Nathan Kimball
Nathan Kimball | |
---|---|
Born | Fredericksburg, Indiana | November 22, 1822
Died | January 21, 1898 Ogden, Utah | (aged 75)
Place of burial | Aultorest Memorial Park, Ogden, Utah |
Allegiance | United States of America Union |
Service/ | United States Army Union Army |
Years of service | 1846–1847, 1861–1865 |
Rank | Brigadier General Brevet Major General |
Commands held | 14th Indiana Infantry Regiment Gibraltar Brigade |
Battles/wars | Mexican–American War |
Nathan Kimball (November 22, 1822 – January 21, 1898) was a physician, politician, postmaster, and military officer, serving as a general in the
Early life and career
Kimball was born in Fredericksburg, Indiana, a small rural hamlet where he attended the local school. He attended the Washington County Seminary and then Indiana Asbury College (what is now DePauw University) from 1839 until 1841 before leaving to teach school and farm in Independence, Missouri. He studied medicine under his brother-in-law at the University of Louisville Medical School in 1844 and established a private practice in Salem and Livonia.[1] He married Martha A. McPheeters in Washington County, Indiana, on September 22, 1845. The couple had one child, a son named James.
When the Mexican–American War erupted, Dr. Kimball volunteered his services to state, raising a company from Livonia in the 2nd Indiana Infantry and being elected as a captain. Kimball was distinguished at the Battle of Buena Vista, where he rallied his company and held them fast even as the rest of the regiment crumbled and fled in disorder. He mustered out in June 1847 and returned to Indiana, where he resumed his medical practice, expanding it to Loogootee. He was defeated for election as a Whig to the Indiana State Senate in 1847. His wife died in early 1850, and he married Emily McPheeters in August. In 1852, he again lost an election, this time for Presidential Elector. Kimball joined the newly formed Republican Party in 1854. His medical practice flourished, and he became well known in the region.
Civil War
With the outbreak of the Civil War in 1861, Kimball again volunteered his services to Indiana and raised a company of infantry. Governor
In March 1862, he fought in the
In July 1862, Kimball led his regiment, the
In December, his men were part of the desperate assaults ordered by Ambrose Burnside against Marye's Heights during the Battle of Fredericksburg. There, Kimball suffered a painful thigh wound that put him out of action for the winter and spring of 1863. The Gibraltar Brigade was subsequently turned over to Col. Samuel S. Carroll. In early 1863, Kimball was nominated to run for the Lieutenant Governor of Indiana, but he declined the nomination to remain in the army.
After finally recovering enough for field command, Kimball was assigned to duty in the
In April 1864, Kimball was relieved of duty in the
He returned to Indiana at Governor Morton's request to help subdue the
February 1, 1865, and mustered out of the army on August 24, 1865, following the close of the war.Postbellum activities
Kimball returned to Indiana, where he became associated with the newly organized
Honors
A bronze bust of Kimball was erected in the Vicksburg National Military Park in 1915.
See also
Notes
References
- Baxter, Nancy Niblack, Gallant Fourteenth: The Story of an Indiana Civil War Regiment. Carmel, Indiana: Guild Press, 1980. ISBN 0-9617367-8-X.
- Denslow, William R., 10,000 Famous Freemasons from K to Z. Whitefish, Montana: Kessinger Publishing, 2004. ISBN 1-4179-7579-2.
- Heitman, Francis, Historical Register and Dictionary of the United States Army 1789-1903. Washington: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1903.
- Warner, Ezra J., Generals in Blue: Lives of the Union Commanders. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 1964, ISBN 0-8071-0822-7.
- U.S. War Department, The War of the Rebellion: a Compilation of the Official Recordsof the Union and Confederate Armies, U.S. Government Printing Office, 1880–1901.
- Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War webpage for Kimball