Simon Goodell Griffin
Encyclopedia
Simon Goodell Griffin was an American
soldier, legislator, farmer and teacher.
, New Hampshire
(USA) in 1824. Griffin was a farmer and a teacher at first. He represented his town in the State legislature and was admitted to the bar
in 1860.
, Griffin served first as a captain in the 2nd New Hampshire Infantry from June 1, 1861 to October 31 of that year. He served as lieutenant colonel of the 6th New Hampshire Infantry
from November 28, 1861 until he became colonel on April 22, 1862. Griffin led his regiment in First Brigade, Second Division, Ninth Army Corps. He led the regiment in the Second Battle of Bull Run
, the Battle of Antietam
and the Battle of Fredericksburg
. Griffin led first brigade second division briefly during the winter of 1862-1863.
Griffin's regiment was sent West with MG Ambrose Burnside
, alternately serving as regimental and brigade commander. He served under MG Grant
in the siege of Vicksburg
when MG John G. Parke took IX Corps to Mississippi. IX Corps served most with MG William T. Sherman, preventing Confederate reinforcements from reaching Vicksburg. (A bust of Gen Griffin now stands near Grant Circle at the Vicksburg National Military Park
.http://www.nps.gov/vick/historyculture/col-simon-g-griffin.htm) Next Col Griffin participated in Sherman
's Mississippi campaign of 1864, which culminated in the Battle of Meridian
.
Returning East, Griffin commanded the Second Brigade, Second Division, in the Battle of the Wilderness
, Spotsylvania
and the Battle of Cold Harbor
. He was brevet
ted brigadier general
of volunteers in 1864, on the recommendations of Generals Burnside and Grant. Griffin became a brigadier general on May 12, 1864. For gallantry at the Siege of Petersburg
and around Richmond
, he was brevetted major general of volunteers in 1865. When Gen Robert B. Potter, the division commander, was wounded in an attack on Fort Mahone, Griffin became acting division commander during the Appomattox Campaign
. He also commanded the division in the Department of Washington after the Confederate surrender.
, serving in the last two terms as Speaker. Griffin died in Keene, New Hampshire
on January 14, 1902. He was buried in Keene at the Wood;and Cemetery.
Gen Griffin also was a local historian, co-author of:
Simon Goodell Griffin, Frank H Whitcomb and Octavius Applegate, Jr., A history of the town of Keene from 1732, when the township was granted by Massachusetts, to 1874, when it became a city, Keene, N.H., Sentinel Print. Co., 1904. Reprint: Bowie, MD: Heritage Books, 1980. ISBN 0917890213; 9780917890215
Simon Goodell Griffin and Ebenezer Tolman, Celebration by the town of Nelson, New Hampshire (originally called "Monadnick no. 6" and incorporated as "Packersfield") of the one hundred and fiftieth anniversary of its first settlement,1767-1917, New York: Evening post job Print. Office, Inc., 1917. Reprint: Salem, Mass.: Higginson Book Company, 1998.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
soldier, legislator, farmer and teacher.
Pre-War
Simon G. Griffin was born at NelsonNelson, New Hampshire
Nelson is a town in Cheshire County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 729 at the 2010 census. Nelson includes the village of Munsonville.-History:...
, New Hampshire
New Hampshire
New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state was named after the southern English county of Hampshire. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Canadian...
(USA) in 1824. Griffin was a farmer and a teacher at first. He represented his town in the State legislature and was admitted to the bar
Bar association
A bar association is a professional body of lawyers. Some bar associations are responsible for the regulation of the legal profession in their jurisdiction; others are professional organizations dedicated to serving their members; in many cases, they are both...
in 1860.
Civil War Service
During the American Civil WarAmerican 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...
, Griffin served first as a captain in the 2nd New Hampshire Infantry from June 1, 1861 to October 31 of that year. He served as lieutenant colonel of the 6th New Hampshire Infantry
6th New Hampshire Volunteer Infantry
The 6th New Hampshire Volunteer Infantry was an infantry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War.-Service:The 6th New Hampshire Infantry was organized in Keene, New Hampshire and mustered in for a three year enlistment on November 27, 1861.The regiment was attached to...
from November 28, 1861 until he became colonel on April 22, 1862. Griffin led his regiment in First Brigade, Second Division, Ninth Army Corps. He led the regiment in the Second Battle of Bull Run
Second Battle of Bull Run
The Second Battle of Bull Run or Second Manassas was fought August 28–30, 1862, as part of the American Civil War. It was the culmination of an offensive campaign waged by Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia against Union Maj. Gen...
, 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...
and 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...
. Griffin led first brigade second division briefly during the winter of 1862-1863.
Griffin's regiment was sent West with MG Ambrose Burnside
Ambrose Burnside
Ambrose Everett Burnside was an American soldier, railroad executive, inventor, industrialist, and politician from Rhode Island, serving as governor and a U.S. Senator...
, alternately serving as regimental and brigade commander. He served under MG Grant
Ulysses S. Grant
Ulysses S. Grant was the 18th President of the United States as well as military commander during the Civil War and post-war Reconstruction periods. Under Grant's command, the Union Army defeated the Confederate military and ended the Confederate States of America...
in the siege of Vicksburg
Battle of Vicksburg
The Siege of Vicksburg was the final major military action in the Vicksburg Campaign of the American Civil War. In a series of maneuvers, Union Maj. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant and his Army of the Tennessee crossed the Mississippi River and drove the Confederate army of Lt. Gen. John C...
when MG John G. Parke took IX Corps to Mississippi. IX Corps served most with MG William T. Sherman, preventing Confederate reinforcements from reaching Vicksburg. (A bust of Gen Griffin now stands near Grant Circle at the Vicksburg National Military Park
Vicksburg National Military Park
Vicksburg National Military Park preserves the site of the American Civil War Battle of Vicksburg, waged from May 18 to July 4, 1863. The park, in Vicksburg, Mississippi, and Delta, Louisiana, also commemorates the greater Vicksburg Campaign, which preceded the battle. Reconstructed forts and...
.http://www.nps.gov/vick/historyculture/col-simon-g-griffin.htm) Next Col Griffin participated in Sherman
William Tecumseh Sherman
William Tecumseh Sherman was an American soldier, businessman, educator and author. He served as a General in the Union Army during the American Civil War , for which he received recognition for his outstanding command of military strategy as well as criticism for the harshness of the "scorched...
's Mississippi campaign of 1864, which culminated in the Battle of Meridian
Battle of Meridian
The Battle of Meridian was fought in Lauderdale County, Mississippi, from February 14 to February 20, 1864, between elements of the Union Army of the Tennessee led by Maj. Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman and Confederate forces under Lt. Gen. Leonidas Polk...
.
Returning East, Griffin commanded the Second Brigade, Second Division, 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...
, Spotsylvania
Battle of Spotsylvania Court House
The Battle of Spotsylvania Court House, sometimes simply referred to as the Battle of Spotsylvania , was the second major battle in Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant's 1864 Overland Campaign of the American Civil War. Following the bloody but inconclusive Battle of the Wilderness, Grant's army disengaged...
and 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...
. He was 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...
ted brigadier general
Brigadier General
Brigadier general is a senior rank in the armed forces. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries, usually sitting between the ranks of colonel and major general. When appointed to a field command, a brigadier general is typically in command of a brigade consisting of around 4,000...
of volunteers in 1864, on the recommendations of Generals Burnside and Grant. Griffin became a brigadier general on May 12, 1864. For gallantry at the Siege of Petersburg
Petersburg, Virginia
Petersburg is an independent city in Virginia, United States located on the Appomattox River and south of the state capital city of Richmond. The city's population was 32,420 as of 2010, predominantly of African-American ethnicity...
and around Richmond
Richmond, Virginia
Richmond is the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the United States. It is an independent city and not part of any county. Richmond is the center of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Greater Richmond area...
, he was brevetted major general of volunteers in 1865. When Gen Robert B. Potter, the division commander, was wounded in an attack on Fort Mahone, Griffin became acting division commander during the Appomattox Campaign
Appomattox Campaign
The Appomattox Campaign was a series of battles fought March 29 – April 9, 1865, in Virginia that culminated in the surrender of Confederate General Robert E...
. He also commanded the division in the Department of Washington after the Confederate surrender.
Post war
Gen Griffin was mustered out of the volunteer service on August 24, 1865. He was a manufacturer and was elected five times to a seat in the New Hampshire LegislatureNew Hampshire General Court
The General Court of New Hampshire is the bicameral state legislature of the U.S. state of New Hampshire. The lower house is the New Hampshire House of Representatives with 400 members. The upper house is the New Hampshire Senate with 24 members...
, serving in the last two terms as Speaker. Griffin died in Keene, New Hampshire
Keene, New Hampshire
Keene is a city in Cheshire County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 23,409 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Cheshire County.Keene is home to Keene State College and Antioch University New England, and hosts the annual Pumpkin Fest...
on January 14, 1902. He was buried in Keene at the Wood;and Cemetery.
Gen Griffin also was a local historian, co-author of:
Simon Goodell Griffin, Frank H Whitcomb and Octavius Applegate, Jr., A history of the town of Keene from 1732, when the township was granted by Massachusetts, to 1874, when it became a city, Keene, N.H., Sentinel Print. Co., 1904. Reprint: Bowie, MD: Heritage Books, 1980. ISBN 0917890213; 9780917890215
Simon Goodell Griffin and Ebenezer Tolman, Celebration by the town of Nelson, New Hampshire (originally called "Monadnick no. 6" and incorporated as "Packersfield") of the one hundred and fiftieth anniversary of its first settlement,1767-1917, New York: Evening post job Print. Office, Inc., 1917. Reprint: Salem, Mass.: Higginson Book Company, 1998.