(1829 - 1897)
Home State: Pennsylvania
Command Billet: Commanding Regiment
Branch of Service: Cavalry
Unit: 6th Pennsylvania Cavalry
Before Antietam
A Philadelphia chemist and druggist, he entered service in the Lancers on 1 October 1861 as First Major. He was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel on 29 March 1862.
On the Campaign
He led the elements of the Regiment present at Antietam while Colonel Rush served as Brigade Commander.
The rest of the War
From February 1863 he served detached from the Regiment as staff officer to Generals Stoneman, Pleasonton, and Sheridan. He was commissioned Colonel on 30 September 1863, but was not officially mustered at that rank. He left the service at the end of his term on 19 September 1864, and was honored by brevet to Colonel in March 1865 for action at Todd's Tavern, Yellow Tavern and Hawes' Shop.
After the War
He returned to Philadelphia and was in the chemical and grain businesses. He was Secretary of the Philadelphia Commercial Exchange from 1885 until his death.
References & notes
Most often referred to as C. Ross Smith, his photograph above is from a CDV offered for sale in 2009 by Museum Quality Americana. Basic service information here from the Roster of Field and Staff officers found in Bates1, with additional information from Hunt.2
Birth
05/18/29; Philadelphia, PA
Death
11/09/1897; Philadelphia, PA; burial in Woodlands Cemetery, Philadelphia, PA
1 Bates, Samuel Penniman, History of the Pennsylvania Volunteers, 1861-65, Harrisburg: State of Pennsylvania, 1868-1871 [AotW citation 933]
2 Hunt, Roger D., Colonels in Blue: Union Army Colonels of the Civil War - Mid Atlantic States, Mechanicsburg (PA): Stackpole Books, 2007, pg. 153 [AotW citation 934]