★ ★  Couch, Darius N.

Darius Nash Couch

:us34stars:
Couch.jpg


Born: July 23, 1822

Birthplace:
Putnam County, New York

Father: Jonathan Couch 1777 – 1845

Mother: Betsey Hall Penney 1788 – 1861
(Buried: Milltown Cemetery, Brewster, New York)​

Wife: Mary Caroline Crocker 1826 – 1912
(Buried: Mount Pleasant Cemetery, Taunton, Massachusetts)​

Signature:
500px-Darius_N_Couch_signature.svg.png


Children:

Alice L Couch Randall 1855 – 1884​
(Buried: Center Cemetery, New Milford, Connecticut)​

Education:

1846: Graduated from West Point Military Academy – (13th in class)

Occupation before War:

1846 – 1847: Brevet 2nd Lt. United States Army 4th Artillery​
1847: 2nd Lt. United States Army 4th Artillery​
1847: Brevetted 1st Lt. for gallantry at Battle of Buena Vista, Mexico​
1847 – 1855: 1st Lt. United States Army, 4th Artillery​
1848: Garrison Duty at Fort Monroe, Virginia​
1848 – 1849: Garrison Duty at Fort Pickens, Florida​
1849 – 1850: Served in the Seminole War in Florida​
1850 – 1851: Garrison Duty at Fort Columbus, New York​
1851 – 1852: Garrison Duty at Fort Johnston, North Carolina​
1852 – 1853: Garrison Duty at Fort Mifflin, Pennsylvania​
1854: Served on detached service in Washington, D.C.​
1854: Garrison Duty at Fort Independence, Massachusetts​
1854 – 1855: Garrison Duty at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas​
1855: Resigned from United States Army on April 30th
1855 – 1857: Merchant in New York City, New York​
1858 – 1861: Manufacturer of Copper Sheathing​
Couch 1.jpg


Civil War Career:

1861: Colonel of 7th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment​
1861 – 1862: Served in the Defenses of Washington, D.C.​
1861 – 1862: Brigadier General of Union Army Volunteers​
1862: Division Commander at the Siege of Yorktown, Virginia​
1862: Division Commander at the Battle of Williamsburg, Virginia​
1862: Division Commander at the Battle of Seven Pines, Virginia​
1862: Division Commander at the Battle of Malvern Hill, Virginia​
1862 – 1865: Major General of Union Army Volunteers​
1862: Division Commander in retreat from Manassas to Washington, D.C.​
1862: Division Commander Maryland Heights Battle of Harper’s Ferry​
1862 – 1863: Commander of 2nd Army Corps Army of the Potomac​
1862: Corps Commander at Battle of Fredericksburg, Virginia​
1863: Corps Commander at Battle of Chancellorsville, Virginia​
1863 – 1864: Union Army Commander Department of Susquehanna​
1863: Organizer of Pennsylvania State Militia in Lee’s Invasion​
1864 – 1865: Division Commander of Army of the Cumberland​
1864: Division Commander in the Battle of Nashville, Tennessee​
1865: Served in the operations in North Carolina with Schofield​
1865: Resigned from Union Army on May 26th

Occupation after War:

1865: Unsuccessful Democratic Candidate for Governor of Massachusetts​
1866 – 1867: United States Collector, Port of Boston, Massachusetts​

1867: President of Virginia Mining and Manufacturing Company​
1877 – 1878: Connecticut State Quartermaster General​
1881 – 1886: President of Trustees, Fitchville Soldier’s Home​
1883 – 1885: Connecticut State Adjutant General​

Died: February 12, 1897

Place of Death: Norwalk, Connecticut

Age at time of Death: 74 years old

Burial Place: Mount Pleasant Cemetery, Taunton, Massachusetts
 
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I find a few things to be curious about with General Couch. I wonder why he never taught at West Point, instead of resigning after years of garrison duty. Why he was never in the west fighting Indians or asked for a transfer. And being an artillerist, how he ended up as a commander of Volunteer Infantry.
Lubliner.
 
My guess is there was not a lot hope of a promotion in the artillery. He was commissioned a Colonel of Infantry in 1861, his highest rank in the regular Army was 1st lt. He was a West Point graduate, and a trained professional soldier.
 
Second in command to Hooker at Chancellorsvillr, he became disgusted with Hooker's timidity . He requested removal if Hooker were not replaced. He was reassigned to a command in Pennsylvannia. He spent a year and a half with Pennsylvannia militia units until being assigned to a division in Tennessee.
 
My guess is there was not a lot hope of a promotion in the artillery. He was commissioned a Colonel of Infantry in 1861, his highest rank in the regular Army was 1st lt. He was a West Point graduate, and a trained professional soldier.
More than one officer in the artillery transferred to command infantry. Charles Griffin is just one example. James Ricketts is another, Emory Upton is a third. As you indicate, promotion opportunities were almost non-existent in the artillery. Regiments were split up into batteries (the equivalent of companies) that operated independently of one another. There were few larger organizations and, therefore, a very small number of positions for colonels or generals. Some of the more prominent artillery officers in the ACW were battery commanders who were only one or two years out of West Point
 
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