Henry Walton Wessells
Born: February 20, 1809
Birthplace: Litchfield, Connecticut
Father: Ashbell Wessells 1771 – 1853
Mother: Grace Ward 1775 – 1864
1st Wife: Mary Griswold
2nd Wife: Hannah Cooper 1816 – 1863
(Buried: Christ Churchyard, Cooperstown, New York)
3rd Wife: Caroline Elizabeth Wadsworth 1837 – 1895
(Buried: East Cemetery, Litchfield, Connecticut)
Children:
Brig. General Henry Walton Wessells Jr. 1846 – 1929
(Buried: Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Virginia)
Education:
1833: Graduated from West Point Military Academy – (29th in class)
Occupation before War:
1833 – 1836: Brevet 2nd Lt. United States Army, 2nd Infantry Regiment
1836 – 1838: 2nd Lt. United States Army, 2nd Infantry Regiment
1838 – 1847: 1st Lt. United States Army, 2nd Infantry Regiment
1847 – 1861: Captain United States Army, 2nd Infantry Regiment
1847: Wounded at the Battle of Contreras, Mexico
1847: Brevetted Major Gallantry in two Mexican War Battles
Civil War Career:
1861 – 1865: Major United States Army, 6th Infantry Regiment
1861 – 1862: Colonel, 8th Kansas Volunteers Infantry Regiment
1862: Served in the Siege of Yorktown, Virginia
1862 – 1866: Brigadier General Union Army Volunteers Infantry
1862: Wounded at the Battle of Fair Oaks, Virginia
1862: Commander of Rear Guard from Haxhall’s to Harrison Landing
1862: Served in the Defenses of Suffolk, Virginia
1862: Served in the Battle of Kinston, North Carolina
1862 – 1863: Served in the Defenses of Newberne
1863 – 1864: Commander of Sub District of Albemarle
1864: Captured at Plymouth, North Carolina
1864 – 1865: Commissary of Prisoners
1865 – 1871: Lt. Colonel United States Army, 18th Infantry Regiment
1865 – 1866: Commander of Draft Hart’s Island, New York
1865: Brevetted Colonel and Brig. General for service in the war
1866: Mustered out of Volunteer Service on January 15th
Occupation after War:
1865 – 1871: Lt. Colonel United States Army, 18th Infantry Regiment
1866: Commander of Fort Kearney, Nebraska
1866 – 1867: Commander of Fort Reno, Dakota Territory
1867: Commander of Mountain District
1867: Commander of U.S. Army Post Fort McPherson, Nebraska
1867 – 1868: Commander of U.S. Army Fort Fetterman, Dakota Territory
1868: Commander of U.S. Army Fort D. A. Russell
1868 – 1869: Member of U.S. Army Retiring Board
1869 – 1871: Commander of U.S. Army Depot in Newport, Kentucky
1871: Retired from United States Army after 30 years of Service
1871 – 1889: Retired Citizen living in Litchfield, Connecticut
Died: January 12, 1889
Place of Death: Dover, Delaware
Cause of Death: Some Say heart failure
Age at time of Death: 79 years old
Burial Place: East Cemetery, Litchfield, Connecticut
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