General William Wells - Burlington, Vermont
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Vermontish
N 44° 29.536 W 073° 13.939
18T E 640545 N 4928070
Vermont's most promoted soldier of the Civil War
Waymark Code: WM7WK6
Location: Vermont, United States
Date Posted: 12/14/2009
Views: 22
William Wells, Jr. (1837 – 1892) joined the First Vermont Cavalry in 1861 as a Private and rose to the rank of Brevet Major-General. Promoted more times than any other Vermonter during the American Civil War, he participated in over 70 cavalry battles and skirmishes. The last commander of Sheridan's cavalry, Wells was awarded the Medal of Honor for “conspicuous gallantry” at Gettysburg.
After the war, Wells was prominent in politics and business. A partner in Wells, Richardson & Co. of Burlington, makers of Paine's Celery Compound, he later became president or a director of several prominent Vermont firms. He served in the State Legislature, and was elected Vermont Adjutant-General and Inspector-General.
A most genial, courteous and kind-hearted man, a gallant soldier, and one of the most respected citizens of the Green Mountain State. He suddenly died of angina pectoris at the age of 55 in New York City; Burlington effectively shut down for his funeral.
There is a statue of Wells in Burlington's Battery Park, identical to one in Gettysburg National Park, and a Vermont Historical Marker stands in front of his former home.