In April, I posted “In Memoriam: Captain Richard V.W. Thorne, Jr.” In that blog post, I discussed my purchase, on behalf of The Green-Wood Historic Fund, of a memorial book, created in 1875 upon Captain Thorne’s death by the men who served in the Brooklyn City Guard with him. I also reported that he was … Read more
July 22: Schuyler Hamilton, grandson of Alexander Hamilton, was born on this date in 1822; he would fight in the Mexican and Civil Wars, rising to the rank of major general.
July 21: Patrizio Piatti, Italian-trained sculptor who created and proudly signed the spectacular monument to Jane Griffith, and who himself lies in an unmarked grave, died on this date in 1888.
July 20: On this date in 1885, Edwin Clark Litchfield died; he was interred at Green-Wood several days later. Rumor has it that he insisted that he be buried facing away from Prospect Park, in eternal protest over Brooklyn’s seizure of the land around his home, Litchfield Villa, for the park’s construction.
July 19: On this date in 1835, Fireman Augustus Cowdrey
July 18: Brigadier General George Crockett Strong, on this date in 1863, led the Union attack on Fort Wagner, South Carolina, made famous in the movie “Glory.” He was slightly wounded in the leg and was sent back to New York City to recover, but developed tetanus and died within weeks.
July 17: Civil War General Francis Effingham Pinto, who also fought in the Mexican American War, died on this date in 1905.
July 16: Brigadier General Edward Jardine, who was seriously wounded and captured while fighting Draft rioters on July 15, 1863, and was told he would be executed, only to talk his way out, died on this date in 1893.
July 15: Mary White Ovington, co-founder of the NAACP, journalist, and suffragist, died on this date in 1951.
July 14: One hundred and fifty years ago today, a mob, taking part in the Draft Riots during the Civil War, attacked and looted the Brooks Brothers store on Catherine Street.