Jasper Adalmorn Maltby was born in Kingsville, Ohio in 1826. At the young age of 17, he served in the Mexican War and was wounded during the battle of Chapultepec. He was discharged on August 3, 1848, and moved to Chicago. During the mid-1850’s he moved to Galena where he opened a gunsmith shop and sporting accessories business on Main Street.
Maltby was a talented gunsmith and utilized telescopic sight for rifles. His store advertised an impressive array of items and promised prompt, warrantied gun repair. He lived above his store with his wife and son.
When the Civil War broke out, he volunteered for the Union and assisted in raising Galena’s “Washburne Lead Mine Regiment.” He served as Lt. Col. under the regimental commandership of John E. Smith. His military and gunsmith experience were valuable in the 45th Illinois Volunteer Infantry Regiment. Their regiment was to participate in Grant’s Mississippi Valley Campaigns, from Ft. Donelson to Vicksburg.
Maltby fought in many important Civil War battles including Fort Donelson and the Siege of Vicksburg, Mississippi. At Fort Donelson he was wounded in the leg and returned to Galena to recover. When he returned to active duty in Vicksburg, he was once again wounded, sustaining injuries to his head and right side. These injuries bothered him for the rest of his life. Because of his bravery in the Vicksburg campaign, Maltby was promoted to Brigadier General in 1863. However, due to his wounds, he remained in the South, eventually becoming Military Mayor of Vicksburg in 1867.
On December 12, 1867 he stepped down from the position of Military Mayor and died just ten days later, December 22, 1867, at the age of 41. He was placed in a temporary vault at Vicksburg. On March 25, 1868, the Galena Daily Advertiser reported, “The remains of Gen. J. A. Maltby arrived here this morning from Vicksburg. The hearse bore an American flag and the six pall bearers were dressed in military costume. The last respects were paid to a respected citizen, good friend and a noble soldier.” Maltby is buried at Greenwood Cemetery in Galena.
