Eliakim Sherrill (February 16, 1813July 4, 1863) was an

antebellum Antebellum, Latin for "before war", may refer to: United States history * Antebellum South, the pre-American Civil War period in the Southern United States ** Antebellum Georgia ** Antebellum South Carolina ** Antebellum Virginia * Antebellum ...

United States Congressman 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 chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they c ...

from the state of New York and a

brigade A brigade is a major tactical military formation that typically comprises three to six battalions plus supporting elements. It is roughly equivalent to an enlarged or reinforced regiment. Two or more brigades may constitute a division. Br ...

commander 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 ...

. He was mortally wounded during the

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 ...

defending against

Pickett's Charge Pickett's Charge (July 3, 1863), also known as the Pickett–Pettigrew–Trimble Charge, was an infantry assault ordered by Confederate General Robert E. Lee against Major General George G. Meade's Union positions on the last day of the B ...

Early life

Sherrill was born in Greenville, New York, where he attended the public schools. He moved to

Herkimer County Herkimer County is a county in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 60,139. Its county seat is Herkimer. The county was created in 1791 north of the Mohawk River out of part of Montgomery County. It is named af ...

in 1832. He married Emily Eldridge, a daughter of Judge Eldridge of Madison County. The couple moved to Shandaken in 1838, where Sherrill owned a

tannery Tanning may refer to: *Tanning (leather), treating animal skins to produce leather *Sun tanning, using the sun to darken pale skin **Indoor tanning, the use of artificial light in place of the sun **Sunless tanning, application of a stain or dye t ...

. He entered local politics, holding several political offices. He served as 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 ...

in the State Militia. He was elected as a Whig to the

30th United States Congress The 30th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1847, ...

, holding office from March 4, 1847, to March 3, 1849. He was a member of the

New York State Senate The New York State Senate is the upper house of the New York State Legislature; the New York State Assembly is its lower house. Its members are elected to two-year terms; there are no term limits. There are 63 seats in the Senate. Partisan com ...

(10th D.) in

1854 Events January–March * January 4 – The McDonald Islands are discovered by Captain William McDonald aboard the ''Samarang''. * January 6 – The fictional detective Sherlock Holmes is perhaps born. * January 9 – The Teut ...

and 1855. Three years later, he moved to

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

, then in 1860 to

Geneva Geneva ( ; french: Genève ) frp, Genèva ; german: link=no, Genf ; it, Ginevra ; rm, Genevra is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland (after Zürich) and the most populous city of Romandy, the French-speaki ...

, where he had a farm.

Civil War

During the Civil War, he organized the 126th New York Infantry in August 1862 and became its first

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 ...

. His regiment was among the troops defending

Harpers Ferry Harpers Ferry is a historic town in Jefferson County, West Virginia. It is located in the lower Shenandoah Valley. The population was 285 at the 2020 census. Situated at the confluence of the Potomac and Shenandoah rivers, where the U.S. stat ...

against

Joseph B. Kershaw Joseph Brevard Kershaw (January 5, 1822 – April 13, 1894) was a prominent South Carolina planter and slaveholder. He was also a lawyer, judge, and a Confederate general in the American Civil War. Early life Kershaw was born on January 5, 182 ...

's Confederate brigade of Maj. Gen.

Lafayette McLaws Lafayette McLaws ( ; January 15, 1821 – July 24, 1897) was a United States Army officer and a Confederate general in the American Civil War. He served at Antietam and Fredericksburg, where Robert E. Lee praised his defense of Marye's Heights, ...

's division during the Maryland Campaign. He was severely wounded with a gunshot through his lower jaw in fighting on Maryland Heights during the

Battle of Harpers Ferry {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Battle of Harpers Ferry , partof = the American Civil War , image = NWDNS-165-SB-26 Harpers Ferry Virginia.jpg , image_size = 300px , caption = Harpers ...

. Sherrill was captured and later paroled. The wound never healed, but he temporarily rejoined his regiment at Union Mills, Virginia, in October 1862. After a furlough for further recuperation, he returned for duty on January 27, 1863. He commanded the 3rd Brigade, 3rd Division, II Corps, after Col. George L. Willard's death on July 2, 1863, at the

. Sherrill, in his first full day commanding the brigade, was positioned near Ziegler's Grove on

Cemetery Ridge Cemetery Ridge is a geographic feature in Gettysburg National Military Park, south of the town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, that figured prominently in the Battle of Gettysburg, July 1 to July 3, 1863. It formed a primary defensive position for the ...

, when he was mortally wounded on July 3 by a musket shot in the bowels. Carried off the field by men of the 39th New York Infantry, he was taken to the

XI Corps 11 Corps, 11th Corps, Eleventh Corps, or XI Corps may refer to: * 11th Army Corps (France) * XI Corps (Grande Armée), a unit of the Imperial French Army during the Napoleonic Wars * XI Corps (German Empire), a unit of the Imperial German Army * ...

field hospital A field hospital is a temporary hospital or mobile medical unit that takes care of casualties on-site before they can be safely transported to more permanent facilities. This term was initially used in military medicine (such as the Mobile A ...

, where he died about 8:00 a.m. the next day. His body was sent by the regimental surgeon to

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

for embalming. Lt. Col. James M. Bull, 126th New York Infantry, who filed the brigade's report, giving a detailed account of the artillery barrage on July 3 but not much on the repulse of

, places Sherrill's death at 4 p.m. He was buried in the

Washington Street Cemetery Washington Street Cemetery is a historic cemetery located at Geneva in Ontario County, New York. The cemetery was laid out in 1832 and the entry is distinguished by a handsome cast iron arch dating from the 1840s / 1850s. It contains about 2,200 ...

Geneva, New York Geneva is a City (New York), city in Ontario County, New York, Ontario and Seneca County, New York, Seneca counties in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. It is at the northern end of Seneca Lake (New York), Seneca Lake; all land port ...

.Find-A-Grave
/ref> Nearly 10,000 people attended his funeral. His granddaughter, Carrie Babcock Sherman, was Second Lady of the United States, 1909-1912.

Notes

References

Retrieved on 2008-02-15
Morrisville Library

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Sherrill, Eliakim 1813 births 1863 deaths Union Army colonels People of New York (state) in the American Civil War Union military personnel killed in the American Civil War Politicians from Geneva, New York Whig Party members of the United States House of Representatives from New York (state) 19th-century American politicians People from Greenville (town), New York People from Shandaken, New York United States politicians killed during the Civil War

Early life

Civil War

See also

Notes

References

External links