Ira Hobart Evans (April 11, 1844 – April 19, 1922) was an officer 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 received the

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. He was also a prominent

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businessman and state legislator who served in the

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, including as

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Early life

Evans was born in

Piermont, New Hampshire Piermont is a town in Grafton County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 769 at the 2020 census. It is home to Camp Walt Whitman and Kingswood Camp for Boys. History Incorporated by Governor Benning Wentworth in 1764 and settled i ...

on April 11, 1844. After the death of his father, his mother moved to

Barre, Vermont Barre, Vermont may refer to: *Barre (city), Vermont *Barre (town), Vermont Barre ( ) is a New England town, town in Washington County, Vermont, Washington County, Vermont, United States. The population was 7,923 at the 2020 census, making it the ...

, and he completed his education at Barre Academy.

Civil War military service

In July 1862 he enlisted for the Civil War as a

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in Company B, 10th Vermont Volunteer Infantry Regiment. In December 1863 he was commissioned as 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 9th U.S. Colored Troops. In January 1865 he was 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 ...

in the 116th U.S. Colored Troops. In March 1865 he was promoted to brevet major "for gallant conduct and meritorious services" and assigned as assistant

Adjutant Adjutant is a military appointment given to an Officer (armed forces), officer who assists the commanding officer with unit administration, mostly the management of “human resources” in an army unit. The term is used in French-speaking armed ...

of the XXV Army Corps,

Army of the James The Army of the James was a Union Army that was composed of units from the Department of Virginia and North Carolina and served along the James River during the final operations of the American Civil War in Virginia. History The Union Department ...

Medal of Honor action

General

William Birney William Birney (May 28, 1819 – August 14, 1907) was an American professor, Union Army general during the American Civil War, attorney and author. An ardent abolitionist, he was noted for encouraging thousands of free black men to join the Unio ...

, as quoted in 1897's "The Story of American Heroism" compiled by J.W. Jones:

In the early days of April, 1865, when General Grant was moving on
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, my division (the Second of the 25th Corps) held a portion of the Union line near Hatcher's Run. The main body was sheltered by a low ridge from the enemy's fire, but the rifle pits in which the pickets were posted and the open space between the pits and the ridge, was swept by the Confederate cannon and musketry. Confederate deserters were numerous, most of them reaching the rifle pits late at night or about daybreak, where, for their safety, they were detained until nightfall. An afternoon assault on the Confederate works being intended, it was very important to learn what changes had been made in them. I was directed from headquarters to have the newly arrived deserters interviewed. Being unwilling to order any member on my staff on so dangerous a duty, I called for a volunteer. Captain Evans was the only one who responded. Dismounting he passed rapidly over the ridge in front of the division, being at that time the only Union soldier in view from the Confederate line. The enemy opened a sharp fire of musketry upon him, and continued it until he disappeared in one of our rifle pits. Having questioned the deserters and obtained the desired information, he returned through another shower of bullets and reported to me. It was a gallant feat.

Post-Civil War military service

On April 17, 1865 Evans was one of the officers in the honor guard of President

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 ...

's funeral cortège. He remained on active duty after the war, serving in

Brownsville, Texas Brownsville ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the county seat of Cameron County, Texas, Cameron County, located on the western Gulf Coast in South Texas, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border, border with Matamoros, Tamaulipas ...

as a member General

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's occupation force. In September 1866 he was transferred to

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. In February 1867 he was discharged in

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Reconstruction in Texas

Deciding to take part in the

Reconstruction Reconstruction may refer to: Politics, history, and sociology *Reconstruction (law), the transfer of a company's (or several companies') business to a new company *''Perestroika'' (Russian for "reconstruction"), a late 20th century Soviet Union ...

of Texas, he started a ranch near Corpus Christi, but lost his investment through the dishonesty of his partner. Evans then joined the

Freedmen's Bureau The Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands, usually referred to as simply the Freedmen's Bureau, was a U.S. government agency of early post American Civil War Reconstruction, assisting freedmen (i.e., former enslaved people) in the ...

but quickly resigned out of anger with his superiors, whom he deemed incompetent. He then joined the

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, first in Eagle Pass and then in Corpus Christi.

Member of the Texas House of Representatives

At the urging of Republican gubernatorial candidate Edmund Jackson Davis, in 1869 Evans ran for and won a seat in the

. In 1870 he was elected

Speaker of the House The speaker of a deliberative assembly, especially a legislative body, is its presiding officer, or the chair. The title was first used in 1377 in England. Usage The title was first recorded in 1377 to describe the role of Thomas de Hung ...

(at age 26, he was the youngest person ever to hold that post). Evans was removed from office when Democrats returned to power at the end of Texas Reconstruction in 1871.

Business career

Unlike most Republicans who were active in post-Civil War Reconstruction, after leaving politics Evans did not return to the northern states, instead settling in

Austin Austin refers to: Common meanings * Austin, Texas, United States, a city * Austin (given name), a list of people and fictional characters * Austin (surname), a list of people and fictional characters * Austin Motor Company, a British car manufac ...

and beginning a business career. He became general manager of Houston's Texas Land Company in 1872, and Secretary of the Houston and Great Northern Railroad Company in 1873. After the H. & G. N. merged with the International Railroad in 1874, Evans was elected Secretary of the International-Great Northern Railroad, and served as a member of the board of directors from 1875 to 1908. From 1880 to 1906 he was President of the New York and Texas Land Company. Evans was a founder of the Austin National Bank and served on the board of directors from 1890 until his death. In 1897 he was appointed Receiver of the Austin Rapid Transit Railway Company, a post he held until 1902. From 1902 to 1903 he was President of the Austin Electric Railway Company. He was also a founder and President of the Texas Life Insurance Company.

Philanthropy, religious activity and civic involvement

Evans maintained a lifelong interest in the cause of educating African-Americans, including serving on the board of trustees of Austin's Tillotson College (now

Huston–Tillotson University Huston–Tillotson University (HT) is a private historically black university in Austin, Texas, United States. Established in 1875, it was the first institution of higher learning in Austin. The university is affiliated with the United Methodis ...

) from 1881 to 1920, and president of the board from 1909 to 1920. Evans also donated the funds to construct a residence for the president of the college, and the funds to create a program to train construction workers. The college's Evans Industrial Building, constructed in 1912 and refurbished in 1984, was named for him and has been designated a Texas Historical Site. Evans was active in both the Congregational and Presbyterian churches and served as president of the

American Home Missionary Society The American Home Missionary Society (AHMS or A. H. M. Society) was a Protestant missionary society in the United States founded in 1826. It was founded as a merger of the United Domestic Missionary Society with state missionary societies from N ...

. He was a member of the board of trustees of the First Presbyterian Church in Austin and president of the board of trustees of Austin's First Congregational Church of Austin for five years. He was also involved in several civic causes. His Austin home was the meeting place for the

Texas State Historical Association The Texas State Historical Association (TSHA) is an American nonprofit educational and research organization dedicated to documenting the history of Texas. It was founded in Austin, Texas, United States, on March 2, 1897. In November 2008, the ...

. He was a member of the

Society of Colonial Wars The General Society of Colonial Wars is a patriotic society composed of men who trace their descents from forebears who, in military, naval, or civil positions of high trust and responsibility, by acts or counsel, assisted in the establishment, d ...

and the

Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States The Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States (MOLLUS), or, simply, the Loyal Legion, is a United States military order organized on April 15, 1865, by three veteran officers of the Union Army. The original membership was consisted ...

. In 1896 Evans became a member of the Vermont Society of the

Sons of the American Revolution The Sons of the American Revolution (SAR), formally the National Society of the Sons of the American Revolution (NSSAR), is a federally chartered patriotic organization. The National Society, a nonprofit corporation headquartered in Louisvi ...

(SAR) and was the founder and first president of the Texas Society of the SAR. He was assigned national member number 2751 and Vermont Society number 51. Evans' home the North-Evans Chateau, is now the location of the Austin Woman's Club and is an Austin Historic Landmark.

Personal life

In July 1871 he married Francese A. Hurlbut of Upper Alton, Illinois, with whom he had three sons, Wilber Leslie Evans, Hobart Yale Evans, and Francis Hurlbut Evans. After their 1917 divorce, in 1920 he married Jessie M. Stewart. He was the cousin of Texas businessman

Timothy Dwight Hobart Timothy Dwight Hobart (October 6, 1855 – May 19, 1935) was an American businessman, best known as the manager of the JA Ranch. He was also mayor of Pampa, Texas.Lester Fields Sheffy, ''The Life and Times of Timothy Dwight Hobart, 1855-1935: Colo ...

. The Ira Hobart Evans Papers are part of the

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's McFarlin Library.

Retirement and death

Evans retired to San Diego, California, in 1921 and died there on April 19, 1922. He was buried in Berlin Corners Cemetery,

Berlin, Vermont Berlin ( ) is a town in Washington County, Vermont, United States, founded in 1763. The population was 2,849 at the 2020 census. Being the town between Barre and Montpelier, the two largest cities in the region, much of the commercial busines ...

Medal of Honor citation

Citation: (presented on March 24, 1892)

For extraordinary heroism on 2 April 1865, while serving with Company B, 116th Colored Infantry, in action at Hatcher's Run, Virginia. Captain Evans voluntarily passed between the lines, under a heavy fire from the enemy, and obtained important information.

References

* American Ancestry: Giving Name and Descent, in the Male Line, of Americans Whose Ancestors Settled in the United States Previous to the Declaration of Independence, edited by Thomas Patrick Hughes, Frank Munsell published by Joel Munsell's Sons, Albany, New York, 1894, Volume 9, page 201 * A History of the Tenth Regiment, Vermont Volunteers, by Edwin Mortimer Haynes, 1894, pages 83 to 86 * Huston–Tillotson University 2008–2009 School Yea
Bulletin
* Overreached on All Sides: the Freedmen's Bureau Administrators in Texas, William Lee Richter, 1991, page 182 to 183 * Texas Society, Sons of the American Revolutio

* General Register of the Society of Colonial Wars, published by the Society, 1911, Second Supplement, page 256 * Black and White: a Monthly Magazine of Facts for Insurance Policy, Volume 13, Number 1, October 1896, page 344 * A National Register of the Society, Sons of the American Revolution, published Sons of the American Revolution, 1902, page 957 * A History of Texas and Texans, by Francis White Johnson, Eugene Campbell Barker, and Ernest William Winkler, 1914, Volume III, page 1281 * Register of the Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States, compiled by Joshua Harris Aubin, 1906, page 82 * One Thousand New Hampshire Notables, by

Henry Harrison Metcalf Henry Harrison Metcalf, LL.D., (April 7, 1841 – February 5, 1932) was an editor, journalist, historian, politician, and author from New Hampshire. Biography Henry Metcalf was born in Newport, New Hampshire, to Joseph and Lucy Metcalf on April ...

and Frances Matilda Abbott, 1919, page 442 * Austin Woman's Clu
web site
* Handbook of Texas Online
Ira Hobart Evans biography
* University of Tulsa, McFarlin Library

* Deeds of Valor: From Records in the Archives of the United States Government, Walter F. Beyer, Oscar Frederick Keydel, Henry Martin Duffield, 1907, page 516 * The Story of American Heroism, compiled by J.W. Jones, 1897, pages 624 to 625 * Town of Berlin, Vermont web site

* Newspaper article, Major Ira H. Evans Dies, Oakland (California) Tribune, April 20, 1922

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Evans, Ira H. 1844 births 1922 deaths United States Army Medal of Honor recipients People from Grafton County, New Hampshire Members of the Sons of the American Revolution Speakers of the Texas House of Representatives Union army officers American Civil War recipients of the Medal of Honor Republican Party members of the Texas House of Representatives California Republicans 19th-century members of the Texas Legislature