General John S. Wilcox & General William Lynch

General John S. Wilcox and General William Lynch. . General John S. Wilcox Sec. 1B Lot 1 Space 12 1833-1926 & General William Lynch Sec. 11 Lot 133 Space 2 1839-1876, Bluff City Cemetery Elgin, Illinois. This marker commemorates the lives and service of General's John Shuler Wilcox and William Lynch, veterans of the Civil War and revered Elginites., General Wilcox came to Elgin with his family when he was nine years old. He married his wife, Lois in 1856 and had six children. Prior to his military service, he established himself as a successful lawyer and was president of the YMCA., In 1861, Wilcox was appointed lieutenant colonel of the 52nd Illinois volunteer infantry regiment. Later he was promoted to full colonel and subsequently commissioned by President Lincoln as brevet brigadier general of volunteers. He led the regiment in its campaigns and battles until the spring of 1864 when he took command of the camp of the 141st Illinois volunteer infantry., In 1867, he was elected and served one term as mayor of Elgin., General Lynch moved to Elgin with his family from Rochester in 1845 when he was six years old and was in the first class to attend Elgin Academy. He married his wife, Julia, in 1863 and they had six children together., Lynch was commissioned a colonel in 1862 and was given command of the 58th Illinois volunteer infantry. He fought in numerous battles throughout Mississippi and Tennessee and was promoted to brigadier general in 1864. Before his death in 1876, as a result of injuries suffered during the war, Lynch served on the Elgin City Council and was a member of the school board.