Elon John Farnsworth (July 30, 1837 – July 3, 1863) was a Union Army captain in 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 ...

. He commanded Brigade 1, Division 3 of the Cavalry Corps (Union Army) from June 28, 1863 to July 3, 1863, when he was mortally wounded and died at the

Battle of Gettysburg The Battle of Gettysburg () was a three-day battle in the American Civil War, which was fought between the Union and Confederate armies between July 1 and July 3, 1863, in and around Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The battle, won by the Union, ...

. He was nominated by

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...

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 ...

for appointment to the grade of brigadier general on June 29, 1863 but was not confirmed by the

United States Senate The United States Senate is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the United States House of Representatives, U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and ...

before his death at Gettysburg.

Early life and career

Farnsworth was born in

Green Oak, Michigan Green is the color between cyan and yellow on the visible spectrum. It is evoked by light which has a dominant wavelength of roughly 495570 nm. In subtractive color systems, used in painting and color printing, it is created by a combin ...

on July 30, 1837.Eicher, John H., and

David J. Eicher David John Eicher (born August 7, 1961) is an American editor, writer, and popularizer of astronomy and space. He has been editor-in-chief of ''Astronomy'' magazine since 2002. He is author, coauthor, or editor of 23 books on science and American ...

. ''Civil War High Commands''. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press, 2001. . p. 596. Elon Farnsworth's uncle, John F. Farnsworth, served in the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, 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 Artic ...

from Illinois between March 4, 1857 and March 3, 1861 and again between March 4, 1863 and March 3, 1873. John Farnsworth was a Union Army

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 ...

who also commanded cavalry brigades (September 1862 to February 1862) and was nominated for appointed to the grade of brigadier general (November 1862). His appointment also was not confirmed by the United States Senate after the nomination was ordered returned to President Lincoln on February 12, 1863. Elon Farnsworth's family moved to Illinois in 1854. A member of the Chi Psi Fraternity, Farnsworth was expelled from 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 ...

following a drinking party in which a classmate died after being thrown from a window. He joined the Army as a civilian foragemaster in 1857 and served on the staff of

Albert Sidney Johnston General officer, General Albert Sidney Johnston (February 2, 1803 – April 6, 1862) was an American military officer who served as a general officer in three different armies: the Texian Army, the United States Army, and the Confederate States ...

during the

Utah War The Utah War (1857–1858), also known as the Utah Expedition, the Utah Campaign, Buchanan's Blunder, the Mormon War, or the Mormon Rebellion, was an armed confrontation between Mormon settlers in the Utah Territory and the armed forces of the ...

of 1857–58. He also worked as a buffalo hunter, scout and freighter in the

Colorado Territory The Territory of Colorado was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from February 28, 1861, until August 1, 1876, when it was admitted to the Union as the 38th State of Colorado. The territory was organized ...

Civil War

At the outbreak of the Civil War, Farnsworth was appointed a

first lieutenant First lieutenant is a commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces; in some forces, it is an appointment. The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations, but in most forces it is sub-divided into a se ...

in the 8th Illinois Cavalry, the regiment commanded by his uncle, serving with distinction throughout the early stages of the war. Being promoted 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 ...

on December 25, 1861, he was made Assistant Chief Quartermaster of the

IV Corps 4 Corps, 4th Corps, Fourth Corps, or IV Corps may refer to: France * 4th Army Corps (France) * IV Cavalry Corps (Grande Armée), a cavalry unit of the Imperial French Army during the Napoleonic Wars * IV Corps (Grande Armée), a unit of the Imperi ...

, and in early 1863, he served as aide-de-camp to Brigadier General Alfred Pleasonton through the

Battle of Chancellorsville The Battle of Chancellorsville, April 30 – May 6, 1863, was a major battle of the American Civil War (1861–1865), and the principal engagement of the Chancellorsville campaign. Confederate General Robert E. Lee's risky decision to divide h ...

and early stages of the Gettysburg Campaign. Pleasonton, then in command of the Army of the Potomac's Cavalry Corps, gave Farnsworth command of 1st Brigade, 3rd Division, Cavalry Corps,

Army of the Potomac The Army of the Potomac was the primary field army of the Union army in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War. It was created in July 1861 shortly after the First Battle of Bull Run and was disbanded in June 1865 following the Battle of ...

on June 28, 1863, three days before the

. On June 29, 1863, just two days before the battle, President Lincoln nominated Farnsworth to the grade brigadier general of volunteers but the appointment was never confirmed by the

Death at Gettysburg

After the collapse of

Pickett's Charge Pickett's Charge was an infantry assault on July 3, 1863, during the Battle of Gettysburg. It was ordered by Confederate General Robert E. Lee as part of his plan to break through Union lines and achieve a decisive victory in the North. T ...

and the defeat of Major General J.E.B. Stuart's

Confederate A confederation (also known as a confederacy or league) is a political union of sovereign states united for purposes of common action. Usually created by a treaty, confederations of states tend to be established for dealing with critical issu ...

cavalry on July 3, the third day of the Battle of Gettysburg, Brigadier General

Hugh Judson Kilpatrick Hugh Judson Kilpatrick (January 14, 1836 – December 4, 1881) was an officer in the Union Army during the American Civil War, achieving the rank of Major general (United States), major general. He was later the United States Ambassador, Minister ...

, commanding the 3rd Division, ordered Farnsworth to make a charge with his brigade against Confederate positions south of the

Devil's Den Devil's Den is a boulder-strewn hill on the south end of Houck's Ridge at Gettysburg Battlefield, used by artillery and sharpshooters on the second day of the 1863 Battle of Gettysburg during the American Civil War. A tourist attraction since t ...

area of the battlefield, below

Little Round Top Little Round Top is the smaller of two rocky hills south of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania—the companion to the adjacent, taller hill named Big Round Top. It was the site of an unsuccessful assault by Confederate troops against the Union left ...

. Farnsworth initially balked, arguing there was no hope of success, and only agreed to it when Kilpatrick allegedly accused him of cowardice. Farnsworth made the charge, against elements of John B. Hood's division, under

Evander M. Law Evander McIver Law (August 7, 1836 – October 31, 1920) was an author, teacher, and a Confederate States Army, Confederate general in the American Civil War. Early life Law was born in Darlington, South Carolina. His grandfather and his two ...

(Hood having been wounded the previous day). Farnsworth rode with the second battalion of the 1st Vermont Cavalry, alongside Major William Wells. The charge was repulsed with heavy losses, and Farnsworth himself was shot five times in the chest. An account by Confederate Colonel William C. Oates claimed that Farnsworth was surrounded by Confederate soldiers and committed suicide to avoid capture, but this has been disputed by other witnesses and discounted by most historians. Kilpatrick received much criticism for ordering the charge, but no official action was taken against him. Farnsworth is buried in Rockton Cemetery,

Rockton, Illinois Rockton is a village in Winnebago County, Illinois. It is located in the Rock River Valley and is part of the Rockford metropolitan area. The population was 7,685 at the time of the 2010 census, up from 5,296 at the time of the 2000 census. Geo ...

Memorials

Battery Farnsworth, a coastal defense built between 1897 and 1899 near

Fort Constitution Fort William and Mary was a colonial-era fortification in Great Britain's worldwide system of defenses, defended by soldiers of the Province of New Hampshire who reported directly to the royal governor. The fort, originally known as "The Castle ...

New Castle, New Hampshire New Castle is a town in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 1,000 at the 2020 census. It is the easternmost town in New Hampshire and the smallest by area, and it is the only town in the state located entirely on i ...

, was named in his honor.

Notes

References

* Boatner, Mark Mayo, III. ''The Civil War Dictionary''. New York: McKay, 1988. . First published 1959 by McKay. * Eicher, John H., and

. ''Civil War High Commands''. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press, 2001. . * Symonds, Craig L. ''American Heritage History of the Battle of Gettysburg''. New York: HarperCollins, 2001. . * Wert, Jeffry D. ''Gettysburg: Day Three''. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2001. .

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Farnsworth, Elon J. 1837 births 1863 deaths Union army generals People of Illinois in the American Civil War People of Michigan in the American Civil War Union military personnel killed in the American Civil War People from Winnebago County, Illinois University of Michigan alumni