Melancthon Smith Wade (December 2, 1801 – August 11, 1868) was a businessman, horticulturist, and soldier from the state of

Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...

who served as a

general A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of highest military ranks, high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers t ...

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 early part of 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 ...

Biography

Melancthon Wade, the son of an

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 ...

officer and prisoner-of-war, Daniel Everett Wade, was born 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 ...

.Reid, Vol. 1, p. 932. He was educated in the local schools and then opened a dry goods business that proved so successful that Wade was able to retire in 1840 at the age of 38. Concurrently with his business endeavors, he served with the Ohio

Militia A militia () is generally an army or some other fighting organization of non-professional soldiers, citizens of a country, or subjects of a state, who may perform military service during a time of need, as opposed to a professional force of r ...

from 1825 until 1849, rising through the ranks from

sergeant Sergeant (abbreviated to Sgt. and capitalized when used as a named person's title) is a rank in many uniformed organizations, principally military and policing forces. The alternative spelling, ''serjeant'', is used in The Rifles and other uni ...

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 ...

. Wade married Eliza Armstrong on 27 Aug 1823. They had five or six children. When the Civil War erupted in 1861, Wade was 58 years old. He volunteered his services to the Union Army and received a commission as a brigadier general on October 1 at the recommendation of

Ormsby Mitchel Ormsby MacKnight (or McKnight) Mitchel (August 28, 1810, or possibly 1809,October 31, 1862) was an American astronomer and major general in the American Civil War. A multi-talented man, he was also an attorney, surveyor, professor, and publishe ...

. However, his appointment was never formally confirmed by the U.S. Senate. Wade's wife died on October 27. He was assigned command of the newly constructed

Camp Dennison Camp Dennison was a military recruiting, training, and medical post for the United States Army during the American Civil War. It was located near Cincinnati, Ohio, not far from the Ohio River. The camp was named for Cincinnati native William De ...

near Cincinnati. Wade was given a full

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 conscripted ...

of infantry to maintain and guard the training camp, as well as to assist in drilling and training the volunteer recruits that came in large numbers to the facility during the early months of the war. On March 18, 1862, because of poor health and his advancing age, Wade resigned his commission and retired from the service. He returned to his estate in Avondale to engage in work as a fruit farmer and to pursue other horticultural interests with his oldest son, Melancthon Armstrong Wade. Wade died at his home and was buried in

Spring Grove Cemetery Spring Grove Cemetery and Arboretum () is a nonprofit rural cemetery and arboretum located at 4521 Spring Grove Avenue, Cincinnati, Ohio. It is the third largest cemetery in the United States, after the Calverton National Cemetery and Abraham L ...

in Cincinnati.Find a Grave #5887024
Retrieved 2008-11-11.

Notes

References

* Reid, Whitelaw, ''Ohio in the War: Her Statesmen, Her Generals, and Soldiers.'' 2 vol. Cincinnati: Moore, Wilstach, & Baldwin, 1868. * U.S. Congress, ''Journal of the Executive Proceedings of the Senate of the United States of America'', Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1887. * U.S. War Department
''The War of the Rebellion''
''a Compilation of the

Official Records The ''Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies in the War of the Rebellion'', commonly known as the ''Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies'' or Official Records (OR or ORs), is the most extensive collection of Americ ...

of the Union and Confederate Armies'', U.S. Government Printing Office, 1880–1901. *Wade, Stuart Charles, ''The Wade Genealogy'', Perth Amboy, New Jersey: American Publishing Company, 1900.

External links

* Retrieved 2008-11-11 {{DEFAULTSORT:Wade, Melancthon Smith Union Army generals American militia generals People of Ohio in the American Civil War Cincinnati in the American Civil War Military personnel from Cincinnati Burials at Spring Grove Cemetery 1802 births 1868 deaths

Biography

See also

Notes

References

External links