Alfred L. Pearson
Alfred L. Pearson | |
---|---|
155th Pennsylvania Infantry | |
Battles/wars | American Civil War • Battle of Lewis's Farm |
Awards | Medal of Honor |
Alfred Lawrence Pearson (December 28, 1838 – January 6, 1903) was a lawyer and Union Army general in the American Civil War. He was awarded the U.S. military's highest decoration, the Medal of Honor, for his actions at the Battle of Lewis's Farm.
Biography
Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Pearson studied law at Meadville College and Jefferson College. He was admitted to the Allegheny County bar on January 14, 1862, but worked in the profession for only a few months before leaving to join the army.[1]
He enlisted in the
On March 29, 1865, in the last weeks of the war, Pearson participated in the
After the war Pearson returned to Pittsburgh and resumed the practice of law. He was elected Allegheny County's district attorney in October 1868 and served in that post until health problems forced him to retire from the legal profession. He later worked as a county gas inspector. Pearson was appointed a major general in the Pennsylvania National Guard in 1870 and placed in command of the 6th Division.[2] He served in that capacity during the Great Railroad Strike of 1877, in which dozens of rioters were killed when his troops opened fire.[1]
Pearson was active in veterans' affairs and was for many years a manager of the National Soldiers' Home. He was one of the organizers of the Grand Army of the Republic and was commander of the group's Department of Pennsylvania. He helped organize another veterans' group, the Union Veteran Legion, and was its first national commander. He was also a member of the Military Order of the Loyal Legion and the Medal of Honor Legion.[2]
Pearson married Elizabeth Harwood Stewart and had a son, Alfred Laurence Pearson, who went on to become a successful businessman.[2] He died on January 6, 1903, at age 64.[1]
Medal of Honor citation
Pearson's official Medal of Honor citation reads:
Seeing a brigade forced back by the enemy, he seized his regimental color, called on his men to follow him, and advanced upon the enemy under a severe fire. The whole brigade took up the advance, the lost ground was regained, and the enemy was repulsed.[4]
See also
Notes
- ^ a b c "In Memoriam: General A. L. Pearson, Esq". Pittsburgh Legal Journal. N.S. XXXIII (27). Pittsburgh: Allegheny County Bar Association: 226. January 21, 1903. Retrieved 2009-02-19.
- ^ a b c d e Fleming, George Thornton (1922). History of Pittsburgh and Environs. New York and Chicago: The American Historical Society, Inc. pp. 236–237. Retrieved 2009-02-19.
- ISBN 0-8047-3641-3. p. 754
- ^ a b "Civil War Medal of Honor recipients - (M–Z)". United States Army Center of Military History. January 27, 2009. Archived from the original on 23 February 2009. Retrieved 2009-02-19.
- ^ Eicher, 2001, p. 714
References
- This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the United States Army Center of Military History.
- Eicher, John H., and ISBN 0-8047-3641-3.
- "In Memoriam: General A. L. Pearson, Esq.". Pittsburgh Legal Journal (Pittsburgh: Allegheny County Bar Association) N.S. Vol. XXXIII (27): 226. January 21, 1903. Retrieved 2009-02-19.
- Fleming, George Thornton (1922). History of Pittsburgh and Environs. New York and Chicago: The American Historical Society, Inc.. pp. 236–237. Retrieved 2009-02-19.
- "Civil War Medal of Honor recipients - (M–Z)". United States Army Center of Military History. January 27, 2009. Retrieved 2009-02-19.
External links
Media related to Alfred L. Pearson at Wikimedia Commons
- "Alfred L. Pearson". Claim to Fame: Medal of Honor recipients. Find a Grave. Retrieved September 2, 2010.
- "Jones Family Genealogy". Retrieved September 24, 2010.