Edward Jardine

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Edward Jardine
Born(1828-11-02)November 2, 1828
New York Draft Riots
Other workCivil servant, newspaper editor and publisher

Edward Jardine (November 2, 1828 – July 16, 1893) was an American

New York Draft Riots and narrowly escaped lynching at the hands of a mob. The injuries he sustained during the riots ended his military career. [citation needed
]

Biography

Early life and military service

Edward Jardine was born in Brooklyn to Charles Jardine, an Englishman of French descent, shortly after his parents arrived in the United States. He came from a poor background and, as a teenager, he worked at a

State National Guard prior to the start of the American Civil War
.

Enlisting in the

New York Draft Riots

After his unit had been disbanded in early 1863, the two-year enlistment terms having expired, he and other former Union officers were in New York to recruit new members. At the time the

New York Draft Riots broke out, Jardine held no formal command. He did, however, call upon former members of Hawkins' Zouaves as well as other regiments to help local officials to defend against the rioters. Only 200 or so men responded his plea, but Jardine took command of the small force and prepared to face the rioters.[1]
A veteran artillery officer, he also gave artillery support to several regiments.

On July 15, Jardine and his men engaged the rioters at

compound fracture, an injury from which he never fully recovered.[1][2]

He was rescued by local residents, two young women, who hid him and two others in the basement of their Second Avenue home. By the time the mob began searching homes and buildings for wounded soldiers, the two Duryea officers having escaped hours before, Jardine was able to escape notice by wearing civilian clothes.[4] A second version claims that, upon the mob breaking into the house, the two officers were clubbed to death and that only the intervention of one of the rioters, a veteran of Hawkins' Zouaves, had recognized him that he persuaded the others to spare him. Jardine was taken to the home of a nearby surgeon where he remained for the rest of the riots.[3]

Brevet Brigadier General Edward Jardine, U.S. Volunteers, ca. 1866.

Retirement and later years

As a result of the draft riots, recruiting for the re-organizing veteran regiments in New York City dwindled rapidly; and in October 1863 the Governor of New York issued an order calling for the consolidation of those regiments then organizing in New York City. On October 14, 1863, the 9th, 11th, 17th & 38th New York Veteran Volunteer Infantry Regiments were consolidated together to create the

17th New York Veteran Volunteer Infantry Regiment. The 17th Veterans had the largest number of recruited members, with the 9th Veterans having the second most, as such William T.C. Grower, of the 17th, was appointed Colonel, and Edward Jardine as Lieutenant Colonel of the new regiment, which was mustered into United States service on October 14, 1863. Still recovering from his injuries sustained in the draft riots he served with the regiment as much as able, however, on May 10, 1864, he resigned his commission with the regiment to accept an appointment in the Veteran Reserve Corps.[5] His appointment as Captain of the 4th Company of the 2nd Battalion, Veteran Reserve Corps, dated from May 3, 1864, and he served with them for the remainder of the war. On November 2, 1865, he was brevetted to the rank of Brigadier General of United States Volunteers for "“gallant and meritorious services during the War of the Rebellion.”[6]
His military service came to its end on April 12, 1866, when he resigned his commission and returned home to New Jersey.

He was briefly involved in business interests on

New Jersey state legislature in 1869. Involved in the Grand Army of the Republic, Jardine was elected provincial commander of its New Jersey chapter and, years later, became the commander of its New York chapter as well as its senior vice commander in chief.[4]

During the next year, Jardine was personally appointed as a

weigher to the New York U.S. Custom House by President Ulysses S. Grant. He remained in this position for almost twenty years until poor health, due to his old injuries, forced him to retire. After several years as a widower, he married Katherine Clark in 1885. His health continued to decline and was bedridden for much of 1887. [citation needed
]

Death

In March 1888, Jardine suffered an attack [

Chancellor Walworth Lodge of Masons, the George Washington Post of the Grand Army and Loyal Legion of Honor were in attendance.[1]

References

  1. ^ a b c d "Gen. Edward Jardine Dead; End of a Notable Career as a Soldier and Businessman". New York Times. 17 Jul 1893
  2. ^ a b Swinton, William. History of the Seventh Regiment, National Guard, State of New York, During the War of the Rebellion. New York: Fields, Osgood and Co., 1870. (pg. 401)
  3. ^
  4. ^ a b Beath, Robert Burns. History of the Grand Army of the Republic. Bryan, Taylor, & Co. Publishers, 1889. (pg. 153-54)
  5. ^ Lyon, James B. (1900). Annual Report of the Adjutant-General of the State of New York, for the year 1899. Albany, New York: James B. Lyon, State Printers. p. 881.
  6. ^ Heitman, Francis Bernard (1903). Historical Register and Dictionary of the United States Army. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office. p. 571.

Further reading

  • Cook, Adrian. The Armies of the Streets: The New York City Draft Riots of 1863. Lexington: University Press of Kentucky, 1974.

External links