Vigo County Historical Society
Historical Treasure Article

Historic Treasure of the Week - July 26, 1998
By Marylee Hagan
Vigo County Historical Society

Learn more about Vigo County Civil War heroes at
"Camps to Crinolines"

My Dear Mother,

On the eve of a great battle, I have sat down upon the ground and with my saddle for a table, to write a few words to the loved ones at home.

Should I be spared to fight again under the same glorious banner under which I have fought before, it will be God’s wish. If I should fall, remember I dies for a cause in which many are denied to honor.

These words were written by Capt. John J.P. Blinn on the eve of an impending battle 20 miles from Washington, D.C. He survived that Maryland campaign. However, on July 3, 1863, he was mortally wounded in repulsing the charge of Pickett’s Confederate corps during the Battle of Gettysburg. He died three days later in a field hospital.

Blinn’s body was returned to Terre Haute for burial in the family plot in Woodlawn Cemetery. Blinn was 23 years of age.

Born in Terre Haute in 1841, Blinn was educated in local schools and had just begin attending Wabash College in Crawfordsville when rumors of war began to circulate. When the call came for volunteers, Blinn was one of the first to answer.

He was proficient in military drill from his experiences at Wabash College, so he assisted in raising a company at Old Camp Vigo on North Seventh Street. He was mustered into service as adjutant in the 14th Indiana Regiment. In October 1862, he was commissioned captain and assistant adjutant general, serving on the staff of Gen. Nathan Kimball and Gen. Carroll.

This tall, dark-haired young man from Terre Haute was one of the most honored and beloved in the long roll of heroes Indiana contributed to the Civil War. He now sleeps in the "City of Whispering Trees," Woodlawn Cemetery.

Visit his grave and the Vigo County Historical Society exhibit "Camps to Crinolines--The Civil War Era Revisited" to learn more about John Blinn and other Civil War heroes from Vigo County.

The Historical Museum of the Wabash Valley, 1411 S. Sixth St., is open from 1 to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday.