GEN. CHARLES GRIFFIN BIOGRAPHY PROJECT: Exploring the Life and Career of an Important but little-known or documented American solider
A History of the Forty-Fourth Regiment, New York Volunteer Infantry in the Civil War, Eugene Nash (Chicago 1911) https://archive.org/embed/02687858.3118.emory.edu/02687858_3118
“The Adjutant’s Story” by Capt. O.L. Munger pp. 250-260
Tells of incident on 5/8/64 Spotsylvania where 23 44NY men made prisoners after hopeless assault ordered by Griffin against what CG purports to be dismounted cavalry- 83PA & 44NY charge
[p. 329]
#1353..(Born O.).......CHARLES GRIFFIN...... (Apd 0.). .WEST POINT CLASS ’47: RANK: 23
Military History. — Cadet at the Military Academy, July 1, 1843, to July 1, 1847, when he was graduated and promoted in the Army to
Bvt. SECOND LIEUT., 4TH ARTILLERY, JULY 1, 1847.
Served : in the War with Mexico, 1847-48, on March to Puebla ; on
(SECOND LIEUT., 2D ARTILLERY, Oct. 12, 1847)
sick leave of absence, 1848 ; in garrison at Tampa Bay, Fla., 1848, - and Ft. Monroe, Va., 1848-49; on frontier duty, at Santa Fé, N. M., 1849,–
(First LIEUT., 2D ARTILLERY, JUNE 30, 1849)
Scouting, 1849, Santa Fé, N. M., 1849–50, Albiquia, N. M., 1850,Santa Fe, N. M., 1850–51, Expedition against Navajo Indians, 1851, and Ft. Defiance, N. M., 1851-52, 1853–54 ; in garrison at Ft. McHenry, Md., 1854–57 ; conducting recruits from Carlisle, Pa., to Ft. Leavenworth, Kan., 1857; in garrison at Ft. Independence, Mas., 1857 ; on frontier duty at Ft. Snelling, Min., 1857, — Ft. Leavenworth, Kan., 1857, escorting Governor to New Mexico, 1857–58, — Ft. Leavenworth, Kan., 1858, – and Ft. Riley, Kan., 1858–59 ; on leave of absence, 1859–60 ; and at the Military Academy, as Asst. Instructor of Artillery, Sep. 11, 1860, to Jan. 7, 1861.
Served during the Rebellion of the Seceding States, 1861–66; in command of Battery at Washington, D. C., Jan. 31 to July, 1861, — in the
(CAPTAIN, 2D ARTILLERY, APR. 25, 1861)
Manassas Campaign of July, 1861, being engaged in the Battle of Bull
(TRANSFERRED TO 5TH ARTILLERY, MAY 14, 1861)
Run, July 21, 1861, - and in the Defenses of Washington, D. C., July,
(Bvt. MAJOR, JULY 21, 1861, FOR GALLANT AND MERITORIOUS SERVICES AT THE BATTLE OF BULL Run, VA.)
1861, to Mar., 1862 ; in the Virginia Peninsular Campaign, commanding [p. 330] Battery, Mar. to June, and Brigade of 5th Corps, June to Aug., 1862
(Brig.-GENERAL, U. S. VOLUNTEERS, JUNE 9, 1862)
(Army of the Potomac), being engaged in the Siege of Yorktown, Apr. 5 to May 4, 1862, — Action and Capture of Hanover C. H., May 27, 1862, Battle of Mechanicsville, June 26, 1862, — Battle of Gaines's Mill, June 27, 1862, — Battle of Malvern Hill, July 1, 1862, — and Action of Malvern Hill, Aug. 5, 1862 ; in command of 2d Brigade, 5th Corps (Army of the Potomac), in the Northern Virginia Campaign, Ang.-Sep., 1862, being engaged in the Battle of Manassas, Aug: 30, 1862 ; in the Maryland Campaign (Army of the Potomac), Sep. to Nov., 1862, being engaged in the Battle of Antietam, Sep. 17, 1862, Skirmish at Shepardstown, Sep. 19, 1862, - and March to Falmouth, Va., Nov., 1862 ; in command of 1st Division, 5th Corps (Army of the Potomac), in the Rappahannock Campaign, Dec., 1862, to May, 1863, being engaged in the Battle of Fredericksburg, Dec. 13, 1862, and Battle of Chancellorsville, May 2-4, 1863 ; on sick leave of absence, May 15 to July 2, 1863 ; in command of 1st Division, 5th Corps (Amy of the Potomac), July 3 to Oct. 24, 1863 ; in the Pennsylvania Campaign, and in Central Virginia, being engaged in the Battle of Gettysburg, July 3, 1863, — and Several Skirmishes ; on sick leave of absence, Oct. 24 to Nov. 3, 1863 ; on Court-martial duty, Nov. 3, 1863, to Apr. 3, 1864; in command of 1st Division, 5th Corps (Army of the Potomac), Apr. 3, 1864, to Apr. 1, 1865, and of 5th Army Corps, Apr. 1, 1865, in the Richmond Campaign, being engaged in the Battle of the Wilderness, May 5–6, 1864, Battles about Spottsylvania C. H.,
(Bvt. LIEUT.-COLONEL, MAY 6, 1861, FOR GALLANT AND MERITORIOUS SERVICES AT THE BATTLE OF THE WILDERNESS, VA.)
May 9–20, 1861, — Battle of Jericho Ford, May 23, 1864, Battle of Bethesda Church, June 1-4, 1861, Assault of Petersburg, June 18, 1864,Siege of Petersburg, June 18 to July 20, 1861, and Aug. 9, 1864, to Mar. 29,
(Bvt. MAJOR-GENERAL, U. S. VOLUNTEERS, Aug. 1, 1864, For CONSPICUOUS GALLANTRY IN THE BATTLES OF THE WILDERNESS, SPOTTSYLVANIA C. H., JERICHO Mills, BETHESDA CHURCH, PETERSBURG, AND GLOBE TAVERN (WELDON RAILROAD), AND FOR FAITHFUL SERVICES IN THE CAMPAIGN)
1865, - Battles on the Weldon Railroad, Aug. 18-21, 1864, — Action of
(Bvt. COLONEL, Aug. 18, 1864, FOR GALLANT AND MERITORIOUS SERVICES IN THE BATTLE ON THE WELDON RAILROAD, VA.)
Peebles' Farm, Sep. 30, 1864, — Movement to Hatcher's Run, Oct. 27-28, 1864, - Destruction of Weldon Railroad to Meherrin River, Dec. 7-10, 1864, - Action of Hatcher's Run, Feb. 7–8, 1865, – Actions and Move
(Bvt. Brig.-GENERAL, U. S. ARMY, Mar. 13, 1865, FOR GALLANT AND MERITORIOUS SERVICES AT THE BATTLE OF FIVE FORKS, VA.)
(Bvt. MAJ.-GENERAL, U. S. ARMY, MAR. 13, 1865, FOR GALLANT AND MERITORIOUS SERVICES IN THE FIELD DURING THE REBELLION)
ment to White Oak Ridge, Mar. 29–31, 1865, — Battle of Five Forks, Apr. 1, 1865,- Pursuit of Rebel Army under General Lee, Apr. 3-9,
(MAJOR-GENERAL, U. S. VOLUNTEERS, APR. 2, 1865)
1865, — Action of Appomattox C. H., Apr. 9, 1865, — and Capitulation of Appomattox C. H., Apr. 9, 1865, he being one of the Commissioners to carry into effect the stipulations for the surrender; in command of 5th Army Corps till June 28, 1865, at Nottaway C. H , guarding Petersburg Railroad, Apr. 20 to May 1, 1865, March to Washington, May 1-23, 1865, — and near Washington, D. C., May 23 to June 28, 1865; in com-[p. 331] mand of the District of Maine, Aug. 10 to Dec. 28, 1865; and awaiting orders, Dec. 25, 1865, to Mar. 10, 1866.
MUSTERED OUT OF VOLUNTEER SERVICE, Jan. 15, 1866.
Served : as Member of Board to determine the kind of small-arms for the service of the Army, 1866 ; awaiting orders, to Nov. 15, 1866; in
(COLONEL, 35TH INFANTRY, JULY 28, 1866)
command of District of Texas, Nov. 28, 1866, to Sep. 5, 1867, — and temporarily of Fifth Military District (Louisiana and Texas), Sep. 5–15, 1867.
DIED, SEP. 15, 1867, AT GALVESTON, Tex.: AGED 41.
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH.
Bvt. MAJOR-GENERAL CHARLES GRIFFIN was born, January, 1826, in Licking County, Ohio. From Kenyon College, Ohio, he entered the Military Academy, from which he was graduated July 1, 1847; was promoted to the Artillery, and was immediately ordered to Mexico, taking command of a company on the march of General Patterson's column from Vera Cruz to Puebla. From the termination of this war till the outbreak of the Rebellion he was mostly engaged on frontier duty.
In command of the “West Point Battery,” he won the brevet of Major in the Battle of Bull Run ; was appointed, June 9, 1862, Brigadier-General, U. S. Volunteers ; and was distinguished in the Virginia Peninsular Campaign. After joining the Army of Virginia, he was engaged in the Battle of Manassas, and was charged in the commanding general's report with making unseemly remarks, and refraining from taking part in the conflict, for which he was arrested for trial, but soon released. In command of his brigade he served through the Maryland Campaign, when he was placed at the head of a division, with which he fought through the Rappahannock, Pennsylvania, and Richmond Campaigns. At the close of these three years of toilsome marches and bloody battles, he was put at Five Forks in command of the Fifth Corps, and by order of General Grant received the arms and colors of the Confederate army surrendered at Appomattox C. H. For his gallant and meritorious services during the Rebellion he was brevetted from Major to Major-General in the Regular Army, and promoted, Apr. 2, 1865, Major-General, U. S. Volunteers.
After becoming Colonel, July 29, 1866, of the 35th Infantry, he commanded the District of Texas, and, temporarily, the Fifth Military District (Louisiana and Texas), till his death, Sep. 15, 1867, at the early age of 41.
"General Griffin,” says his classmate, Col. John Hamilton, “although always glad to meet his friends, was somewhat reserved ; a little disposed to be cynical, and to depreciate in words that which he even respected in fact. He was punctilious, and quick to resent insult, fancied or real. Indeed, it might not be too strong to say that his nature was bellicose. Withal, he was a hearty liker, and would make sacrifice to help his fellow-man, but he was very severe on those who lost his esteem.
“As a soldier, nothing could keep him away from where he thought duty pointed, regardless of any other claim; and the sickness that called him hence was a sacrifice to his ideas of duty, which, had he been less conscientious, could readily have been evaded with no dishonor.
[CLASS OF 47 INCLUDES ORLANDO B WILLCOX (8); JAMES B FRY (14); AP HILL (15); AMBROSE BURNSIDE (18); JOHN GIBBON (20); ROMEYN AYRES (22); HENRY HETH (38)]
Source: Biographical Register of the Officers and Graduates of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, NY by Bvt Maj-Gen George W. Cullum, 3rd ed. Vol. II (New York 1891)
PROMOTIONS:
United States. Congress. Senate. (1828). Journal of the executive proceedings of the Senate of the United States of America. Washington: Printed by order of the Senate of the United States.
p. 100 promotions - Second Regiment of Artillery
Second Lieutenant Charles Griffin to be first lieutenant, June 30, 1849, vice Sears, resigned.
United States. Congress. Senate. (1828). Journal of the executive proceedings of the Senate of the United States of America. Washington: Printed by order of the Senate of the United States
p. 451 Promotions: Second Regiment of Artillery
First Lieutenant Charles Griffin to be captain, April 25, 1861, vice Elzey resigned.
p. 507 Captain, Fifth Regiment of Artillery 4/25/61
I. Fraley, J. P. (1910). Three Rivers, the James, the Potomac, the Hudson. New York (N.Y.). https://hdl.handle.net/2027/yale.39002014324660
p. 104 Headquarters, U. S. Military
Academy, West Point, N. Y.
January 7, 1861.
Orders No. 3.
1. The command of the Military Academy Detachment of Dragoons will be temporarily transferred to Lieutenant Charles Griffin, 2d Artillery, for the purpose of improving and perfecting their instruction as drivers and gunners in the use of Field Artillery, to which branch of the Artillery service Lieutenant Griffin will for the present confine his attention.
2. To enable Lieutenant Griffin to organize a battery of four pieces with six horses to each piece and caisson, enough men to make the command seventy strong will be temporarily transferred from the Artillery to the Dragoon Detachment. For this purpose the commander of the Artillery Detachment will advise with Lieutenant Griffin in order that only the men most suitable for the object in view may be detailed.
3. Lieutenants Symonds and Webb will be relieved from duty as cadet instructors and will report to Lieutenant Griffin for duty.
[105]
4. Lieutenant Griffin is hereby relieved from duty in the Tactical Department in order to enable him to devote his entire time and attention to the organization and instruction of this light battery, which the Superintendent hopes in the shortest possible space of time may be converted into a model one of its kind.
By order of Colonel Delafield,
S. R. HOLABIRD, 1st Lieut., 1st Infantry, Adjutant, M. A.
II. United States. Congress. Senate. (1828). Journal of the executive proceedings of the Senate of the United States of America. Washington: Printed by order of the Senate of the United States
p. 451 Promotions: Second Regiment of Artillery
First Lieutenant Charles Griffin to be captain, April 25, 1861, vice Elzey resigned.
p. 507 Captain, Fifth Regiment of Artillery 4/25/61
Captain Barry to be major 5/14/61
I. Symonds, H. C. (Henry Clay), -1900. Report of a Commissary of Subsistence, 1861-1865. Sing Sing, NY: The author, 1888. https://hdl.handle.net/2027/hvd.hx4u3l
p. 20 Fall of 1854 – Griffin at Fort Defiance, ordered to tour of duty with Light Battery at Baltimore
Fort McHenry, Maryland. During the night of July 11, 1855 to the following morning, private Louis Loup of Light Co. K, 1st Artillery became intoxicated and violent. Loup was restrained at Grffin's direction. Loup asphyxiated.
“Soon after the recent unfortunate death of private Louis Loup, at Fort McHenry, the officer of the day, Lieutenant Charles Griffin demanded court of inquiry, to examine into all the facts, so far as he himself was concerned.” Military court assembled on July 20, 1855.
The military court of inquiry worte: “In submitting the above facts, the Court of Inquiry is not authorized by law to express any opinion on the matter, except as to the conduct of Lieut. Griffin, the officer who applied for the court. In relation to him, the court is of the opinion that the order he gave was not intended as a punishment, but merely to preserve the quiet and good order of the garrison, which it was his duty as an officer of the day to maintain.
The merely tying and gagging, in the usual manner, a noisy and violent prisoner being, under the circumstances, absolutely necessary, and authorized by orders also- an order to that effect would, in itself, be proper enough, and therefore no blame whatever can be attached to Lieutenant Griffin, as the court does not believe that he either ordered or intended that the deceased should be tied up to the flag-staff or gagged in an unusual manner.”
Source: Washington Sentinel August 2, 1855
I. Lt. Griffin is mentioned in the press as Second Artillery companies are dispatched from New York to Fort Snelling in Minesota in response to unrest among the Sioux. The units were then sent to Fort Leavenworth (via St. Louis).
A. “Advices to the 25th instant have been received at the War Department from Fort Snelling, by telegraph, from which we learn that the Sioux Indians have acceded to all that has been required of them and are now quiet. Company H, second artillery, Captain W.F. Barry, left Fort Hamilton, New York harbor, on the 27th, for Fort Snelling. First Lieutenant Charles Griffin and Second Lieutenant William Butler, are the officers with the company.”
B. Companies E & H, second artillery, numbering 135 men, arrived in St. Louis on 12 inst from Fort Snelling, Minnesota Territory, en route to Fort Leavenworth. Captain Arnold Elzey and WF Barry, and Lieuts Charles Griffin and GD Baily accompany the forces. (Philadelphia) Press, Sept. 18, 1857
MEADE’S HEADQUARTERS 1863-1865 Letters of COLONEL THEODORE LYMAN FROM The Wilderness to Appomattox Selected AND Edited BY GEORGE R. AGASSIZ BOSTON Massachusetts Historical Society 1922 https://hdl.handle.net/2027/hvd.32044024503971
p. 90 “Gradually the musketry died away; and, at a quarter before three, General Griffin rode up — his face was stern and flushed, as it well might be. He said he had attacked and driven Ewell’s troops three quarters of a mile, but that Wright had made no join on his right and Wadsworth had been forced back on his left, so that with both flanks exposed he had been obliged to fall back to his former [91] position." Meantime we got word that the head of Hancock's column had moved up the Brock road and made a junction with Getty. At 3.15 I was sent with an order to General Getty to attack at once, and to explain to him that Hancock would join also. He is a cool man, is Getty, quite a wonder; as I saw then and after. “Go to General Eustis and General Wheaton,” he said to his aides, “and tell them to prepare to advance at once.” And so we were getting into it! And everybody had been ordered up, including Burnside, who had crossed that very morning at Germanna Ford. General Grant had his station with us (or we with him); there he took his seat on the grass, and smoked his briarwood pipe, looking sleepy and stern and indifferent. His face, however, may wear a most pleasing smile, and I believe he is a thoroughly amiable man. That he believes in his star and takes a bright view of things is evident. At 4.15 P.M. General Meade ordered me to take some orderlies, go to General Hancock (whose musketry we could now hear on the left) and send him back reports, staying there till dark. Delightful! At the crossing of the dotted cross-road with the plank sat Hancock, on his fine horse — the preur chevalier of this campaign — a glorious soldier, indeed! The musketry was crashing in the woods in our front, and stray balls — too many to be pleasant — were coming about. It’s all very well for novels, but I
* Of this incident Lyman writes in his journal: “2.45. Griffin comes in, followed by his mustering officer, Geo. Barnard. He is stern and angry. Says in a loud voice that he drove back the enemy, Ewell, 3/4 of a mile, but got no support on the flanks, and had to retreat — the regulars much cut up. Implies censure on Wright, and apparently also on his corps commander, Warren. Wadsworth also driven back. Rawlins got very angry, considered the language mutinous, and wished him put in arrest. Grant seemed of the same mind and asked Meade: ‘Who is this General Gregg & You ought to arrest him!” Meade said: “It's Griffin, not Gregg; and it's only his way of talking.’”
p. 127. May 25, 1864 “ At 7.30, I was sent to General Warren, to stay during the day, as long as anything of interest was going on, and send orderlies back to report. I found the General among the pines, about halfway up his line. In front a heavy skirmish was going on, we trying to push on our skirmish line and they resisting obstinately. Presently we rode down to where Griffin was, near the spot where the common road crosses the Gordonsville rail. Griffin always goes sitting in unpleasant places. There was a sharp shooter or two who, though we were hid by the small trees, would occasionally send a bullet through, as much as to say: “I know you are there — I’ll hit you presently.” Appleton was shot through the arm near here, while placing a battery in position. Then we rode to the extreme right, near to the picket reserve of the 22d Massachusetts. Warren, who is always very kind to me, told all the others to stay behind, but let me come. We rode under the crests, and along woods a little, and [128] were not shot at; and went as far as a log barn, where we stopped carefully on the off side, and talked to the picket officer. When we left, we cantered gracefully and came off all right. Then to General Wright at E. Anderson's house; a nice safe place, and the family still there; likewise iced water, very pleasant this hot weather. After which, once more for a few minutes to Griffin, passing on the road one of his aides, on a stretcher, exceeding pale, for he had just been hit in the artery of the arm and lost a deal of blood before it could be stopped. Also there came a cheery sol dier, shot through the leg, who said: “Never mind, I hit five or six of them first.” Finally we rode the whole length of Warren's and Crittenden's lines, seeing Weld on the Way. . .”
p. 168 June 18, 1864: * “Everyone was near the breaking-point. He, Burnside, complained of the heavy artillery detailed to his corps. “They are worthless,” said he; “they didn't enlist to fight and it is unreasonable to expect it from them. In the attack last night I couldn't find thirty of them!” He afterwards said of Meade (to one of his Staff): ‘He is irascible; but he is a magnanimous man.’ Presently up comes Griffin, in one of his peculiar blusters! and all about a commissary who, he maintains, didn't follow orders. Griffin stormed and swore. “Now! now!' said Warren (who can be very judicious when he chooses), “let us all try to keep our tempers more, and not swear so much. I know I give way myself; but it is unworthy.’” — Lyman's Journal.
p. 169 “We had it intermittently all day long from eight o'clock till dark. New batteries soon came up, under charge of Captain Phillips (Appleton's commander). “I want you to go in there with your guns,” said General Griffin, “but you will be under fire there.” “Well,” said Phillips, “I have been in those places before”; and rode on, followed by his pieces. Later, his First Lieutenant, Blake, was carried by me, dead, shot with a minié ball through the forehead. . . “
p. 232. Oct. 2, 1864 “To-day a curious thing occurred. While I was away, looking for a place for the new camp, General Meade rode out with the Staff. There came a conical shell, which shaved a patch of hair off the tail of General Humphrey's horse, scraped the leg of General Meade's boot, passed between General Ricketts and Griffin who were standing within a foot of each other, and buried itself in the ground, covering several officers with sand and dirt. Four Generals just escaping by a turn of the head, so to speak! I got this shell and shall send it home as a great curiosity.”
p. 330. March 30, 1865: “The whole force from one end to another was ordered to go forward at once, Griffin being, from the nature of the ground, somewhat in advance. All went on without anything more than scattered skirmish ing till near five P.M., when Griffin was struck by a part, or the whole, of two Rebel divisions. But G. is a rough man to handle, and, after a sharp fight, drove them back and followed them up, taking a hundred prisoners. Our losses were some 400 altogether in this affair. Of the enemy we buried 126; so that their total loss, including prisoners, must be, say, 800. The Griffin was in great spirits at this affair and vowed he could drive the enemy wherever he found them. Their object in attacking us was to delay our advance, and to get time to man their works.”
Adam Bedeau: Grant in Peace From Appomattox to Mount McGregor, A Personal Memoir, (Hartford 1887) https://hdl.handle.net/2027/yale.39002013686127
[356] The first time that I saw Mrs. Lincoln was when I accompanied Mrs. Grant to the White House, for her first visit there as wife of the General-in-Chief. The next occasion that I recall was in March, 1864, when Mrs. Lincoln, with the President, visited City Point. They went on a steamer, escorted by a naval vessel of which Captain John S. Barnes was in command, and remained for several weeks in the James River under the bluff on which the headquarters were established. They slept and usually took their meals aboard, but sometimes both ascended the hill and were entertained at the mess of General Grant.
On the 26th of March a distinguished party from Washington joined them, among whom I remember, especially, Mr. Geoffroi, the French Minister. It was proposed that an excursion should be made to the front of the Army of the Potomac, about ten or twelve miles off, and Mrs. Lincoln and Mrs. Grant were of the company. A military railroad took the illustrious guests a portion of the way, and then the men were mounted, but Mrs. Grant and Mrs. Lincoln went on in an ambulance, as it was called — a sort of half-open carriage with two seats besides that for the driver. I was detailed to escort them, and of course sat on the front seat facing the ladies, with my back to the horses.
In the course of conversation, I chanced to mention that all the wives of officers at the army front had been ordered to the rear — a sure sign that active operations were in contem-[357] plation. I said not a lady had been allowed to remain, except Mrs. Griffin, the wife of General Charles Griffin, who had obtained a special permit from the President. At this Mrs. Lincoln was up in arms, " What do you mean by that, sir ?" she exclaimed. " Do you mean to say that she saw the President alone ? Do you know that I never allow the President to see any woman alone ." She was absolutely jealous of poor, ugly Abraham Lincoln.
I tried to pacify her and to palliate my remark, but she was fairly boiling over with rage. "That's a very equivocal smile, sir," she exclaimed : " Let me out of this carriage at once. I will ask the President if he saw that woman alone." Mrs. Griffin, afterward the Countess Esterhazy, was one of the best known and most elegant women in Washington, a Carroll, and a personal acquaintance of Mrs. Grant, who strove to mollify the excited spouse, but all in vain. Mrs Lincoln again bade me stop the driver, and when I hesitated to obey, she thrust her arms past me to the front of the carriage and held the driver fast. But Mrs. Grant finally prevailed upon her to wait till the whole party alighted, and then General Meade came up to pay his respects to the wife of the President I had intended to offer Mrs. Lincoln my arm, and endeavor to prevent a scene, but Meade, of course, as my superior, had the right to escort her, and I had no chance to warn him. I saw them go off together, and remained in fear and trembling for what might occur in the presence of the foreign minister and other important strangers. But General Meade was very adroit, and when they returned Mrs. Lincoln looked at me significantly and said : " General Meade is a gentleman, sir. He says it was not the President who gave Mrs. Griffin the permit,' but the Secretary of War." Meade was the son of a diplomatist, and had evidently inherited some of his father's skill.
At night, when we were back in camp, Mrs. Grant talked over the matter with me, and said the whole affair was so dis- [358] tressing and mortifying that neither of us must ever mention it ; at least, I was to be absolutely silent, and she would dis close it only to the General. But the next day I was released from my pledge, for "worse remained behind."
The same party went in the morning to visit the Army of the James on the north side of the river, commanded by General Ord. The arrangements were somewhat similar to those of the day before. We went up the river in a steamer, and then the men again took horses and Mrs. Lincoln and Mrs. Grant proceeded in an ambulance. I was detailed as before to act as escort, but I asked for a companion in the duty ; for after my experience, I did not wish to be the only officer in the carriage. So Colonel Horace Porter was ordered to join the party. Mrs. Ord accompanied her husband ; as she was the wife of the commander of an army she was not subject to the order for return ; though before that day was over she wished herself in Washington or anywhere else away from the army, I am sure. She was mounted, and as the ambu lance was full, she remained on her horse and rode for a while by the side of the President, and thus preceded Mrs. Lincoln.
As soon as Mrs. Lincoln discovered this her rage was beyond all bounds. "What does the woman mean," she exclaimed, "by riding by the side of the President.' and ahead of me? Does she suppose that he wants her by the side of him? " She was in a frenzy of excitement, and language and action both became more extravagant every moment. Mrs. Grant again endeavored to pacify her, but then Mrs. Lincoln got angry with Mrs. Grant; and all that Porter and I could do was to see that nothing worse than words occurred. We feared she might jump out of the vehicle and shout to the cavalcade. Once she said to Mrs. Grant in her transports : " I suppose you think you'll get to the White House yourself, don't you .' " Mrs. Grant was very calm and dignified, and merely replied that she was quite [359] satisfied with her present position; it was far greater than she had ever expected to attain. But Mrs. Lincoln exclaimed ; "Oh ! you had better take it if you can get it. 'Tis very nice." Then she reverted to Mrs. Ord, while Mrs. Grant defended her friend at the risk of arousing greater vehemence.
When there was a halt Major Seward, a nephew of the Secretary of State, and an officer of General Ord's staff, rode up, and tried to say something jocular. "The President's horse is very gallant, Mrs. Lincoln," he remarked; "he insists on riding by the side of Mrs. Ord." This of course added fuel to the flame. "What do you mean by that, sir.'" She cried. Seward discovered that he had made a huge mistake, and his horse at once developed a peculiarity that compelled him to ride behind, to get out of the way of the storm.
Finally the party arrived at its destination and Mrs. Ord came up to the ambulance. Then Mrs. Lincoln positively insulted her, called her vile names in the presence of a crowd of officers, and asked what she meant by following up the President. The poor woman burst into tears and inquired what she had done, but Mrs. Lincoln refused to be appeased, and stormed till she was tired. Mrs. Grant still tried to stand by her friend, and everybody was shocked and horrified. But all things come to an end, and after a while we returned to City Point.
That night the President and Mrs. Lincoln entertained General and Mrs. Grant and the General's staff at dinner on the steamer, and before us all Mrs. Lincoln berated General Ord
to the President, and urged that he should be removed. He was unfit for his place, she said, to say nothing of his wife. General Grant sat next and defended his officer bravely. Of course General Ord was not removed.
During all this visit similar scenes were occurring, Mrs. Lincoln repeatedly attacked her husband in the presence of officers because of Mrs. Griffin and Mrs. Ord, and I never suffered greater humiliation and pain on account of one not a [360] near personal friend than when I saw the Head of the State, the man who carried all the cares of the nation at such a crisis — subjected to this inexpressible public mortification. He bore it as Christ might have done; with an expression of pain and sadness that cut one to the heart, but with supreme calmness and dignity. He called her "mother," with his old-time plainness ; he pleaded with eyes and tones, and endeavored to explain or palliate the offenses of others, till she turned on him like a tigress ; and then he walked away, hiding that noble, ugly face that we might not catch the full expression of its misery.
General Sherman was a witness of some of these episodes and mentioned them in his memoirs many years ago. Captain Barnes, of the navy, was a witness and a sufferer too.Barnes had accompanied Mrs. Ord on her unfortunate ride and refused afterward to say that the lady was to blame. Mrs. Lincoln never forgave him. A day or two afterward he went to speak to the President on some official matter when Mrs. Lincoln and several others were present. The President's wife said something to him unusually offensive that all the company could hear. Lincoln was silent, but after a moment he went up to the young officer, and taking him by the arm led him into his own cabin, to show him a map or a paper, he said. He made no remark, Barnes told me, upon what had occurred. He could not rebuke his wife ; but he showed his regret, and his regard for the officer, with a touch of what seemed to me the most exquisite breeding imaginable.
Shortly before these occurrences Mrs. Stanton had visited City Point, and I chanced to ask her some question about the President's wife. "I do not visit Mrs. Lincoln," was the reply. But I thought I must have been mistaken ; the wife of the Secretary of War must visit the wife of the President ; and I renewed my inquiry. "Understand me, sir.?" She repeated ; "I do not go to the White House ; I do not visit Mrs. Lincoln." I was not at all intimate with Mrs. Stanton,
AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF OLIVER OTIS HOWARD VOL. TWO (NY 1908)
p. 342 By army and Bureau changes General Charles Griffin came to be, the first of this year, district commander and assistant commissioner in Texas, with headquarters at Galveston . He did good work while he lived . I wrote of him: “ His thorough knowledge of the people , eminent patriotism , sympathy with the freedmen , and the remarkable energy and promptness which marked his administration endeared him to the laboring classes and commanded universal respect . ” He fell a victim to the epidemic of yellow fever that prevailed during the autumn of that year , dying at [343] Galveston , September 15 , 1867 . General J. J. Reynolds , a respected instructor of mine at West Point , replaced him for the remainder of the year . Before Griffin came , Texas had been but partially occupied . The troops had been mostly located near the southern coast . The agents of the Bureau could do little or nothing away from the garrisons . In remoter parts , robberies , murders , and other outrageous crimes were matters of daily occurrence . Griffin at once distributed the troops and by May, 1867 , had occupied 57 subdistricts, and sent out 38 army officers and 31 civilians as his representatives ; all were so stationed and so supported as pretty thoroughly to cover the State . He made these assistants his school inspectors , each of his own subdistrict . Schools were started . Every school was visited monthly . Land was obtained by donations ; on lots so obtained and held , usually by col ored trustees , Griffin permitted or caused school build ings to be erected and school furniture to be supplied . Through our Northern benevolent societies and through the freedmen's own support, the Texas schools were multiplied . Griffin, shortly before his last illness, wrote : “If the associations which have done so much for freedmen will send me 100 good teachers I will furnish them schoolhouses and aid besides to carry on 200 primary schools. ”He thus hoped to reach 40,000 children by day schools and 50,000 adults by night schools . Planters were now favoring schools and applying to Griffin for teachers . Of course there were drawbacks . In parts, as I intimated, where desperadoes had the mastery, public opinion was intensely hos tile to any project for the improvement of negroes . The poverty of the white people of Texas was never so great as elsewhere in the South, and they had suf [344] -ficient pride to take care of their own poor . This of itself was a great boon to the assistant commissioner.
Thirty-Second Regiment Massachusetts Infantry: whence it came, where it went, what it saw; and what it did. Francis J. Parker (Boston 1880)
p. 46. Through all this we succeeded in finding General Porter's headquarters, and by his direction were guided to a position a mile or more distant, and placed in line of battle with other troops in face of a thick wood, and then learned that we were assigned to the brigade of General Charles Griffin, division of General Morell, in Fitz John Porter's, afterward known as the Fifth army corps.
As soon as we were fairly in position our Colonel sought for the brigadier. The result was not exactly what his fancy may have painted. On a small heap of tolerably clean straw he found three or four officers stretched at full length, not very clean in appearance and evidently well nigh exhausted in condition. One of them, rather more piratical look- ing than the others, owned that he was General Griffin, and endeavored to exhibit some interest in the addition to his command, but it was very reluc-[47] tantly that he acceeded to the request that he would show himself to the Regiment, in order that they might be able to recognize their brigade commander.
After a time however, the General mounted and rode to the head of our column of divisions. The Colonel ordered "attention” and the proper salute, and said: "Men, I want you to know and remember General Griffin, our Brigadier General.” Griffin's address was perhaps the most elaborate he had ever made in public. "We've had a tough time men, and it is not over yet, but we have whaled them every time and can whale them again.”
Our men, too well disciplined to cheer in the ranks, received the introduction and the speech, so far as was observed, in soldierly silence, but months afterward the General told that he heard a response from one man in the ranks who said, “Good God l is that fellow a general.” We all came to know him pretty well in time, and to like him too, and some of us to mourn deeply when he died of the ſever in Texas, after the surrender.
p. 113 After Antietam.
“One of our men, returning from a private foraging expedition laden with a heavy leg of beef, was cap- tured by the provost guard, and, by order of General Griffin, was kept all day “walking post,” with the beef on his shoulder, in front of the head- quarters' tents. As the General passed his beat he would occasionally entertain him with some question as to the price of beef, or the state of the provision trade, and at retreat the man, minus his beef, was sent down to his regiment “for proper punishment,” which his commanding officer concluded that he had already received.
Yet another soldier was sent to our headquarters by the Colonel of the Ninth Massachusetts, with the statement that he had been arrested for maraud- ing. Upon cross-examination of the culprit it [114]. appeared that he had been captured with a quarter of veal in his possession by the provost guard of the Ninth Regiment. A regimental provost guard was a novelty in the army, but when, on further questioning, it appeared that the offending soldier had been compelled to leave the veal at Colonel Guiney's quarters, the advantage of such an organization in hungry times to the headquarters' mess was apparent, and our Colonel at once ordered a provost guard to be detailed from the Thirty-second, with orders to capture marauders and turn over their ill- gotten plunder to his cook. Unhappily, within the next twenty-four hours, some high General, whose larder was growing lean, forbade regimental pro- vost guards in general orders.
It was during our stay at Warrenton that General Griffin requested the attendance of Colonel Parker and told him, not as an official communication, but for his personal information, that three officers of the Thirty-second had, during the previous night, taken and killed a sheep, the property of a farmer near by. Of course the Colonel expressed his re- gret at the occurrence, but he represented to the General that, inasmuch as the officers of our regiment were not generally men of abundant means, and inasmuch as they had received no pay from their Government for several months, and inas- much as it was forbidden them to obtain food by taking it either from the rations of their men or the property of the enemy, he (the Colonel) would be glad to know how officers were to live? The [115] General, utterly astonished at the state of affairs thus disclosed, asked in return for some suggestion to relieve the difficulty. The suggestion made that officers should be allowed to buy from the commissaries on credit, was, at the request of General Griffin, embodied in a formal written communication to him, and by an order the next day from the headquarters of the army, it became a standing regulation until the end of the war.
p. 249: “That night, by order of General Sheridan, General Warren was relieved, and General Griffin (our “Old Griff”) was placed in command of the 5th Corps. It is not easy to see what default in duty could have been ascribed to Warren, and it is prob- able that the real explanation of the change was merely Sheridan's preference or partiality for Griffin, who was patterned more after Sheridan's taste.”
Source: The Record of the Military Service of First Lieutenant and Brevet Captain Robert Goldthwaite Carter U.S. Army, 1862-1876 (Wash DC 1904) https://hdl.handle.net/2027/loc.ark:/13960/t51g0xm0j
p. 15: 22MA (Tilton) “The regiment had now become so much depleted by constant battle service, numbering but 125 men, then General Griffin, the Division Commander, selected it to go to City Point, Va., and guard the immense ordnance stores, quartermaster’s work and repair shops, hospitals, prisoners, etc., which had accumulated there; and here it remained from August 9, to October 1, 1864, to await muster out, performing [16] in the meantime, the most important service by guarding millions of dollars’ worth of the most valuable property, for which it was highly commended.”
Under the Maltese Cross Antietam to Appomattox, Campaigns 155th Pennsylvania Regiment (Pittsburgh 1910)
p. 279 COOLNESS OF GENERAL GRIFFIN UNDER FIRE.
An episode which elicited the admiration of the men on the skirmish line was the calmness and coolness displayed by General Griffin, the Division commander, while in a very dangerous position. As the General visited the vicinity of the exposed skirmish line of Company E, commanded by Captain George M. Laughlin, he approached the advanced position through heavily wooded timber where his division was concealed, walking along the public road towards the front, and making no effort to conceal his presence from the enemy. The General, apparently unconscious of the danger, exposed himself to plain view of the enemy, as he approached the outposts of the skirmish line, in order to take ob- servations of the enemy's position. He was warned by Corporal John M. Lancaster, of Company E, who was on duty closest to General Griffin's position, to get under cover, as the enemy's sharpshooters, concealed in the trees and other places, had full range of the position. The General, without the slightest exhi- bition of concern, continued his advance in the middle of the road; when the minie balls, raising the dust close around him, caused him to heed the advice of the Corporal. As General Griffin turned to leave the road for the cover of the woods, a minie ball struck the heel of his boot, on which the General turned towards the enemy, and said loud enough for the men on his own skirmish line to hear, “Johnny, your aim was bad; you shot a little too low this time ’’; and then disappeared in the woods. In less than ten minutes after, General Griffin dispatched the Maryland Brigade of three regiments to take position in the field occupied by the One Hundred and Fifty-fifth skirmishers, to drive the enemy's pickets and skirmishers back from the position they occupied. This the Maryland Brigade did in gallant style, but not without heavy loss.
The ground gained on the railroad, and property destroyed and track torn up by Grant's army this day, while keeping the troops unusually busy, was quite satisfactory, and General Grant, evidently not desiring to have a battle on the railroad thus destroyed, issued orders to move on to the Pamunkey river. This led to the evacuation of the Union breastworks just completed for defensive purposes, as was done at Spottsylvania.
p. 290 155PA and 91PA changed from 2nd Division V Corps to 1st Division (under Griffin) on June, 15, 1864, Sweitzer’s Brigade joining 62PA, 21PACav dismounted.
p. 303 July 3, 1864: farewell banquet for Sweitzer (62PA) from officers of Sweitzer’s Brigade and Griffin.
p. 374: late Feb. 65: daily reviews. “At this time the wife of General Charles Griffin was in camp, and accompanied her husband on these reviews. She was a handsome woman, a superb rider and rode a beautiful horse.”
p. 350 photo of Griffin with aids Cpt. Laughlin, Brinton and Schemerhorn
At Appomattox p. 375 “General Fields, commanding a division of the Confederate army under Longstreet, opposite the position held by the Fifth Corps and the One Hundred and Fifty-fifth, had been a classmate at West Point with General Charles Griffin. [376] General Fields sent his compliments to Griffin by an aide, whereupon General Griffin dispatched Major Laughlin, of his staff, with his compliments to General Fields, to escort the latter to his headquarters as his guest pending the paroling ceremonies then being arranged to take place a day or two later. The hospitality of General Griffin was gratefully accepted by General Fields, and the greeting of the two classmates of the '50's at West Point was cordial in the extreme.
The Confederate officers' mess chest and wardrobes had become quite reduced by the fall of Petersburg and Richmond and the harrassed retreat of the Confederate army, and the capture of their wagon trains by the Federal cavalry. General Fields, therefore, apologized for his fatigue attire, and his inability to return the hospitalities of General Griffin's larder.
General Griffin, being an abstemious man, had to depute the distribution of the champagne festivities with his Confederate guest to other Generals of his corps who did not share his prejudices against the limited use of ardent spirits, especially to the stranger within their lines.
It was said, however, that General Griffin, before their final parting, insisted on his Confederate guest's accepting a substantial roll of money for his immediate expenses.
General Fields was a brave soldier, having been in the war from the first battle of Bull Run to Appomattox, and during his visit to General Griffin, the latter sent for General Ayres to come and meet Fields, both Griffin and Ayres having participated in the battle of Bull Run in the artillery service, and having commanded bodies of troops down to Appomattox.
MAGNANIMITY OF GENERAL GRANT.
It is related by the late Major Geo. M. Laughlin that, on the evening of May 5, 1864, in the bivouac of General Meade's headquarters in the Wilderness, an informal council of war was held. A preliminary discussion took place as to the terrible carnage which had occurred that day in the various divisions of the Fifth Corps, and the inadequate gains as to position or advantages. On this occasion, General Griffin, whose Division of the Fifth Corps had opened that memorable battle, and suffered such severe losses, expressed his views to General Meade, presiding, in very forcible terms, denouncing it as an inexcusable blunder to fight under such disadvantages of position; and also characterizing in severe terms the losses occasioned in the rank and file of his command as “useless slaughter.” Lieutenant-General Grant had just arrived at the meeting in time to hear the remarks of General Griffin. Though not addressed to him, he quietly expressed to General Meade the great surprise he felt that the latter tolerated any such remarks or criticisms from subordinate commanders, declaring that in the armies with which he had served in the West the commanders never per- mitted such conduct. General Griffin, overhearing General Grant's expressed displeasure at his remarks, quietly withdrew from the informal council of war.
General Griffin, it is said, subsequently expressed his belief that his earnest remarks criticising the great and useless carnage of the first day in the Wilder- [377] ness would be remembered by Grant to his disadvantage in subsequent promotion. In this, however, General Griffin was agreeably disappointed, as after Five Forks, when other Generals were competing for the command of the Fifth Corps to succeed General Warren, it was Grant's act that awarded the distinguished honor to General Griffin, unsolicited and unexpected by him, but much to the gratifica- tion of the rank and file of the Fifth Corps. When Lieutenant-General Grant separated from General Lee, and rode back to rejoin his own army where the various Union Generals had assembled at Appomattox Court House, General Grant advanced and cordially greeted and shook hands with General Griffin, publicly expressing his thanks for and great appreciation of the services of the latter, and of his brilliant handling of the Fifth Army Corps in the memorable pursuit of the Confederate army. He also announced the permanent appointment of General Griffin to command the Fifth Corps.
The magnanimity of the Lieutenant-General on this occasion overcame General Griffin, who, with unconcealed emotion, accepted the proffered hand, and thanked General Grant for his generosity
p. 378 Honoring Warren
On the 5th of May a most memorable example of the earnest affection and deep emotion showed by the returning veterans of the Fifth Corps for General Gouverneur K. Warren, so long the commander of the Fifth Corps, and at times previously identified wtih the Second and the Third Corps of the Army of the Potomac, the youngest corps commander in the army. General Charles Griffin, his successor as corps commander, with Generals Ayres, Crawford and Chamberlain, division commanders, shared this affection for Warren as a brave soldier and chivalrous officer. General Grant had de- servedly appointed General Warren, on the fall of Petersburg, to be Governor of the city, which the latter had by his skill contributed so much toward cap- turing. The city of Petersburg and its line of intrenchments, being on the route assigned for the homeward march of the Fifth Corps, it was determined by General Griffin to invite General Warren, as military Governor, to extend to his late corps the honor of a public review as it passed through the “Cockade City.” Accordingly, preparations were made in all the regiments and batteries for the occasion. Instructions from the officers were given for all the rank and file to prepare themselves, their uniforms and arms, in the best shape, for the farewell reception to their late beloved commander. The numerous bands and drum-majors were also put upon their metal to do their best. The reviewing stand selected was a platform erected in front of the “Bolingbroke House,” which was occupied as the headquarters of the military Governor and staff.
On the reviewing stand with General Warren was Mrs. Warren, the bride whom he had married while on leave of absence en route to Gettysburg, and also a number of distinguished Generals of the Army of the Potomac, staff officers and their wives. In the line of the column being reviewed were ten thousand soldiers, survivors of the twenty-five thousand who, during General Warren's command, had so faithfully followed the Maltese Cross from the Wilderness to Appomattox.
As General Griffin at the head of the Corps rode by, he saluted General Warren and joined him on the reviewing stand. As the bronzed veterans fol- lowing Generals Ayres, Chamberlain and Crawford, commanding divisions and the historic batteries of the Corps, obtained sight of their old commander, their emotions overcame them. The war being over and discipline relaxed, the men most enthusiastically saluted and cheered to the echo their old commander. The climax, however, of excitement and enthusiasm was reached when Warren's old brigade, composed of zouave regiments, including the One Hundred and Fifty-fifth, now commanded by General A. L. Pearson, reached the reviewing [379] stand. These veterans were formed in what is known as “open order ’’ maneu- vers, and carried their guns on their knapsacks, and with their tattered flags and weather-beaten faces, they seemed to be the very ideal of veteran soldiers. They halted before the reviewing stand after saluting General Warren, and most en- thusiastically cheered and cheered, adding “tigers,” until their officers ordered them to resume the march. This grand ovation and tribute to Warren, so cordial and unanimous, should have gone far towards making his superiors right the recent wrong occasioned by his arbitrary removal from the command of the Fifth Corps in the supreme moment of victory at Five Forks.
The people of Petersburg, who crowded the streets and occupied the win- dows and dwellings at the time, declared they had never witnessed anything like the scene of this great military demonstration of the Fifth Army Corps through their streets. The miles and miles of ammunition and quartermasters trains, artillery caissons, and ambulance wagons, which followed, were also a source of great surprise to the population, white and black, of Petersburg.
p. 383 Spontaneous celebration May 1865
“The candle-light column first waited upon Major-General Charles Griffin. Subversive of all ordinary discipline, the processionists immediately demanded that the General give them a “speech,” and the cries of “Speech Speech Speech l’’ were heard. General Griffin resembled General Grant and many other West-Pointers in being wholly disqualified to make a speech; and the cries for a speech embarrassed the General. A compromise was reached, however, and General Joshua L. Chamberlain, commanding a division of the Fifth Corps, was offered as a substitute, General Griffin occupying the background. General Chamberlain, in response to calls, had to produce General Griffin on the stand (a cracker box), where he bowed his acknowledgment and received the cheers of his men. General Chamberlain delivered an eloquent address which he, as well as Generals Griffin, Ayres, Gregory, Bartlett, Coulter, Pearson and the other Generals and Colonels, felt for the rank and file of the Corps.
From General Griffin's headquarters the procession moved to General Ayres', General Bartlett's, General Pearson's and to the headquarters of other com- manders. The oratory and exercises, however, were cut short by the ration of candles burning out, leaving all in the dark.
pp. 616- 619 Memories of Appomattox by Capt. George M. Laughlin, Brevet Major
p. 636 J. Bowman Sweitzer letter to Geo. Booth, dated 9/4/75 – read at First Reunion 155PA
After attack at Petersburg on June, 18, 1864: “As you are all aware, the gallant and lamented Major-General Charles Griffin was at this time our Division Commander. I met him and said I, ‘General, what do you think of the One Hundred and Fifty-Fifth now?’ ‘By G-d,’ says he, ‘I don’t want any better troops.’ And so say I.”
Source: Under the Maltese Cross Antietam to Appomattox, Campaigns 155th Pennsylvania Regiment (Pittsburgh 1910) https://hdl.handle.net/2027/njp.32101031529975
Chancellorsville – division withdrawn to rifle pits near Chancellorsville House
p. 174 “Both Generals Griffin and Barnes were much chagrined at the peremptory order to stop. They made earnest appeals for the revocation of the directions, entered potent objections against their enforcement. From those who were in position to overhear the loud and angered tones of the conversation, it was reported that some hot, plain, determined words were spoken. General Griffin, filled with soldierly enthusiasm and just confident of his ability to take and hold the eminence, offered to surrender his commission if the attempt should prove a failure.”
p. 183 “General Griffin, an officer of unquestioned skill and untiring energy, beside the implicit confidence had the unbounded respect of every soldier in his division. His presence was assuring, and demonstrations were only restrained by the necessity for perfect quiet.”
p. 187: “The attack of the Confederates was so fierce and persistent that General Meade ordered General Griffin to put in his division. He asked permission to use the artillery then concentrating in the vicinity, saying ‘I’ll make them think hell isn’t half a mile off.’ Permission being granted, he ordered the gunners to double-shot their pieces, let the enemy approach to within fifty yards, ‘and then roll them along the ground like this,’ stooping in imitation of a bowler.”
p. 211 Spring 1863: “Dress-parade was in progress on a genial afternoon, and General Griffin's presence had stiffened the men to their best endeavors. The adjutant was peculiarly happy, his natty jacket, well-polished top-boots outside his pants, and his neat- fitting corduroys setting off his shape immensely. But it was not uniform. He had reached the " Sir, the parade is formed," when the general, who had kept his eye upon him alone, could remain silent no longer. "No, it is not, sir!" said he, address- ing the adjutant, "nor will it be until you return from your quarters clothed in the uniform of your rank; and, recollect, sir, with your pants outside of your boots." And then turning to the colonel, " I had hoped, sir, this would have received attention before I was compelled to notice it. You will bring your command to an order and await the adjutant's return."
The adjutant, meekly submissive, shortly appeared properly clothed and the ceremony was concluded. His subsequent orders lacked much of the snap with which he opened.
At other times a disposition to be unduly careless met with like reproof. General Griffin, during the hour for company drills, riding through the division to observe the regard paid to this requirement, happened upon a captain of repute, who wore a brown knit jacket instead of an officer's coat. The captain continued to manoeuvre his company, with that special care and little self-importance always assumed when in the presence of superiors. The general interrupted him several times, address- ing him as sergeant. The captain resented the application of the title and was at some pains to repeatedly announce his rank. The general was equally firm in his insistence upon the desig- nation he had first used, and ultimately explained he could recognize no commissioned officer in such an unsightly garb discharging the duties of his office. He ordered the captain to repair to his quarters and change his coat, and that [212] he would take charge of the company. He drilled it for some time and when the captain returned in his uniform, addressing him by his title, administering some wholesome advice upon the subject of dress, dignity, and use of the insignia of rank, directed him to continue the exercises."
p. 270: Gettysburg – Barnes “just deserved the consideration shown him by General Griffin, who arrived amid the heat of the contest and declined to assumed command until the battle was over. Griffin considerately remarked: ‘To you, General Barnes, belongs the honor of the field; you began the battle with the division, and shall fight it to the end.'"
p. 285 Incident at Lovettsville, VA July 17, 1863: “Moving at four in the afternoon to Berlin, and crossing the Potomac on pontoons laid at that point at 5:50, the regiment was again in old Virginia, and at 6:45 in camp at Lovettsville.....Some venomous spirit prompted retaliatory measure for wrongs done in Pennsylvania. Threats were made to destroy the village. General Griffin checked the affair in its incipiency, preventing a disgraceful scene of sack and pillage.”
p. 300 Execution of five deserters August 26, 1863: “General Griffin, who, annoyed from the beginning with unnecessary delays, had anxiously noted the waning hours, observed that but fifteen minutes were left for the completion of what remained to be done. In loud tones, his shrill, penetrating voice breaking the silence, he called to Captain Orne: ‘Shoot those men, or after ten minutes it will be murder. Shoot them at once.!’”
p. 303: “General Griffin had a mare, noted for its speed, of superior build and excellent carriage. There were often appreciative gatherings at his headquarters, when he was tempted by repeated challenges to test the metal of his splendid animal. Other steeds were of equal reputation, however, and regardless of the distinguished rank of the owner of this noted war-horse, not infrequently outstipped in the strife.”
p. 319 incident near Brandy Station October 11, 1863:
“Over the plain in front there were repeated charges and countercharges, with varied success as the one or the other side was in heaviest numbers. Presently the enemy appeared in considerable strength, bearing down hard upon our severely pressed horse. General Griffin, standing beside an idle battery unlimbered and "in action front," evidently concluded that the best way to re- lieve this pressure on the discomfited horse was to try some effective work with the guns. He stood in their midst and personally directed the fire. The first shot was too high, knocking off the branches of timber in the woods in front of which stood a large body of the enemy's cavalry. This practice did not suit him, and he directed the artillerymen to depress their pieces, remarking with considerable emphasis, as he had done once before, 'You are firing too high; just roll the shot along the ground like a ten-pin ball and knock their d—n trotters from under them,' practically illustrating his instructions by stooping and trundling his hand and running smartly as if in the act of bowling. Better work followed, and after several discharges the enemy disappeared entirely and the cav airy, infantry, artillery and trains continued the march without further interruption to the Rappahannock.”
p. 322 October 13, 1863: “General Griffin evidently anticipated battle, as he directed the release of private Thomas Sands, of Company F, who was under arrest awaiting execution, and ordered him to be equipped and returned to the ranks ready for the coming engagement.”
p. 324. As an illustration of the great confidence that the men had in the courage and generalship of General Griffin, who had recently returned to the division after a short absence, it may be mentioned that the officers could do nothing better to reassure the troops than to say: ‘Men, General Griffin is in command.’”
p. 432 withdrawal from Spotsylvania, pickets insulted by Confederates May 21, 1864: “But General Griffin, seated composedly on his horse, as our men reached their cover, encouraged them with the assurance that their run was all part of the game, and that others were at hand to re- [433] ent the insult. And so they were, for when all the pickets were safely stowed away, a counter-charge gathered in a goodly number of the enemy, who in the wild excitement of success had ventured beyond the bounds of prudence.”
p. 505. Maj. GC Hopper 1MI, report of encounter with CG August 20, 1864 at Weldon RR. “I received a summons to report to General Charles Griffin, our division commander. ‘He said to me: “Major, we will probably be attacked early [506] to-morrow morning, and nothing so discourages an enemy as to find a determined resistance on the picket line. Your position is a long way in front, and if you give them a good fight it will greatly weaken them by the time they reach the breastworks.”
p. 511. Sept. 1864: “Horse-racing again found a place among the amusements. A level stretch of the Halifax Road furnished the track, and the first race between General Griffin’s gray mare and the commissary of musters’ gray stallion resulted in the defeat of the general’s animal.”
p. 513: movements 9/30/64: “Here under the personal direction of General Griffin skirmishers were thrown out. Of the detail was one officer and twenty men from the 118th. They had not gone far when they developed the enemy’s pickets behind light works thrown up along the road in front of Poplar Grove Church. After some sharp firing the enemy fell back to his main line. In this skirmish, gallantly pressing [514] forward Lieutenant Conahay was killed. General Griffin was beside him when he fell.”
p. 519 more combat on 9/30/64: “And then amid it all General Griffin came along, resolute, heroic, impressive, with words and comforting promises of help. The wavering lines stiffened; strong men were strengthened and the weak made strong. From now it was his fight, and his presence in inspiring the men was almost equal to the promised support of his batteries.”
Griffin absent on leave from Oct. 19, 1864 to about Oct. 26, 1864
pp. 568-9: Griffin’s managing action at Hatcher’s Run - March 1865
p. 639. Wrt Charles P. Herring, Col 118PA: Griffin wrote “Gallant and ever reliable as an officer, he was humane and considerate towards those under him, always being solicitous for their welfare. On the field of battle, or in camp, his manly bearing won for him the friendship for all. His record is one that he not only should feel proud of, but his State should prize as belonging to one of her sons.”
p. 648 Major-General Charles Griffin was the popular and brilliant commander of the 1st Division of the 5th Corps until the removal of General Warren, when he was placed in command of the corps. No officer in the army could have been more dearly beloved by his men than General Griffin. He was a tall, slim, well-built man, and rode very erect, with his head well thrown back, and with his long sharp chin well advanced to the front. In the field he paid little attention to dress, and his rank was indicated principally by the gold cord around his felt hat; his face was shaved smooth, while his lip was adorned with a heavy moustache. General Griffin was one of the finest-looking officers in the army. Always kind, pleasant and cheerful, his presence even in defeat always seemed like a sun- beam. He was as fearless as a tiger, and would lead his division anywhere. He had formerly been an artillery officer and conse- quently had great faith in that branch of the service. We all mourned when his death was announced, several years after the close of the war. He died of yellow fever in New Orleans. There were but few officers in the Union army more worthy of praise than was General Charles Griffin.
Source: History of the Corn Exchange Regiment 118th Pennsylvania Volunteers – Survivor’s Association (Philadelphia 1888) https://hdl.handle.net/2027/hvd.hx4u2q
William Fowler was a Yale grad and lawyer who joined Griffin's staff in the summer of 1864.
CV: [from General Catalogue, Psi Upsilon Fraternity, edit. Leo Weldon Wertheimer (1917) p. 92]:
AB 1860 Yale, Editor Yale Literary Magazine, Commencement Orator; LLB 1861 Albany Law School. 1Lt 173NY 62-64; Capt. 146NY 63; Bvt Maj & AAG on Staff of CG 64-65; Capt. US Army 65; Aide on Staff of Gen. Howard and in charge of Land and Claim Division of the Freedmen’s Bureau 65-68. Lawyer. died 1874
Letters from the volume "MEMORIALS OF WILLIAM FOWLER" (NY 1875)
p. 87 Fowler comments that newspapers “give General Crawford too much credit for the North Anna fight, the whole brunt of which was borne by General Griffin, and not part of his line yielded for a second.”
p. 90 [Sumner’s Ford, Chickahominy River, June 9, 1864] “The General is very genial for the most part, but exceedingly cross at times, when out of sorts. He is fond of a hearty laugh, and very sociable with his staff. We used to think him reckless with his men, but I have learned how different the truth is. I have never met an officer so pained by losses and so averse to unnecessary risks. In an emergency he reaches his decisions instantaneously, and does not hesitate to carry them out. Artillery is his pet, of course, and probably no one in the army can use it with so much effect. His freedom of speech provokes hostility, and undoubtedly blocks his promotion, but I shall be greatly mistaken if, in spite of this, he does not attain another star before the present campaign ends.”
p. 94 [June 19, 1864]. “General Griffin rode, as usual, to the very front, urging on the skirmishers and directing the batteries. The fire from muskets and cannons was very sharp, and I expected every moment that some of us would catch it. Away went the General, however, and I ground my teeth and followed, feeling like one of his brigade commanders for whom he had sent, and who when I gave him the message, said: ‘Tell General Griffin, when you can, that I don’t like skirmishing with him, and would rather be with him on any other occasion.”
p. 96 [June 20, 1864] “One thing I know from personal observation, and that is, that General [97] Griffin pushed his division with the utmost vim, that it achieved its purpose more nearly than any other, and that the slaughter of our 800 men would not have been so far a waste had other commanders acted as effectively. He is a warhorse, and my idea that division staff duty is safer than line duty during engagements, is wholly dispelled. I never got under heavier fire, both of musketry and artillery, than on Saturday last.”
P 98 [June 22, 1864] “I am writing in the country cottage of Mr. Cheesman, one of the wealthiest citizens of Petersburg. .. I keep mourning over Saturday’s failure, for I never counted more upon success, and it was only the gross want of energy on the part of some of our commanders that thwarted us.” “we have a carpeted room, with elegant mahogany furniture, a spring bed, and other like articles”
p. 114 [Aug 28, 1864]. “The General takes things much more coolly than his staff, but when aroused , something is certainly up. It is a sight to look at him in action. He has a marvelously quick eye and apprehension, and in critical moments, everyone, high and low, defers to him. I have seen him twist General Warren right around, and manage to suit himself even when he had no command. He is not choice at such times in expressions to his superiors, but blurts out what he thinks, just as he thinks it. This makes him enemies among prominent men, but if there was a vacancy there, the vote of the soldiers would put him over every one in command of the corps.”
p. 117 [October 21, 1864]. “General Griffin has come to Washington and wishes me back on his staff…. All my inclinations dispose me to go with General Griffin, who offers me a permanency on his staff, and is urgent that I should take it.”
[October 25, 1864]: “General Griffin was telegraphed for last evening, and is anxious that I should go with him. General Casey has consented, and I start today.”
p. 118. [Dec 5, 1864]. “My Captain’s commission has come to hand, and I shall go to the field permanently as soon as possible. General Griffin telegraphs that he needs me now. I shall apply to General Casey for permission to go down tomorrow and stay awhile, and then return to settle my affairs.”
p. 120 (HQ 1Div V Corps, Dec. 26, 1864) Returned here on Thursday evening. Arrived at Griffin’s tent. “The General was indignant because I had not brought his wife with me, but soon recovered his good humor. Everything was, and is still, in utter disorder. We are putting up log houses, and live anyway in the meanwhile. The General has a grand one nearly done – four rooms, with good doors, fire-places, floors, windows, and all the modern improvements.. [121] . General G. left for home Saturday, on ten days’ leave.”
“I am acting now as Adjutant-General of the division… Mrs Griffin and her little child are with us, the General having permission from the War [122] Department to bring them here.
p. 125 [March 18, 65]. “Mrs. Griffin takes her departure tomorrow, and then the last link to civilization is broken, and I shall resume my battered hat and private’s pants, and go unshorn and unshaven once more, and out at the elbows and knees.”
p. 130 [April 3, 1865] Regarding Sheridan: “General Griffin had made his fortune. Sheridan relieved Warren and placed him in command in the midst of the battle, and he did heroically, scaling the rifle-pits, where the artillery was, first of all.”
p. 134 [April 10, 1865 – Appomattox Court-House] “Sheridan did not fight by map and telegraph, but took the field himself, and saw who the soldiers were. There can be no higher compliment than he paid Griffin by putting him at the head of the [135] corps on the 1st of April, and it was deserved too. Set free from control, Griffin shot up at once…Though Crawford ranks Griffin, he is placed under his command, and this makes him sore.”
p. 137 [April 14, 1865] “I have bought General Griffin’s little mare for $350, and would like a check to pay for her as soon as the mail is safe. I would not sell her for a $100 to boot, because of the reminiscences associate with her. I rode her during Lee’s surrender, and learned from rebel officers that she was thoroughbred, and raised by Hare, the celebrated Virginia jockey.”
p. 140 [May 26, 1865 HQ 1Div V Corps] “Added to my office duty have been the grand review to occupy me, and the presentation to General Griffin of a diamond division badge, which would make your eyes open. One of the brilliants cost a $1000.”
p. 146: Letter from WR Dewitt MD , Medical Director 1Div, V Corps: “General Griffin reposed great confidence in him, and continued with him until the closing of the war, that of Five Forks, when General took command of the Corps, and Major Fowler remained in his post in the Division, on the staff of General J.L. Chamberlain.”
https://hdl.handle.net/2027/yale.39002071115704
Josiah Rice's diary tells the story of a new recruit who enlisted in the 2nd Artillery at New York City in March 1851. Rice and other new soldiers was transported by ship to New Orleans and then up to St. Louis and then by steam packet up the Missouri River to Fort Leavenworth. Rice's artillery company, under the command of Capt. Henry. Kendrick, joined the expeditionary force led by Col. Edwin Sumner The troops departed Fort Leavenworth on May 30, 1851, crossed into New Mexico on July 8th and arrived in Santa Fe on July 18 (Dillon, p. 9). It is unclear whether Lt. Griffin joined the march from Ft. Leavenworth or was already stationed in New Mexico. Griffin was part of the advance from Santa Fe to Navajo country.
The expedition marched to and through Canon de Chelly - the heart of the Navajo nation. Advancing through the canyon's vally, the troops countered Navajos firing from cliffs above. Col Sumner ordered Lt. Griffin to fire cannons at the Navajo. Rice reported: “But as the Col. would not let Lieut. Griffin have his way, being in fear that we all would be killed in running the gun up close and bedding the trail, we just unlimbered without elevation and fired. The shell struck apparently about thirty feet below and burst against the rocks, not touching one of them but reports were made by them afterwards that it scart eleven of them to death.” That evening, Sumner ordered the force to march march with Sumner and Griffin taking the lead. Rice wrote how Sumner, aware of the danger of further Navajo attacks, first instructed Griffin to take his time and then ordered him to “hurry up a little faster.” [pp. 75-76] .
When the forces emerged from Canon de Chelly into Valley de Chellly, Griffin "succeeded to the command of B Co. when Kendrick went on detached service," Author Richard Dillon writes that a few days after this incident, Griffin, leading at least part of Company B, “left Sumner’s command, enroute to Canon Bonito, and began a hitherto unnoticed 1,216-mile reconnaissance to the Gila River and back at the same time that Captain Lorenzo Sitgreaves was making his well-known march down the Zuni and Little Colorado Rivers…” Griffin's destination was confluence of the Gila and San Pedro rivers, where his small command rested 5 or 6 days in vicinity of modern Winkelman and Hayden before their retracing steps and returning to Fort Defiance on Oct. 31st. [p. 18-19]
Rice recorded a couple of anecdotes involving Griffin, including an account that Griffin and Kendrick “managed to catch enough of trout to keep them in fodder for three days without any other meat" [p. 59] and Griffin getting angry about noise mules and horses [p. 79].
Source: A Cannoneer in Navajo Country: Journal of Private Josiah M. Rice, 1851, edit. Richard H. Dillon, Pub. For the Denver Public Library by The Old West Publishing Co. (1970)
Griffin remained in the south-west and Fort Leavenworth until orderd to Fort McHenry in the fall of 1854.
Lt Griffin is mentioned in letters from early 1850 (including two from Lt. Lafayette McLaws (later a Confederate general)), placing Griffin in New Mexico at that time. He would spend several years stationed in the region.
p. 102
The accompany Department order No. 1 directs that company D 2nd Dragoons be turned over to Lieut Griffin 2nd artillery with the proper proportion, from the squadron, of horses and horse equipage, arras, amunition. accoutrements &c Lieut Griffin will then proceed with the company and take Post at Albiquin [Albiquiu]
Recent Indian difficulties in the northern portion of the Territory require a mounted force to be stationed at Albiquin[u]. and it becomes necessary to detail a company from your command for that service there being no other available mounted force — The Dragoons at Taos have become so much reduced in numbers that they are barely sufficient to protect the inhabitants in the vicinity of that Post from the constant depredations of the Indians —
It was Colonel Munroes intention and desire to retain the squadron under your command. But the necessities of service have rendered the seperation of that force, at present, unavoidable. But it is hoped that events may so happen, that the squadron, can be again united.
I have the honor herewith to acknowledge the receipt of your communications of the 29th
Colonel Munroe directs me to inform you that one company of Dragoons, under Lieut C. Griffin 2 arty is now at Abiquin He is aware that there is not a sufficient force under your command to accomplish all that you would desire to perform, But there is no disposable force now in the Territory which could be sent to reinforce your command. Major Steen's company at Donana has been continually in the field. The exigencies of service, render it necessary that his present position should be occupied — It is hoped that the company at Abiquin will be sufficient for all purposes, — I have been instructed by the Col. to inform Captain Judd at Las Vegas, that the Uta & Apache Indians are reported to be in large numbers on the Rayado Frontier.
p. 216 Cyrus Choice, Ind. Agt to Indian Agency Albiquin New Mexico to Col JS Calhoun, Sante Fe NM, 5/8/1850
Sir
Lieut Griffin, was informed on Sunday night last by a Pueblo Indian, that Pedro Solisair (one of the Constables of this county,) had been all around the Pueblo, requesting the Mexicans to meet at his house, on the day of the Election for Deligates to the Convention, — That he had some important facts to communicate. The Indian understood him to say that their were a large Mexican force coming from Old Mexico, and he wished to know if the Mexicans here, would join them or the Americans.
Source: United States. Office of Indian Affairs, Annie Heloise Abel, James S. Calhoun, and United States. Office of Indian Affairs. New Mexico Superintendency. The Official Correspondence of James S. Calhoun While Indian Agent At Santa Fé And Superintendent of Indian Affairs In New Mexico. Washington: Govt. Print. Off., 1915
https://hdl.handle.net/2027/loc.ark:/13960/t35143x68
[p. 871]
BREVET MAJOR-GENERAL CHARLES GRIFFIN.
CHARLES GRIFFIN was born in Licking County, Ohio, about the year 1827. He attended an institution of learning in Bardstown, Kentucky, and afterward, July 1, 1843, he received the appointment of cadet at West Point. Four years later he graduated in the class with Generals Burnside and Ayres, and received the appointment of Brevet Second-Lieutenant in the Fourth Artillery.
The war with Mexico being then in progress, the young officer was at once ordered to active duty, and thus commenced a military career of more than ordinary variety of service. In Mexico he marched from Vera Cruz to Puebla in command of a company attached to the force commanded by General Patterson. From Mexico he was ordered to Florida, in January, 1848, and to Old Point Comfort in the following December. Here he remained until July, 1849, when he was promoted to First-Lieutenant of the Second Artillery, and was ordered to New Mexico in command of a cavalry company. In scouting and other duties of frontier life his time was occupied until 1854. Next he spent three years in garrison duty at Fort McHenry, Maryland, in command of a battery. In 1857 he was engaged in conducting recruits from Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania, to Fort Leavenworth, Kansas; was in garrison at Fort Independence, Missouri; on frontier duty at Fort Snelling, Minnesota, and afterward in command of the escort which accompanied the Governor of New Mexico to Santa Fé. Returning through Texas, he rejoined his command at Fort Leavenworth, and remained there and at Fort Riley until in the latter part of 1859, when he received a leave of absence, continuing until some time in 1860. In September of this year he was ordered to West Point and appointed assistant instructor of artillery, a position for which he was well fitted from his previous experience in that arm of the service. This post he held until January, 1861, when, among the earliest movements of the war, he was ordered to Washington with the West Point battery. This was one authorized to be attached to the Fifth Cavalry, and was afterward known as Griffin's battery. He remained in command of it until June 26, 1862, when he received his commission of Brigadier-General of volunteers, and assumed command of his brigade as it was marching to the battle-field of Mechanicsville. He at once rendered himself conspicuous for his gallantry in that action; and subsequently, at the battle of Gaines's Mill, he displayed a heroism that challenged the admiration of the enemy. At Malvern Hill he was placed in command of the artillery, which was supported by his own brigade, and posted at the point of attack by the forces of the Rebel [p. 872] General Magruder. By his skillful use of the artillery be threw Magruder's troops into confusion, and thus contributed much to the good results of the engagement. In addition to these battles, he participated in almost every battle and skirmish of the army of the Potomac, beginning with the first battle of Bull Run and ending with the battle of Five Forks. He was engaged at Bull Run, July 21, 1861; at Secessionville; at Yorktown, May 4, 1862; Mechanics. ville, June 26th ; Hanover Junction, June 27th ; Gaines's Mill, June 27th; Malvern Hill, July 1st and August 4th; Bull Run, August 29th and 30th ; Antietam, September 16th and 17th; Sharpsburg. September 19th ; Fredericksburg, December 13th; Chancellorsville, May 2, 3, and 4, 1863; Gettysburg, July 31 (returning from a sick leave); Williamsport, July 6th ; Culpepper, July 13th; Morton's Ford, —; Wilderness, May 5, 1864; Laurel Hill, May 8th and 13th ; Spotsylvania, May 18th and 19th ; Jericho Ford, May 23d; Anderson's Farm,______; Tolopotomoy, May 29th ; Shady Grove, May 30th ; Bethesda Church, June 2d and 3d ; Petersburg, June 19th ; Weldon Railroad, August 18th, 19th, and 21st; Hatcher's Run (Nos. 1 and 2), February 7th and 8th and March 25, 1865; Quaker Road, March 27th; White Oak Road, March 31st; Fair Oaks, April 1st; Appomattox C. H., April 8th and 9th.
When the surrender of Lee was agreed upon General Griffin was appointed one of the commissioners to arrange the details.
His command in the war was at first a battery, then a brigade, afterward a division; and, on the battle-field of the Five Forks, when Sheridan was placed in command of the entire force, he was assigned to the command of the Fifth Corps, which he retained until the Army of the Potomac was disbanded. After this he was appointed to the command of the Military Division of the State of Maine, with head-quarters at Portland, where he made many warm friends.
When he was mustered out of the volunteer service he received a promotion in the regular army to Colonel of the Thirty-Fifth United States Infantry, and Brevet Major-General. He was then ordered to the command of the State of Texas; and when, in March, 1867, General Sheridan was assigned to the command of the Fifth Military District, he retained General Griffin in command of that State. When General Sheridan was relieved of his command, General Griffin, as the next in rank, succeeded him. He had discharged the duties of this high place, however, but for a short time, when he was attacked by yellow fever. The terrible disease soon ran its course to a fatal termination. He died September 15, 1867.
From his first march in Mexico to his last work in Texas there is found but one leave of absence in General Griffin's military record; and it bas already been said that he participated in every battle and skirmish in which his command engaged with the Army of the Potomac. To have moved with his command to the defense of Washington, even before the actual beginning of hostilities-to have remained in active and dangerous service throughout the war, and to have finally fallen a victim to a pestilence while in the work of restoring the self-exiled States to their places in the Government, is to have a record which of itself is an honorable monument.
[p. 873]
In the delicate position in Texas, as the agent to carry out the provisions of the reconstruction laws of Congress, General Sheridan ever found in him a faithful co-worker. In April, 1867, in a letter to Governor Throckmorton on the subject of registration, he said: “I am very anxious to see the laws impartially carried out, and no effort shall be spared on my part to bring out the full number of legal voters in the State. If the citizens accept the situation, come forward and yield a cheerful obedience to the laws, there can be no trouble." Among his last orders was one which directed that thero should bo no distinction made in Texas on account of racu, color, or previous condition, by railroads or other chartered companies which were common carriers. His letter to General Hartsuff, the Adjutant-General of General Sheridan (written only a few days before the fever attacked him), showed that he was fully in sympathy with that commander's views :
“HEAD-QUARTERS DEPARTMENT OF TEXAS,
Galveston, Texas, September 6, 1867
“BREVET MAJOR-GENERAL GEO. L. HARTSUFF, A. A. G.,
“ Head-Quarters Fifth Military District, Nero Orleans, Louisiana:
“GENERAL: I desire that you transact all business and issue orders in the same manner that you would have done had General Sheridan remained in command and received his anticipated leave of absence. It is uncertain when I can go to New Orleans, as I am threatened a little with yellow fever, and my physician advises me not to leave. All papers requiring my official signature please forward to these head-quarters. I am, General, etc.,
CHAS. GRIFFIN, Brevet Major-General."
General Griffin, though often in great danger, escaped unhurt in all his battles. He had several horses shot under him at different times, and once had the visor of his cap torn away by a musket-ball. At another time the folded Atrap of his boot served as a shield to stop the force of a bullet, which otherwise would have pierced his leg; and at another time a ball struck his sword with such violence as to break it.
He was married, December 10, 1861, to Miss Sallie Carroll, of Maryland, a lady whose ancestry were favorably known in the history of our country—one being a signer of the Declaration of Independence, and another one of the members of the convention which formed the Constitution of the United States. The wedding ceremony, which took place at the residence of the bride's father, Hon. Wm. T. Carroll, was distinguished by the presence of President Lincoln, with many prominent officers of the Government and representatives of foreign nations.
Source: Whitelaw Reid, Ohio in the War: Her Statesmen, Her Generals, and Soldiers, vol. I (NY 1868) [Google Books]
