Jesse Augustus Gove (December 5, 1824 – June 27, 1862) was an American soldier and lawyer, noteworthy for his military career and his role as 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 ...

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 ...

. After graduating from the American Literary Scientific and Military Academy at Norwich, Vermont, Gove served in the

Mexican–American War The Mexican–American War, also known in the United States as the Mexican War and in Mexico as the (''United States intervention in Mexico''), was an armed conflict between the United States and Mexico from 1846 to 1848. It followed the 1 ...

. After the war, he left the army and became a lawyer in New Hampshire, then returned to army service in 1855. During the Civil War he was colonel of the

22nd Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry The 22nd Regiment Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry was an Infantry in the American Civil War, infantry regiment in the Union (American Civil War), Union army during the American Civil War. The 22nd Massachusetts was organized by United States Sen ...

and was killed leading that regiment in the Battle of Gaines' Mill.Parker, 581.

Early career

Gove was born in Weare, New Hampshire, and, electing to pursue a career in the army, he was educated at Norwich Military Academy. In 1847 he was appointed

second lieutenant Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces, comparable to NATO OF-1 rank. Australia The rank of second lieutenant existed in the military forces of the Australian colonies and Australian Army until ...

in the 9th United States Infantry. He served in the

during which he was promoted to

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 ...

. At the close of the war, the 9th U.S. Infantry was disbanded. Gove took up the study of law at the

Concord, New Hampshire Concord () is the capital city of the U.S. state of New Hampshire and the seat of Merrimack County. As of the 2020 census the population was 43,976, making it the third largest city in New Hampshire behind Manchester and Nashua. The village of ...

law offices of Pierce & Minot, of which

Franklin Pierce Franklin Pierce (November 23, 1804October 8, 1869) was the 14th president of the United States, serving from 1853 to 1857. He was a northern Democrat who believed that the abolitionist movement was a fundamental threat to the nation's unity ...

(soon to become President of the United States) was the senior partner.Bastedo
Likenesses of New Hampshire War Heroes
/ref> Gove was admitted to the bar in 1851. From 1850 to 1855 he was Deputy Secretary of State for New Hampshire. In 1855, he returned to the regular army and was commissioned

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 ...

of Company I, 10th United States Infantry. In this capacity he served under Col.

Albert Sidney Johnston Albert Sidney Johnston (February 2, 1803 – April 6, 1862) served as a general in three different armies: the Texian Army, the United States Army, and the Confederate States Army. He saw extensive combat during his 34-year military career, figh ...

during the Utah War (an insurrection of Mormon settlers in Utah Territory against the U.S. government) in 1857 and 1858. At the outbreak of the Civil War, Gove's regiment was still garrisoned in Utah, however he returned to Washington in the summer of 1861 to seek a more active post.

Civil War

On October 28, 1861, Gove replaced Col.

Henry Wilson Henry Wilson (born Jeremiah Jones Colbath; February 16, 1812 – November 22, 1875) was an American politician who was the 18th vice president of the United States from 1873 until his death in 1875 and a senator from Massachusetts from 1855 to ...

as commander of the 22nd Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry. Gove was the only Regular Army officer to command that regiment. When Gove took command of the 22nd, the regiment was fresh from

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

, having arrived 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, ...

just weeks before. Gove took advantage of the next four months to rigorously train his regiment while they were in winter camp at Halls Hill, Virginia just outside Arlington. 1st Lt. John Parker, the regimental historian of the 22nd, wrote that Col. Gove:

...soon became the idol of the regiment. A thorough tactician, with the bearing of a courageous soldier, he impressed the men with the idea that he was a leader it was an honor to follow. No order of his was ever questioned, much less disobeyed, because every man in his command believed that the colonel could not make a mistake and always meant what he said.

The 22nd Massachusetts became part of 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 ...

and left their winter quarters on March 10, 1862 to participate in

Maj. Gen. Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...

George B. McClellan's Peninsular Campaign. The unit saw its first action during the

Siege of Yorktown The Siege of Yorktown, also known as the Battle of Yorktown, the surrender at Yorktown, or the German battle (from the presence of Germans in all three armies), beginning on September 28, 1781, and ending on October 19, 1781, at Yorktown, Virgi ...

in April 1862. When

Confederate Confederacy or confederate may refer to: States or communities * Confederate state or confederation, a union of sovereign groups or communities * Confederate States of America, a confederation of secessionist American states that existed between 1 ...

forces finally evacuated Yorktown, Col. Gove, according to historian John Parker, was the first Union officer to climb over the earthworks surrounding the town. In June 1862, during the Seven Days Battles, the

was rapidly pushed away from the Confederate capitol of

Richmond Richmond most often refers to: * Richmond, Virginia, the capital of Virginia, United States * Richmond, London, a part of London * Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town in England * Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada * Richmond, California, ...

. On the third day of fighting, the 22nd Massachusetts was heavily engaged in the Battle of Gaines' Mill on June 27, 1862. The regiment had been held in reserve, behind the other regiments of its brigade. After repelling many Confederate charges, the units in front of the 22nd finally retreated in the late afternoon. As the other regiments retired, the 22nd was quickly surrounded by advancing Confederates. Gove, at first, ordered the 22nd to about face and to march towards the rear. But, reluctant to give up the ground, he then ordered the regiment to halt, about face again, and prepare to receive the Confederate attack. Almost instantly after halting the regiment, Gove was shot and killed. The 22nd suffered their most severe casualties of the war (numerically) during the Battle of Gaines' Mill. Gove's body was never recovered.Parker, 122.

Legacy

The 22nd Massachusetts greatly mourned the loss of Col. Gove. The following winter, the regiment named their winter quarters "Camp Gove." The unit established a debating society known as the Gove Lyceum. After the war, veterans of the 22nd Massachusetts elected to hold their annual reunions on the date of Col. Gove's death.

Notes

References

* * *

External links

Profile at New Hampshire Division of Historical Resources

Profile at 22nd Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry, Inc.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gove, Jesse 1824 births 1862 deaths Union Army colonels People of New Hampshire in the American Civil War Norwich University alumni People from Weare, New Hampshire Union military personnel killed in the American Civil War