Albert B. Jewett (March 20, 1829 – March 6, 1887) was an American businessman and military officer from Vermont. A Union Army veteran of the American Civil War, Jewett commanded the

10th Vermont Infantry Regiment The 10th Vermont Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment in the Union Army during the American Civil War. Service The 10th Vermont Infantry was organized at Brattleboro, Vermont, and mustered in for three years service on September 1, 1862, un ...

from 1862 to 1864. A native of St. Albans Town, Vermont, Jewett was educated in the local schools and operated a store in the village of Swanton. At the outbreak of the Civil War, he joined a militia company that was inducted into federal service as Company A,

1st Vermont Infantry Regiment The 1st Vermont Infantry Regiment was a three months' infantry regiment in the Union Army during the American Civil War. It served in the eastern theater, in and around Fortress Monroe, Virginia. History Responding to President Abraham Lincoln's ...

. He was elected the company's first lieutenant, and served with the 1st Vermont during its entire three months of duty, including participation in the June 1861 Battle of Big Bethel. After returning to Vermont at the end of his enlistment, Jewett assisted in recruiting the

; Colonel William Y. W. Ripley was nominated to serve as commander, but relinquished the position because he was still recovering from wounds received earlier in the war. Jewett was then appointed as the regimental commander, and he served until resigning in April 1864; he led the unit during several campaigns and engagements, including the June 1863 Battle of Brandy Station. After resigning his commission, Jewett returned to Vermont and resumed operation of his store in Swanton. In 1871, he purchased an interest in the

St. Johnsbury and Lake Champlain Railroad The St. Johnsbury and Lamoille County Railroad (StJ&LC) was a railroad located in northern Vermont. It provided service to rural parts of the state for over a century, until track deterioration and flood damage made the line unusable and uneconomic ...

and became superintendent of its day-to-day operations. Jewett was also involved in other businesses, including sawmills, as well as steamboats, wharves, and a train station on Lake Champlain. From 1876 to 1878, he served on the military staff of Governor

Horace Fairbanks Horace Fairbanks (March 21, 1820 – March 17, 1888) was an American politician and the 36th governor of Vermont from 1876 to 1878. Biography Fairbanks was born in Barnet, Vermont, on March 21, 1820, the third of nine children of Erastus Fairb ...

with the rank of colonel. Jewett's health began to decline in 1885, and he died on March 6, 1887, while spending the winter in Jacksonville, Florida. Jewett was buried at Church Street Cemetery in Swanton.

Early life

Albert Burton Jewett was born in the town of

St. Albans, Vermont St. Albans, Vermont may refer to: * St. Albans (town), Vermont, established 1763, a town in Franklin County, Vermont, U.S. *St. Albans (city), Vermont, established 1902, a city in Franklin County, Vermont, U.S. See also * St. Albans Bay, Vermont, ...

, on March 20, 1829, a son of Eleazer and Dorothy (Abell) Jewett. Among his siblings were

Erastus W. Jewett Erastus W. Jewett (April 1, 1836 – February 20, 1906) was a Medal of Honor recipient who fought in the 9th Vermont Infantry during the American Civil War. Early life Jewett was born in St. Albans, Vermont on April 1, 1836, the son of Eleazer ...

, a Civil War recipient of the Medal of Honor, and Jesse A. Jewett, 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 ...

in the

5th Vermont Infantry Regiment The 5th Vermont Infantry Regiment was a three years' infantry regiment in the Union Army during the American Civil War. Structure The 5th Vermont Infantry was part of the Army of the Potomac, in the Vermont Brigade of the Sixth Army Corps. It in ...

who died of illness shortly after the end of the war. Albert Jewett was raised and educated in St. Albans, and in 1850 became the owner and operator of a general store in Swanton. He managed the store with different partners at different times throughout the 1850s, including his brother Jason and Colonel Elisha Leonard Barney, who was killed in 1864 while commanding the 6th Vermont Infantry Regiment. In 1851, Jewett married Achsa M. Griffin (1833–1912). They were the parents of two children, Frances Emily (1852–1871), the wife of J. Azro Gould, and George Abell (1860–1880). At the start of the American Civil War, Jewett belonged to a company of the

Vermont Militia Vermont () is a state in the northeast New England region of the United States. Vermont is bordered by the states of Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, and New York to the west, and the Canadian province of Quebec to the ...

, Company C, 4th Regiment also known as the Green Mountain Guards.

Military service

Jewett was serving as first lieutenant of the Green Mountain Guards when the company was inducted into federal service as Company A,

. The 1st Vermont carried out three months of active duty, primarily in Virginia, and Jewett continued to serve as Company A's first lieutenant. He was with his company when it took part in the Battle of Big Bethel near Newport News on June 10, 1861. After the 1st Vermont's term of service ended, Jewett returned to Vermont, where he assisted in recruiting a new regiment, the

10th Vermont Infantry The 10th Vermont Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment in the Union Army during the American Civil War. Service The 10th Vermont Infantry was organized at Brattleboro, Vermont, and mustered in for three years service on September 1, 1862, un ...

, of which he became second in command as a

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 ...

. The regiment was originally commanded by William Y. W. Ripley, who relinquished the position because he was recovering from wounds he received earlier in the war, which left him unable to lead troops in combat. Jewett succeeded Ripley as commander in August 1862 and was promoted to colonel. During Jewett's command, the 10th Vermont took part in the Civil War Defenses of Washington, with companies and detachments manning outposts around the outskirts of the city. For nearly a year, Jewett commanded a brigade at Offutt's Crossroads, Maryland, which included the 10th Vermont, 39th Massachusetts, 14th New Hampshire, and 23rd Maine. In late 1863, Jewett commanded the 10th Vermont during the Battle of Mine Run, where his personal gallantry and coolness under fire earned him commendations from his brigade and division commanders. An extended illness led to Jewett resigning his commission in April 1864, and he was succeeded by

William W. Henry William Wirt Henry (November 21, 1831 – August 31, 1915) was a manufacturer and a colonel in the Union Army during the American Civil War. He was a recipient of the brevet grade of brigadier general of volunteers and of the Medal of Honor ...

; before he departed for home, a meeting of the 10th Vermont's officers passed a resolution praising his service as their commander, which they communicated to several Vermont newspapers.

Business career

After the war, Jewett was one of the founders of the Reunion Society of Vermont Officers. He was also a member of the Grand Army of the Republic, and was active for many years in the Swanton and

St. Johnsbury St. Johnsbury (known locally as "St. J") is the shire town ( county seat) of Caledonia County, Vermont, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 7,364. St. Johnsbury is situated on the Passumpsic River and is located approximatel ...

posts. Jewett was an active

Freemason Freemasonry or Masonry refers to fraternal organisations that trace their origins to the local guilds of stonemasons that, from the end of the 13th century, regulated the qualifications of stonemasons and their interaction with authorities ...

, and from 1875 to 1876 he was Grand Commander of Vermont's

Knights Templar , colors = White mantle with a red cross , colors_label = Attire , march = , mascot = Two knights riding a single horse , equipment ...

. He was active in politics as a Republican, attended local conventions as a delegate, and served in Swanton town offices including highway surveyor and select board member. Following his military service, Jewett resumed management of his Swanton store and invested in ventures including a Swanton Falls peat bed. In the early 1870s, he became active in railroad management when he helped organize the

. He became the superintendent of the railway's operations, and eventually became its vice president. He resided in St. Johnsbury, but continued to maintain his home of record in Swanton. In addition to managing the railroad, Jewett held an ownership stake in an Essex County lumber business and invested in St. Johnsbury real estate. His enterprises in the Swanton area included a quicklime factory, which he owned in partnership with his brother Erastus and others. In connection with the St. Johnsbury and Lake Champlain Railroad, Jewett was also a partner in a venture that constructed and operated a steamboat on Lake Champlain, which made trips between the Maquam Bay near Swanton,

Plattsburgh, New York Plattsburgh ( moh, Tsi ietsénhtha) is a city in, and the seat of, Clinton County, New York, United States, situated on the north-western shore of Lake Champlain. The population was 19,841 at the 2020 census. The population of the surrounding ...

, and several Lake Champlain islands. This enterprise also expanded to other amenities that facilitated the movement of freight and passengers, including a train station, wharves, and a hotel on the bay. From 1876 to 1878, Jewett served on the military staff of Governor

with the rank of colonel. In 1885, Jewett's health began to decline, and he lost movement in his left leg. During the winter of 1886–1887, he traveled to Florida in hope that a milder climate would facilitate his recovery. He died in Jacksonville, Florida, on March 6, 1887. Jewett's funeral took place in Swanton, and he was buried at Swanton's Church Street Cemetery.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jewett, Albert B. 1829 births 1887 deaths People from St. Albans, Vermont People from Swanton (town), Vermont People from St. Johnsbury, Vermont Vermont Republicans American militia officers Union Army colonels 19th-century American railroad executives Burials in Vermont