Adam Jacoby Slemmer (January 24, 1828 – October 7, 1868) was an officer in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

during the

Seminole Wars The Seminole Wars (also known as the Florida Wars) were a series of three military conflicts between the United States and the Seminoles that took place in Florida between about 1816 and 1858. The Seminoles are a Native American nation which co ...

, the

Old West The American frontier, also known as the Old West, and popularly known as the Wild West, encompasses the geography, history, folklore, and culture associated with the forward wave of American expansion in mainland North America that bega ...

, and the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

Early years

Slemmer was born in

Montgomery County, Pennsylvania Montgomery County, colloquially referred to as Montco, is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population of the county was 856,553, making it the third-most populous county in Pennsylvania after Philadel ...

, and raised in Norristown. He graduated from the

United States Military Academy The United States Military Academy (USMA), commonly known as West Point, is a United States service academies, United States service academy in West Point, New York that educates cadets for service as Officer_(armed_forces)#United_States, comm ...

West Point, New York West Point is the oldest continuously occupied military post in the United States. Located on the Hudson River in New York (state), New York, General George Washington stationed his headquarters in West Point in the summer and fall of 1779 durin ...

, in 1850, and was commissioned as a second lieutenant. He married Caroline Lane Reynolds in 1856. Their only child, a son, died young.

Career

He served against the

Seminole The Seminole are a Native American people who developed in Florida in the 18th century. Today, they live in Oklahoma and Florida, and comprise three federally recognized tribes: the Seminole Nation of Oklahoma, the Seminole Tribe of Florida, ...

s in

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

, and then was stationed in

garrison A garrison is any body of troops stationed in a particular location, originally to guard it. The term now often applies to certain facilities that constitute a military base or fortified military headquarters. A garrison is usually in a city ...

s along the

Pacific The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean, or, depending on the definition, to Antarctica in the south, and is bounded by the cont ...

. From 1855 to 1859, he taught at West Point. In January 1861, he was in command of a body of troops at

Fort Barrancas Fort Barrancas (1839) or Fort San Carlos de Barrancas (from 1787) is a United States military fort and National Historic Landmark in the former Warrington area of Pensacola, Florida, located physically within Naval Air Station Pensacola, which ...

, Pensacola Harbor, Fla. On January 10, after the surrender of the Pensacola Navy Yard, he transferred his force to the

Fort Pickens Fort Pickens is a historic pentagonal United States military fort on Santa Rosa Island in the Pensacola, Florida, area. It is named after American Revolutionary War hero Andrew Pickens. It is the largest of four forts built to defend Pensacol ...

position in the same harbor. He held this fort against

Confederate A confederation (also known as a confederacy or league) is a political union of sovereign states united for purposes of common action. Usually created by a treaty, confederations of states tend to be established for dealing with critical issu ...

threat of attack and demands for surrender from Florida militia

Colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...

William Henry Chase William Henry Chase (June 4, 1798 – February 8, 1870) was a Florida militia Colonel (United States), colonel during the events in early 1861 that led to the American Civil War (Civil War). On January 15, 1861, on behalf of the State and G ...

, who had designed and constructed the fort as a

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

in the

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers The United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) is the military engineering branch of the United States Army. A direct reporting unit (DRU), it has three primary mission areas: Engineer Regiment, military construction, and civil wor ...

. The garrison was reinforced in April 1861 and Slemmer was relieved. Fort Pickens remained under Federal control for the duration of the war. Promoted to

major Major most commonly refers to: * Major (rank), a military rank * Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits * People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames * Major and minor in musi ...

in the new 16th U.S. Infantry Regiment in May 1861, he was attached to General Buell's command and took part in the Corinth campaign and the relief of

Nashville Nashville, often known as Music City, is the capital and List of municipalities in Tennessee, most populous city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County in Middle Tennessee, locat ...

. He led his battalion into the

Battle of Stones River The Battle of Stones River, also known as the Second Battle of Murfreesboro, was fought from December 31, 1862, to January 2, 1863, in Middle Tennessee, as the culmination of the Stones River Campaign in the Western Theater of the American Ci ...

in December, receiving a wound that incapacitated him for the rest of the war. He was taken prisoner the following day but released during the Confederate retreat. In April 1863, backdated to November 29, 1862, he became brigadier general of

volunteers Volunteering is an elective and freely chosen act of an individual or group giving their time and labor, often for community service. Many volunteers are specifically trained in the areas they work, such as medicine, education, or emergenc ...

. He served in administrative posts in Ohio and New York. In 1861, a temporary earthwork, Fort Slemmer, for part of the

Civil War Defenses of Washington, D.C. The Civil War Defenses of Washington were a group of Union Army fortifications that protected the federal capital city, Washington, D.C., from invasion by the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. Some of these fortifications ar ...

was named after him. It was abandoned in 1865 and demolished.The Defenses of Washington during the War - The Evening Star - Thursday, October 9, 1902 - page 21Fortwiki - Fort Slemmer - http://www.fortwiki.com/Fort_Slemmer In 1863, A. J. Slemmer served as president of the Board of Examiners for sick officers at Columbus and Cincinnati, Ohio. Levi T. Townsend served as his clerk during this appointment. In 1865, Slemmer was

brevetted In military terminology, a brevet ( or ) is a warrant which gives commissioned officers a higher military rank as a reward without necessarily conferring the authority and privileges granted by that rank. The promotion would be noted in the of ...

colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...

in the

Regular Army A regular army is the official army of a state or country (the official armed forces), contrasting with irregular forces, such as volunteer irregular militias, private armies, mercenaries, etc. A regular army usually has the following: * a ...

for meritorious conduct, and was commissioned lieutenant colonel of the 4th U.S. Infantry. On July 13, 1867,

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...

Andrew Johnson Andrew Johnson (December 29, 1808July 31, 1875) was the 17th president of the United States, serving from 1865 to 1869. The 16th vice president, he assumed the presidency following the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. Johnson was a South ...

nominated Slemmer for appointment to the grade of brevet brigadier general in the Regular Army, to rank from March 13, 1865, and the

United States Senate The United States Senate is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the United States House of Representatives, U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and ...

confirmed the appointment on July 19, 1867. He died while in command of

Fort Laramie Fort Laramie (; founded as Fort William and known for a while as Fort John) was a significant 19th-century trading post, diplomatic site, and military installation located at the confluence of the Laramie and the North Platte Rivers. They joi ...

from lingering effects of

typhoid fever Typhoid fever, also known simply as typhoid, is a disease caused by '' Salmonella enterica'' serotype Typhi bacteria, also called ''Salmonella'' Typhi. Symptoms vary from mild to severe, and usually begin six to 30 days after exposure. Often th ...

that he had contracted during the Civil War. Slemmer was buried in Montgomery Cemetery in

West Norriton Township, Pennsylvania West Norriton Township is a Township (Pennsylvania), township that is located in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is part of the Norristown Area School District. The population of the township ...

, near

Norristown, Pennsylvania Norristown is a Borough (Pennsylvania), borough with Home Rule Municipality (Pennsylvania), home rule status and the county seat of Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, United States, in the Delaware Valley, Philadelphia metropolitan area. Located ...

, on October 21, 1868.Gambone, A. M.: "The Life of Adam Jacoby Slemmer", page 165-166. Butternut & Blue, 2005

Notes

References

* Eicher, John H., and Eicher, David J., ''Civil War High Commands'', Stanford University Press, 2001, . : * Powell, William H.: "A history of the organization and movements of the 4th regiment of Infantry, U.S.A., 1796-1870 (1871)", Washington City, M'Gill & Witherow, page 374-375

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Slemmer, Adam J. Union army generals United States Military Academy alumni Military personnel from Montgomery County, Pennsylvania 1828 births 1868 deaths People of Pennsylvania in the American Civil War United States Army personnel of the Seminole Wars

Early years

Career

See also

Notes

References

External links