Americus Vespucius Rice (November 18, 1835 – April 4, 1904) was a nineteenth-century politician, banker, and businessman from

Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...

. He served in the

Union Army During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union (American Civil War), Union of the collective U.S. st ...

during 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 was appointed

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 ...

at the end of the war, on May 31, 1865. From 1875 to 1879, he served two consecutive terms in the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the Lower house, lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States Senate, Senate being ...

Early life

Rice was born in

Perrysville, Ohio Perrysville is a village in Ashland County, Ohio, United States. The population was 729 at the 2020 census. History The area was first permanently settled in 1810, but the village was not laid out until 1812. One of the settlers, Judge Coulter ...

, on November 18, 1835, to Clark Hammond Rice and Catherine (Mowers) Rice. He pursued in classical studies, attended

Antioch College Antioch College is a private liberal arts college in Yellow Springs, Ohio. Founded in 1850 by the Christian Connection, the college began operating in 1852 as a non-sectarian institution; politician and education reformer Horace Mann was its f ...

, graduated from

Union College Union College is a private liberal arts college in Schenectady, New York. Founded in 1795, it was the first institution of higher learning chartered by the New York State Board of Regents, and second in the state of New York, after Columbia Co ...

and studied law.

Civil War

At the outbreak of the Civil War, Rice was commissioned as 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 21st Ohio Volunteer Infantry Regiment on April 27, 1861, and served until his regiment was mustered out of service on August 12 of the same year. Rice was commissioned as a captain in the 57th Ohio Infantry on September 2, 1861. He was promoted to lieutenant colonel on February 8, 1862, and became the regiment's colonel on May 24, 1863. As

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 ...

of the 57th Ohio Infantry at the

Battle of Kennesaw Mountain The Battle of Kennesaw Mountain was fought on June 27, 1864, during the Atlanta Campaign of the American Civil War. It was the most significant frontal assault launched by Union Maj. Gen. William T. Sherman against the Confederate Army of Tennes ...

in the Atlanta Campaign, he was wounded and his right leg was amputated. On January 13, 1866, President

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 ...

nominated Rice for appointment as a

of volunteers to rank from a May 31, 1865, appointment date.Eicher, 2001, p.727.President Johnson appointed Rice as a brigadier general on May 31, 1865, but did not send a nomination of the appointment to the United States Senate for confirmation until January 13, 1866. Rice was mustered out of service on January 15, 1866. The United States Senate confirmed the appointment on February 23, 1866. After the war, he became a member of the Ohio 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 patriotic order, organized April 15, 1865, by three veteran officers of the Army. The original membership was composed of members ...

– a military society consisting of officers who had served the Union and their descendants.

Postbellum career

After the close of the war, Rice was manager of a private banking house in

Ottawa, Ohio Ottawa is a village and the county seat of Putnam County, Ohio, United States. It is located 51 miles southwest of Toledo, a major port city on the Maumee River. The population was 4,460 at the 2010 census. History The region was long inhabi ...

, was a delegate to the

Democratic National Convention The Democratic National Convention (DNC) is a series of presidential nominating conventions held every four years since 1832 by the United States Democratic Party. They have been administered by the Democratic National Committee since the 1852 ...

in 1872 and was elected a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

to the

in 1874, serving from 1875 to 1879, not being a candidate for renomination in 1878. There, he served as chairman of the Committee on Invalid Pensions from 1877 to 1879. Afterward, he was president of A.V. Rice & Company, a banking concern in

, was a director in various business enterprises and was appointed a pension agent for

in 1893, serving from 1894 to 1898. Rice moved to Washington, D.C., in 1899 and engaged in banking and other various enterprises and was appointed a purchasing agent for the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...

which he served as until his death in Washington, D.C. He was interred in

Arlington National Cemetery Arlington National Cemetery is one of two national cemeteries run by the United States Army. Nearly 400,000 people are buried in its 639 acres (259 ha) in Arlington, Virginia. There are about 30 funerals conducted on weekdays and 7 held on Sa ...

Arlington, Virginia Arlington County is a county in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The county is situated in Northern Virginia on the southwestern bank of the Potomac River directly across from the District of Columbia, of which it was once a part. The county is ...

Genealogy

Americus Vespucius Rice was a direct descendant of

Edmund Rice Edmund is a masculine given name or surname in the English language. The name is derived from the Old English elements ''ēad'', meaning "prosperity" or "riches", and ''mund'', meaning "protector". Persons named Edmund include: People Kings an ...

, an English immigrant to

Massachusetts Bay Colony The Massachusetts Bay Colony (1630–1691), more formally the Colony of Massachusetts Bay, was an English settlement on the east coast of North America around the Massachusetts Bay, the northernmost of the several colonies later reorganized as the ...

, as follows: *Americus Vespucius Rice, son of ** Clark Hammond Rice (1804–1870), son of :** Ebenezer Rice (1773–1821), son of :** Samuel Rice (1752–1828), son of :** Gershom Rice (1703 – ?), son of **** Ephraim Rice (1665–1732), son of **** Thomas Rice (1626–1681), son of :****

(1594–1663)

Footnotes

Notes

References

* Eicher, John H., and Eicher, David J., ''Civil War High Commands'', Stanford University Press, 2001, .

External links

Retrieved on 2008-08-15 *
Antioch College Alumni Page
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Rice, Americus V. 1835 births 1904 deaths American bankers Union Army generals Antioch College alumni Union College (New York) alumni People from Washington, D.C. People of Ohio in the American Civil War People from Perrysville, Ohio Burials at Arlington National Cemetery 19th-century American politicians People from Ottawa, Ohio Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Ohio 19th-century American businesspeople