Milton Smith Littlefield (July 19, 1830 – March 7, 1899) was an American businessman dubbed the "Prince of the

Carpetbaggers In the history of the United States, carpetbagger is a largely historical pejorative used by Southerners to describe allegedly opportunistic or disruptive Northerners who came to the Southern states after the American Civil War and were per ...

" during the

Reconstruction Era The Reconstruction era was a period in History of the United States, US history that followed the American Civil War (1861-65) and was dominated by the legal, social, and political challenges of the Abolitionism in the United States, abol ...

. He also served as a Union Army officer 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

Milton Smith Littlefield was born on July 19, 1830, in Ellisburgh, New York. The

corruption Corruption is a form of dishonesty or a criminal offense that is undertaken by a person or an organization that is entrusted in a position of authority to acquire illicit benefits or abuse power for one's gain. Corruption may involve activities ...

scandal was brought forth after George W. Swepson and Littlefield defrauded the state by $4 million, after the North Carolina Legislature of granted $27.8 million in Railroad bonds. Along with Swepson, Littlefield was

indicted An indictment ( ) is a formal accusation that a person has committed a crime. In jurisdictions that use the concept of felonies, the most serious criminal offense is a felony; jurisdictions that do not use that concept often use that of an indi ...

for the fraud but was never

convicted In law, a conviction is the determination by a court of law that a defendant is guilty of a crime. A conviction may follow a guilty plea that is accepted by the court, a jury trial in which a verdict of guilty is delivered, or a trial by jud ...

. When the

broke out in 1861 Littlefield organized a company of infantry, which became Company F of the 14th Illinois Infantry, and was elected as its captain. After serving in the west at Shiloh and

Corinth Corinth ( ; , ) is a municipality in Corinthia in Greece. The successor to the ancient Corinth, ancient city of Corinth, it is a former municipality in Corinthia, Peloponnese (region), Peloponnese, which is located in south-central Greece. Sin ...

, Littlefield was made Lieutenant Colonel of the new

14th Illinois Cavalry The 14th Regiment Illinois Volunteer Cavalry was a cavalry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. Service The first two battalions of the 14th Illinois Cavalry were mustered into service at Peoria, Illinois, on ...

. In 1863 he was sent to the South, briefly commanded the

54th Massachusetts Infantry The 54th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment is an infantry regiment that saw extensive service in the Union Army during the American Civil War. The unit was the second African-American regiment, following the 1st Kansas Colored Volunteer Infantr ...

, a colored unit, and was ordered to recruit black troops. Littlefield raised the 4th South Carolina Infantry(African Descent); whose Colonel he became. When the

United States Colored Troops United States Colored Troops (USCT) were Union Army regiments during the American Civil War that primarily comprised African Americans, with soldiers from other ethnic groups also serving in USCT units. Established in response to a demand fo ...

were organized his regiment became the 21st USCT Infantry. On November 26, 1864, Littlefield was given a brevet promotion to brigadier general of

Volunteers Volunteering is an elective and freely chosen act of an individual or group giving their time and labor, often for community service. Many volunteers are specifically trained in the areas they work, such as medicine, education, or emergenc ...

. He served as brigade and district commander and was mustered out on April 25, 1866. Littlefield married and had two sons, including Milton S. Jr. He died on March 7, 1899, at his home on Madison Avenue in New York City. He was buried in

Kensico Cemetery Kensico Cemetery, located in Valhalla, New York, Valhalla, Westchester County, New York was founded in 1889, when many New York City cemeteries were becoming full, and rural cemeteries were being created near the railroads that served the city ...

Further cases

According to a court record filed on March 29, 1886, on March 18, 1872, John H. Miller sued Littlefield in

Duval County, Florida Duval County ( ), officially the City of Jacksonville and Duval County, is a County (United States), county in the First Coast, northeastern part of the U.S. state of Florida. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, its population was ...

over a debt of fifty thousand dollars. His lust for profiteering was exhibited in his Civil War service, having charge of recruitment of black troops in the Department of the South, he sought to have freedmen pressed into service and appropriated the enlistment bounty many of these 'recruits' were due. Allegedly he used these misappropriations to fund these financial schemes. There were also related findings with the

Pensacola, Florida Pensacola ( ) is a city in the Florida panhandle in the United States. It is the county seat and only incorporated city, city in Escambia County, Florida, Escambia County. The population was 54,312 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. ...

, railroad lines, as well as suits involving Calvin Littlefield, who filed to have the bonds given over to him.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Littlefield, Milton S. 1830 births 1899 deaths People from Ellisburg, New York Military personnel from New York City Military personnel from North Carolina Union military personnel North Carolina Republicans Union army colonels Burials at Kensico Cemetery

Biography

Further cases

See also

References

External links