Joseph Bloomfield Leake
Encyclopedia
Joseph Bloomfield Leake (April 1, 1828 – June 1, 1918) was an attorney and an Iowa State Senator who entered the Union Army
during the American Civil War
. He became a Brevet
Brigadier General
before the war was over. After the war he became the U.S. District Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois
in Chicago
.
. He graduated from Miami University
in 1846 and then studied law. He was admitted to the bar in 1850 and set up a practice in Davenport, Iowa
. Leake was elected to the Iowa Senate
and served during the war session of 1861.
. He was commissioned a Lieutenant Colonel
when the regiment was organized at Camp Kirkwood in Clinton, Iowa
. He led the regiment at Prairie Grove
, Vicksburg, Yazoo City
, and Port Hudson
. In September 1863 in an engagement called Stirlings Farm near Morganza, Louisiana
Leake was injured and captured by the Confederates
. He was held prisoner at Camp Ford
near Tyler, Texas
. He was the highest ranking Union officer in the camp and he looked after the needs of the other Union POW’s.
He was released from Camp Ford in a prisoner exchange in July 1864. Some of the soldiers from the 19th Iowa Infantry
presented Leake with a new sword to replace the one he lost when he was taken prisoner. He returned to his regiment and participated in the capture of Fort Gaines and Fort Morgan near Mobile, Alabama
. On March 13, 1865 he was awarded the rank of Brevet Brigadier General. The following month Leake led his regiment during the Battle of Fort Blakely
in Alabama.
and served as State Commander of the Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States
from 1894 to 1895.
Leake was married twice. His first wife was Cordellia Scott and he married his second wife, Mary P. Hill, on December 9, 1865. He had no children. Leake died in Chicago and was buried in Oakdale Cemetery
in Davenport.
Union Army
The Union Army was the land force that fought for the Union during the American Civil War. It was also known as the Federal Army, the U.S. Army, the Northern Army and the National Army...
during the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
. He became a Brevet
Brevet (military)
In many of the world's military establishments, brevet referred to a warrant authorizing a commissioned officer to hold a higher rank temporarily, but usually without receiving the pay of that higher rank except when actually serving in that role. An officer so promoted may be referred to as being...
Brigadier General
Brigadier general (United States)
A brigadier general in the United States Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps, is a one-star general officer, with the pay grade of O-7. Brigadier general ranks above a colonel and below major general. Brigadier general is equivalent to the rank of rear admiral in the other uniformed...
before the war was over. After the war he became the U.S. District Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois
United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois
The United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois is the trial-level court with jurisdiction over the northern counties of Illinois....
in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
.
Early life & Career
Leake was born in Deerfield, New Jersey, and later moved to Cincinnati, OhioCincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio. Cincinnati is the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located to north of the Ohio River at the Ohio-Kentucky border, near Indiana. The population within city limits is 296,943 according to the 2010 census, making it Ohio's...
. He graduated from Miami University
Miami University
Miami University is a coeducational public research university located in Oxford, Ohio, United States. Founded in 1809, it is the 10th oldest public university in the United States and the second oldest university in Ohio, founded four years after Ohio University. In its 2012 edition, U.S...
in 1846 and then studied law. He was admitted to the bar in 1850 and set up a practice in Davenport, Iowa
Davenport, Iowa
Davenport is a city located along the Mississippi River in Scott County, Iowa, United States. Davenport is the county seat of and largest city in Scott County. Davenport was founded on May 14, 1836 by Antoine LeClaire and was named for his friend, George Davenport, a colonel during the Black Hawk...
. Leake was elected to the Iowa Senate
Iowa Senate
The Iowa Senate is the upper house of the Iowa General Assembly. There are 50 members of the Senate, representing 50 single-member districts across the state with populations of approximately 59,500 per constituency. Each Senate district is composed of two House districts...
and served during the war session of 1861.
Military Service
Leake resigned his seat in the state senate and became a captain of Company G of the 20th Iowa Infantry20th Iowa Volunteer Infantry Regiment
The 20th Regiment Iowa Volunteer Infantry was an infantry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War.-Service:The 20th Iowa Infantry was organized at Clinton, Iowa and mustered in for three years of Federal service on August 25, 1862.The regiment was mustered out on July...
. He was commissioned a Lieutenant Colonel
Lieutenant Colonel (United States)
In the United States Army, United States Air Force, and United States Marine Corps, a lieutenant colonel is a field grade military officer rank just above the rank of major and just below the rank of colonel. It is equivalent to the naval rank of commander in the other uniformed services.The pay...
when the regiment was organized at Camp Kirkwood in Clinton, Iowa
Clinton, Iowa
Clinton is a city in and the county seat of Clinton County, Iowa, United States. The population was 26231as of 2010. Clinton, along with DeWitt, Iowa , was named in honor of the seventh governor of New York, DeWitt Clinton. Clinton is the principal city of the Clinton Micropolitan Statistical...
. He led the regiment at Prairie Grove
Battle of Prairie Grove
The Battle of Prairie Grove was a battle of the American Civil War fought on 7 December 1862, that resulted in a tactical stalemate but essentially secured northwest Arkansas for the Union.-Strategic situation: Union:...
, Vicksburg, Yazoo City
Yazoo City, Mississippi
Yazoo City is a city in Yazoo County, Mississippi, United States. It was named after the Yazoo River, which, in turn was named by the French explorer Robert La Salle. It is the county seat of Yazoo County and the principal city of the Yazoo City Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is part of the...
, and Port Hudson
Siege of Port Hudson
The Siege of Port Hudson occurred from May 22 to July 9, 1863, when Union Army troops assaulted and then surrounded the Mississippi River town of Port Hudson, Louisiana, during the American Civil War....
. In September 1863 in an engagement called Stirlings Farm near Morganza, Louisiana
Morganza, Louisiana
Morganza is an incorporated village near the Mississippi River in Pointe Coupee Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 659 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Baton Rouge Metropolitan Statistical Area. The village's zip code is 70759...
Leake was injured and captured by the Confederates
Confederate States Army
The Confederate States Army was the army of the Confederate States of America while the Confederacy existed during the American Civil War. On February 8, 1861, delegates from the seven Deep South states which had already declared their secession from the United States of America adopted the...
. He was held prisoner at Camp Ford
Camp Ford
Camp Ford was a prisoner of war camp near Tyler, Texas, during the American Civil War. It was the largest Confederate-run prison west of the Mississippi River....
near Tyler, Texas
Tyler, Texas
Tyler is a city in and the county seat of Smith County, Texas, in the United States. It takes its name from President John Tyler . The city had a population of 109,000 in 2010, according to the United States Census Bureau...
. He was the highest ranking Union officer in the camp and he looked after the needs of the other Union POW’s.
He was released from Camp Ford in a prisoner exchange in July 1864. Some of the soldiers from the 19th Iowa Infantry
19th Iowa Volunteer Infantry Regiment
The 19th Regiment Iowa Volunteer Infantry was an infantry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War.-Service:The 19th Iowa Infantry was organized at Keokuk, Iowa and mustered in for three years of Federal service on August 25, 1862.The regiment was mustered out on July...
presented Leake with a new sword to replace the one he lost when he was taken prisoner. He returned to his regiment and participated in the capture of Fort Gaines and Fort Morgan near Mobile, Alabama
Mobile, Alabama
Mobile is the third most populous city in the Southern US state of Alabama and is the county seat of Mobile County. It is located on the Mobile River and the central Gulf Coast of the United States. The population within the city limits was 195,111 during the 2010 census. It is the largest...
. On March 13, 1865 he was awarded the rank of Brevet Brigadier General. The following month Leake led his regiment during the Battle of Fort Blakely
Battle of Fort Blakely
-Sources:**-External links:*...
in Alabama.
Later life & Death
After the war Leake returned to Davenport and was re-elected to the Iowa Senate. He moved to Chicago in 1871 and was appointed the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois. On September 21, 1887 he was elected the attorney for the Chicago Board of Education. He was a member of the Ulysses S. Grant Post #28 of the Grand Army of the RepublicGrand Army of the Republic
The Grand Army of the Republic was a fraternal organization composed of veterans of the Union Army, US Navy, US Marines and US Revenue Cutter Service who served in the American Civil War. Founded in 1866 in Decatur, Illinois, it was dissolved in 1956 when its last member died...
and served as State Commander of the Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States
Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States
The Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States, also known by its acronym MOLLUS or simply as the Loyal Legion, is a United States patriotic order, organized April 15, 1865, by officers of the Army, Navy, or Marine Corps of the United States who "had aided in maintaining the honor,...
from 1894 to 1895.
Leake was married twice. His first wife was Cordellia Scott and he married his second wife, Mary P. Hill, on December 9, 1865. He had no children. Leake died in Chicago and was buried in Oakdale Cemetery
Oakdale Memorial Gardens
Oakdale Memorial Gardens, formerly Oakdale Cemetery, is located in east-central Davenport, Iowa, United States. It was established in 1856 and designed by Captain George F. de la Roche, who had finished the design of Oak Hill Cemetery in Washington, D.C. five years earlier. It is considered a...
in Davenport.