Ferdinand Van Derveer (February 27, 1823 – November 5, 1892) was a lawyer and a brigadier general 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 ...

. Van Derveer was born in

Middletown, Ohio Middletown is a city in Butler County, Ohio, Butler and Warren County, Ohio, Warren counties in the U.S. state of Ohio. The population was 50,987 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It is part of the Cincinnati metropolitan area in sou ...

. He was educated at Farmer's College, studied law, passed his bar exam and established his practice in Middletown. However, when 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, ...

erupted, he left his law office and enlisted in the military as a

private Private or privates may refer to: Music * "In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorded ...

in the 1st Ohio Volunteers. He commanded an assaulting column at the Battle of Monterrey and by the end of the war he had risen to the rank of

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 ...

. While his regiment was being mustered out Van Derveer served as a second to Capt. Carr B. White in a duel with Lt. James P. Fyffe over White's promotion to captain. Van Derveer returned home after the war and resumed his legal career. He served for a number of years as the

Sheriff A sheriff is a government official, with varying duties, existing in some countries with historical ties to England where the office originated. There is an analogous, although independently developed, office in Iceland, the , which is common ...

Butler County, Ohio Butler County is a County (United States), county located in the southwestern part of the U.S. state of Ohio. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 390,357. Its county seat and largest city is Hamilton, Ohio, Ham ...

. When the Civil War began, Van Derveer organized the 35th Ohio Infantry and became its first

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 ...

. It originally consisted of 921 men, 750 of whom came from Butler County. The regiment fought at Mill Springs, Perryville, Stones River, Missionary Ridge, and Chickamauga, during which nearly half the men in the regiment were killed or wounded. In 1862 Van Derveer became a brigade commander in the

Army of the Ohio The Army of the Ohio was the name of two Union Army, Union armies in the American Civil War. The first army became the Army of the Cumberland and the second army was created in 1863. History 1st Army of the Ohio General Orders No. 97 appointed ...

and later in the XIV Corps. He mustered out with his regiment in September 1864 and in the next month he was promoted to brigadier general of

Volunteers Volunteering is an elective and freely chosen act of an individual or group giving their time and labor, often for community service. Many volunteers are specifically trained in the areas they work, such as medicine, education, or emergenc ...

. In February 1865 he was assigned to lead a brigade in the IV Corps in

Alabama Alabama ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South, Deep Southern regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gu ...

. After the conclusion of the war, Van Derveer returned to Butler County and served as a

judge A judge is a person who wiktionary:preside, presides over court proceedings, either alone or as a part of a judicial panel. In an adversarial system, the judge hears all the witnesses and any other Evidence (law), evidence presented by the barris ...

. He is buried in Greenwood Cemetery

Hamilton, Ohio Hamilton is a city in Butler County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. Located north of Cincinnati along the Great Miami River, Hamilton is the second-most populous city in the Cincinnati metropolitan area and the List of municipaliti ...

. His grave can be found in the Hill Section, Lot 561.

References

* Warner, Ezra J., ''Generals in Blue: Lives of the Union Commanders''. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 1964, .
A History of the Thirty-Fifth Ohio Volunteer Infantry

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Derveer, Ferdinand Van 1823 births 1892 deaths Union army generals People from Middletown, Ohio People of Ohio in the American Civil War American volunteer soldiers of the Mexican–American War

See also

References