★  Hardin, Martin Davis

Martin Davis Hardin
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Born:
June 26, 1837

Birthplace: Jacksonville, Illinois

Father: U.S. Congressman John Jay Hardin 1810 – 1847
(Buried: Jacksonville East Cemetery, Jacksonville, Illinois)​

Mother: Sarah Ellen Smith 1811 – 1874
(Buried: Greenridge Cemetery, Saratoga Springs, New York)​

1st Wife: Estelle Graham 1847 – 1890
(Buried: Greenridge Cemetery, Saratoga Springs, New York)​

2nd Wife: Amelia McLaughlin 1863 – 1939
(Buried: Saint Augustine National Cemeter, St. Augustine, Florida)​

Education:

1859: Graduated from West Point Military Academy – (11th in class)​

Occupation before War:

1859 – 1860: Brevet 2nd Lt. United States Army Artillery​
1859 – 1860: Garrison Duty at Fort Monroe, Virginia​
1860 – 1861: 2nd Lt. United States Army, 3rd Artillery​
1860: Conductor of Recruits in Oregon​
1860 – 1861: Frontier Duty at Fort Umpquya, Oregon​

Civil War Career:
1861 – 1866: 1st Lt. United States Army, 3rd Artillery​
1861 – 1862: Served in the Defenses of Washington, D.C.​
1862: Aide to Colonel Henry J. Hunt during Peninsula Campaign​
1862: Served in the Siege of Yorktown, Virginia​
1862: Served in the Battle of Malvern Hill, Virginia​
1862: Served in the Skirmish at Harrison’s Landing​
1862: Served in the Battle of Groveton, Virginia​
1862: Brevetted Captain for Gallantry at Battle of Groveton​
1862: Wounded during Second Battle of Bull Run, Virginia​
1862: Brevetted Major for Gallantry at Second Battle of Bull Run​
1862: Disabled by his wounds he received in battle​
1862 – 1864: Colonel of 12th Pennsylvania Reserves Regiment​
1863: Served on Provost and Court Martial duty in Washington, D.C.​
1863: Served in the Battle of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania​
1863: Served in the Battle of Falling Waters​
1863: Served in Pursuit of the enemy to Warrenton, Virginia​
1863: Served in the Battle of Bristoe Station, Virginia​
1863: Served in the Battle of Rappahannock Station, Virginia​
1863: Guarded the Railroad near Catlett’s Station​
1863: Wounded in the arm causing amputation inspecting pickets​
1864: Brevetted Lt. Colonel for gallantry against guerrillas​
1864: Served on Military Commissions and Court Martials​
1864: Union Army Commander of Draft in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania​
1864: Served in the Battle of Spotsylvania, Virginia​
1864: Wounded during the Battle of North Anna, Virginia​
1864: Brevetted Colonel for Gallantry at Battle of North Anna​
1864: Served in the Battle of Bethesda Church, Virginia​
1864: Mustered out of the Union Army on June 11th
1864 – 1866: Brigadier General of Union Army Volunteers​
1864 – 1865: Commander of Defenses of Washington, D.C.​
1864: Served in Defense of the U.S. Capitol against Early’s forces​
1865: Brevetted Brigadier General U.S. Army for his service in War​
1865 – 1866: Union Army Commander of District of Raleigh, North Carolina​
1866: Mustered out of the Union Army on January 15th

Occupation after War:

1866 – 1869: Major of United States Army 43rd Infantry Regiment​
1866 – 1869: Superintendent of Recruiting at Detroit, Michigan​
1867: Regimental Commander at Fort Wayne, Michigan​
1868 – 1869: Acting Judge Advocate in United States Army​
1868 – 1869: Acting Inspector General in United States Army​
1869 – 1870: Major of United States Army, 1st Infantry Regiment​
1869 – 1870: U.S. Army Commander of Fort Porter, New York​
1870: U.S. Army Commander of Fort Graitot, Michigan​
1870: Retired from U.S. Army as Brigadier General due to his health​
1870 – 1923: Attorney in Chicago, Illinois​
1870 – 1923: Had a home in Saint Augustine, Florida​

Died: December 12, 1923

Place of Death: St. Augustine, Florida

Cause of Death: Carcinoma of ileum

Age at time of Death: 86 years old

Burial Place: St. Augustine National Cemetery, St. Augustine, Florida
 
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Lincoln's Bold Lion: The Life and Times of Brigadier General Martin Davis Hardin by James Huffstodt

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Runner-Up in the 2017 Florida Book Festival History Category

This is the first biography devoted to the life of a remarkable young man who, in the words of Civil War historian Ezra Warner, "embarked upon a combat career which has few parallels in the annals of the army for gallantry, wounds sustained, and the obscurity into which he had lapsed a generation before his death."

But the story of General Martin Hardin provides more than a combat record—in fact comprises a walking tour through 1800s America, with its most costly war only a centerpiece. From his childhood in Illinois, where a slave girl implanted in him a fear of ghosts, to his attendance at West Point, along with other future luminaries, to his service on the frontier (where he took particular note of the bearing of the Cheyenne), Hardin's life reveals the progress of a century.

Abraham Lincoln was a close friend and political ally of Martin's father, who died a hero in the Mexican War. The family were also relatives of Mary Todd. Made Brigadier General at age 27, Hardin fought with distinction at Malvern Hill, Second Manassas, Gettysburg, Grant's Overland Campaign, and the July 1864 Rebel raid on Washington. He was wounded four times, nearly died on two occasions, and lost an arm during the war. On one occasion he was ambushed on a road by Mosby's men, one of whom may have been Lincoln conspirator Lewis Paine. Hardin himself took part in the hunt for John Wilkes Booth after Lincoln's assassination.

In these pages we also learn the prominent role of General Hardin's mother, who acted as her son's lobbyist in the heady social world of wartime Washington. Over four years, she skillfully played upon her friendship with the President and the First Lady to advance her son's career. Although, as we see in these pages, his gallantry and leadership in combat sufficed enough to earn him renown, and in this book the under-sung exploits of a true 19th-century hero are finally revealed.

Nominated for the Gilder Lehrman Prize



Cheers,
USS ALASKA
 
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