Henry Van Ness Boynton (June 22, 1835 – June 3, 1905) was a

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 ...

officer 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 recipient of America's highest military decoration, the

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest military decoration and is awarded to recognize American soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, guardians and coast guardsmen who have distinguished themselves by acts of valo ...

, for his actions at the Battle of Missionary Ridge. Returning to duty in 1898 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 = (cloc ...

, Boynton was promoted to

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 ...

Early life

Boynton was born in

West Stockbridge, Massachusetts West Stockbridge is a town in Berkshire County, Massachusetts, United States. The town had a population of 1,343 at the time of the 2020 United States Census. It is part of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area. History W ...

, but was raised in Ohio where he graduated in 1854 from

Woodward College Woodward Career Technical High School is a public high school located in the Bond Hill neighborhood of Cincinnati, Ohio, United States. It is part of the Cincinnati Public School District. It was founded as one of the first public schools in th ...

, in

Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wit ...

, and subsequently from the

Kentucky Military Institute The Kentucky Military Institute (KMI) was a military preparatory school in Lyndon, Kentucky, and Venice, Florida, in operation from 1845 to 1971. Founding One of the oldest traditional military prep schools in the United States, KMI was maintain ...

in 1859. While there, he joined the Phi Delta Theta fraternity.

Civil War

From July 1861 until September 1864, Boynton served as a commissioned officer in the

35th Ohio Infantry The 35th Ohio Infantry Regiment was an infantry regiment in the Union Army during the American Civil War. It was nicknamed the " Persimmon Regiment" Service The 35th Ohio Infantry Regiment was organized in Hamilton, Ohio and mustered in for thre ...

. He was elected as the

regiment A regiment is a military unit. Its role and size varies markedly, depending on the country, service and/or a specialisation. In Medieval Europe, the term "regiment" denoted any large body of front-line soldiers, recruited or conscript ...

's first major, but quickly rose up the ranks to become the commanding officer of the

and was promoted to lieutenant colonel. He led the 35th in the

Battle of Chickamauga The Battle of Chickamauga, fought on September 19–20, 1863, between U.S. and Confederate forces in the American Civil War, marked the end of a Union offensive, the Chickamauga Campaign, in southeastern Tennessee and northwestern Georgia. I ...

and Missionary Ridge, where he earned the Medal of Honor for his actions on November 25, 1863.

After the war

After the war he resumed civilian life. He married Helen Augusta Mason in 1871 and became a newspaper correspondent in

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

Boynton also became the chairman of the committee that oversaw the development of the

Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park, located in northern Georgia and southeastern Tennessee, preserves the sites of two major battles of the American Civil War: the Battle of Chickamauga and the Siege of Chattanooga. A detailed h ...

. In June 1898, he returned to active military service as a brigadier general during the

. He was discharged in April 1899. Boynton died in 1905 in Atlantic City, New Jersey. His funeral service on June 3, was attended by

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 ...

Theodore Roosevelt Theodore Roosevelt Jr. ( ; October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), often referred to as Teddy or by his initials, T. R., was an American politician, statesman, soldier, conservationist, naturalist, historian, and writer who served as the 26t ...

and a delegation representing his old comrades in the

Army of the Cumberland The Army of the Cumberland was one of the principal Union armies in the Western Theater during the American Civil War. It was originally known as the Army of the Ohio. History The origin of the Army of the Cumberland dates back to the creation ...

. He was buried on June 7, 1905, at

Arlington National Cemetery Arlington National Cemetery is one of two national cemeteries run by the United States Army. Nearly 400,000 people are buried in its 639 acres (259 ha) in Arlington, Virginia. There are about 30 funerals conducted on weekdays and 7 held on Sa ...

, Arlington, Arlington County, Virginia Plot: Section 2, Lot 1096.

Medal of Honor citation

Rank and Organization: :Lieutenant Colonel, 35th Ohio Infantry. Place and date: At Missionary Ridge, Tenn., November 25, 1863. Entered service at: Ohio. Born: July 22, 1835, West Stockbridge, Mass. Date of issue: November 15, 1893. Citation: :Led his regiment in the face of a severe fire of the enemy; was severely wounded.

References

External links