- Henry Harnden
Henry Harnden (
March 4 ,1823 –March 17 ,1900 ) was an officer in theUnited States Army during theAmerican Civil War . He led the Wisconsin troops who assisted aMichigan military company in the capture ofJefferson Davis .Harnden was born in
Wilmington, Massachusetts . He ventured tosea early in his life, and moved to Wisconsin in 1852, taking up residence in the town of Sullivan, in Jefferson County. He later moved toRipon, Wisconsin . He also spent many years inCalifornia . He fought in theMexican-American War and was wounded on several occasions during the American Civil War.Harnden enlisted in the 1st Wisconsin Cavalry Regiment, Company D, as a private in July 1861, and rose through the ranks. He held the rank of
captain from 1862 to 1864, major from 1864 to 1865 and, for a short time, lieutenant colonel. OnMarch 13 ,1865 , he was brevetted tocolonel and to brigadier general. OnMay 10 ,1865 , leading a detachment of three companies of the 1st Wisconsin, he assisted the4th Michigan Cavalry (after an unfortunate initial friendly-fire engagement with that unit) in the capture of Jefferson Davis atIrwinville, Georgia .Harnden mustered out of the service in July 1865 and returned to Wisconsin, settling in Madison. He served one term in the State Assembly (1866), as well as U.S. Assesor (1867-1873), and U.S. Collector of Internal Revenue (1873-1883). In 1899, Harnden was Department Commander of the Wisconsin GAR until his death.
Harnden died of
pneumonia at his home inMadison, Wisconsin , and was buried there in the historicForest Hill Cemetery . He was survived by hiswidow and four children.Due to the controversies surrounding the capture of
Jefferson Davis , Harnden authored a short book, "The Capture of Jefferson Davis", published in 1898.References
* Eicher, John H., & Eicher, David J., "Civil War High Commands", Stanford University Press, 2001, ISBN 0-8047-3641-3.
* "Gen. Henry Harnden",New York Times ,March 18 ,1900 .Persondata
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