor
inth he was virtually the commander, when at
points remote from General Rosecrans. Upon
a not less responsible duty at Chickamauga
the fate of the army more than once seemed
to rest on what report he should make to his
superior officers. He appears almost never to
have made a mistake. The weak points of the
enemy he was quick to see and take advantage
of; and any weak places in the Federal lines he
was sure to notice and promptly to strengthen
them. His alertness and ready determination
were observed and admired by everyone. A
writer on the war, who was himself- a spectator
at the battles of Corinth and Chickamauga,
says: "Ducat was early distinguished for his
thorough knowledge of military details, his

120 W&enwiv.
organizing powers and executive ability, that
mastered all details of topography and the
movement of hostile armies." These quali
ties, together with others of a social nature,
served to attach to him able men in many of
the walks of life. All the commanders he ever
was under, or who were in position to observe
him, sought his acquaintance and friendship.
To support this assertion, if support were need
ed, the following letter from General M. C.
Meigs, of the United States Army, should
serve: Washington, D. C, August 11, 1888.
My Dear General: I failed to recognize this
morning, on the portico of St. Matthew's Church,
in the well-rounded, handsome general who shook
my hand and gave his name (I caught it at the
moment as General Carr), the athletic, broad-
shouldered, thin-flanked horseman whom I have
for twenty-five years so pleasantly remembered as
Colonel Arthur C. Ducat, of General Rosecrans'
Army of the Cumberland, with whom I had such
pleasant and agreeable intercourse at Chatta
nooga in 1863.
Puzzled and mortified at my failure to recognize
a gentleman who accosted me in a friendly man
ner, I fear my response was not so hearty as I
should have wished to make it, and as it would
have been had I caught the name "Ducat."
The world, I judge, has gone well with you,

gJttmt. 121

General. I hope so, and so believe, from your
appearance in good health and with the additional
weight which comes to nearly all our old com
rades after exchanging the outdoor activity of the
field for the sedentary habits of peace. I truly
hope it has been thus with you, for none more
richly merit a happy and successful career than
yourself. I see the name of your son occasionally. Tne
only communication I remember to have had with
you till to-day, in the quarter of a century since
we became acquainted in the beleaguered lines of
the Army of the Cumberland, was in reference to
his application for a cadetship. I pray that the
son may emulate the virtues of the father, in case
we may have occasion to defend our country's
rights again on the stricken field.
When Grant came to us, how well, with Sheri
dan, who, alas! we buried to-day, and Sherman,
who, thank God, is still with us, did the Army of
the Cumberland do its part in the dispersion of
the enemy under whose insulting guns we lay so
long! I hope we may meet again in a shorter interval
than the last. With the highest regard,
Your friend,
M. C. MEIGS, U. S. A.
General Arthur C. Ducat.
Other letters of a similar tenor might be
introduced, but this memoir is now finished.
It is hoped that his relatives and friends, and

122 gilentoiv.
any others amongst possible readers, who
knew General Arthur Charles Ducat at all well,
may be able to recognize in its pages true indi
cations of his intellectual and moral strength;
and to realize, now that he is dead, as they
surely did while he lived, that his was a strong
upright character, and that he was in very truth
a Christian gentleman.

YALE UNIVERSITY