paign  he  made  the  plunge,  and  running  for  the  senate  as  an  anti--
Nebraska  democrat,  was  elected.  The  following  winter  he  put  in
nomination  for  the  United  States  Senate  Mr.  Trumbull,  and  was
one  of  the  five  steadfast  men  who  voted  for  him  until  all  the  whigs
came  to  their  support  In  1856  he  was  made  chairman  of  the
Bepnblican  State  Convention  at  Bloomington.  In  1859  he  was
defeated  for  congress.  In  1860  he  was  a  republican  elector  for  the
State  at  large.  In  1861  he  was  api)ointed  one  of  the  five  delegates
(all  republicans)  sent  by  Illinois  to  the  peace  congress  at  Wash-
ington. In  that  body  he  advocated  the  call  of  a  national  conven-
tion for  an  adjustment  of  the  country's  difficulties,  and  that
proposition  failing,  he  fistvored  the  measures  of  compromise  finally
recommended.*

When  the  civil  conflict  broke  out,  he  offered  his  services  to  his
couutiy  and  was  elected  colonel  of  the  14th  regiment.  Of  the
engagements  in  which  he  participated  may  be  mentioned  the  cap-
ture of  Island  No.  10;  Farmington,  where  he  skillfully  extricat^
his  command  from  a  dangerous  position ;  Stone  Biver,  where  his
division  for  several  hours,  oo  the  31st  of  December,  held  the
advance  and  stood  like  a  rock,  and  for  his  gallantry  here  he  was
made  Major  General  of'  volunteers ;  Ghicamauga,  where  his  and
Van  Gleve's  divisions,  for  two  hours,  maintained  their  jiosition,
when,  by  overpowering  numbers,  they  were  cut  oflF.  Under  Sher-
man Major  Greneral  Palmer  was  assigned  to  the  command  of  the
14th  army  corps,  and  participated  in  the  Atlanta  campaign.  At
Peach  Tree  Creek  his  prudence  did  much  to  avert  disaster.  When
Oeu.  McPherson  fell,  and  Gen.  Howard,  a  junior  officer,  was  pro-
moted to  the  command  of  the  army  of  the  Tennessee,  both  Generals
Hooker  and  Palmer  asked  to  be  relieved.
