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BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS

HON. ARCHIBALD BARD DAR- the friend through whom he had obtained

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RAGH, for thirty-five years a prominent banker of St. Louis, Gratiot county, and now serving his third term in Congress as representative of the Eleventh Michigan District, is a native of the Wolverine State, born in LaSalle township, Monroe county, December 23, 1840, son of Benjamin F. and Catherine (Bard) Darragh. His father, His father, Benjamin F. Darragh, was a native of Fulton county, Pennsylvania, born in 1808, and traced his ancestors back to well-known, influential Scotch-Irish residents of eastern and southeastern Pennsylvania. Mr. Darragh was married December 4, 1834, to Catherine Bard, born November 12, 1804, near Mercersburg, Pennsylvania, who died in April, 1863. They had a family of five children, of whom Archibald is the second child and eldest son.

Archibald Bard Darragh began his education in the common schools, which he attended until twelve years old. In 1852 he accompanied his parents to Monroe, where he attended the academy, and prepared, under the tuition of Hon. Edwin Willits, then at the head of a select school in Monroe, tu enter college. In the fall of 1857 Mr. Darragh entered the University of Michigan, at Ann Arbor, where he pursued the classical course for two years. After leaving college be obtained a position as tutor in Claiborne county, Mississippi, and was thus engaged at the outbreak of the war of the Rebellion. Mr. Darragh's return to the North was made possible only through the intervention of

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his position. Though an earnest supporter of the Confederate cause, it is fortunate that the friend was still loyal to Mr. Darragh, and, with drawn revolver, protected the Yankee schoolmaster until his train bore him in safety toward the North. It was only with difficulty that he eluded the Confederate officials on the journey. On reaching home safely he again entered the University of Michigan, which he then attended for one year, graduating in the classical course, and receiving the degree of A. B., in 1868.

Meantime Mr. Darragh's patriotism was aroused, and on August 14, 1862, he enlisted in Company H, Eighteenth Michigan Volunteer Infantry, the regiment on the 5th of September joining the United States forces opposing the command of Kirby Smith. After serving but twenty days, Private Darragh and sixty-two others-belonging to his regiment, the Tenth Kentucky and the Fourth Indiana Cavalry-were captured while on picket duty near Walton, Boone county, Kentucky, in a sudden charge of Rebel cavalry under John Morgan. They were marched double quick to Falmouth, Kentucky, and paroled the day following their arrival by Major Dick Morgan, a nephew of the noted guerrilla commander. Early in January, 1863, Mr. Darragh was exchanged, and immediately joined Company D, Ninth Michigan Cavalry, receiving a commission as second lieutenant.

This regiment bore a prominent part in the pursuit and capture of Morgan, their

first encounter with his forces in this campaign taking place July 5th, when a detachment from the Ninth cut off and captured Col. Robert Alston, Morgan's chief of staff, taking fifty-one prisoners. The Ninth was in the advance when Morgan was brought to bay at Buffington's Island, on the banks of the Ohio, and made such a successful attack that Col. Basil Duke and most of his immediate command was captured, Duke endeavoring to hold the field while Morgan and the main body of his troops fled North. On July 20th a detachment from the regiment was in the engagement at which the greater part of Morgan's command was capturedall but Morgan himself and about five hundred of his men, who were taken prisoners six days afterward by Companies D, I, C, H and E, of the Ninth Regiment; under command of Major W. B. Way. The Major's official report to General Burnside, dated Salineville, Ohio, July 26, 1863, read as follows: "After a forced march yesterday and last night, with almost continued skirmishing, we succeeded this morning, at eight o'clock, in pressing Morgan to engagement about half a mile from this town. After more than an hour of severe fighting, we scattered his forces in all directions. The following is the result of our engagement: from twenty to thirty killed; about fifty wounded; 255 prisoners. Our loss slight. My command is 250 strong."

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Within a month Lieutenant Darragh was proceeding with his regiment, under Burnside, over the mountains into eastern Tennessee, where the Ninth did particularly good service at Loudon Bridge, Knoxville, and Cumberland Gap, and took part in the pursuit of the enemy through Strawberry Plains, Morristown, Russellville, Blue Springs, Greenville, Jonesboro and Watauga.

"It had watered its horses in every stream from the Cumberland range to the Blue Ridge." The manner in which the men of this command stood the rigors of the dreadful campaign of 1863-64 was greatly to their credit. By the middle of February, 1864, there were but fifty serviceable horses in the entire command, and on the 25th of that month Lieutenant Darragh was ordered to report direct to Brigade Commander GenUntil eral Garrard, with fifty picked men. March 25th they were engaged in scouting and reconnoitering, and the command was frequently engaged in skirmishes with the Confederate cavalry. In April the regiment was ordered to Kentucky to remount, and in June took a prominent part in routing Morgan out from Cynthiana, Kentucky, and driving him from the State, being in the advance. In July the regiment marched through Kentucky and Tennessee to Georgia, joining Sherman at Marietta, in the advance on Atlanta. The cavalry was engaged in protecting the flanks, keeping open communications, scouting, reconnoitering and raiding until after the fall of Atlanta. It participated in the raid around that city under Kilpatrick. On November 14, 1864, the regiment marched out of its camp to take its position in Sherman's army on the march to the sea, being the only Michigan cavalry regiment which took part in that celebrated movement. Through Georgia there was continuous skirmishing with the Confederate cavalry under General Wheeler, the Ninth doing noteworthy work at Lovejoy's Station, Macon, Waynesboro and Cypress Camp, and winning special mention from General Kilpatrick in his official report to Sherman: "It has at all times behaved most handsomely and attracted my special attention." It had the honor

of being Sherman's escort in the investment of Savannah, made a gallant charge at Aiken, South Carolina, and was in the thick of the fight at Averysboro and Bentonville. On February 12, 1864, our subject was commissioned first lieutenant, and was promoted to captain June 9, 1865, being honorably discharged from the service with that rank July 21, 1865, at Jackson.

capacity of assemblyman, serving as chairman of the committee on Private Corporations, a position for which he was peculiarly fitted. He also acted on the committees on State Affairs and on State University. His term of service at Washington commenced with the LVIIth Congress, and he has been twice re-elected. His Democratic opponent for the LVIIIth Congress was David J. Erwin, Mr. Darragh taking his seat with 18,174 votes to his credit, as against 7,891 votes cast for Mr. Erwin. Mr. Darragh's course in Congress has been marked by the same industry and faithful care of his constituents' interests which characterized his incumbency of minor offices.

Mr. Darragh has attained eminence in the Masonic fraternity, having reached the thirty-second degree and the Shrine, after hav

After the war Mr. Darragh decided to fit himself for the legal profession, and subsequently located at Jackson to assume the study of the law under Governor Blair. The experiences of the years which had intervened since his student days, however, caused him to change his mind, and he obtained a position in the West Side Union school at Jackson, having charge of the grammar department for two years. In 1867 he was elected the first superintendenting been a member since 1866; he is also of public schools of Jackson county, dis- affiliated with the Knights of Pythias and charging the duties of that office two years. the Grand Army of the Republic. In 1870 Mr. Darragh located in Gratiot county, and soon afterward established his banking business in St. Louis, in which he has since been continuously engaged. Since 1898 he has been president of the Gratiot State Bank, which he was instrumental in organizing. During the long period of his. residence in St. Louis he has been intimately connected with the public interests of the village and has given years of service on the board of education, the perfect organization of the Union school being largely due to his efforts and views, made practical by his own experiences as an educator. Politically a stanch Republican, he has been active in local politics, and of late years has become a national legislator. He was elected county treasurer in 1872, and in 1882 was chosen to the Legislature as representative from Gratiot county. Mr. Darragh was active in his

On June 8, 1875, Archibald B. Darragh was united in marriage to Miss Annie P. Culbertson, of Monongahela City, Pennsylvania, who was born May 14, 1848, daughter of Albert and Emily (Brown) Culbertson. She passed away September 8, 1905, and was interred in the St. Louis cemetery.

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HE DARRAGH FAMILY, to which Hon. Archibald Bard Darragh belongs, is primarily of Scottish origin, the name being traced back clearly to one of the clans of Scotland, and it has been immortalized by Scott in one of his historical romances. For a number of generations past, however, its members have been of the race known as Scotch-Irish, and show all the distinguishing characteristics of that people. For sturdy | physical, mental and moral make-up they have never been surpassed, and their in

fluence in the early settlement of Pennsylvania was ever favorable to the best interests of the communities in which their lot was cast.

Thomas Darragh came to America from the North of Ireland in the year 1725 and settled in Horsham, now in Montgomery county, Pennsylvania. After a few years he removed to Bedminster, Bucks county, Pennsylvania, where he died in 1750, leav- | ing an estate consisting of 800 acres of land to his five sons and three daughters, namely: Robert, Thomas, Henry, William, James, Susannah, Agnes and Esther.

Henry Darragh, the third son of Thomas Darragh, was born in Bucks county, Pennsylvania, in 1737, and married Ann Jamison. They were the great-grandparents of Hon. Archibald B. Darragh. They removed to New Britain, Bucks county, where he subsequently lived and died. They had a family of eight children, five sons and three daughters, viz.: Mary, James, William, Margaret, Ann, John, George W. and Henry. Henry Darragh served in the Continental army, in which he was a captain. He died in 1782, at the age of forty-five years, from disease contracted in the military service, and was buried at Deep Run. His wife, who long survived him, reached the age of seventy-three, dying in Bedford county, Pennsylvania, April 15, 1814.

George W. Darrah (as he spelled it), fourth son of Henry and Ann (Jamison) Darragh, was born July 12, 1778, in Bucks county, Pennsylvania. He was long a resident of Fulton county, Pennsylvania, in 1834 migrating westward to Michigan, where he passed the remainder of his days. Although past middle life at this time he was active and useful in the affairs of his adopted home, doing good service as an of

ficer in the Second Regiment of Infantry, which was organized and called out by Governor Mason to resist the attempted jurisdiction of Ohio over Michigan territory. He died March 6, 1839, in Monroe county, Michigan, aged sixty-one years. On January 7, 1803, Mr. Darrah married Rebekah More, and they had the following named children: Lewis, Benjamin F., Mary A., George W., James, John and Martha.

Benjamin F. Darragh was born February 22, 1808, in Fulton county, Pennsylvania, and on December 4, 1834, married Catherine Bard, who was born November 12, 1804, near Mercersburg, Pennsylvania. Mrs. Darragh passed away in April, 1863, and Mr. Darragh on December 13, 1892. Five children were born to this union, namely: Maria E., who married William S. McDowell; Archibald Bard, present representative in Congress from the Eleventh Michigan District; James C.; and two sons who died in infancy.

Of the Bard family, Mr. Darragh's ancestors in the maternal line, we have records back to the first ancestor in this country, John Bard, who came from Ireland in the latter part of the seventeenth century, settling in Maryland, whence his descendants have scattered all over the Union. From him Mr. Darragh traces his ancestry through William Bard and Archibald Bard to Richard Bard, his great-grandfather, who married Catherine Poe December 22, 1756. He was born near Philadelphia December 26, 1726, and settled in that part of York county, Pennsylvania, which was afterward set off as Adams county. His experiences in that wild region during the period of the French and Indian war were harrowing in the extreme.

"In 1744 the war between England and

women of this period adequately picture to their understandings the qualities of a woman who could deliberately choose to be left to such chances as lay before Mrs. Bard, isolated and alone in the power of the most implacable of savages-the Delawares? This volume is honored in recording her name and perpetuating the fame of her act of self-sacrificing, womanly devotion. It is probable that her native strength of character and superiority inspired her savage captors with respect, for her life was spared and she was subjected to no indignities beyond the hardships of the march and its incidental privations. She was formally adopted by the tribe, but refused to learn or use their language, as she would have been obliged, in that event, by their customs, to choose or accept a husband. She was in captivity two

France terminated the historic peace es- the Indians until her fleeing husband was betablished by the Quakers between the col-yond the reach of their vengeance. Can the onists and Indians, and Braddock's campaign, with its disastrous results, seemed to let loose upon the borders many of the possibilities of savage warfare. Assaults on the frontier settlements were frequent and resulted in murder of the whites, or what was in most instances worse-capture. These hostilities grew less frequent as time progressed, but did not wholly cease until 1759. “In 1758 the Indians sent their marauding parties into York county, and killed and abducted the frontiersmen and their families. On the 13th of April, in that year, nineteen Delawares invested the home of Richard Bard. The inmates were Mr. Bard, his wife, Lieutenant Potter (brother of General Potter), a babe of six months, and a bound boy. The Indians made an entry into the house and were repulsed. But they were too numerous to be successfully resist-years and five months, and was ransomed by ed, and capitulation was determined on by the whites. They surrendered on promise of their lives being spared. The house was rifled of all valuables and the other buildings fired. Lieutenant Potter was murdered soon after they had taken up their line of march, and not long after the infant child shared the same fate. On the fifth day Mr. Bard resolved to escape, as the brutality of his captors and the hardships he encountered were fast disabling him and incapacitating him from travel. He was sent to a spring for water but a short time after his resolution was formed and communicated to his wife; he took advantage of the opportunity his errand afforded to make his escape. The character of the wife may be inferred from the fact that she not only approved of his determination, but diverted the attention of

the payment of $200 by her husband, who never ceased his efforts to find her after he attained his own freedom. The story of his escape would grace the pages of romance. His sufferings rivaled those of the Unionists who came out of the jaws of death in making their escape from the stockade prison at Andersonville. He subsisted on buds and raw rattlesnakes, and finally reached Fort Pitt (Pittsburg), where he began his search and negotiations for his wife. After their reunion, they settled in Franklin county, Pennsylvania, where they reared their family."

The record of their experiences was written out in detail by their second son, Archibald, and compiled in a volume now in the possession of Mr. Archibald B. Darragh, "Mirror of Olden-Time Border Life." He

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