CIVIL WAR GENERAL COLONEL 107th NY INFANTRY CONGRESSMAN DIVEN LETTER SIGNED 1862

Description

Here’s a Rare Civil War Date Autograph Letter Signed by General
ALEXANDER SAMUEL DIVEN
`
(1809 – 1896
)
CIVIL WAR UNION BVT BRIGADIER GENERAL
USV, FOR MERITORIOUS SERVICES DURING THE WAR,
COLONEL
and COMMANDER OF THE ‘
HARD FIGHTING
’
107
th
NEW YORK INFANTRY
CIVIL WAR CONGRESSMAN FROM ELMIRA, NEW YORK 1861-1863
-&-
POST-WAR PRESIDENT OF THE
LaFRANCE MANUFACTURING COMPANY
– BUILDERS OF STEAM ENGINE LOCOMOTIVES.
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HERE’S A SCARCE CIVIL WAR DATE AUTOGRAPH LETTER SIGNED BY DIVEN
, 1p
., DATELINED AT WASHINGTON JANY 22
d
1862
TO THE HONORABLE
WILLIAM BURDICK TAYLOR
(1824 – 1895
)
CIVIL WAR ERA “
UNION TICKET
” and REPUBLICAN PARTY POLITICIAN – SERVING AS NEW YORK STATE CHIEF ENGINEER and SURVEYOR 1862-1865.
THE LETTER CONCERNS A LETTER OF RECOMMENDATION FOR AN OPEN POSITION.
The document measures 5” x 8” and is in VERY FINE CONDITION.
A FINE
“GENERAL’S IN BLUE”
RELIC.
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BIOGRAPHY OF THE HONORABLE ALEXANDER S. DIVEN
Alexander Samuel Diven
(February 10, 1809 – June 11, 1896) was an American politician from New York and an officer in the
Union Army
during the
American Civil War
.
Biography
Born in
Catharine, New York
, Diven attended the common schools and the academies in
Penn Yan
and
Ovid, New York
, and then studied law. He was admitted to the bar in 1831, and commenced practice in Elmira. He was member of the
New York State Senate
(27th D.) in
1858
and
1859
.
Diven was elected as a
Republican
to the
37th United States Congress
, holding office from March 4, 1861, to March 3, 1863.
Diven entered the Army on August 13, 1862, as
lieutenant colonel
of the
107th New York Infantry
regiment. He was promoted to
colonel
on October 21, 1862. He was granted leave of absence from the Army for ninety days to take his seat in Congress. He was
honorably discharged
as colonel May 11, 1863, and later
brevetted
brigadier general
of Volunteers April 30, 1864.
Post-war Diven engaged in railroad building and operation from 1865 to 1875, and was prominently identified with the
Erie Railroad
.
In the 1870s
Pennsylvania
native Truckson LaFrance obtained several patents on improvements he developed in the rotary steam engine. John Vischer, head of the Elmira Union Iron Works, became interested and was convinced by LaFrance to back him in the manufacture of a steam fire engine. They subsequently formed a business partnership to manufacture fire apparatus.
Their success attracted the attention of Diven and his four sons, who bought the company in April 1873. They renamed
LaFrance Manufacturing Company
and appointed John Vischer as a Director and Truckson LaFrance as the company's Mechanical Engineer.
Within three months, the new company bought 10 acres of land and built a plant to manufacture steam engines and related equipment, including railroad locomotives.
General Diven was married, in 1835, to Miss Amanda Beers, of Elmira, and had four sons and four daughters. He died in
Elmira, New York
, June 11, 1896 and was buried at
Woodlawn Cemetery (Elmira, New York)
. Diven Elementary School in the
Elmira City School District
is named in honor of his son, George.
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HISTORY of the NEW YORK
ONE HUNDRED AND SEVENTH INFANTRY
(Three Years)
One Hundred and Seventh Infantry.-Cols., Robert B. Van
Valkenburgh, Alexander S. Diven, Nirom M. Crane; Lieut.-Cols.,
Alexander S. Diven, Gabriel L. Smith, Newton T. Colby, William
F.
Fox, Lathrop Baldwin, Allen S. Sill; Majs., Gabriel L.
Smith, Newton T. Colby, William F. Fox, Lathrop Baldwin, Allen
S.
Sill, Charles J. Fox.
This regiment known as the Campbell Guards, was recruited in
the counties of Chemung, Schuyler and Steuben, rendezvoused at
Elmira, and was there mustered into the U. S. service for three
years, Aug. 13, 1862.
It was a fine regiment, noted for its
efficiency and discipline, the first regiment from the North
organized under the second call, and the first to arrive at
Washington, in acknowledgment of which it received a banner
from the state and a personal visit from the president.
It was raised by two patriotic members of the legislature,
Robert B. Van Valkenburg, and Alexander S. Diven, who became
colonel and lieutenant-colonel respectively.
It left the state
on Aug. 13, 1862; was stationed in the defenses of Washington
for a month; was then assigned to the 1st division (Williams),
12th corps (Mansfield), and fought its first battle at
Antietam, where it was heavily engaged, losing 63 in killed,
wounded and missing.
The veteran Gen. Mansfield fell mortally wounded at Antietam,
and Gen. Henry W. Slocum succeeded to the command of the corps.
The regiment was again heavily engaged at the disastrous battle
of Chancellorsville, where the brunt of the fighting fell on
the 3d and 12th corps, and lost in this action 83 killed,
wounded and missing, among the killed being Capt. Nathaniel E.
Rutter.
The regiment was only slightly engaged at Gettysburg, and after
the battle joined with its corps in pursuit of Lee into
Virginia, engaging without loss at Jones' crossroads and near
Williamsport, Md.
In September it was ordered with the corps
to Tennessee to reinforce Rosecrans, and was stationed along
the railroad from Murfreesboro to Bridgeport.
In April, 1864, the 12th corps was changed to the 20th, but
Williams' division retained its red star.
On Dec. 9, 1863,
four cost of the 145th were transferred to the 107th, and in
May the regiment moved on the Atlanta campaign.
It fought at
Resaca, Cassville, and Dallas, and lost 26 killed and 141
wounded at New Hope Church.
From June 9 to July 2 it was engaged about Kennesaw mountain;
fought at Peachtree creek and took part in the siege of
Atlanta; moved in November on Sherman's march to the sea; then
took part in the final campaign of the Carolinas, being engaged
at Rockingham, Fayetteville, Averasboro (where it lost 46
killed, wounded and missing), Bentonville, Raleigh and
Bennett's house.
It was mustered out near Washington, D. C.,
under Col. Crane, June 5, 1865, having lost during its term of
service 4 officers and 87 enlisted men, killed and died of
wounds; 131 enlisted men died of disease, accidents, in prison,
etc., total deaths, 222.
Source:
The Union Army, Vol. 2, p. 127
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BIOGRAPHY OF WILLIAM B. TAYLOR
William Burdick Taylor
(February 27, 1824 – February 1, 1895) was an American civil engineer and politician from
New York
.
Life
He was born on February 27, 1824, in
Manchester
,
Ontario County, New York
.
He was educated at
Utica, New York
, and studied engineering in his brother's office. He began work as a leveler on the
Erie Canal
in 1848, became Second Assistant Engineer in 1850, First Assistant in 1852, Resident Engineer in 1854, and from 1860 to 1862 he was Division Engineer of the Eastern Division of the State Canals.
He was
New York State Engineer and Surveyor
from 1862 to 1865, elected on Union tickets nominated by
Republicans
and
War Democrats
in
1861
and
1863
. In
1869
, he ran again but was defeated by Democrat
Van Rensselaer Richmond
. He was again State Engineer and Surveyor from 1872 to 1873, elected on the Republican ticket in
1871
.
He was elected as a member of the
American Philosophical Society
in 1877.
[1]
He also served two terms as City Surveyor of
Utica, New York
.
He died on February 1, 1895.
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