John Azor Kellogg (March 16, 1828 – February 10, 1883) was an American lawyer, Republican politician, and Wisconsin pioneer. He served as a Union Army officer through the entire American Civil War, serving with the famed Iron Brigade of the Army of the Potomac; he received an honorary brevet to brigadier general after the war. He was a prisoner of war for several months in 1864, and later wrote an account of his escape from captivity and his war service, called Capture and Escape: A Narrative of Army and Prison Life. He later served in the Wisconsin Senate, representing the 21st Senate district from 1879 to 1881.
At the outbreak of the American Civil War, Kellogg helped raise a company of volunteers from Mauston and surrounding areas with Rufus Dawes. The regiment was incorporated as Company K of the 6th Wisconsin Infantry Regiment on May 3, 1861; Dawes was made captain and with Kellogg as first lieutenant.[3] Upon their arrival in Washington, D.C., the regiment was organized into a brigade along with three other regiments from Wisconsin and Indiana. Their brigade later became known as the Iron Brigade, and was attached to the Army of the Potomac for most of the war.[1]
Kellogg was promoted to captain of Company I in December 1861,[3] and was made an adjutant for the brigade in 1863. He returned to his role with the regiment in 1864.
Kellogg was wounded on May 5, 1864, during the Battle of the Wilderness, and was believed dead.[4][5][6][7] He had actually been taken prisoner. He was held in Virginia for a time, then transferred to Georgia. He escaped while en route to Charleston, South Carolina, but was pursued and recaptured. On October 15, while being transferred from Charleston to Columbia, South Carolina, Kellogg escaped again. This time he successfully reached Union forces near Calhoun, Georgia, having traveled 350 miles after his escape.[1]
While a prisoner of war, Kellogg had been promoted to major and then lieutenant colonel. In December 1864 he was made colonel of the 6th Wisconsin Volunteer Regiment, following the resignation of Rufus Dawes.[3] On February 28, 1865, Kellogg was placed in command of the Iron Brigade. He commanded the brigade through the Appomattox Campaign at the close of the war and mustered out in August 1865. He was subsequently awarded a brevet to brigadier general in recognition for his service.[1][3][8]
Postbellum years
After the war, Kellogg moved to La Crosse, Wisconsin, and served as a U.S. Pension Agent in La Crosse from 1866 to 1875.[1] In 1875, Kellogg moved with his family to Wausau, Wisconsin, and resumed practicing law. Kellogg remained active with the Republican Party throughout his life, and, in 1878, was elected to the Wisconsin Senate, defeating Democrat M. H. Wadleigh.[1][9] Politically, Kellogg was described as a Radical Republican.[2]
Kellogg died of a heart attack in February 1883, at age 54. He was buried in Wausau, but later his body was re-interred in Faribault, Minnesota, where his eldest daughter, Ida, was then residing.[2]
Personal life and family
In 1852, Kellogg married Adelaide Worthington of Prairie du Sac. They had five children, but at least one died in childhood.[1]
Published works
Kellogg published articles about his involvement in the Civil War. In 1908, the articles were collected and published by the Wisconsin Historical Commission as Capture and Escape: A Narrative of Army and Prison Life.
^Dawes, p. 272; ...we have letters from Washington informing us that Colonel Bragg, Lieutenant Colonel Dawes, and Captain Kellogg of the sixth regiment are killed...
