Samuel P. Spear
| Samuel P. Spear | |
|---|---|
| Born |
1815 Boston, Massachusetts |
| Died |
May 4, 1875 (aged 59–60) New York City, New York |
| Place of burial | Cypress Hills National Cemetery[1] |
| Allegiance |
United States of America Union |
| Service/branch |
United States Army Union Army |
| Years of service | 1833–1865 |
| Rank |
Colonel Brevet Brigadier General |
| Commands held |
11th Pennsylvania Cavalry 2nd Brigade, Cavalry Division, Army of the James |
| Battles/wars | |
Samuel Perkins Spear (1815 – May 4, 1875) was an American soldier who saw combat in the Seminole Wars, the Mexican–American War, and the Civil War. He enlisted in the army in 1833, and was assigned twice to the 2d Dragoons and once to the 2d Cavalry in which he was promoted from private to first sergeant each time.[2]
Spear was discharged from the U.S. Regular Army on August 6, 1861. He was appointed lieutenant colonel of the 11th Pennsylvania Cavalry Regiment and was promoted to colonel on August 20, 1862. He commanded the brigade to which his regiment was assigned in the XVIII Corps of the Department of Virginia and North Carolina to which his regiment was assigned from August 1863 to April 28, 1864. For the rest of 1864, he commanded the brigade as part of the XVIII Corps, Army of the James. From January 1865 to April 1, 1865, he commanded the brigade as Brigade 2 of the Cavalry Division of the Army of the James.[1]
He commanded his regiment at the Joint Expedition Against Franklin, October 3, 1862. He commanded his brigade at the Second Battle of Ream's Station, August 25, 1864, the Battle of Fair Oaks & Darbytown Road, October 27–28, 1864 and the Battle of Five Forks, April 1, 1865, during the Siege of Petersburg. Spear was wounded at the Battle of Five Forks and resigned from the volunteers on May 9, 1865.[1]
On January 13, 1866, President Andrew Johnson nominated Spear for appointment to the grade of Brevet brigadier general of volunteers for his actions as a brigade commander at the Battle of Fair Oaks & Darbytown Road, to rank from April 13, 1865, and the United States Senate confirmed the appointment on March 12, 1866.[3]
After the Civil War, Spear became a Major-general in the Irish Republican Army within the Fenian Movement in America and lead the eastern wing of the Fenian Army from St Albans, Vermont into Canada during June 6-7, 1866. He also served as the Fenian Secretary of War within the Fenian Brotherhood during the late 1860s.
See also
Notes
- 1 2 3 Eicher, John H.; Eicher, David J. (June 1, 2002). Civil War High Commands. Stanford University Press. p. 502. ISBN 978-0-8047-3641-1. (subscription required (help)).
- ↑ "Obituary: Gen. Samuel P. Spear" (PDF). The New York Times. 5 May 1875. Retrieved 2015-07-30.
- ↑ Eicher, 2002, p. 758.
References
- Eicher, John H., and David J. Eicher, Civil War High Commands. Stanford: Stanford University Press, 2001. ISBN 978-0-8047-3641-1.
External links
- "Samuel P. Spear". Find a Grave. Retrieved September 13, 2010.