Augustus Pearl Martin
Encyclopedia
Augustus Pearl Martin (November 23, 1835 – March 13, 1902) was an American politician and soldier from Massachusetts
who served as the mayor of Boston, Massachusetts, in 1884. He also was a leading artillery
officer in the Union Army
during the American Civil War
and was the leader of the state's Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States
. He also served as a general in the postbellum state militia
.
, Piscataquis County, Maine
. He served as a lieutenant of the Boston Light Artillery militia
company from 1858 until 1860. Following the outbreak of the Civil War, he was a sergeant with a three-month enlistment in 1861. He was commissioned subsequently as the first lieutenant of the 3rd Massachusetts Artillery on September 5, 1861, and as the battery
's captain in November of same year. He was Chief of Artillery, George W. Morell
's division of the Army of the Potomac
through most of 1862. He was assigned to duty by Maj. Gen.
George G. Meade as the commander of the artillery brigade of the V Corps
in May 1863 and participated in the Chancellorsville
and Gettysburg
campaigns, as well as the Mine Run Campaign. Martin filed a detailed report on the artillery brigade's role in the Battle of Gettysburg
.http://www.civilwarhome.com/martingettysburgor.htm
During the consolidation and reorganization of the Army of the Potomac in early 1864, Martin reverted to command of the Battery C, Massachusetts Light Artillery, serving in the artillery brigade of Charles S. Wainwright
. Martin saw action at the Battle of the Wilderness
and other engagements during that campaign, as well as during the Siege of Petersburg
, Virginia
. He was awarded a brevet commission
as a colonel
at the close of the war for gallant and meritorious services.
Martin was commander of the Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company in 1878. He was then the commander of the Massachusetts Commandery of MOLLUS in 1879 and 80. Martin was the chief marshal at the dedication of the monument on Boston Common
September 17, 1877, as well as the chief marshal at the celebration of the 250th anniversary of the settlement of Boston on September 17, 1880. He was the senior aide-de-camp
on the staff of Governor John Davis Long
with the rank of brigadier general
in 1882 and was a one-term mayor of Boston in 1884.
Martin died in Dorcester, Massachusetts, in 1902 and is interred at Mount Auburn Cemetery
, Cambridge, Massachusetts
.
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
who served as the mayor of Boston, Massachusetts, in 1884. He also was a leading artillery
Field Artillery in the American Civil War
Field artillery in the American Civil War refers to the important artillery weapons, equipment, and practices used by the Artillery branch to support the infantry and cavalry forces in the field. It does not include siege artillery, use of artillery in fixed fortifications, or coastal or naval...
officer in the Union Army
Union Army
The Union Army was the land force that fought for the Union during the American Civil War. It was also known as the Federal Army, the U.S. Army, the Northern Army and the National Army...
during the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
and was the leader of the state's Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States
Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States
The Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States, also known by its acronym MOLLUS or simply as the Loyal Legion, is a United States patriotic order, organized April 15, 1865, by officers of the Army, Navy, or Marine Corps of the United States who "had aided in maintaining the honor,...
. He also served as a general in the postbellum state militia
Militia
The term militia is commonly used today to refer to a military force composed of ordinary citizens to provide defense, emergency law enforcement, or paramilitary service, in times of emergency without being paid a regular salary or committed to a fixed term of service. It is a polyseme with...
.
Biography
Martin was born in AbbotAbbot, Maine
Abbot is a town in Piscataquis County, Maine, United States. The population was 714 at the 2010 census. It was named for the treasurer of Bowdoin College, John Abbot.-Geography:...
, Piscataquis County, Maine
Piscataquis County, Maine
Piscataquis County is a county located in the U.S. state of Maine. In 2010, its population was 17,535, making it Maine's least-populous county. Its county seat is Dover-Foxcroft....
. He served as a lieutenant of the Boston Light Artillery militia
Militia
The term militia is commonly used today to refer to a military force composed of ordinary citizens to provide defense, emergency law enforcement, or paramilitary service, in times of emergency without being paid a regular salary or committed to a fixed term of service. It is a polyseme with...
company from 1858 until 1860. Following the outbreak of the Civil War, he was a sergeant with a three-month enlistment in 1861. He was commissioned subsequently as the first lieutenant of the 3rd Massachusetts Artillery on September 5, 1861, and as the battery
Artillery battery
In military organizations, an artillery battery is a unit of guns, mortars, rockets or missiles so grouped in order to facilitate better battlefield communication and command and control, as well as to provide dispersion for its constituent gunnery crews and their systems...
's captain in November of same year. He was Chief of Artillery, George W. Morell
George W. Morell
George Webb Morell was a civil engineer, lawyer, farmer, and a Union general in the American Civil War.-Early life:...
's division of the Army of the Potomac
Army of the Potomac
The Army of the Potomac was the major Union Army in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War.-History:The Army of the Potomac was created in 1861, but was then only the size of a corps . Its nucleus was called the Army of Northeastern Virginia, under Brig. Gen...
through most of 1862. He was assigned to duty by Maj. Gen.
Major general (United States)
In the United States Army, United States Marine Corps, and United States Air Force, major general is a two-star general-officer rank, with the pay grade of O-8. Major general ranks above brigadier general and below lieutenant general...
George G. Meade as the commander of the artillery brigade of the V Corps
V Corps (ACW)
The V Corps was a unit of the Union Army of the Potomac during the American Civil War.-1862:The corps was first organized briefly under Nathaniel P. Banks, but then permanently on May 18, 1862, designated as the "V Corps Provisional"...
in May 1863 and participated in the Chancellorsville
Battle of Chancellorsville
The Battle of Chancellorsville was a major battle of the American Civil War, and the principal engagement of the Chancellorsville Campaign. It was fought from April 30 to May 6, 1863, in Spotsylvania County, Virginia, near the village of Chancellorsville. Two related battles were fought nearby on...
and Gettysburg
Gettysburg Campaign
The Gettysburg Campaign was a series of battles fought in June and July 1863, during the American Civil War. After his victory in the Battle of Chancellorsville, Confederate General Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia moved north for offensive operations in Maryland and Pennsylvania. The...
campaigns, as well as the Mine Run Campaign. Martin filed a detailed report on the artillery brigade's role in the Battle of Gettysburg
Battle of Gettysburg
The Battle of Gettysburg , was fought July 1–3, 1863, in and around the town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The battle with the largest number of casualties in the American Civil War, it is often described as the war's turning point. Union Maj. Gen. George Gordon Meade's Army of the Potomac...
.http://www.civilwarhome.com/martingettysburgor.htm
During the consolidation and reorganization of the Army of the Potomac in early 1864, Martin reverted to command of the Battery C, Massachusetts Light Artillery, serving in the artillery brigade of Charles S. Wainwright
Charles S. Wainwright
Charles Shiels Wainwright was a produce farmer in the state of New York and an artillery officer in the Union Army during the American Civil War. He played an important role in the defense of Cemetery Hill during the July 1863 Battle of Gettysburg, where his artillery helped repel a Confederate...
. Martin saw action at the Battle of the Wilderness
Battle of the Wilderness
The Battle of the Wilderness, fought May 5–7, 1864, was the first battle of Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant's 1864 Virginia Overland Campaign against Gen. Robert E. Lee and the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia. Both armies suffered heavy casualties, a harbinger of a bloody war of attrition by...
and other engagements during that campaign, as well as during the Siege of Petersburg
Siege of Petersburg
The Richmond–Petersburg Campaign was a series of battles around Petersburg, Virginia, fought from June 9, 1864, to March 25, 1865, during the American Civil War...
, Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
. He was awarded a brevet commission
Brevet (military)
In many of the world's military establishments, brevet referred to a warrant authorizing a commissioned officer to hold a higher rank temporarily, but usually without receiving the pay of that higher rank except when actually serving in that role. An officer so promoted may be referred to as being...
as a colonel
Colonel (United States)
In the United States Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps, colonel is a senior field grade military officer rank just above the rank of lieutenant colonel and just below the rank of brigadier general...
at the close of the war for gallant and meritorious services.
Martin was commander of the Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company in 1878. He was then the commander of the Massachusetts Commandery of MOLLUS in 1879 and 80. Martin was the chief marshal at the dedication of the monument on Boston Common
Boston Common
Boston Common is a central public park in Boston, Massachusetts. It is sometimes erroneously referred to as the "Boston Commons". Dating from 1634, it is the oldest city park in the United States. The Boston Common consists of of land bounded by Tremont Street, Park Street, Beacon Street,...
September 17, 1877, as well as the chief marshal at the celebration of the 250th anniversary of the settlement of Boston on September 17, 1880. He was the senior aide-de-camp
Aide-de-camp
An aide-de-camp is a personal assistant, secretary, or adjutant to a person of high rank, usually a senior military officer or a head of state...
on the staff of Governor John Davis Long
John Davis Long
John Davis Long was a U.S. political figure. He served as the 32nd Governor of Massachusetts between 1880 and 1883. He later served as the Secretary of the Navy from 1897 to 1902....
with the rank of brigadier general
Brigadier general (United States)
A brigadier general in the United States Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps, is a one-star general officer, with the pay grade of O-7. Brigadier general ranks above a colonel and below major general. Brigadier general is equivalent to the rank of rear admiral in the other uniformed...
in 1882 and was a one-term mayor of Boston in 1884.
Martin died in Dorcester, Massachusetts, in 1902 and is interred at Mount Auburn Cemetery
Mount Auburn Cemetery
Mount Auburn Cemetery was founded in 1831 as "America's first garden cemetery", or the first "rural cemetery", with classical monuments set in a rolling landscaped terrain...
, Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, in the Greater Boston area. It was named in honor of the University of Cambridge in England, an important center of the Puritan theology embraced by the town's founders. Cambridge is home to two of the world's most prominent...
.
See also
- A Diary of Battle: the Personal Journals of Colonel Charles S. Wainwright, 1861–1865, ed. Allan Nevins, New York, Harcourt, Brace & World, 1962.