History of Salem, (Columbiana County) Ohio United States of America

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Biographies:

Joseph Bailey, soldier, was born at Salem, O., April 28, 1827. He joined the army during the first months of the civil war, serving as captain of a Wisconsin regiment in Maryland. His regiment served under Gen. B. F. Butler, in the capture of New Orleans, where he was made acting engineer of the defences of the city. He was promoted major, and a month after lieutenant-colonel, on the succession of Gen. N. P. Banks to the command of the army of the gulf. Colonel Bailey went with General Banks on his Red River expedition. The army with twelve gun-boats and thirty transports were ascending the river under the command of Admiral Porter, and when General Grant issued the order on April 25, 1864, to close the campaign and take the army to augment the forces of General Sherman, who was east of the Mississippi, the commanders were in a quandary. The forces were at Alexandria, whither they had retreated after the defeat at Sabine Cross Roads, and below the rapids the water was not in any place higher than six feet. Engineers were consulted, but their answers were all the same: the fleet could not be moved until the water rose, of which there was no immediate prospect. Admiral Porter could see no alternative but to remove the stores and destroy the fleet. When this course was about to be carried out, Colonel Bailey, who was an officer in a cavalry regiment, suggested to General Banks, that the river might be dammed; and though the plan seemed impracticable, still it was decided to make the attempt. "It was commenced," wrote Admiral Porter, in an official despatch to Washington, "by running out from the left bank of the river a tree-dam, made of the bodies of very large trees, brush, brick and stone, cross-tied with other heavy timber, and strengthened in every way that ingenuity could devise. This was run about three hundred feet into the river. Four large coal-barges were then filled with brick, and sunk at the end of it. From the right bank of the river, cribs built with stone were built out to meet the barges." Beginning the apparently fruitless and endless task on May 1st, in twelve days the water was sufficiently deep to allow the fleet to move down the river. He was brevetted brigadier-general and received a purse of $3000 for this service. He was commissioned brigadier-general of volunteers in November, 1864, removed to Newton county, Mo., in 1865, where he was made sheriff. He was murdered March, 21, 1867.

From: Twentieth Century Biographical Dictionary of Notable Americans, Johnson, Rossiter, editor

John Allen Campbell, soldier, was born in Salem, Ohio, Oct. 8, 1835. He began his business life as a printer, and in 1861 he entered the Federal army as 2nd lieutenant of volunteers. He was promoted major and assistant adjutant-general, Oct. 27, 1862, and in 1865 was given the brevet rank of brigadier-general of volunteers "for courage in the field and marked ability and fidelity" at Red Mountain, Shiloh, Perrysville, Murfreesboro, and through the Atlanta campaign. After being mustered out on Sept. 1, 1866, he went to Cleveland, Ohio, where he became editorially connected with the Leader. In October, 1867, he joined the regular army, received the commission of 2nd lieutenant in the 5th artillery, and was at once brevetted 1st lieutenant, captain, major and lieutenant-colonel. He served on the staff of General Schofield, and later when that officer served as secretary of war in President Johnson's cabinet, Colonel Campbell was his assistant secretary. In 1869 President Grant made him the first governor of the territory of Wyoming, to which office he was re-appointed in 1873. In 1875 he was made third assistant secretary of state, and served in the state department at Washington up to the time of his death, which occurred July 14, 1880.

From: Twentieth Century Biographical Dictionary of Notable Americans, Johnson, Rossiter, editor

Julia Josephine (Thomas) Irvine, educator, was born in Salem, Ohio, Nov. 9, 1848; youngest daughter of Dr. Owen and Mary Frame (Myers) Thomas ; granddaughter of John and Hannah (Stanton) Thomas, and of Samuel and Mary (Frame) Myers; and a descendant of Patrick Thomas, a soldier of the Revolutionary war. The Thomas family was Welsh, the Stanton, English. Both families settled early in the eighteenth century in North Carolina. The Myers family was Dutch, the Frame, Irish. Both settled in Maryland. John Thomas and Samuel Myers were Quakers, who removed with their families to Ohio, to bring up their children in a free state. Her early years were passed in Fort Wayne and Richmond, Ind., where her mother was a practising physician. She declined to receive help from her parents and worked her way through college, attending Antioch college, Ohio, four years, 1867-71, two of the years being preparatory, and was graduated from Cornell university, A.B., 1875, A.M., 1876. She was awarded the Greek prize at the intercollegiate contest in 1875. She was married in 1875 to Charles J. Irvine, of Chicago, Ill., who died in 1886. After removing to New York and teaching there from 1882 to 1887, she studied at Leipzig, Bologna and Athens, 1887-90. In 1890 she became professor of Greek in Wellesley college, was made acting president of the college in 1894, and in 1895 became president. She withdrew from the offices of president and professor in June, 1899, and was succeeded in the former office by Caroline Hazard, The honorary degree of Litt. D. was conferred upon her by Brown university in June, 1895.

From: Twentieth Century Biographical Dictionary of Notable Americans, Johnson, Rossiter, editor