(2) 1860s - The Last Days of Peace on the Farm, The Call to War and Personal Loss, Muster Out and the Unknown Years

The 1860s were the most defining and tumultuous decade in the life of Lee Roy Comer and his family in Johnson County, Illinois. It was a time that shattered the quiet rhythm of farming and forced a rural boy to confront the brutal realities of a nation at war.

The Last Days of Peace on the Comer Farm 

The decade began with Lee Roy living the demanding but stable life of a farm boy in Johnson County. On July 10, 1860, the census officially documented the Comer household in Township 13 S Range 4 E. Sixteen-year-old Leroy lived under the same roof as his parents and his six siblings. He and his older brothers, John (20) and William (18), were the indispensable labor force on the farm. Their sisters—Mary (15), Nancy Panthea (14), Sarah (2), and baby Moses A. (8 months)—rounded out the bustling household.

The Comer farm, owned by his father Moses, was a testament to their continuous labor. According to the 1860 Agricultural Schedule, the family held 65 acres of improved land and 25 acres unimproved, with the total cash value of the land listed at $1,000. Their operation was well-equipped and productive:

Livestock: They owned 2 horses, 4 milk cows, and 2 working oxen, along with 9 other cattle. The total value of their livestock was assessed at $50.

Produce: The fields yielded an impressive 1,000 bushels of Indian Corn, 249 bushels of wheat, and a significant 610 bushels of Tobacco, a clear sign of their Southern agricultural tradition. They also produced 150 pounds of butter and sold $85 worth of animals slaughtered.

The family had a solid standing, with a personal estate value of $500 and a real estate value of $100 recorded elsewhere.

However, a deep political rift was tearing at the community. Johnson County, settled by migrants from Southern states, harbored strong Democratic and pro-Southern sympathies. This political identity would soon be tested.

The Call to War and Personal Loss 

Early in 1861, the fragile peace of the home was broken. On February 1, 1861, the family suffered a personal loss: Leroy’s grandfather, John Epps Comer, a veteran of the War of 1812, passed away at the age of 78. This moment of sorrow was quickly overshadowed by the widening national conflict.

Despite the county’s pro-Southern leanings, Lee Roy Comer answered the call to the Union cause. He left the familiar fields of home, with his journey toward military life beginning with his unit's organization at Camp Douglas in 1861. He formally entered the service later, on December 21, 1863, at the age of 19, enlisting in New Columbia, Illinois, under Captain Norris. He officially mustered in as a Private in Company M of the 13th Illinois Cavalry Consolidated Unit on February 12, 1864, at Camp Butler, Illinois.

A Soldier’s Journey Through Arkansas 

Leroy's time as a Union cavalryman was a period of intense combat and campaigning in the Western Theater.

The Camden Expedition: The spring of 1864 plunged Leroy into the thick of battle. His unit joined General Steele’s arduous expedition, fighting in a series of grueling actions across Arkansas at places like Arkadelphia, Okolona, Little Missouri River, Prairie d'Ane, Camden, and Jenkins' Ferry.

Pine Bluff Engagements: After returning to Little Rock, the unit was heavily engaged in raids, scouts, and skirmishes, particularly around Pine Bluff, Arkansas. Leroy fought in a grinding series of nine recorded engagements in this one area, spanning from July 10, 1864, through February 22, 1865.  His company was instrumental in defeating Confederate forces under Generals Shelby and Marmaduke at Clarendon and Pine Bluff.

Muster Out and the Unknown Years 

Leroy's service concluded with scouting and picketing. He was honorably mustered out on August 31, 1865, in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, by LTC Schauste. At 21 years old, he received his final pay and discharge two weeks later in Springfield, Illinois, and returned home to a Johnson County that was dramatically changed.

While Leroy was away, the Illinois Central Railroad had fueled a massive population boom, more than doubling the county's residents and integrating it into the national economy. Lee Roy returned a war veteran, a living symbol of a divided nation, now having to navigate a socially complex community.

The years between his return in 1865 and his eventual marriage to Mary Melissa "Aunt Lissie" Shires in 1870 remain a quiet, mysterious chapter—a time for the young soldier to heal, rebuild his life, and finally find his footing after the tumultuous decade of the 1860s.

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