Andrew Thomas McReynolds (December 25, 1808November 26, 1898) was an American colonel and lawyer of Irish origin who commanded the

1st New York Cavalry Regiment The 1st New York Cavalry Regiment was a regiment in the Union Army in the American Civil War . It was also known as the Lincoln Cavalry, Carbine Rangers, Sabre Regiment, and 1st United States Volunteer Cavalry. It was mustered in from July 16 to ...

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 ...

as well as Prosecuting Attorney of Muskegon County in 1874.

Biography

Family and immigration

Andrew was born on

Christmas Day Christmas is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world. A liturgical feast central to Christianity, Chri ...

, 1808, as the son of John McReynolds and Ann Sloan. He was also a cousin of

Andrew Jackson Andrew Jackson (March 15, 1767 – June 8, 1845) was the seventh president of the United States from 1829 to 1837. Before Presidency of Andrew Jackson, his presidency, he rose to fame as a general in the U.S. Army and served in both houses ...

and his grandfather was a lawyer of consummate ability and a sheriff of Tyrone County. After his father's death, he inherited his fortune and decided to move to

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

in 1830 before ultimately settling in

Detroit Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...

in 1833. He then married Elizabeth Morgan Brewster on 1835 before beginning to pursue for a legal career.

Life in Michigan

Having an interest ever since his days in Ireland, McReynolds was interested in politics and was elected as city alderman after 4 years of being in Detroit. In 1839 he was chosen one of the delegates to the Harrisburg Whig convention, which nominated

William Henry Harrison William Henry Harrison (February 9, 1773April 4, 1841) was the ninth president of the United States, serving from March 4 to April 4, 1841, the shortest presidency in U.S. history. He was also the first U.S. president to die in office, causin ...

. Despite this setback however, McReynolds was still a prominent figure within the politics of Michigan. McReynolds represented Wayne County in the

Michigan House of Representatives The Michigan House of Representatives is the lower house of the Michigan Legislature. There are 110 members, each of whom is elected from constituencies having approximately 77,000 to 91,000 residents, based on population figures from the 2020 ...

in 1840, nominated by the Whigs. McReynolds would later become a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (Cyprus) (DCY) **Democratic Part ...

. In terms of his military career, McReynolds began his military service by enlisting in the Pittsburg Company, part of the Michigan militia in 1832. In 1847, he was a member of the Senate of Michigan, representing the 1st district as a Democrat.

Mexican–American War and prelude

On March 9, 1847, McReynolds enlisted 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 ...

for 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 captain in the 3rd U.S. Dragoons and would go on to serve at the

Battle of Contreras The Battle of Contreras, also known as the Battle of Padierna, took place on 19–20 August 1847, in one of the final encounters of the Mexican–American War, as invading U.S. forces under Winfield Scott approached the Mexican capital. Ameri ...

and the

Battle of Churubusco The Battle of Churubusco took place on August 20, 1847, while Santa Anna's army was in retreat from the Battle of Contreras or Battle of Padierna during the Mexican–American War. It was the battle where the San Patricio Battalion, made u ...

where he got wounded in the left arm; receiving a brevet promotion to Major for his services in those two battles before resigning on August 31, 1848. When McReynolds returned to Detroit, he became the first captain of the Montgomery Guard. From 1852 to 1854, he was prosecuting attorney for Wayne County, Michigan and in 1859, he moved to

Grand Rapids, Michigan Grand Rapids is the largest city and county seat of Kent County, Michigan, United States. With a population of 198,917 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census and estimated at 200,117 in 2024, Grand Rapids is the List of municipalities ...

and attempted to further his law career but the

prevented that from occurring.

American Civil War

After the start of the American Civil War, McReynolds enlisted in the Union Army and was given carte blanche to organize a cavalry regiment anywhere.

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 ...

personally commissioned McReynolds, as cavalry units were badly needed, thus making McReynolds the only Colonel of

United States Volunteers United States Volunteers also known as U.S. Volunteers, U.S. Volunteer Army, or other variations of these, were military volunteers called upon during wartime to assist the United States Army but who were separate from both the Regular Army (United ...

to be personally commissioned by Lincoln. He accordingly mustered the

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Not much is known on his active service during the war besides his service at 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 ...

. McReynolds was mustered out on June 15, 1864, possibly from his tenure expiring.

Later years

McReynolds returned to Grand Rapids to continue his legal career. Despite his long legal career, due to being Democratic, McReynolds never managed to pursue a major office besides being the prosecutor for Muskegon county from 1874 to 1876. He was also the Deputy of Michigan's Commander in 1880. Despite his old age of 80 years, he was still able to conduct vigorously before retiring on his birthday the same year. McReynolds died on November 26, 1898, and was buried at Fulton Street Cemetery, Grand Rapids.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:McReynolds, Andrew Thomas 1808 births 1898 deaths American military personnel of the Mexican–American War People of Michigan in the American Civil War Union army colonels People from Dungannon Michigan Whigs Members of the Michigan House of Representatives Democratic Party Michigan state senators Irish emigrants to the United States 19th-century American lawyers 19th-century members of the Michigan Legislature