Orrin L. Mann

Orrin Lorentna Mann (November 25, 1833 – December 13, 1908) was an American soldier and politician who served as an officer in the Union Army during the American Civil War. Born in Ohio, Mann struggled to find gainful employment in his early years and made two abortive attempts to gain a university education. While in Chicago, Illinois, Mann raised a regiment, the 39th Illinois Volunteer Infantry Regiment, which deployed in late 1861. Mann led the unit through the First Battle of Kernstown and Siege of Fort Wagner before sustaining an injury while leading at the Battle of Drewry's Bluff. During this latter engagement, Mann was promoted to brigadier general. He spent most of the rest of the war as the Provost Marshal of Norfolk, Virginia. After the war, Mann held a series of political offices in Illinois including as a member of the Illinois House of Representatives (1874–1876) and Cook County Sheriff (1880–1882).

Biography Orrin Lorentna Mann was born in Chardon, Ohio, on November 25, 1833. Two of his grandfathers served in the Revolutionary War. Mann helped on the family farm until he was twenty years old. At that age, Mann decided to learn a trade to better support himself. After a year apprenticing as a blacksmith in Ann Arbor, Michigan, Mann suffered an injury that forced him to abandon the study. Living in the same city as the University of Michigan, Mann decided to turn his attention to academics. He studied at Albion College for two years, but was forced to leave due to his lack of resources.

Mann then turned his attention west, moving to Chicago, Illinois, in 1853. A private school allowed him to study until his was able to secure the resources to the University of Michigan. He left in his junior year due to poor health, returning to Chicago in 1861. He sought a trade, but with the outbreak of the Civil War, Mann decided instead to raise a regiment for the Union Army. His regiment became the 39th Illinois Volunteer Infantry Regiment and Mann was given the rank of captain. However, Illinois had already met its troop quota and could not deploy units without Congressional approval. Mann petitioned President Abraham Lincoln to deploy the regiment, and the unit finally saw action after the First Battle of Bull Run. Mann was promoted to Major of his "Yates Phalanx", nicknamed after Governor of Illinois Richard Yates.