Henry Melchior Muhlenberg Richards (February 27, 1825 – May 5, 1862) was an American military officer who 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 (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 ...

and then as a captain in the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

during the

Spanish–American War , partof = the Philippine Revolution, the decolonization of the Americas, and the Cuban War of Independence , image = Collage infobox for Spanish-American War.jpg , image_size = 300px , caption = (clock ...

. He was a member of the

Muhlenberg family The Muhlenberg family created a United States political, religious, and military dynasty based in the state of Pennsylvania. The German American family descends from Heinrich Melchior Mühlenberg/ Henry Muhlenberg (1711–1787), a German immigran ...

, a United States political, religious, and military dynasty based in the state of Pennsylvania.

Muhlenberg College Muhlenberg College is a private liberal arts college in Allentown, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1848, Muhlenberg College is affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and is named for Henry Muhlenberg, the German patriarch of Luthera ...

(an ELCA affiliated institution) in

Allentown, Pennsylvania Allentown (Pennsylvania Dutch language, Pennsylvania Dutch: ''Allenschteddel'', ''Allenschtadt'', or ''Ellsdaun'') is a city in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, Lehigh County, Pennsylvania. The city has a population of 125,845 as of the 2020 United ...

is named in after the family's honor. Richards was the grandson of

Matthias Richards Matthias Richards (February 26, 1758 – August 4, 1830) was a member of the United States House of Representatives from Pennsylvania. Early life and education Matthias Richards was born near Pottstown, Pennsylvania. He had many siblings, includin ...

and great grandson of

Henry Muhlenberg Henry Melchior Muhlenberg (an anglicanization of Heinrich Melchior Mühlenberg) (September 6, 1711 – October 7, 1787), was a German Lutheran pastor sent to North America as a missionary, requested by Pennsylvania colonists. Integral to the ...

. In 1905, the college purchased and relocated to a tract located in Allentown's West End, the site of today's campus. Richards commanded regiments and campaigns during the

Spanish-American War Spanish Americans ( es, españoles estadounidenses, ''hispanoestadounidenses'', or ''hispanonorteamericanos'') are Americans whose ancestry originates wholly or partly from Spain. They are the longest-established European American group in th ...

. Richards was also a published author, writer and wrote numerous books. His wife Ella was also a descendant of the Van Leer family, some the earliest settlers of the

Pennsylvania Colony The Province of Pennsylvania, also known as the Pennsylvania Colony, was a British North American colony founded by William Penn after receiving a land grant from Charles II of England in 1681. The name Pennsylvania ("Penn's Woods") refers to Wi ...

who built a wealthy iron business and Van Leer's were descendants of a noble mayor Werner Von Loehr of

Mainz Mainz () is the capital and largest city of Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. Mainz is on the left bank of the Rhine, opposite to the place that the Main (river), Main joins the Rhine. Downstream of the confluence, the Rhine flows to the north-we ...

Early life and education

Henry Melchior Muhlenberg Richards moved to

Reading, Pennsylvania Reading ( ; Pennsylvania Dutch: ''Reddin'') is a city in and the county seat of Berks County, Pennsylvania, United States. The city had a population of 95,112 as of the 2020 census and is the fourth-largest city in Pennsylvania after Philade ...

with his parents as a small child and graduated from its high school in 1864. His father was a prominent local minister and his grandfather

was a member of the

United States House of Representatives 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 house, lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States Senate, Senate being ...

from

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

and a judge, who had served as an officer during the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...

. His grandmother was the youngest child of

Henry Melchior Muhlenberg Henry Melchior Muhlenberg (an anglicanization of Heinrich Melchior Mühlenberg) (September 6, 1711 – October 7, 1787), was a German Lutheran pastor sent to North America as a missionary, requested by Pennsylvania colonists. Integral to the ...

. The Muhlenberg family home is historic home in Trappe Pennsylvania and on the property are the remains of a pottery kiln dated to about 1720. It is the oldest intact pottery kiln known in Pennsylvania. ''Note:'' This includes Muhlenberg House 2

Throughout his career he wrote for numerous publications about military or American German history. Richards would go on to publish many on historical books about events and families during the American Revolutionary War. In 1910, Richards received the honorary degree of Literary Doctor from Muhlenberg College in recognition of his published works and historic subjects. Richards was appointed the Director of Pennsylvania's

Council of National Defense The Council of National Defense was a United States organization formed during World War I to coordinate resources and industry in support of the war effort, including the coordination of transportation, industrial and farm production, financial s ...

and authorized to join the

Four Minute Men The Four Minute Men were a group of volunteers authorized by United States President Woodrow Wilson to give four-minute speeches on topics given to them by the Committee on Public Information (CPI). In 1917–1918, over 750,000 speeches were give ...

during

World War 1 World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

and later city treasurer of

Lebanon Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to the north and east and Israel to the south, while Cyprus li ...

, in which he served from 1918 to 1920. Richards would later be appointed to numerous positions without solicitation on his part. On December 26, 1871 Richards married Ella Van Leer who was a member of another well known Pennsylvania family. Richards was also president of the

Pennsylvania German Society The Pennsylvania German Society is a non-profit, educational organization dedicated to studying the Pennsylvania German people and their 330-year history in the United States and Canada. The Society works to preserve and promote the history, cultu ...

.https://hsmcpa.org/images/thebulletin/1941vol3no1.pdf

Military

At the outbreak of the Civil War Richards joined the Union Army at in the 26th Pennsylvania Infantry Regiment in 1864. Richards participated throughout the entire Gettysburg campaign and in 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 ...

where he narrowly escaped capture. Later in 1864, he reenlisted under the 195th Regiment, Pennsylvania Volunteers, and served under

General Sheridan General of the Army Philip Henry Sheridan (March 6, 1831 – August 5, 1888) was a career United States Army officer and a Union general in the American Civil War. His career was noted for his rapid rise to major general and his close as ...

. After graduating from the

United States Naval Academy The United States Naval Academy (US Naval Academy, USNA, or Navy) is a federal service academy in Annapolis, Maryland. It was established on 10 October 1845 during the tenure of George Bancroft as Secretary of the Navy. The Naval Academy ...

, he received his diploma with honors from the hands of

Ulysses S. Grant Ulysses S. Grant (born Hiram Ulysses Grant ; April 27, 1822July 23, 1885) was an American military officer and politician who served as the 18th president of the United States from 1869 to 1877. As Commanding General, he led the Union Ar ...

and was attached to the

USS Juniata (1862) The first USS ''Juniata'' was a sloop of war in the United States Navy during the American Civil War. ''Juniata'' was named for the Juniata River. She was launched at Philadelphia Navy Yard on 20 March 1862; sponsored by Miss Angela Turner; ...

. During the

Carlist Wars The Carlist Wars () were a series of civil wars that took place in Spain during the 19th century. The contenders fought over claims to the throne, although some political differences also existed. Several times during the period from 1833 to 187 ...

Richards ship was attacked at

San Roque, Spain San Roque is a municipality of Spain belonging to the province of Cádiz, which in turn is part of the autonomous community of Andalusia. It is also part of the of Campo de Gibraltar. Located in the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula, San Roqu ...

and nearly captured. During the voyage back to the United States, ''Juniata'' discovered the

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

schooner A schooner () is a type of sailing vessel defined by its rig: fore-and-aft rigged on all of two or more masts and, in the case of a two-masted schooner, the foremast generally being shorter than the mainmast. A common variant, the topsail schoon ...

''Avance'' in distress, with her crew sick. Five sailors were put aboard ''Avance'' and she was taken in to

São Jorge Island São Jorge () is an island in the central group of the Azores archipelago and part of the autonomous region of Portugal. Separated from its nearest neighbours ( Pico and Faial islands) by the Pico-São Jorge Channel, the central group is oft ...

Cape Verde Islands , national_anthem = () , official_languages = Portuguese , national_languages = Cape Verdean Creole , capital = Praia , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , demonym ...

. Richards also invented solutions for

Earthing system An earthing system (UK and IEC) or grounding system (US) connects specific parts of an electric power system with the ground, typically the Earth's conductive surface, for safety and functional purposes. The choice of earthing system can affec ...

fuses which were adopted by the military. During the

Richards served as director of naval service for the Lebanon County branch of the Pennsylvania Council of National Defense and Committee of Public Safety.

Citations

Sources

External links

*
Ella Van Leer, Generation 8.7 - Seventh Child of Bernhardhus Van Leer
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Richards, Henry Melchior Muhlenberg 1848 births 1935 deaths Burials at Charles Evans Cemetery People from Easton, Pennsylvania People of Pennsylvania in the American Civil War Union Navy officers United States Navy personnel of the Spanish–American War United States Naval Academy alumni Van Leer family

Early life and education

Military

See also

Citations

Sources

External links