Pre-War

Elijah D. Taft was born in Mamaroneck, New York

Mamaroneck (town), New York

Mamaroneck is a town in Westchester County, New York, United States. The population was 29,156 at the 2010 census. There are two villages contained within the town: Larchmont and the Village of Mamaroneck...

 April 28, 1819. He worked as a carpenter in Brooklyn, New York. Taft entered a New York 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...

 unit, rising to the rank of captain by the year 1855. In the same year Taft stood for political office in Brooklyn. He was nominated by the Know Nothing Party for the state legislator. Later the Whig Party

Whig Party (United States)

The Whig Party was a political party of the United States during the era of Jacksonian democracy. Considered integral to the Second Party System and operating from the early 1830s to the mid-1850s, the party was formed in opposition to the policies of President Andrew Jackson and his Democratic...

 also nominated him. The New York Times compared him to a man given an elephant who does not know what to do with it. Taft sought a commission with William Walker, the filibuster president of Nicaragua

Nicaragua

Nicaragua is the largest country in the Central American American isthmus, bordered by Honduras to the north and Costa Rica to the south. The country is situated between 11 and 14 degrees north of the Equator in the Northern Hemisphere, which places it entirely within the tropics. The Pacific Ocean...

 ca. 1856, citing his 15 years of militia experience.

War Service

The 5th New York Battery was organized in Brooklyn, New York on August 15, 1861. Elijah Taft was commissioned its commander as a captain later in the year. The battery was intended to serve with the Excelsior Brigade

Excelsior Brigade

The Excelsior Brigade was a military unit in the Union Army during the American Civil War. Comprising primarily infantry regiments raised in the state of New York primarily by former U.S...

 on BG Daniel Sickles

Daniel Sickles

Daniel Edgar Sickles was a colorful and controversial American politician, Union general in the American Civil War, and diplomat....

. The 5th New York Battery sometimes was called the First Excelsior Light Artillery. The 5th New York was mustered into the federal service on November 8, 1861. It departed for Washington, D. C. eight days later and stayed there, encamped near the Capitol, until March 1862. Then the gunners left for the Peninsula Campaign

Peninsula Campaign

The Peninsula Campaign of the American Civil War was a major Union operation launched in southeastern Virginia from March through July 1862, the first large-scale offensive in the Eastern Theater. The operation, commanded by Maj. Gen. George B...

 of MG George B. McClellan

George B. McClellan

George Brinton McClellan was a major general during the American Civil War. He organized the famous Army of the Potomac and served briefly as the general-in-chief of the Union Army. Early in the war, McClellan played an important role in raising a well-trained and organized army for the Union...

. It was assigned to the Reserve Artillery 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...

 under Col Henry J. Hunt. The battery’s equipment not having arrived, Taft, his officers and men served with other batteries at the Battle of Yorktown

Battle of Yorktown (1862)

The Battle of Yorktown or Siege of Yorktown was fought from April 5 to May 4, 1862, as part of the Peninsula Campaign of the American Civil War. Marching from Fort Monroe, Union Maj. Gen. George B. McClellan's Army of the Potomac encountered Maj. Gen. John B. Magruder's small Confederate force...

, the Battle of Seven Pines

Battle of Seven Pines

The Battle of Seven Pines, also known as the Battle of Fair Oaks or Fair Oaks Station, took place on May 31 and June 1, 1862, in Henrico County, Virginia, as part of the Peninsula Campaign of the American Civil War. It was the culmination of an offensive up the Virginia Peninsula by Union Maj. Gen....

 and the Seven Days Battles

Seven Days Battles

The Seven Days Battles was a series of six major battles over the seven days from June 25 to July 1, 1862, near Richmond, Virginia during the American Civil War. Confederate General Robert E. Lee drove the invading Union Army of the Potomac, commanded by Maj. Gen. George B. McClellan, away from...

.

The 5th New York sailed from Harrison's Landing on August 9, 1862, arriving at Falmouth, Virginia

Falmouth, Virginia

Falmouth is an unincorporated community in Stafford County, Virginia, United States. Situated on the north bank of the Rappahannock River at the falls, the community is north of and opposite the city of Fredericksburg. Recognized by the U.S...

. Fully equipped, the battery joined the Reserve Artillery attached to 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"...

 under Col William Hays

William Hays (general)

William Hays was a career officer in the United States Army, serving as a Union Army general during the American Civil War.-Early life:...

, The battery was engaged at the Battle of Antietam

Battle of Antietam

The Battle of Antietam , fought on September 17, 1862, near Sharpsburg, Maryland, and Antietam Creek, as part of the Maryland Campaign, was the first major battle in the American Civil War to take place on Northern soil. It was the bloodiest single-day battle in American history, with about 23,000...

, firing from two different positions against Confederate guns on the other side of Antietam Creek, one near the Middle Bridge and one farther to the left.

Taft’s battery next served in the Reserve Artillery under Col Hays at the Battle of Fredericksburg

Battle of Fredericksburg

The Battle of Fredericksburg was fought December 11–15, 1862, in and around Fredericksburg, Virginia, between General Robert E. Lee's Confederate Army of Northern Virginia and the Union Army of the Potomac, commanded by Maj. Gen. Ambrose E. Burnside...

. It was one of the batteries lined up overlooking the Rappahannock River

Rappahannock River

The Rappahannock River is a river in eastern Virginia, in the United States, approximately in length. It traverses the entire northern part of the state, from the Blue Ridge Mountains in the west, across the Piedmont, to the Chesapeake Bay, south of the Potomac River.An important river in American...

 to support the federal army’s crossing of the river. In the Chancellorsville campaign he served under Cpt William M. Graham and BG Robert O. Tyler

Robert O. Tyler

Robert Ogden Tyler was an American soldier who served as a general in the Union Army during the American Civil War. He is best known as the commander of the Artillery Reserve of the Army of the Potomac, including at the Battle of Gettysburg in July 1863, where many of his batteries played...

. In May 1863 his battery fired across the river not far from where it was positioned in December to cover the crossing of VI Corps

VI Corps (ACW)

The VI Corps was a corps of the Union Army during the American Civil War.-Formation:The corps was organized as the Sixth Provisional Corps on May 18, 1862, by uniting Maj. Gen. William B. Franklin's Division, which had just arrived on the Virginia Peninsula, with Maj. Gen. William F. Smith's...

 at the beginning of the Second Battle of Fredericksburg.

After Chancellorsville, the Reserve Artillery was reorganized into brigades. Taft was assigned command of the Second Volunteers brigade, composed of four batteries: 1st Connecticut Heavy, Battery B: Capt Albert F. Brooker; 1st Connecticut Heavy, Battery M: Capt Franklin A. Pratt; 2nd Connecticut Light Battery: Capt John W. Sterling; 5th New York Independent Battery under Taft. During the Gettysburg Campaign

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...

, two batteries were left in the rear areas of the army. The other two, led by Capt Taft, arrived on the Gettysburg battlefield.

At 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...

, Taft’s batteries arrived on July 2 about 10:30 A. M. and were held in reserve until they moved into position. The 5th New York was send to the Evergreen Cemetery at about 3.30 P. M. This was part of Gen Hunt's effort to cover all Confederate angles of approach to Cemetery Hill.http://www.civilwarhome.com/huntgettysburgor.htm The guns were engaged from 4:00 P. M. until dark. Four guns of the battery were south of the Baltimore Pike firing at Confederate batteries on Benner's Hill. Two guns fired westward. The battery remained in place on the morning of July 3. One gun on Baltimore Pike burst, but the other three relieved the section firing westward against the Confederate guns on Seminary Ridge. They remained in that position until the close of the battle. The 5th New York lost 1 man killed and 2 wounded. The battery’s monument stands in the Gettysburg National Cemetery

Gettysburg National Cemetery

The Gettysburg National Cemetery is located on Cemetery Hill in the Gettysburg Battlefield near the borough of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania and adjacent to Evergreen Cemetery to the south...

.http://www.virtualgettysburg.com/exhibit/monuments/pages/sr194.html The 2nd Connecticut Battery under Capt. John W. Sterling reinforced the III Corps

III Corps (ACW)

There were four formations in the Union Army designated as III Corps during the American Civil War.Three were short-lived:*In the Army of Virginia:**Irvin McDowell ;**James B...

 line until late in the day on July 2. Later it retired and on July 3 formed line under Ltc Freeman McGilvery

Freeman McGilvery

Freeman McGilvery was a United States Army artillery officer during the American Civil War. He gained fame at the Battle of Gettysburg for taking the initiative to piece together a line of guns that greatly contributed to the Union victory.-Biography:McGilvery was born in Prospect, Maine...

 on the left of II Corps

II Corps (ACW)

There were five corps in the Union Army designated as II Corps during the American Civil War.* Army of the Cumberland, II Corps commanded by Thomas L. Crittenden , later renumbered XX Corps...

 on Cemetery Ridge.http://www.dmna.state.ny.us/historic/reghist/civil/artillery/5thIndBat/5thIndBatHistSketch.htm

After Gettysburg, Taft command his reserve artillery brigade in the Bristoe Campaign

Bristoe Campaign

The Bristoe Campaign was a series of minor battles fought in Virginia during October and November 1863, in the American Civil War. Maj. Gen. George G. Meade, commanding the Union Army of the Potomac, began to maneuver in an unsuccessful attempt to defeat Gen. Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern...

 and at the Battle of Mine Run

Battle of Mine Run

The Battle of Mine Run, also known as Payne's Farm, or New Hope Church, or the Mine Run Campaign , was conducted in Orange County, Virginia, in the American Civil War....

. At the beginning of the Overland Campaign

Overland Campaign

The Overland Campaign, also known as Grant's Overland Campaign and the Wilderness Campaign, was a series of battles fought in Virginia during May and June 1864, in the American Civil War. Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant, general-in-chief of all Union armies, directed the actions of the Army of the...

 of 1864, Maj John A. Tompkins took command of the brigade, and consequently Taft resumed command of his battery. The battery participated in 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 the Battle of Spotsylvania in the Reserve Artillery, but it was assigned to V Corps at the Battle of Cold Harbor

Battle of Cold Harbor

The Battle of Cold Harbor was fought from May 31 to June 12, 1864 . It was one of the final battles of Union Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant's Overland Campaign during the American Civil War, and is remembered as one of American history's bloodiest, most lopsided battles...

. The 5th New York was sent to the defenses of Washington on May 19, 1864. It was in XXII Corps

XXII Corps (ACW)

XXII Corps was a corps in the Union Army during the American Civil War. It was created on February 2, 1863, to consist of all troops garrisoned in Washington, D.C., and included three infantry divisions and one of cavalry...

 in July 1864; and in the artillery brigade of VI Corps

VI Corps (ACW)

The VI Corps was a corps of the Union Army during the American Civil War.-Formation:The corps was organized as the Sixth Provisional Corps on May 18, 1862, by uniting Maj. Gen. William B. Franklin's Division, which had just arrived on the Virginia Peninsula, with Maj. Gen. William F. Smith's...

 in August.

Next Taft was sent with his guns to serve in the Army of the Shenandoah under MG Philip H. Sheridan. In the Valley Campaigns of 1864

Valley Campaigns of 1864

The Valley Campaigns of 1864 were American Civil War operations and battles that took place in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia from May to October 1864. Military historians divide this period into three separate campaigns, but it is useful to consider the three together and how they...

, Taft’s battery was assigned to XIX Corps

XIX Corps (ACW)

XIX Corps was a corps of the Union Army during the American Civil War. It spent most of its service in Louisiana and the Gulf, though several units fought in Virginia's Shenandoah Valley....

. He commanded the Artillery Reserve of the corps at the Third Battle of Winchester and the Battle of Fisher's Hill

Battle of Fisher's Hill

The Battle of Fisher's Hill was fought September 21–22, 1864, as part of the Valley Campaigns of 1864 during the American Civil War. Fisher's Hill is located near Strasburg, Virginia....

. When Maj Albert W. Bradbury took command of the Reserve, Taft resumed command of his battery, which was assigned to the first division of the corps. The battery fought at the Battle of Cedar Creek

Battle of Cedar Creek

The Battle of Cedar Creek, or Battle of Belle Grove, October 19, 1864, was one of the final, and most decisive, battles in the Valley Campaigns of 1864 during the American Civil War. The final Confederate invasion of the North, led by Lt. Gen. Jubal A. Early, was effectively ended...

 under Capt Taft. Thereafter the battery remained, with Taft as commander, in the Department of West Virginia. The 5th New York was mustered out of service at Hart’s Island near New York City

New York City

New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...

 on July 16, 1865. Taft received brevet

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...

 rank of major to date from March 13, 1865.

Post-War

Capt Taft filed for a pension in 1886.http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~taft/Taftpens.html Nothing is recorded about his wife and children, but he died at the home of his grandson Edgar G, Taft at Freeport on Long Island

Long Island

Long Island is an island located in the southeast part of the U.S. state of New York, just east of Manhattan. Stretching northeast into the Atlantic Ocean, Long Island contains four counties, two of which are boroughs of New York City , and two of which are mainly suburban...

on March 2, 1915.