Jeremiah Tilford Boyle (May 22, 1818 – July 28, 1871) was a successful lawyer and noted
abolitionist
Abolitionism, or the abolitionist movement, is the political movement to end slavery and liberate enslaved individuals around the world.
The first country to fully outlaw slavery was Kingdom of France, France in 1315, but it was later used ...
. He served as 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 ...
.
Biography
Boyle was born and raised in Mercer County (now
Boyle County, Kentucky
Boyle County is a County (United States), county located in the central part of Kentucky. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 30,614. Its county seat is Danville, Kentucky, Danville. The county was formed in 184 ...
), and graduated from the
College of New Jersey in 1838. He was the son of Judge and Chief Justice
John Boyle, for whom Boyle County was named. He then studied law at
Transylvania University
Transylvania University is a private university in Lexington, Kentucky, United States. It was founded in 1780 and is the oldest university in Kentucky. It offers 46 major programs, as well as dual-degree engineering programs, and is Higher educ ...
in
Lexington, Kentucky
Lexington is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city coterminous with and the county seat of Fayette County, Kentucky, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census the city's population was 322,570, making it the List of ...
. He became a successful lawyer in
Harrodsburg and
Danville. Although a slave-owning
Whig politically, he argued for a gradual
emancipation
Emancipation generally means to free a person from a previous restraint or legal disability. More broadly, it is also used for efforts to procure Economic, social and cultural rights, economic and social rights, civil and political rights, po ...
of slaves as a delegate to the
State Constitutional Convention in 1849.
He married Elizabeth Owsley Anderson of
Garrard County and raised seven children. For a number of years, he was engaged in business with his brother-in-law,
William Clayton Anderson, a former
United States Congressman
The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the 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 Article One of the ...
. Boyle supported the
Constitutional Union Party in the election of 1860.
At the outbreak of the Civil War, Boyle raised a
brigade
A brigade is a major tactical military unit, military formation that typically comprises three to six battalions plus supporting elements. It is roughly equivalent to an enlarged or reinforced regiment. Two or more brigades may constitute ...
of
infantry
Infantry, or infantryman are a type of soldier who specialize in ground combat, typically fighting dismounted. Historically the term was used to describe foot soldiers, i.e. those who march and fight on foot. In modern usage, the term broadl ...
for service in the Union Army. He was commissioned as a brigadier general on November 19, 1861. After wintering his troops in Tennessee, he joined
Maj. Gen. Don Carlos Buell
Don Carlos Buell (March 23, 1818November 19, 1898) was a United States Army officer who fought in the Seminole War, the Mexican–American War, and the American Civil War. Buell led Union armies in two major Civil War battles— Shiloh and Pe ...
's
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 participated in the
Battle of Shiloh
The Battle of Shiloh, also known as the Battle of Pittsburg Landing, was a major battle in the American Civil War fought on April 6–7, 1862. The fighting took place in southwestern Tennessee, which was part of the war's Western Theater of the ...
.
In May 1862, he was appointed Military Governor of
Kentucky
Kentucky (, ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north, West Virginia to the ...
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 ...
, and at times served in command of both the
District of Kentucky and
District of Western Kentucky. Curiously, the
Official Records
The ''Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies in the War of the Rebellion'', commonly known as the ''Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies'' or Official Records (OR or ORs), is the most extensive collection of Americ ...
refer to Boyle's command as the "District of Western Kentucky", although at that time it included all of Kentucky ''except'' Western Kentucky, which was assigned to the
District of Columbus. Boyle dispatched troops several times to combat incursions and cavalry raids by
John Hunt Morgan
John Hunt Morgan (June 1, 1825September 4, 1864) was a Confederate general in the American Civil War. In April 1862, he raised the 2nd Kentucky Cavalry Regiment, fought at Shiloh, and then launched a costly raid in Kentucky, which encouraged Br ...
.
He resigned in 1864 after his son, the Union Army's youngest colonel, Col. William O. Boyle, was killed in action at the
Battle of Marion in
Tennessee
Tennessee (, ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Kentucky to the north, Virginia to the northeast, North Carolina t ...
. He had been affectionately known as "the Boy Major."
Following his return home, Boyle speculated in land and became interested in street railways and urged Louisville officials to establish such service. In 1865, he became the president of the
Louisville City Railway Company and oversaw the creation of the first
mass transportation
Public transport (also known as public transit, mass transit, or simply transit) are forms of transport available to the general public. It typically uses a fixed schedule, route and charges a fixed fare. There is no rigid definition of whic ...
system in the commonwealth.
He was president of the
Evansville, Henderson and Nashville Railroad from 1866 until his death in 1871. He traveled to
Europe
Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...
and secured French investors to back a project to expand narrow-gauge rail service in Kentucky.
Boyle died on July 28, 1871, in Louisville and was buried in
Bellevue Cemetery in Danville.
See also
*
List of American Civil War generals (Union)
Notes
References
*.
* Warner, Ezra J., ''Generals in Blue: Lives of the Union Commanders'', Louisiana State University Press, 1964, .
;Attribution
*
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Boyle, Jeremiah T.
1818 births
1871 deaths
Burials in Bellevue Cemetery (Danville, Kentucky)
People of Kentucky in the American Civil War
Princeton University alumni
Transylvania University alumni
People from Danville, Kentucky
Union army generals
American abolitionists
Kentucky lawyers
19th-century American railroad executives
Kentucky Whigs
Kentucky Constitutional Unionists
19th-century American lawyers