The social and economic effects of the Civil War greatly affected Bloomington Public Schools. Male teachers were scarce, as many enlisted in the Union Army. In September, 1861 (perhaps as a response to this ad), Superintendent Ira Bloomfield would enlist, along with Board member Dr. Edward Roe and acting BHS principal Henry M. Kellogg. Together, they served in Company C of the Thirty-third Regiment, also known as Normal Regiment, the Teachers Regiment, the School Masters Regiment and the Brains Regiment, as many of the members were students or educators. On May 20th, 1863, Kellogg led a charge at the Battle of Vicksburg and, according to Bloomfield, "fell, pierced through the head with a musket ball.'"
Courtesy of the McLean County Museum of History
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