Elisha Gaylord Marshall (January 26, 1829 -– August 3, 1883) was a

Brevet Brevet may refer to: Military * Brevet (military), higher rank that rewards merit or gallantry, but without higher pay * Brevet d'état-major, a military distinction in France and Belgium awarded to officers passing military staff college * Aircre ...

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 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 ...

in 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 ...

Life and career

Born in

Seneca Falls, New York Seneca Falls is a town in Seneca County, New York, United States. The population was 8,942 at the 2020 census. The Town of Seneca Falls contains the former village also called Seneca Falls. The town is east of Geneva, New York, in the north ...

on January 26, 1829, Marshall graduated from

West Point The United States Military Academy (USMA), also known Metonymy, metonymically as West Point or simply as Army, is a United States service academies, United States service academy in West Point, New York. It was originally established as a f ...

in 1850. He served in the

Utah War The Utah War (1857–1858), also known as the Utah Expedition, Utah Campaign, Buchanan's Blunder, the Mormon War, or the Mormon Rebellion was an armed confrontation between Mormon settlers in the Utah Territory and the armed forces of the US go ...

as a

first 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 ...

. He also fought in the Battle of the Colorado River in 1859 during the

Mohave War The Mohave War was an armed conflict between the Mohave people and the United States from 1858 to 1859. With the California Gold Rush of 1849, thousands of American settlers headed west through Mohave country and into California. The influx of m ...

Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...

. He was promoted to

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 May 1861, and became a

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 ...

volunteers Volunteering is a voluntary act of an individual or group freely giving time and labor for community service. Many volunteers are specifically trained in the areas they work, such as medicine, education, or emergency rescue. Others serve ...

in April 1862. He was seriously wounded while leading the

13th New York Volunteer Infantry The 13th New York Infantry Regiment ("Rochester Regiment") was an infantry regiment in the Union Army during the American Civil War. Service The 13th New York Infantry was organized at Elmira, New York and mustered in for two years state serv ...

in the

Battle of Fredericksburg The Battle of Fredericksburg was fought December 11–15, 1862, in and around Fredericksburg, Virginia, in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War. The combat, between the Union Army of the Potomac commanded by Maj. Gen. Ambrose Burnsi ...

, and did not return to active duty until early 1864. He was captured in the

Battle of the Crater The Battle of the Crater was a battle of the American Civil War, part of the siege of Petersburg. It took place on Saturday, July 30, 1864, between the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia, commanded by General Robert E. Lee, and the Union Arm ...

, and was held as a

prisoner of war A prisoner of war (POW) is a person who is held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610. Belligerents hold prisoners of wa ...

until April 1865. Marshall received brevet promotions to brigadier general of volunteers in December 1862, to recognize his service at Fredericksburg, and of the

regular army A regular army is the official army of a state or country (the official armed forces), contrasting with irregulars, irregular forces, such as volunteer irregular militias, private armies, mercenary, mercenaries, etc. A regular army usually has the ...

in March 1865 to recognize his service throughout the war. Following the war, he was reduced in rank to

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 ...

, and served in the Army until retiring with the permanent rank of colonel in September 1867. His first wife was Hannah Viola Ericsson (1844–1873). They had two children, Nora (1861–1865) and Aaron (1872–1873). In 1875 Marshall married Janet Rutherford. They later separated, and Mrs. Marshall lived at Marshall Hill, a fourteen-room mansion the Marshalls built on a red shale hill near the

Lehigh River The Lehigh River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed April 1, 2011 tributary of the Delaware River in eastern Pennsylvania. The river flows in a generally southward pat ...

and Blue Mountain in

Palmerton, Pennsylvania Palmerton is a borough in Carbon County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is part of Northeastern Pennsylvania. The borough's population was 5,414 at the 2010 census. Palmerton is located northwest of Allentown and northwest of Philadelphia. ...

. Janet Rutherford Marshall died in 1911, and her estate was appraised at more than one million dollars, equivalent to about $24 million in 2013. He died

Canandaigua, New York Canandaigua (; ''Utaʼnaráhkhwaʼ'' in Tuscarora language, Tuscarora) is a City (New York), city in Ontario County, New York, United States. Its population was 10,545 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Ontario County; some administrat ...

on January 26, 1883., and was buried with his first wife in Rochester's Mount Hope Cemetery. In June 2000 Marshall's grave was broken into, his skull was stolen, and his remains were scattered around his grave. The perpetrators were not caught, and Marshall's remains, minus the skull, were reinterred.Associated Press, Pomeroy, Ohio Times-Sentinel
General's Skull Taken From Grave
June 18, 2000

References

External links

Colonel Elisha Gaylord Marshall - Antietam on the Web
*
Gap Historical & Preservation Society & Museum, Palmerton
{{DEFAULTSORT:Marshall, Elisha 1829 births 1883 deaths People from Seneca Falls, New York United States Military Academy alumni United States Army officers Union Army colonels Burials at Mount Hope Cemetery (Rochester)