Augustus Gordon Weissert (August 7, 1844 – April 24, 1923) was an American soldier who served in the Union Army 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 as the 21st Commander-in-Chief of the

Grand Army of the Republic The Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) was a fraternal organization composed of veterans of the Union Army (United States Army), Union Navy (United States Navy, U.S. Navy), and the United States Marine Corps, Marines who served in the American Ci ...

(1892–1893).

Early life and military career

Weissert was born August 7, 1844, in

Canton, Ohio Canton () is a city in Stark County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of cities in Ohio, eighth-most populous city in Ohio, with a population of 70,872 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The Canton–Massillo ...

, to Michael and Magdalene (Bernard) Weissert. His family moved to

Racine, Wisconsin Racine ( ) is a city in Racine County, Wisconsin, United States, and its county seat. It is located on the shore of Lake Michigan at the mouth of the Root River (Wisconsin), Root River, south of Milwaukee and north of Chicago. It is the List ...

, when he was a young boy. Weissert attended the

University of Michigan The University of Michigan (U-M, U of M, or Michigan) is a public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest institution of higher education in the state. The University of Mi ...

where he pursued a degree in law and graduated with a

Bachelor of Laws A Bachelor of Laws (; LLB) is an undergraduate law degree offered in most common law countries as the primary law degree and serves as the first professional qualification for legal practitioners. This degree requires the study of core legal subje ...

. He then moved 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 1860 to continue the study of law, but returned to Wisconsin when the Civil War began. He enlisted September 10, 1861, at age 17, as a private in Company K, 8th Wisconsin Infantry; he had previously attempted to enlist, but was rejected due to his age. Weissert was promoted to

sergeant major Sergeant major is a senior Non-commissioned officer, non-commissioned Military rank, rank or appointment in many militaries around the world. History In 16th century Spain, the ("sergeant major") was a general officer. He commanded an army's ...

, September 3, 1864. At the

Battle of Nashville The Battle of Nashville was a two-day battle in the Franklin-Nashville Campaign that represented the end of large-scale fighting west of the coastal states in the American Civil War. It was fought at Nashville, Tennessee, on December 15–16, 18 ...

, Weissert was wounded by a musket ball in the leg just above the knee. Although he recovered from his wound, it remained an open wound for many years and the bullet was never removed. Weissert received a brevet promotion to

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

dated to June 6, 1864, for "conspicuous bravery during the Red River expedition and for gallantry at Lake Chicot, Arkansas, June 6, 1864, and at Nashville, December 15th." He was subsequently offered an appointment to 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 ...

, but he declined due to his wound. Weissert mustered out September 17, 1865, with the regiment and returned to

Milwaukee Milwaukee is the List of cities in Wisconsin, most populous city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Located on the western shore of Lake Michigan, it is the List of United States cities by population, 31st-most populous city in the United States ...

, Wisconsin, where he continued to study law under

Wisconsin Supreme Court The Wisconsin Supreme Court is the Supreme court, highest and final court of appeals in the state judicial system of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. In addition to hearing appeals of lower Wisconsin court decisions, the Wisconsin Supreme Court also ...

Justice William P. Lyon.

Post-war service

Weissert joined the Grand Army of the Republic in 1866 and served as commander of E. B. Wilcott Post #1 in Milwaukee. He was elected to command the Department of Wisconsin in 1888 and again in 1889. At the 23rd National Encampment, Weissert was elected Senior Vice Commander-in-Chief. In 1892, he was elected 21st Commander-in-Chief of the G.A.R. after having been defeated for the position the previous year. Weissert remained active in civic duties in Milwaukee, predominantly as a member of the Milwaukee Board of Education. President

Theodore Roosevelt Theodore Roosevelt Jr. (October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), also known as Teddy or T.R., was the 26th president of the United States, serving from 1901 to 1909. Roosevelt previously was involved in New York (state), New York politics, incl ...

appointed Weissert to the

Board of Visitors In the United States, a board often governs institutions of higher education, including private universities, state universities, and community colleges. In each US state, such boards may govern either the state university system, individual co ...

of the U.S. Military Academy in 1904. Weissert died April 24, 1923, at his home in Milwaukee, and is buried in the city's

Forest Home Cemetery Forest Home Cemetery is a historic rural cemetery and arboretum located in the Lincoln Village, City of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Lincoln Village neighborhood of Milwaukee, Wisconsin and is the final resting place of many of the city's famed bee ...

References

* Grand Army of the Republic. ''Final Journal of the Grand Army of the Republic, 1866-1956'' (Washington, DC: U.S. Govt. Print. Off.), 1957
Second Wisconsin
{{DEFAULTSORT:Weissert, Augustus Gordon 1844 births 1923 deaths People from Canton, Ohio Military personnel from Milwaukee People from Racine, Wisconsin University of Michigan Law School alumni People of Wisconsin in the American Civil War School board members in Wisconsin Grand Army of the Republic commanders-in-chief

Early life and military career

Post-war service

See also

References