Alexander Shaler (March 19, 1827 – December 28, 1911) was a

Union Army During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union (American Civil War), Union of the collective U.S. st ...

general in the

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

. He received the United States military's highest decoration, the

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest military decoration and is awarded to recognize American soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, guardians and coast guardsmen who have distinguished themselves by acts of val ...

, for his actions at the

Second Battle of Fredericksburg The Second Battle of Fredericksburg, also known as the Second Battle of Marye's Heights, took place on May 3, 1863, in Fredericksburg, Virginia, as part of the Chancellorsville Campaign of the American Civil War. Background Confederate Gen. Rob ...

. After the war, he was at various times the head of the

New York City Fire Department The New York City Fire Department, officially the Fire Department of the City of New York (FDNY), is an American department of the government of New York City that provides fire protection services, technical rescue/special operations services, ...

, president of the

National Rifle Association The National Rifle Association of America (NRA) is a gun rights advocacy group based in the United States. Founded in 1871 to advance rifle marksmanship, the modern NRA has become a prominent gun rights lobbying organization while cont ...

, and Mayor of Ridgefield, New Jersey, from 1899 to 1901.

Early life

Shaler was born in

Haddam, Connecticut Haddam is a town in Middlesex County, Connecticut. The population was 8,452 at the time of the 2020 census. The town was also home to the now-decommissioned Connecticut Yankee Nuclear Power Plant. History Haddam, in Middlesex County, is locate ...

, on March 19, 1827, son of Ira Shaler, a merchant captain, and Jerusha Arnold. He lived much of his life in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

beginning at the age of seven. Apparently Shaler had a private income that allowed him to pursue his own interests, and he was educated in private schools. He was active in the

New York State New York, officially the State of New York, is a state in the Northeastern United States. It is often called New York State to distinguish it from its largest city, New York City. With a total area of , New York is the 27th-largest U.S. sta ...

militia A militia () is generally an army or some other fighting organization of non-professional soldiers, citizens of a country, or subjects of a state, who may perform military service during a time of need, as opposed to a professional force of r ...

, beginning as a private in 1848 and becoming

major Major ( commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicato ...

of the

7th New York Militia The 7th Regiment of the New York Militia, aka the "Silk Stocking" regiment, was an infantry regiment in the Union Army during the American Civil War. Also known as the "Blue-Bloods" due to the disproportionate number of its members who were pa ...

in 1860. Shaler published a ''Manual of Arms for Light Infantry'', New York : T.B. Harrison & Co., 1861. With the outbreak of the

in 1861, Shaler's regiment, then called the

7th New York Volunteer Infantry Regiment The 7th New York Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. It was composed almost entirely of German immigrants and is also known as the Steuben Guard or the Steuben Regiment. It shou ...

, was sent to defend Washington, D.C.

American Civil War: Service in the East

After returning to New York City, Shaler became

lieutenant colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colon ...

of the

65th New York Volunteer Infantry The 65th New York Infantry Regiment (or 1st United States Chasseurs) was an infantry regiment in the Union Army during the American Civil War. The regiment wore distinctive chasseur styled uniforms. Its members were recruited primarily from New Y ...

, known as the 1st United States

Chasseurs ''Chasseur'' ( , ), a French term for "hunter", is the designation given to certain regiments of French and Belgian light infantry () or light cavalry () to denote troops trained for rapid action. History This branch of the French Army ...

. John Cochrane served as colonel. Shaler was credited by ''

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'' with drilling the regiment well. The regiment left for the front on August 27, 1861. They served in the Peninsula Campaign of Major General

George McClellan George Brinton McClellan (December 3, 1826 – October 29, 1885) was an American soldier, Civil War Union general, civil engineer, railroad executive, and politician who served as the 24th governor of New Jersey. A graduate of West Point, McCl ...

and then in the Maryland Campaign as part of the division of Brigadier General

Darius Couch Darius Nash Couch (July 23, 1822 – February 12, 1897) was an American soldier, businessman, and naturalist. He served as a career U.S. Army officer during the Mexican–American War, the Second Seminole War, and as a general officer in the Uni ...

in IV Corps,

Army of the Potomac The Army of the Potomac was the principal Union Army in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War. It was created in July 1861 shortly after the First Battle of Bull Run and was disbanded in June 1865 following the surrender of the Confede ...

. Shaler became

colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military 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 colonel was typically in charge ...

on June 17, 1862, after Cochrane was promoted to the rank of brigadier general. After Antietam, Couch's division became the third division of

VI Corps 6 Corps, 6th Corps, Sixth Corps, or VI Corps may refer to: France * VI Cavalry Corps (Grande Armée), a cavalry formation of the Imperial French army during the Napoleonic Wars * VI Corps (Grande Armée), a formation of the Imperial French army du ...

John Newton John Newton (; – 21 December 1807) was an English evangelical Anglican cleric and slavery abolitionist. He had previously been a captain of slave ships and an investor in the slave trade. He served as a sailor in the Royal Navy (after forc ...

succeeded Couch. Shaler's regiment became part of Cochrane's brigade in that division. It was present at the

Battle of Fredericksburg The Battle of Fredericksburg was fought December 11–15, 1862, in and around Fredericksburg, Virginia, in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War. The combat, between the Union Army of the Potomac commanded by Maj. Gen. Ambrose Bur ...

but not seriously engaged. Shaler assumed command of the brigade in March 1863 following the resignation of John Cochrane. He was appointed to the rank of

brigadier general Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointe ...

, to rank from May 26, 1862, on May 26, 1863.Eicher, John H., and David J. Eicher, ''Civil War High Commands.'' Stanford: Stanford University Press, 2001. . p. 728. (

Joseph Eldridge Hamblin Joseph Eldridge Hamblin (January 13, 1828 – July 3, 1870) was an American officer during the Civil War, who led a regiment and then a brigade in the Army of the Potomac. Biography Hamblin, the son of Benjamin and Hannah (Sears) Hamblin, wa ...

became colonel of the regiment in his place.) Shaler led the brigade at the

, also known as the Second Battle of Marye's Heights, on May 3, when VI Corps, under Major General

John Sedgwick John Sedgwick (September 13, 1813 – May 9, 1864) was a military officer and Union Army general during the American Civil War. He was wounded three times at the Battle of Antietam while leading his division in an unsuccessful assault against Co ...

drove

Jubal Early Jubal Anderson Early (November 3, 1816 – March 2, 1894) was a Virginia lawyer and politician who became a Confederate States of America, Confederate general during the American Civil War. Trained at the United States Military Academy, Early r ...

's division away from the Heights. At a crucial moment, Shaler seized a flag and led his men into the Confederate defenses. In 1893, he received the

for this act. His brigade also participated in the

Battle of Salem Church The Battle of Salem Church, also known as the Battle of Banks' Ford, took place on May 3 and 4, 1863, in Spotsylvania County, Virginia, as part of the Chancellorsville Campaign of the American Civil War. Background After occupying Marye's Hei ...

. In the

Battle of Gettysburg The Battle of Gettysburg () was fought July 1–3, 1863, in and around the town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, by Union and Confederate forces during the American Civil War. In the battle, Union Major General George Meade's Army of the ...

, VI Corps served as a reserve for the Army of the Potomac. Shaler's brigade was sent to the right flank early on July 3, 1863. There it helped

XII Corps 12th Corps, Twelfth Corps, or XII Corps may refer to: * 12th Army Corps (France) * XII Corps (Grande Armée), a corps of the Imperial French Army during the Napoleonic Wars * XII (1st Royal Saxon) Corps, a unit of the Imperial German Army * XII (Ro ...

hold Culp's Hill. Shaler's brigade usually was in reserve, but units went to the front line to help in resisting Confederate attacks. About 3:30 that afternoon, Shaler's brigade was sent to the center of the army as a reserve around the time of the repulse of

Pickett's Charge Pickett's Charge (July 3, 1863), also known as the Pickett–Pettigrew–Trimble Charge, was an infantry assault ordered by Confederate General Robert E. Lee against Major General George G. Meade's Union positions on the last day of the ...

. Shaler commanded the prisoner of war camp at

Johnson's Island Johnson's Island is a island in Sandusky Bay, located on the coast of Lake Erie, from the city of Sandusky, Ohio. It was the site of a prisoner-of-war camp for Confederate officers captured during the American Civil War. Initially, Johnso ...

on the shores of

Lake Erie Lake Erie ( "eerie") is the fourth largest lake by surface area of the five Great Lakes in North America and the eleventh-largest globally. It is the southernmost, shallowest, and smallest by volume of the Great Lakes and therefore also ha ...

in the winter of 1863-1864, with his regiment serving as prison guards. He was back with his brigade in 1864 in time to participate in the

Overland Campaign The Overland Campaign, also known as Grant's Overland Campaign and the Wilderness Campaign, was a series of battles fought in Virginia during May and June 1864, in the American Civil War. Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant, general-in-chief of all Union ...

. VI Corps had been reorganized, and Shaler's brigade served in General Horatio Wright's first division. This brigade was on the army's right flank in the

Battle of the Wilderness The Battle of the Wilderness was fought on May 5–7, 1864, during the American Civil War. It was the first battle of Lieutenant General Ulysses S. Grant's 1864 Virginia Overland Campaign against General Robert E. Lee and the Confederate Ar ...

on May 6, 1864. At first, it was in a "refused" position facing north, thus protecting the rest of the corps. Then it was drawn into the main line of battle, supporting its fight with LG

Richard S. Ewell Richard Stoddert Ewell (February 8, 1817 – January 25, 1872) was a career United States Army officer and a Confederate general during the American Civil War. He achieved fame as a senior commander under Stonewall Jackson and Robert E. Le ...

's corps. As a result, Shaler's brigade was flanked by Confederate troops led by Brigadier General

John Brown Gordon John Brown Gordon () was an attorney, a slaveholding plantation owner, general in the Confederate States Army, and politician in the postwar years. By the end of the Civil War, he had become "one of Robert E. Lee's most trusted generals." ...

that had swung northward to attack the Union right flank. Shaler and Brigadier General

Truman Seymour Truman Seymour (September 24, 1824 – October 30, 1891) was a career soldier and an accomplished painter. He served in the Union Army during the American Civil War, rising to the rank of major general. He was present at the Battle of Fort S ...

were among the Union soldiers captured in his foray. Shaler was trying to rally his men when he was made a captive. He was sent to

Libby Prison Libby Prison was a Confederate prison at Richmond, Virginia, during the American Civil War. In 1862 it was designated to hold officer prisoners from the Union Army. It gained an infamous reputation for the overcrowded and harsh conditions. Priso ...

, in

Richmond, Virginia (Thus do we reach the stars) , image_map = , mapsize = 250 px , map_caption = Location within Virginia , pushpin_map = Virginia#USA , pushpin_label = Richmond , pushpin_m ...

and then to

Macon, Georgia Macon ( ), officially Macon–Bibb County, is a consolidated city-county in the U.S. state of Georgia. Situated near the fall line of the Ocmulgee River, it is located southeast of Atlanta and lies near the geographic center of the state of G ...

. In the summer of 1864 he was placed under the fire of Union batteries bombarding

Charleston, South Carolina Charleston is the largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina, the county seat of Charleston County, and the principal city in the Charleston–North Charleston metropolitan area. The city lies just south of the geographical midpoint o ...

American Civil War: Service in the West

After being exchanged, Shaler was transferred West where he served in the

Department of the Gulf The Department of the Gulf was a command of the United States Army in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries and of the Confederate States Army during the Civil War. History United States Army (Civil War) Creation The department was con ...

, briefly commanding third brigade, second division XIX Corps, from November 3 to December 3, 1864. Then he served in

Arkansas Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the South Central United States. It is bordered by Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, and Texas and Oklahoma to the west. Its name is from the O ...

, where he led the second division in

VII Corps 7th Corps, Seventh Corps, or VII Corps may refer to: * VII Corps (Grande Armée), a corps of the Imperial French army during the Napoleonic Wars * VII Corps (German Empire), a unit of the Imperial German Army prior to and during World War I * VII R ...

, December 28, 1864 – August 1, 1865, under Major General Joseph J. Reynolds. This division was based in DeValls Bluff in east central Arkansas. It most was engaged in occupation of the region and minor skirmishes with Confederate forces. In June 1865, as the war was ending, Shaler cooperated in the efforts of Major General

Grenville Dodge Grenville Mellen Dodge (April 12, 1831 – January 3, 1916) was a Union Army officer on the frontier and a pioneering figure in military intelligence during the Civil War, who served as Ulysses S. Grant's intelligence chief in the Western The ...

, commanding the

Department of Missouri The Department of the Missouri was a command echelon of the United States Army in the 19th century and a sub division of the Military Division of the Missouri that functioned through the Indian Wars. History Background Following the successful ...

, to parole the irregular forces of Brigadier General

M. Jeff Thompson Brigadier-General M. Jeff Thompson (January 22, 1826 – September 5, 1876), nicknamed "Swamp Fox," was a senior officer of the Missouri State Guard who commanded cavalry in the Trans-Mississippi Theater of the American Civil War. The () w ...

. Shaler was mustered out of the volunteers on August 24, 1865. On January 12, 1866,

President of the United States The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the Federal government of the United States#Executive branch, executive branch of the Federal gove ...

Andrew Johnson Andrew Johnson (December 29, 1808July 31, 1875) was the 17th president of the United States, serving from 1865 to 1869. He assumed the presidency as he was vice president at the time of the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. Johnson was a De ...

nominated Shaler for appointment to the brevet rank of

major general Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of ...

of volunteers, to rank from July 27, 1865, and the

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and po ...

confirmed the appointment on March 12, 1866.

Post-war life

After the war, Shaler served as commissioner of the

from 1867 to 1873. He was active in veterans' affairs, including heading the New York Commandery of the Loyal Legion. He also became

of the state militia in 1867, commanding the first division. His tenure was not always peaceful. One of his officers accused the general of incompetence. Later, in 1885, he was arrested and charged with corruption, especially connected with the choice of sites for armories. Shaler was not convicted in two trials, because in both cases the

jury A jury is a sworn body of people (jurors) convened to hear evidence and render an impartial verdict (a finding of fact on a question) officially submitted to them by a court, or to set a penalty or judgment. Juries developed in England d ...

could not reach agreement. Nonetheless, he had to step down from his militia position; and the city removed him from the Board of Health. The general had become chair of the Board of Health in 1883. He also served as President of the Soldiers' Business Messenger and Dispatch Company incorporated in 1867 which helped infirmed vets in good standing and orphans of vets lost during the war find employment as trusted messengers in New York City. Shaler is credited with being a founder of the

, serving as a director and its president in 1876. Shaler served as president of the Automatic Signal

Telegraph Telegraphy is the long-distance transmission of messages where the sender uses symbolic codes, known to the recipient, rather than a physical exchange of an object bearing the message. Thus flag semaphore is a method of telegraphy, whereas ...

Company, where his tenure was also stormy. In an altercation with William B. Watkins, the inventor of the

fire alarm A fire alarm system warns people when smoke, fire, carbon monoxide or other fire-related or general notification emergency, emergencies are detected. These alarms may be activated automatically from smoke detectors and heat detectors or may also ...

telegraph system the company marketed, Shaler had Watkins arrested for trying to remove certain papers from the premises of the company. This dispute culminated in a trial. The court ruled on April 15, 1885, that Shaler's charge of fraud against Watkins was unfounded, but the general was able to retain the shares in the company he had received as compensation for his work as president even after the company sold itself to the Watkins Automatic Telegraph Company, run by many of the same people. Shaler moved to

Ridgefield, New Jersey } Ridgefield is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough's population was 11,032,New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

, at 126 Riverside Drive. He served as Mayor of Ridgefield, New Jersey, from 1899 to 1901. Shaler died at his New York home on December 28, 1911. He was buried in Ridgefield in the cemetery of the Dutch Reformed Church in the English Neighborhood. His only son, Ira Alexander Shaler, a major in the Spanish-American War, was put in charge of building the first subway tunnel through the Murray Hill neighborhood of Manhattan. Major Shaler died in 1902 at age 39 two weeks after his back was broken when a

subway Subway, Subways, The Subway, or The Subways may refer to: Transportation * Subway, a term for underground rapid transit rail systems * Subway (underpass), a type of walkway that passes underneath an obstacle * Subway (George Bush Intercontin ...

tunnel collapsed on him.

Early life

American Civil War: Service in the East

American Civil War: Service in the West

Post-war life

See also

References

Further reading