William H. Seward Jr (1839-1920) | WikiTree FREE Family Tree

General William H. Seward Jr

Born 18 Jun 1839 in Auburn, Cayuga County, New York

Ancestors

Son of William Henry Seward and Frances Adeline (Miller) Seward

Brother of Augustus Henry Seward, Frederick William Seward, Cornelia E Seward, Janet M. Seward, Olive Risley Seward and Frances Adeline Seward

Husband of Anna M Wharton — married 9 Nov 1854 [location unknown]

Husband of Janet McNeil (Watson) Seward — married 27 Jun 1860 in Auburn, Cayuga, New York

Descendants

Father of Cornelia Margaret (Seward) Allen, William Henry Seward and Frances Janet (Seward) Messenger

Died 20 Apr 1920 at age 80 in Auburn, Cayuga County, New York

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Donna Creekmore

[send private message]

Profile last modified 20 Mar 2022 | Created 27 Oct 2013

This page has been accessed 2,523 times.

General William Seward Jr served in the United States Civil War.
Enlisted: Aug 22, 1862
Mustered out: Jul 6, 1865
Side: USA
Regiment(s): 138th New York Infantry, 9th New York Heavy Artillery

1 Biography
- 1.1 Military Service
2 Sources
- 2.1 Research Notes

Biography

From Fort Hill Cemetery:

"William H Seward Jr. was the third son of William H Seward, one time Governor of New York, Senator representing N.Y. and Secretary of State under Lincoln. Wanting to make himself outside his father's shadow, he went to Albany in 1857 and honed his management skills as a clerk in a hardward store.

In 1859 when his father went to Washington as a State Senator, he went with his father as his private secretary. He teamed up with his close friend Clinton D. McDougall to form a banking house in Auburn, NY, the William H. Seward & Company bank. 1860 saw the marriage of William Jr. to Janet M. Watson and for a short time they lived at 118 Owasco Street.

He was appointed by Governor Morgan in 1862 to the war committee. with this assignment he became very active in enlisting and forwarding troops from this section of the state. By August he left his new banking business and accepted an appointment of lieutenant-colonel and he organized the 138th New York Volunteers, which by September was changed to the 9th New York Heavy Artillery.

The 9th New York was assigned to the 22nd Army Corps in the defence of Washington, D.C. Seward and his 9th took part in building many of the defenses around Washington. One fortification, Fort Foote, still stands as a national historic site. At that site Seward was honored by his men by the presentation of a $350 sword "as a memorial of theri high appreciation of your impartial justice, their confidence in your unflinching courage and their admiration of your exalted leadership."

President Lincoln sent Lt-Col. Seward on a secret mission to New Orleans in 1863.

Seward was promoted to colonel in 1864 and the 9th Heavy Artillery was reassigned to the Army of the Potomic at Hanover Court House. That was part of the 2nd Brigade of Rickett's 3rd Div. of Wright's 6th Army under General Grant.

In July of 1864 Union forces Under General Wallace and General Rickett threw up a blockaide along the Monocacy River, outside of Frederick, Md in hopes of delaying a Confererate advance on Washington. Seward was wounded in the arm, and while commanding his men, his horse was shot out from under him, the fall breaking Seward's leg. The Union forces were forced to retreat, but their actions delayed the Confederates' advance on Washington by a day. This delay allowed for reinforcements which saved the city. Seward himself was force to retreat from the battleon a bridleless mule.

This heroic action by Seward won him a promotion to Brigadier-General.

After his recovery, General Seward was sent to Martinsburg in command of the 1st Brigade of the 3rd Division Department of West Virginia operating in the Shenandoah Valley. With General Cook having been captured, Seward assumed the command of the entire division at Harper's Ferry.

With the end of the war Seward resigned his commission and resumed his place at the head of the banking house in Auburn.

Seward was not near the politician his father was. He was still very active in community affairs. Auburn City Hospital, Wells College, Cayuga County Savings Bank, American Express, American Geographical Society and many other interests took up his time. At his own expense he established reading room for working men.

His wife Janet died in 1913 after an extended illness. He was survived by his three children, Cornellia Allen, Frances Messenger, and William H Seward, III.

General William H Seward Jr is buried in the Glen Haven Section of Fort Hill."

Military Service

From Regiment History - from The Union Army Vol. 2:

Ninth Artillery (Heavy).—Cols., Joseph Welling, William H. Seward, Jr., Edwin P. Taft, J. W. Snyder; Lieut.-Cols., William H. Seward, Jr. Edwin P. Taft, James W. Snyder, William Wood; Majs,. Edwin P. Taft, Truman Gregory, William Wood, Anson S. Wood, William R. Wasson, Charles Burgess, Sullivan B. Lamoreaux. James Snyder, Irwin Squyer. This was one of the most gallant regiments sent out by the Empire State. It was recruited in Aug., 1862, by Col. Welling as the 138th infantry in the counties of Cayuga and Wayne, Co. M, originally organized at Lockport as the 22nd light battery, being transferred to the 9th in Feb., 1863. The regiment was organized at Auburn and was there mustered into the U. S. service for three years, Sept. 8-9, 1862. Co. L was organized at Albany in 1863, and joined the regiment in December of that year. The regiment—ten companies—left the state on Sept. 12, 1862, and was stationed in the fortifications about Washington, where it was converted into an artillery regiment on Dec. 9, and designated the 9th regiment of artillery ten days later. Its active service in the field commenced in May, 1864, after which it took part in the following battles: Cold Harbor, Monocacy, the Opequan, Cedar creek, siege of Petersburg, fall of Petersburg, Sailor's creek. Fort Stevens, Snicker's gap, Charlestown, Halltown, Smithfield, Hatcher's run and Appomattox. Col. Fox, in his "Regimental Losses in the Civil War," includes it in the list of three hundred fighting regiments, and says: "During its stay within the defenses of Washington, the 9th built Forts Simmons, Mansfield, Bayard, Gaines and Foote. On May 18, 1864, the regiment left Alexandria, Va., for the front, where it was assigned soon after its arrival, to Col. B. F. Smith's (3d) brigade, Ricketts' (3d) division, 6th corps; with which it took part in the storming of the earthworks _ at Cold Harbor, its first experience under fire. Only two battalions were engaged there, the 3d, under Maj. Snyder—Cos. C, I, L and F—having been ordered on detached service with the artillery brigade; the other two battalions were armed and drilled as infantry—loss at Cold Harbor, 16 killed, 126 wounded and 6 missing. The 3d battalion did not rejoin the regiment until Oct. 3, 1864, the other eight companies, in the meanwhile, having fought in the bloody battles of the Monocacy and the Opequan. At Cedar creek the three battalions were again united, the gallant bearing of the regiment in that battle evoking special mention in the official report of the division general. It lost in that action, 43 killed and 165 wounded, and at the Opequan it lost 6 killed and 36 wounded." The regiment sustained a total loss by death during service of 453, of whom 7 officers and 196 men were killed and mortally wounded; 4 officers and 246 men died of disease and other causes, including 41 who died in Confederate prisons. Its total of killed and wounded amounted to 824, and it was one of the nine heavy artillery regiments in the war whose loss in killed exceeded 2oo. Its loss of 3o5 killed, wounded and missing was the greatest sustained by any regiment in the battle of Monocacy. The regiment was mustered out, under Col. James W. Snyder, at Washington, D. C., July 6, 1865, those not entitled to discharge having been consolidated into four companies and transferred to the 2nd N. Y. artillery on June 27. The total enrollment of the Ninth was 3,227.

Housekeeper for William H. and Janet Seward in the early 1900's, at their home at 33 South Street, Auburn, NY, was Emma Zinck.

This profile is a collaborative work-in-progress. Can you contribute information or sources?