Lewis & Clark College

Devens, Charles Jr.

Charles Devens Jr. was a Civil War Union Brevet Major General and politician. Born in Charlestown, Massachusetts, Devens graduated from Boston Latin School and eventually Harvard College in 1838, and from the Harvard Law School in 1840. He was admitted to the bar in Franklin County, Massachusetts, where he practiced from 1841 to 1849.He was a member of the Massachusetts State Senate in 1848, US Marshall of Massachusetts, 1849 to 1853 and served on the US Department of Jusice in 1860. When the Civil War erupted, he was apponited Colonel of the 15th Massachusetts Infantry and was wounded in action at the Battle of Ball Bluff. He was promoted Brigadier General in April 1862 and commanded the 1st Brigade of the IV Corps in the Maryland Campaign. Assigned commander of the 1st Division, XI Corps in 1863, he fought at the Battle of Chancellorsville, Battle of Cold Harbor and in the Overland Campaign. During the Siege of Petersburg, he commanded the 3rd Division, XXIV Corps and his troops were the first to occupy Richmond, Virginia in April 1865. For distinguished service, he was brevetted Major General of US Volunteers and served as commander of the military district of Charleston, South Carolina until 1866. After the war, he was judge of the Massachusetts Supreme Judical Court and was US Attorney General in the Cabinet of President Rutherford Hayes.

Politicians

1877

image/tiff

Image
StillImage

For questions about rights statements, or access to the original document please contact Lewis & Clark College Special Collections and Archives http://specialcollections.lclark.edu
http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/NoC-US/1.0/

Nineteenth Century Political Party Photograph Collection