John Watts De Peyster Jr. (December 2, 1841 – April 12, 1873) 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 (American Civil War), Union of the collective U.S. st ...

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 th ...

and a member of the famous de Peyster family of New York. His father was Brevet Major General

John Watts De Peyster John Watts de Peyster, Sr. (March 9, 1821 – May 4, 1907) was an American author on the art of war, philanthropist, and the Adjutant General of New York.Allaben, p. 205 He served in the New York State Militia during the Mexican–American War an ...

of the New York Militia.

Biography

John Watts De Peyster Jr. was born in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

. In March 1862, while attending the Columbia Law School, he decided to join the staff of his father's first cousin,

Major General 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 ...

Philip Kearny as volunteer aide. After Kearny's death at the Battle of Chantilly, he then joined the 11th New York Cavalry Regiment in June 1862 as a lieutenant, but was mustered out the same month, and assigned to the 1st New York Light Artillery as a major and served until 1863 when he joined the staff of General

John J. Peck John James Peck (January 4, 1821 – April 21, 1878) was a United States soldier who fought in the Mexican–American War and American Civil War. Early life Peck was born on January 4, 1821, in Manlius, New York. His father, John W. Peck, who had ...

. He was then stricken by a severe illness of several months and was unable to return to the field until late 1863. For actions in the Chancellorsville campaign and in the

Battle of Fredericksburg The Battle of Fredericksburg was fought December 11–15, 1862, in and around Fredericksburg, Virginia, in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War. The combat, between the Union Army of the Potomac commanded by Maj. Gen. Ambrose Burnsi ...

, he was promoted to

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 ...

. He remained with the army until the summer of 1864, when his increasing weakness compelled him to resign. He later received a brevet promotion 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 ...

of the New York Militia in 1865. His brothers Frederic and

Johnston de Peyster Johnston Livingston de Peyster (June 14, 1846 – May 27, 1903) was a soldier in the Union Army during the American Civil War and later a member of the New York State Assembly from Dutchess County, New York. The son of a wealthy old Dutches ...

also served in the war. He died on April 12, 1873, in New York City. He was buried at Saint Paul's Episcopal Church Cemetery in Tivoli, New York.

Notes

References

* * 1841 births 1873 deaths Columbia Law School alumni People of New York (state) in the American Civil War De Peyster family Livingston family Schuyler family Van Cortlandt family {{AmericanCivilWar-bio-stub