Alexander Hamilton (November 15, 1815 – December 10, 1907) was a major general in the

New York State Militia The New York Guard (NYG) is the State Defense Force (SDF) of New York State, and is one of the four branches of the New York Military Forces (NYMF), the other three branches being the New York Army National Guard, New York Air National Guard ...

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 ...

, and was the oldest grandson of

Alexander Hamilton Alexander Hamilton (January 11, 1755 or 1757July 12, 1804) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father who served as the first U.S. secretary of the treasury from 1789 to 1795 dur ...

, the first Secretary of the Treasury of the United States.

Early life and education

Hamilton was born on November 15, 1815. He was the eldest of 14 children born to

John Church Hamilton John Church Hamilton (August 22, 1792 − July 25, 1882) was an American historian, biographer, and lawyer. He was the son of Alexander Hamilton, one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. Early life and education Hamilton was born on Au ...

(1792–1882) and Maria Eliza van den Heuvel Hamilton (1795–1873). Hamilton had 13 younger siblings, Maria Williamson (1817–1822), Charlotte Augusta (1818–1896), John Cornelius Adrian (1820–1879), Schuyler (1822–1903), James (1824–1825), Maria Eliza (1825–1887), Charles Apthorp (1826–1901), Robert P. (1828–1891), Adelaide (1830–1915), Elizabeth (1831–1884), William Gaston (1832–1913), Laurens (1834–1858), and Alice (1838–1905). His paternal grandparents were

, a

Founding Father of the United States The Founding Fathers of the United States, often simply referred to as the Founding Fathers or the Founders, were a group of late-18th-century American Revolution, American revolutionary leaders who United Colonies, united the Thirteen Colon ...

, and Elizabeth Schuyler. His maternal grandfather was Baron John Cornelius van den Heuvel, the one-time governor of

Dutch Guiana Dutch Guiana may refer to: * Dutch colonisation of the Guianas, the coastal region between the Orinoco and Amazon rivers in South America * Surinam (Dutch colony), commonly called "Dutch Guiana" after the loss of other large colonies in the area ...

. He graduated from Columbia College, and at a "very early age he had the management of a large amount of real estate for the family and others."

Career

Hamilton joined the 11th Regiment of the New York Artillery, where he became a second lieutenant. When the

Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

broke out, he became the '' aide-de-camp'' to Major General Charles W. Sandford, and took part in active campaigns in Virginia. He was promoted to major general in the New York Militia for his use of a

gas balloon A gas balloon is a balloon that rises and floats in the air because it is filled with a gas lighter than air (such as helium or hydrogen). When not in flight, it is tethered to prevent it from flying away and is sealed at the bottom to prevent t ...

constructed by

Thaddeus S. C. Lowe Thaddeus Sobieski Constantine Lowe (August 20, 1832 – January 16, 1913), also known as Professor T. S. C. Lowe, was an American Civil War aeronaut, scientist and inventor, mostly self-educated in the fields of chemistry, meteorology, and a ...

for military observation during the war. He later reported directly to President

Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln (February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was the 16th president of the United States, serving from 1861 until Assassination of Abraham Lincoln, his assassination in 1865. He led the United States through the American Civil War ...

. He was placed in charge of troops during the New York Draft Riots in 1863. He was the author of a life of

Oliver Cromwell Oliver Cromwell (25 April 15993 September 1658) was an English statesman, politician and soldier, widely regarded as one of the most important figures in British history. He came to prominence during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms, initially ...

, and a book of poetry. His book ''Dramas and Poems'' was published in 1887. For his literary work, he added his mother's surname to his own in order to distinguish himself from his similarly named relatives, publishing under the name Alexander Hamilton, of "Heuvel".

Personal life

He was cited as "remarkable for his cultured mind, speaking a number of languages," and as a "mathematician and penman." He was a Republican, and attended an Episcopal church. In 1890 he was elected a member of the New York

Society of the Cincinnati The Society of the Cincinnati is a lineage society, fraternal, hereditary society founded in 1783 to commemorate the American Revolutionary War that saw the creation of the United States. Membership is largely restricted to descendants of milita ...

, by virtue of descent from his grandfather

. In 1842, Hamilton married Elizabeth Smith Nicoll (1819–1873), a daughter of Henry Woodhull Nicoll. Elizabeth's sister, Mary Louisa Nicoll, was the wife of Gen. Henry Constantine Wayne. Together, they were the parents of five children, three of whom survived to adulthood: * Rev. Alexander Schuyler Hamilton (1847–1928), who married Adele Walton Livermore. * Henry Nicoll Hamilton (1849–1914), who married Mary Amelia

Fish A fish (: fish or fishes) is an aquatic animal, aquatic, Anamniotes, anamniotic, gill-bearing vertebrate animal with swimming fish fin, fins and craniate, a hard skull, but lacking limb (anatomy), limbs with digit (anatomy), digits. Fish can ...

. * James Bowdoin Hamilton (1852–1853), who died in infancy. * Marie Elizabeth Hamilton (1855–1897), who married Francis Henderson of Virginia. * John Church Hamilton (1859–1865), who died in childhood. His second marriage, in 1878, was to Sarah Elizabeth Bodine. In 1893, he was brought to court to prove his sanity, after threatening to kill his second wife. Hamilton died of

influenza Influenza, commonly known as the flu, is an infectious disease caused by influenza viruses. Symptoms range from mild to severe and often include fever, runny nose, sore throat, muscle pain, headache, coughing, and fatigue. These sympto ...

on December 10, 1907, at his home in

Tarrytown, New York Tarrytown is a administrative divisions of New York#Village, village in the administrative divisions of New York#Town, town of Greenburgh, New York, Greenburgh in Westchester County, New York, Westchester County, New York (state), New York, Unit ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hamilton, Alexander Union militia generals 1815 births 1907 deaths

Alexander Alexander () is a male name of Greek origin. The most prominent bearer of the name is Alexander the Great, the king of the Ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia who created one of the largest empires in ancient history. Variants listed here ar ...

Columbia College (New York) alumni People of New York (state) in the American Civil War