John W. Swanbrough was born on November 13, 1843, in Ithaca, New York, to Henry Swanbrough and Ann Brewster. His father was a farmer who supported the Republican Party. Swanbrough grew up and attended school in East Otto, New York. He moved to Benton, Illinois, in the early 1860s and earned a living as a farmer.  

 

He enlisted in the Union army on August 9, 1862, and he mustered in as a corporal in Company G of the 96^th Illinois Infantry. According to his service records, he was 5 feet, 10½ inches tall, with dark hair and dark eyes. He served as part of the regiment’s Color Guard, carrying the state flag. The regiment took part in the Battle of Chickamauga, the Battle of Missionary Ridge, the Atlanta campaign, and the Battle of Nashville.

 

During the Battle of Chickamauga, one of his comrades recalled, “Corporal Swanbrough, who had already had the staff of the regimental flag shot off twice in his hands, caught the National colors as they fell and gallantly bore both flags aloft. At every advance the colors waved at the very front.” He was wounded in the left foot at Chickamauga, but he eventually recovered and rejoined the regiment. He was promoted to sergeant in June 1864 and then to 2^nd lieutenant in June 1865. He mustered out on June 10, 1865.

 

He settled in Waukegan, Illinois, after the war and earned a living as a horse breeder. He applied for a federal pension in July 1865 and eventually secured one. He married Mary Williams around 1866, and they had at least three children: Mamie, John, and Edward. Mamie and John both died in childhood. He supported the Republican Party, and local voters elected him sheriff in 1876. He held the position for around ten years. He and his wife divorced in the late 1800s, and he married Henrietta Board around 1893. He remained in Waukegan for the rest of his life, and he died there on January 17, 1924.

 

Image: John W. Swanbrough (Waukegan News-Sun, 18 January 1924)

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