Aaron Simon Daggett (June 14, 1837 – May 14, 1938) was a career

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

officer. He was the last surviving

brevet Brevet may refer to: Military * Brevet (military), higher rank that rewards merit or gallantry, but without higher pay * Brevet d'état-major, a military distinction in France and Belgium awarded to officers passing military staff college * Aircre ...

Union Union commonly refers to: * Trade union, an organization of workers * Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets Union may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * Union (band), an American rock group ** ''Un ...

general of the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

, and the last surviving general of any grade from the war, when he died one month shy of his 101st birthday in 1938.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. 197. Daggett was nominated for appointment to the grade of brevet

brigadier general Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...

, to rank from March 13, 1865, by

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...

Andrew Johnson Andrew Johnson (December 29, 1808July 31, 1875) was the 17th president of the United States, serving from 1865 to 1869. He assumed the presidency as he was vice president at the time of the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. Johnson was a Dem ...

on February 21, 1866 and was confirmed by the

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...

on April 10, 1866.Eicher, 2001, p. 743. During the war, Daggett fought at West Point, Gaines' Mill, Golding's Farm, White Oak Swamp, Second Bull Run,

South Mountain South Mountain or South Mountains may refer to: Canada * South Mountain, a village in North Dundas, Ontario * South Mountain (Nova Scotia), a mountain range * South Mountain (band), a Canadian country music group United States Landforms * Sou ...

, Antietam, Rappahannock Station, Fredericksburg,

Battle of Gettysburg The Battle of Gettysburg () was fought July 1–3, 1863, in and around the town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, by Union and Confederate forces during the American Civil War. In the battle, Union Major General George Meade's Army of the Po ...

, Battle of Mine Run,

Battle of the Wilderness The Battle of the Wilderness was fought on May 5–7, 1864, during the American Civil War. It was the first battle of Lieutenant General Ulysses S. Grant's 1864 Virginia Overland Campaign against General Robert E. Lee and the Confederate Arm ...

and

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 S ...

. Daggett was a brigadier general of volunteers in the

Spanish–American War , partof = the Philippine Revolution, the decolonization of the Americas, and the Cuban War of Independence , image = Collage infobox for Spanish-American War.jpg , image_size = 300px , caption = (clock ...

. He was appointed to the brigadier general grade to rank from September 1, 1898 and was mustered out of the volunteers on November 30, 1898. He was promoted to brigadier general in the Regular Army (United States) ten days before his retirement from the army on March 2, 1901.

Early life and education

Daggett was born in

Greene, Maine Greene is a town in Androscoggin County, Maine, United States. The population was 4,376 at the 2020 census. It is included in both the Lewiston-Auburn, Maine metropolitan statistical area and the Lewiston-Auburn, Maine Metropolitan New England ...

, on June 14, 1837. He was the son of

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parents, whose

Puritan The Puritans were English Protestants in the 16th and 17th centuries who sought to purify the Church of England of Catholic Church, Roman Catholic practices, maintaining that the Church of England had not been fully reformed and should become m ...

ancestors came to New England as part of the

Puritan migration The Puritans were English Protestants in the 16th and 17th centuries who sought to purify the Church of England of Catholic Church, Roman Catholic practices, maintaining that the Church of England had not been fully reformed and should become m ...

from England in 1630. Both of Daggett's grandfathers served in the Revolutionary War. Daggett attended Bates College (then called the Maine State Seminary) in

Lewiston, Maine Lewiston (; ; officially the City of Lewiston, Maine) is List of cities in Maine, the second largest city in Maine and the most central city in Androscoggin County, Maine, Androscoggin County. The city lies halfway between Augusta, Maine, August ...

, in 1860. He also attended the Monmouth Academy and Maine Wesleyan Academy.''Men of the Century, an Historical Work: Giving Portraits and Sketches of Eminent Citizens of the United States'', edited by Charles Morris, (I. R. Hamersly & co., 1896), pg. 165 https://books.google.com/books?id=VtY-AAAAYAAJ

Military career

Civil War

Daggett enlisted as a

private Private or privates may refer to: Music * " In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorde ...

in the

5th Maine Volunteer Infantry Regiment The 5th Maine Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment of the Union Army during the American Civil War. Service Organized at Portland, Maine and mustered in June 24, 1861. Left State for Washington, D.C., June 26. Attached to Howard's Brigade, ...

in April 1861, and became a

second lieutenant Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces, comparable to NATO OF-1 rank. Australia The rank of second lieutenant existed in the military forces of the Australian colonies and Australian Army until ...

in May 1861. He was appointed

first lieutenant First lieutenant is a commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces; in some forces, it is an appointment. The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations, but in most forces it is sub-divided into a s ...

, June 24, 1861. He fought at the First Battle of Bull Run. He was appointed a

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

, August 15, 1861. Daggett became a

major Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...

of the 5th Maine Infantry Regiment to rank from April 14, 1863. He fought at Second Fredericksburg, Gettysburg, Mine Run, the Wilderness, and

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 S ...

where he was wounded on May 30, 1864. Daggett was mustered out of the volunteers on July 24, 1864. On January 23, 1865, he was appointed

lieutenant colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colone ...

of the 5th United States Veteran Volunteer Infantry Regiment. He was appointed brevet

colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military 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 colonel was typically in charge of ...

, March 3, 1865. He had brevet appointments as a major in the Regular Army for gallant and meritorious services at Rappahannock Station and as

for services at the Wilderness, both to rank from March 3, 1865. He was again mustered out of the volunteers, May 10, 1865. On February 21, 1866,

nominated Daggett for appointment to the grade of brevet

of volunteers, to rank from March 13, 1865, and the

confirmed the appointment on April 10, 1866. Daggett believed in the

abolition Abolition refers to the act of putting an end to something by law, and may refer to: * Abolitionism, abolition of slavery * Abolition of the death penalty, also called capital punishment * Abolition of monarchy *Abolition of nuclear weapons *Abol ...

of slavery and fought alongside African-American soldiers during the Civil War while serving with the 5th Maine Infantry Regiment. He was also a strong supporter of the

temperance movement The temperance movement is a social movement promoting temperance or complete abstinence from consumption of alcoholic beverages. Participants in the movement typically criticize alcohol intoxication or promote teetotalism, and its leaders emph ...

and gave public lectures on the topic."Church Notes," ''The Christian Work and the Evangelist'', Volume 83, Nov. 2, 1907, pg. 576 Daggett was a member of the

Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a part of the Reformed tradition within Protestantism that broke from the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland by John Knox, who was a priest at St. Giles Cathedral (Church of Scotland). Presbyterian churches derive their nam ...

church.

Subsequent military career

On July 28, 1866, Daggett became a captain in the 16th U.S. Infantry Regiment. He was transferred to the 2nd U.S. Infantry Regiment on April 17, 1869. He was appointed major in the 13th U.S. Infantry Regiment on February 2, 1892. He was appointed lieutenant colonel in the 25th U.S. Infantry Regiment on October 1, 1895. In his military career after the Civil War, Aaron Daggett went on to fight in the Indian Wars, in which he received a purple heart, the

in China, and the Philippines and received another

Purple Heart The Purple Heart (PH) is a United States military decoration awarded in the name of the President to those wounded or killed while serving, on or after 5 April 1917, with the U.S. military. With its forerunner, the Badge of Military Merit, w ...

and the Gold Star. (These quoted ref. do not state awarding of the a-fore referenced Medals. Data needs to be sourced from National Military Archives.) During the Spanish–American War, Daggett was temporarily appointed to the brigadier general grade to rank from September 1, 1898 and was mustered out of the volunteers on November 30, 1898. He was present at the Battle of San Juan Hill. On February 21, 1900 Daggett became a brigadier general of the regular U.S. Army before retiring on March 2, 1901 to Auburn, Maine.

Death and legacy

Aaron S. Daggett died at the age of 100 at his home in

West Roxbury West Roxbury is a neighborhood in Boston, Massachusetts bordered by Roslindale and Jamaica Plain to the northeast, the town of Brookline to the north, the cities and towns of Newton and Needham to the northwest and the town of Dedham to the ...

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...

on May 14, 1938, making him the last surviving brevet or full, substantive rank Union general of the Civil War. He was buried at Old Valley Cemetery, Greene Corner, Maine. Daggett Terrace (Veterans Village Subdivision) in New Port Richey Florida is named after Aaron Daggett.

Notes

References

* Eicher, John H., and

, ''Civil War High Commands.'' Stanford: Stanford University Press, 2001. .

External links

Picture and Obituary of Daggett, Portland Maine, Press Herald, 8/14/1938
{{DEFAULTSORT:Daggett, Aaron S. 1837 births 1938 deaths American abolitionists American centenarians Men centenarians American military personnel of the Spanish–American War Bates College alumni People from Androscoggin County, Maine People of Maine in the American Civil War United States Army generals Union Army officers Activists from Maine Kents Hill School alumni People from West Roxbury, Boston Military personnel from Massachusetts