Albert Lewis Magilton (July 8, 1826 –December 28, 1875) was an American colonel who served the Union 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 ...

who commanded the

4th Pennsylvania Reserve Regiment The 4th Pennsylvania Reserve Regiment, also known as the 33rd Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry Regiment, was an infantry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. It was a part of the famed Pennsylvania Reserves in th ...

and who participated the

Battle of Antietam The Battle of Antietam ( ), also called the Battle of Sharpsburg, particularly in the Southern United States, took place during the American Civil War on September 17, 1862, between Confederate General Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virgi ...

under the command of

George Meade George Gordon Meade (December 31, 1815 – November 6, 1872) was an American military officer who served in the United States Army and the Union army as Major General in command of the Army of the Potomac during the American Civil War from 1 ...

Biography

Early military career

Albert was born on July 8, 1826, at

New Castle, Delaware New Castle is a city in New Castle County, Delaware, United States. The city is located six miles (10 km) south of Wilmington, Delaware, Wilmington and is situated on the Delaware River. As of 2020, the city's population was 5,551. New Cast ...

before shortly moving to

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

as the son of his father who was a carpenter of Irish origin and his mother who was a native of Delaware. After graduating from Central High School Magilton won a appointment at 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 ...

in 1842 after a personal request from

Alexander Dallas Bache Alexander Dallas Bache (July 19, 1806 – February 17, 1867) was an American physicist, scientist, and surveyor who erected coastal fortifications and conducted a detailed survey to map the mideastern United States coastline. Originally an army ...

, (who had been a former President of Central High) himself before graduating in July 1846, ranking 16th at the Class of 1846. After graduation, he served in the

Mexican–American War The Mexican–American War (Spanish language, Spanish: ''guerra de Estados Unidos-México, guerra mexicano-estadounidense''), also known in the United States as the Mexican War, and in Mexico as the United States intervention in Mexico, ...

as a 2nd Lieutenant in the 4th US Artillery. Due to his participation at the battles of Contreras and

Churubusco Churubusco is a neighbourhood of Mexico City. Under the current territorial division of the Mexican Federal District, it is a part of the borough () of Coyoacán. It is centred on the former Franciscan monastery ''(ex convento de Churubusco)'' a ...

, he was promoted to Brevet First Lieutenant. He would gain another promotion to First Lieutenant for his service during the

Third Seminole War 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 ...

. Magilton would then go on to be stationed at various places such as

Leavenworth, Kansas Leavenworth () is the county seat and largest city of Leavenworth County, Kansas, Leavenworth County, Kansas, United States. Part of the Kansas City metropolitan area, Leavenworth is located on the west bank of the Missouri River, on the site o ...

from 1851 to 1852, then to the plains of

New Mexico New Mexico is a state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States. It is one of the Mountain States of the southern Rocky Mountains, sharing the Four Corners region with Utah, Colorado, and Arizona. It also ...

in 1853, then back to Leavenworth before being stationed at

Fort Brady Fort Brady was a frontier fort established in Sault Sainte Marie, Michigan to guard against British incursions from Canada. The original location of the fort, known as Old Fort Brady, was along the Saint Mary's River. Fort Brady was loca ...

from 1853 to 1855. In 1856, he married Mary Lee whom he would have 2 children with. He was then made captain in 1857 but Magilton left the army in December that year. He would briefly be in the fuel industry back at Philadelphia with his father before returning to military service on the outbreak at the

American Civil War

Magilton was initially a Lieutenant Colonel of the 2nd Pennsylvania Reserve Regiment in June 1861 before being assigned to the

on October 4 of the same year after Robert G. March was forced to resign due to his illness. Magilton would go on to participate at the

Battle of Gaines' Mill The Battle of Gaines' Mill, sometimes known as the Battle of Chickahominy River, took place on June 27, 1862, in Hanover County, Virginia, as the third of the Seven Days Battles which together decided the outcome of the Union's Peninsula Campaig ...

, the

Battle of Beaver Dam Creek The Battle of Beaver Dam Creek, also known as the Battle of Mechanicsville or Ellerson's Mill, took place on June 26, 1862, in Hanover County, Virginia. It was the first major engagement of the Seven Days Battles during the Peninsula Campaign of ...

, the

Battle of New Market The Battle of New Market was fought on May 15, 1864, in Virginia during the Valley Campaigns of 1864 in the American Civil War. A makeshift Confederate army of 4,100 men defeated the larger Army of the Shenandoah under Major General Franz S ...

and the

Battle of Glendale A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force ...

where he got wounded during the fighting. Magilton later participated at the

Battle of South Mountain The Battle of South Mountain, known in several early Southern United States, Southern accounts as the Battle of Boonsboro Gap, was fought on September 14, 1862, as part of the Maryland campaign of the American Civil War. Three pitched battles ...

before General

became commander of the division and Magilton assumed command of the 2nd Brigade. He then lead the 2nd Brigade at the

Later years

For the rest of the war, he would also serve 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, Union Army of the Potomac commanded by Major general ( ...

before resigning on December 23, 1862. He would briefly reenter military service in 1864, teaching infantry tactics at the Philadelphia Free Military School for officers of Colored Troops. He also became a Deputy Collector of the US Internal Revenue from 1864 until his death from liver disease on December 28, 1875.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Magilton, Albert 1826 births 1875 deaths Union army colonels People from New Castle, Delaware American military personnel of the Mexican–American War People of Delaware in the American Civil War People of Pennsylvania in the American Civil War United States Military Academy alumni