Abner Clark Harding (February 10, 1807 – July 19, 1874) was a

U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Article One of th ...

from

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...

and a Brigadier General in the U.S. army fighting for the North in the Civil War.

Biography

Abner C. Harding was born in

East Hampton, Connecticut East Hampton is a town in Middlesex County, Connecticut, United States. The town is part of the Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region. The population was 12,717 at the 2020 census. The town center village is listed as a census-designa ...

on February 10, 1807. He attended

Hamilton College Hamilton College is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Clinton, Oneida County, New York, Clinton, New York. It was established as the Hamilton-Oneida Academy in 1793 and received its c ...

Clinton, New York Clinton, New York may refer to: *Clinton County, New York *Clinton, Clinton County, New York *Clinton, Dutchess County, New York *Clinton, Oneida County, New York * Clinton, Manhattan, or Hell's Kitchen, a neighborhood in New York City *East Greenb ...

, where he studied law. He was

admitted to the bar An admission to practice law is acquired when a lawyer receives a license to practice law. In jurisdictions with two types of lawyer, as with barristers and solicitors, barristers must gain admission to the bar whereas for solicitors there are dist ...

and commenced practice in

Oneida County, New York Oneida County ( ) is a county in the state of New York, United States. As of February 26, 2024, the population was 226,654. The county seat is Utica. The name is in honor of the Oneida, one of the Five Nations of the Iroquois League or '' ...

, about 1827. In 1838, he moved to

Monmouth, Illinois Monmouth is a city in and the county seat of Warren County, Illinois, United States. The population was 8,902 at the 2020 census, down from 9,444 in 2010. It is the home of Monmouth College and contains Monmouth Park, Harmon Park, North Park, W ...

, and continued practicing law. He served as member of the State constitutional convention in 1848, and was elected to the

Illinois House of Representatives The Illinois House of Representatives is the lower house of the Illinois General Assembly. The body was created by the first Illinois Constitution adopted in 1818. The House under the constitution as amended in 1980 consists of 118 representativ ...

the same year, serving until 1850. During 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 ...

, Harding enlisted as a private in the Union Army in the 83rd Illinois Volunteer Infantry Regiment. Later he was commissioned as a

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 ...

, and was promoted to brigadier general in March 1863. He distinguished himself when the Union army defeated the Confederates in the Battle of Dover (1863). His 800 troops held off 2500 Confederates and resulted in the Union controlling

Middle Tennessee Middle Tennessee is one of the three Grand Divisions of Tennessee that composes roughly the central portion of the state. It is delineated according to state law as 41 of the state's 95 counties. Middle Tennessee contains the state's capital an ...

. He resigned due to deteriorating eyesight a few months later. From 1865 to 1869, Harding served as a Republican member of Congress. During the

39th Congress The 39th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C., from March 4, 1865 ...

, he served as Chairman of the Committee on the Militia. However, he was not a candidate for re-election in 1868 after serving in the

40th Congress The 40th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1867, ...

, and later engaged in banking and railroad building. He was a founder and trustee of

Monmouth College Monmouth College is a Private college, private Presbyterian Church (USA), Presbyterian Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Monmouth, Illinois. It enrolls 727 students in Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science de ...

. He died in Monmouth, Illinois on July 19, 1874, and was interred in Monmouth Cemetery.

References

Retrieved on January 29, 2009

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Harding, Abner Clark 1807 births 1874 deaths Monmouth College People from East Hampton, Connecticut People of Illinois in the American Civil War Illinois lawyers Republican Party members of the Illinois House of Representatives Hamilton College (New York) alumni Union army generals Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Illinois 19th-century American lawyers 19th-century members of the United States House of Representatives 19th-century members of the Illinois General Assembly

Biography

See also

References

External links