Hector Tyndale (a.k.a. George Hector Tyndale) was an American military officer 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 ...

. He fought at the

Second Battle of Bull Run The Second Battle of Bull Run or Battle of Second Manassas was fought August 28–30, 1862, in Prince William County, Virginia, as part of the American Civil War. It was the culmination of the Northern Virginia Campaign waged by Confederate ...

and 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 ...

. He was wounded twice during the Battle of Antietam and thought dead from a head wound. After his recovery, he returned to active duty and fought in the Battle of Wauhatchie and the

Battle of Missionary Ridge The Battle of Missionary Ridge, also known as the Battle of Chattanooga, was fought on November 25, 1863, as part of the Chattanooga campaign of the American Civil War. Following the Union Army, Union victory in the Battle of Lookout Mountain on ...

. He was brevetted to Brigadier General for his actions at Antietam and to Major General at the end of the war for gallantry and meritorious service. He was a successful businessman who owned and operated a glass and

china China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

importation firm in Philadelphia.

Early life

Tyndale was born on March 24, 1821, in Philadelphia to Robinson and Sarah Thorn Tyndale. His father was an Irish emigrant and a prominent Philadelphia businessman engaged in the importation of china and glassware. Tyndale was accepted to attend 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 declined at the request of his mother.

Career

He served as a corporal in the artillery corps of the Washington Grays and was promoted to captain. He served in the police force during the

Philadelphia nativist riots The Philadelphia nativist riots (also known as the Philadelphia Prayer Riots, the Bible Riots and the Native American Riots) were a series of riots that took place on May 68 and July 67, 1844, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States and the a ...

. He served in an expedition for the 1st Cavalry Regiment under

Edwin Vose Sumner Edwin Vose Sumner (January 30, 1797March 21, 1863) was a career United States Army Commissioned officer, officer who became a Union Army General officer, general and the oldest field commander of any Army Corps on either side during the American ...

in the

Northwest Territory The Northwest Territory, also known as the Old Northwest and formally known as the Territory Northwest of the River Ohio, was formed from part of the unorganized western territory of the United States after the American Revolution. Established ...

. Tyndale entered into the family business in partnership with his brother-in-law. Tyndale made several trips to personally inspect European factories. He became an expert in pottery and porcelain manufacturing and maintained an extensive personal collection. In 1856, Tyndale became involved in politics as a member of the

Free Soil Party The Free Soil Party, also called the Free Democratic Party or the Free Democracy, was a political party in the United States from 1848 to 1854, when it merged into the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party. The party was focused o ...

and then as a member of the first Republican committee in Philadelphia. Although he did not support John Brown's raid on Harper's Ferry, he agreed to escort the widow of John Brown to pay a last visit to her husband and recover his body after execution. It was believed Mrs. Brown's life was in danger because of her husband's recent actions. Southern newspapers reported that Brown's body had been replaced in his coffin by an African-American corpse as an insult. Tyndale refused to accept the body until the coffin was opened and the body identified as Brown's before accepting it on Mrs. Brown's behalf.

Civil War

Tyndale was travelling on business in Europe when the Civil War began. He returned to the U.S. and volunteered for the Union Army. He was appointed major in the 28th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry on June 28, 1861, under John W. Geary. His regiment was sent to garrison duty at

Harpers Ferry Harpers Ferry is a historic town in Jefferson County, West Virginia, United States. The population was 269 at the 2020 United States census. Situated at the confluence of the Potomac River, Potomac and Shenandoah River, Shenandoah Rivers in the ...

. He served under

Nathaniel P. Banks Nathaniel Prentice (or Prentiss) Banks (January 30, 1816 – September 1, 1894) was an American politician from Massachusetts and a Union Army, Union general during the American Civil War, Civil War. A millworker, Banks became prominent in local ...

in the Shenandoah Valley and John Pope at Chantilly, Virginia. On April 25, 1862, he was promoted to lieutenant colonel and fought at the

. On September 17, 1862, as lieutenant colonel, Tyndale was the senior officer in his brigade and assumed command of the 1st Brigade, 2nd Division, XII Corps during the

. Tyndale led his brigade as part of George S. Greene's attack against the Dunker Church. He was grazed by a bullet in his hip and had three horses shot out from under him. He was wounded a second time in the head and assumed dead. His body was taken from the field and he regained consciousness in a field hospital. He returned home to recuperate and was promoted to brigadier general of Volunteers on November 29, 1862, for his actions at Antietam. In June 1863, he returned to active duty and was assigned to lead a brigade under General Erasmus D. Keyes. He led a brigade under

Carl Schurz Carl Christian Schurz (; March 2, 1829 – May 14, 1906) was a German-American revolutionary and an American statesman, journalist, and reformer. He migrated to the United States after the German revolutions of 1848–1849 and became a prominent ...

and took part in the pursuit of

Robert E. Lee Robert Edward Lee (January 19, 1807 – October 12, 1870) was a general officers in the Confederate States Army, Confederate general during the American Civil War, who was appointed the General in Chief of the Armies of the Confederate ...

's retreat from Gettysburg. Later that Fall,

Joseph Hooker Joseph Hooker (November 13, 1814 – October 31, 1879) was an American Civil War general for the Union, chiefly remembered for his decisive defeat by Confederate General Robert E. Lee at the Battle of Chancellorsville in 1863. Hooker had serv ...

was assigned to lead reinforcements to the Union Army at Chattanooga. Hooker took with him the XI and XII Corps to which Tyndale's brigade was part of. Tyndale led his brigade at the Battle of Wauhatchie, leading a bayonet charge and turning the enemy's flank. He also took part, albeit in a minor role, in the

. On August 26, 1864, Tyndale resigned from the army due to the lingering effects of his head wound. He was brevetted to major general on March 13, 1865, for gallantry and meritorious service during the war. Command History * 1st Brigade, 2nd Division, XII Corps (17 Sept 1862) * 1st Brigade, 3rd Division, XI Corps (13 July – 19 Sept 1863) * 1st Brigade, 3rd Division, XI Corps (12 Oct 1863 – 15 Feb 1865) * 3rd Division, XI Corps (15 Feb – 16 Apr 1864) * 3rd Brigade, 1st Division, XX Corps (16 Apr – 3 May 1864)

Post war

After the war, Tyndale returned to his business in Philadelphia. He unsuccessfully ran for mayor in 1868. A relative, Professor

John Tyndall John Tyndall (; 2 August 1820 – 4 December 1893) was an Irish physicist. His scientific fame arose in the 1850s from his study of diamagnetism. Later he made discoveries in the realms of infrared radiation and the physical properties of air ...

of England, lectured in the U.S. and devoted the proceeds to fund the promotion of science education and named Tyndale as one of the trustees. Eventually the fund became a scholarship at the

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (Penn or UPenn) is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. One of nine colonial colleges, it was chartered in 1755 through the efforts of f ...

and was known as the Hector Tyndale scholarship for physics. In 1869, he was elected as a member to the

American Philosophical Society The American Philosophical Society (APS) is an American scholarly organization and learned society founded in 1743 in Philadelphia that promotes knowledge in the humanities and natural sciences through research, professional meetings, publicat ...

. In 1873, he was elected to the office of Sheriff in Philadelphia. In 1876 Tyndale's prominence in the porcelain business caused his selection as one of the judges for the

Centennial Exhibition The Centennial International Exhibition, officially the International Exhibition of Arts, Manufactures, and Products of the Soil and Mine, was held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, from May 10 to November 10, 1876. It was the first official wo ...

. He was close friends with

Walt Whitman Walter Whitman Jr. (; May 31, 1819 – March 26, 1892) was an American poet, essayist, and journalist; he also wrote two novels. He is considered one of the most influential poets in American literature and world literature. Whitman incor ...

and was consulted by Whitman on how to improve the third edition of ''

Leaves of Grass ''Leaves of Grass'' is a poetry collection by American poet Walt Whitman. After self-publishing it in 1855, he spent most of his professional life writing, revising, and expanding the collection until his death in 1892. Either six or nine separa ...

''. Tyndale died on March 19, 1880, and was interred at

Laurel Hill Cemetery Laurel Hill Cemetery, also called Laurel Hill East to distinguish it from the affiliated West Laurel Hill Cemetery in Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania, Bala Cynwyd, is a historic rural cemetery in the East Falls, Philadelphia, East Falls neighborhood ...

Personal life

He was married to Julia Nowlen in 1842 and together they had a daughter in 1848. His brother was Sharon Tyndale who served as

Illinois Secretary of State The secretary of state of Illinois is one of the six elected executive state offices of the government of Illinois, and one of the 47 Secretary of State (U.S. state government), secretaries of state in the United States. The Illinois secretary of ...

References

Citation Sources * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Tyndale, Hector 1821 births 1880 deaths Burials at Laurel Hill Cemetery (Philadelphia) Businesspeople from Philadelphia John Brown (abolitionist) Members of the American Philosophical Society Military personnel from Philadelphia Pennsylvania Republicans People of Pennsylvania in the American Civil War Sheriffs of Philadelphia Union army generals