David Knox Noyes (October 28, 1820November 24, 1900) was an American lawyer, Republican politician, and Wisconsin pioneer. He represented Adams and Sauk counties in the Wisconsin State Assembly during the 1856 session. In the American Civil War, he served as an officer in the famed Iron Brigade of the Army of the Potomac and lost a foot at the

Battle of Antietam The Battle of Antietam (), or Battle of Sharpsburg particularly in the Southern United States, was a battle of the American Civil War fought on September 17, 1862, between Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia and Union G ...

Early life and career

David K. Noyes was born in Tunbridge,

Orange County Orange County most commonly refers to: *Orange County, California, part of the Los Angeles metropolitan area Orange County may also refer to: U.S. counties *Orange County, Florida, containing Orlando *Orange County, Indiana *Orange County, New ...

, Vermont, to Enoch and Mary Ann Noyes. He entered Norwich University in 1842. In 1844, he moved to Iowa County, in the Wisconsin Territory, and mined for lead, becoming associated with future Union Army brigadier general

Amasa Cobb Amasa Cobb (September 27, 1823July 5, 1905) was an Americans, American politician and judge. He was the 6th and 9th Chief Justice of the Nebraska Supreme Court and the 5th Mayor of Lincoln, Nebraska. Earlier in his life, he was a United States ...

. At the outbreak of the Mexican–American War he and Cobb enlisted in a company of volunteers, but they were not needed for the war effort and were never mustered into service. In 1846 he began studying law under David Noggle. He was admitted to the bar in 1847, and became the first practicing lawyer in Baraboo, Wisconsin. In 1855, he established the ''Baraboo Republic'', the first newspaper printed in Baraboo. That same year he was elected to the Wisconsin Assembly for the 1856 session. And later that year he was a delegate to the

Republican National Convention The Republican National Convention (RNC) is a series of presidential nominating conventions held every four years since 1856 by the United States Republican Party. They are administered by the Republican National Committee. The goal of the Repu ...

American Civil War

At the start of the American Civil War, Noyes volunteered for duty and was commissioned

1st 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 ...

for Company A of the newly established

6th Wisconsin Infantry Regiment The 6th Wisconsin Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. It spent most of the war as a part of the famous Iron Brigade in the Army of the Potomac. Service The 6th Wisconsin was rai ...

. The Regiment mustered into service in July, 1861, and marched for Washington. Upon their arrival, they were organized with three other regiments from Wisconsin and Indiana under General

Rufus King Rufus King (March 24, 1755April 29, 1827) was an American Founding Father, lawyer, politician, and diplomat. He was a delegate for Massachusetts to the Continental Congress and the Philadelphia Convention and was one of the signers of the Unit ...

into what would later be known as the Iron Brigade. The brigade was attached to the Army of the Potomac and saw significant fighting in the Northern Virginia and Maryland campaigns. Noyes was promoted to captain of the company, but in the fall of 1862, was severely wounded at the

when a shell exploded nearby. His right foot was badly damaged and had to be amputated. Noyes returned to Wisconsin and served as chief recruiting officer for the state from January 1863 through July 1864, when he was discharged from service. In February, 1865, however, Noyes returned to the Army as Major of the newly organized

49th Wisconsin Infantry Regiment The 49th Wisconsin Infantry Regiment was a volunteer infantry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. Service The 49th Wisconsin was organized at Camp Randall in Madison, Wisconsin, and mustered into federal service ...

. They were ordered to western Missouri in March, and Major Noyes had command of the regiment until the arrival of their Lieutenant Colonel in mid-April. He was then assigned to court martial and commission duty in Saint Louis until September. He was honorably discharged with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel in November 1865.

Postbellum years

In 1866, Noyes started another newspaper, ''The Independent''. He was then postmaster for Baraboo from 1867 through 1883, when he retired from active work. He was a member of the

Independent Order of Odd Fellows The Independent Order of Odd Fellows (IOOF) is a non-political and non-sectarian international fraternal order of Odd Fellowship. It was founded in 1819 by Thomas Wildey in Baltimore, Maryland, United States. Evolving from the Order of Odd ...

, the Grand Army of the Republic, and the Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States.

Family and personal life

On June 18, 1848, Noyes married Lucinda Barnes of Chelsea, Vermont. They had one daughter and three sons. Noyes died at age 80 at his home in Baraboo, November 24, 1900.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Noyes, David Knox 1820 births 1900 deaths Republican Party members of the Wisconsin State Assembly People of Wisconsin in the American Civil War Wisconsin lawyers 19th-century American politicians People from Iowa County, Wisconsin People from Baraboo, Wisconsin 19th-century American lawyers