The life and service of Maj. Gen. Alexander Macomb will be recognized Sept. 20 in Washington, D.C., and two Macomb dignitaries will attend.
Macomb, who was commanding general of the U.S. Army from 1828 to 1841 and is the City of Macomb’s namesake, was awarded the Congressional Gold Medal for service during the War of 1812. Macomb Mayor Mike Inman and former Mayor Tom Carper will attend the ceremony, along with Gen. Alexander’s great-great-granddaughter, Hartley Hobson Wensing of Alexandria, Virginia, and her husband, retired Navy Capt. Kevin Wensing, originally from Quincy and a trustee for Quincy University. Many other descendants from across the country and military officials will also attend.
Macomb’s remains will be reinterred Sept. 19 during a special private ceremony with the family.
According to Congressional Cemetery, the Sept. 20 ceremony will not only honor Macomb’s legacy but also serve as a tribute to the thousands of veterans interred there—men and women of the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps whose service has safeguarded the nation for more than two centuries. The event also commemorates the 250th anniversaries of the Army, Navy and Marines.
During the War of 1812 at the Battle of Plattsburgh, Gen. Macomb was in charge of the Army, while Commodore James McDonough led the naval battle on Lake Champlain, a decisive U.S. victory. On Sept. 11, 1814, American forces led by McDonough defeated the British fleet on Lake Champlain, forcing British land forces to retreat and abandon their invasion of northern New York. The battle was significant as a key factor in the subsequent peace negotiations that led to the signing of the Treaty of Ghent, ending the war. While McDonough protected the U.S. by sea, Macomb led American land forces, successfully defending U.S. soil against British advances.
The McDonough County region, part of nearly 5.4 million acres in western Illinois known as the “Military Tract,” was settled by War of 1812 veterans who were provided free or discounted land. Veterans who settled here named the city and county out of respect for their War of 1812 command leaders. The Military Tract, located between the Illinois and Mississippi rivers, encompasses Adams, Fulton, Hancock, Knox, McDonough, Mercer, Peoria, Pike, Schuyler and Warren counties.
“I had a chance meeting with Capt. Wensing in 2009 in D.C. and have continued the friendship through the years. This ceremony is a wonderful way to keep Macomb and McDonough County connected to its roots,” Carper said. “This area has a long and honored history of military service, and our friendship—the descendants of Gen. Macomb—helps keep the connection alive.”
The Congressional Cemetery website notes that Maj. Gen. Macomb, who died in 1841, holds a unique distinction: he may be the only general in American history whose remains have been interred four separate times. He was first buried at the Presbyterian Burying Ground before being removed and reinterred at Congressional Cemetery in 1850. Joined in death by his wife, Catherine, the Macombs rested there until the mid-2000s, when the towering obelisk marking their grave began to lean. To prevent the vault from collapsing, the Department of Veterans Affairs repaired the monument. During this work, the Macombs’ remains were removed, and the Smithsonian, in coordination with the Macomb descendants, studied the remains and burial contents.
“It’s a moment in time where this is a significant historic event, and to be part of this as the mayor of his namesake community is a real honor. Melissa and I had the privilege of visiting Gen. Macomb’s monument in D.C. in 2013 and meeting with his descendants, so it’s my pleasure to take part in this ceremony later this month,” Inman said. “We’ve been a military community since our town’s inception, and we continue to be. We have the privilege of being home to an Illinois National Guard base and to Western Illinois University, which has a strong military history. We’ve had such a strong connection to veterans and the military since the start of our community.”
Most of Gen. Macomb’s remains were reinterred in 2008 in a military ceremony attended by descendants. However, the story did not end there. In November 2024, the Smithsonian returned the final remains and artifacts removed from the Macomb vault and others for study. In honor of the Army’s 250th anniversary and the approaching America 250th commemoration, Gen. Macomb’s remains will be reinterred for a fourth and final time, in partnership with local Department of Defense commands and the Macomb family.
In 2022, the Wensing family visited Macomb to present the city with a 1914 bronze replica of the Congressional Gold Medal that Gen. Macomb received after the War of 1812.
