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Federal (USA)

Sergeant

Edward James Spaulding

(1834 - 1888)

Home State: New York

Branch of Service: Cavalry

Unit: 2nd United States Cavalry, Companies E, F, H & K

Before Antietam

He enlisted as Private in Troop (Company) I, 2nd US Dragoons on 22 January 1857, and was promoted Corporal and Sergeant in the Company, finally Regimental Quartermaster Sergeant by September 1862. The 2nd Dragoons were redesignated the 2nd US Cavalry in August 1861.

On the Campaign

He was Regimental Quartermaster Sergeant until news arrived 24 September that he'd been appointed 2nd Lieutenant on 17 July.

The rest of the War

He was promoted to First Lieutenant 9 June 1863 - having been wounded and captured on that date. He was a prisoner of war - probably at Libby Prison in Richmond - until March 1865. He was regimental Commissary of Subsistence from 1862 - 1867. He was honored by brevet (Captain) in June 1863 for action at Beverly Ford, Virginia.

After the War

He continued in Regular Army service, promoted Captain on 12 February 1867, and serving in the West. He was appointed Major of the 4th US Cavalry on 9 January 1886, but was "accidentally killed while hunting" 10 December 1888.

References & notes

Basic information from Caughey1, with service details from Heitman2 and Rodenbough3. His grave site online from Findagrave.

Birth

1834 in NY

Death

12/10/1888; Santa Barbara, CA; burial in Armory Hill Cemetery, Ilion, NY

Notes

1 Caughey, Don, Crossed Sabers, first accessed 07 February 2007, <http://crossedsabers.blogspot.com/>, Source page: /2011/04/2nd-us-cavalry-in-maryland-campaign.html [AotW citation 2258]

2 Heitman, Francis Bernard, Historical Register and Dictionary of the United States Army 1789-1903, 2 volumes, Washington DC: US Government Printing Office, 1903, Vol. 1, pg. 909 [AotW citation 2272]

3 Rodenbough, Theophilus Francis, From Everglade to Canyon with the Second United States Cavalry, New York: D. Van Nostrand, 1875, pg. 470 [AotW citation 2273]

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