Oliver Hazard Palmer

He was admitted to the bar in 1842 at Palmyra, NY, served two years as a Wayne County Judge, and moved to Rochester, NY in 1852. In 1860 he was a prosperous 46 year old attorney in Rochester. Although he had no prior military training or experience, he helped organize a new regiment at Rochester in the summer of 1862, enrolled there on 28 July 1862 for war service, and mustered as Colonel of the 108th New York Infantry on 18 August 1862. His commission was dated 9 September 1862.

Antietam was the first combat experience for Palmer and most of the 108th; they were part of the assault on the Confederate positions in the Sunken Road there on 17 September 1862.

Colonel Palmer may not have actively led his regiment in action - there are reports that Major Force was in effective command at Antietam, and Force was killed there - but he was present on the field with them. After the assault, Lieutenant Colonel Kelly of the 88th New York Infantry wrote:

He (the general [Richardson]) then placed me in command of the One hundred and eighth New York, and ordered us to support a battery a little in advance of where we were previously engaged [Piper's Farm], and remained there during the night and next day.

Palmer was in command of the 2nd Brigade of French's Division at Fredericksburg, VA in December 1862 as senior Colonel but he resigned his commission and was discharged on 2 March 1863. He was honored for his war service by brevet to Brigadier General of Volunteers in May 1866.

He returned to Rochester and became Treasurer of the Western Union Telegraph Company in 1863 and later moved with the Company to New York City, where he was also attorney for the New York Central Railroad. In 1870 he was living alone in New York City, but by 1880 was again with his wife and children and practicing law there.

His service basics from the State of New York1 and Phisterer.2 Personal details from family genealogists, the US Census of 1860-1880, and his obituaries in the New York Times of 4 February 1884 and the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle of 3 February 1884 (thanks to Jim Smith for that). His gravesite is on Findagrave. His picture from a photograph [pdf] in the Roger D Hunt Collection, now at the US Army Heritage and Education Center.

He married Susan Augusta Hart (1822-1890) and they had 8 children, 5 of whom survived him.

Collections of his papers are in the Pearce Civil War Collection, Navarro College, Corsicana, TX and at the University of Alabama [finding aid]. His Civil War Diary was edited and published by Peter Legh Garrett in 1997.

10/05/1814; Walworth, NY

02/02/1884; New York City, NY; burial in Mount Hope Cemetery, Rochester, NY