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Henry Clay Pleasants

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Henry Clay Pleasants Famous memorial Veteran

Birth
Buenos Aires, Argentina
Death
26 Mar 1880 (aged 47)
Pottsville, Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania, USA
Burial
Pottsville, Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania, USA GPS-Latitude: 40.681263, Longitude: -76.2074432
Plot
Section B, Lot 11
Memorial ID
View Source

Civil War Union Brevet Brigadier General. He was the son of John Pleasants (1804-1844) and his wife, Sylvia Naveis. He was raised by his uncle, Dr. Henry Pleasants, after the death of his father in San Antonio, Texas. He served in the Civil War first as a 2nd Lieutenant in the 6th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry (a 3-month enlistment regiment), then as Lieutenant Colonel and commander of the 48th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry. He was a mining engineer, and his regiment was made up of coal miners from the hills of Pennsylvania. During the Siege of Petersburg, Virginia, he came up with the idea of tunneling under Confederate lines and planting a mine to blow up their defenses. When his plan was approved, he directed the operation, which culminated in the successful detonation of the explosives. The successive battle became known as the Battle of the Crater and was completely botched by inept Union Commanders Burnside, Ledlie, and Ferrero. Nonetheless, he was brevetted Brigadier General, US Volunteers on March 13, 1865, for "skillful and distinguished services during the war, and particularly in the construction and explosion of the mine before Petersburg, Va." the failure of which he had no part of.

Civil War Union Brevet Brigadier General. He was the son of John Pleasants (1804-1844) and his wife, Sylvia Naveis. He was raised by his uncle, Dr. Henry Pleasants, after the death of his father in San Antonio, Texas. He served in the Civil War first as a 2nd Lieutenant in the 6th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry (a 3-month enlistment regiment), then as Lieutenant Colonel and commander of the 48th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry. He was a mining engineer, and his regiment was made up of coal miners from the hills of Pennsylvania. During the Siege of Petersburg, Virginia, he came up with the idea of tunneling under Confederate lines and planting a mine to blow up their defenses. When his plan was approved, he directed the operation, which culminated in the successful detonation of the explosives. The successive battle became known as the Battle of the Crater and was completely botched by inept Union Commanders Burnside, Ledlie, and Ferrero. Nonetheless, he was brevetted Brigadier General, US Volunteers on March 13, 1865, for "skillful and distinguished services during the war, and particularly in the construction and explosion of the mine before Petersburg, Va." the failure of which he had no part of.

Bio by: RPD2


Inscription

UNTIL THE DAY BREAK AND THE SHADOWS FLEE AWAY



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  • Maintained by: Find a Grave
  • Added: Jul 10, 1999
  • Find a Grave Memorial ID:
  • Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/5860/henry_clay-pleasants: accessed ), memorial page for Henry Clay Pleasants (16 Feb 1833–26 Mar 1880), Find a Grave Memorial ID 5860, citing Charles Baber Cemetery, Pottsville, Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania, USA; Maintained by Find a Grave.