Henry Lee Morey (April 8, 1841 – December 29, 1902) was an 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 ...

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 ...

and a politician and U.S. Congressman after the war.

Early life and career

Henry L. Morey was born in Milford Township near Collinsville,

Butler County, Ohio Butler County is a county located in the southwestern part of the U.S. state of Ohio. As of the 2020 census, the population was 390,357. Its county seat is Hamilton. It is named for General Richard Butler, who died in 1791 during St. Clair' ...

. He was a son of William and Derexa (Whitcomb) Morey, and the great-grandson of Revolutionary War officer Silas Morey and grandson of Revolutionary soldier Anthony Whitcomb. William Morey in his early life was a

hatter Hat-making or millinery is the design, manufacture and sale of hats and other headwear. A person engaged in this trade is called a milliner or hatter. Historically, milliners, typically women shopkeepers, produced or imported an inventory of g ...

and to buy furs he occasionally visited

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans

, where he witnessed the workings of slavery. He abhorred what he saw and became a radical

abolitionist Abolitionism, or the abolitionist movement, is the movement to end slavery. In Western Europe and the Americas, abolitionism was a historic movement that sought to end the Atlantic slave trade and liberate the enslaved people. The British ...

. Returning to

Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...

, William opened his home as part of the

Underground Railroad The Underground Railroad was a network of clandestine routes and safe houses established in the United States during the early- to mid-19th century. It was used by enslaved African Americans primarily to escape into free states and Canada. ...

, and was well known as a friend of the black man. Henry received his education in the local public schools and the Morning Sun Academy at the village of Rising Sun. He then entered

Miami University Miami University (informally Miami of Ohio or simply Miami) is a public research university in Oxford, Ohio. The university was founded in 1809, making it the second-oldest university in Ohio (behind Ohio University, founded in 1804) and the ...

Oxford, Ohio Oxford is a city in Butler County, Ohio, United States. The population was 23,035 at the 2020 census. A college town, Oxford was founded as a home for Miami University and lies in the southwestern portion of the state approximately northwest ...

Civil War

On the day after the fall of

Fort Sumter Fort Sumter is a sea fort built on an artificial island protecting Charleston, South Carolina from naval invasion. Its origin dates to the War of 1812 when the British invaded Washington by sea. It was still incomplete in 1861 when the Battle ...

, Morey left the university and enlisted as a member of the University Rifles, a military organization attached to the

20th Ohio Infantry The 20th Ohio Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment in the Union Army during the American Civil War. Service Three-months regiment The 20th Ohio Infantry Regiment was organized at Columbus, Ohio April through May 1861 in response to Preside ...

, serving an enlistment of three months in

West Virginia West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian, Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States.The Census Bureau and the Association of American Geographers classify West Virginia as part of the Southern United States while the B ...

under General

Robert C. Schenck Robert Cumming Schenck (October 4, 1809 – March 23, 1890) was a Union Army general in the American Civil War, and American diplomatic representative to Brazil and the United Kingdom. He was at both battles of Bull Run and took part in Jack ...

. Morey then enlisted in the 75th Ohio Volunteer Infantry for a term of three years, and served under Generals

Franz Sigel Franz Sigel (November 18, 1824 – August 21, 1902) was a German American military officer, revolutionary and immigrant to the United States who was a teacher, newspaperman, politician, and served as a Union major general in the American Civil ...

in the Shenandoah Valley of

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

, John Pope and

Edward Hatch Edward Hatch (December 22, 1832 – April 11, 1889) was a career American soldier who served as a general in the Union Army during the American Civil War. After the war, he became the first commander of the 9th U.S. Cavalry Regiment, a buffalo so ...

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

and Quincy A. Gillmore at the siege of Charleston. He was successively promoted

corporal Corporal is a military rank in use in some form by many militaries and by some police forces or other uniformed organizations. The word is derived from the medieval Italian phrase ("head of a body"). The rank is usually the lowest ranking non- ...

, sergeant, second lieutenant,

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 ...

, and captain. Three of his brothers, Oliver P., Joseph W., and James E. Morey, also served 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 of the collective states. It proved essential to th ...

. He took part in the engagement at

Monterey Monterey (; es, Monterrey; Ohlone: ) is a city located in Monterey County on the southern edge of Monterey Bay on the U.S. state of California's Central Coast. Founded on June 3, 1770, it functioned as the capital of Alta California under bot ...

. He commanded his company in engagements at

Franklin Franklin may refer to: People * Franklin (given name) * Franklin (surname) * Franklin (class), a member of a historical English social class Places Australia * Franklin, Tasmania, a township * Division of Franklin, federal electoral d ...

Battle of McDowell The Battle of McDowell, also known as the Battle of Sitlington's Hill, was fought on May 8, 1862, near McDowell, Virginia, as part of Confederate Major General Stonewall Jackson's 1862 Shenandoah Valley campaign during the American Civil Wa ...

and Shaw's Ridge, Strasburg, Battle of Cross Keys,

Battle of Cedar Mountain The Battle of Cedar Mountain, also known as Slaughter's Mountain or Cedar Run, took place on August 9, 1862, in Culpeper County, Virginia, as part of the American Civil War. Union forces under Maj. Gen. Nathaniel P. Banks attacked Confederate ...

, Battle of Rappahannock Station I (Freeman's Ford, Sulphur Springs, and Waterloo Bridge), Second Battle of Bull Run,

Battle of Aldie The Battle of Aldie took place on June 17, 1863, in Loudoun County, Virginia, as part of the Gettysburg Campaign of the American Civil War. Maj. Gen. J.E.B. Stuart's cavalry screened Gen. Robert E. Lee's Confederate infantry as it marche ...

and

Battle of Chancellorsville The Battle of Chancellorsville, April 30 – May 6, 1863, was a major battle of the American Civil War (1861–1865), and the principal engagement of the Chancellorsville campaign. Chancellorsville is known as Lee's "perfect battle" because h ...

in Virginia. He was taken prisoner at the battle of Chancellorsville and confined in the notorious

Libby Prison Libby Prison was a Confederate prison at Richmond, Virginia, during the American Civil War. In 1862 it was designated to hold officer prisoners from the Union Army. It gained an infamous reputation for the overcrowded and harsh conditions. Priso ...

until exchanged. He again commanded his company in the battles of

Battle of Fort Wagner, Morris Island The Second Battle of Fort Wagner, also known as the Second Assault on Morris Island or the Battle of Fort Wagner, Morris Island, was fought on July 18, 1863, during the American Civil War. Union Army troops commanded by Brig. Gen. Quincy Gill ...

, Fort Gregg and in the siege of Fort Sumter in South Carolina and engagements at Camp Baldwin and

Battle of Gainesville The Battle of Gainesville was an American Civil War engagement fought on August 17, 1864, when a Confederate force defeated Union detachments from Jacksonville, Florida. The result of the battle was the Confederate occupation of Gainesville for ...

in Florida. He was mustered out in 1865. On April 25, 1865, he married Mary M. Campbell, the daughter of an Ohio state senator.

Postbellum career

Morey then undertook the study of law and was graduated from the Indianapolis Law School in 1867 and was admitted to the Ohio bar, commencing practice in Hamilton, Ohio, in partnership with one of his six brothers. His wife Mary died July 1, 1867, in Hamilton. On February 26, 1873, he was married to Ella R. Campbell, sister of his first wife. Morey was elected as a

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

to two terms as city solicitor of Hamilton (1871–1875). He was also elected

prosecuting attorney A prosecutor is a legal representative of the prosecution in states with either the common law adversarial system or the civil law inquisitorial system. The prosecution is the legal party responsible for presenting the case in a criminal trial ...

, in 1873, serving concurrently. In 1875, he ran unsuccessfully for the Ohio Senate. H. L. Morey was a delegate to the Republican National Convention in 1876. In 1880, he was elected as a Republican from Ohio's third district to the Forty-seventh Congress. In 1882, following the reapportionment as a result of the 1880 census, he ran in Ohio's seventh district and presented credentials as a Member-elect to the Forty-eighth Congress, serving until June 20, 1884. James E. Campbell successfully contested the election and was seated June 21, 1884. He was a delegate to the Republican National Convention in 1884. In 1888, Morey was again elected from Ohio's seventh district to the

Fifty-first Congress The 51st United States Congress, referred to by some critics as the Billion Dollar 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 Rep ...

. However, back in the Third district the following term, he was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1890. After his last term in Congress, Morey resumed the practice of law in Hamilton. He was a Mason, having advanced to the

Knight Templar , colors = White mantle with a red cross , colors_label = Attire , march = , mascot = Two knights riding a single horse , equipment ...

degree. He also was an Odd Fellow, a Knight of Pythias and a member of the

Royal Arcanum The Supreme Council of the Royal Arcanum, commonly known simply as the Royal Arcanum, is a fraternal benefit society founded in 1877 in Boston, Massachusetts by John A. Cummings and Darius Wilson, who had previously been among the founders of the ...

. He died in 1902 and was interred in Greenwood Cemetery. Henry L. Morey was a cousin of

James Whitcomb James Whitcomb (December 1, 1795 – October 4, 1852) was a Democratic United States senator and the eighth governor of Indiana. As governor during the Mexican–American War, he oversaw the formation and deployment of the state's levies. He l ...

, governor of Indiana (1843–1848) and United States Senator from Indiana (1849–1852).

References

* Retrieved on 2008-02-14 * Taylor, William A. ''Ohio in Congress from 1803 to 1901''. Columbus, Ohio: The XX Century Publishing Company, 1900. * ''History of the Republican Party in Ohio''. Chicago: Lewis Publishing Co., 1898, 1579 pgs. * ''A History and Biographical Cyclopaedia of Butler County Ohio''. Cincinnati, Ohio: Western Biographical Publishing Company, 1882. {{DEFAULTSORT:Morey, Henry Lee People from Butler County, Ohio American Civil War prisoners of war Union Army officers Miami University alumni American milliners 1841 births 1902 deaths County district attorneys in Ohio People of Ohio in the American Civil War Underground Railroad people Burials at Greenwood Cemetery (Hamilton, Ohio) 19th-century American politicians Activists from Ohio Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Ohio 20th-century African-American people

Early life and career

Civil War

Postbellum career

See also

References