Henry Wagner

Born Heinrich David Wagner, he came to America in about 1854. On 14 April 1856, by then a clerk, he enlisted in New York City in the the United States Army for general service and he reenlisted on 14 February 1861 in Rochester, NY. During his first 6 years in uniform he was assigned to Company G of the First United States Infantry, Company F of the 3rd US, and lastly Company D of the newly-formed 11th US, successively promoted to Corporal, Sergeant, and First Sergeant by October 1861.

On the 1862 Peninsular Campaign he saw action at Yorktown in April, Gaines Mill in June, and Malvern Hill in July. On 14 July 1862 he was appointed Quartermaster Sergeant of the 11th US Infantry and also served as battalion Commissary Sergeant. He was in action again at 2nd Bull Run in August.

He was with his regiment on the Maryland Campaign.

He was at Fredericksburg in December and was commissioned 2nd Lieutenant on 23 March 1863 (to date from 19 February). He was at Chancellorsville in May and at Gettysburg in July 1863 and afterward on recruiting duty in Alexandria, VA from about February 1864 to February 1865, having been promoted to First Lieutenant on 5 May 1864. He rejoined his regiment in the field in Virginia and was with them at Dinwiddie Court House, Five Forks, and to Appomattox Court House. He was honored by brevet to Captain for his actions near Petersburg on 2 April 1865.

He continued in Regular Army service and transferred to the 29th United States Infantry (formed from the 3rd Battalion/11th US) on 21 September 1866. He was regimental Quartermaster from 6 December 1866 to 27 January 1869 then promoted to Captain from that date. He was without an assignment from 25 April to 31 December 1870, when he was sent to command Company (later Troop) C of the First US Cavalry. In 1880 he was commanding Fort Bidwell in Modoc County, CA.

After 20 years of service in the West, on 17 December 1890, he was finally promoted to Major, of the 5th US Cavalry. He was appointed Lieutenant Colonel of the 4th US Cavalry on 13 July 1898 and retired from active service on 1 July 1899, having commanded the post at the Presidio in San Francisco, CA in late 1898 and again in the Spring of 1899.

In 1900 he was living with his wife and daughter Louisa in a large boarding house or hotel on Broadway near Times Square in Manhattan. He and Louisa were boarding at 351 West 57th Street in 1910.

His service from Heitman,1 Henry,2 the US Army Registers, and Letters Received by the Adjutant General, the last two online from fold3. Enlistment details from the Registers of Enlistments.3 Wartime battle details including his presence in Maryland from his own account of his war service (1890) now in the US National Archives. Presidio details from E.N. Thompson's draft history of the post (1994). Personal details from family genealogists and the US Census of 1880-1910. His gravesite is on Findagrave. Thanks to Wallace Fullerton for the pointer to Wagner, details of his life and lifetime of service, his own narrative from the Archives, and for the very fine photograph of him in the uniform of Quartermaster Sergeant.

He married German-born Maria Barbara "Mary" Hütt (1840-1901) in about 1858 and they a son, who died in infancy, and 2 daughters, Emilie (1859-1879) and Louisa Adelaide/Lucy Wagner (1861-1940).

01/09/1836; Nürnburg, Bavaria, GERMANY

03/12/1911; burial in All Faiths Cemetery, Middle Village, NY