Benjamin W. Crowninshield
The topic of this article may not meet Wikipedia's notability guideline for biographies. (March 2018) |
Benjamin W. Crowninshield | |
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Born | 12 March 1837 |
Died | 16 January 1892 (aged 54) |
Benjamin Williams Crowninshield (March 12, 1837–January 16, 1892)[1] was an American historian, businessman, and Union Army officer during the American Civil War.
Life
A member of the Boston Brahmin Crowninshield family, Benjamin Williams Crowninshield was born in Boston, the son of Francis Boardman Crowninshield (1809–1877) and Sarah Putnam (1810–1880).[2] He attended
At Harvard, Crowninshield kept a daily diary through his junior and senior years, which was published in 1941 by his son Francis, under the title A Private Journal, 1856–1858. It records that he was captain of the rowing team; handled most of his classes with ease, with the exception of Logic which he called "that cursed nonsense"; was president, Learoyd Director, and Abercrombie Treasurer of the Glee Club; was a member of the Porcellian Club and Pierian Sodality; was treasurer of the Hasty Pudding; sang in the choir; and played the 'cello. He resided, in 1856, at Number 9 Hollis Hall. His diary records many activities, from visiting old friends through attending drawing courses and music lessons; going to dances, theatres, and concerts; playing billiards at Ripley's; and spending the evening in Parker's Restaurant; to spending a whole day making a model boat.[5]
Other people that he befriended at Harvard, according to his diary, include
Civil War service
With the onset of the Civil War, Crowninshield enlisted as a lieutenant with the First Massachusetts Cavalry on November 11, 1861. He rose through the ranks, being promoted to first lieutenant on December 19, 1861, captain on March 26, 1862, and major on August 10, 1864. He was aide de camp to General Philip Sheridan, remaining with the General until mustered out on November 6, 1864. On June 17, 1865, he reached the highest rank that he was to attain, brevet colonel of the U.S. Volunteers.[5]
Crowninshield was the provost marshal on duty at the time W.H.F. Lee, by then a cavalry general in the Confederate States Army, was captured after the Battle of Brandy Station in June 1863. Crowninshield's son Francis was later to record that it was "a truly embarrassing position for both of them", with Lee rejecting "any of the privileges [that] Crowninshield tried to bestow upon him".[5]
After the war he became a member of the Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States - a military society of officers who had served in the Union armed forces.
Post war
Crowninshield pursued the study of history, publishing and speaking on various topics, such as yachting
In 1868, Crowninshield commissioned his friend H.H. Richardson to design and build a house on Marlborough Street in the newly land-filled
After the War, Crowninshield married and moved to New York,[5] where he was a member of New York drygoods merchants Sprague, Colburn, and Company.[3] In 1868 he moved to Boston to join a different drygood merchants, Wheelwright, Anderson, and Company.[3][5] He was later president of the Realty Company.[3]
His health began to fail in 1891, and he died January 16, 1892, at age 54, in Rome, having travelled to Europe for a rest.[5] His oldest son was boat designer Bowdoin B. Crowninshield (1867–1948).[2]
Family tree
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Notes:
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References
- ^ WorldCat Indentities [dead link]
- ^ a b Danvers Historical Society (1922). Historical collections of the Danvers Historical Society. Danvers Historical Society. p. 42.
- ^ ISBN 9780262650151.
- ^ a b Henry Adams. Education of Henry Adams.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Helen Hannon (2006-06-08). "A diarist in the Class of 1858". Harvard Gazette. Harvard University.
- ^ Yacht Luxury. Boston Daily Globe. July 28, 1889. p.19.
- ^ James F. O'Gorman. Living architecture: a biography of H.H. Richardson. Simon and Schuster, 1997.
Further reading
- BW Crowninshield and D H L Gleason (1891). A history of the First regiment of Massachusetts cavalry volunteers. Boston: Houghton, Mifflin and co.
- Benjamin W. Crowninshield (1878). "Sheridan at Winchester". Atlantic Monthly. XLII: 683–691.
- reprinted as: Benjamin W. Crowninshield (2004). "Sheridan at Winchester". In Peter Cozzens (ed.). Battles and leaders of the Civil War. Vol. 6 (reprint ed.). University of Illinois Press. ISBN 9780252028793.
- reprinted as: Benjamin W. Crowninshield (2004). "Sheridan at Winchester". In Peter Cozzens (ed.). Battles and leaders of the Civil War. Vol. 6 (reprint ed.). University of Illinois Press.
- BW Crowninshield and Francis Boardman Crowninshield. A private journal, 1856–1858. Cambridge MA: Riverside Press, 1941.