Civil War Army Brevet Brigadier General, US Congressman. When the Civil War broke out, Ohio Governor William Dennison offered him a commission and asked him to raise troops; he raised five companies in six days. He was mustered in as Lieutenant Colonel of the 42nd Ohio Volunteer Infantry, the regiment that Colonel James A. Garfield, later to become President, was commanding. A year later, he was promoted to Colonel and took command of the regiment. During the war, he fought in the battles of Middle Creek, the capture of Cumberland Gap, Chickaway Bayou, Arkansas Post. Under Major General Ulysses S. Grant he participated in the attack on Port Gibson, Mississippi, and saw action during the assault on Thompson’s Hill. Wounded in the hand by a musket ball, Colonel Sheldon stayed at his post, leading two gallant charges on the enemy position. During the engagements at Raymond, Jackson, and Black River Bridge, Colonel Sheldon followed his regiment in an ambulance but recuperated in time to participate in the siege of Vicksburg. He was brevetted a Brigadier General of Volunteers on March 13, 1865. In the years following the war, he represented Louisiana in the 41st and 43rd Congresses (1869 to 1875) and was appointed by President Garfield to serve as Governor of the Territory of New Mexico from 1881-1885. Sheldon and his wife lived in Pasadena for 30 years.
Civil War Army Brevet Brigadier General, US Congressman. When the Civil War broke out, Ohio Governor William Dennison offered him a commission and asked him to raise troops; he raised five companies in six days. He was mustered in as Lieutenant Colonel of the 42nd Ohio Volunteer Infantry, the regiment that Colonel James A. Garfield, later to become President, was commanding. A year later, he was promoted to Colonel and took command of the regiment. During the war, he fought in the battles of Middle Creek, the capture of Cumberland Gap, Chickaway Bayou, Arkansas Post. Under Major General Ulysses S. Grant he participated in the attack on Port Gibson, Mississippi, and saw action during the assault on Thompson’s Hill. Wounded in the hand by a musket ball, Colonel Sheldon stayed at his post, leading two gallant charges on the enemy position. During the engagements at Raymond, Jackson, and Black River Bridge, Colonel Sheldon followed his regiment in an ambulance but recuperated in time to participate in the siege of Vicksburg. He was brevetted a Brigadier General of Volunteers on March 13, 1865. In the years following the war, he represented Louisiana in the 41st and 43rd Congresses (1869 to 1875) and was appointed by President Garfield to serve as Governor of the Territory of New Mexico from 1881-1885. Sheldon and his wife lived in Pasadena for 30 years.
Bio by: Shiver
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