John Truesdall MCCLELLAN (VETERAN CSA)

John
PRIVATE
Company H 15 Arkansas Infantry
Civil War Confederate
April 15, 1842 - December 4, 1919

*Obituary
Fayetteville Democrat
Thursday, December 11, 1919

JOHN McCLELLAN DIES AT HOME IN CANE HILL

John McClellan, aged 77, a Confederate veteran and noted blind citizen of Cane Hill, died Thursday morning at 5 o'clock at the family home from pneumonia following a nine days' illness.

Funeral services will be held Sunday at Cane Hill Presbyterian Church.

The deceased is survived by two sisters, Mrs. Ada Foreman of Claremore, Okla., and Mrs. W. H. Gaither of Cane Hill; and three brothers, W. P. McClellan of Claremore; C. M. McClellan of Blackmore and S. G. McClellan of Cane Hill.

Mr. McClellan had been blind since the Civil War, in which he lost his eyesight from lack of proper dressing. Throughout his more than half a century of affliction he has been cheerful and active, attending to all of his own business affairs and making business trips into distant states. For many years he was a familiar figure as he rode to Fayetteville on horseback. He was a member of the county camp of Confederate Veterans and prominent in community and business life.

He died at the home where he was born and where his parents had spent most of their lives.

*Obituary (Article)
WCHS Flashback Vol. 13, No. 1

McCLELLAN, John Truesdell – John T. McClellan was born 15 April 1842 at Cane Hill, Arkansas and died in December 1919 at Cane Hill. On 8 June 1904, at Cane Hill, he married Mary Buchanan, the daughter of Rev. John Thomas Buchanan and Alta Venia Russell of Cane Hill. John T. McClellan lived most of his life on the farm that was the original homestead of his grandfather John, who was the McClellan pioneer at Cane Hill. This farm occupied perhaps a quarter section of fertile land, with a fine spring of water on the northeast side. The original house, built by John the pioneer, was near the spring. After John’s death the farm passed to his youngest son, Evan White McClellan, farmer and merchant, who reared a large family there and after the Civil War built the big white house that still stands.

John T., eldest son of White and Sarah Jane (Truesdell) McClellan, was educated at Cane Hill College. He joined the Confederate army at the outbreak of the war and served in Co, H, 15th Arkansas Infantry under Captain Buchanan. In 1865 he lost his sight, becoming totally blind, a condition brought on by exposure to the elements, and to neuralgia.. At the close of the war he returned to his farm home to regain his health. Being a man of strong character and personality, he was determined to overcome the handicap of blindness. He attended the University of Virginia and in 1872 received the Bachelor of Law degree. For a time he practiced law at McKinney, Texas. After a few years he returned to the farm home and lived with his parents during their lifetime. In spite of the handicap of blindness, John T. McClellan was an expert horseman. He raised horses and always chose a spirited, intelligent horse to train. The horses that he trained and rode were remarkable. During the training period, Mr. McClellan hired a man to ride with and assist him. The horse was trained to respond readily to signals and commands, to stand unattended and to avoid passing under low objects. John rode regularly to the village (Cane Hill), frequently carrying a basket of eggs or a bucket of milk, and the horse always seemed to know where to go. Without any apparent direction from the rider, the horse would come to a position parallel to a gate for opening and closing, or stand quietly alongside a platform during mounting or dismounting by the rider. The attendant was especially needed during the training of the horse on the highway.

John McClellan had a keen mind and a retentive memory. After traveling with a companion he could remember the general pattern of the highway, such as bridges and changes of direction. He was so skillful that he could travel long distances, much of the time alone or with a minimum of assistance from those he encountered enroute. He frequently rode to Tahlequah, Indian Territory, when his brothers Charlie and Will lived there. After they moved to the area of Claremore, where their sister Ada Foreman lived, he rode out there to visit them. It is said that he even rode to McKinney, Texas, where he had practiced law and was a land owner. From all accounts, the star performer of John’s riding mounts was a horse named Josh. On one occasion after riding to Claremore, Oklahoma, John planned to spend considerable time and decided to send Josh home alone. To keep anyone from thinking that something had happened to the rider, he penned a note to the saddle stating “Let Josh pass,” signed John T. McClellan. In due time, Josh arrived at Cane Hill and his own stable.

It was the general opinion that each trained horse was taught to signal the rider at the forks of the road and when he met someone on foot. More than one person has reported standing quietly as Mr. McClellan came along, only to have him call out “Who is there?” The last horse that John trained and rode was a little sorrel mare named “Maggie.” A kinsman as a child, tried numerous times to see if by standing quietly off the road John McClellan would fail to know that someone was there. Each time as he approached, Maggie would throw her head up and down. John always rode with his hand on the base of the horse’s neck so he was sensitive to the signal. At the signal from Maggie, John would call out “Hello, who is it?” Seeing that I could not fool him, I would identify myself and then he invariably sang out “Hello, Cousin: fine day, isn’t it?” or some other cheerful remark.

John McClellan was married to Mary Buchanan in 1904. Her devoted companionship did much to round out his life. She died about 1918, and he was again left lone. Even in his seventies, John continued being active. For years he had picked his way along a stoney path to the barn to feed and care for his horses. In the early winter of 1919, he fell from the hay loft and fractured several ribs. Pneumonia followed and claimed his life. This was the end of a colorful career. His horses, which were quite wild from lack of handling, were sold at auction. The promising star of the new crop was an unbroken horse named “Early Bug.” Along with the other horses, Maggie too was sold. Will McClellan bought Maggie and the saddle and bridle and took her to Claremore, Oklahoma. Some months later, the people in the village of Cane Hill were surprised to see Maggie coming down the road. She, too, had made the trip alone from Claremore and went directly to her old stable. This sad sight recalled the memory of a cheerful and resourceful man, who had a great peace of mind and a calm serenity.

*Obituary
Springdale News
Friday, December 12, 1919

John McClellan, 77 years of age, died Thursday night of last week at his home in Cane Hill, the result of pneumonia. Deceased was a soldier in the Confederate army and lost his eye-sight during the war. This did not deter him from taking an active interest in affairs. He was a great lover of good horses, and until he grew too feeble to travel, made frequent trips horse-back throughout the county, riding horses with ease that many men with good eye-sight would have feared to handle. He died in the home where he was born, and where his parents resided for many years.

Mary
Died 1918

Contributed on 9/14/14 by judyfrog
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