Lt. Col. John D. Rees

"John D. Rees married Polly Short. Commonly known as "Jack", John was Sheriff of Perry County in 1858. He was a Mexican War Veteran and a Lieutenant Colonel in the Civil War, being wounded in the battle of Vicksburg. The town of Denmark was platted by him in 1860 and was first called Johnstown."

• Source - Perry County, Illinois, Volume 2

John Rees served in Company K, 2nd Illinois Infantry Regiment in the United States Army during the Mexican-American War from 1846 until 1848 with the rank of 2nd Lieutenant.

John Rees served in the 31st Illinois Infantry Regiment in the Union Army during the American Civil War. He enlisted on 15 Aug 1861 and mustered in on 18 Sep 1861 in Cairo, IL with the rank of Captain and was placed in charge of Company A, 31st Illinois Infantry Regiment. He was promoted to Major on May 1, 1862. Rising to the rank of Lt. Col., John Rees led his Regiment during the Siege of Vicksburg, in which, during the storming of Fort Hill he was mortally wounded by a hand-grenade while mounting the parapet. For three days he lingered between life and death, and then succumbed to his wounds. His body was brought home by Captain Almon to be buried.

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/31st_Illinois_Volunteer_Infantry_Regi...
• http://transmississippian.blogspot.com/2012/03/fighting-31st-illino...
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siege_of_Vicksburg
• https://thecivilwarimageshop.com/Sold_Items.php