William Henry Seward Jr. (June 18, 1839 – April 29, 1920) was an American banker and 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 ...

. He was the youngest son of

William H. Seward William Henry Seward (; May 16, 1801 – October 10, 1872) was an American politician who served as United States Secretary of State from 1861 to 1869, and earlier served as governor of New York and as a United States senator. A determined opp ...

, the

United States Secretary of State The United States secretary of state (SecState) is a member of the executive branch of the federal government of the United States and the head of the U.S. Department of State. The secretary of state serves as the principal advisor to the ...

under

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

Andrew Johnson Andrew Johnson (December 29, 1808July 31, 1875) was the 17th president of the United States, serving from 1865 to 1869. The 16th vice president, he assumed the presidency following the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. Johnson was a South ...

Early life

Seward was born in Auburn,

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

. His father, William Henry Seward Sr., had just taken office as

Governor of New York The governor of New York is the head of government of the U.S. state of New York. The governor is the head of the executive branch of New York's state government and the commander-in-chief of the state's military forces. The governor ...

when he was born, and his mother,

Frances Adeline Seward Frances Adeline Seward ( Miller; September 25, 1805 – June 21, 1865) was the First Lady of New York and the wife of William Henry Seward, a senator in the New York legislature, Governor of New York, a senator from New York and United States S ...

, was the daughter of Judge

Elijah Miller Elijah Miller (April 11, 1772 – November 13, 1851) was a lawyer and judge in Auburn, New York. Early life and career Miller was born on April 11, 1772. He was the son of Josiah Miller (1749–1817). He became a lawyer, and then a Jud ...

, a law partner of Seward who had built the family home in Auburn in 1816. His elder brothers were

Augustus Henry Seward Augustus Henry Seward (October 1, 1826 – September 11, 1876) was the son of William H. Seward and Frances Adeline Seward. He was a career officer in the United States Army, and attained the rank of brevet Colonel. Early life Augustus H. Se ...

, a brevet

colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...

in the Paymaster Corps, and Frederick William Seward, who served as

Assistant Secretary of State Assistant Secretary of State (A/S) is a title used for many executive positions in the United States Department of State, ranking below the under secretaries. A set of six assistant secretaries reporting to the under secretary for political aff ...

to his father.

Career

Banking

Educated at home, Seward became interested in finance and later started a partnership with Clinton McDougall, was private secretary to his father, then a U.S. Senator from New York, in 1860, and opened a private bank in Auburn in 1861. He left banking on August 22, 1862, to join the Union Army in the

U.S. Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), which was formed in 1861 by states that had seceded fr ...

.Eicher, John H., and

David J. Eicher David John Eicher (born August 7, 1961) is an American editor, writer, and popularizer of astronomy and space. He has been editor-in-chief of ''Astronomy'' magazine since 2002. He is author, coauthor, or editor of 23 books on science and American ...

, ''Civil War High Commands.'' Stanford: Stanford University Press, 2001, , p. 479.Warner, Ezra J. ''Generals in Blue: Lives of the Union Commanders.'' Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 1964, , p. 431.Sifakis, Stewart. ''Who Was Who in the Civil War.'' New York: Facts On File, 1988, , p. 581.

Military career

Seward was appointed lieutenant colonel of New York's 138th Infantry Regiment, which became the 9th New York Heavy Artillery Regiment in December 1862. The regiment served in the defenses of

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

until it was converted back to an infantry regiment and sent to the

Army of the Potomac The Army of the Potomac was the primary field army of the Union army in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War. It was created in July 1861 shortly after the First Battle of Bull Run and was disbanded in June 1865 following the Battle of ...

because of the losses sustained by that army in the

Overland Campaign The Overland Campaign, also known as Grant's Overland Campaign and the Wilderness Campaign, was a series of battles fought in Virginia during May and June 1864, towards the end of the American Civil War. Lieutenant general (United States), Lt. G ...

. After fighting at the

Battle of Cold Harbor The Battle of Cold Harbor was fought during the American Civil War near Mechanicsville, Virginia, from May 31 to June 12, 1864, with the most significant fighting occurring on June 3. It was one of the final battles of Union Lt. Gen. Ulysses ...

, Seward was appointed colonel of the regiment on June 10, 1864. William H

A few weeks after Seward's promotion to colonel, his regiment was sent north to meet the threat to Washington, D.C. posed by Confederate

Lieutenant General Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the battlefield, who was norma ...

Jubal Early's Valley Campaigns of 1864. Seward was slightly wounded in his arm and suffered a broken leg when his horse fell on him after the horse was shot at the

Battle of Monocacy The Battle of Monocacy (also known as Monocacy Junction) was fought on July 9, 1864, about from Frederick, Maryland, as part of the Valley Campaigns of 1864 during the American Civil War. Confederate States Army, Confederate forces under Lieut ...

on July 9, 1864. He was promoted to brigadier general on September 13, 1864, and in January 1865 was assigned to command a brigade in the Department of West Virginia, which he did until April 1865. He was thereafter known within his family as "The General". Seward commanded the 3rd Division for 6 days after Confederate

partisan rangers The Partisan Ranger Act was passed on April 21, 1862, by the Confederate Congress. It was intended as a stimulus for recruitment of irregulars for service into the Confederate Army during the American Civil War. The Confederate leadership, lik ...

captured Brigadier General

George Crook George R. Crook (September 8, 1828 – March 21, 1890) was a career United States Army officer who served in the American Civil War and the Indian Wars. He is best known for commanding U.S. forces in the Geronimo Campaign, 1886 campaign that ...

on February 20, 1865.

Post-military career

Seward resigned his commission on June 1, 1865. After the war, Seward returned to banking and lived with his wife in the family homestead in

Auburn, New York Auburn is a city in Cayuga County, New York, United States. Located at the north end of Owasco Lake, one of the Finger Lakes in Central New York, the city had a population of 26,866 at the 2020 census. It is the largest city of Cayuga County, the ...

. In addition to his banking career, he engaged in politics, charitable work, and patriotic and historic societies and he became a director of several corporations. In 1875, he was one of the incorporators of the Auburn City Hospital."Our History", Auburn Community Hospital
/ref> In 1886, he was elected as a companion of the New York Commandery of 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 ...

and was assigned insignia number 4696.

Personal life

Seward married Janet MacNeil Watson (1839–1913), with whom he had three children: *Cornelia Margaret Seward Allen (1862–1921) *William Henry Seward III (November 10, 1864 – February 16, 1951) *Frances Janet Seward Messenger (1880–1957) William Henry Seward Jr. died in Auburn, New York, on April 26, 1920, at the age of 80, and is buried in Auburn's

Fort Hill Cemetery Fort Hill Cemetery is a cemetery located in Auburn, New York, United States. It was incorporated on May 15, 1851, under its official name: "Trustees of the Fort Hill Cemetery Association of Auburn". It is known for its headstones of notable peopl ...

, next to his father.

Notes

References

* Eicher, John H., and

, ''Civil War High Commands.'' Stanford: Stanford University Press, 2001. . * Sifakis, Stewart. ''Who Was Who in the Civil War.'' New York: Facts On File, 1988. . * Warner, Ezra J. ''Generals in Blue: Lives of the Union Commanders.'' Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 1964. .

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Seward, William H., Jr. 1839 births 1920 deaths American bankers Union army generals People of New York (state) in the American Civil War People from Auburn, New York Businesspeople from New York (state) Seward family