Show 41 suma rimo saw released ne leased by western newspaper union famous in triplicate tho the recent celebration ol of DI 1 I am on an american day it group of church dignitaries anti and members of tho the american legion gathered nt at a monument in the little city of carrollton mo to pay tribute to a man who has been called the most honored american ilia name was james E shields and lie ho Is described on the monument ni as a soldier jurist and statesman dut but those three words are only a i slight alight indication of tho the factors which made ills his career so remarkable A quotation from a recent book james grays tito tho illinois a volume in the the rivers vers of america series published by farrar and rinehart sums it up more adequately it says with a thoroughness characteristic te of ills his executive temperament james E shields seems to linao done everything in triplicate ile ho fought in three wars and represented three different states cis BS united states senator te 00 no other american it might bo be added holds such a record born in dungannon Dun gannon county tyrone ireland in 1810 1010 shields camo came to this country at the age of 0 10 16 ile ho enlisted in the army served in the seminole indian war then went to illinois where ho he was elected to the legislature in 1836 made state auditor in 1639 1839 and appointed a judge of tho the state supreme court in 1813 two years later lie he was appointed commissioner of tho the general land Z 11 ic af V 10 ay 4 V IRRIG DRIG GEN JAMES VS SHIELDS office but gave up civil we life at the outbreak of tho the mexican war to accept a commission as brigadier general of cof illinois volunteers in 1840 shot through the lung at the battle of cerro gordo and brevot brevet ted major general after his recovery he served in the valley of mexico as commander of a brigade only to be wounded severely again at tho the storming of chapultepec mustered out of the service on july 20 1848 1948 he was immediately appointed territorial governor of oregon but resigned this domce when he was elected senator from illinois ile he served in tho the sonata senate from 1849 to 1855 1055 then moved to minnesota when tho the state government was or organized there he was again sent to the united states senate chere where ho he remained until 1850 lie he next moved to california and at the outbreak of the civil war he was commissioned a brigadier general of volunteers in august 1801 1861 at the battle of kernstown Kerns town shields was wounded receiving a broken arm from a fragment of shell on march 28 1863 weakened by the wounds which he had suffered in two wars shields resigned from the army going to california he found that the lands granted to him tor for his military services had been lost by his trusted agent and ho he bought a farm near carrollton mo although he had decided to retire from public life he was soon back ito into politics in 1868 he was democratic candidate tor for congress and although his friends declared that he had been elected he was not seated six years later they elected him to ta the legislature and upon the expiration of his term the general ral aged weakened and impoverished sought the humble le position of doorkeeper door keeper of the united states senate but this was denied him and he be returned to missouri that state promptly honored him by electing him to 1 uie senate ito he held this position until his death which took place on june 1 1879 at ottumwa iowa one of the most famous incidents in shields career was his duel with abraham lincoln while he was stats state auditor lincoln wrote an a anonymous nony letter to the illinois state journal ridiculing the financial policies of shields who challe challenged ngod him to a duel lincoln accepted but chose as weapons cavalry broadswords broad swords and specified that the fighting bi be do done ne over a plank set in the ground with the duellists duel lists standing on opposite sides at the distance of the whole length of the sword and three feet additional they flohl 1 I |