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Capt. John Reade Dillon, a Confederate veteran, died in Savannah, Ga., on April 15, 1916. He was born in that city February 11, 1839, and had witnessed the place of his birth transformed from a sleepy town to a great seaport. In all that time he loved Savannah with an unswerving devotion. Captain Dillon was educated in the schools of Savannah and at Mount St. Mary's College, Emmittsburg, Md. He then engaged in commercial pursuits in Savannah.

On January 3, 1861, as a member of the Savannah Volunteer Guards, he took part in the occupation of Fort Pulaski and the hoisting of the flag of Georgia thereon. Later in that year the Volunteer Guards' Battalion, also known as the 18th Georgia Battalion, was organized, and Comrade Dillon was elected second lieutenant of Company C. During 1863 he was on duty in the defense of Charleston, serving with the garrison at Battery Wagner and on Sullivan's Island during the tremendous artillery warfare of that period. In the spring of 1865 the battalion was sent to Virginia; and Lieutenant Dillon participated in the battle of Chapin's Farm and the fighting along the Richmond and Petersburg lines from May 1864, to April, 1865, at the last being attached to the brigade of Gen. Clement A. Evans. At the battle of Sailor's Creek, April 6, 1865, on the retreat to Appomattox, he commanded his company and was shot in the leg and captured by the enemy. The army was paroled a few days later, but on account of his capture in the battle he was a prisoner of war at Fortress Monroe until August, 1865.

During the Reconstruction days Captain Dillon rendered invaluable assistance in combating the baleful influence of the carpetbaggers regime in Georgia. When the reorganization of the Guards was perfected, he was elected captain of Company C of the battalion and commanded his company for several years. He served as an alderman of Savannah from 1874 to 1881. At the time of his death Captain Dillon was an honorary member of the Guards and of the Confederate Veterans' Association, in both of which organizations he maintained his interests. He was a devoted member of the Catholic Church. Captain Dillon was married to Miss Higgins, of New York, a neice of John McLaughlin, of Savannah. Only a sister survives him. Captain Dillon will long be remembred for his many acts of unostentatious charity, his love for Savannah, and his loyalty to the cause of the Confederacy.