Mahlon Dickerson Manson (February 20, 1820 – February 4, 1895) was a druggist,

Indiana Indiana ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north and northeast, Ohio to the east, the Ohio River and Kentucky to the s ...

politician, and a Union general 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 ...

Biography

Manson was born in

Piqua, Ohio Piqua ( ) is a city in Miami County, Ohio, United States, along the Great Miami River. The population was 20,354 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Located north of Dayton, Ohio, Dayton, it is part of the Greater Dayton, Dayton metro ...

, to David Manson Jr., and Sarah Cornwall. He was a descendant of David Manson, an aide to Revolutionary War General

George Washington George Washington (, 1799) was a Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father and the first president of the United States, serving from 1789 to 1797. As commander of the Continental Army, Washington led Patriot (American Revoluti ...

. His family moved to

Crawfordsville, Indiana Crawfordsville () is a city in Montgomery County, Indiana, Montgomery County in west central Indiana, United States, west by northwest of Indianapolis. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a population of 16,306. The c ...

. He was a school teacher in

Montgomery County, Indiana Montgomery County is a county in the U.S. state of Indiana. As of the 2020 United States census, it had a population of 37,936. Its county seat is Crawfordsville. The county is divided into eleven townships which provide local services. Mont ...

. He studied medicine in

Cincinnati, Ohio Cincinnati ( ; colloquially nicknamed Cincy) is a city in Hamilton County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. Settled in 1788, the city is located on the northern side of the confluence of the Licking River (Kentucky), Licking and Ohio Ri ...

, and gave medical lectures in

New Orleans New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...

. During 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, ...

he served with the

5th Indiana Volunteers The 5th Indiana Volunteers, also known as the 5th Regiment Indiana Volunteer Infantry, was an infantry regiment that participated in the Mexican–American War. The unit was formed and commanded by future Kansas Senator James Henry Lane who had rec ...

as a captain. He was a druggist in

, and a member of the Indiana Legislature. At the beginning of the Civil War, he was appointed a captain in the 10th Indiana Infantry and was promoted to colonel in less than a month. He commanded a brigade 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 ...

at the

Battle of Mill Springs The Battle of Mill Springs, also known as the Battle of Fishing Creek in the Confederate States of America, Confederacy, and the Battle of Logan's Cross Roads or Battle of Somerset in the Union (American Civil War), Union, was fought in Wayne Coun ...

in 1862 and was promoted to brigadier general on March 24, 1862, based on his actions there. General Manson was wounded in the thigh and captured by

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 ...

forces at the

Battle of Richmond The Battle of Richmond, Kentucky, fought August 29–30, 1862, was one of the most complete Confederate victories in the American Civil War by Major General Edmund Kirby Smith against Union major general William "Bull" Nelson's forces, whic ...

, Kentucky. He was exchanged two months later and fought Morgan on his raid into Ohio. In the span of two months, Manson advanced from

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 ...

, to division and then to command the XXIII Corps. He led the corps during the Knoxville Campaign seeing action at Campbell's Station and

Knoxville Knoxville is a city in Knox County, Tennessee, United States, and its county seat. It is located on the Tennessee River and had a population of 190,740 at the 2020 United States census. It is the largest city in the East Tennessee Grand Division ...

. General Manson returned to brigade command, in the

, during the Atlanta Campaign and was seriously wounded in the

Battle of Resaca The Battle of Resaca, from May 13 to 15, 1864, formed part of the Atlanta Campaign during the American Civil War, when a Union force under William Tecumseh Sherman engaged the Confederate Army of Tennessee led by Joseph E. Johnston. The battle ...

, Georgia. After the war, he 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 ...

as a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (Cyprus) (DCY) **Democratic Part ...

from 1871 to 1873, was state auditor, and the 20th Lieutenant Governor of Indiana from 1885 to 1886. Manson died in Frankfort, Indiana, and is buried in Oak Hill Cemetery, Crawfordsville.

References

* Eicher, John H., and Eicher, David J., ''Civil War High Commands'', Stanford University Press, 2001, . * Lambert, D. Warren, ''When the Ripe Pears Fell, The Battle of Richmond, Kentucky'', Madison County Historical Society, 1996, . * Perry, Oran, Adjutant-General, ''Indiana in the Mexican War'', Indianapolis, 1908. * Warner, Ezra J., ''Generals in Blue: Lives of the Union Commanders'', Louisiana State University Press, 1964, .

External links

Congressional biography
* * *Mahlon Dickerson Manson collection of papers at the Indiana State Library https://archives.isl.lib.in.us/repositories/2/resources/2493 *Mahlon Dickerson Manson Papers Berea KY Library https://bereacollege.on.worldcat.org/oclc/940836993 *General Mahlon D. Manson family papers, 1848-1910s Indiana Historical Society https://indianahistorylibrary.on.worldcat.org/oclc/505241754 *Civil War Longcoat at Indiana State Museum https://collection.indianamuseum.org/mwebcgi/mweb.exe?request=advanced;_tkeyword=manson *Mahlon Manson items at Battle of Richmond KY referenced here https://www.ben-hur.com/people-lew-knew-mahlon-d-manson-crawfordsville-general/ *A good bit of info can be found here. Battle of Richmond KY https://www.battleofrichmond.com/ *Mural with his likeness in Campbellsville KY https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=208482 *He was a commissioner for the Soldiers & Sailors Monument at the center of Indianapolis

Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument (Indianapolis) The Indiana State Soldiers and Sailors Monument is a tall Neoclassicism, neoclassical monument built on Monument Circle, a circular, brick-paved street that intersects Meridian and Market streets in the center of downtown Indianapolis, Indiana. ...

*He was actually born in 1818, not 1820 as most sources - including his tombstone state. . Besides the article quoting Mahlon I referenced here, I also have a photograph of the family Bible showing 1818 as his birthdate. This article is from the Indiana Weekly Argus News Jan 5, 1894 p3, column 4 “The Loiterer�

{{DEFAULTSORT:Manson, Mahlon 1820 births 1895 deaths People of Indiana in the American Civil War Lieutenant governors of Indiana People of Ohio in the American Civil War People from Piqua, Ohio American military personnel of the Mexican–American War Union army generals Indiana state auditors Indiana Republicans American people of the Mexican–American War Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Indiana People from Crawfordsville, Indiana United States Army officers 19th-century members of the United States House of Representatives

Biography

See also

References

External links