Augustus Henry Seward (October 1, 1826 – September 11, 1876) was the son of

William H. Seward William Henry Seward (May 16, 1801 – October 10, 1872) was an American politician who served as United States Secretary of State from 1861 to 1869, and earlier served as governor of New York and as a United States Senator. A determined oppon ...

and

Frances Adeline Seward Frances Adeline Miller Seward (September 25, 1805 – June 21, 1865) was the First Lady of New York and the wife of William Henry Seward, a senator in the New York legislature, Governor of New York, a senator from New York and United States Secr ...

. He was a career officer in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

, and attained the rank of

brevet Brevet may refer to: Military * Brevet (military), higher rank that rewards merit or gallantry, but without higher pay * Brevet d'état-major, a military distinction in France and Belgium awarded to officers passing military staff college * Aircre ...

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 ...

Early life

Augustus H. Seward was born in

Auburn, New York Auburn is a city in Cayuga County, New York, United States. Located at the north end of Owasco Lake, one of the Finger Lakes in Central New York, the city had a population of 26,866 at the 2020 census. It is the largest city of Cayuga County, the ...

, on October 1, 1826, and was the first child of William H. Seward and his wife Frances Miller. In addition to being the son of William H. and Frances Seward, Augustus Seward was the grandson of Judges

Elijah Miller Elijah Miller (April 11, 1772 – November 13, 1851) was a lawyer and judge in Auburn, New York. Early life and career Miller was born on April 11, 1772. He was the son of Josiah Miller (1749–1817). He became a lawyer, and then a Judg ...

and Samuel S. Seward, and the brother of

Frederick W. Seward Frederick William Seward (July 8, 1830 – April 25, 1915) was an American politician and member of the Republican Party who twice served as the Assistant Secretary of State. The son of United States Secretary of State William H. Seward, ...

, Cornelia Seward,

William H. Seward Jr. William Henry Seward Jr. (June 18, 1839 – April 29, 1920) was an American banker and brigadier general in the Union Army during the American Civil War. He was the youngest son of William Henry Seward Sr., the United States Secretary of State un ...

and

Frances Adeline "Fanny" Seward Frances Adeline Seward (December 9, 1844 – October 29, 1866) was the daughter of United States Secretary of State William H. Seward and his wife Frances Adeline Miller. The last of five children born to the Sewards, she was their only daught ...

. In 1847, Seward graduated from the

United States Military Academy The United States Military Academy (USMA), also known metonymically as West Point or simply as Army, is a United States service academy in West Point, New York. It was originally established as a fort, since it sits on strategic high groun ...

, ranked 34th of 38 students. While at West Point his roommates included

Henry Heth Henry Heth ( not ) (December 16, 1825 – September 27, 1899) was a career United States Army officer who became a Confederate general in the American Civil War. He came to the notice of Robert E. Lee while serving briefly as his quartermast ...

, who ranked 38th.

Career

After graduation, Seward was appointed a

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 8th Infantry Regiment, and he served with his regiment in

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

during 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 Augustus Seward continued his military career, serving with the 5th Infantry in: East Pascagoula, Mississippi; Forts

Towson Towson () is an unincorporated community and a census-designated place in Baltimore County, Maryland, United States. The population was 55,197 as of the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Baltimore County and the second-most populous unincorp ...

and Washita in

Indian Territory The Indian Territory and the Indian Territories are terms that generally described an evolving land area set aside by the Federal government of the United States, United States Government for the relocation of Native Americans in the United St ...

; on the Utah Expedition; and at Forts Defiance and

Union Union commonly refers to: * Trade union, an organization of workers * Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets Union may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * Union (band), an American rock group ** ''Un ...

New Mexico Territory The Territory of New Mexico was an organized incorporated territory of the United States from September 9, 1850, until January 6, 1912. It was created from the U.S. provisional government of New Mexico, as a result of ''Santa Fe de Nuevo México ...

. 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 ...

in 1853 and

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 ...

in 1859.

Civil War

In 1861 Augustus Seward transferred to the Paymaster Corps and was promoted to

Major Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...

. Later that year he declined an appointment in the 19th Infantry. 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 ...

he carried out paymaster and staff duties in

Arizona Territory The Territory of Arizona (also known as Arizona Territory) was a territory of the United States that existed from February 24, 1863, until February 14, 1912, when the remaining extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the state of ...

and

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, ...

He received

promotions to

Lieutenant Colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colone ...

in May, 1865 and

in November, 1865 in recognition of his Civil War service.

Assassination attempt

Augustus Seward was staying at the home of his father in Washington, D.C., on April 14, 1865, when Lewis Powell attempted to assassinate William H. Seward at the same time

John Wilkes Booth John Wilkes Booth (May 10, 1838 – April 26, 1865) was an American stage actor who assassinated United States President Abraham Lincoln at Ford's Theatre in Washington, D.C., on April 14, 1865. A member of the prominent 19th-century Booth th ...

was carrying out the assassination of

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 ful ...

Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln ( ; February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln led the nation thro ...

. His father was in bed recovering from injuries sustained in a carriage accident, and a jaw splint he was wearing as a result likely deflected Powell's knife and saved Seward's life. Augustus, his brother

Frederick Frederick may refer to: People * Frederick (given name), the name Nobility Anhalt-Harzgerode *Frederick, Prince of Anhalt-Harzgerode (1613–1670) Austria * Frederick I, Duke of Austria (Babenberg), Duke of Austria from 1195 to 1198 * Frederick ...

and others in the house were attacked by Powell as Powell attempted to gain access to Seward's bedroom, as they intervened in Powell's attack on Seward, and again as Powell made his escape. Augustus suffered seven stab wounds and remained in Washington until 1868, where he testified at Powell's trial, and performed staff duties while recovering from his wounds.

Later career

Augustus Seward continued to serve in the Army and perform paymaster and staff duties. His postings included: Boston, Massachusetts, from January to October 1868;

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 ...

from 1868 to 1869; leave of absence from February to December 1869; Chief Paymaster of the

Department 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 ...

from December 1869 to May 1870; Chief Paymaster of the Department of the South and Paymaster of the department headquarters from May 1870 to October 1871; and Paymaster of the

Department of Dakota A subdivision of the Division of the Missouri, the Department of Dakota was established by the United States Army on August 11, 1866, to encompass all military activities and forts within Minnesota, Dakota Territory and Montana Territory. The Depa ...

from November 1871 to May 1876.

Death and burial

In May 1876, Seward was diagnosed with an affliction described as paralysis of the eye. He took a leave of absence from the Army and died at the home of his brother Frederick in

Montrose, New York Montrose is a hamlet (and census-designated place) within the town of Cortlandt, in the northwestern corner of Westchester County, New York, United States. It is located near Croton-on-Hudson and Buchanan. The rural character of the hamlet is de ...

, on September 11, 1876. He was buried at Fort Hill Cemetery in Auburn. Augustus Street in Auburn, one of four streets named for members of the Seward family, and which form a city block, is named for him.Maggie MacLean, Civil War Women
Women of the Civil War and Reconstruction Eras 1849-1877
Frances Seward, October 1, 2010.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Seward, Augustus H. 1826 births 1876 deaths People from Auburn, New York United States Military Academy alumni United States Army officers American military personnel of the Mexican–American War Union Army officers People of New York (state) in the American Civil War Seward family Burials in New York (state)