Daniel Fletcher Webster (July 25, 1813 – August 30, 1862), was an American diplomat and Union Army officer. The son of renowned politician
Daniel Webster
Daniel Webster (January 18, 1782 – October 24, 1852) was an American lawyer and statesman who represented New Hampshire and Massachusetts in the U.S. Congress and served as the U.S. Secretary of State under Presidents William Henry Harrison, ...
and Grace Fletcher Webster, Fletcher graduated from
Boston Latin School
The Boston Latin School is a public exam school in Boston, Massachusetts. It was established on April 23, 1635, making it both the oldest public school in the British America and the oldest existing school in the United States. Its curriculum f ...
circa 1829 and from
Harvard College
Harvard College is the undergraduate college of Harvard University, an Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636, Harvard College is the original school of Harvard University, the oldest institution of higher lea ...
in 1833.
During his father's first term as
Secretary of State, Fletcher served as
Chief Clerk of the United States State Department which, at the time, was the second most powerful office in the
State Department
The United States Department of State (DOS), or State Department, is an United States federal executive departments, executive department of the Federal government of the United States, U.S. federal government responsible for the country's fore ...
. As chief clerk, he delivered the news of
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 ful ...
William Henry Harrison
William Henry Harrison (February 9, 1773April 4, 1841) was an American military officer and politician who served as the ninth president of the United States. Harrison died just 31 days after his inauguration in 1841, and had the shortest pres ...
's death to the new president,
John Tyler
John Tyler (March 29, 1790 – January 18, 1862) was the tenth president of the United States
The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president dire ...
.
Fletcher Webster married Caroline S. White on November 11, 1836. They raised two sons, Daniel (April 1840 – 2 September 1865) and Ashburton (7 December 1847 – 7 February 1879), and four daughters but three died in childhood. His third daughter Caroline W. Webster (24 October 1845 – 16 August 1884) married James Geddes Day.
[History of the Twelfth Massachusetts Volunteers by Benjamin F. Cook, page 159]
During the
Civil War
A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country).
The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...
, Webster served 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
12th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry. The unit was known in the
Army of the Potomac
The Army of the Potomac was the principal Union Army in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War. It was created in July 1861 shortly after the First Battle of Bull Run and was disbanded in June 1865 following the surrender of the Confedera ...
as "The Webster Regiment" in honor of their commander. While reinforcing Union forces attempting to repel Longstreet's counterattack, Webster was mortally wounded on Chinn Ridge in defense of Henry House Hill in the
Second Battle of Bull Run
The Second Battle of Bull Run or Battle of Second Manassas was fought August 28–30, 1862, in Prince William County, Virginia, as part of the American Civil War. It was the culmination of the Northern Virginia Campaign waged by Confederate ...
on August 30, 1862.
A memorial boulder stands in
Manassas National Battlefield Park
Manassas National Battlefield Park is a unit of the National Park Service located in Prince William County, Virginia, north of Manassas that preserves the site of two major American Civil War battles: the First Battle of Bull Run, also called th ...
in Colonel Webster's honor. A memorial to the Webster Regiment stands in
Gettysburg National Park
The Gettysburg National Military Park protects and interprets the landscape of the 1863 Battle of Gettysburg during the American Civil War. Located in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, the park is managed by the National Park Service. The GNMP propert ...
. He is also memorialized on the marble PRO PATRIA shield in the lobby of the
Boston Latin School
The Boston Latin School is a public exam school in Boston, Massachusetts. It was established on April 23, 1635, making it both the oldest public school in the British America and the oldest existing school in the United States. Its curriculum f ...
.
References
Bibliography
*
Brief of Fletcher Webster
External links
1818 births
1862 deaths
People from Portsmouth, New Hampshire
Union Army colonels
People of Massachusetts in the American Civil War
Union military personnel killed in the American Civil War
Harvard College alumni
Burials at Winslow Cemetery
Boston Latin School alumni
Chief Clerks of the United States Department of State
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