General/Justice Charles Devens - Mt. Auburn Cemetery - Watertown, MA - Grave of a Famous Person on Waymarking.com

In Watertown, within mt. Auburn Cemetery, is the grave for Brevit General Charlse Devens, who served during the U.S. Civil War.

Mt. Auburn Cemetery is located at the boundary between Cambridge and Watertown, along Mt. Auburn Street, and near the intersection with Belmont Street. After entering, be sure to get a map at the visitor center ($1). The grave is nearest Arethusa Path, which is off Walnut Ave.

The marker is a white marble slab among other marble slabs of the Devens and Lithgow families. The height is about six feet tall. The front has the following text:

"In memory of
CHARLES DEVENS
son of
CHARLES & MARY LITHGOW
DEVENS
born April 4, 1820
died Jan. 7, 1891
-.-
Brigadier General
Brevet Major General U.S. Vols.
-.-
Attorney General
of the United States
-.-
Justice
of Supreme Judicial Court
-.-"

Charles Devens was born in the then independent town of Charlestown (now part of Boston). He attended Harvard College, then Harvard's Law School. He started his legal practice in 1840. In the years after, he was a State Senator from 1848-9, and U.S. Marshall Massachusetts District (1849-1853).

When the U.S. Civil War started, Devens volunteered for service and was given the rank of Major for the 3rd Battalion of the Massachusetts Rifles, then in 1861, became commander of the 15th Infantry Regiment of Massachusetts Volunteers. He was wounded in the Battle of Ball's Bluff, which nearly ended his life. He was promoted to General after this time. He was also wounded in the Seven Days Battle. He was also involved in the Battle of Fredericksburg, Battle of Chancellorsville (wounded again), Battle of Cold Harbor, and the Siege of Petersburg. His troops were the first to occupy Richmond, VA.

Devens served during the Reconstruction Period, as well, being second in command to the General of the Southeastern Department.

After the war, he became a Justice in the State Superior, then the State Supreme Court to the end of his life, breaking when he was U.S. Attorney General under President Rutherford B. Hayes.

At one time, there was an Army fort named after him, located in the towns of Shirley, Ayer, and Harvard. Today, that fort was decommissioned and mostly demolished. However, the area is still known as 'Devens.'



Other Sources:

Miller Center (Charles Devens (1877-1881):
(visit link)

Description: Brev. General Charles Devens served during the U.S. Civil War and participated in several battles, including those in the Peninsular Campaign in Virginia. Date of birth: 04/04/1820 Date of death: 01/07/1891 Area of notoriety: Other Marker Type: Headstone Setting: Outdoor Visiting Hours/Restrictions: Daylight hours every day Fee required?: No Web site: [Web Link]

Visit Instructions:
To post a visit log for waymarks in this category, you must have personally visited the waymark location. When logging your visit, please provide a note describing your visit experience, along with any additional information about the waymark or the surrounding area that you think others may find interesting.

We especially encourage you to include any pictures that you took during your visit to the waymark. However, only respectful photographs are allowed. Logs which include photographs representing any form of disrespectful behavior (including those showing personal items placed on or near the grave location) will be subject to deletion.

Recent Visits/Logs:

There are no logs for this waymark yet.