We have a Siege of Corinth related birthday today, see if you know this soldier... This future Union general was born on December 8, 1822, in New Haven, Connecticut. Prior to the Civil War he received his military education by serving in the state militia. In 1855, he moved to Chicago working as a bookkeeper and salesmen, and rising to the rank of lieutenant colonel in a militia unit called the Chicago Legion. On November 6, 1861, he was mustered into service as lieutenant colonel of the 51st Illinois Infantry. The 51st was part of General Popes army that captured Island No. 10 and then joined General Halleck for the Siege of Corinth. In October 1862, he would be promoted to colonel of the 51st and lead them at the Battle of Stones River. He was seriously wounded two times while leading a brigade at the Battle of Chickamauga. During the Atlanta Campaign in 1864, he was promoted to brigadier general of volunteers and would serve at that rank until the Battle of Spring Hill on November 28, 1864, where he was again wounded, preventing him from further field service. When the war ended he resigned his commission, but reenlisted the next year and became lieutenant colonel of the 27th Infantry. He served in various locations in the west, helped supervise construction of several western forts, and rose to the rank of colonel. He was retired at the mandatory age of 64 in 1886, and lived the rest of his life in Tacoma, Washington. Passing away in 1910, he is buried in Arlington National Cemetery.
Posted on: Mon, 08 Dec 2014 15:00:00 +0000
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