Elon John Farnsworth

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Elon John Farnsworth

Elon John Farnsworth (born July 30, 1837 in Green Oak , Livingston County , Michigan ; † July 3, 1863 during the Battle of Gettysburg , Pennsylvania ) was an American brigadier general in the US Army during the Civil War .

Life

Farnsworth was a nephew of John F. Farnsworth , who was also a Brigadier General of the Northern States and a Republican member of the US House of Representatives for Illinois , and studied at the University of Michigan for a year after attending public schools .

In 1858 he broke off his studies and joined the US Army, in which he initially served as a staff member in the office of quartermaster during the Utah war against the Mormons in the Rocky Mountains . He then dealt with the hunt for buffalo and the transport of cargo to supply the newly discovered mines on Pikes Peak .

At the beginning of the Civil War, he became deputy quartermaster of the 8th Cavalry Regiment of Illinois in 1861  , which was established by his uncle at the time. Soon after, he was promoted to captain and, as such, took part in all battles during the Peninsula Campaign , as well as in the campaigns led by General John Pope . In May 1863 he became assistant to General Alfred Pleasonton and on June 29, 1863, at the age of almost 26 years, he was promoted to brigadier general along with Wesley Merritt and George Armstrong Custer . He fell four days after promotion on the last day of the Battle of Gettysburg . Previously, he had vehemently protested the order to his division commander Hugh Judson Kilpatrick to carry out a cavalry attack on the right flank of the Confederation .

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personal data
SURNAME Farnsworth, Elon John
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American Brigadier General of the Northern States in the Civil War
DATE OF BIRTH July 30, 1837
PLACE OF BIRTH Green Oak , Michigan
DATE OF DEATH July 3, 1863
Place of death Gettysburg , Pennsylvania