Ink signature on small card measuring 3 ½” x 1 3/8”. “R B Ayres / Brig Genl”. Very fine conditioning; age yellowing to card, particularly at edges. Otherwise clean and fully legible.

Romeyn Beck Ayres was born in Montgomery County, N. Y., Dec. 20, 1825, and graduated at West Point in 1847. Shortly after graduation he was sent to Mexico as second lieutenant in the 3rd artillery, and remained in the garrison at Fort Preble until 1850. From that time until the outbreak of the Civil war he did frontier and garrison duty, and in May, 1861 at age 31 was made captain in the 3rd artillery. He was present at all the early engagements of the war about the defenses of Washington, then served as chief of artillery in W. F. Smith's division end of the 6th army corps, after which he accompanied the Army of the Potomac in the Peninsular Campaign of 1862, going then into the Maryland campaign, ending in the battle of Antietam.

After three months sick leave he engaged in the winter campaign of the Rappahannock, and fought at Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville and in the intervening engagements. Being made brigadier-general of volunteers in Nov., 1862, he commanded a division of the 5th corps at Gettysburg; he was brevetted Major for gallant and meritorious service on 7/2/63. He was then ordered to New York City to suppress the draft riots. He accompanied his command in the movements against Richmond in 1864, was wounded at the siege of Petersburg in June, and took part in the final engagements which resulted in Lee's surrender at Appomattox.

Brevetted Lt. Col. on 5 May 1864 for gallant & meritorious service at the Wilderness; brevetted Colonel on 8/18/64 for actions during the battle of Weldon Railroad; brevetted Brig. Gen. on 3/13/65 for gallant & meritorious service at Five Forks; brevetted Major Gen. 3/13/65 for gallant and meritorious service in the field during the war; and brevetted Maj. Gen. Vols. On 8/1/64 for conspicuous gallantry in the battles of the Wilderness, Spotsyvlania Court Hourse, Jericho Mills, Bethesda Church, Petersburg, Globe Tavern and for faithful service during the campaign. On April 30, 1866, he was mustered out of the service as lieutenant-colonel of the 28th infantry and brevet major-general, U. S. A.

He remained in the US Army following the Civil War. With the contraction of the Regular Army in 1870's, he performed garrison duty at number of posts, including Little Rock, Arkansas, Jackson Barracks, Louisiana, Key West, Florida, and other places in the South. July 15, 1879, promoted to Colonel of the 2nd Artillery, and supervised various army posts in Florida. Died: Ft Hamilton, New York Harbor, December 4, 1888. Ayres is buried in Arlington National Cemetery.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

THIS ITEM, AS WITH ALL OTHER ITEMS AVAILABLE ON OUR WEB SITE,

MAY BE PURCHASED THROUGH OUR LAYAWAY PROGRAM.

FOR OUR POLICIES AND TERMS,

CLICK ON ‘CONTACT US’ AT THE TOP OF ANY PAGE ON THE SITE,

THEN ON ‘LAYAWAY POLICY’.