The following information was taken from the Bloomington Record - March 28,
1917. 

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John Edward Connell, son of David H. and Jane E. (Lyons) Connell, was born
at Rangeville, Indiana, December 6, 1844. His mother died when he was 13,
and the father brought the family of three children to Blake's Prairie (Wisconsin)
in the winter of 1857. Then he went back to Indiana to close out his interests
and when on the return trip to Wisconsin was murdered at Galena, Illinois.
During the following five years Edward worked out on farms during the summer
time and attended school in the winter. Mr. Connell enlisted in the Civil
War in Co. D, 33rd Wisconsin, on Aug. 11, 1862 and with his company drilled
in the neighborhood of the Red School house. From there, they went to Racine,
and on Nov. 12 they started south for Memphis, Tennessee.
He made several raids with his regiment, and did some fighting. On May 17th
the command started for Vicksburg, and was in the famous siege until July
4th, when the city was surrendered. The regiment started with General Sherman
to chase General Johnson and they were in the fight at Jackson, Mississippi,
July 12th, when their brigade lost heavily.
Then command made two trips to Mississippi, one of which was a 100-mile hike
with General Sherman. They returned to Vicksburg on March 4, 1864. On March
5, 1864, they started on the Red River campaign and took part in eight battles
and several skirmishes. They then returned to Vicksburg and with General
A. J. Smith went on to raid in Tennessee and Mississippi fighting four battles
and several skirmishes, returning to Memphis on the 22nd.
They then went over into Arkansas to White River and helped chase General
Price's command out of the country, returning to Camp Girardeau Oct. 5th.
On this trip they marched 350 miles in 19 days. Thence they went on transports
to Jefferson City, back to Warrensburg and with 600 prisoners landed in St.
Louis on Nov. 1st.
Here in Schofield Barracks, Mr. Connell, at 19 years of age, cast his first
vote for Abraham Lincoln. On Nov. 23rd, the regiment started down the Mississippi
and went up the Ohio arriving at Nashville in time to help General Thomas
destroy General Hood's army Dec. 15th and 16th, and then chased the remnants.
Then the regiment was on guard duty at Eastport, Mississippi until Feb. 6,
1865, returning to Vicksburg on the 13th.
On Feb. 20th the regiment started by boat for New Orleans, and from that
city re-embarked for Mobile, Alabama arriving on March 14th, capturing Spanish
Fort April 8th, and Fort Blakeley on the 9th. On the 13th, they started north
for Montgomery, Alabama, and on the way heard of General Lee's surrender.
They arrived at Montgomery April 25th, marched to Tuskegee and did provost
duty till July 19th, returned to Montgomery and by rail and boat to Vicksburg,
arriving July 31st. There they were mustered out Aug. 8th and returned to
Madison via Cairo and Chicago where they were discharged Aug. 14th.
During the three years of active service the 33rd regiment traveled 9,000
miles, marching 3,400 miles of this distance. Mr. Connell was in all this
war business and returned to tell the story. Returning to the arts of peace,
he worked one more season in the fields and then went to farming on his own
account.
Before starting, however, he took a life's partner in the person of one of
the girls who had watched his company drill in the pasture of her father's
farm. He married Mary A., the daughter of Horace and Betsy Lord, March 31,1867.
After farming for several years on various places, they bought the Geo. Lyman
farm, 1 1/2 miles southwest of Bloomington in 1888, and lived there until
December 1910, when they sold the farm and established a pleasant home in
Bloomington.
Mr. Connell has been elected to various public places by his townsmen, and
in peace as well as in war he was always found "at attention" facing the
serious problems of life with a strong heart, and securing a full measure
of enjoyment from life's pleasures.
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John E. Connell was the brother of my GG-grandmother Elizabeth Connell
Harrison. - Submitted by Kathie Harrison (Lancaster Co. Coordinator, NEGenWeb
Project). E-mail: NelliBlu28@aol.com

This biography is also located on Kathie's web site 
HARRISON ROOTS & BRANCHES - 
http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~irishrose/index.html