Denver, History of Colorado, BIOS: EDBROOKE, Frank E. (published 1918)
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"History of Colorado", edited by Wilbur Fisk Stone, published by The S. J. 
Clarke Publishing Co. (1918)  Vol. II


p. 192, 194-197
photo p. 193


FRANK E. EDBROOKE.

	Frank E. Edbrooke, a Civil war veteran, a distinguished architect 
and a citizen of high personal as well as professional worth, was born 
in Lake county, Illinois, on the 17th of November, 1840, but for many 
years has been a resident of Denver. His parents, Robert J. and Mary 
(Stanley) Edbrooke, were natives of England and of Perth, Canada, 
respectively. The father was born in 1809 and crossed the Atlantic to 
America in 1828, settling in Buffalo, New York, where he resided until 
1836. He then took passage on one of the sidewheel steamers to Chicago, 
the trip covering two weeks. He arrived at his destination when Chicago 
contained a population of but two thousand at that time a settlement 
not being made between the government and the Indians for their lands 
in that locality. Mr. Edbrooke was a mechanical and structural engineer 
and followed his profession in Chicago to the time of his death. His 
wife also passed away there when forty-eight years of age. Their family 
numbered nine children, five sons and four daughters, all of whom have 
passed away with the exception of Frank E. Edbrooke.

	In his youthful days Mr. Edbrooke of this review was a pupil in 
the public schools of Chicago for a short period but his education was 
largely acquired through private study whenever opportunity gave him 
leisure for his textbooks. In early life he became an apprentice in 
order to learn the building business and with the outbreak of the Civil 
war he responded to the country's call for troops, feeling that his 
first duty was to defend the Union cause. He therefore enlisted with 
the first Twelfth Illinois Infantry under Colonel John McArthur at 
Cairo, Illinois. He became a member of Company G and served out the 
three months' term of enlistment, returning home with health somewhat 
impaired. He soon recovered, however, and for about a year worked at 
his trade, at the end of which time he again attempted to join the army 
but decided to try some other branch of service than the infantry. 
About that time Captain James R. Hyslop went to Chicago from New York 
and opened a recruiting office to enroll sailors, railroad men, 
mechanics, etc., for the marine service to form the First New York 
Marine Artillery, a branch of the United States Navy, as the captain 
called it, the purpose being to join Burnside's expedition in North 
Carolina for gunboat service. Mr. Edbrooke and his brother, together 
with three hundred other strong, healthy, patriotic, practical fellows, 
enlisted and were sent to New York, where they were quartered in some 
old marine buildings on Staten Island, where they remained for about 
six weeks for organization and equipment. They passed the medical 
examination, were sworn in and equipped with the regular United States 
Navy uniform. They also drew two hundred and two dollars in bounty from 
the city, county and state of New York and were credited to New York's 
quota. There seemed to be something mysterious about all of the 
proceedings in the organization but the enlisted troops asked no 
questions. About two weeks after receiving their bounty they were 
ordered on board a transport and taken to Newbern, North Carolina, 
where they were installed on an old wooden gunboat for distribution and 
remained for ten days under navy discipline. They were anchored out in 
the Neuse river about half a mile from shore and thence two hundred and 
twenty-seven of the men were sent down Pamlico Sound on a steamer and 
landed on Roanoke island, a low, flat sandy island about two miles wide 
and five miles long, which was used by the government as a base for 
military and naval supplies. The men were placed there to protect the 
island from invasion by the natives from the mainland, the nearest 
point of which was seven miles distant. On the island there was an old 
dilapidated fort, armored with tour old rusty cannons, no two of the 
same caliber or design, and only one man was kept at the tort to fire a 
gun to notify the troops in case of threatened invasion. For a short 
time the men enjoyed their camp life but a malignant fever set in and 
nine-tenths of the boys were stricken and in many cases the disease 
proved fatal, so that within four weeks forty had succumbed and at one 
time there were less than twenty of them able to report for duty. They 
probably suffered from some form of malaria or yellow fever but the 
officers could not or would not get any relief to the men. In the 
meantime, through correspondence with influential friends at 
Springfield, Illinois, the troops learned that they were nondescripts 
as far as the United States army and navy were concerned and that no 
such branch of service as the Marine Artillery had ever been a part of 
the government armament. The Springfield friends brought the matter to 
the attention of Governor Yates of Illinois, who promptly presented the 
grievances of the troops to congress, then in session at Washington. 
The boys were anxious to find out whether they were soldiers, sailors 
or pirates. There was much dissatisfaction among them because of 
conditions and one morning several of the leading spirits called a 
meeting of all the boys who were able to attend to discuss the 
situation and form some plan to better their condition. Several letters 
from eminent authority at Springfield, Illinois, were read and freely 
discussed and they came to the conclusion that they had been decoyed 
and hookwinked in New York into this Marine Artillery business by 
fraud-a scheme that the government could not and would not recognize. 
They had enlisted in good faith to serve their country in the marine or 
naval service and not to be placed on a desert island to starve and die 
for want of proper food and medical attention. The boys placed the 
blame on their officers and decided to put the officers under guard, 
which they did, treating them well but guarding them closely. Of 
course, this was considered mutiny on the part of the boys but it 
accomplished their object of being removed from the island, for the 
news of conditions there was received by General Foster, in command at 
Newbern, and a steamer hove in sight with several companies of New York 
Hawking Zouaves on board. The troops were ordered on board the boat and 
about one hundred and fifty obeyed the command, while of the remainder 
of the company, those who had not succumbed to disease were in the 
hospital. When they reached Newbern they were turned over to the Third 
New York Artillery. They were looked upon as mutineers and a tough lot 
and about two o'clock in the afternoon of the next day they were lined 
up in Fort Totten for inspection and lecture, and three companies of 
armed infantry were lined up in front as their executioners. Mr. 
Edbrooke tells the story as follows: "General Hawk, a very venerable 
looking old gray-haired warrior, was the spokesman. After taking a good 
look at us he said: 'Men, you are here as prisoners with charges of 
mutiny against you, and you all know what that means. My orders are 
that you he divided into small squads and set to work under guards, who 
will see that you obey all orders issued to you or be punished.' He 
then said: 'If there are any of you now who intend to disobey those 
orders or refuse to do the work assigned to you, step two paces to the 
front.' Every man in our company promptly stepped two paces to the 
front, and at that the old general lost his temper and turned to the 
three companies of infantry and said: 'Ready, take aim,' which they 
did, and we all cheered the poor old man. 'Men, you don't know what you 
are doing,' shouted the old gentleman. 'In less than five minutes half 
of your number may be lying dead on the ground. Now, men, I will give 
you one more chance. Will you obey orders and go to work?' We all 
yelled in one voice, 'No,' and again cheered the poor old man. He was 
very angry, shaking his fist at us and making profane remarks; then, 
ordering the three companies to recover arms, carry arms, right face, 
marched them out of the fort, leaving us standing there. His bluff did 
not work. We broke rank and congratulated ourselves on being alive."

	Later in the day, however, the troops were broken up in squads of 
twelve and fifteen and Mr. Edbrooke, with fifteen companions, was 
quartered in a large Sibley tent in the fort, in charge of Company C, 
Third New York Heavy Artillery. There they remained as prisoners for 
about two months. The artillery officers tried to persuade the men to 
join their companies but to no avail. One day near the last of February 
orders came to pack up and prepare to leave the fort, and the men were 
then divided into small squads and marched off in different directions. 
Two of Mr. Edbrooke's squad were H. W. Hitchcock and a Mr. Calbreath. 
He and the others were marched down to the dock, ordered into a small 
rowboat and taken out to an old canal boat called the Gunboat Shrapnel, 
which was anchored about a half mile from shore. The guards put the 
"prisoners" on board the old craft with their traps and told them to 
remain there for further orders, but the guards never returned. The 
only occupant of the boat was a poor old gray haired negro. The men 
were left there without food and the next morning they flagged an old 
fisherman in his boat, who came over and took them ashore. They had to 
avoid the patrol guard and they bummed around the town for two weeks, 
sleeping and eating with the soldiers and negroes or wherever they 
could get anyone to take them in. They were often picked up by the 
patrol guard and taken before the provost marshal, who would tell them 
to join the quartermaster's department, which they would not do, and 
consequently were always subject to arrest by the patrol guard. At last 
they learned that congress had taken up their case and authorized the 
war department to muster them out of the marine service, as is shown by 
the congressional record of January, 1863, but because of red tape 
orders were not promptly executed. Mr. Edbrooke and Mr. Hitchcock 
learned that the Thirty-ninth Illinois Infantry had arrived in Newbern 
and started off to their camp three miles away, where they found 
Chicago friends and were entertained through the night. The next 
morning after breakfast Mr. Edbrooke went to the captain of Company K 
to get a pass to go to the city and secure the baggage which they had 
left on the boat Shrapnel. Their purpose if possible was to get back to 
Chicago, and meeting two negro wood-choppers who seemed to have on 
brand new pants, they made them exchange for the army trousers which 
the soldiers wore -and paid them each seventy-five cents additional. 
Then they continued into the city but were arrested by a sergeant and 
three patrol guards. The officer of the day read their pass and said: 
"You boys have suffered enough and you may go on." They then proceeded 
to a Jew clothing store, where they purchased cheap civilian clothes. 
On reaching the dock they found that the steamship Dudley Buck had just 
arrived from New York and would leave for that city again the following 
Saturday. They went to the steward of the boat, telling him they wanted 
to work their passage back to New York. He replied: "I think you are 
deserters and I know you are not sailors, but I will see the captain." 
In a few moments he returned, saying: "If you will work your passage 
and pay me ten dollars each, we will take you," and with instructions 
to appear Saturday morning at ten o'clock, the men went away to find a 
hiding place until that time should arrive. The intervening days were 
spent in the loft of a small house occupied by a Rebel. They were 
forced to remain in hiding all day and at night they took turns in 
going out to get supplies of food. Promptly at ten o'clock on Saturday 
they reported to the steward and while they were waiting for the boat 
to sail the provost marshal of Newbern marched onto the boat with 
thirty patrol guards hunting for deserters, but Messrs. Edbrooke and 
Hitchcock had been well concealed. Various incidents, some exciting and 
dangerous, occurred before they eventually reached New .York, which 
they did in a heavy fog. The two "Marines" were anxious to get ashore 
and finally when an old fisherman and his boy in a small boat came in 
sight they hailed him and as he pulled up to the Dudley Buck the two 
swung over into the rowboat by means of a rope. It was after much 
protest, in which he said that he could not make his way through the 
fog, that the owner of the rowboat finally took them ashore, landing 
them at the south end of Jersey City in some coalyards some two or 
three miles from the ferry, to which they walked, then crossed to New 
York city and bought second class tickets over the Michigan Central 
Railroad for Chicago. There Mr. Edbrooke reported to Captain James, the 
provost marshal of Chicago, through his father, who was an old friend 
of the captain's. The latter sent Mr. Edbrooke word that the Marine 
Artillery had all been mustered out by order of the war department and 
that he need fear no further trouble. On the 19th of December, 1863, he 
again enlisted, this time joining Company E, Twelfth Illinois Cavalry, 
with which he served in the southwest in Tennessee, Mississippi, 
Louisiana, Alabama, Arkansas and Texas, and he was honorably discharged 
and mustered out on the 15th of June, 1866. At Springfield, Illinois, 
General Oaks told Mr. Edbrooke that he was the last Illinois volunteer 
to be discharged from the service.

	Another notable event of his military experience occurred in May, 
1864, after his command had returned to New Orleans following the Red 
River campaign under General Banks. It was in August when Major 
Clayborn came into the quarters of the company, which he had previously 
commanded, and called for a volunteer to carry some important 
dispatches to General Cameron, in command of troops at Tipadore, 
thirty-two miles south of Napoleonville, on the bayou. He explained 
that the railroad connecting Tipadore with New Orleans had been cut off 
by the Rebels and was out of commission as far as the Union forces were 
concerned and that the dispatches in question had been sent to him from 
New Orleans by way of Donaldsonville, to be forwarded to General 
Cameron at Tipadore at once. He also stated that in his opinion one man 
could make the trip through the Rebel lines quicker and safer than a 
squad of twenty or thirty men and that was the reason -why he called 
for a volunteer to make the hazardous journey. No one offered until 
finally Mr. Edbrooke raised up from his bunk and told Major Clayborn 
that he would go. The Major replied: "You are on the sick-list, (which 
was the truth), but since not another man has volunteered I accept your 
offer it you think you can stand the trip." Mr. Edbrooke said that he 
would risk it, whereupon he was handed the package of papers, which he 
concealed in his jacket pocket, and in fifteen minutes he was in the 
saddle and off for his destination. The day was extremely hot and 
sultry and the road, which followed the bayou, was at the base of a 
levee bordering the water-way on the right and standing eight or nine 
feet high, with a tow-path on top where horses had traveled, hauling 
the boats on the bayou. On his way he passed through several towns 
where he saw tough looking men in front of saloons, who watched him as 
he went by at full speed with his Seven Spenser carbine carried at an 
advance, ready for business-and he was a good shot. The men probably 
thought he had a squad following him as they made no demonstration 
while he was in sight. He kept his horse to the pace and arrived at 
General Cameron's headquarters after three hours of hard riding, 
delivering the papers to him personally. When the General learned that 
Mr. Edbrooke had no squad with him he said that it was a shame and that 
he should have had an escort of twenty or thirty men. He then called an 
orderly, whom he instructed to take Mr. Edbrooke to the soldiers' home 
for the night, saying: "And tell them there, there is nothing too good 
for this man and his horse in Tipadore." He then said: "Report at ten 
tomorrow morning," which Mr. Edbrooke did, receiving another sealed 
package, with instructions to deliver it to Major Clayborn on returning 
to Napoleonville. Refusing the proffered squad escort, Mr. Edbrooke 
then mounted his horse, saluted and started back alone. After traveling 
about twenty miles he felt himself getting dizzy and unable to see and 
"the next he knew he was lying on his back in a garden in front of a 
large plantation house under a cluster of fine magnolia trees, where 
his horse must have carried him. A beautiful young girl was pouring 
water over his head from a gourd, with which she had restored him to 
consciousness. Speaking of this incident, Mr. Edbrooke said: "I had 
been sun-struck and was, of course, feeling very badly but managed to 
sit up and with some surprise beheld the fair vision before me. I asked 
her where I was, and she replied,-'You are at my home. Your horse came 
in through the open gate and I found you lying here on the ground with 
your horse watching over you. * * * But you are a Yankee soldier and I 
hate you. I will save you if I can. I could hide you but I could not 
hide your horse. I could put you in the attic.' 'You are very kind,' I 
said, 'but I must be going.' 'Well. then, wait a moment,' she replied, 
and running off and leaving me sitting on the grass, went into the 
house. In five minutes she returned with a plate full of roast pork, 
vegetables, etc., swimming in gravy- fine stuff for a sick man in my 
condition. I thanked her kindly but could not eat. Then she told me 
that twelve Rebel scouts had just left her home fifteen minutes before 
she saw me and that they might be back any moment and would surely kill 
me it they had the chance, since they despised and hated all Yankee 
soldiers. 'You had better he going,' she said, with growing 
nervousness, 'you are not safe here another minute,' and filling my hat 
with magnolia leaves and water, pulled it down over my head, drenching 
me. Amused at my evident shock from the cold liquid, she smilingly 
assured me that it was only water. Then she helped me mount my horse, 
saying: 'My best wishes go with you. Sometime come back and see me,' " 
but he never saw the good little Samaritan again. He was soon on the 
road, feeling somewhat better but very weak, and after traveling five 
miles he again felt the dizziness coming on and dismounted under a 
large shade tree by the roadside. As he sat there with his carbine on 
his knee a red-headed woman came out of a cottage nearby, shook her 
fist at him and said: "You damn Yankee, I would like to kill you," and 
kept up her tirade until Mr. Edbrooke ordered her to go and get him 
some water or he would fire. The woman then obeyed but after bringing 
the water she crossed the road and five minutes later returned with 
four rough looking men, whose attention as they stood on the levee she 
directed to Mr. Edbrooke, who felt that under such conditions he must 
make his escape. Drinking some more water from the gourd and wetting 
the leaves in his hat again, he passed on by the cottage and rode upon 
the levee to see what the men were doing, but discovered no hostile 
movement among them. It was cooler upon the levee than upon the road, 
so he concluded to take the chance of riding up there although he knew 
he would be a good target for some bushwhacker's rifle. The cool air 
seemed to give him new life and, putting spurs to his horse, he at 
length reached camp and delivered his dispatches to Major Clayborn, who 
thanked him most heartily, and the boys all congratulated Mr. Edbrooke 
on his safe return and agreed that it was a chance in fifty that he 
made the trip and came through alive. For five days afterward he was in 
the hospital because of the sunstroke but soon after that event he and 
his command left Napoleonville for Baton Rouge. As stated, he served 
until the end of the war, being the last Illinoisian to be mustered 
out.

	After the war Mr. Edbrooke continued his work as an architect and 
builder and entered the employ of T. B. Borst, a prominent contractor, 
for whom he was to build hotels and stations along the line of the 
Union Pacific. After completing that work he returned to Chicago and 
later was detailed to go back to Denver in the year 1879 to erect the 
Tabor block, which was completed in 1882, in time for the opening of 
the famous Tabor Opera House, on which occasion Miss Emma Abbott, the 
noted soprano, gave a concert. Since coming to Denver, Mr. Edbrooke has 
erected in this city buildings, the total valuation of which is over 
twenty-five million dollars, and include such famous structures as the 
Brown Palace Hotel, the Denver Store, the Masonic Temple, the 
Presbyterian, the First Baptist and Universallst churches, the Ernest & 
Cranmer building, the Cooper building, the First National Bank 
building, the Gas & Electric building, the State Museum and many other 
public buildings as well as those owned by private individuals. He was 
awarded the second prize in competition for the best plan for the state 
capitol and was later given charge of the finishing of the building, of 
which he was advisory architect. He was for twenty years advisory 
architect to the state board of capitol managers. In 1892 Governor 
Routt appointed him a member of the board of public works of Denver, as 
it was in the hands of the governor to do at that time. He is a 
director of the Denver Morris Plan Company and a director of the 
Seventeenth Street Building Company. He still maintains an office in 
the Tabor block, which was the first building that he erected in 
Denver, but he does not actively follow his profession at the present 
time having retired. He is now enjoying a well earned rest, spending 
much of his time in traveling in company with his wife.

	Mr. Edbrooke was married on Christmas Day of 1871, in Chicago, 
Illinois, to Miss Camilla S. Gilman, a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. S. B. 
Gilman, of Hallowell, Maine. They have no children of their own but 
have reared and educated two nephews, Frank S. and Roy W. Cross. The 
former is now sergeant-major in the United States Army, stationed at 
Fort Douglas, and the latter is a prominent architect of Chicago, who 
was graduated from the Pennsylvania School of Architecture. He has been 
serving as a member of the government commission engaged in railroad 
valuation, located at Chicago. He is also in the government service 
with the Interstate Commerce Commission as United States lighthouse 
inspector.

	While Mr. and Mrs. Edbrooke spend much time in travel, when they 
are in Denver they occupy their magnificent residence on Seventeenth 
avenue, which Mr. Edbrooke built twenty-seven years ago and which has 
always been the abode of warm-hearted hospitality. He is a man of 
philanthropic spirit, giving generously to public movements and 
charitable enterprises, and he is one of Colorado's most eminent and 
distinguished citizens. His life record is indeed an interesting one 
and there have been in it various thrilling chapters, especially those 
which cover his Civil war service. He attained the highest professional 
rank and his labors were ever of a character which contributed to the 
upbuilding and progress of the city with which he has been so long 
identified. Mr. Edbrooke has also attained high rank in Masonry, having 
reached the thirty-second degree.