Major General John A. Logan
CITY:
Murphysboro
COUNTY:
Jackson
DEDICATED BY:
General John A. Logan Attendance Center, The General John A. Logan Museum, and The Illinois State Historical Society.
DEDICATION DATE:
May 24, 2014 at 5:00:00 AM
The marker is located on the grounds of the Gen. John A. Logan Museum, 1613 Edith Street, Murphysboro.
John A. Logan was born here in 1826. He fought in the Battle of Bull Run as a Democratic Congressman. Logan joined the Union Army and before the Civil War’s end he earned the rank of Major General. Experiences in the war changed Logan from a supporter of slavery to a champion of equal rights for African Americans. After the Civil War Logan returned to Congress as a Republican. He served three terms in the U.S. Senate and was a Republican Vice-Presidential candidate in 1884. Logan died in Washington, D.C. in 1886. His greatest legacy is the creation of Memorial Day as a national holiday.