Thomas O. Seaver

Infobox Military Person
name=Thomas Orville Seaver
born= Birth date|1833|12|23
died= Death date and age|1912|7|11|1833|12|3
placeofburial=


caption= Medal of Honor recipient
nickname=
placeofbirth=Cavendish, Vermont
placeofdeath=Woodstock, Vermont
allegiance= United States of America Union
branch= United States Army Union Army
serviceyears=
rank= Colonel
unit=
commands= 3rd Vermont Infantry
battles=American Civil War
*Battle of Spotsylvania Court House
*Antietam
*Gettysburg
awards=Medal of Honor
relations=
laterwork=

Thomas Orville Seaver (December 23 1833 – July 11 1912) rose to the rank of Colonel in the U.S. Army during the American Civil War and received America's highest military decoration the Medal of Honor for his actions at the Battle of Spotsylvania Court House. After the war, "Seaver" was admitted to the Vermont bar and practiced law until his death, serving as a judge for many years.

Biography

Seaver was born in Cavendish, Vermont but after his first year of school his parents moved to Pomfret seeking better educational opportunities for their son. He ultimately attended Green Mountain Academy in South Woodstock, graduating in 1855. He matriculated at Tufts University later that year, where he was admitted to the Zeta Psi fraternity, but left Tufts in 1856 to attend Norwich University, a Vermont military academy. He left Norwich without a degree in 1858, completing his studies at Union College and receiving a B.A. in 1859. On 30 June 1861, he wed Nancy Taylor Johnson Spaulding.

On the outbreak of the Civil War, Seaver mustered on July 16 1861 in Newbury, where he was given command of the 3rd Vermont Infantry as a captain, serving as commander until July 1864. He was raised to major on August 13 1861; to lieutenant colonel on September 17 1862; and to full colonel on January 13 1863. He served in the Battles at Antietam and Gettysburg, among many others.

After the war, Seaver settled in Cavendish once more and began work as an attorney, serving as a public defender. He was made a judge of the probate court in 1886. He received the Medal of Honor on April 8 1892 for valor in the Battle of Spotsylvania, and died in Woodstock in 1912 from a heart attack and was buried at River Street Cemetery in Windsor County, Vermont. [findagrave|23050 Retrieved on 2007-11-08] He was survived by his wife Nancy and two children, a girl and a boy (two daughters had predeceased him).

Medal of Honor citation

Rank and Organization::Colonel, 3d Vermont Infantry. Place and date: At Spotsylvania Courthouse, Va., 10 May 1864. Entered service at: Pomfret, Vt. Born: 23 December 1833, Davendish, Vt. Date of issue: 8 April 1892.

Citation::At the head of 3 regiments and under a most galling fire attacked and occupied the enemy's works.cite web
publisher = AmericanCivilWar.com
title = "Civil War Medal of Honor Citations" (S-Z): Seaver, Thomas O.
date =
url = http://americancivilwar.com/medal_of_honor8.html
accessdate = 2007-11-09] cite web
publisher = army.mil
title = "Medal of Honor website” (M-Z): Seaver, Thomas O.
date =
url = http://www.army.mil/cmh/html/moh/civwarmz.html
accessdate = 2007-11-09]

ee also

*List of Medal of Honor recipients
*

Notes

References

* [http://www.vermontcivilwar.org/museum/moh/bios.php?input=5255 Substantial biography of Seaver's life and military record] at Vermont Civil War center

Persondata
NAME= Seaver, Thomas O.
ALTERNATIVE NAMES=
SHORT DESCRIPTION= United States Army Medal of Honor recipient
DATE OF BIRTH=
PLACE OF BIRTH=
DATE OF DEATH=
PLACE OF DEATH=