David Ramsay Clendenin (June 24, 1830 – March 5, 1895) was an American teacher and career officer. He served as a career officer in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land warfare, land military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight Uniformed services of the United States, U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army o ...

from 1861 to 1891.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. 176. David Ramsay Clendenin was born in Little Britain, Pennsylvania on June 24, 1830. He moved to Illinois in 1850 and graduated from

Knox College (Illinois) , mottoeng = Truth , established = , type = Private liberal arts college , endowment = $170.2 million (2019) , president = C. Andrew McGadney , city = Galesburg, Illinois , country = U.S. , enrollment = 1,200 , faculty = 120 , cam ...

in 1854. He was a teacher until the outbreak of the American Civil War when in early 1861 he joined the District of Columbia Militia as a private. On September 18, 1861, he was appointed a captain of the

8th Illinois Cavalry The 8th Illinois Cavalry Regiment was a cavalry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. The regiment served the duration of the war, and was the only Illinois cavalry regiment to serve the entire war in the Army of ...

and promoted to major the same day. He was appointed lieutenant colonel of the regiment on December 5, 1862, and 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 o ...

on February 20, 1865. Clendenin was one of 9 members of the military commission that tried and convicted the Lincoln conspirators from May 8, 1865, to July 15, 1865. He was mustered out of the volunteers on July 17, 1865. On January 13, 1866,

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 ...

Andrew Johnson nominated Clendenin 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 ...

of volunteers, to rank from July 11, 1865, and the

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confirmed the appointment on March 12, 1866.Eicher, 2001, p. 742. Clendenin was appointed major of the 8th United States Cavalry Regiment on January 22, 1867, lieutenant colonel of the 3rd United States Cavalry Regiment on November 1, 1882, and colonel of the 2nd United States Cavalry Regiment on October 20, 1888. He retired from the United States Army on April 20, 1891. David Ramsay Clendenin died March 5, 1895, at Oneida, Illinois. He is buried in Oneida Cemetery.

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