James Lord Pierpont "Jolly Old Saint Nicholas"). In this slightly modified form, "Jingle Bells" became one of the most popular and most recognizable songs ever written. In 1859, the Unitarian Church in Savannah had closed because of its abolitionist position, which was unpopular in the South. By 1860, the Rev. John Pierpont, Jr. had returned to the North. James, however, stayed in Savannah with his second wife Eliza Jane, and at the beginning of the Civil War, joined the Lamar Rangers, which became part of the Fifth Georgia Cavalry of the Confederacy. Records indicate that he served as a company clerk. He also
Harry Pierpont Leach suspected that Dillinger's rescue was related to the Michigan City jailbreak. He also suspected Pierpont was the "brains" behind the operations. Leach attempted to inspire friction in the ranks of the gang. During news interviews, he made a point of calling them the "Dillinger Gang", instead of the "Pierpont Gang". The ruse backfired, as Pierpont couldn't have cared less what people called the gang. The search had become so intense in Ohio for the gang that two days after freeing Dillinger they decided to split into two groups and meet in Chicago. On October 14, 1933, Dillinger, Pierpont, and