Samuel Sherer Elder
Encyclopedia
Samuel Sherer Elder was a career soldier in the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...

, and a battery commander in the famed U.S. Horse Artillery Brigade
U.S. Horse Artillery Brigade
The Horse Artillery Brigade of the Army of the Potomac was a brigade of various batteries of horse artillery during the American Civil War.Made up almost entirely of individual, company-strength batteries from the Regular Army’s five artillery regiments, the Horse Artillery operated under the...

.

Biography

Born in Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...

, Elder enlisted in the US Army in 1853, and was assigned to Battery C, 2nd US Artillery. During his five-year enlistment, he worked his way up through the ranks from Private to First Sergeant. His enlistment ended in 1858, and he did not re-enlist.

With the outbreak of 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...

, he received a direct commission on March 23, 1861 and was assigned to the 1st U.S. Artillery. Promoted to first lieutenant in the 4th US Artillery, May 14, 1861, Elder commanded Battery E, 4th U.S. Artillery, and served in the Eastern Theater with 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...

. Elder was cited for gallantry and awarded a brevet promotion to captain for actions at Antietam, September 17, 1862. By 1863, his battery was assigned to the U.S. Horse Artillery Brigade
U.S. Horse Artillery Brigade
The Horse Artillery Brigade of the Army of the Potomac was a brigade of various batteries of horse artillery during the American Civil War.Made up almost entirely of individual, company-strength batteries from the Regular Army’s five artillery regiments, the Horse Artillery operated under the...

, where he served for most of the remainder of the war. He earned his permanent promotion to captain on August 1, 1863. Detached briefly in February 1864, Elder was cited for gallantry at the Battle of Olustee
Battle of Olustee
The Battle of Olustee or Battle of Ocean Pond was fought in Baker County, Florida on 20 February 1864, during the American Civil War. It was the largest battle fought in Florida during the war.-Background:In February 1864, Major General Quincy A...

, and was awarded the brevet promotion to major. Returning to the Horse Artillery, he was again cited for actions at Drewry’s Bluff, May 5, 1864, and was brevetted lieutenant colonel.

He remained with the army after the war, and was promoted to major in the 2nd U.S. Artillery, June 30, 1882. He died April 6, 1885.

Sources

  • American Memory: Selected Civil War Photographs. Library of Congress. Prints and Photographs Division. Internet: http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/cwphtml/cwphome.html

  • Heitman, Francis B. Historical Register and Dictionary of the United States Army, From its Organization, September 29, 1789 to March 2, 1903. Washington, DC: Government Printing Office, 1903.

  • US War Department. The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies. Washington, DC: Government Printing Office, 1894.
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