ALTON - After suffering a stroke in 1923, Captain Joseph True (J.T.) Dodge (1845 – 1930) had been an invalid for nearly two years when he woke up on May 30, 1925, and went on an excursion trip to Jefferson Barracks. Dodge wanted to see some of his friends in Ransom Post, No. 131, Grand Army of the Republic (G.A.R.) of St. Louis. Dodge’s friend, “young” Joab Watkins (91 years old), escorted him to the wharf, where Dodge boarded the excursion steamer “J.S.” He got off the boat at Jefferson Barracks, witnessed the flag ceremonies there at noon when the flag was hauled to full mast, then walked around looking for fellow Ransom Post members. He failed to find any of them but “had a very pleasant day while playing truant.”
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For more information on the very active G.A.R. Ransom Post, there are records available online here: https://www.suvcwmo.org/uploads/3/0/9/6/30960503/131_ransom_update_3-2025.pdf.
Additional materials, including photos of many veteran members, can be found at the Missouri History Museum Archival Library.
Dodge enlisted in the Union Army shortly before his 16th birthday in 1861. He joined Company G of the Fourth Missouri Volunteers and took part in the battles of Franklin, Nashville, and Chickamauga. Dodge served until the end of the war. He later worked in the steamboat and then railroad industries. Patriotic his entire life, Dodge hated not being able to serve his country during World War One, so he went to work making munitions at Western Cartridge Co. at 76 years old. He was “one of the oldest Altonians to do his bit for the success of his country in that period of intense wartime effort.”
Capt. Dodge died in December 1930. He and his wife, Mary Sargent Dodge (1846 – 1922), are buried at the Alton Cemetery. Both J.T. and Mary were very involved in Memorial Day (originally called Decoration Day) observances in Alton. The Memorial Day Parade in Alton is the nation's oldest, consecutively running Memorial Day parade. The 158th consecutive Alton Memorial Day Parade was just held earlier this week.
Mary Sargent Dodge and Joseph True Dodge were portrayed by Gail Drillinger and Jeff Pruett in Vintage Voices performances in October 2023. The annual event consists of walking tours held in the Alton Cemetery with actors in period costumes telling the story of Altonians who have shaped the area’s history. This year’s tour dates are Oct. 4, 5, 11, and 12, 2025. A non-walking performance is planned for Sunday, Oct. 5, 2025. Vintage Voices relies on community involvement, and this year’s auditions will be held Saturday, June 7, 2025, at YWCA Southwestern Illinois, 304 E. 3rd St., Alton, Ill., 62002. https://www.riverbender.com/news/details/vintage-voices-auditions-are-june-7-at-ywca-in-alton-82276.cfm
Special thanks to George Fuller for research help with this week’s article.
Sources
“Capt. J.T. Dodge Suffers Paralytic Stroke.” Alton Evening Telegraph (Alton, IL), June 4, 1923.
“J.T. Dodge, Civil War Veteran Dies.” Alton Evening Telegraph (Alton, IL), December 22, 1930.
“Mrs. J.T. Dodge, Sick 3 Years, Passes Away.” Alton Evening Telegraph (Alton, IL), June 19, 1922.
“Old Soldier for One Day Plays Truant Seeking Comrades.” Alton Evening Telegraph (Alton, IL), June 1, 1925.
“Ransom Post G.A.R. Saint Louis.” (1901). Missouri Historical Society. Identifier: P0084-3066. https://mohistory.org/collections/item/P0084-3066
“Veterans of ’61 Attend Services For Capt. Dodge.” Alton Evening Telegraph (Alton, IL), December 24, 1930.
