Sylvester Churchill

Sylvester Churchill

Sylvester Churchill (born August 2, 1783 in Woodstock , Vermont , † December 7, 1862 in Washington, DC ) was an American journalist and officer in the United States Army .

youth

Churchill was born to Joseph and Sarah Churchill, nee Cobb. He attended several schools in his hometown and then became a journalist. In 1808 he published the weekly newspaper " The Vermont Republican " as a publisher . On August 30, 1812, he married in Windsor Lucy Hunter (1786-1862), the daughter of William and Mary Hunter, née Newell.

Military career

When the British-American War broke out in 1812, he was promoted to lieutenant in the 3rd US Artillery Regiment on March 12, 1812 . On August 15, 1813 he was promoted to captain and then moved to the 1st artillery regiment. Back in the 3rd Artillery Regiment , he was appointed Major on June 1, 1821 , Colonel on April 6, 1835 , and Inspector General on June 25, 1841. In recognition of his service under General John E. Wool in the Battle of Buena Vista in the Mexican-American War , he received the rank of Brevet Brigadier General on February 23, 1847 . At the beginning of the civil war he had been inspector general of the army for 20 years. On September 25, 1861, he left the army for health reasons and went into retirement . He was succeeded as the new Inspector General Randolph B. Marcy . Churchill died in Washington the following year.

Honors

The Churchill County in Nevada , which was founded in 1861, is named after him, as is Fort Churchill in Silver Springs . The fort was built in 1861 and abandoned in 1869.

relationship

Sylvester Churchill was a distant relative of Winston Churchill . The obvious family resemblance in the portrait was pointed out by Winston Churchill and other contemporaries.

swell

• Theodore S. Peck (Compiler): Revised Roster of Vermont Volunteers and lists of Vermonters Who Served in the Army and Navy of the United States During the War of the Rebellion, 1861–66. Compiled by Authority of the General Assembly. Press of the Watchman Publishing Co., Montpelier VT 1892, pp. 678 and 737.
• Francis B. Heitman: Historical Register and Dictionary of the United States Army, from its organization, September 29, 1789, to March 2, 1903. Volume 1. United States Government Printing Office , Washington DC 1903, p. 301.

literature

• Franklin Hunter Churchill: Sketch of the Life of Bvt. Brig. Gen. Sylvester Churchill, Inspector General US Army. McDonald, New York NY 1888.
• David C. Henley: Brigadier General Sylvester Churchill. The story of an American army hero hero together with the saga of Nevada's Pioneer Fort Churchill and the fighting warship USS Churchill County. Lahontan Valley Printing, Fallon NV 1988.
• David Lavender: Climax at Buena Vista. The American Campaigns in Northeastern Mexico 1846–1847. JB Lippincott, Philadelphia PA 1966.