Melancthon Smith Wade (December 2, 1801 – August 11, 1868) was a businessman, horticulturist, and soldier from the state of

Ohio Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...

who served as a

general A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air force, air and space forces, marines or naval infantry. In some usages, the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colone ...

in the Union Army during the early part of 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

Melancthon Wade, the son of an

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...

officer and prisoner-of-war, Daniel Everett Wade, was born in

Cincinnati 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 ...

, Ohio.Reid, Vol. 1, p. 932. He was educated in the local schools and then opened a dry goods business that proved so successful that Wade was able to retire in 1840 at the age of 38. Concurrently with his business endeavors, he served with the Ohio

Militia A militia ( ) is a military or paramilitary force that comprises civilian members, as opposed to a professional standing army of regular, full-time military personnel. Militias may be raised in times of need to support regular troops or se ...

from 1825 until 1849, rising through the ranks from

sergeant Sergeant (Sgt) is a Military rank, rank in use by the armed forces of many countries. It is also a police rank in some police services. The alternative spelling, ''serjeant'', is used in The Rifles and in other units that draw their heritage f ...

to brigadier general. Wade married Eliza Armstrong on 27 Aug 1823. They had five or six children. When the Civil War erupted in 1861, Wade was 58 years old. He volunteered his services to the Union Army and received a commission as a brigadier general on October 1 at the recommendation of Ormsby Mitchel. However, his appointment was never formally confirmed by the U.S. Senate.''Journal of the Executive Proceedings of the Senate of the United States of America'', Vol. XII, p. 157. Wade's wife died on October 27. He was assigned command of the newly constructed

Camp Dennison Camp Dennison was a military recruiting, training, and medical post for the United States Army during the American Civil War. It was located near Cincinnati, Ohio, not far from the Ohio River. The camp was named for Cincinnati native William ...

near Cincinnati. Wade was given a full

regiment A regiment is a military unit. Its role and size varies markedly, depending on the country, military service, service, or administrative corps, specialisation. In Middle Ages, Medieval Europe, the term "regiment" denoted any large body of l ...

of infantry to maintain and guard the training camp, as well as to assist in drilling and training the volunteer recruits that came in large numbers to the facility during the early months of the war. On March 18, 1862, because of poor health and his advancing age, Wade resigned his commission and retired from the service. He returned to his estate in Avondale to engage in work as a fruit farmer and to pursue other horticultural interests with his oldest son, Melancthon Armstrong Wade.

Notes

References

* Reid, Whitelaw, ''Ohio in the War: Her Statesmen, Her Generals, and Soldiers.'' 2 vol. Cincinnati: Moore, Wilstach, & Baldwin, 1868. * U.S. Congress, ''Journal of the Executive Proceedings of the Senate of the United States of America'', Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1887. * U.S. War Department
''The War of the Rebellion''
''a Compilation of 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 ...

of the Union and Confederate Armies'', U.S. Government Printing Office, 1880–1901. *Wade, Stuart Charles, ''The Wade Genealogy'', Perth Amboy, New Jersey: American Publishing Company, 1900.

External links

* Retrieved 2008-11-11 {{DEFAULTSORT:Wade, Melancthon Smith Union army generals American militia generals People of Ohio in the American Civil War Cincinnati in the American Civil War Military personnel from Cincinnati Burials at Spring Grove Cemetery 1800s births 1868 deaths

Biography

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References

External links