Bluford Wilson was born on November 30, 1841, in Shawneetown, Illinois, to Harrison and Catherine Wilson. His father was a veteran of the War of 1812 and a justice of the peace who owned $1,000 of real estate in 1850. His father died in the 1850s. Wilson grew up and attended school in Shawneetown, and he helped operate a ferry. He spent a year at McKendree College before transferring to the University of Michigan.

 

On October 29, 1862, he received a commission as a 1^st lieutenant in the 120^th Illinois Infantry. He was promoted to captain and assistant adjutant general on May 6, 1863, and he took part in the Vicksburg campaign and the Red River campaign. He mustered out on July 19, 1865, and he later received a brevet promotion to major.

 

After the war, Wilson resumed his studies at the University of Michigan. He graduated in 1866, returned to Shawneetown, and earned admission to the bar in 1867. He married Alice Mather around 1865, and they had at least four children: Jessie, born around 1870; Lucy, born around 1876; Bluford, born around 1879; and Arthur, born around 1880. By 1870, he was serving as a district attorney, and he owned $250 of real estate and $500 of personal property. He supported the Republican Party, and he served as Solicitor of the Treasury from 1874 until 1876. He then settled in Springfield, Illinois.

 

During the Spanish-American War, Wilson raised a regiment of Illinois soldiers, and he received a commission as colonel. The war, however, ended before he could take command. His wife died in the early 1900s. Wilson applied for a federal pension in February 1907 and eventually secured one. He died in Springfield on July 15, 1924.

 

Image: Bluford Wilson (courtesy Wikicommons)

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