Hollon Richardson facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Hollon Richardson
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Photograph circa 1861
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| District Attorney of Chippewa County, Wisconsin | |
| In office January 1, 1861 – August 1861 |
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| Preceded by | A. K. Gregg |
| Succeeded by | Rodman Palmer |
| Personal details | |
| Born | December 25, 1835 Poland, Ohio, U.S. |
| Died | December 24, 1916 (aged 80) Keyport, Washington, U.S. |
| Resting place | Mount Pleasant Cemetery, Seattle, Washington |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse |
Leonora Colista Robinson
(m. 1862–1916) |
| Children |
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| Relatives | William W. Robinson (father-in-law) |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | United States |
| Branch/service | United States Army Union Army |
| Years of service | 1861–1865 (USV) 1898 (USA) |
| Rank | |
| Commands | 7th Reg. Wis. Vol. Infantry |
| Battles/wars | American Civil War Spanish–American War |
Hollon Richardson (born December 25, 1835 – died December 24, 1916) was an American lawyer and a brave officer in the Union Army during the American Civil War. He was part of the famous Iron Brigade and later received an honorary promotion to brigadier general.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Hollon Richardson was born on Christmas Day in 1835 in Poland, Ohio. He was the oldest of nine children. He went to a regular school and later studied law. In 1857, he became a lawyer in Ohio.
The next spring, he moved to Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin, and started his own law practice. He quickly became well-known. In 1860, he was elected as the district attorney for Chippewa County.
Serving in the Civil War
When the American Civil War began, Richardson immediately resigned from his job as district attorney. He started gathering a group of volunteers from Chippewa County to join the army. He was offered the role of captain for this group but turned it down. Instead, he accepted a commission as a 1st lieutenant. His group became Company A of the 7th Wisconsin Infantry Regiment.
The 7th Wisconsin Infantry officially joined the army on August 16, 1861. They then traveled east to Washington, D.C., to serve in the eastern part of the war.
Promotions and Key Battles
Richardson was promoted to captain in February 1863. Around the time of the Battle of Gettysburg, he was working with General Solomon Meredith's brigade staff. During the first day of the battle, the Iron Brigade was one of the first Union groups to fight the enemy. This happened northwest of Gettysburg town.
During the intense fighting, Colonel Meredith and several other officers were wounded. Captain Richardson played a very important role in keeping order and communication among the regiments. This was crucial during the difficult retreat to Seminary Ridge. Richardson was effectively in charge of the brigade until Colonel Robinson took command later that afternoon.
Richardson's Bravery at Gettysburg
Captain Richardson carried orders to different regiments along the battle line. As the Union line started to weaken, Richardson picked up the flag (called "colors") of a Pennsylvania regiment that had fallen apart in panic. He tried to encourage the men to stand and fight together again. Unfortunately, the regiment did not regroup, and Richardson eventually had to retreat, still carrying the flag.
Richardson's brave actions on the first day of Gettysburg were specifically mentioned in General Abner Doubleday's report of the battle.
That evening, after the first day of fighting, Richardson was moving alone between regiments when he found and captured a Confederate lieutenant. The lieutenant gave Richardson important information about the Confederate plans for the second day of battle. Richardson quickly delivered this information to General Doubleday. Doubleday brought Richardson to a war meeting that evening, where Richardson suggested good places to put cannons.
Later War Service
Richardson was promoted to acting lieutenant colonel on August 8, 1864. He took command of the 7th Wisconsin Infantry on December 17, 1864, after Colonel Mark Finnicum resigned.
During the Battle of Five Forks, which happened in the final weeks of the war, Richardson personally saved the life of Major General Gouverneur K. Warren. He was wounded while doing so. After the war, General Warren offered to help Richardson get a commission in the regular army, but Richardson declined.
Richardson was officially released from volunteer service on July 3, 1865. Throughout the war, he was wounded six times. He also received three honorary promotions, including his final one to brigadier general. This promotion was suggested by President Andrew Johnson on January 13, 1866, and confirmed by the United States Senate on March 12, 1866.
Life After the War
After the war, Richardson stayed in Baltimore for several years and restarted his law career there. While in Baltimore, he was chosen as a delegate to the 1868 Republican National Convention. He strongly supported General Ulysses S. Grant's campaign for president. He returned to Wisconsin in 1870 and had a successful law practice in Chippewa Falls for the next twenty years.
During the Spanish–American War, he was commissioned as a major in the quartermasters department and served in the Philippines. In 1900, he moved to the state of Washington and made his home in Keyport, in Kitsap County. He passed away there after a short illness in 1916, the day before his 81st birthday.
Family Life
During the first winter of the Civil War in 1861, Richardson's commanding officer, Colonel William W. Robinson, brought his family to the army camp in northern Virginia. While there, Richardson became friends with Robinson's daughter, Leonora, and they fell in love. Colonel Robinson did not approve of their relationship because he didn't want his daughter to become a war widow. However, Richardson and Leonora went against Colonel Robinson's wishes and secretly got married in Washington, D.C., in the spring of 1862.
Colonel Robinson refused to speak to his son-in-law for several months after the marriage. But later, the two became close friends. After the war, Colonel Robinson came to live with Richardson and his wife.
Richardson and Leonora had two daughters. Both of them were still alive when he passed away in 1916.
