Saving John A. Logan

When newspapers announced the death of her husband at the Battle of Fort Donelson on Feb. 15, 1862, Mary Logan leapt into action. She left her home in Marion, Ill., for the 130-mile trek to Fort Donelson to recover her husband’s body. Turns out he was very much alive. Decades later, she described the journey and its outcome.
"Life on the Civil War Research Trail" is hosted by Ronald S. Coddington, Editor and Publisher of Military Images magazine. Learn more about our mission to showcase, interpret and preserve Civil War portrait photography at militaryimagesmagazine.com and shopmilitaryimages.com.
This episode is brought to you in part by The Excelsior Brigade, dealers in fine Civil War memorabilia. See their latest additions at excelsiorbrigade.com.
Image: Newspapers.com, Library of Congress
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[@keithwhittington1322]

General Logan was one of the best and it shouldn't surprise that Mrs. Logan was of similar quality.

[@davide9658]

An impressive woman indeed. Gen. Logan was surely a fortunate man.

[@jonrettich-ff4gj]

I think Logan is not studied enough as a self made extremely capable officer. His wife is rather awesome, an obvious life partner of extreme capability and political savvy. A very touching accounting from her. Only 136 miles away let alone fighting and dying by ones’ family home. We tend to not quite realize how close to participants’ homes this war could be. Thanks

[@susan1073]

Hi Ron, Could you research Thomas Ward Custer apparently an out standing Union Soldier. Thank you.

[@delstanley1349]

Her passage from 6:45-7:21 was quite remarkable. She was a writer in her own "write." I thought she may have wasted her talent for writing, by not writing and just being the wife of a union officer. But I was wrong, really wrong. I looked her up, Mary Simmerson Cunningham. Ah, she was quite busy writing, she was the editor of The Home Magazine, and worked for Hearst News and wrote articles for many other news services, papers and magazines. She wasted none of her talent. Thanx Ron for the story, I've seen the Logan family photo many times and never really thought about who all the other members were.